A system and method allows for a virtual object to be privately shared, exchanged, and/or viewed. The virtual object is associated with a real world location and may be viewed through a user device as part of a virtual reality and/or augmented reality world.

Virtual and augmented reality, at the moment, is a very exciting and new experience. Vast artificial worlds can be created for individuals to interact with and view. In some cases, immersive gamming or cinematic experiences can be created using virtual and augmented reality. In other cases, virtual and augmented reality can be used to aid individuals in everyday life by providing helpful information to the individuals.
However, virtual and augmented reality technology tends to encourage antisocial behavior. Most virtual and augmented reality systems are used in a very private manner. Outside of cooperative gaming, virtual reality and augmented reality disconnects users from the real world and the people that surround them. Similar to how many people are oblivious to the world around them when their heads are buried into their smartphones, virtual and augmented reality has the propensity to further disconnect people from the real world and people around them.
Therefore, it would beneficial to have a system and method that encourages real world intimate interactions between individuals using virtual and augmented reality.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.


A waterborne, soft feeling coating composition and a substrate coated with the composition. The coating composition comprises an aqueous solvent, a resin, and an alcohol alkoxylate surfactant. The invention is also directed to a process of making the waterborne coating composition of the invention, and a process of coating a substrate with the waterborne coating composition.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to soft-feeling coatings, and more particularly to waterborne soft-feeling coatings that contain surfactants and result in a lacquer-like finish with high gloss.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Soft-feeling paints and coatings provide desirable aesthetic and tactile characteristics for a variety of applications, particularly articles that are touched by consumers. Automotive manufacturers have used soft-feeling coatings on instrument panels, armrests, and horn buttons to give hard, glossy plastic components a velvety smooth matte finish. Other consumer products, such as notebook computers and cellular phones, also use soft-feeling coatings to enhance look and finish of the products and give the appearance of a high-quality product.
Typical soft-feeling coating compositions use a two-component (2K) solvent based paint. While this two-component coating has desirable features, the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is high, on the order of 4.2 to 5.0 pounds per gallon. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations have forced coating manufacturers to use other solvent systems with lower levels of VOCs. In addition, two-component soft coatings often result in different gloss levels due to varying ambient humidity and different rates of solvent evaporation on different areas of the coated article. Due to these problems, some manufacturers have experienced difficulties in producing uniformly finished parts.
One component (1K) waterborne soft-feel coatings have been developed as an alternative to solvent-based coatings. These coatings have considerably less VOCs (on the order of 1.5 to 2 pounds per gallon). However, they are generally regarded as not as xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d as the two-component solvent-based coatings. In addition, one component waterborne coatings exhibit poor chemical resistance and weatherability.
Recently, two-component waterborne soft-feel coating systems have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the one-component system. A two-component waterborne system is described in a technical journal article by Ahmed (SAE Spec. Pub. SP-1135, pp 59-64 (1996)), and by Hegedus et al., J. Coat. Tech. 68, 51-61 (January 1996). However, such two component waterborne systems provide about one-half the level of gloss (measured as xe2x80x9cdistinction of imagexe2x80x9d or DOI) provided by the two component solvent-based system. Accordingly, such waterborne coatings are not suitable when a high gloss, soft feeling coating is desired. In addition, these coatings display inadequate wetting and flow characteristics when applied to substrates, which, in turn, result in surface defects. To combat these defects, additives such as flow modifiers are included to enhance the flow and level attributes of the composition.
Flow modifiers perform many functions in applied coatings such as paint. Flow modifiers are used primarily to reduce or eliminate surface defects, such as craters, fisheyes, pinholes, and orange peel. They also aid in pigment dispersion, help facilitate air release, improve substrate wetting, and promote flow and leveling. Although flow modifiers are typically used at 0.25-0.5% by weight in liquid coatings and at 0.5-1.5% by weight in powder coatings, based upon the weight of the coating, they can be effective at levels as low as in the parts per million (ppm) range.
Surfactant compositions have been disclosed for purposes such as cleaning compositions and rinse aids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,621 to Pruehs et al. discloses the use of hydroxyalkyl polyethylene glycol ethers in rinse aid compositions for dishwashing machines. However, to the knowledge of the present inventors, such surfactants have not been disclosed for coating applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,587 to Schenker et al. discloses hydroxyalkyl polyethylene glycol and hydroxyalkyl polypropylene glycol ethers as foam inhibiting additives in low foam cleaning preparations. However, to the knowledge of the present inventors, such additives have not been disclosed for coating compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,401 to Scardera et al. disclose low foaming, biodegradable nonionic surfactants of the formula
ROxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x2-0)xxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x3xe2x80x94O)z
where R is a linear alkyl hydrocarbon having an average from about 7 to 10 carbon atoms, Rxe2x80x2 is a linear alkyl hydrocarbon of about 1 to 4 carbon atoms, Rxe2x80x3 is a linear alkyl hydrocarbon of about 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, x is an integer from 1 to 6, y is an integer from 4 to 15, and z is an integer from 4 to 25. Such surfactants are liquid at room temperature, nongelling in aqueous solutions, and are useful as detergents. However, such surfactants have not been heretofore disclosed for coating compositions to the knowledge of the inventors.
Amphoteric surfactants have been disclosed as a component of coating compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,617 to Farwaha et al. discloses amphoteric surfactants which are suitable as wet adhesion promoters and freeze-thaw stabilizers for use in both all acrylic and vinyl acrylic thermoplastic latex paints. However, the amphoteric nature of the surfactants makes them incompatible with certain solvents and undesirable for noncharged or positively charged surfaces.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for a waterborne, two-component coating composition that includes a surfactant to provide improved flow characteristics, soft-feel, and high gloss, as well as meet strict environmental guidelines. The present composition meets that need.
The present invention is a waterborne, two-component coating composition that includes an alcohol alkoxylate surfactant. The composition of the invention provides improved flow characteristics during application to a substrate. When applied to a substrates the coating composition displays enhanced gloss and soft feel after drying.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a waterborne coating composition, comprising:
(A) an aqueous solvent;
(B) a resin; and
(C) a surfactant, said surfactant having a formula selected from the group consisting of:
R1Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)pxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(i)
where R1 is H or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms; R2 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms; R3 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)xxe2x80x94H, xe2x80x94H, and xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94(CH2)zCH3; p is an integer from 0-6; x is an integer from 1-6; y is an integer from 4-35; and z is an integer from 1-14; and
Hxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94CH2)axe2x80x94C(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)bxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)axe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(ii)
where R is H or CH3; a is an integer from about 1 to about 35; and b is an integer from about 5 to about 75.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a coated substrate, comprising a substrate and a dry coating on the substrate, the dry coating comprising
(A) a resin; and
(B) a surfactant;
said surfactant having a formula selected from the group consisting of:
R1Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)pxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(i)
where R1 is xe2x80x94H or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms; R2 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms; R3 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)xxe2x80x94H, xe2x80x94H, and xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94(CH2)zxe2x80x94CH3; p is an integer from 0-6; x is an integer from 1-6; y is an integer from 4-35; and z is an integer from 1-14; and
Hxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94CH2)axe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)bxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)axe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(ii)
where R is H or CH3; a is an integer from about 1 to about 35; and b is an integer from about 5 to about 75.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a process of making a waterborne coating composition, comprising combining an aqueous solvent, a resin, and a surfactant, said surfactant having a formula selected from the group consisting of:
R1Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)pxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(a)
where R1 is xe2x80x94H or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms; R2 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms; R3 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)xxe2x80x94H, xe2x80x94H, and xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94(CH2)zCH3; p is an integer from 0-6; x is an integer from 1-6; y is an integer from 4-35; and z is an integer from 1-14; and
Hxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94CH2)axe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)bxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)axe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(b)
where R is H or CH3; a is an integer from about 1 to about 35; and b is an integer from about 5 to about 75; the combination forming a waterborne coating composition.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a process of coating a substrate, comprising applying a waterborne coating composition to a substrate, the waterborne coating composition comprising aqueous solvent, a resin, and a surfactant, said surfactant having the formula selected from the group consisting of:
R1Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)p(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94R3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(a)
where R1 is xe2x80x94H or an a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms; R2 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms; R3 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)xxe2x80x94H, xe2x80x94H, and xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94(CH2)zCH3; p is an integer from 0-6; x is an integer from 1-6; y is an integer from 4-35; and z is an integer from 1-14; and
Hxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94CH2)axe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)bxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)axe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(b
where R is xe2x80x94H or CH3; a is an integer from about 1 to about 35; and b is an integer from about 5 to about 75.
These and other aspects will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention.
It has been surprisingly found that an alcohol alkoxylate surfactant added to a waterborne coating composition provides improved flow characteristics during application of the composition to a substrate. In addition, the alcohol alkoxylate surfactant aids in leveling the composition on the substrate as it is applied, and results in enhanced gloss and soft feel when the composition is dry.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9csoft feelxe2x80x9d refers to a coating with a velvety-smooth texture when touched. The term xe2x80x9csurfactantxe2x80x9d is used herein to refer to any compound that reduces surface tension when dissolved in water or water solutions, or which reduces interfacial tension between two liquids, or between a liquid and a solid. The term xe2x80x9clacquer-likexe2x80x9d refers to finishes with Specular Gloss levels of 75 and higher.

