A throwable pet toy bounces and creates an interest for a pet when impacting the ground or an object. The toy includes two domed structures, which are mounted on opposite sides of an aerodynamic base. The structures are in fluid communication with each other. A fascinator is mounted in one of the first and second domed structure to produce an interest for a pet when one of the domed structures impacts.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to pet amusement and exercise equipment and, more particularly, to aerodynamic toys employing a fascinator capable of attracting and generating interaction with a pet animal.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
For dogs and other animal companions, toys are not a luxury, but a necessity. Toys help fight boredom in dogs left alone, and toys can even help prevent some problem behaviors from developing. Many factors contribute to the "right" toy, and a number of them depend upon dog's size, activity level, and preferences.
Many of a dog's toys should be interactive. Interactive play is very important for a dog because it needs active "people time"— and such play also enhances the bond between the pet owner and his pet. By focusing on a specific task—such as repeatedly returning a ball or toy or playing "hide-and-seek" with treats or toys—the dog can expel pent-up mental and physical energy in a limited amount of time and space. This greatly reduces stress due to confinement, isolation, and boredom. For young, high-energy, and untrained dogs, interactive play also offers an opportunity for socialization and helps them learn about appropriate and inappropriate behavior, such as jumping up or being mouthy.
The field of aerodynamic toys includes such well-known products as the Frisbee® flying disk, which is a saucer-shaped device that can be thrown over relatively long distances. To propel the Frisbee®, one grasps its edge while flexing the wrist, and then flings the disk by extending the wrist, thereby imparting spin to the disk and launching the disk through the air. A Frisbee® is capable of remaining aloft for a relatively long time given its peripheral mass distribution and its aerodynamic structure.
Other flying toys such as the aerial disk may, for example, include outer and inner concentric deformable boundary structures, with an airfoil web joining the structures. This toy deforms in flight to form a variety of shapes.
Still other flying toys may include a hollow disk which attains a shape similar to a "flying saucer". The spinning action of the toy causes the air scoops to direct air into the hollow regions of the toy. The shape of the toy and its aerodynamic characteristics are altered in flight and are also controlled by the method of throwing the toy.
The above-discussed toys represent only a small fraction of a variety of aerodynamic toys. Many of the toys combine a common Frisbee®-type disk with numerous toy features for added interest during play; for example, some of the aerodynamic toys feature parachuted figures, nested disks, remote-control ball drops, and illumination to the basic Frisebee®. However, none of the above-described references disclose a simple one-piece toy that combines the aerodynamic features of a disk-shaped throwable toy and the fullness of a ball or rounded toy, which can amuse a pet upon landing or simply generating a sound upon being compressed.
Accordingly, a need exists for a toy that offers at once the features of a disk-shaped aerodynamic toy and a ball operative to attract or amuse a pet.
A further need exists for the toy that permits a person to find enjoyment interacting with a pet.
Still a further need exists for the toy that combines aerodynamic, bouncing and sound characteristics that can amuse and attract the pet.


A paper ejection device holds paper ejected out from an upstream device through a paper-ejection opening of the upstream device. The paper ejection device includes: a pair of side fences arranged parallel and perpendicularly to a paper ejection direction, the paper ejection direction being a direction in which paper is ejected through the paper-ejection opening, to restrict positions of edges of the ejected paper in a width direction; and a control unit that, when an ejection speed at which the paper is ejected through the paper-ejection opening is higher than a predetermined speed, controls spacing between the pair of side fences to be narrower than spacing between the pair of side fences for paper ejected at a speed equal to or lower than the predetermined speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a paper ejection device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain types of image forming apparatuses, such as stencil printers, adopt a scheme for achieving fine alignment of paper ejected onto a paper output platform by maintaining a deflected profile (elastically bent form) of paper, in which paper end portions in a direction perpendicular to a paper conveying direction are at higher level than a center portion, when the paper is ejected.
For instance, there is adopted a scheme of creating such an elastically bent form using a suction conveying unit and maintaining the elastically bent form using wing-shaped paper ejection supports or the like arranged on side fences of a paper output platform.
For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-306568 discloses a technique for achieving better ejected-paper alignment by configuring side fences in such a manner that spacing between top portions of the side fences is smaller than spacing between bottom portions. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-179325 discloses a technique of setting spacing between spacing-adjustable side fences to be narrower than a paper width size by a predetermined amount. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-118845 discloses a technique of decreasing positions of side fences when paper is not thick paper. This technique utilizes relationship with a result of paper thickness detection, but does not take relationship with print speed into account. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-001254 discloses a technique of setting spacing between side fences to be slightly wider or narrower than an actual paper size depending on type and thickness of the paper. Japanese Patent Document No. 3669604 discloses a scheme of automatically adjusting side fences and an end fence to paper size. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-012397 discloses a control scheme of moving an end fence in a direction away from a paper exit according to a print speed.
However, to the inventor's knowledge, there is not provided a technique that takes relationship between positions of, or spacing between, side fences and a print speed into account. Accordingly, there remains an unsolved problem that an elastically bent form of paper cannot be maintained when high-speed printing is performed, which can result in poor alignment of ejected paper.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a paper ejection device capable of maintaining an elastically bent form of paper even when high-speed printing is performed by taking relationship between positions of side fences and a print speed into account, thereby preventing poor ejected-paper alignment, and an image forming apparatus including the paper ejection device.

Paper ejection device and image forming apparatus


A rescue system is provided which includes a hoist having a backplate and a rope drum mounted on said backplate, with the rope drum adapted to receive a rope wound at least one and one half times about a rope engaging surface on the drum. The drum is rotatable in one direction when a pulling force is exerted on a control end of the rope and blocked against rotation in an opposite direction when a pulling force is exerted on a load end of the rope, so that the rope drum provides a braking force on said rope when a force is exerted on the load end of the rope. The hoist includes an arcuate rope guide fixed to the backplate and extending at least 200.degree. about the drum, and the drum itself is provided with a rope engaging surface including a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion, with the tapered portion lying closest to said backplate. Additional system components for use in conjunction with the hoist include a centrifugal brake mechanism, a swivel pulley and a handled acsender.

