A method of manufacture of an electrical bridge including the following steps: (a) providing a first flexible electrically insulating material, (b) laminating a pattern of a second electrically conductive material, on the first material, (c) separating a strap having a connection portion formed from the pattern of electrically conductive material.

Contact-less communication devices have now become fairly common in our everyday life. Such devices notably include contact-less cards, which enable to identify its bearer by a simple swiping movement before a suitable reader, or tags, such as anti-theft tags, to name a few. Such contact-less devices comprise an IC chip, which holds information about the product or the card-bearer, and an antenna, connected to the chip, to transmit this information to the reader.
The antenna classically is a coil comprising many turns, and having two ends, which have to be connected to one another to make the antenna operable. So-called "straps" have been used to electrically connect these two ends, without short-circuiting the turns of the antenna located between the ends. An example can be found in WO 2007/068,280. This example is satisfactory in many respects.
However, one strives to provide alternative ways to manufacture IC contact-less communication devices.

Method of manufacture of IC contactless communication devices


A device for adapting aerodynamic characteristics of a wing element, includes a winglet, movably attachable to a wing element. The winglet or parts of the winglet may be rotatable in relation to the wing element such that an associated rotary axis with a main direction of extension of the wing element encompasses an angle that differs from an angle of 90°. In addition, a method is disclosed.

In modern commercial aircraft, more and more frequently winglets are used, whose purpose it is to reduce the induced resistance of the wing and to increase the Ca/Cw ratio and thus to reduce the resistance and the fuel consumption.
Generally speaking, winglets are rigid constructions at the end of the wings, comprising an aerodynamic profile that is positioned at three specified angles to the direction of airflow. The alignment of the winglets is designed for the longest flight phase, namely for cruising. Moreover, the maximum effect of the winglets is achieved during cruising. This means that winglets are designed for high Mach numbers Ma=0.8 and approx. 10,000 m cruising altitude with corresponding air pressure, density and temperature. The flight phases of climbing flight, approach to landing, takeoff and landing are not taken into account in the above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,563 and US 2004/0000619 A1 each disclose a foldable winglet that may rotate in relation to the wing on an attachment axis and that during flight may be moved between a folded-in and a folded-out position.
Since the aerodynamic load on the winglets is above all extremely high at a large angle of yaw and during lateral gusts, the winglets must be designed so as to be enormously robust for these load cases. Due to the load introduction from the winglet to the wing element, the wing element must then also be designed so as to be correspondingly robust.
WO 03/00547 discloses that loads resulting from vertical maneuvers may be reduced by local control surfaces on the winglet, in that by opening these control surfaces the aerodynamic load is reduced.

Concept of a variable winglet for lateral load reduction for combined lateral and vertical load reduction, and for improving the performance of means of locomotion


An apparatus and method are disclosed for fabricating thin films for use in an active component of an integrated circuit by the use of an assembly line type process. A plurality of substrate stations are located on a platen which is rotated to move each station sequentially between a misted deposition device, a drying device, and a solidification device. The misted deposition device includes a mist showerhead in a movable housing. The mist showerhead separates a velocity reduction chamber from a deposition chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus and methods that more efficiently fabricate thin films for use in the active components of integrated circuits, and more particularly, such apparatus and methods employing misted liquid deposition devices and techniques.
2. Statement of the Problem
The formation of thin films of complex chemical compounds such as metal oxides, ferroelectrics, materials with high dielectric constants, and so on, is very important in the integrated circuit art. It is particularly difficult to form thin films for use in active components in integrated circuits; that is, components that perform an electrical function, such as charge storage or control, as opposed to materials that merely serve as temporary sacrificial layers or insulation or protective packaging for an integrated circuit. This difficulty arises from the fact that even minor microscopic defects can result in the loss of an entire device, and thus significantly decrease the yield and increase the cost of producing integrated circuits. Thus, the art of fabricating thin films for active components is a highly developed art with much ongoing research.
Some methods of forming thin films of complex chemical compounds for integrated circuits are: physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques, such as thermal, electron beam, molecular beam epitaxy, laser ablation and sputtering; chemical vapor deposition (CVD); and misted deposition. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,114 issued Jul. 15, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,945 issued Oct. 10, 1995. All of these methods are used in commercial manufacturing systems, though they each have significant disadvantages. PVD techniques typically require a deposition environment of medium vacuum (.about.10.sup.-3 to 25 torr), high vacuum (.about.10.sup.-7 to 10.sup.-3 torr), or very high vacuum (.about.10.sup.-12 to 10.sup.-7 torr) to create or maintain an evaporate vapor, to prevent contamination from atmospheric gases, and/or to create sub-micron thin films. Such vacuums can be costly to create and maintain, and the corresponding vacuum pumps themselves have the potential of introducing contaminants (such as oil) into the deposition chambers unless additional preventative measures are introduced. Further, the physical necessity of pumping the vacuum chambers to the corresponding operating range and waiting until the interior surfaces have completed outgasing the residual atmospheric gases can take from several hours to several days. Such costs and delays reduce the efficiency and, hence, the commercial value of large-scale PVD manufacturing. Although CVD can operate at low vacuum (.about.25 to 760 torr), CVD requires transport of the precursors of the material desired to be deposited via chemically reactive carrier gases. The chemical reactions or decompositions that result in the desired deposition also frequently create exhaust products that are toxic or corrosive, which then require additional procedures (typically involving scrubbers) to prevent their release into the atmosphere. Further, CVD requires cleaning of the deposition chamber on a frequent and regular basis to maintain high quality of the thin films subsequently fabricated in the same chamber. As in PVD techniques, such encumbrances erode the efficiency of large-scale manufacturing by CVD. Misted deposition devices and processes in the prior art operate at low vacuum and do not require the maintenance of CVD devices, but are not suited to large-scale manufacturing since only one wafer can be fabricated at a time. Thus, an apparatus and method for producing thin films for use in active components in integrated circuits that is capable of sustained continuous or semi-continuous production that is easy and relatively cheap to maintain, produces a finished and consistently high quality thin film, permits a shorter production time, and results in high yields of integrated circuit chips would be highly desirable.

Multiple station apparatus for liquid source fabrication of thin films


A nitride glass with the general formula αxβyγz is provided wherein α is a glass modifier comprising at least one electropositive element. β comprises Si, B, Ge, a and/or Al. γ is N or N together with O, whereby the atomic ratio of O:N is in the interval from 65:35 to 0:100.