Solvents useful in the waterborne composition of the invention include any aqueous solvent that is capable of blending the ingredients of the formulation and not separating into distinct phases over time. One preferred solvent is water, because it functions as both as a solvent and a carrier of the other water soluble components of the formulation. In addition, various water soluble organic solvents known in the paint art may be added to the water solvent. Useful water-soluble organic solvents include, but are not limited to, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) for hydroxy-functional acrylic-polyurethane resin binders, and propylene glycol for acrylic resin binders. These water soluble organic solvents are added to the water solvent to form water/N-methypyrrolidone mixtures and water/propylene glycol mixtures which are effective solvents for the formulation. In some applications, resins are available as aqueous emulsions and additional solvents are not required. One example of such an emulsified resin is xe2x80x9cCARBOSETxe2x80x9d CR-714 acrylic emulsion, which includes acrylic polymers emulsified in aqueous solvents. Preferably, the total solvent content of the formulation is from about 20 to about 80% by weight of the total composition.
The resin component of the composition may be any conventional binding resin known in the coating and paint arts, such as polyurethane, acrylic, epoxy, polyester, vinyl, latex, styrene acrylic, hydroxyl-functional acrylic-polyurethane, alkyd, and combinations of these. The resin component of the composition is preferably present in sufficient quantity to cause adhesion of the fillers or pigments to the substrate, and to hold and/or bind all the other materials of the composition together. Preferably, the binder component makes up from about 12 to about 85% by weight of the final composition.
The composition of the present invention includes a surfactant component of the general formula:
R1Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)pxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)yxe2x80x94R3
where R1 is xe2x80x94H or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 6-10 carbon atoms; R2 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, R3 is xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH(R2)xe2x80x94O)xxe2x80x94H; or xe2x80x94H; or xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(OH)xe2x80x94(CH2)zCH3); p is an integer from 0-6; x is an integer from 1-6; y is an integer from 4-35; and z is an integer from 1-14. The surfactant included in the present composition acts as a homogenizing agent for the binder and the other components of the composition. The nonpolar nature of the surfactant homogenizes the components into a coating composition that flows smoothly and evenly, and leaves substantially no imperfections on the substrate. In addition, surfactant component of the invention acts as a defoaming agent to remove air from the mixed coating blend, which improves flow and enhances the final coating. The amount of surfactant included in the composition of the invention preferably ranges from 0.01 to 3.0% by weight of the total composition, and more preferably between 0.2-0.5% by weight of the total composition.
Exemplary surfactants useful in the composition of the present invention include poly(oxyethylene/oxypropylene) alkyl ethers sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cPOLYTERGENTxe2x80x9d. If desired, this compound is suitably end-capped with a lower alkyl group, such as propylene oxide (PO), sold under the trade name xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d SLF Series. End-capped compounds are particularly useful because they discourage foaming during preparation of the formulation. A particularly useful surfactant is poly(oxyethylene/polypropylene) monohexyl ether, monooctyl ether, and monodecyl ether sold under the tradename of xe2x80x9cPOLYTERGENT S405LFxe2x80x9d.
Other useful surfactants includes alkene oxide-capped linear alcohol alkoxylates containing ethylene oxide moieties in the backbone and contain at least one propylene oxide moiety in the backbone, and sold under the trade name xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d SLF-18B Series. This family of surfactants is characterized by enhanced biodegradability. Such surfactants are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,587 and 4,898,621, and the whole of each is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Advantageously, use of the xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d SLF Series and/or xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d SLF-18B Series surfactants in the present invention avoids the need for an antifoaming agent in the formulations and working compositions of the present invention.
Alternatively, nonionic surfactants which are coblock polymers of ethylene oxide/propylene oxide monomers may be used in the formulation of the invention. These compounds are known commercially as the xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d P and E Series and are available from Olin corporation. These compounds have the general formula
xe2x80x83Hxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94CH2)axe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)bxe2x80x94(Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHR)axe2x80x94OH
where R is xe2x80x94H or CH3; a is an integer from about 1 to about 35; and b is an integer from about 5 to about 75 may be used.
One preferred surfactant has the formula
Hxe2x80x94(OCH2CH2)xxe2x80x94(OCH2CHCH3)yxe2x80x94(OCH2CH2)xxe2x80x94OH
where x is an integer from 1 to 35, and y is an integer from 10 to 75. Several preferred compositions of this surfactant are described in Table 1 which illustrates various useful combinations of x and y groups as used in the above formula. Values of x that are not whole numbers represent the average value of x derived from a population of molecules. xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d denotes a surfactant preparation that is approximately 10% EO capped, xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d is a surfactant preparation that is approximately 20% EO capped, xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d is a surfactant preparation that is approximately 30% EO capped, etc. The first two digits of each name represents the approximate total molecular weight of the PO groups divided by 100. Each compound listed in Table I is available commercially under the trademark xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d.
Another preferred surfactant has the formula:
Hxe2x80x94(OCH(CH3)CH2)yxe2x80x94(OCH2CH2)xxe2x80x94(OCH2CH(CH3))yxe2x80x94OH
where x is an integer from 5 to 20 and y is an integer from 15 to 25. Several preferred compositions are described in Table II which illustrate various useful combinations of x and y groups as used in the above formula. In Table II, xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d denotes a surfactant that is approximately 10% PO capped, and xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d denotes a surfactant that is approximately 20% PO capped. The first two digits of each name represents the approximate total molecular weight of the EO groups divided by 100. Each compound listed in Table II is available commercially under the trademark xe2x80x9cPOLY-TERGENTxe2x80x9d.
The composition of the invention may also include additional additives, such as fillers, pigments, dispersing agents, antifoaming agents, antimicrobial agents, and combinations thereof. Generally, these components are included to add certain characteristics to the composition of the invention.
Fillers may be added to the composition of the invention to fill holes and other surface imperfections in the substrate. The filler component included in the composition is preferably a solid, particulate material of colloidal size or greater. Filler materials useful in the composition of the invention include fillers known in the art, such as common clays, kaolin, montmorillonite (bentonite), clay mica (muscovite), and chlorite, or fine-grained hydrous aluminosilicates which frequently contain appreciable amounts of iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium. Alternatively, other fillers known in the art, such as calcium carbonate, may be implemented. Preferably, the filler comprises from about 0% to about 30% by weight of the total weight of the composition, and more preferably about 10% to about 25% by weight of the total composition.
The formulation of the invention may be made without pigments to produce a clearcoat for application to previously colored substrates, such as stained wood, painted automobile body parts, automobile interior parts, automobile airbags, and the like. However, pigments may be added to give the final composition any desirable hue. For example, white pigments such as titanium dioxide, talc, or zinc oxide render the final coating white. Alternatively, other pigments known in the art may be added to give the formulation any color, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, or combinations of these. Useful pigments include xe2x80x9cTINTS-ALL 11xe2x80x9d lamp black, xe2x80x9cTINTS-ALL 29xe2x80x9d prussian blue (phthalo blue), xe2x80x9cTINTS-ALL 15xe2x80x9d American vermillion, xe2x80x9cTINTS-ALL 1 xe2x80x9d yellow light, or other pigment known in the paint and coating art. Preferably, the pigment comprises from about 0% to about 50% of the total weight of the composition.
The dispersing agent may be a material such as nonionic surfactants and acrylic polymers, such as 2,5-furandione polymer sold under the tradename xe2x80x9cTAMOL 731xe2x80x9d. The dispersing agent is generally added in small percentages to help disperse the fillers and smooth the coating onto the substrate. Preferably, the dispersing agents comprise 0.01 to 5% of the final coating weight.
The antifoaming agent may be silicon oils, mineral oils, modified alcohol ethoxylates, EO/PO block copolymers (repeating blocks of ethyoxy and propoxy groups), phosphate esters, hydrophobicsilica, and fatty alcohols as well as blends of these defoamers. Other antifoaming agents and/or leveling agents include coblock polymers of EOIPO sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cBASF PLURONICSxe2x80x9d, alkoxylated straight chain alcohols sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cPLURFACSxe2x80x9d; alkoxylated fatty acids, alcohols, or glycols sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cANTAROXxe2x80x9d; alkoxylated alcohols and coblock polymers of EO/PO sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cMACOLxe2x80x9d; alkylphenol alkoxylates sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cTRITON CFxe2x80x9d; alkoxylated alcohols sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cTRITON DFxe2x80x9d; alkylated secondary alcohols sold under the tradename xe2x80x9cTERGITOLxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cMINIFOAMxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c15Sxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cTMNxe2x80x9d; and alkoxylated linear alcohols and glycols sold under the trademark xe2x80x9cSURFONICxe2x80x9d. The antifoaming agent preferably comprises about 0 to about 5% by weight of the final coating weight.
An antimicrobial agent may also be included in the composition of the invention. Antimicrobial compounds discourage growth of mold and fungus when the formulation of the invention is applied to damp areas, such as structural exteriors in damp environments, boats, or other areas where growth of mold and fungus are common. Compounds useful as antimicrobial agents include zinc pyrithione, sodium pyrithione, 2,2xe2x80x2-dithiobis(pyridine-1-oxide), 10,10xe2x80x2-oxybisphenoxarsine; N-(trichloromethylthio)-4-cyclo-hexene-1,2-dicarbonamide; 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-4-(methlysulfonyl)pyridine; N-(trichloromethylthio) phthalimide; N-hydroxy-6-octyloxypyridine-2(1H)1, ethanolamine salt; dodecylbis(hydroxyethyl)dioctyl ammonium phosphate and dodecylbis(hydroxyethyl) octyl hydrogen ammonium phosphate and other phosphate amines; 3-trimethyoxysilylpropyl dimethyloctadecylammonium chloride and other quaternary ammonia compounds including quaternary ammonium salts; 2,4,4xe2x80x2-trichloro-2xe2x80x2-hydroxy-diphenylether and other phenol derivatives such as 2 phenylphenol or dichlorophene or 2,2xe2x80x2-methylenebis(4-chlorophenol); diodomethyl-p-tolyl sulfone, 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one and other isothiazoline derivatives such as benzisothiazoline and their combinations; organometallics such as tributyltin compounds: tributyltinoxide or tributyltin maleate; dithio-2,2xe2x80x2-bis(benzmethylamide); N-trichloromethylthio-4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboximide; 2-(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole; thiocyanic acid; 2-benzothiazolylthio)methyl ester; 2,4,5,6, tetrachloro-1,3-benzenedicarbonitrile; 2[(trichloromethyl)thio]-1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione; 3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-2[(trichloromethyl)thio]-1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)-dione; 1,1-dichloro-N-methanesulfamide; alkoxysiloxane quaternary compounds; copper-8-quinolinolate; copper napthenate, copper-2-ethylhexoate; parabens, 3-iodopropargyl-N-butylcarbamate (IPBC) and sulfur compounds. Preferably, the antimicrobial component is present from about 0 to about 20% by weight of the final coating formulation, and more preferably from about 3% to about 5% by weight of the final coating formulation.
The components of the invention may be combined using a ball mill, high intensity mixer, blender, roll mill, or other mixing device known in the art. A fraction of the solvent (about 40% to 50% of the total amount of solvent) is first added to the mixer or mill. Solid components, such as surfactants, pigments, and dispersing or leveling agents are added to the solvent and mixed. Resin is then added to the mixture, followed by the remaining solvent. All the ingredients are mixed until the desired viscosity is produced.
The waterborne, soft-feeling coating composition of the invention may be applied to any suitable substrate, such as wood, plastic, metal, paper, composites, plaster, or glass. When used as a clearcoat (i.e., without pigment), the formulation may be applied on top of a paint layer. Such an application is useful in automobile body and interior parts, and as a protective coating for floors subjected to heavy traffic.
The resulting coating may be applied by brushing, spraying, or rolling, and dries to a smooth coating, free of cracks, brushmarks, roller striations, orange peel, sagging, running, curtaining or uneven film thickness.
The waterborne coating of the invention provides a substrate with a durable, high gloss finish (high DOI) with a soft-feeling texture. The performance characteristics of the coating may be evaluated by applying a quantity of the formulation to a black and white card and spread evenly with a draw bar to form a layer of material approximately 3 mil thick. This layer is dried, and the hardness and gloss are evaluated by standard ASTM tests described below. Drying conditions are usually at temperatures ranging from 40xc2x0 F. to 400xc2x0 F. and atmospheric pressure, depending on the coating composition. For example, coatings used on automobile bodies may be dried at 300-350xc2x0 F. in an oven. Coatings used on architectural parts, such as floors and walls are generally dried at 400xc2x0 F. to 90xc2x0 F. Preferably, drying occurs at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The applied coating material is generally dry to the touch in less than 24 hours. The composition is completely cured in less than 15 days.
The waterborne, soft-feeling coating composition of the invention is suitable for any substrate that requires a high-gloss, durable finish with a soft-feel and resistance characteristics. Applications of the waterborne, soft-feeling coating of the invention include architectural applications (i.e., structural walls, doors), floors, countertops, bowling balls, and the like. Floors, particularly dance floors, gymnasium floors, and basketball courts, are suitable for the coating of the invention because these substrates frequently require finishes that have high gloss, yet need resistance to prevent slippage.
The following examples illustrate the composition of the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. All parts and percentages are by weight and all temperature are by degrees Celsius, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Waterborne soft-feeling coating composition with high gloss