The present invention relates to rescue apparatus which includes as an essential element a rescue hoist designed for lowering or lifting persons or loads quickly and easily without a substantial effort on the part of the operator of the system. Other unique, but optional, components of the system include a centrifugal brake device, a swivel pulley and a handled ascender to be used along with the hoist.
One conventional hoist device includes a rope drum supported on a bolt extending from a bracket by a free wheeling bearing or so-called roller friction clutch which permits the rope drum to freely rotate in one direction (counter clockwise, in the exemplary description) but which blocks rotation of the drum in the opposite direction (clockwise in the exemplary description). In a typical load lowering application, a rope is wound around the drum at least for 11/2 and usually 21/2 (depending on rope diameter) turns so that a braking force is applied to the rope as it glides over the drum surface in the direction in which the drum rotation is blocked. In other words, the braking action results from the friction between the rope and the drum surface as the rope is wound onto and then off the non-rotating drum under the downward loading influence of the person (or object) being lowered. The load end of the rope is generally connected to one or more pulleys downstream of the hoist which provide a mechanical lifting advantage so that the operator need only exert a slight counterpull in order to control the descent of the person being lowered.
Hoisting devices of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,703,218 and 3,807,696. In the latter patent, improved rope guide devices for the rope drum are disclosed. One arc-shaped guide is in the form of two laterally spaced bails arranged along a portion of the circumference of the rope drum and connected at the ends, forming a slot through which the rope may pass. The arrangement is such that one end of the rope, the so-called control end of the rope, may be guided onto the drum through the rope guide slot from various directions relative to the drum.
The '696 patent also discloses a lower rope guide block which comprises a pair of side members and a bridging member interconnecting the side members such that the rope guide block reaches over the space which is taken up on the surface of the rope drum by the turns of the rope. The inwardly facing surfaces of the side members of the guide block and the outwardly facing surface of the rope drum as well as the inwardly facing surface of the bridging member of the guide block, forms a rope guide chamber which has a shape which defines the position of adjacent rope turns where the rope guide block reaches over the outer surface of the rope drum.
Even with the improvements described in the '696 patent, problems remain. For example, it has been determined that there is excessive space between the rope riding on the drum and the arc-shaped rope guide which allows the rope to overlap and tangle. There is also excessive space between the roller drum surface and the arc-shaped rope guide which has caused problems in that, if proper care is not taken, the rope can lift off the roller drum and slip between the roller drum and the arc-shaped rope guide thereby jamming and totally disabling the unit.
In addition, a natural occurrence when raising a load (with the drum rotating in a counterclockwise direction) is for the rope on the drum to "corkscrew" towards the rear of the drum. With no lower rope guide, as new rope comes onto the drum, it will "stack up" and overlap the rope already on the drum. This can occur immediately upon commencing raising and can totally disable the unit. The lower rope guide block of the '696 patent is said to prevent the rope from "stacking up" and overlapping during raising. This is accomplished by positioning the rope guide block such that it prevents the rope on the drum from moving too far back, thus allowing a space for the new rope to come onto the drum. However, this configuration creates a considerable amount of friction between the rope and the lower rope guide block, reducing the system's efficiency and greatly increasing the amount of force required to lift a given load. Moreover, even with the lower rope guide block in place, existing systems have allowed the rope on the drum to overlap and tangle under wet, dirty conditions because as the rope becomes wet and soiled, the friction between the rope and the rope drum increases, allowing the rope to "corkscrew" farther back than normal and thus, wedging under the new rope coming onto the drum.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved hoist device which eliminates the problems described above with regard to the drum and the conventional arcuate rope guide and associated lower guide block. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, the cylindrical rope engaging surface of the drum is modified to include an upwardly and rearwardly directed taper in that portion of the drum closest to the hoist support bracket or backplate. The tapered roller drum prevents overlapping during raising even with no lower rope guide block installed, and thereby greatly improves the efficiency of the system by the attendant reduction of friction. More specifically, the tapered surface of the drum forces the rope coming on to the drum during a lifting operation to slide off the taper towards the front of the drum, so that there is always space created for new rope to come onto the rear of the drum. This action works more effectively with increased load and works very well with as little as ten pounds load. However, the tapered surface is less effective when simply retrieving rope with no load. Therefore, it is preferred to utilize a lower rope guide block along with the tapered rope drum to prevent overlapping under a no load raising situation.
In another aspect of the present invention, an improved arcuate rope guide cage is provided which solves the above described excessive space problems in that there is no longer sufficient space between the arcuate rope guide cage and the rope on the drum to allow the rope to overlap itself, and because the arcuate rope guide cage is longer and positioned much closer to the drum than the known arcuate guide rope cage so as not to allow the rope to slip between it and the drum.
The present invention also provides additional associated (optional) components which form part of an overall rescue system, with the above described hoist as the principal component thereof. The additional components described below have been designed to avoid additional problems which have been experienced with known rescue system components.
For example, another problem with existing rescue systems utilizing a hoist of the type described above is that if the operator should let go of the control end of the rope during a lower operation, the person being lowered will descend at a dangerously high speed. This invention therefore provides a centrifugal brake device for use with the hoist which constantly senses rope speed while lowering, and if an excessive speed is reached, the brake will automatically "grip" the rope and prevent further descent. The centrifugal brake device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention may be installed on the drum bracket or backplate via a mounting slot and appropriate fastening means. The system is assembled so that the rope coming off the drum passes through an opening in the centrifugal brake device. Within the device, there is a tapered rope wheel designed to engage the rope as the rope travels downwardly during a lowering operation. However, the natural tendency of the rope to travel along the drum during raising ensures that the rope will not contact the tapered rope wheel during a raising operation, and therefore, the device adds no additional friction during raising so that overall system efficiency is maintained.
In the exemplary embodiment, the rope coming off the rope drum during lowering will contact the tapered rope wheel causing the latter to spin with a horizontal shaft to which it is rigidly secured. A centrifugal disk is located at the other end of the shaft and mounts a pair of spring loaded pawls which are held in a normally retracted position by springs or the like. As lowering speed increases, the centrifugal disk rotational speed will increase to the point where the pawls will pivot radially outwardly overcoming the retraction force of the springs. Upon reaching a predetermined speed, the pawls will have moved radially outwardly sufficiently so that one of the pawls will contact the lower end of a vertical connecting rod and drive the latter into engagement with the lower surface of a rope locking cam. This rope locking cam is a wedge shaped component which is pivotally secured to the device so that, upon active engagement with the connecting rod, the rope cam will sandwich the rope between it and the roller drum, thereby stopping further movement of the rope. Once activated, the cam remains engaged and the person on the system remains stopped. In order to disengage the centrifugal brake and resume lowering, the operator must simply raise the load slightly thereby pulling the cam upwardly to release it, at which point, a spring associated with the cam will return the cam to its normal disengaged position. The centrifugal brake is thus automatically reset and ready for further activation if and when required.
Another problem with existing systems of the type described above is that when using the system for certain types of work or rescue, i.e., in a confined work space (entry into manholes, underground electrical vaults, tanks, etc.), the person connected to the system inevitably will twist the ropes by turning around naturally as he performs his work. A problem arises in that, if an emergency rescue (raising) must be performed, the twisting of the ropes causes large amounts of friction to occur and, depending on the degree of twist, may render the operator incapable of raising the person as the force required will be simply too great.
In still another aspect of the present invention, therefore, a swivel pulley is provided which allows the person connected to the hoist system to move and to rotate 360.degree. without twisting the ropes. The arrangement is such that the lower part of the swivel (connected via a conventional carabiner to the person) will turn, but the upper part connected to the pulley, ropes and hoist will not.
Another aspect of the rescue system in accordance with this invention relates to rope control handles or, as they are known in the art, "handled ascenders". Such devices are often used in mountain climbing to pull oneself up along an otherwise stationary rope. In rescue operations, handled ascenders may be used, for example, to haul on the rope, i.e., to lift a load from a control end of the rope. Existing handled ascenders are manufactured in right-hand and left-hand versions, with closed loop handles. The thumb or forefinger is is used to disengage a cam from the rope to allow the rope to slide through the ascender. A problem arises in that it is awkward to disengage the cam and, in fact, impossible to disengage the cam if wearing gloves or mitts, because the cam is located within a closed loop, accessible from either side of the ascender. In addition, having both left and right-handed versions makes it difficult for a person of the "opposite hand" to operate the ascender. The closed loop handle design of the existing ascenders also makes them difficult and often impossible to hold at all when wearing bulky gloves or mitts, as typically required in cold weather situations. In accordance with this invention, there is provided an improved handled ascender which features a cam design with an integral lever protruding from the rear of the ascender which can be operated with equal ease by a left or right-handed person, and which is very simple to operate even with large bulky gloves or mitts. An open handle design also allows even the largest mitted hands (either left or right) to easily hold and operate the ascender.
In broad terms, the invention thus provides a rescue system comprising a hoist including a backplate; a rope drum mounted on the backplate, the rope drum capable of rotation in one direction only; the rope drum having a front and rear end plates on either side of a rope engaging surface, the rope engaging surface including a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion, the tapered portion located adjacent the rear end plate; the hoist further comprising an arcuate rope guide including a thru slot fixed to the backplate and extending partially about the drum.
In another aspect, the invention provides a rescue system comprising: a hoist including a backplate; a rope drum mounted on the backplate, the rope drum having a rope engaging surface located between a pair of circular end flanges, the rope drum capable of rotation in a first direction in response to a pulling force applied to a control end of a rope wound around the rope drum at least one and one half times, and the drum being blocked against rotation in an opposite direction such that a frictional braking force is applied to the rope when a pulling force is applied to a load end of the rope in a second direction opposite the one direction; and a rope guide fixed to the backplate, the rope guide formed by a pair of elongated laterally spaced legs connected at opposite ends of the rope guide to define therebetween at least one rope slot, the rope guide having an arcuate shape conforming substantially to the circular end flanges of the rope drum, wherein the rope guide extends circumferentially at least 200.degree. about the end flange.
In still another aspect, the invention provides in a rescue system including a hoisting apparatus which includes a backplate, a rope drum mounted on the backplate, the rope drum adapted to receive a rope thereon, wound at least one and one half times about a rope engaging surface on the drum, the rope having a load end and a control end, the drum rotatable in one direction when a pulling force is exerted on the control end and blocked against rotation in an opposite direction when a pulling force is exerted on the load end such that the rope drum provides a braking force on the rope when the pulling force is exerted on the load end; an improvement comprising:
a) an arcuate rope guide fixed to the backplate and extending at least 200.degree. about the drum; and
b) the rope engaging surface including a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion, the tapered portion lying closest to the backplate.
It will be appreciated that the invention also relates to the utilization of the optional components including the centrifugal brake mechanism, the swivel pulley and the handled ascender as described generally above and as described in greater detail further herein.
Other objects and advantages of the invention over and above those described above will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.


An armrest device including a stationary shaft 2, fixed to a seat frame, an armrest body 7 in which the stationary shaft 2 is inserted and which is rotatable, a lock spring 3 made of a coil spring tightly wound around the stationary shaft 2, with one end of the coil spring serving as a stationary-side hook 3a locked to the armrest body 7, and the other end of the coil spring serving as a free-side hook 3b A hook-supporting part 12 that supports the free-side hook 3b such that the free-side hook 3b is raised in the axial direction of the stationary shaft 2, a hook-fitting part 13 that enlarges the diameter of the lock spring 3 by dropping the free-side hook 3b on the hook-supporting part 12 downward in the axial direction of the stationary shaft 2, a plate 11 for a hook, where the plate 11 projects from the armrest body 7, and a cam member 5 on the stationary shaft 2. The cam member 5 having (1) an unlocking cam part 5b for unlocking the lock spring 3 by dropping the free-side hook 3b from the hook-supporting part 12 into the hook-fitting part 13 when the armrest body 7 is rotated in the armrest-accommodating direction, and (2) a relocking cam part 5c for locking the lock spring 3 by raising the free-side hook 3b from the hook-fitting part 13 and supporting it by the hook-supporting part 12 when the armrest body 7 is rotated in the armrest-use direction.

Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-299547 ("JP '547") and Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2006-26115 ("JP '115") disclose conventional movable armrest devices. In these armrest devices, the armrest body can freely rotate against a seat frame, and a coil spring is used as a lock spring for locking and unlocking the rotation of the armrest body.
In the armrest device disclosed in JP '547, a lock spring is wound around a stationary shaft that is provided to the seat frame, so that the rotation of the armrest body can be locked and unlocked. The lock spring has a stationary-side hook and a free-side hook. The stationary-side hook is fixed to the armrest body, and the free-side hook moves in the diameter-enlarging direction (the direction for enlarging the diameter of the lock spring) or the diameter-reducing direction (the direction for reducing the diameter of the lock spring). When the free-side hook moves in the diameter-enlarging direction, the lock spring unlocks, and when the free-side hook moves in the diameter-reducing direction, the lock spring locks.
In the armrest device of JP '547, the free-operation part of a ring part makes the free-side hook of the lock spring rotate in the diameter-enlarging direction of the lock spring, and then the free-side engagement part of the free-side hook drops into a slit of a cover part on the side of the armrest body, so that the lock spring unlocks. At the same time, to the extent that the free-side engagement part drops into the slit, the free-side hook moves upward. Thus, the free-side hook loses contact with the free-operation part, and moves in a movement groove, so that the ring part is allowed to rotate. Accordingly, the armrest body can be rotated in the direction that enables the armrest body to be accommodated upright in the seat.
The armrest device disclosed in JP '115 includes an unlocking contact part, an unlocking cam surface, and a switching cam groove. The unlocking contact part contacts the free-side hook of the lock spring, so as to unlock the lock spring. The unlocking cam surface and the switching cam groove become engaged with the free-side hook. In this armrest device, the unlocking contact part rotates the free-side hook of the lock spring in the direction for enlarging the diameter of the lock spring. Thereby, the free-side hook moves onto the unlocking cam surface, and then drops into the switching cam groove. Also, when the unlocking contact part rotates the free-side hook, the guiding cam surface further presses down the free-side hook, and the free-side hook loses contact with the unlocking contact part, so that the free-side hook is allowed to rotate. Therefore, the armrest body can be rotated in the accommodating direction.


A quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit includes an overcurrent limiting circuit and an oscillation level comparison circuit. The overcurrent limiting circuit (i.e., a level determining circuit and a reference voltage generating circuit) receives a reverse electromotive voltage generated from an auxiliary winding which is electromagnetically connected with a primary winding when a MOSFET is in an OFF state, and produces a reference voltage stepwise based on the reverse electromotive voltage. The oscillation level comparison circuit receives a feedback voltage corresponding to electric power supplied to a load, and produces a control signal that switches the MOSFET into an OFF state when the feedback voltage exceeds the reference voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit equipped with an overcurrent protection circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 7, a conventional quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 includes an integrated circuit Q, a MOSFET 1, and a MOSFET 2 that are housed in a package P. The quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 has a Vcc terminal T1, a TRG terminal T2, an FB terminal T3, a SOURCE terminal T4, a DRAIN terminal T5, and a VREF terminal T6. A source electrode of the MOSFET 1 is connected to the SOURCE terminal T4. A drain electrode of the MOSFET 1 is connected to the DRAIN terminal T5. The drain electrode of the MOSFET 1 is also connected to a drain electrode of the MOSFET 2.
In the integrated circuit Q, an oscillation circuit 3 generates a saw-like oscillation signal. When a charge control signal is input from a fixing circuit 4, a MOSFET 5 switches to an ON state and charges a capacitor C in the oscillation circuit 3. With this arrangement, the charge time of the capacitor C can be shortened. An oscillation edge circuit 8 converts the saw-like signal into a pulse signal and outputs the converted pulse signal to a latch circuit 9.
The fixing circuit 4 produces the charge control signal as a result of a logic operation applied to a trigger signal TRG and a frequency restriction signal. The trigger signal TRG is input from the trigger terminal T2 in response to a signal generated from an auxiliary winding of an external transducer. An edge detecting circuit 6 detects the trigger signal TRG. A signal of the oscillation circuit 3 is fed back to the fixing circuit 4. The fixing circuit 4 generates the frequency restriction signal when a predetermined time has passed after switching of the oscillation signal from a high level (H) to a low level (L), or vice versa.
A reference voltage generating circuit 10 receives a power voltage Vcc from the Vcc terminal T1 and generates a reference voltage Vref. An external capacitor is connected to the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 via the VREF terminal T6. The power voltage Vcc is supplied to the external capacitor, and a reference voltage Vref is obtained from the charge voltage of the external capacitor.
A low-voltage detecting circuit 11 compares the power voltage Vcc with a threshold voltage UVL. When the power voltage Vcc is less than or equal to the threshold voltage UVL, the low-voltage detecting circuit 11 outputs a stop signal to the oscillation circuit 3 and to a driver circuit 18. When the power voltage Vcc is greater than or equal to a threshold voltage UVH, the low-voltage detecting circuit 11 outputs a stop reset signal to the oscillation circuit 3 and to the driver circuit 18. The oscillation circuit 3 stops generating the oscillation signal upon receiving a stop signal and restarts generating the oscillation signal upon receiving a stop reset signal. In this manner, the low-voltage detecting circuit 11 has two threshold voltages UVL and UVH to provide a hysteresis (i.e., a voltage difference) at both the start and the end of the generation of the oscillation signal.
A high-voltage detecting circuit 12 compares the power voltage Vcc with a threshold voltage OVP. When the power voltage Vcc is greater than the threshold voltage OVP, the high-voltage detecting circuit 12 outputs a stop signal to a latch circuit 9. The latch circuit 9 latches a signal produced from the oscillation edge circuit 8 in response to the stop signal. A state-of-overheat detecting circuit 13 detects the temperature of the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 and outputs a stop signal to the latch circuit 9 when the temperature exceeds a predetermined reference temperature. The latch circuit 9 latches a signal generated from the oscillation edge circuit 8 in response to the stop signal received from the state-of-overheat detecting circuit 13.
An oscillation level comparison circuit 15 receives a detection voltage VCOM (i.e., a voltage containing a load voltage input from the FB terminal T3 and a voltage input from the sensing MOSFET 2), and compares the detection voltage VCOM with the reference voltage Vref supplied from the reference voltage generating circuit 10. When the detection voltage VCOM is less than or equal to the reference voltage Vref, the oscillation level comparison circuit 15 outputs a low-level reset signal. When the detection voltage VCOM is greater than the reference voltage Vref, the oscillation level comparison circuit 15 outputs a high-level reset signal.
A pulse width modulation circuit 16 is a RS flip-flop circuit having a set terminal S, a reset terminal R, and an output terminal Q. A pulse signal having passed the latch circuit 9 is input via a buffer 17 to the set terminal S of the pulse width modulation circuit 16. An output signal of the oscillation level comparison circuit 15 is fed to the reset terminal R of the pulse width modulation circuit 16. A signal produced from the output terminal Q of the pulse width modulation circuit 16 is supplied via the driver circuit 18 to a gate electrode of the MOSFET 1 and to a gate electrode of the MOSFET 2.
The conventional quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 uses the power voltage Vcc to charge the capacitor and obtains the reference voltage Vref from the charge voltage. In such a case, a required capacitance is in the range of several hundreds nF to several μF. In general, such a large-sized capacitor cannot be incorporated in the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide the VREF terminal T6 to which the external capacitor is connected.
In general, providing the VREF terminal dedicated to the external capacitor increases a package size of the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100. Furthermore, when the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 is mounted on a circuit, a process for connecting a capacitor to the circuit is necessary and accordingly the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases.
Furthermore, if a load is short-circuited in the conventional quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100, the capacitor connected to the VREF terminal T6 is continuously charged and the reference voltage Vref is maintained at a high voltage value. Accordingly, the oscillation level comparison circuit 15 cannot detect a problem occurring in the circuit. Thus, power supply to the load cannot be stopped and the quasi resonant type switching power supplying unit 100 is brought into an excessive load condition.

Quasi resonant type switching power supply apparatus with overcurrent limiting


Embodiments of the present application implement cell selection and cell reselection for a terminal device in a licensed band and an unlicensed band. Disclosed are a method for selecting a cell, a terminal device, and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device searches for a target frequency point on the basis of at least one of preconfigured first configuration information, of second configuration information configured by a network using a dynamic signaling, and of a work mode set by a user; and performs cell selection or cell reselection on the basis of a state of a cell on the target frequency.

In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, License-assisted Access (LAA) technology is introduced. Specifically, a primary cell (PCell) can be configured on a licensed frequency band and assisted by the licensed frequency band, so that a secondary cell (SCell) can be configured on an unlicensed frequency band, thereby achieving data transmission on an unlicensed frequency band.

Method for selecting cell, terminal device, and network device

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A purchase card system configured in accordance with the invention offers purchase card products that facilitate online purchases of life sciences research products and/or services via an e-commerce application. The acquisition and use of such purchase card products complies with mandated procurement, spending, and appropriations rules, regulations, and laws, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Anti-Deficiency Act, and the Department of Defense “bona fide needs” rule.