Silicon nitride and sialon based materials are recognized as ceramics in high temperature engineering applications due to their high chemical and thermal stability combined with superior mechanical properties. In these systems, self-diffusion processes are relatively slow and they may require an oxide-sintering additive to provide conditions for liquid phase sintering. During sintering, the additive reacts with silica on the surface of the silicon nitride particles and some of the nitride forms an oxynitride liquid, which is converted into a glass phase during cooling. The composition and volume fraction of such oxynitride glass phases strongly influence the properties of the materials.
The glass forming regions have been investigated by many different researchers. The existence of sialon glass was first reported by K. H. Jack, J. Mat. Sci. Rev. 11 (1976) 1135-1158. T. H. Elmer, and M. E. Nordberg, J. Amer. Cer. Soc. 50 (1967) 275-279, introduced nitrogen into a high silica glass by heating the melt in NH3 atmosphere. H. O. Mulfinger, J. Amer. Cer. Soc. 49 (1966) 462-467 produced nitrogen containing soda-lime glass by adding Si3N4 to the synthesis mixture. The effect of nitrogen concentration in silica glass on the hardness properties was studied by Shillito et al. Cer. Soc. 63 (1978) 537. It was suggested that the incorporation of N2 into a silica glass affects the material properties due to the difference in the bonding strength of Si—N compared to Si—O.
By comparing Y-sialon glasses with SiO2—Y2O3—Al2O3 glasses an increase in hardness could be pointed out by introducing nitrogen in the silica glass, where oxygen atoms are partly replaced by N3−. The hardness of the glasses was increased with an increase of nitrogen content.
R. E. Loehman, J. Non-Crys. Solids 56 (1983) 123-134 disclosed that mixtures of oxides and nitrides could be melted and quenched to form glass. By introducing nitrogen into the oxosilicate glass, several material properties were improved, such as increase in the glass transition temperature, hardness, fracture toughness, elastic modulus and chemical durability.
The dissolution of nitrogen in oxosilicate melts was further studied by E. A. Dancy and D. Janssen, Canadian Metallurgical Quarter 15[2] (1976) 103-110, who reacted CaO—Al2O3—SiO2 at 1550° C. in 1 atm. N2 gas. The amount of 0.25 to 2.5 wt % nitrogen could be incorporated by this technique while as high as 4 wt % nitrogen was incorporated by dissolving solid Si3N4 in the melt. The nitrogen concentration in the melt is probably due to the strong and much favorable triple bond in the N2 molecule.
Jack et al. disclosed bulk samples of oxynitride glass obtained by pressure-less heat treatment of a mixture of 14Y2O3-59SiO2-27AlN in a boron nitride crucible at 1700° C. in nitrogen atmosphere. This sample was found to have a refractive index of 1.76 and a nitrogen concentration of 9 at % corresponding to an O:N ratio of 86:14.
Silicate glass is usually made from oxosilicates. The highest possible condensation degree in pure oxosilicates is found for SiO2, wherein every oxygen atom is coordinated by two silicon atoms. It is possible to form glass from pure SiO2.
This form of glass has been found to have many superior physical properties, such as a high melting point, good mechanical properties and transparency for UV photons. However, a high synthesis temperature is needed for the formation of SiO2 glass. Glass modifiers such as Na+, K+ and Ba2+ are added to SiO2 in different concentrations in order to lower the melting temperatures and the manufacturing cost. By introducing glass modifiers, the network structure of SiO2 is partially broken and some of the oxygen atoms are therefore connected only to one silicon atom. Oxygen atoms connected to only one silicon atom are called apex atoms and oxygen atoms connected to two silicon atoms are named bridging atoms. The three dimensional Si—O network in the glass can be maintained when only one out of four oxygen atoms of the SiO4 tetrahedra are apex. At least three oxygen atoms must be bridging between two silicon atoms to get a three dimensional network.
This restriction of the condensation degree makes it possible to form oxosilicate glass only in the composition range SiO2-MxSiO2.5. The highest concentration of the glass modifier can therefore only be x=1.0 for monovalent cations such as Na+ and K+, x=0.5 for divalent cations such as Ba2+ and Pb2+, x=0.333 for trivalent cations such as La3+ and Y3+ and x=0.25 for the four valent Th4+.
The concept of introducing nitrogen into the glass chemistry has previously been used in sialon glasses. By quenching melts of M-Si—Al—O—N from high temperatures, glass phases of sialons with glass modifiers such as La3+ and Y3+ were obtained. The composition limit concerning Ln (lanthanide) content, which were used as the glass modifiers, and nitrogen content was reached with the composition La5Si10Al5O27.5N5, described by N. K. Schneider, H. Lemercier and S. Hampshire, Materials Science Forum, 325-326 (2000) 265-270. This composition gives the highest lanthanum and nitrogen content ever obtained in a nitride based glass at ambient pressure. The cationic composition given in atomic percent is then La:25%, Si:50% and Al:25% and the anionic composition given in the same way is O:84.2% and N:15.8%. The synthesis technique used for preparation of such glasses has limited the nitrogen content as well as the glass modifier content (lanthanum in the example mentioned above).
Accordingly, the glass materials that are present today have a nitrogen content corresponding to the O:N ratio of 84.2:15.8. However, since demands for new glass materials having higher strength and improved physical properties in other respects, not least for various optical, ceramical and coating-technological applications, continuously are raised, it would be a great advantage to provide new materials with even better properties.
One oxonitride glass with higher lanthanum and nitrogen content has been disclosed by A. Makishima, M. Mitomo, H. Tanaka, N. Ii and M. Tsutsumi, Yogyo-Kyokai-Shi 88[11] (1980) 701, possible to synthesis only at high nitrogen pressure (30 atm.). The composition of this glass have been reported as La19.3Si20.0O42.5N18.2, corresponding to a La:Si ratio of 49:51 and an O:N ratio of 70:30.
W. Schnick et al. Chem., 9 (1999) 289 introduced a route for introducing nitrogen into the silicate chemistry other than the obvious reaction of the silicate melt with N2 gas for synthesis of crystalline nitridosilicates, oxonitridosilicates and oxonitridoaluminosilicates, i.e. not glass materials, by using electropositive metals together with silicon diimide (Si(NH)2) in a radio frequency furnace. The above mentioned synthesis route was accordingly used only for producing crystalline phases.
The glass materials described above have certain limitations in chemical composition regarding both nitrogen content as well as concentration of glass modifiers. The chemical composition of such material is a crucial parameter defining the physical properties and for that reason also different possibilities in applications.
A problem with nitrogen containing glass today is that there are requirements for even better physical properties of glass than is known today. There are no known methods for increasing the nitrogen content of the glass and thereby try to improve its properties. The method of Makishima et al has yielded the highest known nitrogen-content, but that method has the disadvantage of requiring complicated equipment and is expensive.

