Systems and methods for content delivery are disclosed. A content delivery system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises a plurality of content delivery networks, and at least one network selector, wherein the at least one network selector analyzes a content delivery request, determines which content delivery networks in the plurality of content delivery networks are suitable for fulfilling the content delivery request, and selects one of the suitable content delivery networks to fulfill the content delivery request.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to satellite video systems, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for content distribution network selection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Satellite broadcasting of communications signals has become commonplace. Satellite distribution of commercial signals for use in television programming currently utilizes multiple feedhorns on a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) which supply signals to up to eight IRDs on separate cables from a multiswitch.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical satellite television installation of the related art.
System 100 uses signals sent from Satellite A (SatA) 102, Satellite B (SatB) 104, and Satellite C (SatC) 106 that are directly broadcast to an Outdoor Unit (ODU) 108 that is typically attached to the outside of a house 110. ODU 108 receives these signals and sends the received signals to IRD 112, which decodes the signals and separates the signals into viewer channels, which are then passed to monitor 114 for viewing by a user. There can be more than one satellite transmitting from each orbital location and additional orbital locations without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Satellite uplink signals 116 are transmitted by one or more uplink facilities 118 to the satellites 102-106 that are typically in geosynchronous orbit. Satellites 102-106 amplify and rebroadcast the uplink signals 116, through transponders located on the satellite, as downlink signals 120. Depending on the satellite 102-106 antenna pattern, the downlink signals 120 are directed towards geographic areas for reception by the ODU 108.
Alternatively, uplink facilities 118 can send signals via cable 122 either in conjunction with uplink signals 116 or instead of uplink signals 116 to IRD 112, for display on monitor 114. Cable 122 can be a standard television cable, an internet connection, a broadband connection, or any combination of one or more data connections to IRD 112.
Each satellite 102-106 broadcasts downlink signals 120 in typically thirty-two (32) different frequencies, which are licensed to various users for broadcasting of programming, which can be audio, video, or data signals, or any combination. These signals are typically located in the Ku-band of frequencies, i.e., 11-18 GHz, or in the Ka-band of frequencies, i.e., 18-40 GHz, but typically 20-30 GHz.
As satellites 102-106 broadcast additional services and additional channels to the home, users will like and expect these additional services to be delivered at reasonable cost. Viewers and users of services, e.g., wireless networking, internet services, etc., will like and expect to have access to these services and integrate these services with other services, e.g., wireless telephone communications, etc.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical IRD of the related art.
IRD 112 typically has an input from downlink 120, and processes the input from downlink 120 as necessary to produce a visible and audible image on monitor 114. Further, other signals can be input to IRD 112, such as cable 122, and broadband internet connection 200, which allow additional inputs and outputs to IRD 112. In many cases, IRD 112 can contain or can otherwise be connected to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) 202, such that information from any of the inputs 120, 122, Or 200 can be recorded on DVR 202.
Remote control 204 is also typically used to control features and operation of IRD 112. For example, remote control 204 can change which viewer channel is being displayed on monitor 114, which essentially commands IRD 112 which downlink 120 signal, cable 122 signal, or broadband internet connection 200 signal, or whether a playback of previously recorded information on DVR 202, is desired by the viewer to be seen on monitor 114.
Remote control 204 can also be used to control additional access to IRD 112. For example, when IRD 112 is coupled to the service provider authorization center via broadband internet connection 200 (or a standard telephone line, or via cable 122, or via other backchannel connections as needed), then a viewer can order a pay-per-view movie, additional channels, or other services that require the service provider to send commands to IRD 112 authorizing access to that content. Some of this content may be delivered via satellites 102-106, and portions of the content may also be delivered via broadband internet connection 200 or cable 122. Further, content may be delivered without viewer request, which is known as a "push" of data to an IRD 112. Data delivered to IRD 112 in any or all of these scenarios may also be recorded on DVR 202. Internet connection 200 is also used for programming IRD 112 and/or DVR 202 from other locations, such as via the internet or from a cellular telephone.
However, delivery of data, even with satellite 102-106 bandwidths and broadband 200 bandwidths, takes time. Further, the varied types and selections of content, e.g., current movies, older movies, current and past episodes of television shows, etc., provides more data than can be delivered at any given time.
It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for a satellite broadcast system that can be expanded. It can also be seen that there is a need in the art for a satellite/broadband broadcast system that can deliver additional information to each subscriber as needed or requested.


Derivatives of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-.alpha.,D-glucofuranose and intermediates for preparing these derivatives are described. These derivatives are useful for treating animals and mammals with inflammatory and/or autoimmune disorders such as autoimmune deficiency syndrome, psoriasis, atopic dermatitus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to 3,5,6-substituted derivatives of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-.alpha.,D-glucofuranose compounds and intermediates for preparing these derivatives. More particularly, this invention relates to derivatives of 1,2:3,5-Di-O- and 1,2:5,6-Di-O-isopropylidene-6-deoxy-.alpha.,D-glucofuranose. It also relates to furanosides obtained when 1,2-O-isopropylidene residues are reacted with methanol or other aliphatic alcohols of up to seven carbon atoms, both branching and containing double bonds. It further encompasses glucofuranose and related hexofuranose compounds wherein chirality is changed at positions 3 and 5. The derivatives of this invention have anti-proliferation and anti-inflammatory activity and are useful for treating animals and mammals with inflammatory and/or autoimmune disorders such as autoimmune deficiency syndrome, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Blocked acetals of hexoses exist as solids or liquids at room temperature. Various blocking methods are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,715,121 and 4,056,322, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. For example, in instances where an aldehyde or ketone is reacted with the hydroxyl groups on adjacent or neighboring sugar carbon atoms, the hexose may be blocked in a plurality of positions, such as, e.g., the 1,2- and/or 5,6- positions. In the 1,2:5,6-blocked hexoses the ring forms between carbons 1 and 4, leaving carbon 3 free to etherize and in the 1,2:3,5-blocked hexoses, the ring forms between carbons 1 and 4, leaving carbon 6 free to etherize. Thus, 1,2:5,6-blocked hexoses may form 3-O ethers, and 1,2:3,5-blocked hexoses may form 6-O ethers. After the desired blocking of the monosaccharide is obtained, the unblocked position of the monosaccharide can be etherized.
The 3- and 6-substituted furanoses thus obtained are generally known to have anti-inflammatory activity. Specific therapeutic compounds such as amiprilose hydrochloride, 1,2-O-Isopropylidene-3-O-3('N,N'-dimethylamino-n-propyl)-.alpha.,D-glucofu ranose (i.e. THERAFECTIN.RTM.), have been known for some time. This compound has demonstrated utility in managing the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis while exhibiting little toxicity. It is generally known that furanose compounds have activity as immuno-modulators, and therefore, may have a therapeutic effect on other autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis, eczema or lupus. For certain of these indications, high doses of these monosaccharides, such as THERAFECTIN.RTM., are needed to produce effective results. Consequently, they are difficult to prescribe orally. As therapy for those conditions is often midterm or longterm, there is a need to develop potent, non-toxic compounds which can be orally administered to promote patient compliance.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide substituted 1,2-O-isopropylidene-.alpha.,D-glucofuranose compounds that exhibit significantly greater potency than available compounds, such as THERAFECTIN.RTM., in order to provide ease of oral administration. It is believed that the compounds of the present invention act by a different mechanism than THERAFECTIN.RTM. and are more selective in their activity.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the mechanisms and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

3,5,6-substituted derivatives of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-.alpha.,D-glucofuranose and intermediates for preparing these derivatives

501 Greenwich Pharmaceuticals Incorporated


Systems and methods for improving the accuracy of test measurements involving aggressor tracks written to the disks are provided. One such method involves erasing a circumferential band of a disk, writing a central track on the circumferential band, measuring and storing a first track profile of the central track, writing an aggressor track on each side of the central track at a preselected aggressor track offset from the central track, measuring and storing a track profile of the aggressor tracks at the preselected aggressor track offset, measuring and storing a second track profile of the central track, performing the prior actions exactly n times where n is greater than or equal to 1, determining an estimated distance between the aggressor tracks based on the respective track profiles, determining a selected measurement using the estimated distance between the aggressor tracks, and the first and second track profiles of the central track.