A method is provided for distinguishing nonconvex polygons from complex polygons. The present invention compares the edges of a polygon for self intersection points. Initially, "base" and "compare" edges are designated and bounding boxes for each of these edges are determined. The bounding boxes are then compared and if they intersect the edges may have points in common, whereas if no intersection occurs, then there are no common points and the edges are incremented and a comparison of other edges occurs. If it is determined that bounding boxes intersect, the intersection point for the edges under consideration is determined. If this intersection point lies within both bounding boxes, then the polygon is complex and the test ends. However, if the intersection point is outside either bounding box, then the edges are incremented and processing continues until all relevant edges have been considered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the processing and display of images on a display screen in a computer graphics system. More particularly, an improved method of rendering polygons is provided which identifies nonconvex polygons given only a list of vertices.
2. Description of Related Art
There are three classes of polygons which must be rendered and drawn to a display in a computer graphics system (see FIG. 3). Convex polygons make up the simplest class to draw, since the outer boundary never crosses itself and will always turn in the same direction. This type of configuration guarantees that there will be exactly one filled span in the "y" direction of a Cartesian coordinate system, and that for every "y" value contained within the polygon between the minimum and maximum (top and bottom) will have a filled span. A filled span refers to a scan line of picture elements (pixels), contained within the polygon, which are illuminated on the display in a computer graphics system.
Nonconvex polygons are more complicated than convex polygons, because even though the perimeter never crosses itself (nonconvex polygons have a definite inside and outside), internal angles are included which are greater than 180 degrees. Therefore, when a nonconvex polygon is drawn, there may be two separate spans for any given "y" value. That is, a nonconvex polygon may have a concave portion which will create spans to be scan converted in the "y" direction on either side of the concave area.
Complex polygons are the most complicated types of polygons and correspondingly the most difficult to scan-convert because there is no definite inside and outside. The perimeter of complex polygons can turn in any direction and cross itself. Therefore, in addition to the problems of having potential multiple "y" scan lines in the polygon and having no span lines for some "y" scan lines, complex polygons also have the problem of having two ways to fill the polygon. That is, since there is no definite inside or outside, it must be determined which area of the polygon to fill.
Conventional methods of filling complex polygons include the "odd-even" rule and the "winding" rule (Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, J. Foley, A. van Dam, S. Feiner and J. Hughes, Addison-Wesley, 1990, page 965). Rendering complex polygons is an extremely computational intensive process and requires a great deal more time and resources than rendering nonconvex or convex polygons. Generally, rendering complex polygons requires 10 times as must time as rendering nonconvex polygons.
In conventional graphics systems, such as X Window System (X Window System is a trademark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) a client program sends a hint about the class of polygon to be rendered. This hint must be conservative, in that the least optimistic class must be used to render the polygon correctly. That is, a hint cannot indicate a less complicated class of polygon than the class the polygon to be drawn is actually in. For example, with convex polygons, the X-client can provide hints to convex, nonconvex or complex polygons and the convex polygon will be drawn correctly. However, for nonconvex polygons, hints directed to nonconvex or complex polygons are the only ones that will ensure proper rendering of the polygons. Finally, hints for complex polygons are the only ones that will properly draw a complex polygon. It can be seen that if a hint regarding a convex polygon is provided to the X-server and the polygon actually being drawn is complex, the results will be undefined, since methods for rendering convex polygons do not apply to complex polygons, and the polygon will be drawn incorrectly.
There exists conventional methods for identifying convex polygons, given a set of vertices, such that the corresponding hint can be provided. It can readily be seen that a method of distinguishing complex polygons from nonconvex polygons would be extremely advantageous, since knowing the class of polygon would allow the most efficient means of rendering the polygons to be utilized. Thus, the current necessity of using the most complicated procedures to scan convert polygons can be eliminated such that rendering of nonconvex polygons can occur up to 10 times faster.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus for distinguishing heart beats from intra-aortic balloon pump beats, and for distinguishing assisted heart beats from unassisted heart beats. The method and apparatus further allows for determining average minimum and maximum pressures of assisted and unassisted heart beats and the average maximum pressures of the balloon pump beats. In general, an embodiment of the invention distinguishes among assisted heart beats, unassisted heart beats, and balloon pump beats by a comparison of areas associated with portions of the arterial pressure waveform representative of each successive beat.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the identification of assisted and unassisted heart beats during intra-aortic balloon pump assistance, and in addition, to a means for determining the true arterial systolic and diastolic pressures during intra-aortic balloon pump assistance.
The intra-aortic balloon pump ("IABP") is used as a means of temporary mechanical support of the left ventricle to treat several forms of heart disease. During IABP support, clinicians are guided for assessment of patient conditions by monitoring various cardiac parameters including arterial pressure, cardiac index, pulmonary artery wedge pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. The monitoring of these cardiac parameters is also important for the weaning of the heart from IABP support. The measurement of arterial pressure is affected by IABP support and can thus provide misleading information as to the true condition of an individual's heart.
Arterial blood pressure measurement, for example, is used to determine the diastolic pressure (low pressure) and the systolic pressure (high pressure) of the heart. Existing methods of monitoring arterial pressure identify the diastolic and systolic pressures as the minima and maxima of the arterial pressure waveform. However, during IABP support the inflation and deflation of the intra-aortic balloon in the descending thoracic aorta during diastole creates an extra beat on the arterial blood pressure waveform next to the heart beat in the same cardiac cycle. The existing cardiovascular monitoring systems do not distinguish between the heart beat and the balloon beat during IABP support, and as a result, these monitoring systems average the high pressure of the balloon with the systolic pressure of a patient's heart, and average the dicrotic notch with the diastolic pressure of a patient's heart. This averaging results in the determination of erroneous values for arterial systolic and diastolic pressures, and thus the condition of a patient's heart is not accurately monitored.
Several types of artifact rejection methods have been described for use in determining true blood pressure values. One such approach uses sphygmometric blood pressure monitoring (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,707 and 4,777,959) and another approach uses the recognition and discrimination amongst Korotokoff sounds in the measurement of blood pressure to reject artifacts and to determine minimum and maximum pressures (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,171). One blood pressure detection method has been developed for use during intra-aortic balloon pump assist to separate heart beats from balloon beats: however this method requires the R--R interval values and QRS timing from an ECG beat detector in order to determine whether an arterial blood pressure beat is a balloon beat or a heart beat (Elghazzawi et al., 1991, Jour. of Clinical Monitoring, Vol. 7, pp. 97-98).
It is the purpose of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned difficulties in monitoring the condition of a patient's heart, and to provide a physician with accurate information to be used in assessing the progress of a patient's recovery.