Glass material and method of preparing said glass


A convertible panel includes a number of sub-panels which are movable between a first position in which the panels extend in the same plane to define a unified panel and a configuration in which one or more of the panels are moved into other planes which allow them to form steps. Multiple of the rotated panels may form a sequence of steps, e.g. a staircase. The convertible panel may be moved via a robotic mount, whereby the position or orientation of the convertible panel may be changed.

A wide variety of devices are used for entertainment purposes. For example, electronic displays are now extremely common and are utilized in a variety of environments. Such displays were initially used primarily in television sets and were later used with computers. Initially, these displays were primarily CRT type displays which were large and bulky.
In recent years, other display technologies have been developed. Plasma, LCD, LED and other types of displays are now commercially producible in large display sizes. At the same time, however, these displays are generally thin, thus taking up much less space than CRT type displays offering the same display area.
As such, these displays are now utilized for a variety of purposes. For example, large displays are used at stadiums to present replays of sporting events. These types of displays are also sometimes mounted to walls in stores to present advertising information.
In order to attract attention to advertising, graphic information may be presented on the displays. This information may comprise exciting patterns, such as in bright colors, flashing effects and the like, to draw attention to the display. Still, these displays may be overlooked and advertisers and other users of these displays continue to seek new ways to use these displays and increase their viewership.
Other types of entertainment devices may be used in other settings. For example, in a theatrical production, large props may be located on a stage. The props may be moved into various positions to create different scenes and various actions. The props are often moved manually, such as with ropes and pulleys, limiting the situations where they may be used or their effectiveness. To move some props, ladders or stepping stools may be required. Further, ladders and stepping stools or grounded staircases could be used themselves as props.
Various problems exist when moving these types of entertainment devices or objects or in configuring them for use.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Robotically controlled, convertible staircase


A liquid crystal display device includes a pixel electrode substrate including a pixel electrode and a counter electrode formed thereon; a counter substrate provided to face the pixel electrode substrate; and a liquid crystal interposed between the pixel electrode substrate and the counter substrate, the liquid crystal display device being of a mode that rotates liquid crystal molecules substantially in parallel to the pixel electrode substrate. In the display device, an initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to an extension direction of at least one of the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, and a pixel includes at least one convex portion or concave portion that has a long and narrow shape and whose longitudinal direction has an oblique angle with respect to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules in the same direction as a desired liquid crystal rotation direction.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to structures of display pixels in horizontal electric field type liquid crystal display devices (LCDs), as represented by fringe field switching mode (FFS) and in-plane switching mode (IPS).
Related Art
In horizontal electric field type LCDs, light transmittance is controlled by applying an electric field between pixel electrodes to rotate liquid crystal molecules from an initial alignment direction.
In the above LCDs, an alignment angle of the liquid crystal molecules changes depending on which direction the liquid crystal molecules rotate: right or left, whereby optical characteristics also change.
In addition, when a rightward rotating liquid crystal molecule region and a leftward rotating liquid crystal molecule region are formed in a single region, a specific region, called "disclination", occurs at a boundary between the regions. The disclination does not contribute to light transmission and thus degrades transmittance, or depending on a shape of the occurred specific region, variation occurs in transmittance of each pixel, thereby causing a problem of display unevenness.
Accordingly, in conventional horizontal electric field type LCDs, in order to specify a rotation direction of liquid crystal molecules at a time of application of voltage with respect to an initial alignment direction (a rubbing direction or a photo alignment direction) of the liquid crystal molecules, an extension direction of pixel electrodes and counter electrodes has been oriented obliquely with respect to the initial alignment direction so that the direction of electric field is not perpendicular to the initial alignment direction.
Japanese Patent No. 3267224 (Patent Literature 1) is an example of the related art, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H7-43721 (Patent Literature 2) is another example of the related art.
FIGS. 7 and 8 depict examples of pixel structures of conventional ordinary horizontal electric field type liquid crystal elements; FIG. 9 is an illustrative view depicting a disorder of a liquid crystal initial alignment state at a pixel electrode side wall portion; FIG. 10 is an illustrative view depicting a polarization state of reflected light when linearly polarized light is input to and reflected by a wiring metal side wall portion; and FIG. 11 is an illustrative view depicting a direction of an electric field and a rotation direction of a liquid crystal molecule in a vicinity of an end part of a pixel electrode.
Due to the restriction mentioned above, as depicted in the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8, the direction of the electrodes is oblique with respect to the initial alignment direction, so that an entire shape of the pixels also becomes a shape like a combination of shapes having an oblique inclination with respect to the initial alignment direction. Specifically, it is inevitable to form a complicated shape, such as "a dogleg shape" (FIG. 7) or "a combination of a plurality of dogleg shapes" (FIG. 8), which has been a factor causing reduction in aperture ratio. In FIG. 7, the pixels are formed into a distorted shape due to the oblique electrode shapes. On the other hand, in FIG. 8, the pixels have a rectangular shape in which the presence of a dead space significantly reduces the aperture ratio.
In addition, as depicted in FIG. 9, the initial alignment direction and an extension direction of a stepped part around a pixel electrode are not parallel or perpendicular to each other. Thus, in an extreme vicinity of the electrode stepped part, an influence of a shape of the stepped part causes the initial alignment direction to be oriented in an extension direction of the pixel electrode, thereby causing leakage of light. Reference sign 11g denotes a liquid crystal molecule whose alignment direction has shifted due to the influence of the stepped part.
In addition, as depicted in FIG. 10, when a pixel electrode, a counter electrode, a signal line, and the like are made of metal and, at a time of reflection of linearly polarized light impinging to a side wall of the electrode or the wire, a polarization direction and a direction of the side wall are not parallel or orthogonal to each other, a polarization angle of the reflected light changes, which has been a factor causing leakage of light. An arrow of reference sign 13a denotes a polarization state of the incident light, and an arrow of reference sign 14a denotes a polarization state of the reflected light.
In addition, in the conventional horizontal electric field type LCDs, as described above, the rotation direction of liquid crystal molecules are specified by arranging the pixel electrodes and the counter electrodes obliquely with respect to the initial alignment direction to generate the direction of the electric field obliquely. However, as depicted in FIG. 11, in the vicinity of the end part of the electrode, the generation direction of the electric field radically changes to turn to the opposite rotation direction, thereby generating a region in which a part of the liquid crystal molecules are oppositely rotated. Reference sign 11h denotes an oppositely rotating liquid crystal molecule, and an arrow of reference sign 11i denotes a direction in which the electric field is easily rotated.
Additionally, since an angle is formed in the direction of the electric field with respect to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules, rotation torque efficiency is degraded. Thus, it has been necessary to apply high voltage.
As means for solving the problems mentioned above, Patent Literature 1 in the conventional art discloses a technique in which slits are formed on insulating films provided between a pixel electrode and a common electrode, an extension direction of each slit is arranged in a direction opposite to a desired liquid crystal rotation direction to thereby bend the direction of an electric field passing through the slit in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the slit. This technique can provide an electric effect substantially equivalent to that obtained by arranging the electrodes obliquely with respect to an initial alignment direction. Thus, there can be obtained an advantageous effect in that the initial alignment direction and the extension direction of the pixel electrode can be made substantially parallel to each other.
In the above technique, however, the extension direction of the slit is arranged in the direction opposite to the desired liquid crystal rotation direction. Due to this, liquid crystal molecules near an edge of the slit aligned along the edge thereof tend to be aligned in a rotation direction opposite to an originally desired liquid crystal rotation direction. Thus, there has been a problem of increased risk of causing opposite rotation.
Additionally, regarding a structure that changes an alignment state by forming a plurality of projections on a pixel electrode substrate or a counter substrate, there is a known structure as disclosed in Patent Literature 2. However, the technique of Patent Literature 2 has been proposed to make large a mean value of pre-tilt angles of liquid crystal on the substrate, and thus does not consider a planar shape and a planar anisotropy of the projection structure.
Furthermore, in the above arrangement, the projection structure does not have any planar anisotropy, as mentioned above, and therefore has no influence on a rotation direction of liquid crystal molecules in the horizontal electric field type liquid crystal display device.