The prior art is replete with "prepaid" or "gift" cards that can be used by customers of retail and service establishments as a form of payment in lieu of cash or credit card transactions. For example, many department stores, restaurants, and coffee shops offer prepaid cards to their customers. Historically, prepaid or gift cards have not been made available for certain types of goods and products, such as life science research products, biological reagents, laboratory specimens, and the like, particularly when a significant number of the purchasers of such products are government purchasers, academic purchasers, or other persons or entities that are governed by certain procurement, appropriations, and spending rules and regulations. For example, government purchasers may be restricted by regulations and laws (such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Anti-Deficiency Act, or the "bona fide needs" rule), which may prohibit the spending of government funds in advance, require competitive bidding for purchases that exceed a specified amount, or mandate "fair and reasonable" pricing for all purchases.
Most government purchasing departments charge their end users an administrative fee to buy products on behalf of the government. The administrative fee for a given purchase can represent a significant expenditure of funds that could otherwise be spent on additional product. Unfortunately, these administrative fees are assessed for each new purchase made by such end users.
Furthermore, the market for life science research products and services is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly for "commodity" products such as oligonucleotides. In this regard, traditional purchasing models (including typical e-commerce models) may not sufficiently streamline the product purchasing routine for customers, provide a means to fully utilize available funding, encourage purchasers to use online ordering, foster brand loyalty, or establish long term purchase commitments.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a purchase card system for government and academic purchasers, where the system is in compliance with mandated procurement, spending, and appropriations rules, regulations, and laws. In addition, it is desirable to have a purchase card system for life sciences research products and services that provides a legal and ethical means to avoid excessive administrative fees associated with the purchase of certain products. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for offering and managing online purchasing card transactions


A single gun color cathode ray tube (CRT) having a screen consisting of alternating red, blue and green vertical phosphor strips in groups of three, with strips of conductive or photovoltaic material overlaying each phosphor strip, or placed between adjacent strips. The same color conductive strips are connected in parallel in three arrays, and connected to three individual trigger buses. The conductive lines are connected to a positive bias voltage such that when the electron beam within the CRT strikes a conductive strip, a pulse is generated and fed to the corresponding trigger bus. As the single electron beam scans the screen, trigger pulses are generated in the conductive strips and are fed to a trigger pulse amplifier and then to a multiplexer and used as control signals. The multiplexer in turn gates the color video signals from a remote source, such as a workstation or television set, such that the corresponding video signal for that color is modulating the beam as the electron beam strikes a phosphor strip corresponding to that color.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved system for generating indexing signals for a beam indexing type of color cathode ray tube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In view of the growing development of high definition television (HDTV), there is a need to develop a color CRT that can generate high resolution and high brilliance images for direct viewing and for single tube projection HDTV systems.
The current method used to generate color images in a color CRT for consumer TV employs three electron guns, a shadow mask, and a screen consisting of arrays of red, blue, and green phosphor dots arranged such that each electron gun will direct electrons to dots of a specific color. In this way, separate primary color images are generated which, when combined, produce the color picture. The obvious disadvantage of this scheme is in the use of three electron guns and in the shadow mask which typically absorbs eighty percent of the electrons from the guns, severely limiting the maximum possible brilliance of the image. Attempting to increase the brilliance of the image by raising the intensity of the electron beams results in the generation of x-rays and in localized heating of the shadow mask metal causing expansion and a loss of accurate targeting of electrons on the phosphor dots. Basically, the shadow mask type of CRT cannot be refined to meet the resolution and brilliance requirements of HDTV.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,414 to Goodman discloses a color cathode ray tube that eliminates the three gun/shadow mask principle and which can be used for direct viewing or in a single tube projection system. However, the Goodman system is not suitable for HDTV because the CRT's using the Goodman principle cannot be made in larger sizes, i.e. larger than an eight by eight inch screen size, and individual primary color intensities of the image cannot be adjusted by external electronic controls to produce an accurately balanced color picture or a true black and white picture.
A major problem in previous beam indexing systems, such as that disclosed in Goodman, is that the modulation of the electron beam by the video signals caused phase errors in the indexing signals and color fringing of the picture displayed on the screen, in effect reducing the resolution and brilliance of the picture displayed by the CRT. In addition, in those Goodman type systems which use ultraviolet or x-ray emissive strips on the screen or on the back of a metalized layer, the radiation pulses must be detected by an electron-multiplier or other photosensitive device capable of detecting radiation on all parts of the screen equally, without regard to the size of the screen. On larger tube sizes, this is virtually impossible to accomplish.
What is desired, therefore, is to provide a system using the Goodman principles but wherein the CRT can be made in larger sizes, the primary color intensities can be accurately adjusted and the picture displayed on the CRT has increased resolution and brilliance.

System for generating triggering pulses for use in beam indexing type color cathode ray tubes


During normal operation of a hard disk drive, control logic controls a plurality of switching elements to provide electrical power to a spindle motor and head motor of the disk drive from a voltage source coupled to first and second voltage supply nodes (e.g., Vcc and ground), the spindle motor has a set of motor windings to which the electric power is applied to rotate the spindle motor, and the control logic is configured to enter a regenerative braking state during normal operation where the switching elements are controlled to isolate the spindle motor from the first voltage supply node and cause regenerative braking of the spindle motor so that kinetic energy due to rotation of the spindle motor is converted to electrical power that is supplied to the head motor by virtue of inductance of one or more motor windings in the set.

The present invention relates generally to disk drives, and more specifically to techniques for providing power to the motors in a disk drive. Most of the discussion will concentrate on the example of hard disk drives (HHDs).
One problem facing system integrators who design systems consisting of hard disk drives (HDDs) is to design power supplies capable of meeting both peak and average load conditions. In systems containing many HDDs, the differences between these conditions can become quite large, especially when considering that many drives may be simultaneously acting under their peak load conditions. Considerable cost may go into those system supplies in order to maintain reliable operation well beyond the statistical average load. Minimizing the difference between peak and average load currents eases design requirements for such system power supplies.
Additionally, the peak load from the perspective of the mechanics of the HDD involves increased seek duty cycles (more movement from the head actuators while disk rotation is maintained at its normal operating point). Seeking is necessary in order to allow quick, random access to data stored on the magnetic disk(s). A second problem then is the design tradeoff in the electromechanical system that is made to compromise power consumption for improved access time. The industry demands continued performance improvements as well as energy efficiency. Enabling such advances in HDDs allows new products to work in legacy systems without power supply upgrades.
This design tradeoff may relate to a third problem of limited battery life for mobile applications. Improvements in mobile HDD operating efficiency may translate directly to extended battery life for a given application.

Motor drive circuitry with regenerative braking for disk drive

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


LED strip lamp comprising a light emitting diode and extruded electrodes characterized in that a shaped electrode of that LED is fixed directly to a diode connecting part on a current supplying conductor, by die bonding or other fixing means, an insulating painted layer on the current supplying conductor being locally absent, exposing a core wire, wherein the current supplying conductor comprises a metal wire rod having said insulating painted layer thereon.

This invention relates generally to improvements to LED strip lamps consisting of an emitting diode and an extruded electrode, which is connected to a current supplying conductor, and especially to direct connection to an electrical current supplying conductor. Purposes are to provide an LED lamp and circuitry featuring high heat dissipation efficiency, and free placement capability in or on support means; elimination of need for a printed circuit board associated with the LED; and improved production methods.
Conventional LEDs generally incorporate a substrate, a light emitting part including a light emitting layer formed on a laminated nitride semiconductor on a substrate, and an electrode which protrudes behind or at a rim of the light emitting part, connected to a current supplying conductor of a current supplying cable. The said conventional LED is generally known as respects a current supplying conductor connected to a current supplying cable that needs special form in its configuration to secure firm connection between the electrode provided at the backside of the light emitting part and the current supplying conductor. Also, wire bonding is used to connect the electrode and current supplying conductor. Wire bonding is also used to connect between another electrode and the current supplying conductor.
As for general LEDs and referring to FIG. 15 herein, light emitting part (a) is covered by transparent polymer (d) which is encapsulated, and two electrode wires (b), (c) protrude from polymer (d). The LED secures insulation between light emitting part (a) and electrode wires (b), (c) as by encapsulation of light emitting part (a). Also, by increasing the optical size of transparent polymer (d), the internal reflection prospects of the transparent polymer are decreased, and output emission from transparent polymer (d) to the exterior is increased. Further, by changing the configuration and dimensions of transparent polymer (d), the LED can control internal reflection, and spectral angle of outer reflection.
However, in a conventional LED, it is difficult to transport or transfer generated heat fully to the local environment, as from the light emitting part, as current is supplied to the LED; and placement of multiple LEDs at a high density mounting is not practical, so the placement positions of LEDs are limited. Also, as stated in P.H06-275865, the current supplying conductor is continually made of solid metal, so the position of LED placement cannot be changed once connection is made to the current supplying conductor, lead wire being used as current supplying conductor. However such a lead wire is coated with insulation material, so that it is difficult to obtain better heat transportation, which leaves the high temperature issue unsettled. Further, light emission is all-directional and dispersion of emission makes it difficult to intensify the light beamed toward a specific direction unless a reflective mirror or other means of collection of light is used, and this complicates structure and increases manufacturing cost.