Apparatus and method for distinguishing heart beats from intra-aortic balloon pump beats


A separating material superior to conventional separating materials, and a separation method are provided, with which 1,3-butadiene is selectively separated and recovered from a mixed gas including 1,3-butadiene and C4 hydrocarbons other than 1,3-butadiene. A metal complex, which comprises a dicarboxylic acid compound (I) (see (I) below) represented by general formula (I), an ion of a metal such as beryllium, and a dipyridyl compound (II) represented by general formula (II), namely L-Z-L (II) (see L below), is characterized by including, as the dipyridyl compound (II), at least two different dipyridyl compounds (II). The metal complex is used as a 1,3-butadiene separating material. Formula (I) L is represented by any of the compounds below.

Various adsorbents have been previously developed for use in fields including deodorization or exhaust gas treatment. Active charcoal is a typical example thereof. Active charcoal has been widely used in various industries in applications including air purification, desulfurization, denitrification or removal of harmful substances by utilizing its superior adsorption performance. More recently, due to the growing demand for nitrogen gas for use in applications including semiconductor production processes, a method for producing nitrogen is thus used that comprises producing nitrogen from air by pressure swing adsorption or temperature swing adsorption using molecule sieve carbon. In addition, molecular sieve carbon is also applied to the purification and separation of various gases, such as the purification of hydrogen from methanol cracking gas.
When separating a mixed gas by pressure swing adsorption or temperature swing adsorption, molecular sieve carbon or zeolite and the like is typically used as a separating adsorbent, and separation is carried out by the differences in its equilibrium adsorption amounts and/or adsorption rates. However, in the case of separating a mixed gas by the difference in equilibrium adsorption amounts, since the conventional adsorbents are unable to selectively adsorb only a gas that is desired to be removed, the separation factor is smaller, making increased size of the apparatus unavoidable. In addition, in the case of separating a mixed gas by the difference in adsorption rates, although only a gas desired to be removed can be adsorbed depending on the type of gas, since it is necessary to alternate between adsorption and desorption, the apparatus inevitably becomes large in this case as well.
1,3-butadiene is an example of a hydrocarbon gas that is targeted for separation and recovery. 1,3-butadiene is a compound that is useful as a starting material for the production of synthetic rubber as well as an intermediate of an extremely large number of compounds. 1,3-butadiene is typically produced by thermal decomposition of naphtha or dehydrogenation of butene. In these production methods, 1,3-butadiene is obtained in the form of one component of a mixed gas. Thus, it is necessary to selectively separate and recover 1,3-butadiene from this mixed gas. Examples of main components in the mixed gas having four carbon atoms include 1,3-butadiene, isobutene, 1-butene, trans-2-butene, cis-2-butene, n-butane and isobutane. Since these compounds have the same number of carbon atoms and similar boiling points, they are difficult to separate from each other using industrial distillation methods.
Another example of a separation method is extractive distillation. Since this method is an absorption method that uses a polar solvent, such as DMF, an extremely large amount of energy is required when recovering 1,3-butadiene from the polar solvent. Thus, an adsorption method to separate and recover 1,3-butadiene using less energy is desired.
However, since conventional porous materials (Patent Document 1) exhibit low separation performance with respect to the target gas, multi-step separation is required, thereby leading to unavoidable increases in size of the separation apparatus.
Porous metal complexes that induce a dynamic structural change by an external stimulus have been developed as adsorbents that provide separation performance superior to that of conventional porous materials (Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2). In the case of using the porous materials described in these publications as gas adsorbents, a unique phenomenon has been observed in which, although gas is not adsorbed below a certain pressure, gas begins to be adsorbed once that pressure is exceeded. In addition, a phenomenon has been observed in which the gate-opening pressure varies depending on the type of gas.
In the case of applying this porous material to an adsorbent in a pressure swing adsorption system, gas can be separated extremely efficiently. In addition, the range of pressure swing can be narrowed, thereby contributing to energy savings. Moreover, this can contribute to downsize and cost-reduction of the gas separation apparatus, enabling to enhance cost competitiveness for both high-purity gas products and finished products made from the high-purity gases.
However, to meet growing demands for even greater cost reductions, it is necessary to further improve adsorption and separation performance.
A metal complex [Zn(R-ip)(L)] (wherein R represents H, CH3, NO2, Br or I, and L represents 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene, 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane or 4,4′-azopyridine) has been disclosed and the complex is composed of various types of isophthalic acid derivatives, zinc ion and a dipyridyl compound capable of bidentate coordination with a metal ion (Patent Document 2 and Non-Patent Documents 3 to 6). However, these disclosures do not mention the effect of mixing two or more types of bidentate dipyridyl compounds on adsorption and separation performance.
Metal complexes composed of a zinc ion, various types of isophthalic acid derivatives and 4,4′-bipyridyl have been disclosed during the course of studies about the impact of mixing ligands on gate-opening pressure (Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 7). However, these disclosures also do not mention the effect of mixing bidentate dipyridyl compounds on adsorption and separation performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Metal complex, adsorbent, separating material, and 1, 3-butadiene separation method


A charging control device for use with a spacecraft solar array employs a field emitter array including a cathode and an anode; a first resistor coupled between the cathode of the field emitter array and a solar array common; and a second resistor coupled between the anode of the field emitter array and a solar array positive.