Non-invasive methods for accurately classifying Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a challenging task. In the present disclosure, a two stage classification is performed. In the first stage of classification, a metadata based rule engine is utilized to classify a subject into one of a confirmed CAD subject, a CAD subject and a non-CAD subject. Here, a set of optimal parameters are selected from a set of metadata associated with the subject based on a difference in frequency of occurrence of the CAD among a disease population and a non-disease population. Further, an optimal threshold associated with each optimal parameter is calculated based on an inflexion based correlation analysis. Further, the CAD subject, classified by the metadata based rule engine is further reclassified in a second stage by utilizing a set of cardiovascular signal into one of the CAD subject and the non-CAD subject.

A Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), is a common cardiovascular disease affecting millions of people every year. The CAD typically occurs due to deposition of cholesterol and other fatty materials over time on the inner wall of a coronary artery. The deposition causes gradual loss of natural elastic property of the coronary artery and thereby restricting the free flow of blood in the coronary artery. The restriction of free flow of blood in the coronary artery causes chest pain (angina) and heart attack.
Typically, a Coronary Angiogram (CAG) is considered as a gold standard technique for clinically identifying the CAD along with the level of heart blockage. However, the CAG is an invasive procedure and is associated with mortality risk. Additionally, the CAG is not freely available and requires a modern hospital set-up to carry out. Moreover, the CAG may not detect an onset of CAD and there is a challenge in using the CAG as a mass screening system for detecting CAD. Moreover, the conventional methods for identifying the CAD are utilizing multiple cardiovascular biomedical signals including heart sound or phonocardiogram (PCG), electrocardiogram (ECG), photoplethysmogram (PPG) and the like. Moreover, demography, life style, self and family medical history of a subject also play important roles to estimate cardiac risk factor of the subject. Hence, there is a challenge in developing a method for an early non-invasive and accurate detection of the CAD.

System and method for classification of coronary artery disease based on metadata and cardiovascular signals


A spread spectrum communication system uses a leaky coaxial cable for cost effective radio communication in enclosed areas. The system includes radio units which communicate with a transceiver, the transceiver being coupled to the leaky coaxial cable. Full-duplex communication includes a first frequency band for transmitting spread spectrum signals from the transceiver to the radio units at power levels which are adjusted to take advantage of the losses associated with leaky coaxial cable, and a second frequency band for transmitting spread spectrum signals from the radio units to the transceiver at the more conventional spread spectrum power levels speicified by the FCC. The present invention employs this split band configuration to accommodate communication over leaky coaxial cable without expensive and bulky filtering for isolation between the transmit and receive signals.

Spread spectrum technology has been known for some time. A spread spectrum system is one in which the transmitted signal is spread over a wide frequency band. Typically, the frequency band over which the transmitted signal is spread is wider, by a substantial margin, than the minimum bandwidth required to transmit the information being sent. For example, a spread spectrum system may convert a base-band signal having a bandwidth of a few kilo-Hertz (kHz) to a spread spectrum signal having a bandwidth of many Giga-Hertz (GHz), and transmit the signal using that wider bandwidth.
Spread spectrum signals are typically generated using code modulation such as frequency hopping or direct sequence coding. Because of this code modulation, the power transmitted is low in any narrow frequency region. The power density of a spread spectrum signal is far less than that of more conventional signals in which all the transmitted power is sent in a band of frequencies commensurate with the baseband information bandwidth.
Spread spectrum communication provides a number of advantages over more conventional types of communication systems. These advantages include selective addressing capability, coupled access for code division multiplexing, message screening from eavesdroppers and low-density power spectra for signal hiding. These characteristics are useful and highly desirable in many types of radio communication systems. These and other characteristics of spread spectrum technology are described in SPREAD SPECTRUM SYSTEMS, edited by Robert C. Dixon, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1984).
For purposes of background information dealing with conventional spread spectrum systems, as well as for supplemental information dealing with modular yet conventional segments of the illustrative embodiments set forth herein, the reader's attention is directed to the following references: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,455,651, and 4,086,504, dealing with wireless systems employing spread spectrum techniques; U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,519, dealing with a narrow bandwidth spread spectrum system using an AC power line as an antenna; U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,208, concerning a voice/data spread spectrum system; U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,514, dealing with a spread spectrum radio receiver for frequency hopped signals; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,605, dealing with a data/voice communication system based on spectrum spreading.
One rather unique type of radio communication system employs a radiating (or "leaky") transmission line, such as leaky coaxial cable, throughout a confined area to provide coverage in that area. Leaky transmission line is advantageous, because it provides for total coverage of a restricted area. Thus, it is not uncommon to find leaky transmission line in tunnels, offices and other areas that are frequency-blocked from externally located wide area coverage communication systems.
Combining leaky transmission line with spread spectrum technology in a single system, to realize the advantages of both technologies, has been recognized as a worthwhile objective. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,732 these technologies are described as part of a single system having radio units communicating over a radiating transmission line, with each radio unit communicating using a uniquely assigned spreading code. Unfortunately, there are problems associated with the implementation of this technological combination which have not been overcome.
A fundamental problem with such a system involves regulations defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC has allocated certain bands for use of spread spectrum radio transmissions having a power level of up to one Watt. These FCC bands are commonly referred to as the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands and are respectively assigned to the frequency ranges of 902-928 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz and 5725-5850 MHz. Although operation at 2400-2483.5 MHz is conceivable with leaky coaxial cable, there remains a number of unsolved problems concerning coupling losses and attenuation in leaky coaxial cable at this frequency. Moreover, due to attenuation, leaky coaxial cable is not typically useful for frequency transmissions in excess of 2 GHz. Thus, the most practical ISM band is in the 902-928 MHz region.
The 26 MHz bandwidth in the 902-928 MHz region is, however, narrow and complicates full-duplex spread spectrum communication over leaky coaxial cable. This is because a 26 MHz bandwidth does not allow for the provision of sufficient isolation between the transmit and receive signals without the aid of extensive filtering tools, which can be expensive and occupy an excessive amount of space.
Accordingly, there is a need for a spread spectrum communication system using leaky coaxial cable that can be implemented in a cost effective manner while overcoming the afore-mentioned problems.