Spin stand testing systems (spinstands) are used for multiple purposes with respect to HDD disks, including disk characterization, testing, and development. In order to perform such operations, the systems need to provide accurate and precise positioning of read-write heads at various track offsets for the purposes of reading and writing to disks. Additionally, though most measurements on a spinstand write at offset 0, certain measurements can also involve accurate and precise positioning of the head at off-track positions for writing. Accordingly, positioning of a head for spinstands is facilitated by using a servo in combination with servo marks (also known as "servo patterns") in a closed-loop system. The servo marks are written in small sectors on each disk and are used to accurately position the head at different read or write offsets.
Unfortunately, the quality of the servo patterns can greatly affect the repeatability of some essential measured results from spinstands. In general, the head positioning of a conventional servo in a spinstand (e.g., from Guzik Technical Enterprises of Mountain View, Calif.) varies over a range of read or write offsets and is not repeatable from servo-to-servo write. Furthermore, though approaches to improve head positioning accuracy have been developed (e.g., Guzik Servo Improvement Package), these solutions can suffer from drawbacks such as mechanical limitations that limit accuracy and a significant increase in operation time of the spinstand.
Many recording measurements involving a spinstand use a sequence like (1) write a central track, (2) write additional "aggressor" tracks at off track locations, and (3) assess how much the central track has changed. A servo pattern written on the disk before a sequence of tests is used to position the head at the desired radial location. However, this servo pattern is not perfect. There are variations from one writing of the servo to the next. In addition, the servo system may have a minimum step size which limits where the head can be positioned. Both of these problems degrade the accuracy for writing the "aggressor" tracks at precisely the desired location.

Systems and methods for improving accuracy of test measurements involving aggressor tracks written to disks of hard disk drives


In a dishwashing machine having a washing chamber, an electrically operated wash pump for pumping out wash water from a wash tank in the washing chamber, an electrically operated rinse pump for pumping out heated water from a gas booster heater, and wash and rinse arms arranged within the washing chamber to be supplied with the wash and heated water from the wash and rinse pumps for directing jet streams of the wash and heated water to tableware racked in the washing chamber respectively, an electric control apparatus is arranged to mix cold water from a source of cold water into the heated water to form mixing water and to control the rinse pump such that the rinse arm directs jet stream of the mixing water to the racked tableware. The electric control apparatus is further arranged to control the wash pump in response to finish in control of the rinse pump such that the wash arm directs jet stream of the wash water to the racked tableware and to again control the rinse pump in response to finish in control of the wash pump such that the rinse arm directs jet stream of the heated water to the racked tableware.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dishwashing machine, and more particularly to an electric control apparatus for controlling the washing or rinsing operation of the dishwashing machine in accordance with the tableware to be cleaned.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been proposed a dishwashing machine of the domestic type in which wash water of constant temperature (for instance 60.degree. C.) in a wash tank is sprayed into a washing chamber to wash tableware placed in the washing chamber. When the sprayed wash water is drained outward through the wash tank, wash water of 60.degree. C. newly supplied into the wash tank from a source of hot water is sprayed into the washing chamber to rinse the washed tableware and is returned into the wash tank to be utilized for wash other tableware. In such a dishwashing machine of the commercial type, wash water of constant temperature (for instance 65.degree. C.) is sprayed into a washing chamber to wash tableware placed in the washing chamber. Then, fresh water of high temperature (for instance 85.degree. C.) from a source of hot water is sprayed directly into the washing chamber to rinse the washed tableware. When fresh water flows down into the wash tank, the surplus wash water in the wash tank is drained outward through an overflow pipe arranged in the wash tank, and wash water still remaining in the wash tank is utilized for in place therefor other tableware.
In the dishwashing machines as described above, it should be however recognized that even if the tableware is earthenware, plastic ware or glassware, the temperature of water in washing or rinsing the tableware is maintained in the above-mentioned constant value to cause the following disadvantages.
Firstly, in case temperature of water in rinsing the glassware is high, the speed for drying the rinsed glassware is maintained at a high value. Thus, such composition as magnesium, calcium and iron included within the water for rinsing the glassware coagulates on a surface of the glassware, causing bad finish in rinsing the glassware. Furthermore, when the glassware is repetitively rinsed by water of high temperature, composition on the surface of the glassware is gradually changed to make dull the surface of the glassware.
Secondly, it is noted that high temperature of water in washing or rinsing chilled glassware causes remarkable temperature difference to a surface of the chilled glassware. This results in breakage of the glassware during washing. It is further noted that when ice is put into the glassware warmed during washing and rinsing as described above, the warmed glassware is suddenly cooled causing breakage of the warmed glassware.
Thirdly, in such dishwashing machines as described above, it is to be noted that temperature of water in washing or rinsing is determined in a high value on a basis of earthenware of large heat capacity such as dishes, bowls or the like. Thus, glassware of small heat capacity is remarkably warmed in washing and rinsing, causing occupational diseases such as sodden fingers, burned fingers or the like. In addition, waiting for the cooling of the warmed glassware increases time in being unable to use the glassware. This results in the need for increasing spare glassware.
Fourthly, it is noted that high temperature of water in washing or rinsing plastic ware causes vanishing of gloss or picture on a surface of the plastic ware. This shortens durable time of the plastic ware and exaggerates the difference between new and old plastic ware.

Electric control apparatus for dishwashing machine


A catalyst chamber with a catalyst bed embedded therein for a monopropellant thruster of a rocket engine. The catalyst chamber comprises an inlet having a first cross-sectional area through which a propellant can be introduced into the catalyst chamber and an outlet having a second cross-sectional area through which the propellant and/or resulting reaction products can be introduced into a combustion chamber of the thruster. The outlet is connected to the inlet via a catalyst volume of the catalyst chamber. At least one helical wall member is arranged within the catalyst chamber and is dividing the catalyst volume into two or more segments such that an effective length of the catalyst bed of each segment passed through by the propellant and/or its reaction products is larger than a geometrical length of the catalyst chamber defined between the inlet and the outlet along a direction of extension of the catalyst chamber.

Monopropellant thrusters are used in the field of space technology, in both carrier rockets or in different orbital applications. They are manufactured according to the different tasks for a wide range of thrust classes. Such a monopropellant thruster consists essentially of a chamber in which fuel decomposition takes place in a catalyst chamber. In the catalyst chamber a catalyst bed is embedded therein for the fuel decomposition. The decomposition chamber typically consists of a cylindrical housing in which the catalyst chamber is mounted with individual grains or monolithic shape of catalytically active material as catalyst bed. On injection of the propellant, typically a liquid propellant, the fuel is decomposed resulting in a generation of high temperature gases and thus a generation of thrust.
The construction of the catalyst bed of a monopropellant thruster is such that the propellant and the resulting reaction products pass through the catalyst bed axially or radially through one or more stages of the catalyst bed. The design of a substantially cylindrical catalyst bed is dependent, among others, from:                the absolute length of the catalyst bed in the direction in which the propellant and/or resulting reaction products pass through the catalyst bed;        the load per cross-sectional area ({dot over (m)}/A) which results from the mass flow rate {dot over (m)} and the area of the cross-section of the catalyst bed; and        the load of the catalyst bed per volume ({dot over (m)}/V) which results from the mass flow rate {dot over (m)}, the cross-section and the absolute length of the catalyst bed.
The length of the catalyst bed in the direction in which the propellant and/or resulting reaction products pass through the catalyst bed defines the total necessary space of the catalyst chamber. Furthermore, the absolute length of the catalyst bed defines the loads caused by vibration at a thermal barrier. Hence, it would be desirable to have the absolute length of the catalyst bed as short as possible.

Catalyst chamber with a catalyst bed embedded therein for a monopropellant thruster of a rocket engine


A connector with a protective cover for exposed electrical terminals. The connector includes a housing having an opening formed on one side thereof through which electrical contacts of terminals are exposed. The protective cover includes an insulating protector for covering the opening of the connector and a housing holder detachably assembled to the housing. The insulating protector has a protective plate and two arms extending in the same direction from the longitudinal ends of the protective plate. Each of the arms has a projection and is rotatably assembled at distal end thereof to the housing holder. The housing holder has a closing-position locking groove and an opening-position locking groove, which are provided about rotating axis of the arms and angularly spaced apart from each other. The protective plate closes the opening of the connector A when the projection is received in the closing-position locking groove, and opens the opening when the projection is received in the opening-position locking groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct insertion type connector with a protective cover, which connector is fitted into an electrical circuit fabricated on a FPC in an electric apparatus such as a meter case for an automotive vehicle.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional direct insertion type connector a. A housing 21 made of a synthetic resin is provided with an opening 22 on one side wall thereof through which resilient contacts 24 of terminals 23 are closed. A locking arm 25 (FIG. 4B) includes a projection 25a. FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the connector a in FIG. 5 when the connector a is fully fitted into a recess 27 of a meter case b. An FPC 28 is provided on the inner wall of the recess 27. When the connector a is fully inserted into the recess 27, the resilient contacts 24 become in contact with contacts 20 of the FPC 28 to make electrical contact. At this time, the locking arm 25 of the connector a engages a hook 30 on the inner wall of the recess 27, so that the connector a is locked in place. The connector a is inserted into a protective cover c as shown in FIG. 7 until the connector a is inserted into a mating case b as shown in FIG. 8, so that the electrical contacts 24 are protected from soiling and accidental contact with other electrically conductive elements. The protective cover c is disposable and therefore put aside after mounting the connector a into the meter case b. If the connector a is drawn at a later time from the meter case for inspection, the terminals 23 are exposed as shown in FIG. 5. This is dangerous because the contacts 24 may inadvertently contact the vehicle body or the metallic panel to cause short-circuit or mechanical damages to the terminals. Of course, the workman should follow the safety instructions, for example, disconnecting the battery from the electrical circuit when carrying out maintenance operations. If, however, the workman fails to follow such instructions, the connector a with the aforementioned construction is in potential danger.
FIG. 9 shows another conventional direct insertion type connector a' disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Preliminary Publication No. 53-163585. In FIG. 9, a housing 21' is provided with an opening 22' on each of the opposed sides of a front half thereof. Resilient contacts 24' of terminals 23' are exposed through the openings 21'. The opening 22' is provided with a cover 31. The cover 31 includes a locking latch 32 that serves to lock the connector a' to the meter case when inserted into the meter case. This construction necessitates a mating engagement on the meter case with which the locking latch 32 is engaged. Further, providing the mating engagement on the meter case places limitations on the FPC layout and therefore results in a larger meter case.