The present invention relates to spacecraft technology, and more specifically to static buildup of charge on spacecraft. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to methods of apparatuses for safely discharging static charge buildup on sunlit spacecraft, such as earth orbit satellites.
One problem with modern, high power, solar arrays of spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit is that the backside of the solar array is a large dark surface that collects current from a layer of earth atmosphere referred to as the magnetosphere. Front sunlit surfaces of the solar arrays are almost completely covered with a very good insulator, a solar cell cover glass. Currents collected by the large dark area can drive a chassis of the spacecraft thousands of volts negative with respect to the front sunlit surfaces of the solar array, a situation known as inverted gradient charging. This potential distribution, when it occurs to a sufficient degree, leads to arcing and is the presumed cause of several on-orbit string failures on geosynchronous orbit communication satellites.
More specifically, spacecraft charging is the buildup of charge on exposed external surfaces and dielectrics of geosynchronous spacecraft. This surface charging results from the spacecraft encountering a geomagnetic substorm environment, i.e., a plasma with particle energies from 1 to 50 keV. Two types of spacecraft charging occur. The first, called absolute charging, occurs when the ambient environment charges the entire spacecraft uniformly to a potential relative to the surrounding space plasma. The second type, called differential charging, occurs when parts of the spacecraft are charged to different negative potentials relative to each other. Differential charging can cause strong local electric fields, both on spacecraft surfaces and within dielectrics, and can be the cause of potentially damaging arcs on solar arrays.
The buildup of large potentials on the spacecraft relative to the ambient plasma is not, of itself, a serious design concern. It may compromise scientific missions seeking to measure properties of the space environment, but spacecraft systems referenced to structure ground are not affected by a uniformly charged spacecraft. However, differential charging can lead to electrostatic discharges (ESDs) that are known to have caused satellite failures. Two recently launched direct broadcast satellites, Tempo 2 and PanAm Sat 6, have lost over 20% of their solar array power due to charging induced ESD.
Differential charging occurs because spacecraft surfaces are not uniform in their material properties, surfaces are either shaded or sunlit, and/or the ambient fluxes may be anisotropic. These and other effects can produce potential differences between spacecraft surfaces or between spacecraft surfaces and spacecraft ground. When a breakdown threshold is exceeded between surfaces or within dielectrics, an electrostatic discharge can occur.
The transient generated by ESD can couple into the spacecraft electronics and cause upsets ranging from logic switching to complete system failure. The plasma created by the discharge can induce high current arcs on solar arrays and other power system components. Discharges can also cause long-term degradation of exterior surface coatings and enhance contamination of surfaces. Vehicle torquing or wobble can be produced from ESD. The ultimate results are disruptions in spacecraft operation.
Spacecraft charging results when the electron flux to spacecraft surfaces exceeds the sum of the electron flux leaving the surfaces and the ion flux to the surfaces. The incident electrons are from the magnetosphere. The electron flux from the surfaces is due to photoemission in sunlight and is about 1.0-4.0.times.10.sup.-5 A/m.sup.2. This flux is much greater than any electron flux from the magnetosphere in geosynchronous orbit. Therefore, spacecraft charging can only occur in sunlight when there are insulating surfaces on a spacecraft.
The composition and time evolution of the geosynchronous plasma environment are quite complex. It is standard practice to represent the environment in terms of a temperature and density, assuming a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. In that characterization, the environment is typically a cold, dense plasma with a "temperature" of about 1 eV and a density of 10.sup.8 particles/m.sup.3. Spacecraft potentials in such an environment are less than a few volts.
During a geomagnetic substorm, changes in the solar wind cause the high-density, low-energy plasma near local midnight to be replaced by a cloud of low-density plasma, (10.sup.6 to 10.sup.7 particles/cm.sup.3) with energies from 1 to 50 keV. It is the electron flux from this environment, less than 10.sup.-5 A/m.sup.2, that can charge spacecraft dielectric surfaces to thousands of volts negative and may result in an electrostatic discharge. The hot plasma cloud diffuses in a few hours but is replaced many times during the life of the storm, which may last a day or longer. For analysis, a "worst case" environment is shown in Table 1.
If the spacecraft is near local noon when the cloud appears, it may never see the hot plasma and will not charge. If the spacecraft is near midnight, it may experience charging and upsets. If the spacecraft is near local evening, as it moves toward midnight it will pass into the diffusing cloud and a more severe charging environment. If the spacecraft is near local dawn, it may be overtaken by the hot plasma. The problem for the spacecraft designer is that each of these environments represents a unique set of plasma conditions as viewed by the spacecraft and results in a markedly different charging history.
Spacecraft charging can be understood in terms of an RC circuit with non-linear current sources. The models of the circuit and current sources are discussed below. Here, we present some general characteristics of how spacecraft surface potentials change during a magnetospheric substorm.
As discussed above, spacecraft potentials change in two ways, absolute charging, where the entire spacecraft and all its surfaces charge with respect to the surrounding magnetosphere, and differential charging, where potential differences develop between spacecraft surfaces. For absolute charging the spacecraft potential changes as a whole, that is, the dielectric surface voltages are "locked" to the ground reference voltage. This type of charging occurs very rapidly (in fractions of a second), typically during eclipse. Differential charging usually occurs slowly (in minutes) and results in one part or surface of the spacecraft being charged to a potential different from those of other parts of the spacecraft. This differential charging can also change the absolute charging level of the spacecraft. This is the usual mechanism for sunlight charging, which consequently occurs slowly. A typical spacecraft charging time history is characterized by rapid absolute charging to .sup..about. 6,000 volts occurring within tens of milliseconds and the differential charging of .sup..about. 2,000 volts between the spacecraft chassis and the solar array cover glass occurring over a period of hours.
The spacecraft configuration is of major importance in determining spacecraft charging behavior. A three-axis-stabilized spacecraft can have a rather large negative structure potential (a few thousand volts) in sunlit charging events. The dominant areas controlling charging in this case are the backs of the solar array wings.
Worst-case environments should be used in predicting spacecraft potentials. The ambient space plasma and the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) are the major sources of spacecraft charging currents in the natural environment. The ambient space plasma consists of electrons, protons, and other ions. All of the particles have energies, which are often described by the "temperature" of the plasma. A spacecraft in this environment will accumulate charge until an equilibrium is reached in which the net current is zero. The net current to a surface is the sum of currents due to ambient electrons and ions, secondary electrons, and photoelectrons. The EUV-created photoelectron emissions usually dominate in geosynchronous orbits and prevent the spacecraft potential from being very negative during sunlit portions of the mission.
The density of the plasma also affects spacecraft charging. A "thin," or tenuous, plasma of less than one particle per cubic centimeter will charge the spacecraft and its surfaces more slowly than a "dense" plasma of thousands of particles per cubic centimeter. Additionally, the current due to a thin plasma can be leaked off by partially dielectric surfaces, and steady-state surface and potential differences may not be as great as those in a dense plasma.
Although the photoelectron current due to solar EUV dominates over most of the magnetosphere, in and near geosynchronous orbit during geomagnetic substorms the ambient hot electron current can control and dominate the charging process. Unfortunately the ambient plasma environment at geosynchronous orbit is very difficult to describe. To simplify this description for design purposes, typically only the isotropic currents and Maxwellian temperatures are presented, and these only for electrons and protons. Useful answers can be obtained with this simple representation. For a worst case static-charging analysis the "single Maxwellian" environmental characterization given in Table 1 is recommended.
The values given in table 1 are a 90th percentile single-Maxwellian representation of the environment. If the worst-case analysis shows that spacecraft surface differential potentials are less than 500V there should be no electrostatic discharge problem. If the worst-case analysis shows a possible problem, use of more realistic plasma parameters should be considered.
TABLE 1 Worst-case geosynchronous plasma environment Electron number density, n.sup.c (m.sup.-3) 1.12 .times. 10.sup.6 Electron temperature, T.sub.e (eV) 1.20 .times. 10.sup.4 Ion number density, n.sub.i (m.sup.-3) 2.36 .times. 10.sup.5 Ion temperature, T.sub.i (eV) 2.95 .times. 10.sup.4
The electron current density from a Maxwellian plasma is ##EQU1##
where n.sub.e is the electron density in #/m.sup.3, and T.sub.e, is the electron temperature in electron volts. The ion current, assuming all ions are protons, is given by ##EQU2##
For example, the electron current density from the environment in Table 1 is 3.3.times.10.sup.6 A/m.sup.2.
In the past, spacecraft designers have successfully prevented the chassis of the spacecraft from charging negative relative to the front sunlit surfaces of the solar array by having sunlit conducting surfaces on the satellite body electrically connected to the spacecraft chassis. These sunlit conducting surfaces emit photoelectrons when in the sun, thereby keeping the chassis of the spacecraft closer to plasma ground, i.e., closer in potential to the sunlit front surfaces of the solar array. Unfortunately, a present trend to higher power spacecraft, e.g., earth orbit satellites, means that solar array areas (specifically, the large dark surfaces on the backside of the solar arrays) are larger compared with the front sunlit surfaces of the spacecraft body. Consequently, it has become more difficult for the relatively smaller photo emitting area of the spacecraft body i.e., the sunlit conducting surfaces of the spacecraft body, to emit the excess electrons collected by the large dark surfaces on the backsides of the solar array.
Field effect arrays were invented more than 30 years ago at the Stanford Research Institute. Research is ongoing at SRI, the Naval Research Lab, and other institutions. Currents of over 100 mA are achievable with a 1 mm diameter array.
Previously, an unsuccessful attempt was made to use a field emitter array to control a rocket potential in the ionosphere. Other proposals have been made to use Field emitter array's as electron emitters for tethered satellites. Thus, improvements are needed approaches for discharging static charge collected on the large dark surfaces on the backsides of solar arrays.

Spacecraft solar array charging control device


A flow control valve having a body with an inlet port, an outlet port and an access opening. The body has a cavity connecting with the access opening and communicating between the inlet and outlet ports. A single pair of discs with orifices is located within the cavity. One disc is secured to the bonnet which extends into the cavity and the other is attached to a rotatable turning fork which rotates to change the alignment of the disc orifices thereby controlling flow to the outlet port. The bonnet and the turning fork have openings which allow fluid to flow from the inlet port to the discs. The bonnet attaches over the access opening and secures the turning fork, the discs, a wear insert and a lower seat within the cavity. An o-ring holds the valve assembly together as it is installed and removed from the valve body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a control valve with a single set of orifices that are formed from a single pair of discs. The design of the present valve's internal components are easier and less expensive to make, easier to insert into and remove from the valve body, and can be used to retrofit into existing valve bodies to replace more complicated and expensive components.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art is represented by three of the present inventor's previously invented valves. The first previous valve by the present inventor was the Woods in-line flow-control choke valve which was marketed by Woods Energy Products, Inc. in Tulsa, Okla. This valve was a straight through valve with double sets of double discs and two orifices. The problem with this valve was that it was hard to put actuators on it.
The second previous valve by the present inventor was the valve taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,046 entitled Top Entry Flow Control Valve with Two Sets of Orifices, and the third previous valve by the present inventor was the valve taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,978 and was also entitled Top Entry Flow Control Valve with Two Sets of Orifices. The present invention is an improvement over the inventor's third previous valve which is shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the third previous valve 10A has several problems. The first problem with the third previous valve 10A is that it is difficult to manufacture. Specifically, the inside of the body 12A of the valve must be machined to receive pins 154 that hold the internal components of the valve 10A within the valve body 12A. Also, the wear sleeve 218 that receives the opposite ends of the pins 154 has to be machined to receive those pins 154. Additionally, the third previous valve 10A required intricate machining of engaging flanges 166 and 200 as a means of linking the wear sleeve 218 to the rotatable cylinder 20A in order to remove both the rotatable cylinder 20A and the wear sleeve 218 from the valve body 12A in order to replace the discs 16 and 18 and the wear insert 144. Because of the degree of difficulty in manufacturing the third previous valve 10A, it is costly to make.
Still another problem with the third previous valve 10A is that it is difficult to assemble and to disassemble for servicing. In order to insert the internal components of the valve 10A into the valve body 12A, the pins 154 had to be properly aligned with the machined openings in the valve body 12A so that the pins can be pressed in. This is not an easy task. When the internal components of the valve 10A are removed from the valve body 12A, the pins 154 may or may not be also be removed with the internal components. Also, in order to insert or remove the internal components, the flanges 166 and 200 must be turned in such an orientation so that they engage each other to thereby link the internal components together as a unit.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a control valve with a single set of orifices that are formed from a single pair of discs. The design of the present valve's internal components are easier and less expensive to make, easier to insert into and remove from the valve body, and the internal components can be used to retrofit into existing valve bodies to replace more complicated and expensive components.