Communication system using spread spectrum and leaky transmission line


The invention provides an agent comprising an amino acid sequence for use in a method of diagnosis of a synucleinopathic disease.

The present invention relates to peptides and their derivatives which are useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of synucleinopathies. These are diseases associated with abnormalities in one or more of the synucleins and include some important neurodegenerative conditions, for example Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). The synucleins are also expressed at abnormally high levels in various tumours (e.g. breast, ovarian) in human cancer.
The synucleins are a family of small proteins (˜14 kDa) that are expressed at high levels in nervous tissue. The three members of the family (α-, β-, and γ-synuclein) are the products of three genes present on different chromosomes. Convergent genetic and biochemical evidence suggests that the deposition of insoluble α-synuclein aggregates or fibrils is an important step in the development of several synucleinopathies.
The first indication of an involvement of α-synuclein in the pathogenesis of disease came from the isolation of one of its proteolytic fragments from purified amyloid of Alzheimer's diseased (AD) brains. This α-synuclein fragment, representing about 10% of the sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) insoluble material, was named non-Aβ-component of AD amyloid (NAC). Amino acid sequencing revealed that NAC comprised at least 35 amino acids, although the N-terminal residues could not be assigned with certainty because of the specificity of the enzyme used in sequencing. These 35 amino acids were later shown to correspond to residues 61-95 of a 140 amino-acid precursor (NACP). NACP was found to be identical with the protein called α-synuclein.
A clear genetic link with PD was established when it was shown that three different mutations in the α-synuclein gene were found in rare inherited forms of this disease. One mutation, α-synuclein (A53T), has been found in certain Italian and Greek families, and results in an Ala53 to Thr substitution. The other mutation, α-synuclein (A30P), has been found in a family of German origin, and results in an A1a30 to Pro change, and the last mutation E46K was found in familial Parkinsonism and DLB. Furthermore, Genetic duplications and triplications of the SNCA locus have also been reported in familial cases of PD suggesting that increase in gene dosage of SNCA, which concurrently results in an increase in levels of wild-type α-synuclein protein, is also pathogenic. Duplications of SNCA closely resemble idiopathic PD with late-age onset, slow progression and the absence of dementia and cognitive decline. Alternatively, SNCA triplications, result in early-onset PD with faster progression and dementia.
Additionally, lesions in the brain known as 'Lewy bodies' and 'Lewy neurites' constitute the main pathological features in the brains of patients with PD and DLB. These Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites contain α-synuclein aggregates. Additional immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopy studies have shown that α-synuclein is also associated with pathological lesions in other neurodegenerative diseases, sometimes involving non-neuronal cells, such as the glial cytoplasmic inclusions found in MSA. Thus PD, AD, DLB and MSA are herein referred to collectively as synucleinopathies.
It has recently been reported that lesions similar to those found in the human synucleinopathic diseases can be created in transgenic animals. The transgenic animals express high levels of human wild-type or mutant α-synuclein protein and progressively develop many of the pathological conditions associated with synucleinopathic diseases. These findings implicate α-synuclein protein aggregate deposition in the pathophysiology of the synucleinopathic diseases. Interestingly, the three human α-synuclein mutations appear to accelerate the aggregation process. The full amino acid sequence of human wild-type α-synuclein is provided as SEQ. ID No. 1.


A vacuum cleaner includes: a body case having an outer circumferential surface formed along either a circular arc or a polygon; a drive wheel allowing travel of the body case on a cleaning target surface; a side brush provided to the body case to be movable in a certain direction. The side brush: projects from the outer circumferential surface of the body case by an amount that changes in response to movement; includes a brush body movable to retreat toward the outer circumferential surface of the body case in response to external force acting in a direction crossing the certain direction; and includes a cleaning unit rotatably provided to the brush body. The cleaning unit rotates to clean the cleaning target surface. The side brush projecting from an outer circumferential surface of a body case can retreat readily and reliably when the side brush contacts an obstacle.

A conventionally-known so-called autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner (cleaning robot), for example, cleans a cleaning target surface while traveling autonomously on the cleaning target surface and detecting an obstacle or the like by using a sensor and the like. Such a vacuum cleaner includes a body case with a dust collecting part, and the like. A dust collecting port communicating with the dust collecting part is formed in a lower part of the body case. A pair of drive wheels to make the body case travel autonomously is attached to the lower part of the body case. The body case is provided with the dust collecting part. For cleaning, dust and dirt is fed to the dust collecting part through the dust collecting port with an electric blower housed in the body case or a rotary brush arranged at the dust collecting port.
In this vacuum cleaner, the positioning of the drive wheels on both sides of the dust collecting port make it impossible to broaden the dust collecting port in a direction toward both sides. Thus, for cleaning of a place beyond the reach of the dust collecting port such as one near a wall, for example, side brushes with which dust and dirt is to be swept up and collected into the dust collecting port are provided on both sides of the lower part of the body case and ahead of the drive wheels. In this structure, making the side brushes project as much as possible from the body case expands a cleanable area. However, if the side brushes project excessively from the body case, the side brushes may get snagged on an obstacle and the like while the body case is traveling and cause a risk of interfering with the travel. Thus, it is preferable that the side brushes project from the body case but retreat immediately when the side brushes contact an obstacle.

TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION


Fine graphite particles include plate-like graphite particles; and an aromatic vinyl copolymer which is adsorbed on the plate-like graphite particles, and which contains a vinyl aromatic monomer unit represented by the following formula (1):—(CH2—CHX)—  (1)(in the formula (1), X represents a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthracenyl group, or a pyrenyl group, provided that these groups may have each a substituent).