Novel bone support assembly, and methods of use, wherein a locking member such as a resiliently flexible band, mounted to a bone support plate, automatically and as a consequence of driving a bone fastener through the bone support assembly and into bone structure of a recipient of such bone support assembly, activates a locking feature of the bone support assembly to thereby prevent the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the bone support assembly and past the locking member.

The present invention relates to devices for the fixation and/or support of bones. In particular, the present invention relates to a bone support assembly, and a corresponding bone support plate, for the fixation and/or support of bones of the spinal column. The plate of the present invention has particular application in situations where compressional or xe2x80x9csettlingxe2x80x9d forces, as well as torsional and flexing forces, of xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d vertebrae on a spinal plate cause significant stressing and potential failure of the spinal plate and/or plate components.
Vertebral fixation has become a common approach to treating spinal disorders, fractures, and for fusion of vertebrae at the time such fixation is instituted. Namely, one or more vertebrae are fixed in position relative to one or more other vertebrae above and/or below the vertebrae to be fixed. Generally, a spinal plate is the device of choice used for mechanically supporting such vertebral fixation. A typical spinal plate includes a plate having a plurality of apertures therethrough. A corresponding plurality of fasteners, i.e., bone screws, are generally positioned into and through respective apertures of the plate to secure the spinal plate to a bone, such as two respective upper and lower supporting adjacent spinal vertebrae. The screws are fastened to the respective support vertebrae to secure the spinal plate to the respective vertebrae. In general, such plate and screw assemblies can be utilized, generally, for anterior fixation of the spine for cervical, lumbar, and/or thoracic fixation.
The basis of anterior fixation or plating is to approach the spine from an anterior or anterio-lateral approach, and use the screws to solidly mount the spinal plate to the affected vertebrae. Often, in addition to the application of a spinal plate, graft material may be combined in an attempt to permanently fuse together adjacent vertebrae. The graft material can consist of bone grafts obtained from bones of the recipient or another individual.
A common problem associated with the use of such spinal plates is the tendency of the bone screws to xe2x80x9cback outxe2x80x9d or pull away or withdraw from the bone into which they are fixed. This problem occurs, primarily, due to the normal torsional and bending motions of the body and spine. This is a particularly important problem because as the screws become loose and pull away or withdraw from the bone, the heads of the screws can rise above the surface of the spinal plate and, possibly, even work their way completely out of the bone. While this condition can cause extreme discomfort for the recipient, this condition can also create a number of potentially serious physiological problems given the significant amount of nervous and vascular structures associated at or near the potential locations of anterior spinal plate fixations.
A number of designs have been proposed in attempts to prevent screws from pulling away or withdrawing from the bone and/or to prevent the screws from backing out or pulling away or withdrawing from the surface of the spinal plate. Such mechanisms used to prevent bone screws from pulling out of bones include cams which engage and lock the screws, and the use of expanding head screws which expand outwardly when adequate force is applied thereto to engage the holes in the spinal plate. All of these designs have detriments including potential for breakage or requiring particular precision and alignment in their application in order to work correctly. Additionally, loose components and accessories of spinal plates which address the xe2x80x9cbacking-outxe2x80x9d or withdrawal problem can get dropped and/or misplaced while the vertebral fixation surgical procedure is taking place, prolonging and complicating the procedure as well as creating substantial risk of harm to the recipient.
Yet another common problem associated with the use of such spinal plates is the tendency of the vertebrae being xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d to settle after spinal plate insertion adding compression forces to the above-listed forces which cause the bone screws to xe2x80x9cback outxe2x80x9d or pull away or withdraw from the bone into which they were fixed.
It is an object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies which provide rigid bone-to-bone fixation and/or support, such as e.g. adjacent or second adjacent vertebrae, while allowing post-procedural compression between the respective bones.
It is another object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies which afford substantial protection against pulling away or withdrawal of affixing components which may result from torsional movement, flexing movement, or stress and/or dynamic load sharing of the vertebrae, thereby enhancing the bone rebuilding process.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies which attenuate application of stress on the apparatus and affixing components
It is a further object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies comprising a bone support plate and resiliently flexible bands so mounted and positioned to enable bone fasteners to pass such bands when being installed in a recipient and which prevent withdrawal of such bone fasteners after installation in the recipient.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies which can be completely pre-assembled such that no assembly steps need be performed on the bone support assembly during installation of such bone support assembly in a recipient thereof.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide bone support assemblies wherein apparatus, in such bone support assemblies, for preventing withdrawal of bone fasteners from the bone, after installation on a recipient, are automatically activated, to prevent such withdrawal, as a consequence of the installation of the bone fasteners.
This invention provides a novel bone support assembly, and methods of use, wherein a locking member such as a resiliently flexible band, mounted to the bone support plate, automatically and as a consequence of driving a bone fastener through the bone support assembly and into bone structure of a recipient of such bone support assembly, activates a locking feature of the bone support assembly to thereby prevent the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the bone support assembly and past the locking member.
Thus, the invention comprehends a bone support assembly, comprising a bone support plate. The bone support plate comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface and adapted to engage bone structure of a recipient, a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures for receiving bone fasteners therethrough for securing the bone support assembly to the bone structure of the recipient. The bone support assembly further comprises a locking member mounted to the bone support plate, the locking member being effective, when a bone fastener is driven through an aperture into bone structure of a recipient, to automatically and as a consequence of driving the bone fastener, activate a locking feature of the bone support assembly effective to prevent the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the bone support assembly and past the locking member.
In preferred embodiments, the locking member comprises a resiliently flexible band. A length of the band extends along a side of one or more corresponding ones of the apertures whereby, as the bone fastener is driven, a break structure of the bone fastener, such as a screw head, can urge the band to automatically flex transversely of the length of the band, from a first flexural condition, until the break structure in the bone fastener is driven past the band, whereupon the band returns to the previous flexural condition and overlies the break structure of the so-driven bone fastener and thereby prevents the bone fastener from withdrawing.
Also in preferred embodiments, the bone support plate further comprises a channel defined in and as part of the top surface of the bone support plate. The channel has side walls opening into and extending alongside ones of the plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures. The resiliently flexible band is disposed in the channel and extends along a side of the channel.
The channel preferably has a bottom surface.
In some embodiments, at least all except two of the bone-fastener-receiving apertures comprise slots, enabling longitudinal movement of bone fasteners in the slots, with respect to the bone support plate, and first and second ones of the bone-fastener-receiving apertures can comprise circular openings.
In preferred embodiments, all of the bone-fastener-receiving apertures comprise slots, having lengths greater than respective widths of the slots.
Preferably, the flexible band extends along substantially a full length of the bone support plate.
The bone support assembly preferably includes a second flexible band and the first and second flexible bands extend along substantially full lengths of respective first and second sides of the channel, the first and second flexible bands collectively extending along the sides of all of the bone-fastener-receiving apertures.
The bone support assemblies preferably comprise one or more band retainers mounted to the bone support plate, and mounting the flexible band to the bone support plate.
In some embodiments, the band retainers mount the bands to the plate with abutment of the retainer against the flexible bands and urging of the flexible bands against respective first and second sides of the channel through such abutment.
In other embodiments, a retainer comprises a stud extending through the retainer-receiving aperture, the stud being welded to the bone support plate adjacent the bottom surface of the bone support plate.
Compositions of the flexible band preferably comprise predominantly nickel and titanium. Preferred compositions of the flexible bands comprise about 55 percent by weight to about 56 percent by weight nickel and about 44 percent by weight to about 45 percent by weight titanium.
The compositions of flexible bands of the invention preferably comprise shape memory metal alloys, which can be predominantly nickel and titanium, although other materials can be used so long as the material has the requisite flexural properties, has suitable strength properties, and is safe for use in living body surgical procedures.
In preferred embodiments, the bone support plate is elongated. The bone-fastener-receiving apertures are arrayed in first and second rows along a length of the bone support plate. The bone support assembly further comprises a second resiliently flexible band, and the first and second bands are mounted at the opposing side walls of the channel, and extend along a portion of the length of the channel occupied by the bone screw apertures.
In preferred embodiments, first and second bands are mounted to the bone support plate by at least one band retainer, preferably a plurality of band retainers, displaced from the apertures, and the first and second bands can flex at respective slots about mounting loci displaced longitudinally along the bone support plate from respective ones of the bone screw apertures, when bone screws are driven through the bone support plate and respectively past respective edges of the bands.
The invention further comprises a method of mounting a bone support to bone structure. The method comprises providing a bone support assembly, comprising a bone support plate, having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface and adapted to engage bone structure of a recipient, and a plurality of bone-fastener-receiving apertures for receiving bone fasteners therethrough for securing the bone support assembly to such bone structure of such recipient, and one or more resiliently flexible bands mounted to the bone support plate, a length of the band extending along sides of corresponding ones of the apertures. The method further comprises driving a bone fastener through a respective bone-fastener-receiving aperture and including driving a break structure of the bone fastener past the flexible band such that the break structure of the fastener causes the flexible band to flex transversely of the length of the band, from an unflexed condition, as the break structure of the bone fastener passes the band whereupon, when the break structure of the fastener moves past the flexible band, the resiliently flexible band returns to the unflexed condition and overlies the break structure of the so-driven bone fastener, thereby preventing the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the bone support assembly past the resiliently flexible band.
In preferred embodiments, the method includes driving a plurality of bone fasteners through respective bone-fastener-receiving apertures in the bone support plate, including driving each bone fastener a sufficient distance toward the bone support plate that a break structure on the respective fastener passes the flexible band whereby the flexible band flexes over the break surface of the fastener and thereby prevents the bone fastener from withdrawing out of the bone support assembly past the resiliently flexible band.