A data processing device for a storage device can include a dictionary storage unit that is configured to store a plurality of dictionaries and a compression unit that is configured to determine a selected dictionary from the plurality of dictionaries based on received data, and compress the received data using the selected dictionary to provide compressed data. Each of the plurality of dictionaries can include a plurality of pattern-symbol correspondence relations defining a one-to-one correspondence between respective ones of a plurality of patterns and respective ones of a plurality of symbols.

The inventive concept relates to a storage device and a data processing device for the storage device.
Data is compressed before the data is stored in a storage device whereby a storage space is efficiently used, and the number of programming of data or reading of data is reduced, which increases a lifespan of the storage device.

Storage device and data processing device utilizing determined dictionary compression


A feedthrough fitting for sealing around at least one conduit extending longitudinally through a cutout in wall at a transverse spacing from an inner surface of the cutout has an elastomeric one-piece seal having a pair of longitudinally oppositely directed faces, an outer surface corresponding generally to the inner surface, at least one longitudinally throughgoing passage extending between the faces and to the conduit, and at least one lateral split extending completely longitudinally between the faces and completely laterally from the passage to the outer surface. Thus the seal can be spread at the split to fit around the conduit. A respective end plate covers generally all of each of the faces and is formed of a plurality of separate sections together forming a hole corresponding to and longitudinally aligned with the passage. The sections of each pair are formed to a lateral side of the passage generally opposite the split with interfitting substantially part-circular edges and meet laterally at opposite edges to the opposite lateral side of the passage. Fasteners engaging longitudinally through the two plates and seal longitudinally compress the seal and force the outer surface against the inner surface. Thus the fitting can be opened at the split with the plates and fasteners in place by elastic deformation of the seal at the interfitting surfaces and pivoting of the sections of the plates of each plurality of plates relative to each other at the part-circular edges.

When conduits, whether they are constituted as pipes, hoses, electrical wires, or the like, pass through a wall it is normally necessary to seal tightly and hermetically around them. In particular in firecode construction it is necessary for the joint around the conduits to be of the same rating as the wall. Accordingly it is known to use wall feedthrough fittings comprising basically a sleeve that is fitted through the wall and through which the conduits pass longitudinally and a group of blocks that fit snugly between the conduits and the sleeve.
German Pat. No. 3,322,809 (filed June 24, 1983 and issued June 27, 1895 to W. Hauff) shows such a wall feedthrough fitting having an inner ring permanently mounted in a passage in the wall and formed with an inwardly tapering inner portion and an internally threaded outer portion. The seal is formed by a plurality of separate pie-shaped blocks that meet at interfaces defining passages for the conduits longitudinally traversing the wall.
In order to assemble such a fitting around conduits already passing through the wall, the individual blocks are fitted together between the conduits and the inner wall-mounted ring. Then an outer ring that engages over the outer faces of the blocks at the outer peripheries thereof is threaded into the outer portion of the inner ring This outer ring is then screwed longitudinally into the inner ring to force the wall blocks inward, compressing them laterally against the inner surface of the inner ring and the outer surfaces of the conduits.
Unfortunately since the outer ring only engages over the outer edges of the seal blocks, the seal formed thereby tends to bulge longitudinally outward, opening gaps on the outer face. of the seal at the interfaces between adjacent seal blocks. Another problem with this system is that the entire seal must be completely disassembled prior to use so that not only is there a good likelihood of losing parts, but the subsequent reassembly becomes a laborious and time-consuming task.


Methods and compositions useful in papermaking and tissuemaking applications are provided. Some embodiments of the methods and compositions comprise a polyaminoamide (“PAA”) polymer functionalized with an acrylamidophenyl boronic acid and a crosslinked polyaminoamide functionalized with an acrylamidophenyl boronic acid. The methods and compositions provide useful properties for creping that include good adhesion even under excessively wet conditions, improved film uniformity, and good film durability, while maintaining good film softness and rewettability necessary for efficient runnability of the tissue machine.

Tissue paper is a lightweight paper that can be used to prepare absorbent products such as bath tissue, facial tissue, and absorbent towels. Tissue paper is generally prepared by forming a wet web of cellulosic fibers and transferring the web to a heated cylinder called a Yankee dryer to reduce the moisture content. The tissue paper is subjected to a creping process where the sheet is dried to a desired moisture level, and mechanically removed from the Yankee dryer by contacting a blade against the dryer.
At the interface between the Yankee dryer surface and the tissue web resides a thin film called a Yankee coating. The surface of the Yankee dryer is generally coated with a chemical additive such as a polymer. The chemical additive attaches the paper to the surface of the Yankee dryer, whereby the paper is creped by the creping blade. The chemical additive serves to protect both the surface of the Yankee dryer and the creping blade because, during the creping process, the blade contacts the polymer layer instead of scratching the metal surface of the Yankee dryer. Generally, the Yankee coating comprises chemical additives that are capable of facilitating efficient sheet transfer and desirable adhesion properties as well as provide protection for the surface of the Yankee dryer. Commonly used chemical additives include polyaminoamide-epichlorohydrin resins and polyvinyl alcohol.
The creping process directly affects the quality of the tissue paper product. Many of the properties of tissue are influenced by the creping process, including softness, bulk, stretch, and absorbency. There is a continuing need for improved Yankee coatings that enhance machine runnability, improve tissue product properties, and protect the dryer surface.

Use of boronic acid-functionalized polymers as Yankee coating adhesives


An optical imager, such as a microscope for performing multiple frequency fluorometric measurements comprising a light source, such as a laser source is disclosed. The system is used to excite a sample into the fluorescent state. Light from the excited sample is collected by a microscope. The microscope utilizes conventional confocal optics optimized to have a very narrow depth of field, thus limiting the information collected to a thin planar region. Measurements are taken over the fluorescence lifetime of the sample simultaneously from the excitation source and from the excited sample. Information is taken in a matrix and comparison of the image matrix and the standard during simultaneous measurements yields output information.

The characteristics of light emanating from an object or a material may be advantageously detected and analyzed in order to determine characteristics of the object or material under examination. For many years, spectrographic techniques have been used to perform analysis of materials ranging from human blood and other biological materials to slag from a crucible. For example, it has been known that wavelengths of light absorbed by a material, as well as the wavelengths of light emitted by a material during an excited state, such as combustion, both indicate the composition of the material. Today, analytic instruments in industrial, scientific and medical applications make widespread use of such emission spectra and absorption spectra. Another such technique is Raman spectroscopy, where, for example, the output of a mercury vapor arc may be filtered and used to excite a transparent material. As the light transmits through the material, it is scattered and undergoes a change in wavelength and a random alteration in phase due to changes in the rotational or vibrational energy of the sample. Raman scattering is a principal analytic tool in industry and science today.
Another class of analytic instruments uses fluorescence to identify materials. In such systems, an excitation source, such as a laser, is used to excite atoms or molecules, raising electrons into higher energy states. When the electrons revert back to the unexcited state, they fluoresce or emit photons of light characteristic of the excited atom or molecule. In addition, the time delay between the exciting light and the emitted light, as well as the amplitude of the emitted light, provide information about the material's composition, lifetimes, and concentration of various components. Instruments that provide this function are known as frequency domain fluorometers.
While one may now visualize a system in which the excitation source is being modified at incrementally changing rates while simultaneously the corresponding emission spectra is being measured and analyzed over time, in practice, such measurements are achieved by modulating a light source. For example, one may employ for this purpose a pulsed dye laser, or a continuous wave laser whose output is externally modulated by a Pockels cell or an LED which is intrinsically modulated. However, it is anticipated that almost any light source which can be either modulated or pulsed may be employed to implement the invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for performing spacially coordinated high speed fluorometric measurements


An improved panic button apparatus suitable for use in various vehicle monitoring systems. The apparatus includes a portable transmitter in wireless communication with a receiver located on-board the vehicle. The transmitter includes a manual actuator, typically a button, functioning to selectively input a panic command from a user. The transmitter sends a coded signal to the receiver, preferably in the form of a frequency-varying spread spectrum signal. The particular code of the transmitted signal is decoded by the receiver, which informs the vehicle monitoring and alarm system through an appropriate output signal.