Graphite particles have various excellent characteristics such as excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity, as well as lubricity and light weight. In various fields, the characteristics of graphite particles are imparted to resin-formed articles and the like by dispersing graphite particles in a resin. However, graphite particles are easily aggregated, have a low affinity for resins or solvents, and hence are dispersed in a resin or a solvent in an aggregated state. When graphite particles in such an aggregated state are dispersed in a resin or a solvent, the characteristics tend to be expressed insufficiently.
For this reason, various methods for preparing fine graphite particles have been proposed so far in order to highly disperse graphite particles in a resin or a solvent. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 2-204317 (PTL 1) discloses a method for preparing a fine graphite by dry-grinding a graphite powder with a vibration mill. Although graphite particles become fine, such a mechanical process has a problem that the structure of the graphite is destroyed, and hence the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength of the obtained fine graphite particles are lowered.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-53773 (PTL 2) discloses a method for preparing thin film-shaped graphite oxide particles by oxidizing graphite. Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-242209 (PTL 3) discloses a method for organically modifying a graphite by ion-exchange a cation on a surface of a surface-oxidized graphite obtained by subjecting the graphite to an oxidation treatment for a cationic organic compound. According to these methods, graphite oxide particles can be obtained which can be highly dispersed in a resin or a solvent, and the characteristics of graphite can be imparted to a resin or the like by dispersing such graphite oxide particles in the resin.
However, the characteristics of fine graphite particles obtained by oxidation tend to be degraded as compared with the characteristics of the graphite particles used as the raw material, and such fine graphite particles still have room for improvement in terms of sufficient expression of original characteristics of graphite.

Fine graphite particles, graphite particle-dispersed liquid containing the same, and method for producing fine graphite particles


A display retraction assembly for a multi-display visualization device is provided comprising a first track in a first vertical plane, a second track in a second vertical plane offset from the first track, a display support member operably connected to the first track and second track and a display connected to the display support member wherein the display is movable simultaneously with the display support member along the first track and second track.

Multi-display visualization systems, or systems having multiple displays integrated to display a continuous image, provide users the opportunity for physical immersion in data. Data is wide ranging and may include, but is not limited to, geophysical exploration, manufacturing design, computational fluid dynamics, seismic interpretation and well planning, biotechnology research, medical field training, research analysis, and interactive simulations. Multi-display visualization systems allow a user to analyze and interpret spatially related data quickly with multiple, surrounding screens. Further, multi-display visualization systems enhance awareness retention by engaging the entire brain of a user through physical and sensory immersion. These systems also enable a user to intuitively navigate realistic, life-size environments. Multi-display visualization systems may also incorporate stereoscopic technology for the display of three-dimensional imagery and motion tracking technology to enable interactive interface with the visualization system.
Multi-display visualization systems may include one or more displays positioned at the eye level of a user. For example, this arrangement may include a forward display surrounded by one or more side displays. Further, the visualization system may include an overhead or ceiling display or a floor display. The structural arrangement of the system enables a seamless presentation of images between displays.
Each display may include a screen having a projection element, for example an image projector. The projector may be positioned behind the screen, or on the opposite side of the screen from the user. An image may then be projected from the projector toward the screen, enabling a user to view the image on the screen without seeing the projection element. The displays are integrated through a computer processing platform which transforms the desired data into separate images. Each of the separate images are projected on a corresponding display. The combination of the processing platform, display arrangement and the seamless transition between displays enables a user to view the separate display images as a single, continuous visual image.
These visualization systems have numerous practical advantages. For example, combat soldiers may be safely trained through immersion in simulated scenarios which may otherwise present a substantial risk of injury or death to a trainee. The scenarios may include simulations of aerial, ground or sea combat conditions. Further, these visualization systems allow for interactive research or design by placing a user inside the selected data. For example, a surgeon may develop new surgical techniques through interaction with or immersion within a simulated patient. In another example, geologists may explore or research underground areas of the earth without the high cost or need for extensive drilling. The listed advantages above are merely exemplary and not limiting.
However, multi-display visualization systems currently in use have physical limitations when constructed or integrated into a building or structure. A visualization system having both a ceiling display and a floor display requires substantial structural provisions for proper installation. As indicated above, each display may have a projection element positioned behind or on the non-user side of each associated display screen. A standard room in a building or structure may not have the necessary height to address the spatial requirements for proper housing and operation of both the ceiling and floor displays. Accordingly, a specially constructed custom room having sufficient height to house the entire visualization system is often necessary. In situations where a custom room is either cost or space prohibited, a subfloor and/or a vaulted subceiling may be constructed to house the ceiling and floor display equipment. However, this also can entail substantial construction costs and result in the loss of potentially limited space on the floors above and/or below the visualization system.
When construction of a custom room or a subfloor/subceiling is not practicable, a user of a multi-display visualization system may choose the alternative of selecting between a ceiling or floor display. When space is limited, currently the least expensive approach is to mount a projection element overhead, above the visualization system. In this arrangement, a projection element is positioned overhead or above the visualization system and projects downward, either on a ceiling screen or on a floor screen. These multi-display visualization systems currently in use do not allow for the selective removal of a ceiling display screen due to the tight alignment tolerances between displays required to produce a seamless image.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a device which provides a user of a multi-display visualization system the option to display an image on either a ceiling display or on a floor display without necessitating the added expense of a specialized structure. Further, it would be advantageous to have a device which allows a user to easily retract and replace a ceiling display while maintaining the alignment tolerances with other displays to preserve a seamless image.

Display transformation assembly for a visualization system


A modular display system for display devices, especially flat screen monitors which is a hub and spoke design whereby multiple monitors are mounted at the same hub height. The display system has means for locking the height of each display device using a cam and brake concept adjusted using a jackscrew. For quick change-out of display devices, a bayonet mount is used to attach the display device to the spokes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for supporting one or more display panels. More particularly, the support system provides a means for supporting multiple displays such as flat screen liquid crystal display devices and enables their adjustment so as to maintain the screens in a common visual plane. The invention particularly relates to a modular hub and spoke system which provides easy alignment, greater range of adjustment, and which has, therefore, multiple uses.
2. Background and Prior Art
Computerized workstations can provide very large amounts of information provided that there is adequate display surface area. Banks of cathode ray tube monitors characterize a variety of work stations, including industrial control rooms, television broadcast studios and securities brokerages. The evolution of flat screen liquid crystal displays (LCD) has greatly reduced the size of monitors as well as decreased their weight and heat loading. The improved flexibility available for work station design requires methods for mounting multiple flat screens so that they are equally readable from the same viewing location (i.e. in the same focal plane) and adjustable for different users. U.S. Patent publication 2002/0011544A1 discloses a quick-release system for replacing failed display monitors. U.S. Patent publication 2001/0045497A1 discloses an adjustable computer work station using multiple arms to raise and lower and adjust the angle of a display screen and a keyboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,672 discloses a multi-jointed and pivoted support system for a flat panel video display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,287 discloses an articulated conduit joint involving two arms and a clutched joint to maintain adjusted location.
Systems for mounting multiple LCD panels heretofore have mounted panels on a separate support, have ganged panels on a common support bar or brace or have articulated each panel from a different point on a horizontal or vertical support. The result is that there is either limited range of movement for adjusting each panel or that each panel has a different range of motion.