The present invention provides methods and compositions of polypeptides having isoprene synthase activity with improved performance characteristics. In particular, the present invention provides legume isoprene synthases for increased isoprene production in recombinant host cells.

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) is a volatile hydrocarbon that is insoluble in water and soluble in alcohol. Commercially viable quantities of isoprene can be obtained by direct isolation from petroleum C5 cracking fractions or by dehydration of C5 isoalkanes or isoalkenes (Weissermel and Arpe, Industrial Organic Chemistry, 4th ed., Wiley-VCH, pp. 117-122, 2003). The C5 skeleton can also be synthesized from smaller subunits. It would be desirable, however, to have a commercially viable method of producing isoprene that was independent of nonrenewable resources.
Isoprene monomer is employed in the manufacture of polyisoprene and various copolymers (with isobutylene, butadiene, styrene, or other monomers). Building a strain (prokaryotic or eukaryotic) capable of producing commercially viable levels of isoprene requires optimization of part of or the entire DXP or MVA pathway or both MVA and DXP pathways. A key enzyme in the pathway is isoprene synthase (IspS), which converts the precursor DMAPP to isoprene. Isoprene synthases (IspS) that have been identified include those from plants such as poplar, English oak and kudzu vine. Some of the identified plant IspS enzymes have been partially characterized in part by expression in E. coli and some of the kinetic parameters of these enzymes have been determined in vitro with purified protein. However, kinetic parameters, including Km, Ki, and Kcat, of the native IspS enzymes and even some of the recombinant enzymes are insufficient for commercial production of isoprene in a biological host. In addition, commercial use of some IspS enzymes can be limited due to insufficient expression levels. Thus, one problem to be solved is the provision of isoprene synthases that have improved properties such that a greater amount of isoprene can be biologically produced for commercial use. To solve this problem as described herein, an isoprene synthase with improved properties may be expressed in a host (e.g. a bacterial host). In particular, the present invention provides legume isoprene synthases that exhibit improved properties for increased isoprene production in host cells.
All patents, patent applications, publications, documents, nucleotide and protein sequence database accession numbers, the sequences to which they refer, and articles cited herein are all incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Legume isoprene synthase for production of isoprene


A method of controlling pitch of individual blades in a wind turbine is described, together with a suitable controller. Wind speed is determined as a function of azimuthal angle. Wind speed is then predicted for individual blades over a prediction horizon using this determination of wind speed as a function of azimuthal angle. The predicted wind speed for each individual blade is used in a performance function, which is optimized to control individual blade pitches.

Wind turbine control technology is used for optimisation of power and minimisation of loads. Conventional control approaches use a combination of collective control and cyclic control, with the two control types being decoupled from each other.
Cyclic pitch is used to control a number of factors, such as side-side tower damping, tilt control, yaw control and tower torsional damping. These factors do not have a simple relationship to each other, and when using cyclic pitch to control one objective it may be difficult to address another objective effectively. This can lead to the need to trade off between objectives and a complex calculation.
It would be desirable to control blade pitch individually to allow multiple objectives to be addressed effectively. There are also phenomena, such as complex turbulence (as can be found in the wake of an upstream turbine) that are difficult to address in either collective control or cyclic control approaches. Individual pitch control for each blade would allow loads to be reduced effectively even in complex environmental conditions.
Model predictive control is a powerful approach to providing wind turbine control. A controller is provided with a wind turbine model function operating on a number of input variables, and control outputs are derived from this function, typically by an optimisation. This optimisation may be difficult to achieve in practice if the wind turbine model function is complex. Individual pitch control is not provided for at present in model predictive control approaches, as resulting wind turbine model functions would be too complex for control outputs to be derived effectively by normal optimisation methods.
It would be desirable to address one or more of these issues to provide effective individual pitch control for wind turbines.

Individual pitch control for wind turbines


Pliers for dressing conductor ends have two handles (3, 11) which can move relative to one another, a plurality of dressing stations for the conductor ends, and a drive device (21) via which the dressing stations can be driven during operation of the handles (3, 11). One of the dressing stations is constructed as a crimping drum (18) which can be displaced axially and is supported such that it can rotate and be coupled to the drive device (21) in the axially displaced position over only one dressing process. In this position, the station can be locked via a flange (52) which projects radially from it. This flange (52) extends over the overall circumference of the crimping drum (18) and has at least one recess (51). A locking tab (50a), which is arranged in a fixed position on the body (2) of the pliers and is radially opposite the flange (52), engages, in the undisplaced axial position of the crimping drum (18), into the recess (51), to be precise up to a point close to the outer surface of the crimping drum (18) while, in the axially displaced and rotated position of the crimping drum (18), the locking tab (50a) comes to rest above the outer surface of the crimping drum and engages behind the flange (52). Locking of the crimping drum (18) both in the rotational direction and in the axial displacement direction is thus possible by the locking tab (50a).

Such pliers have already been proposed in German Patent Application P 41 36 302.7. These pliers contain two handles which can move relative to one another, a plurality of dressing stations for dressing conductor ends, and a drive device via which the dressing stations can be driven during operation of the handles. Of the dressing stations mentioned, at least one is constructed as an axially displaceable and rotatably supported crimping drum which, in the axially displaced position, can be coupled to the drive device over only one dressing process and in this position can be locked via a flange which projects radially from it.
Particularly in the case of pliers which are used frequently, it has been found that the locking device requires still further improvement with respect to its wear resistance. In addition, it is intended to ensure an even more reliable supply of contact elements of different cross-section which are to be crimped to the conductor ends, when said elements are inserted in the die on the circumference of the crimping drum. If one of the dressing stations is constructed as an insulation-stripping station, then it is furthermore intended to improve further the insulation-stripping process in that it is virtually no longer controlled as a function of movement, in order to produce more uniform insulation-stripping forces and to increase the operating convenience of the pliers.


A vehicle access control system is disclosed and includes a touch sensitive display for generating an input image and controller configured to control the input image generated on the touch sensitive display responsive to information regarding a height of an operator. The system controls a lock actuatable responsive a signal from the controller.

A door lock for a motor vehicle can include an external keypad for entering of a pass code. The external keypad has traditionally been located next to a door handle of the vehicle. However, the height of the door handle is not arranged to provide optimal viewing and input to a keypad. Moreover, advances in touch screen technology have made externally accessible input displays a practical option. Ergonomic and security factors with regard to operator size and viewing angles enhance or detract consumer experience and acceptance.
Motor vehicle manufactures continually seek to improve and maintain consumer satisfaction and interest in new vehicles.


The present invention is a ring for a game of skill, generally comprising a single strip having first and second ends, wherein said first and second ends are attached to one another to form a single endless ring having a corner on one side of said ring and a teardrop-shaped opposing side opposite said corner. In some embodiments the ring is a single continuous piece. Alternative embodiments of the present invention call for the game piece to be flexible, and for utilizing attachment mechanisms and curvature retention mechanisms to further adjust and retain the curvature of the ring, all for the purpose of affecting the trajectory of the ring when thrown.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game of skill played by one or more participants, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for playing a game wherein the participants attempt to throw a ring-shaped object onto or near a designated target.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A category of games exist wherein the participants attempt to score points by throwing objects onto, or near, a designated target. The number of points earned by each participant is generally determined by the frequency with which his or her objects contact the target, or in other scenarios, by the proximity of the objects to the target. After each round of play, the participant or team best satisfying the scoring rules of the particular game (such as by having the highest number of points) is deemed the winner.
Horseshoes is one example of such a game. The objective of the game is for the participants to throw a "horseshoe" onto, or near, a stationary vertically-inclined pole. The "horseshoe" is an open-ended ring having two legs in close proximity to one another, with an open distance between the ends of the legs. When thrown, the shape of the "horseshoe" causes it to travel in a "smooth" trajectory (generally symmetrical on both sides of a vertical axis centered at the trajectory apex, and having progressive changes in altitude along the length of such trajectory), while rotating in a circular manner around its center point. The greatest number of points is scored if the "horseshoe" is thrown around the pole, although points are also scored for touching the pole, or landing in close proximity thereto.
Another example is the carnival game of tossing circular rings and attempting to cause them to encircle the top of one of many bottles or other upstanding objects. When tossed toward the target, the spherical shape of the ring causes it to travel in a smooth trajectory. Points are scored, or prizes are won, if the ring stays on the upstanding object.
Other games provide variations of the same concept, wherein objects thrown by the participants must contact, or land in close proximity to, the target. Depending upon the particular game, these objects travel in one of two common trajectories—a trajectory (such as when balls or beanbags are tossed in an underhanded fashion) or a generally horizontal trajectory (such as the projection of arrows and darts, wherein the velocity of the object and the proximity of the target allow for minimal gravitational effects).
However, the limited variations of these trajectories allow participants of one game to gain a certain level of proficiency in a similar game within a short period of time. This ease of proficiency may quickly lead to boredom and a decreased desire to continue playing such games. In addition, the smooth trajectories provided by rings or horseshoes often make it difficult to cause them to land such that they encircle the intended upstanding object.
It is therefore desirable to provide new or different features for such games in order to stimulate or revitalize interest therein.
It is also desirable to provide a throwable object that provides a unique trajectory that is more conducive to landing on and encircling an upstanding object.