The present invention relates generally to the art of vehicle monitoring and alarm systems. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements to a panic button actuator for use in such systems.
Various vehicle tracking systems have been developed to provide tracking of motor vehicles. One such system, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,285 ("the '285 patent"), incorporated herein by reference, advantageously provides a dual state vehicle alarm system which may serve as a defensive measure to car jacking and auto theft related crimes. The system described in the '285 patent contains at least one panic button actuator to trigger the alarm system into either a first silent state or a second conspicuous state. In the first silent state, selected status information is transmitted to a remote monitoring site without alarm indicator means being conspicuously activated. In the second conspicuous state, the alarm indicator means are conspicuously activated.
The panic button actuator may be implemented as a portable device, such as a key chain ornament, carried by a user. It is especially desirable that the portable device have excellent immunity to normal kinds of RFI interference and operate with a reasonable range.


In an electrically powered vehicle, a computer-controlled switching system activates relays to switch additional discrete batteries into a circuit in response to throttle level, where a processor is configured to decide what specific batteries should be present in the circuit at any given time, in response to both throttle level and a battery load balancing optimization scheme.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the motor speed control of electric vehicles powered by multiple batteries, specifically the use of multiple relays (electromechanical or solid state) as a way of discretely switching additional batteries into the circuit when more motor speed is requested, to increase supplied voltage and thereby motor speed, under the control of a computer algorithm which ensures that the battery bank remains balanced.
2. Description of the Background Art
Contemporary electric vehicles use motor speed controllers built from a plurality of one or more power transistors, typically MOSFETs or IGBT(s). A plurality of batteries are connected together, typically in series, to achieve the higher voltages needed for the motor, and the most positive and most negative terminals of the battery bank are connected to the motor speed controller.
In the current state of the art for a DC motor controller, a sensor such as a potentiometer or optical encoder attached to the vehicle's accelerator pedal causes a circuit to modify the pulse width of a square wave which is amplified to control the switching of the MOSFETs or IGBT(s), thereby chopping at high frequency the entire current from the battery bank before it reaches the motor, and thereby controlling the mechanical speed of the motor. See, for example, Cudlitz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,276.
Power transistors that are capable of switching the high currents used in electric vehicle applications are expensive. At higher voltage or current ratings, arrays of power transistors must be used, thus increasing controller complexity and expense. Unless over-rated, power transistors can be fragile, and over voltage conditions such as a battery surface charge or ringing due to wiring inductance can exceed the power ratings of the transistors and cause cascading and, in some circuit topologies, catastrophic explosive failure of the controller. These power electronic components are also sensitive to heat, such that excessive load can cause failure due to self-generated heat.
Furthermore, the use of power transistors to switch the entire current flow from the main battery bank is not efficient. The transistors have inherent switching and/or conduction losses that cause power loss in the form of heat dissipation. This is inefficient, wasting energy that could be used for propulsion, and reducing both battery life and the maximum allowable time between charges, while also mandating a larger minimum size, weight, and cost for the battery bank.
Even an inefficiency of a few percent in the power transistors, as in the current state of the art, causes a significant production of waste heat when power levels of many hundred kilowatts are used, such as in high power electric vehicle applications. Because the devices are intolerant of high heat, excessive load can cause failure due to self-produced thermal energy. This is exacerbated in solid state components that have a forward voltage drop which grows with increasing temperature and, which are thus prone to thermal runaway. This necessitates cooling, typically by fans or water cooling, adding both complexity and expense to the controller system.
Historically, electric vehicles that were in service extensively in the early 20th century before the domination of the automobile marketplace by the internal combustion engine used different, and simpler, techniques for motor speed control.
In one approach, a very large resistive element or parallel plurality of resistive elements was used to dissipate energy from the battery pack before it reached the electric motor. The energy dissipation was in the form of heat, and this style of controller was highly inefficient because, whenever the motor was not operating at full throttle, a significant proportion of the energy being delivered by the battery pack was deliberately wasted. This approach had the undesirable side effect of greatly reducing vehicle range. In this approach, again the entire battery pack was connected to the motor through the resistive motor controller.
In another approach, individual batteries were switched into the circuit at different times, typically by a large multipole drum switch that incorporated resistive elements, (see, for example, Storer, U.S. Pat. No. 1,291,233) or, later, with arrays of contactor (see, for example, Moody, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,744) or rectifier contactor (as used in a controller manufactured by Seecom) circuits. Again, this approach significantly compromises vehicle range because, during a typical drive requiring varying speeds, the batteries that were switched into the circuit earlier at lower throttle settings, are discharged sooner than those batteries switched in only rarely when full power is requested. Additionally, battery life is compromised by this approach because some batteries in the pack would consistently be used more than others. Unequally discharged batteries also complicate effective battery charging, especially if the unequally charged batteries are in a series string, as is typical.
In another historical approach, the battery bank was commutated, i.e. the battery bank was divided into two or more equal-sized groups which could be reconnected in series or in parallel under the control switch(es). This approach typically provided a very limited number of speed settings, and is thereby disadvantageous for practical reasons and considerations of safety.
While the problem of precise motor speed control has been addressed (see, for example, De Villeneuve, U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,645 and Mendenhall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,844), what is truly needed is a robust and low-cost controller for high power applications, such as electric vehicles, where a number of discrete throttle positions equal to the number of batteries in the system is an acceptable granularity.


An assembly for dissipating heat generated by electronic components, the assembly designed to include a computer chassis dimensioned to substantially enclose the electronic components. The assembly is further designed so that the chassis includes a panel having a substantially flat portion and a non-flat portion with the non-flat portion including a plurality of vent holes and having a surface area that is greater than the surface area of a flat portion with corresponding outer dimensions so as to permit an increase in the number of vent holes and improvement in the air flow within the computer chassis while at the same time maintaining the structural integrity of the computer chassis and minimizing electromagnetic interference resulting from the percentage of open area to closed area within the venting surface.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to dissipating heat generated by electronic components, and more specifically to an assembly for promoting the efficient dissipation of heat in a computer.
2. History of Related Art
Market demands for processing intensive applications such as multimedia have resulted in an ever increasing demand for computing systems that operate at higher speeds. In addition, market preferences generally dictate that smaller system packages are preferred to larger system packages. Typically, computer systems are cooled by one or more fans mounted to the interior of the chassis that blow air across the applicable electronic components and transfer heat through convection.
The trend towards smaller packages for the computer systems while at the same time increasing the available computing power of the systems has increased the amount of heat generated within the systems, and thus, increased the importance of effective and reliable cooling. Moreover, in the recent past, typically only the central processor of a computing system generated enough heat to warrant extensive heat dissipation consideration. Since then, however, the higher operating speeds demanded of components peripheral to the central processor have resulted in the need to address the dissipation of thermal loads from components other than just the central processing unit. For example, many computing systems include one or more peripheral interfaces that comply with various industry standard bus architectures such as the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA), or Peripheral Component Interface (PCI). These standards may require bus frequencies in excess of 100 MHz thereby creating significant thermal energy within the confined space of the computer system.
Failure to provide adequate cooling can result in the loss of valuable computing resources as well as the expenditure of increased resources to recover lost data. Thus, achieving marketplace success dictates that manufacturers design increasingly efficient mechanisms and systems for dissipating heat within a computer system without significantly increasing cost, complexity, or package size. Therefore, it would be desirable to implement a heat dissipation assembly for a computer system that increased the amount of air flow without bigger fans, bigger boxes, or the like.
The problems identified above are in large part addressed by an assembly for dissipating heat within a computer system wherein the assembly is designed to permit an increase in the available area for venting (and thereby increasing ambient air flow within the computer system) without compromising the structural integrity of the assembly and at the same time maintaining the ability of the assembly to adequately shield electromagnetic interference that may be generated by electronic components located within the computer system.
Briefly and in general terms, the present invention according to one embodiment thereof contemplates an assembly for dissipating heat generated by electronic components, the assembly designed to include a computer chassis dimensioned to substantially enclose the electronic components. The assembly is further designed so that the chassis includes a panel having a substantially flat portion and a non-flat portion with the non-flat portion including a plurality of vent holes and having a surface area that is greater than the surface area of a flat portion with corresponding outer dimensions.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present invention.