The invention is directed to a motor-driven chain saw having a drive motor arranged in a housing. The drive motor drives a saw chain on a guide bar via a sprocket wheel. The guide bar extends forwardly in the longitudinal direction of the chain saw and has an elongated slot in its rearward end facing toward the housing. Stud bolts fixed on the housing extend through the elongated slot in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the chain saw. The rearward end of the guide bar is clamped between the housing and a sprocket-wheel cover through which the stud bolts extend. A holding device separate from the sprocket-wheel cover is provided at the rearward end of the guide bar for holding the rearward end of the guide bar in its position on the housing when the sprocket-wheel cover is removed. This holding device reliably holds the guide bar for mounting the saw chain.

Motor-driven chain saws are known wherein the guide bar is mounted between the sprocket-wheel cover and the housing. For this purpose, stud bolts fixed on the housing extend through the guide bar and the sprocket-wheel cover and attachment nuts threadably engage the stud bolts at their free ends. When a saw chain is exchanged, the sprocket-wheel cover must be removed since the saw chain must be fitted into the guide groove of the guide bar as well as over the sprocket wheel for driving the saw chain. For this operation, the motor-driven chain saw lies on its side with the guide bar lying loosely on the side of the housing. The threaded bolts extend through the attachment protection of the guide bar. The guide bar can tip over the forward housing edge because of the projecting length thereof. The user must therefore support the forward end which, however, is difficult at the job site and is often not possible. The difficulty is always present that the guide bar will tip over because the operator needs both hands for mounting the saw chain whereby the exchange of the saw chain is made very difficult.

Motor-driven chain saw having a guide bar


A motor has a stator and a rotor. The stator has 2P poles wherein P is an integer greater than one. The rotor has a shaft, a rotor core and a commutator fixed to the shaft. The commutator has m segments where m is an even integer greater than P. Every two adjacent segments are electrically connected by a winding unit so that the rotor winding comprises m winding units with at least one of the winding units comprising P coils connected in series; and each coil of each winding unit is directly connected to a corresponding two segments.

A commutator motor generally comprises a stator having a plurality of stator poles and a rotor having a rotor shaft, a rotor core fixed to the shaft, a commutator fixed to the shaft and a rotor windings wound about poles of the rotor core and electrically connected to segments of the commutator. Brushes transfer electrical power to the windings via the commutator. The number of brushes generally increases with an increase in the number of the stator poles. For example, a two pole motor usually has two brushes, and a four pole motor usually has four brushes. The increase in the number of brushes increases the cost as well as the size of the motor.
As is known, wave winding is one methods to reduce the number of brushes. However, traditional wave windings require the motor to have a rotor with an odd number of winding slots and a commutator with an odd number of segments, and also require the number of the winding slots (rotor poles) as well as the number of segments to be not a multiple of the number of stator poles. Therefore, wave windings are limited to some specific motors. Further more, traditional wave windings are wound by a winding machine using a single flyer due to the odd number of coils, which takes more time than using a dual flyer winding machine.
It is desired to develop an improved multi-pole motor, particularly a motor which has an even number of segments.


Injection heads for a railroad tie treating apparatus by which a flowable treating material can be injected through unused or unoccupied spike holes in railroad rail tie plates which anchor the bottom flange of a railroad rail to the wooden ties. Each of the injection heads include a structure enabling the injection head to be sealingly engaged with tie plate in order to prevent leakage of the treating material between the injection head and tie plate with several embodiments of the invention being disclosed to assure efficient discharge of the flowable treating material between the bottom surface of the tie plates and the adjacent surface areas of the wooden ties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a railroad tie treating apparatus and more specifically to injection heads for such an apparatus by which a flowable treating material can be injected through unused or unoccupied spike holes in railroad rail tie plates which anchor the bottom flange of a railroad rail to the wooden ties. Each of the injection heads includes a structure enabling the injection head to be sealingly engaged with the tie plate in order to prevent leakage of the treating material between the injection head and tie plate with several embodiments of the invention being disclosed to assure efficient discharge of the flowable treating material between the bottom surface of the tie plates and the adjacent surface areas of the wooden ties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,553 issued May 24, 1988 discloses a vehicular apparatus having flanged wheels movable on railroad rails and discloses the basic concept of injecting a treating material through one or more unoccupied spike holes in the rail supporting tie plate. This patent and the prior art of record therein is made of record in this application by reference thereto. In addition, co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 07/439,321 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,448 discloses portable embodiments of a treating apparatus and the references of record in that application are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
None of the prior art discloses an injection head having specific structural characteristics that enable quick, easy and extremely effective sealing engagement with a peripheral portion of an unoccupied spike hole in a railroad rail tie plate which supports the rail from the wood tie in order to inject fluid treating material between the bottom surface of the tie plate and the upper surface of the wooden tie in an efficient manner without leakage of the treating material around the periphery of the upper end of the unoccupied spike hole.

Injection heads for railroad tie treating apparatus


A cord lock includes a male tool and a female tool that receives a part of the male tool by pressing the male tool against a biasing force of a biasing device, and so as to match cord eyelets formed in sides of the male tool and the female tool each other at a predetermined pressing position of the male tool. An engaging part that is engaged with an engaged part of the female tool by the biasing force of the biasing device to prevent the male tool from slipping out of a position before the pressing operation, is formed on a side of the male tool intersecting a direction in which the eyelet passes through, and at a position closer to a pressing backward side than a hole edge located on a pressing forward side of the eyelet.