Apparatus for providing thermal energy to an article, the apparatus comprising: a first flexible heater configured to emit infrared radiation; and a first flexible member comprising a material configured to absorb the infrared radiation emitted by the first flexible heater and to generate thermal energy from the absorbed infrared radiation, the first flexible member being configured to transfer the generated thermal energy to the article through thermal conduction.

Welding is a process that joins components together and may be used in the manufacture or repair of an article. For example, in the oil and gas industry, welding may be used to join steel pipes to one another. By way of another example, linear friction welding may be used to join a disk and a plurality of aerofoils to form a bladed disk (commonly referred to as a Blisk).
Welding may cause residual stress in the article due to: heat flowing from the weld area that causes the joint to expand; thermal expansion and contraction that leaves permanent stress; tensile residual stress that exists in the weld metal and the adjacent base metal; and compressive residual stress that exists away from the weld metal. The residual stress may result in cracks arising in the article without any external loads being applied when the article is in a hostile environment (for example, a high temperature environment).

Apparatus and methods for providing thermal energy to an article


In an emission imaging method, emission imaging data are acquired for a subject using an emission imaging scanner (10) including radiation detectors (12). The emission imaging data are reconstructed to generate a reconstructed image by executing a constrained optimization program including a measure of data fidelity between the acquired emission imaging data an a reconstruct-image transformed by a data model of the imaging scanner to emission imaging data. During the reconstructing, each iteration of the constrained optimization program is constrained by an image variability constraint. The reconstructed image is displayed the reconstructed image on a display device. The emission imaging may be positron emission tomography (PET) imaging data, optionally acquired using a sparse detector array. The image variability constraint may be a constraint that an image total variation (image TV) of a latent image defined using a Gaussian blurring matrix be less than a maximum value.

Image reconstruction is a key component in the development and application of advanced positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging. Some known PET image reconstruction algorithms have been developed based upon expectation-maximization (EM), row-action maximum-likelihood (RAMLA), maximum a posteriori (MAP), and penalized maximum-likelihood (PML) algorithms. The algorithms have also been extended to list-mode, time-of-flight (TOF) PET imaging, and 4D spatial-temporal/parametric image reconstructions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, further improvement in image quality in PET imaging would be advantageous. Such improvements may, for example, enable use of PET detection and electronic technologies with reduced density of detectors without (or with reduced) concomitant loss in image quality. The ability to reduce the density of detectors while (at least substantially) retaining image quality would enable reduction in PET imaging device cost and could also provide benefits such as more efficient data processing due to the reduced data set sizes being reconstructed.
The following discloses a new and improved systems and methods that address the above referenced issues, and others.

Optimization-based reconstruction with an image-total-variation constraint in PET


A surgical tool for performing anastomosis may include a staple holder; a clip detachably connected to the staple holder; a length of suture, wherein a portion of the length of suture is held securely between the clip and the staple holder; and a needle connected to the suture. An incision may be made at one end of the graft vessel to form a flap. The needle may penetrate the wall of the graft vessel proximal to the incision, and the graft vessel may then be parachuted down the suture toward engagement with the clip. In this way, graft loading onto the clip is facilitated.

Anastomosis is a procedure by which two hollow tissue structures are joined together. More particularly, vascular anastomosis is a procedure by which two blood vessels within a patient are surgically joined together. Vascular anastomosis is performed during treatment of a variety of conditions including coronary artery disease, diseases of the great and peripheral vessels, organ transplantation, and trauma. In coronary artery disease (CAD) an occlusion or stenosis in a coronary artery interferes with blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment of CAD involves the grafting of a vessel in the form of a prosthesis or harvested artery or vein to reroute blood flow around the occlusion and restore adequate blood flow to the heart muscle. This treatment is known as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Anastomosis tools and anastomosis devices have been developed to simplify the CABG procedure and improve the quality of patient care. For example, Cardica's C-PORT® distal anastomosis tool allows surgeons to quickly create a high-quality connection between a graft vessel and a coronary artery. A graft vessel is loaded onto the distal end of that tool, and an end of that graft vessel is then connected to the coronary artery by stapling.

Anastomosis tool with improved graft loading


A stage apparatus including a stage capable of moving an object, first and second measurement units adapted to measure a displacement of the stage in a predetermined direction based on a variation of an optical path length of measurement light, which are arranged so as to have an overlap area to simultaneously measure a stage position while the stage is being moved, a switching unit to switch measurement by the first measurement unit to measurement by the second measurement unit by delivering a measurement value from the first measurement unit to the second measurement unit in the overlap area, and a correction unit, in the stage position upon switching by the switching unit, to correct a wavelength variation of the measurement light based on the measurement value delivered from the first measurement unit to the second measurement unit.

An exposure apparatus, utilized in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, and the like, has a stage apparatus to move an original plate, such as a mask or a reticle, or an exposed substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate.
In this stage apparatus, generally, a laser interferometer and a reflecting mirror are used for stage position measurement.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-319541 discloses an apparatus having plural laser interferometers for stage position measurement. The position measurement is performed by selectively using the plural laser interferometers.
On the other hand, in the laser interferometer, a laser wavelength changes due to slight variations of air pressure, temperature and humidity, and causes a measurement error. Accordingly, the exposure apparatus is placed in a chamber for environmental control. At the same time, regarding the remaining variations, the wavelength is corrected with measurement values from an air pressure gauge, a temperature gauge, a humidity indicator, and the like.
When the position measurement is performed by selectively using plural laser interferometers, it is necessary to prevent occurrence of displacement before and after changing of an interferometer. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide overlapping sections where plural laser interferometers are able to measure and to inherit a prior measurement value before changing of the interferometer.
The wavelength correction described above is performed with an optical path length of a laser interferometer, the base point being determined upon being reset. In a stage apparatus in which the interferometer is not changed, wavelength correction is performed after the start of the apparatus, unless the apparatus is stopped due to an error, or the like. However, in a case wherein the interferometer is changed or interrupted, i.e., when a laser interferometer, which was light-shielded and disabled and has been brought online, the laser interferometer is reset each time. In the above case, as an XYZ position varies, the optical path length as a base point of the wavelength correction also varies. Without consideration of the amount of variation, a measurement error causes a displacement.

Stage apparatus including a correction unit to correct a wavelength variation of measurement light based on measured displacement of a stage


The invention relates generally to a calicheamicin molecule activated with a leaving group. The invention further relates generally to an antibody-drug conjugate comprising an antibody directly conjugated by a disulfide to one or more calicheamicin molecules.