International Business Machines Corporation


An exemplary driving member and an exemplary array module formed by a plurality of the driving members are disclosed in the invention. The driving member includes a first suspending beam module, a second suspending beam module and a conductive suspending beam module. When a voltage is provided between the first suspending beam module and the second suspending beam module, or the first suspending beam module and the second suspending beam module are provided with two homopolar voltages, when the electric field force is larger than the deforming force threshold of the first suspending beam, the first suspending beam moves to contact with the conductive suspending beam module, so that the first suspending beam has a voltage same with the conductive suspending beam module. When the electric field force is smaller than the deforming force threshold of the first suspending beam, the first suspending beam module rebounds to an original state.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to driving members and, particularly to a novel driving member, a driving member array module and a manufacturing method of the driving member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In prior art, the manufacture material of a thin film transistor (TFT) primarily includes inorganic materials such as silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge). Comparing the inorganic materials with organic semiconductors, a carrier mobility of the inorganic materials is higher than the carrier mobility of the organic semiconductors for three magnitudes. Thus, most of active display devices adopt inorganic semiconductor especially amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFT as a driving member thereof. Due to a-Si TFT has advantages of that it has function of controlling the delivery of pixel signals and can be manufactured in low temperature, the driving member used with the a-Si TFT becomes a mainstream in the market.
However, for matching a display media with more fast response and a more complex signal processing, the driving members in next generation are required with high current switch ratio, high carrier mobility and power saving. At present, there are some approaches for improving characteristics of the driving members, for example, using compound semiconductors with different doping densities, or polycrystalline silicon TFTs manufactured in a low temperature process, however, due to the drawbacks caused by cost of equipment and yield, the driving members still cannot meet above requirements. Thus, a novel driving member is proposed in the present invention. The driving member is a driving switch manufactured based on micro-electro-mechanical theory. The driving member can resolve some disadvantages of the a-Si TFT, and furthermore can improve some characteristics of the display devices. Otherwise, the manufacture process is simplified and the yield is improved.

Driving member and driving member array module


A printer deposits material onto a substrate as part of a manufacturing process for an electronic product; at least one transported component experiences error, which affects the deposition. This error is mitigated using transducers that equalize position of the component, e.g., to provide an “ideal” conveyance path, thereby permitting precise droplet placement notwithstanding the error. In one embodiment, an optical guide (e.g., using a laser) is used to define a desired path; sensors mounted to the component dynamically detect deviation from this path, with this deviation then being used to drive the transducers to immediately counteract the deviation. This error correction scheme can be applied to correct for more than type of transport error, for example, to correct for error in a substrate transport path, a printhead transport path and/or split-axis transport non-orthogonality.

Certain types of industrial printers can be applied to precision manufacture, for example, to the fabrication of electronic devices.
To take one non-limiting example, ink jet printers can be used to deposit one or more super-thin layers of an electronic display device or a solar panel device. The "ink" in this case differs from conventional notions of ink as a dye of a desired color, and instead can be an organic monomer deposited as discrete droplets that spread somewhat and meld together, but that are not absorbed and instead retain a deliberate layer thickness that helps impart structural, electromagnetic or optical properties to the finished device; the ink is also typically deliberately made to be translucent with a resultant layer being used to generate and/or transmit light. A continuous coat of the ink deposited by the printing is then processed in place (e.g., cured using ultraviolet light, or otherwise baked or dried) to form a permanent layer having a very tightly regulated thickness, e.g., 1-10 microns, depending on application. These types of processes can be used to deposit hole injection layers ("HILs") of OLED pixels, hole transfer layers ("HTLs"), hole transport layers ("HTLs"), emissive or light emitting layers ("EMLs"), electron transport layers ("ETLs"), electron injecting layers ("EILs"), various conductors such as an anode or cathode layer, hole blocking layers, electron blocking layers, polarizers, barrier layers, primers, encapsulation layers and other types of layers. The referenced materials, processes and layers are exemplary only. In one application, the ink can be deposited to create a layer in each of many individual electronic components or structures, for example, within individual microscopic fluidic reservoirs (e.g., within "wells") to form individual display pixels or photovoltaic cell layers; in another application, the ink can be deposited to have macroscopic dimensions, for example, to form one or more encapsulation layers cover many such structures (e.g., spanning a display screen area having millions of pixels).
The required precision can be very fine; for example, a manufacturer's specification for fabricating a thin layer of an organic light emitting diode ("OLED") pixel might specify aggregate fluid deposition within a pixel well to a resolution of a picoliter (or to even a greater level of precision). Even slight local variations in the volume of deposited fluid from specification can give rise to problems. For example, variation in ink volume from structure-to-structure (e.g., pixel-to-pixel) can give rise to differences in hue or intensity differences or other performance discrepancies which are noticeable to the human eye; in an encapsulation or other "macroscopic" layers, such variation can compromise layer function (e.g., the layer may not reliably seal sensitive electronic components relative to unwanted particulate, oxygen or moisture), or it can otherwise give rise to observable discrepancies. As devices become smaller and smaller these problems become much more significant. When it is considered that a typical application can feature printers having tens-of-thousands of nozzles that deposit discrete droplets each having a volume of 1-30 picoliters ("pL"), and that manufacturing process corners for the printheads can lead to inoperative nozzles and individual error in any of droplet size, nozzle location, droplet velocity or droplet landing position, thereby giving rise to localized ink volume delivery variation, it should be appreciated that there are very great challenges in producing thin, homogeneous layers that closely track desired manufacturing specifications.
One source of error in achieving fine precision relates to the use of mechanical components in the fabrication processes relative to the scale of products being manufactured. As a non-limiting example, most printers have mechanical conveyance systems that move one or more printheads, a substrate, or both in order to perform printing. Some printers also feature conveyance systems for rotating or offsetting components (e.g., moving or rotating printheads to change effective pitch between nozzles); each of these conveyance systems can impart fine mechanical or positioning error that in turn can lead to non-uniformity. For example, even though these conveyance systems typically rely on high-precision parts (e.g., precision tracks or edge guides), they can still impart jitter or translational or rotational inaccuracy (e.g., such as millimeter, micron or smaller scale excursions in the transport path) that makes it difficult to achieve the required precision and uniformity throughout the transport path lengths used for manufacture. To provide context, an apparatus used to fabricate large size HDTV screens might feature a "room sized" printer which is controlled so as to deposit an ultra-thin material layer on substrates meters wide by meters long, with individual droplet delivery planned to nanometer-scale coordinates; the transport paths in such an apparatus can be meters in length. Note that there are many other mechanical components that can give rise to some form of error in such a system, for example, transport path systems used to interchange printheads, camera assemblies to align or inspect a substrate, and other types of moving parts. In such a system, even very fine precision mechanical parts can create excursions that affect the nanometer-scale coordinates just referenced. Thus, the required layers become thinner and thinner, and the require precision becomes smaller and smaller relative to the product being fabricated, it becomes even more imperative to carefully control and/or mitigate sources of potential positional error.
There exist some conventional techniques for reducing positional and translational error generally in these types of fabrication systems. First, a substrate can be coarsely-aligned with printer transport and then manually fine-aligned (potentially repeatedly during the fabrication process); such a process is time-consuming, i.e., it generally impedes the goal of having an automated, fast, assembly-line style process for producing consumer products. It is also generally quite difficult to obtain the required micron- or nanometer-precision with such a manual process. There also are some errors that cannot be adequately addressed with such a technique, for example, errors caused by transport path discrepancies, as just introduced above (e.g., error which manifests itself after a substrate has been aligned). As a second example, US Patent Publication No. 20150298153 relates to processes that measure fine positional and/or rotational errors in substrate position and that correct for those errors in software, for example, by reassigning which nozzles are used to print or by otherwise changing the nozzle drive waveforms which are used to fire nozzles; in other words, generally speaking, these techniques attempt to "live with" fine positional and rotational error (thereby preserving print speed) and they then attempt to adjust which nozzles are used and when and how those nozzles are electronically controlled, so as to remedy error (e.g., using a preplanned raster without having to re-adjust scan paths dependent on error). However, despite the utility of compensating for alignment error in software, the measuring and accounting for this error and re-computing firing assignments for thousands of nozzles in software can take substantial computing resources and time.
What are needed are additional techniques for correcting for motion, rotation and position error in mechanical systems in a manufacturing apparatus. Still further, what are needed are techniques for correcting for error in a moving component of a manufacturing system in order to simulate an "ideal" edge or transport path. Such techniques, if applied to precision manufacturing processes, especially printing systems of the type described, would reduce the need for substantial computing resources and time to re-render raster control data and, overall, lead to a simpler and/or faster and/or more accurate print process. The present invention addresses these needs and provides further, related advantages.
The subject matter defined by the enumerated claims may be better understood by referring to the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. This description of one or more particular embodiments, set out below to enable one to build and use various implementations of the technology set forth by the claims, is not intended to limit the enumerated claims, but to exemplify their application. Without limiting the foregoing, this disclosure provides several different examples of techniques for mitigating transport path error in a manufacturing apparatus or printer, and/or for fabricating a thin film for one or more products of a substrate as part of a repeatable print process. The various techniques can be embodied in various forms, for example, in the form of a printer or manufacturing apparatus, or a component thereof, in the form of control data (e.g., precomputed correction data or transducer control data), or in the form of an electronic or other device fabricated as a result of these techniques (e.g., having one or more layers produced according to the described techniques). While specific examples are presented, the principles described herein may also be applied to other methods, devices and systems as well.