Control valve with single set of orifices

Living Trust of John B. Woods and Nola Fae Woods


A hinge assembly comprises a first component including a moveable tensioning guide and a second component connected to the first component such that the first and second components are moveable relative to one another. A flexible interconnect runs between the first component and the second component. The flexible interconnect is routed around the moveable tensioning guide of the first component such that movement of the first component relative to the second component causes movement of the tensioning guide. Movement of the tensioning guide modifies a flexible path taken by the flexible interconnect during movement of the first and second components.

Many electronic devices incorporate hinges, or other suitable mechanisms, to enable components of the electronic device to move or fold relative to one another. As an example, laptop computers typically include hinges allowing the display to be tilted at different angles, or folded flat against the base. Such hinges often include one or more flexible electronic interconnects that pass data and/or power through the hinge, even as the hinge is manipulated.


A micro-fluid ejection device structure, a multi-fluid cartridge containing the ejection device structure, and methods for making the ejection device structure and cartridge. The micro-fluid ejection device structure includes a fluid supply body containing at least three fluid supply slots therein. An ejection head substrate having fluid feed slots therein is attached to the fluid supply body. Each of the fluid supply slots in the body is in flow communication with at least one of the fluid feed slots in the substrate. A plurality of adhesive bond lines adhesively attach the ejection head substrate and the fluid supply body to one another. Each of the adhesive bond lines have a width of less than about 600 microns and are located between adjacent ones of the fluid supply slots in the body.

In the field of micro-fluid ejection devices, ink jet printers are an exemplary application where miniaturization continues to be pursued. However, as micro-fluid ejection devices get smaller, there is an increasing need for unique designs and improved production techniques to achieve the miniaturization goals. For example, the increasing demand of putting more colors in a single inkjet cartridge requires the addition of fluid flow passageways from the cartridge body to the ejection head that, without radical changes in production techniques, will require larger ejection head substrates. However, the trend is to further miniaturize the ejection devices and thus provide even smaller ejection head substrates. An advantage of smaller ejection head substrates is a reduction in material cost for the ejection heads. However, this trend leads to challenges relating to the attachment of such substrates to a multi-fluid supply reservoir.
As the ejection heads are reduced in size, it becomes increasingly difficult to adequately segregate multiple fluids in the cartridges from one another yet provide the fluids to different areas of the ejection heads. One of the limits on spacing of fluid passageways in the ejection head substrate is an ability to provide correspondingly small, and closely-spaced passageways from the fluid reservoir to the ejection head substrate. Another limit on fluid passageway spacing is the ability to adequately align the passageways in the fluid reservoir with the passageways in the ejection head substrate so that the passageways are not partially or fully blocked by an adhesive used to attach to the ejection head to the reservoir.
Thus, there continues to be a need for improved structures and manufacturing techniques for micro-fluid ejection head components for ejecting multiple fluids onto a medium.
With regard to the foregoing, the disclosure provides a micro-fluid ejection device structure, a multi-fluid cartridge containing the ejection device structure, and methods for making the ejection device structure and cartridge. The micro-fluid ejection device structure includes a fluid supply body containing at least three fluid supply slots therein. An ejection head substrate having fluid feed slots therein is attached to the fluid supply body. Each of the fluid supply slots in the body is in flow communication with at least one of the fluid feed slots in the substrate. A plurality of adhesive bond lines adhesively attach the ejection head substrate and the fluid supply body to one another. Each of the adhesive bond lines have a width of less than about 600 microns and are located between adjacent ones of the fluid supply slots in the body.
In a second embodiment, the disclosure provides a method of making a micro-fluid ejection device structure for a multi-fluid cartridge. An adhesive is applied to a die bond surface of a fluid supply body. The adhesive and body are ablated to form a plurality of fluid flow slots through the adhesive and body and to provide adhesive bond lines having a width of less than about 600 microns. A semiconductor substrate containing a plurality of fluid ejection devices thereon is affixed to the adhesive.
In another embodiment, the disclosure provides a method of making a micro-fluid ejection device structure for a multi-fluid cartridge. The method includes applying a die bond adhesive layer to a multi-fluid cartridge body. A semiconductor substrate is affixed to the die bond adhesive. The semiconductor substrate contains a plurality of ejection actuators adjacent three or more fluid feed slots therein and a nozzle plate attached to the substrate. Fluid flow paths are laser formed in the adhesive and body corresponding to the fluid feed slots in the semiconductor substrate by passing a laser beam through the nozzle plate.
An advantage associated with at least some of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein is that multiple different fluids may be ejected from a micro-fluid ejection device that is less costly to manufacture and has dimensions that enable increased miniaturization of operative parts of the device. Continued miniaturization of the operative parts enables micro-fluid ejection devices to be used in a wider variety of applications. Such miniaturization also enables the production of ejection devices, such as a printer, having smaller footprints without sacrificing print quality or print speed. The exemplary apparatus and methods described herein can also reduce the size of a silicon substrate used in such micro-fluid ejection devices without sacrificing the ability to suitably eject multiple different fluids from the ejection devices.

Die attach methods and apparatus for micro-fluid ejection device


The present invention relates to isolated human and rat nucleic acid molecules encoding a protein or polypeptide that modulates transcriptional activation in a cell with or without collaboration with a nuclear hormone receptor transcriptional co-activator. The present invention also relates to the proteins or polypeptides encoded by those nucleic acid molecules, and antibodies against such proteins or polypeptides. The present invention also relates to a variety of uses for the nucleic acid molecules, proteins or polypeptides, and the related antibodies of the present invention, including methods of: regulating cellular proliferation, differentiation, and development; modulating the activity of a transcriptional co-activator complex and a transcription factor in cells; regulating hormone receptor activity and endocrine function in cells; and treating diabetes and insulin resistance in a subject.