Calicheamicin and calicheamicin derivatives refer to a family of antibacterial and antitumor agents, as described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,198 (which is incorporated herein in its entirety). Calicheamicin derivatives within the scope of the disclosure include, without limitation, dihydro derivatives as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,651 and N-acylated derivatives as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,233 (both of which are incorporated in their entirety herein). As used herein, a calicheamicin derivative refers to calicheamicin that has been substituted at one or more positions to obtain a different compound.
The calicheamicin family of antibiotics, and derivatives and analogs thereof, are capable of producing double-stranded DNA breaks at sub-picomolar concentrations (Hinman et al., (1993) Cancer Research 53:3336-3342; Angew Chem. Intl. Ed. Engl. (1994) 33:183-186; Lode et al., (1998) Cancer Research 58:2925-2928). Calicheamicin comprises a warhead comprising an enediyne ring structure (a ring comprising a double bond flanked by triple bonds) and a methyl trisulfide (i.e., —S—S—S—CH3) group. It is believed that the warhead is activated by reduction of a disulfide bond, and that the activated warhead functions by causing breaks in double-stranded DNA. A mechanism of action was proposed by Bouchard, H., et al., Ab-drug conjugates-A new wave of cancer drugs, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 24 (2014) 5357-5363 where the enediyne ring is activated by reductive cleavage of the disulfide bond by the steps: (i) formation of a calicheamicin=CHCH2SH moiety by nucleophilic attack of the methyl trisulfide moiety and cleavage of CH3—S—S—, (ii) formation of a fused 2,5-dihydrothiophene ring from calicheamicin=CHCH2SH, and (iii) formation of a fused benzene free di-radical from the enediyne. Activated calicheamicin then cleaves double stranded DNA.
Calicheamicin has intracellular sites of action, but, in some instances, does not effectively cross the plasma membrane. Therefore, cellular uptake of these agents through antibody-mediated internalization may, in some embodiments, greatly enhance cytotoxic effect. It is known that calicheamicin-linker-antibody conjugates provide for the specificity and effective plasma membrane permeability (internalization) of the antibody in combination with the cytotoxic potency of calicheamicin. Therefore, cellular uptake of calicheamicin may, in some aspects, greatly enhance its cytotoxic effect. Methods of forming calicheamicin-linker-antibody drug conjugates are known and described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,877,296, 5,773,001, 5,712,374, 5,714,586, 5,739,116 and 5,767,285 (each of which is incorporated by reference herein).
Antibody-drug conjugates, comprising an antibody-linker-drug conjugate, are attractive targeted chemo-therapeutic molecules, as they combine ideal properties of both antibodies and cytotoxic drugs by targeting potent cytotoxic drugs to the antigen-expressing tumor cells, thereby enhancing their anti-tumor activity. Successful antibody-drug conjugate development for a given target antigen depends on optimization of antibody selection, linker stability, cytotoxic drug potency and mode of linker-drug conjugation to the antibody. More particularly, effective antibody-drug conjugates are characterized by at least one or more of the following: (i) an antibody-drug conjugate formation method wherein the antibody retains sufficient specificity to target antigens and wherein the drug efficacy is maintained; (ii) antibody-drug conjugate stability sufficient to limit drug release in the blood and concomitant damage to non-targeted cells; (iii) sufficient cell membrane transport efficiency (endocytosis) to achieve a therapeutic intracellular antibody-drug conjugate concentration; (iv) sufficient intracellular drug release from the antibody-drug conjugate sufficient to achieve a therapeutic drug concentration; and (v) drug cytotoxicity in nanomolar or sub-nanomolar amounts.
Conventional means of attaching, i.e., covalent bonding of a drug moiety to an antibody via a linker, generally leads to a heterogeneous mixture of molecules where the drug moieties are attached at a number of sites on the antibody. For example, cytotoxic drugs have typically been conjugated to antibodies through the often-numerous lysine residues of an antibody, generating a heterogeneous antibody-drug conjugate mixture. Depending on reaction conditions, the heterogeneous mixture typically contains a distribution of antibodies with from 0 to about 8, or more, attached drug moieties. In addition, within each subgroup of conjugates with a particular integer ratio of drug moieties to a single antibody, there is a potentially heterogeneous mixture where the drug moiety is attached at various sites on the antibody. Analytical and preparative methods are inadequate to separate and characterize the antibody-drug conjugate species molecules within the heterogeneous mixture resulting from a conjugation reaction. Antibodies are large, complex and structurally diverse biomolecules, often with many reactive functional groups. Antibody reactivity with linker reagents and drug-linker intermediates are dependent on factors such as pH, concentration, salt concentration, and co-solvents. Furthermore, the multistep conjugation process may be nonreproducible due to difficulties in controlling the reaction conditions and characterizing reactants and intermediates.
Antibody-drug conjugates are typically formed by conjugating one or more antibody cysteine thiol groups to one or more linker moieties bound to a drug thereby forming an antibody-linker-drug complex. Cysteine thiols are reactive at neutral pH, unlike most amines which are protonated and less nucleophilic near pH 7. Since free thiol (RSH, sulfhydryl) groups are relatively reactive, proteins with cysteine residues often exist in their oxidized form as disulfide-linked oligomers or have internally bridged disulfide groups. Antibody cysteine thiol groups are generally more reactive, i.e. more nucleophilic, towards electrophilic conjugation reagents than antibody amine or hydroxyl groups. Engineering in cysteine thiol groups by the mutation of various amino acid residues of a protein to cysteine amino acids is potentially problematic, particularly in the case of unpaired (free Cys) residues or those which are relatively accessible for reaction or oxidation. In concentrated solutions of the protein, whether in the periplasm of E. coli, culture supernatants, or partially or completely purified protein, unpaired Cys residues on the surface of the protein can pair and oxidize to form intermolecular disulfides, and hence protein dimers or multimers. Disulfide dimer formation renders the new Cys unreactive for conjugation to a drug, ligand, or other label. Furthermore, if the protein oxidatively forms an intramolecular disulfide bond between the newly engineered Cys and an existing Cys residue, both Cys groups are unavailable for active site participation and interactions. Furthermore, the protein may be rendered inactive or non-specific, by misfolding or loss of tertiary structure (Zhang et al. (2002) Anal. Biochem. 311:1-9).
Improved antibody-drug conjugates, THIOMAB™, have been developed that provide for site-specific conjugation of a drug to an antibody through cysteine substitutions at sites where the engineered cysteines are available for conjugation but do not perturb immunoglobulin folding and assembly or alter antigen binding and effector functions (Junutula, et al., 2008b Nature Biotech., 26(8):925-932; Dornan et al. (2009) Blood 114(13):2721-2729; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,521,541; 7,723,485; WO2009/052249). These THIOMAB™ antibodies can then be conjugated to cytotoxic drugs through the engineered cysteine thiol groups to obtain THIOMAB™ drug conjugates (TDC) with uniform stoichiometry (e.g., up to 2 drugs per antibody in an antibody that has a single engineered cysteine site). Studies with multiple antibodies against different antigens have shown that TDCs are as efficacious as conventional antibody-drug conjugate in xenograft models and are tolerated at higher doses in relevant preclinical models. THIOMAB™ antibodies have been engineered for drug attachment at different locations of the antibody (e.g., specific amino acid positions (i.e., sites) within the light chain-Fab, heavy chain-Fab and heavy chain-Fc). The in vitro and in vivo stability, efficacy and PK properties of THIOMAB™ antibodies provide a unique advantage over conventional antibody-drug conjugates due to their homogeneity and site-specific conjugation to cytotoxic drugs.
There are still other limitations or challenges to the preparation and use of antibody-drug conjugates, and in particular antibody-calicheamicin derivative conjugates. For example, some linkers may be labile in the blood stream, thereby releasing unacceptable amounts of the drug prior to internalization in a target cell. Other linkers may provide stability in the bloodstream, but intracellular release effectiveness may be negatively impacted. Linkers that provide for desired intracellular release typically have poor stability in the bloodstream. Alternatively stated, bloodstream stability and intracellular release are typically inversely related. Second, in standard conjugation processes, the amount of calicheamicin loaded on the carrier protein (the drug loading), the amount of aggregate that is formed in the conjugation reaction, and the yield of final purified conjugate that can be obtained are interrelated. For example, aggregate formation is generally positively correlated to the number of equivalents of calicheamicin and derivatives thereof conjugated to the carrier-antibody. Because drug potency and efficacy increases with calicheamicin content, it is desirable to maximize calicheamicin loading on an antibody carrier while retaining the affinity of the antibody. However, under high drug loading, formed aggregates must be removed for therapeutic applications. As a result, drug loading-mediated aggregate formation decreases antibody-drug conjugate yield and can renders process scale-up difficult. For example, prior art conjugation methods using linkers have been found to require a compromise between higher drug loading and antibody-drug conjugate yield, by limiting the amount of calicheamicin that is added to the conjugation reaction.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved efficacious calicheamicin-antibody conjugates that provide for optimized safety and efficacy.

Calicheamicin-antibody-drug conjugates and methods of use


A medical practice operation assistance terminal according to the present invention comprises a medical practice acquisition unit which is capable of transmitting an acquisition request of a medical practice to a data base storing information relating to medical practice(s), and acquiring the medical practice(s) related to the acquisition request; a judgment unit comparing identifier of the readout item of a medical practice and identifier of the item specified among the displayed items of the acquired medical practice(s); and an acquisition decision maker unit for deciding whether or not the medical practice acquisition unit is to be activated with the specified item as a search condition in accordance with a category of the specified item constituting the medical practice, if a readout identifier information identifies with the identifier information of the specified item.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical practice information management system for managing a medical practice such as blood transfusion operated for a patient and a medical practice operation assistance terminal such as mobile information terminal for use in the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various medical practices are provided for a patient in a hospital. Various systems are developed for assisting such medical practices.
As such a system, a system disclosed by a below noted patent document 1 configures a subsystem installed close to a hospital section (simply "section" hereinafter unless otherwise noted), where a medical practice is carried out, and enables to input information about the operation being completed through the subsystem.
[Patent document 1] Japanese patent application publication No. 2002-252064 "Hospital information system"
The system disclosed by the patent document 1 makes it possible to grasp a progress of medical practice, et cetera, in real time or semi-real time by installing a subsystem close to a section where the medical practice is carried out. Among medical practices, however, some are desired to be responsive to an order change relating to the medical practice for example as a result of referring to the medical practice prior to carrying out such as blood transfusion.

Medical practice information management system, medical practice operation assistance terminal, medical practice information management method, medical practice operation assistance method, storage media storing medical practice information management program and storage media storing medical practice operation assistance program