In a tape drive during a transition to a stand-by mode, a tape is wound under control of a processor (e.g., CPU) until duration of a time interval between moments when rotational positions of the reels change decreases to a pre-determined threshold. Thereafter, in the stand-by mode, the processor switches control over the tape drive to a low-power logic circuit (e.g., PLC) and enters a power-save mode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to tape drives and, in particular, to techniques for operating a tape drive during and after a transition from an operational mode thereof to a stand-by mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Occasionally, tape drives (for example, back-up tape drives of computerized systems or devices) remain in a stand-by mode between read and write cycles for extended periods of time. During such periods of time, a tape in the tape drive tends to sag and may be damaged after the tape drive returns back to an operational mode. Furthermore, while in the stand-by mode motors of a tape-pulling mechanism are disabled or sparsely used, a processing system of the tape drive remains operational and continues to require/consume amounts of power that may be of a concern in power-limited applications.

Operating a tape drive during and after a transition to a stand-by mode

International Business Machines Corporation


A three-dimensionally structured fibrous web made up of continuous-filament layers which alternate perpendicular to the surface plane, and denser short-fiber layers that are permanently thermally bonded in a continuous or spot-like manner to the filament layers, the wide-mesh continuous-filament layers representing a scrim, lattice, or netting, has on the short-fiber layers repeating, fold- or wave-shaped elevations. In the manufacturing process, all of the layers of the laminate are subjected together to a shrinkage process at a temperature which lies between the softening and melting points of the scrim material.

The present invention relates to a three-dimensionally structured fibrous web and a method for manufacturing a three-dimensionally structured fibrous web.
By xe2x80x9cthree-dimensionally structuredxe2x80x9d is meant here fibrous webs in which the orientation and the spatial coordination of the individual fibers with respect to each other in any given surface plane diverge from those in the next closest surface plane.
In particular, the present invention relates to the field of fibrous webs, in which nonwoven fabric layers are bonded on both sides to at least one layer made of a scrim, a lattice, or a netting and a method for its manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,495 showns fibrous webs.
One or a plurality of layers made of discontinuous, thermoplastic polymer fibers and one or a plurality of layers composed of an open-mesh netting made of coarse, thermoplastic, continuous melt-blown fibers, which cross each other at a preestablished angle, are bonded to each other by thermal fusing, either continuously or in spot fashion, to produce a web having a uniform thickness. The randomly running short fibers have a diameter of between 0.5 and 30 xcexcm at a weight per unit area of 10 to 15 g/m2. Both the combination, lattice/microfiber layer/lattice, as well as microfiber layer/lattice/microfiber layer are described. A material that may be preferred for both the microfibers as well as the filaments of the lattice is polypropylene. A web of this type may have a very high tensile strength, together with a porosity that can be precisely adjusted. The melt-blown microfiber layers determine the external appearance and, for example, the filtering properties, whereas the thermoplastic netting(s) aid in reinforcement, controlling the porosity, and, if appropriate, simulating the appearance of a woven textile fabric. Therefore, the material may be suitable not only for use as filters, but also as a sterile packing material in surgery. Further application areas may be chemically inert filter media or non-wettable, light-weight, thermal insulating layers for clothing, gloves, or boots.
The thermal bonding of the layers to each other may be carried out under pressure, for example, between heated rolls, one of which having the appropriate engraving if spot-bonding is desired. In addition, heat radiation may be applied before the heating is carried out between the rolls. The level of the heating effect may be set so that the fiber materials soften without undergoing a temperature increase to the level of their crystalline melting point.
It was discovered that fibrous webs of this type may not stand up to pressure spikes or other powerful mechanical forces over a longer period of time without significant compaction, if, when packed, stored for extended periods, and transported, they are exposed to high pressures and temperatures up to 60xc2x0 C., which is entirely usual in a shipment to tropical countries.
In addition, three-dimensional webs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,863; British Patent 1 331 817; U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,397 and WO 98/52458, the webs being composed of a scrim, lattice, or netting and being bonded to nonwoven fabric layers on both sides.
An objective of an exemplary embodiment and/or exemplary method the present invention is to indicate a three-dimensionally structured fibrous web which stands up to pressure spikes up to 1 psi acting perpendicular to the surface plane without being destroyed, even at temperatures up to 60xc2x0 C.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least two nonwoven fabric layers are bonded, in each case, to one scrim layer. The nonwoven fabric layers are made up of fibers that are bonded to each other mechanically and/or thermally and that, in the surface direction, possess a fold-like pattern in the form of geometric, repeating elevations or undulations.
Present in the above exemplary embodiment of the present invention is at least one thermoplastic scrim, lattice, or netting layer having continuous filaments crossing each other and bonded at the crossing points by fusion, the filaments having a thickness of 150 to 2000 xcexcm between their crossing points, and having thickenings at the crossing points of up to seven times these values. For reasons of simplicity, this layer hereinafter is always termed a scrim, even if other structures having crossing individual filaments are at issue.
The mesh size of the scrim of the above exemplary embodiment, i.e., the distance in each case between two adjacent filament crossing points in the longitudinal direction, multiplied by the corresponding distance in the transverse direction, is 0.01 to 9 cm2, assuming that the filament crossing points in the longitudinal as well as in the transverse direction have a distance from each other that is not less than 0.10 cm.
The specific bond between fiber layers and the scrim layers may be of the spot type.
In further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the continuous filaments of the scrim are made up, for example, of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide-6, polyamide-6.6, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester elastomers, copolyesters, copolymers made of ethylene and vinyl acetate or of polyurethane.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the scrim is made up of a netting that is biaxially elongated. The elongation in the direction of both filament patterns is carried out in accordance with known methods in the longitudinal direction by by passing through the gap between a slower moving and a more rapidly moving roll, the elongation ratio thus being determined by the ratio of the more rapidly moving to the more slowly moving rolls. In the transverse direction, the elongation is carried out using an expanding tenter frame.
This known method brings about a reduction in the thickness of the filaments between the mutual crossing points and therefore a reduction in the weight per unit area of up to 95%.
According to an aspect of a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to carry out the double-sided covering of the scrim using nonwoven fabric such that each nonwoven fabric layer has different properties with respect to the configuration of its folds or with respect to its inherent properties, such as weight per unit area, type of fiber, and fiber bonding.
In general, in selecting the parameters for the nonwoven fabrics with respect to composition, type of fiber, fiber bonding, and fiber orientation, the worker skilled in the art is guided by the properties known to him that these layers are supposed to have. In the interest of a high inherent rigidity of the elevations and undulations, it is necessary for the nonwoven fabric fibers to be intensively bonded to each other.
If the fibers are fixed using a bonding agent, a bonding agent having a hard grip is preferable, because in this way the inherent rigidity and mechanical resistance of the fibrous web is increased overall.
It is believed that it is advantageous if the distance from one filament crossing point to the next one in the scrim, as well as the degree of elongation and the filament strength in the longitudinal and transverse directions, are approximately the same, because in this way, after the shrinking process, elevations are produced having a circular base cross-section. These have proven to be the most resistant to pressure loads exerted perpendicular to the surface plane.
Depending on the starting material selected, multilayer fibrous webs may be produced having weights of 20 to 3000 g/m2. Products having lower weights per unit area are-suitable, for example, for layers in diapers that absorb and distribute liquid, such as have up to 3000 g/m2 for high-volume filter matting, which have a high retention capacity for the filtrate.

Flat nonwoven fiber aggregate with three-dimensional structure and method for its production


A flexible organic light emitting diode display and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The method has steps of: performing a patterning process on a photoresist layer to form a plurality of photoresist portions; etching a fluoropolymer layer to form a plurality of polymerization portions; depositing a material of a light extracting enhanced layer on the photoresist portions to form a plurality of light extracting enhanced portions; removing the fluoropolymer layer and the photoresist layer; fabricating a buffer layer on the light extracting enhanced portions; and fabricating a second waterproof layer on the buffer layer.