Nuclear hormone receptors comprise a family of ligand-dependent transcription factors that have a broad effect on gene expression, growth, and development (Aranda et al., "Nuclear Hormone Receptors and Gene Expression," Physiol. Rev. 81:1269-1304 (2001); McKenna et al., "Nuclear Receptor Coregulators: Cellular and Molecular Biology," Endocr. Rev. 20:321-344 (1999); McKenna et al., "Combinatorial Control of Gene Expression by Nuclear Receptors and Coregulators," Cell 108:465-474 (2002)). These include the thyroid hormone receptors ("TRs") for thyroid hormone ("T3"), the retinoic acid receptors ("RARs") for all trans RA, the RARs and the retinoid X receptors ("RXRs") for 9-cis RA, vitamin D receptor ("VDR") for 1, 25-(OH)2 vitamin D3, glucocorticoid receptor ("GR"), progesterone receptor ("PR"), estrogen receptors ("ERs"), and peroxisome-proliferation activated receptors ("PPARs"), which are regulated by variety of lipophilic compounds. These receptors share a similar modular structure consisting of an N-terminal "A/B" domain, a DNA-binding "C" domain, and a "D, E, and F" ligand binding domain ("LBD") (Carson-Jurica et al., "Steroid Receptor Family: Structure and Functions," Endocr. Rev. 11:201-218 (1990); McKenna et al., "Nuclear Receptor Coregulators: Cellular and Molecular Biology," Endocr. Rev. 20:321-344 (1999)). The LBDs of nuclear receptors are organized into twelve helical regions and the binding of ligand to the LBD of DNA bound receptor mediates a conformational change which recruits co-activators or co-regulators leading to transcriptional activation (McKenna et al., "Nuclear Receptor Coregulators: Cellular and Molecular Biology," Endocr. Rev. 20:321-344 (1999); Toney et al., "Conformational Changes in Chicken Thyroid Hormone Receptor al Induced by Binding to Ligand or to DNA," Biochemistry 32:2-6 (1993)).
Co-activators which have been identified include members of the p160 family (SRC-1/NCoA-1) (Kamei et al., "A CBP Integrator Complex Mediates Transcriptional Activation and AP-1 Inhibition by Nuclear Receptors," Cell 85:403-414 (1996); Onate et al., "Sequence and Characterization of a Coactivator of the Steroid Hormone Receptor Superfamily," Science 270:1354-1357 (1995)); TIF-2/GRIP-1/NCoA-2 (Hong et al., "GRIP1, A Novel Mouse Protein that Serves as a Transcriptional Coactivator in Yeast for the Hormone Binding Domains of Steroid Receptors," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:4948-4952 (1996); Torchia et al., "The Transcriptional Co-Activator p/CIP Binds CBP and Mediates Nuclear-Receptor Function," Nature 387:677-684 (1997); Voegel et al., "TIF2, a 160 kDa Transcriptional Mediator for the Ligand-Dependent Activation Function AF-2 of Nuclear Receptors," EMBO J. 15:3667-3675 (1996)); AIB1/p/CIP/ACTR/RAC3/ TRAM-1 (Anzick et al., "AIB1, A Steroid Receptor Coactivator Amplified in Breast and Ovarian Cancer," Science 277:965-968 (1997); Chen et al., "Nuclear Receptor Coactivator ACTR is a Novel Histone Acetyltransferase and Forms a Multimeric Activation Complex with P/CAF and CBP/p300," Cell 90:569-580 (1997); Li et al., "RAC3, A Steroid/Nuclear Receptor-Associated Coactivator that is Related to SRC-1 and TIF2," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:8479-8484 (1997); Takeshita et al., "TRAM-1, A Novel 1 60-kDa Thyroid Hormone Receptor Activator Molecule, Exhibits Distinct Properties from Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1," J. Biol. Chem. 272:27629-27634 (1997); Torchia et al., "The Transcriptional Co-Activator p/CIP Binds CBP and Mediates Nuclear-Receptor Function," Nature 387:677-684 (1997)), the CBP/p300 family (Chakravarti et al., "Role of CBP/P300 in Nuclear Receptor Signalling," Nature 383:99-103 (1996); Hanstein et al., "p300 is a Component of an Estrogen Receptor Coactivator Complex," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:11540-11545 (1996); Kamei et al., "A CBP Integrator Complex Mediates Transcriptional Activation and AP-1 Inhibition by Nuclear Receptors," Cell 85:403-414 (1996)); RIP140 (Cavailles et al., "Nuclear Factor RIP140 Modulates Transcriptional Activation by the Estrogen Receptor," EMBO J. 14:3741-3751 (1995)); NRC/ASC-2/PRIP/RAP250/TRBP (Caira et al., "Cloning and Characterization of RAP250, A Novel Nuclear Receptor Coactivator," J. Biol. Chem. 275:5308-5317 (2000); Ko et al., "Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Binding Protein, an LXXLL Motif-Containing Protein, Functions as a General Coactivator," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6212-6217 (2000); Lee et al., "A Nuclear Factor, ASC-2, is a Cancer-Amplified Transcriptional Coactivator Essential for Ligand-Dependent Transactivation by Nuclear Receptors in vivo," J. Biol. Chem. 274:34283-34293 (1999); Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000); Zhu et al., "Isolation and Characterization of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) Interacting Protein (PRIP) as a Coactivator for PPAR," J. Biol. Chem. 275:13510-13516 (2000)); PGC-1 (Puigserver et al., "A Cold-Inducible Coactivator of Nuclear Receptors Linked to Adaptive Thermogenesis," Cell 92:829-839 (1998)), ARA70 (Yeh et al., "Cloning and Characterization of a Specific Coactivator, ARA70, for the Androgen Receptor in Human Prostate Cells," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:5517-5521 (1996)); p/CAF (Blanco et al., "The Histone Acetylase PCAF is a Nuclear Receptor Coactivator," Genes Dev. 12:1638-1651 (1998); Yang et al., "A p300/CBP-Associated Factor that Competes with the Adenoviral Oncoprotein E1A," Nature 382:319-324 (1996)); and NRIF3, which exhibits specificity for only the TRs and the RXRs (Li et al., "NRIF3 is a Novel Coactivator Mediating Functional Specificity of Nuclear Hormone Receptors," Mol. Cell. Biol. 19:7191-7202 (1999)). In addition to mediating effects of nuclear hormone receptors, certain co-activators also appear to enhance the activity of other transcription factors such as NF-kB, cFos, and cJun (Ko et al., "Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Binding Protein, an LXXLL Motif-Containing Protein, Functions as a General Coactivator," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6212-6217 (2000)).
The DRIPs/TRAPs (vitamin D receptor interacting proteins/thyroid receptor-associated proteins) are another class of factors which are recruited to ligand-bound nuclear hormone receptors (e.g., VDR and TR) (Fondell et al., "Ligand Induction of a Transcriptionally Active Thyroid Hormone Receptor Coactivator Complex," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:8329-8333 (1996); Rachez et al., "Ligand-Dependent Transcription Activation by Nuclear Receptors Requires the DRIP Complex," Nature 398:824-828 (1999)). The DRIPs and TRAPs are multi-protein complexes which appear to be similar, if not identical, and are devoid of the p160 type of co-activators. Some of the polypeptides of the DRIP/TRAP complex also appear to be a part of the SMCC, CRSP (co-factor required for promoter specificity protein ("Sp1")) and ARC complexes (Ito et al., "Identity Between TRAP and SMCC Complexes Indicates Novel Pathways for the Function of Nuclear Receptors and Diverse Mammalian Activators," Mol. Cell 3:361-370 (1999); Naar et al., "Composite Co-Activator ARC Mediates Chromatin-Directed Transcriptional Activation," Nature 398:828-832 (1999); Ryu et al., "Purification of Transcription Cofactor Complex CRSP," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:7137-7142 (1999)). The DRIP/TRAP complexes associate with ligand-bound TR or VDR via a ˜220-kDa component referred to as PBP/TRAP220/DRIP205 (Fondell et al., "Ligand Induction of a Transcriptionally Active Thyroid Hormone Receptor Coactivator Complex," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:8329-8333 (1996); Rachez et al., "Ligand-Dependent Transcription Activation by Nuclear Receptors Requires the DRIP Complex," Nature 398:824-828 (1999); Zhu et al., "Isolation and Characterization of PBP, A Protein That Interacts with Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor," J. Biol. Chem. 272:25500-25506 (1997)) and other components of the complex interact with other transcription factors (Ito et al., "Identity Between TRAP and SMCC Complexes Indicates Novel Pathways for the Function of Nuclear Receptors and Diverse Mammalian Activators," Mol. Cell 3:361-370 (1999); Malik et al., "The USA-Derived Transcriptional Coactivator PC2 is a Submodule of TRAP/SMCC and Acts Synergistically With Other PCs," Mol. Cell 5:753-760 (2000); Naar et al., "Composite Co-Activator ARC Mediates Chromatin-Directed Transcriptional Activation," Nature 398:828-832 (1999); Rachez et al., "Ligand-Dependent Transcription Activation by Nuclear Receptors Requires the DRIP Complex," Nature 398:824-828 (1999); Ryu et al., "Purification of Transcription Cofactor Complex CRSP," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:7137-7142 (1999)).
The association of co-activators with receptors occurs through receptor-interacting LxxLL modules of the co-activator (Darimont et al., "Structure and Specificity of Nuclear Receptor-Coactivator Interactions," Genes Dev. 12:3343-3356 (1998); Heery et al., "A Signature Motif in Transcriptional Co-Activators Mediates Binding to Nuclear Receptors," Nature 387:733-736 (1997); Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000); Mclnerney et al., "Determinants of Coactivator LXXLL Motif Specificity in Nuclear Receptor Transcriptional Activation," Genes Dev. 12:3357-3368 (1998)), which bind to a hydrophobic cleft in the ligand-bound receptor formed by several regions of the LBD (Darimont et al., "Structure and Specificity of Nuclear Receptor-Coactivator Interactions," Genes Dev. 12:3343-3356 (1998); Feng et al., "Hormone-Dependent Coactivator Binding to a Hydrophobic Cleft on Nuclear Receptors," Science 280:1747-1749 (1998); Nolte et al., "Ligand Binding and Co-activator Assembly of the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ," Nature 395:137-143 (1998)). The p160 family of co-activators, RIP140, and TRAP220/DRIP205 contain multiple LxxLL motifs (Heery et al., "A Signature Motif in Transcriptional Co-Activators Mediates Binding to Nuclear Receptors," Nature 387:733-736 (1997)) which is consistent with the idea that a single molecule of the co-activator can bind a nuclear receptor dimer in vivo (Darimont et al., "Structure and Specificity of Nuclear Receptor-Coactivator Interactions," Genes Dev. 12:3343-3356 (1998); McInerney et al., "Determinants of Coactivator LXXLL Motif Specificity in Nuclear Receptor Transcriptional Activation," Genes Dev. 12:3357-3368 (1998)).
The cloning and characterization of NRC (Nuclear Receptor Co-activator) (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)) (also referred to as ASC-2/PRIP/RAP250/TRBP) from rat and human cells which acts as a potent co-activator for nuclear hormone receptors (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)) and other transcription factors such as cFos, cJun, and NF-kB (Ko et al., "Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Binding Protein, an LXXLL Motif-Containing Protein, Functions as a General Coactivator," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6212-6217 (2000)) was previously reported. NRC is organized into several modular domains which appear to play an important role in its function as a co-activator/co-regulator for nuclear hormone receptors. NRC contains one functional LxxLL motif (LxxLL-1) that binds all nuclear receptors with high affinity. This appears to occur through the formation of NRC dimers, thereby contributing two LxxLL motifs to bind nuclear receptor dimers (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)). A region containing a second LxxLL motif (LxxLL-2) appears to be highly selective for estrogen-bound ER. NRC harbors a potent N-terminal activation domain ("AD1"), which is as active as VP16 activation domain, and a second activation domain ("AD2") which overlaps with the receptor interacting LxxLL-1 region. Receptor binding mediates a conformational change in NRC, resulting in enhanced activity of the co-activator (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)). The C-terminal region of NRC appears to function as a modulatory domain which influences the overall activity of NRC. NRC binds CBP/p300 with high affinity in vivo (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)) and in vitro (Ko et al., "Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Binding Protein, an LXXLL Motif-Containing Protein, Functions as a General Coactivator," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6212-6217 (2000)) suggesting that NRC may be an important functional component of CBP/p300 complexes in the cell.
CBP and p300, which exhibit intrinsic histone acetyl transferase activity ("HAT'), function as transcriptional integrators for multiple factors including p/CAF (a HAT) (Yang et al., "A p300/CBP-Associated Factor that Competes With the Adenoviral Oncoprotein E1A," Nature 382:319-324 (1996)), NF-kB (Perkins et al., "Regulation of NF-kappaB by Cyclin-Dependent Kinases Associated With the p300 Coactivator," Science 275:523-527 (1997)), the STATs (Zhang et al., "Two Contact Regions Between Statl and CBP/p300 in Interferon Gamma Signaling," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:15092-15096 (1996)), nuclear hormone receptors (Chakravarti et al., "Role of CBP/P300 in Nuclear Receptor Signalling," Nature 383:99-103 (1996); Hanstein et al., "p300 is a Component of an Estrogen Receptor Coactivator Complex," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:11540-11545 (1996); Kamei et al., "A CBP Integrator Complex Mediates Transcriptional Activation and AP-1 Inhibition by Nuclear Receptors," Cell 85:403-414 (1996)), the p160 family (Torchia et al., "The Transcriptional Co-Activator p/CIP Binds CBP and Mediates Nuclear-Receptor Function," Nature 387:677-684 (1997); Voegel et al., "The Coactivator TIF2 Contains Three Nuclear Receptor-Binding Motifs and Mediates Transactivation Through CBP Binding-Dependent and -Independent Pathways," EMBO J. 17:507-519 (1998)), E1A (Chakravarti et al., "A Viral Mechanism for Inhibition of p300 and PCAF Acetyltransferase Activity," Cell 96:393-403 (1999)), p53, (Lill et al., "Binding and Modulation of p53 by p300/CBP Coactivators," Nature 387:823-827 (1997)), and NRC (Ko et al., "Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Binding Protein, an LXXLL Motif-Containing Protein, Functions as a General Coactivator," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:6212-6217 (2000); Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)). Although NRC appears to associate With CBP in vivo (Mahajan et al., "A New Family of Nuclear Receptor Coregulators That Integrate Nuclear Receptor Signaling Through CREB-Binding Protein," Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:5048-5063 (2000)), the identity of other factors that are part of this or other NRC complexes that play a role in the action of NRC are unknown. NRC Interacting Factor-1 ("NIF-1"), which associates with and enhances the activity of NRC in vivo, is a novel nuclear protein of the recently proposed BED-finger domain family (Aravind, "The BED Finger, A Novel DNA-Binding Domain in Chromatin-Boundary-Element-Binding Proteins and Transposases," Trends Biochem. Sci. 25:421-423 (2000)) containing six zinc-fingers which directly interacts with NRC but not with nuclear hormone receptors. Although NIF-1 does not bind directly to nuclear hormone receptors, it markedly enhances their ligand-dependent transcriptional activity in vivo. In addition, like NRC, NIF-1 also enhances the activities of cFos and cJun in vivo. Because nuclear hormone receptors are involved in human gene expression, and growth and development, the ability to regulate hormone receptors at the cellular level would provide a powerful tool for diagnosis and treatment in a wide variety of human disease conditions. What is needed now is the isolation and characterization of the nucleotide sequence of a factor which regulates nuclear hormone receptors at the molecular level. Also needed are methods using such a factor for the modulation of transcription factors in human cells, so that endocrine function and cell growth and development can be manipulated for the prevention and treatment of human disease.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.

Nucleic acid molecules encoding NRC interacting factor-1 (NIF-1)


An arrangement for sealing structural members particularly in the case of turbo-engines is provided. A structural member is to be divided along a first plane into segments, which can be moved relative to one another, and is to be movable in a second plane which is angularly offset with respect to the first plane. Projections of the segments sealingly engage in a groove of an additional structural member. Expansion gaps, which are arranged between abutting edges of the segments, are to be sealed off longitudinally and transversely with respect to the course of the gap by sealing plates. In this case, each expansion gap is to be sealed off between a sealing plate arranged transversely to the course of the gap and an opposing surface of the groove acting as a sealing surface by means of a V-shaped insert. The V-shaped insert is actuated by a local pressure difference; is arranged using free legs which spread open in the direction of the groove base; and is expanded in the direction of the opposite sealing surface of the groove.

This invention relates to an arrangement for sealing structural members, particularly in the case of turbo-engines. A structural member is divided along a first plane into segments, which can be moved relative to one another. The structural member is movable in a second plane, which is angularly offset with respect to the first plane. Projections of the segments engage sealingly in a groove of an additional structural member. Expansion gaps are arranged between abutting edges of the segments and are sealed off longitudinally and transversely with respect to the course of the gap via sealing plates.
In the case of turbo-engines, particularly gas turbine engines, guiding baffles of turbines are divided into segments along their circumference, while expansion gaps are left, in order to control differential expansions in the circumferential direction which occur with respect to nonsteady operating conditions. In addition, such guiding baffles, by way of the shroud segments, are arranged radially inside or radially outside on at least one point by means of projections or webs which extend along the circumference. In this manner, the guiding baffles can be moved in the radial direction on grooves of the turbine housing in order to compensate different radial relative expansions with respect to the housing. As a result of the above-mentioned arrangement, thermally caused tensions which occur at the guiding baffle can be reduced.
In the interest of low process losses, the expansion gaps between the shroud segments are sealed off by sealing plates which movably engage in mutual open recesses on the abutting edges. The sealing plates, in view of the course of the expansion gaps and of the projections or webs, abut on one another while they are mutually offset with respect to one another in an axial/radial manner.
In the case of this arrangement, the web or the projection also forms a sealing surface at least with respect to a groove surface. Furthermore, it is a prerequisite that the expansion gaps on the side facing away from the hot gas flow in the guiding baffle, together with the sealing plates, are acted upon by sealing air taken out of the compressor and possibly used also for the cooling of the turbine housing. Because of the movable arrangement of the sealing plates, sealing air circulations against the hot gas flow are virtually unavoidable. In the case of this arrangement, a leakage flow proportion of sealing air, which locally is comparatively large, will occur at the point of the expansion gap, i.e., between the sealing plate, which is in each case arranged radially at the level of the web or the projection, and the corresponding opposite sealing surface of the groove on the projection.
The indicated problems analogously also occur in the case of other combinations of structural members, of which one structural member is segmented in the longitudinal direction.
There is therefore needed a sealing arrangement of the above-described type which, particularly in view of the mentioned critical point on the respective expansion gap of the segmented structural member, creates an optimal sealing which is connected with extremely low process losses.
According to the present invention, this need is met by an arrangement for sealing structural members, particularly in the case of turbo-engines. A structural member is divided along a first plane into segments, which can be moved relative to one another. The structural member is movable in a second plane, which is angularly offset with respect to the first plane. Projections of the segments engage sealingly in a groove of an additional structural member. Expansion gaps are arranged between abutting edges of the segments and are sealed off longitudinally and transversely with respect to the course of the gap via sealing plates. Each expansion gap is sealed off between a sealing plate, which is arranged transversely with respect to the course of the gap, and an opposite surface of the groove acting as a sealing surface, via a V-shaped insert. The V-shaped insert is actuated by a local pressure difference; is arranged in the direction of the groove base using free legs which spread open; is expanded via two legs in the direction of the opposite sealing surface of the groove; is disposed via the expansion in a sealing manner on corresponding oblique abutting surfaces of the segments; and covers the expansion gap via a base wall sloping in the direction of its sealing end face on the groove between both legs.
In this manner, a highly effective sealing of the points of the expansion gaps that are indicated to be critical is achieved In other words, it is achieved that that particular leakage flow of the sealing fluid which consists, for example, of supplied high-pressure air, is drastically reduced. That is the result of the local overflowing of the sealing plate which is arranged radially or approximately in parallel with respect to the locally bent course of the projections.
The present invention is based on a sufficient pressure difference between the fluid pressure (sealing air), which exists at the groove, and the fluid pressure, particularly the hot gas pressure, which exists downstream of the V-shaped insert and is static, for example. In the case of this arrangement, an insert with three sealing surfaces is obtained. These three sealing surfaces are the rear end face disposed on one side of the groove, and the two sealing surfaces which are constructed laterally on the legs. The two sealing surfaces constructed laterally on the legs follow a V-course and are also sloped as a result of the widening of the insert in the direction of the one groove side. With this additional slope, the insert is pressed by way of the pressure difference with its rear end face in a sealing manner against the one side of the groove. As a result of the V-shape, the insert forms sliding surfaces in order to compensate manufacturing tolerances and temperature-caused changes of the expansion gaps. The flattened and correspondingly sloped center or base wall between the two legs of the insert forms relatively large pressure surfaces at the expansion gap which are acted upon by differential pressure. At the mentioned point of the expansion gap, the insert can easily be mounted from the outside. In this case, the local point of the gap has a correspondingly preprofiled recess for the insert between adjacent abutting edges of the segments. In view of the generally relatively small gap width, the insert therefore forms comparatively large structural member surfaces which are effective for the differential pressure.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Arrangement for sealing structural members using a V-shaped insert, particularly in the case of turbo-engines

MTU Motoren- Und Turbinen-Union Muenchen GmbH