The present invention relates to a display technical field, and more particularly to a flexible organic light emitting diode display and a method of fabricating the same.
An organic light emitting diode (OLED), based on advantages of high contrast, wide color gamut, self-luminous, fast responding speed and so on, is widely applied in a display and lighting field. Particularly, a huge market potential, which other display technologies do not possess, is shown in a flexible display field.
However, currently, a factor restricting a development of a flexible display is an encapsulating capability of a device. A present flexible OLED device is very easy to induce a breaking or peeling of an encapsulating film upon bending or folding. Further, due to a difference of a refractive index between a material of an organic light emitting layer and a material of an electrode, or a difference of a refractive index between a material of a substrate and air, a large number of photons are caused to be restricted in the substrate or may dissipate between the organic material and a cathode interface by an ion mode of simulating a cathode surface. Therefore, an actual light extraction efficiency of the OLED device is relative low.
As a result, it is necessary to provide a flexible organic light emitting diode display and a method of fabricating the same to solve the problems existing in the conventional technologies.

Flexible organic light emitting diode display and method of fabricating the same

Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A wrist device for unlocking a safety holster for use with a weapon, the holster includes an electronically actuated locking mechanism configured to admit the weapon into the safety holster, and to lock the holster, thereby preventing the withdrawal of the weapon prior to release of the electronically actuated locking mechanism upon receipt of an unlock signal, the wrist device including: a wearable band, adapted to be worn on a forearm; a sensing mechanism operationally coupled to the wearable band and adapted to be actuated as a result of a predefined actuation movement of a hand or forearm wearing the wrist device; a wireless communications component configured to send the unlock signal when the sensing mechanism is actuated; and a processing unit in electrical communication with the sensing mechanism and the wireless communications component.

There are countless incidents in which unauthorized people, especially young children, manage to obtain firearms, often unintentionally (or intentionally) discharging the firearm. This type of occurrence is very prevalent in the home setting and causes many cases of harm to human life and wellbeing. Gun carrying individuals with non-concealed weapons always run the risk of having their weapon snatched from its holster.
Holsters for restraining a gun inside the holster are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 9,784,515, which is incorporated in its entirety as if fully set forth herein, describes one such holster.

Wrist band device for releasing holster lock


Atrial naturiuretic factor (ANF) is encapsulated within hollow acidic proteinoid microspheres which are stable and protective in the acidic stomach of a mammal but which dissolve at the near neutral pH of the blood. Microspheres having diameters of less than about 10 microns readily penetrate the gastrointestinal mucosa and release the ANF in the bloodstream in physiologically active form. Such gastric administration significantly extends the period of effectiveness of ANF as a diuretic and blood pressure suppressant.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to atrial natriuretic factor which is encapsulated within acidic proteinoid microspheres and to the periodic oral administration of same to warm blooded animals to control blood pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Atrial natriuretic factor, which is commonly abbreviated ANF, is a polypeptide material which is believed to be produced in the atrium of the mammalian heart and which is known to be a powerful diuretic and blood pressure regulator. Because of the minute quantities of ANF found in mammals, it has been difficult to extract sufficient quantities from domestic animal carcasses to comprehensively study the effect of administering ANF to living mammals and totally impractical to use such animal extract as a primary diuretic and blood pressure depressant. However, genetically engineered ANF has recently become available in larger quantities and extensive research has been undertaken on the therepeutic use of this material.
Similar to many other endogenous polypeptides, unprotected ANF is rapidly degraded in the gastrointestinal tract and is absorbed poorly through the gastrointestinal mucosa. Its administration has, heretofore, been limited to intravenous injection.
Recent studies have shown that the intravenous administration to hypertensive rats of single large doses of ANF produce initial large reductions in blood pressure, but that this effect is transient. Significant reductions in blood pressure have been achieved for periods that seldom exceed about twenty minutes and, regardless of dosage, blood pressures return to essentially pre-dosage levels in less than thirty minutes. This exceedingly short duration of effectiveness has been attributed to the fact that ANF in the bloodstream is rapidly inactivated or removed by the kidneys. Thus, in order to maintain the effective presence of ANF in the bloodstream, it has been found that it must be repeatedly injected at short intervals and that its anti-hypertensive effect is most pronounced when continuously infused.
This obviously is not practical for chronic therapy and there is a need for a means for delivering ANF to the bloodstream which will sustain it at an effective level for reducing blood pressure for a period that is sufficiently long to permit periodic administration at reasonable intervals.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 98,027, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,673 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes orally administerable compositions for delivering a gastrointestinally labile or poorly absorbed pharmacological agent to the bloodstream in physiologically active form. The active agent in these compositions is microencapsulated within hollow acidic proteinoid microspheres which are stable in acid environments and resistant to gastrointestinal enzymes, but which dissolve at the near neutral pH of the blood. These hollow microspheres protect the encapsulated pharmacological agent in the acidic portions of the gastrointestinal tract and those microspheres having a diameter of less than about 10 microns readily penetrate the gastrointestinal mucosa and release the agent in the bloodstream.


A diverter valve is disclosed and may comprise an actively cooled valve actuation section, an actuator, and a valve section comprising a rotationally actuated valve plate that is structured to be rotationally actuated by the actuator to direct flow wherein the actuation section may be thermally insulated from the valve actuation section.

The advent of fuel cells as alternative propulsion systems or auxiliary power units (APU's) for automotive and other similar applications, and the advent of advanced engines having capability for lower emissions and better fuel efficiency, have created a need for improved and highly specialized gas flow control valves. This includes diesel fuel reformate valves which may be used with APU fuel cells for example, or to provide Nox reductants for emissions control in advanced diesel engines, or for other uses. A reformer or fuel processor, can convert a hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., methane, propane, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, oxygenated hydrocarbons, and the like) to hydrogen or to a less complex hydrocarbon. More particularly, fuel reforming can comprise mixing a hydrocarbon fuel with air, water, and/or steam in a mixing zone of the reformer prior to entering a reforming zone of the reformer, and converting the hydrocarbon fuel into, for example, hydrogen (H2), byproducts (e.g., carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), inert materials (e.g., nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O)). Also, fuel cells for example are known to use hydrogen gas as an energetic fuel for exothermic combination with oxygen at high temperature. Hydrogen may be supplied continuously to a fuel cell as a "reformate" product. At start-up of the reformer, however, the reformer operating temperature typically is too low for production of a satisfactory percentage of hydrogen in the reformate. Therefore, until the reformer achieves a sufficiently high temperature, the fuel cell is typically not started and the reformate output is diverted to a waste burner rather than being simply discharged to the atmosphere. As the percentage of hydrogen in the reformate increases, the reformate output stream is diverted away from the burner by a diverter valve and to the fuel cell. Sensitive control of such diversion is highly important to satisfactory operation of the fuel cell. Additionally, regarding emissions technology, Hydrogen reformate may need to be directed to a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), trap (DNT), or other device.
However, rigorous requirements must also be met by these diverter valves. The requirements of such valves, including material properties, would include capability to operate at very high temperatures and in corrosive environments with a minimum tolerance for leakage. Degradation of materials resulting from sustained exposure to such conditions can diminish valve performance significantly, leading ultimately to valve and system failure. Some components of prior art valves, such as force-balancing springs, may experience appreciable set or relaxation at high temperatures, rendering them useless. Additionally, their working lifetimes may be significantly shortened. Operating at such high temperatures can cause excessive linear expansion and failure in critical elements, rendering gas metering inaccurate or impossible.
Additionally, many valve designs are impractical for automotive applications due to excessive size, prohibitive cost, slow response, and required actuation force. The cost of some prior art valves can approach or exceed the targeted cost of the entire vehicle reformer system for which a flow-control valve is intended. For at least these reasons, prior art valves are not suitable for automotive applications for example.
What is needed is a sectional gas flow control valve assembly having valve section components which can withstand extremely high operating temperatures (for example 600°-900° C.), and having actuating section components which can operate in moderately high temperatures (for example 100°-150° C.). Thus, insulating seals and/or structures for thermally isolating the valve section components from the actuating section components are needed. It is also desirable for the valve section to be self-cleaning in order to clean debris or soot which could inhibit the actuation of the valve causing the valve to remain stuck in an open or closed position. Depending upon the application, such a valve assembly could be relatively small and lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, highly reliable, and virtually leak-proof. A design which is also self-cleaning and thus not prone to malfunction due to being clogged with debris or soot is also desirable.


Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for rigid flex circuit boards are described herein. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to equipping a rigid flex circuit board with a first rigid substrate, a second rigid substrate that includes an asymmetric region where the first rigid substrate is not extended over the asymmetric region of the second rigid substrate. The rigid flex circuit board also includes a flexible substrate between the first rigid substrate and the second rigid substrate. A second portion of the flexible substrate protrudes from the non-overlap region where the second portion of the flexible substrate is not adhered to the second rigid substrate in the non-overlap region. The second portion of the flexible substrate is configured to be accessible from the asymmetric region of the rigid flex circuit board.

A rigid flex circuit board includes a combination of rigid circuit portions and flexible circuits that form a single, electrically interconnected structure. The rigid circuit board incorporates two printed circuit boards (PCBs) that act as external layers, making the rigid circuit board a rigid structure with an inner flexible layer. In the flexible circuits, the two external PCBs included in the rigid circuit boards are cut away leaving the inner flexible layer as a flexible structure.
The flexible circuit typically protrudes from the edge of the rigid circuit board, maintaining the electrical interconnection between the rigid circuit board and flexible circuit. Such designs are space-inefficient as the flexible circuit prevents dense abutment of a second rigid flex circuit board. Other designs attempt to minimize the space occupied by the circuit board by connecting the flexible circuit to the top surface of the rigid circuit board. The flexible circuit maintains the electrical interconnection with the rigid circuit board via a connector placed on the top surface of the rigid circuit board. For small rigid circuit boards, finding an appropriately sized connector is difficult and/or increases the cost of the circuit board.


A ceiling mounted fan ventilation device moves a fresh inflow of air from within a room such as a garage to said attic thereof in an effective manner in order to mitigate the climatic effects on the room due to adverse ambient conditions. The device is not only capable of moderating the temperature of the room, but also augments the existing ventilation system for the attic enclosure. The device may utilize the existing hole of an attic access means such as a disappearing stairway or scuttle hole thus negating the need for extensive modifications to an existing ceiling structure. Alternatively, a method is disclosed herein whereby the fan ventilation device may be mounted directly to the ceiling portion of the room. The device may be implemented in any type of room wherein it is desirous to maintain a fresh flow of air therethrough.

Many homes today have a garage that is constructed as an integral part of a home's structure. This architecture creates an aesthetically pleasing design for the home as well as to provide an easy means of moving from the automobile into the home. For single story homes having a conventional garage that is adjoined to the living quarters of a home, the roof thereabove in conjunction with a ceiling creates an attic enclosure which is commonly shared thereby. Although used primarily for the storage of automobiles, the garage is also used for the storage of other various household items such as lawn care equipment, shop tools, and the like.
Nevertheless, to further increase the available storage capacity of household items, many homes nowadays have an attic access means which is accessible from the garage enclosure. This attic access means may be a conventional disappearing stairway which comprises a folding ladder for entry into the attic enclosure. The folding ladder is hingibly attached to one end of a rectangular shaped hole in the ceiling for reciprocal movement from a contracted position within the confines of the attic enclosure to an extended position wherein a user may enter the attic by climbing thereon. The rectangular shaped hole is formed from adjacent joists of the attic floor and cross braces that extend therebetween. The disappearing stairway typically includes a flat panel that lies generally flush with the ceiling when in the contracted position to inhibit airflow from the garage to the attic as well as to enhance the general appearance thereof. Another type of attic access means which is commonly used is a generally rectangular shaped hole in the ceiling having a flat panel which is laid over the opening thereof commonly known as a scuttle hole. The scuttle hole is similar to a disappearing stairway in that the rectangular shaped hole is formed from adjacent joists of the attic floor in conjunction with cross braces therebetween. However, the scuttle hole differs from the disappearing stairway in that no folding ladder for climbing into the attic is provided, only a flat panel of a predetermined size for covering the hole is removably disposed thereover when not in use. In addition, the lateral dimensions of the rectangular shaped hole are chosen to allow entry to the attic space by one person at a time.
Because the attic enclosure exists as a generally confined area between the roof structure and the ceiling, temperatures therein can become excessive during the summer months. Similarly, the conventional garage encompasses a confined air space due to current building practices which do not provide for adequate ventilation of the garage enclosure. Thus, the conventional garage is rarely designed to be protected from the thermal elements of nature because it is understood that home dwellers rarely spend significant amount of time therein. Therefore, the temperatures within a conventional garage can become very hot during the summer months. This problem is exacerbated by current building practices in which the ceiling or the walls of a garage of a home are not insulated, as is the rest of the home.
In many cases, it would be desirable to provide ventilation from a room such as a garage to the attic in order to maintain a fresh inflow of air to the room as well as to the attic enclosure. This would be particularly advantageous during the summer months when temperatures in poorly ventilated rooms or attics can become very hot. Nevertheless, there has heretofore been no device proposed that can be implemented on the ceiling of a room without significant modification to the ceiling structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,255 to Anderson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,194 to Brown and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,049 to Steiner et al. disclose examples of fan devices which are designed to move air from a room into an attic. Nevertheless, all of these devices require a dedicated hole be cut into a ceiling as well as other structural modifications which are outside the scope or capabilities of the standard homeowner. Thus, these devices require professional installation, which is costly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,386 to Calandra proposes a ventilation device which passively moves air through the flat panel of a scuttle hole. However, since this device depends upon the airflow created by fans mounted on the roof of a home, sufficient airflow is not created in order to appreciably lower the temperature in a room such as a garage due to other vent structures such as soffit vents which also draft air into the attic enclosure. Moreover, current building practices have implemented ventilation mechanisms which overlay the ridge of a typical roof commonly known as "ridge vents" and examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,113 to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,399 to Cunning, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,848 to Ravinder et al. Because these devices move air through an attic enclosure in a passive manner, the airflow required to effectively lower the temperatures of a room such as a garage are not attainable when used in conjunction with the '386 device.
The need to provide active ventilation for a garage structure has been known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,181 to Wasson discloses a fan device which may be mounted to either the garage door or wall of a garage. However, neither fan mounting location is capable of augmenting the existing ventilation system of the attic enclosure. In addition, the structural configuration of the walls of a typical garage is not conducive to an easy installation procedure which requires the cutting of a hole therein. Moreover, the routing of power cables to the fan device that is mounted on a garage door is cumbersome.
Various attempts have been made to utilize the existing opening in a ceiling provided by a disappearing stairway to vent air from a room to the attic via a fan means. U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,773 to Brown discloses a disappearing stairway having a louvered panel which allows airflow to pass therethrough when in the contracted position. Nevertheless, this device also requires the use of a large, movable shroud to direct airflow from the horizontally oriented louver structure to a vertically oriented fan disposed in the attic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,508 to Seebo discloses a combination disappearing staircase/attic fan means arrangement wherein either device may be alternatively positioned over a hole in the ceiling. Nevertheless, both the disappearing stairway as well as the attic fan means are relatively large, heavy devices which would be cumbersome to move. In addition, the use of either device is mutually exclusive, that is both devices cannot be used at the same time.
There has been a long-felt need for a ventilation device for any room of a house or other similar type building which utilizes the existing hole of an attic access means disposed in a ceiling thereof to provide positive ventilation of air from the room to the attic thereabove by a fan means. The device should provide adequate ventilation to effectively lower the temperature thereof during the hot summer months, and should be easy to install and maintain by a relatively unskilled homeowner.


A vibrating actuator assembly includes a diaphragm, at least one vibrator at the diaphragm and that vibrates when an electric signal is applied thereto, a vibration shaft having one end connected to the diaphragm, a rotor on an outer side of the vibration shaft to contact an outer surface of the vibration shaft and that moves by vibration of the vibration shaft, and an elastic presser at another end of the vibration shaft and that elastically presses the rotor toward the diaphragm.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to a vibrating actuator assembly, and more particularly, to a vibrating actuator assembly, whereby generation of noise and vibration is reduced, strong driving power is generated by using a compact structure, and precise position control is possible.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical system having optical elements, such as lenses, includes a lens driving device to move the lenses. The lens driving device moves the lenses to change a relative distance between them, thereby realizing a zooming function or an auto focusing function.
The lens driving device may include a driving unit such as a stepping motor. In this case, since a reduction gear and a cam are used to change the rotation of the stepping motor into a rectilinear motion, the volume of the lens driving device may increase, and a structure of the lens driving device may be complex. Also, during a normal rotation or reverse rotation, a stepping error may be generated, power consumption may be high, and high current and heat may be generated due to backlash.
Recently, a piezoelectric device that operates according to a piezoelectric effect to move the lenses of an optical system has been widely used. A miniaturized driving motor may be manufactured by using the piezoelectric device.
However, since a conventional optical system including such a piezoelectric device also includes elements, such as a gear or a cam, to change a motion of the piezoelectric device into driving power for moving lenses, the conventional optical system may have a complex structure, and accurate position control may be difficult due to a moving error between the elements.