A conventional cord lock has a male tool and a female tool that receives a part of the male tool by pressing the male tool against a biasing force of a spring, and cord eyelets formed in sides of the male tool and the female tool are matched with each other at a predetermined pressing position of the male tool (Refer to Patent Document 1). In the cord lock described in Patent Document 1, in a state where the male tool is not pressed, a protrusion formed below the eyelet of the male tool hangs on an upper edge of the eyelet of the female tool, thereby preventing the male tool and the female tool from separating from each other even in the case where the cord is not drawn through the cord lock. In the cord lock thus configured, there is a limit to reduce a distance between the eyelet of the male tool and an inner end of the male tool located on a pressed side and therefore, it is difficult to minimize a size of the cord lock in this direction.


The invention is directed to an inspection method, apparatus and system for identifying cigarettes having insufficient tobacco at their lighting end in which cigarettes are conveyed serially through a beam of infrared radiation. The amount of infrared radiation passing perpendicularly through the end portion of each cigarette is compared to a predetermined value to determine whether or not the cigarette is defective. The method, apparatus and inspection system of the invention is both accurate and reliable and can be employed in combination with cigarette manufacturing systems operating at speeds in excess of 7,000-8,000 cigarettes per minute.

Loose ends on cigarettes are a source of dissatisfaction and complaints from smokers. A "loose end" is an end of a cigarette which is insufficiently filled with tobacco. When the tobacco in the end of a cigarette is too loosely packed or has too low a packing density, tobacco particles and shreds can fall out of the end of the cigarette as it is removed from the pack. Moreover, a cigarette having a loose end can be difficult to light uniformly and the burning of the cigarette, at least during the initial puffs, may not be uniform. Cigarettes therefore undergo one or more tests during the manufacturing process in order to identify and reject cigarettes having loose ends.
A variety of techniques have been used to identify loose ends on cigarettes. Manually, in an off line method, cigarettes can be examined by an expert viewing the ends of the cigarette along their longitudinal axis. Automated techniques include mechanical testing such as pin insertion into the cigarette end optical testing where special optics are used to view and examine the end of a cigarette; and electrical techniques for examining the electrical properties of the cigarette end.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,674 to Koeppe describes a method and apparatus for testing the ends of cigarettes by inserting a pin into the end of a cigarette. If the end is too soft, the pin extends excessively into the cigarette end. The pin insertion method has inherent mechanical limitations and cannot, for example, be used in conjunction with modern, high speed cigarette manufacturing operations.
A more recent method and apparatus for testing the end portions of cigarettes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,194. This apparatus, which is employed commercially in the industry involves capacitive sensing of the density at the end of the cigarette. The end of the cigarette is passed in close proximity to the electrodes of a capacitor. The change in the electric field is measured to provide an indication of the tobacco density at the end of the cigarette. Such capacitive inspection of cigarettes can be conducted at high speeds. But this testing method can be influenced by various extraneous factors such as relative humidity in the manufacturing environment, varying amounts of moisture in the tobacco, and/or differing types of tobaccos in the tobacco blend, leading to inaccuracies in the proper identification of cigarettes having loose ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,055 to Green et al. describes an optical method for identifying cigarettes having loose ends. Cigarettes are passed through a channel including a pair of photoelectric cells which direct light, preferably of the infrared spectrum, radially inwardly into the tobacco tip of the cigarette. A fiber optic detector perpendicular to the end of the cigarette measures the infrared light reflected from the end of the cigarette along its longitudinal axis to thereby distinguish between cigarettes having ends properly filled with tobacco and those having ends insufficiently filled with tobacco. The insufficiently filled cigarettes are rejected. In this device, the distance between the end of the cigarette and the fiber optic detector is an important parameter and a potential source of inaccuracy. Similarly, cigarettes having a loose end portion but with substantial amounts of tobacco shreds at only the end, per se, of the cigarette, may not be identified as defective.
The above and other processes and apparatus have been and are used commercially to test the tobacco ends of cigarettes as they are conveyed serially during the manufacturing process. Because of various difficulties such as those identified above, and others, none of the commercially available on-line systems for detecting loose ends have proven to be satisfactorily accurate and reliable over the long term in the manufacturing environment. For example, with some systems cigarettes having loose ends are not properly identified and rejected. With other systems, properly manufactured cigarettes, having satisfactorily filled ends are nevertheless rejected. Some systems suffer both such shortcomings.
In most cigarette manufacturing processes, loose end inspection is conducted at at least two locations. The first inspection is conducted on individual cigarettes, just after their manufacture. The cigarettes are thereafter inspected downstream, as a group, during the packaging or packing operation where groups of typically, 20, cigarettes are packed into a package. A single cigarette having a loose end when identified first at the packing stage of manufacture, results in the rejection of an entire cigarette package, thus causing the rejection of 19 satisfactory cigarettes along with the 1 defective cigarette. In addition to waste of satisfactory cigarettes, this results in waste of satisfactory packaging materials.
As cigarette manufacturing speeds have increased from several thousand cigarettes per minute to 8,000 or more cigarettes per minute, the accuracy of tobacco end inspection systems has decreased. Thus, despite the continual and well recognized need for improved cigarette end inspection systems, and despite continuing efforts to improve these systems, there is still no commercially available inspection system which has been found to be both highly accurate and reliable in the manufacturing environment.

Method and apparatus for detecting loose ends of cigarettes


The present invention provides for test surfaces and methods for calibration of surface profilometers, including interferometric and atomic force microscopes. Calibration is performed using a specially designed test surface, or the Binary Pseudo-random (BPR) grating (array). Utilizing the BPR grating (array) to measure the power spectral density (PSD) spectrum, the profilometer is calibrated by determining the instrumental modulation transfer function (IMTF).

Surface profilometers, such as interferometric microscopes, have become a basic metrology tool for the characterization of high quality optical surfaces with sub-Angstrom rms roughness. For the last few decades, the standard list of output parameters of an interferometric microscope measurement included values of roughness averaged over an area and along a sample line. This was extended to a more rigorous statistical description of the surface topography based on power spectral density (PSD) distributions of the surface height. For example, the measured PSD distributions provide a basis for sophisticated calculations of three-dimensional scattering of x-rays by the optics.
A straightforward transformation of the measured 2D area distribution of the residual surface heights into a 2D PSD distribution always provides spectra with distortion caused by the unknown spatial frequency response of the instrument. The response is characterized by the modulation transfer function (MTF), determining the bandwidth of the instrument. The MTF contains contributions from the instrumental optical system, detector, signal processing, software algorithm, and environmental factors. Generally, these contributions are difficult to account for separately.
The task of designing high performance X-ray optical systems requires the development of sophisticated X-ray scattering calculations based on rigorous information about the optics. One of the most insightful approaches to these calculations is based on the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of the surface height. The major problem of measurement of a PSD distribution with an interferometric and/or atomic force microscope arises due to the unknown Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the instruments. The MTF characterizes the perturbation of the PSD distribution at higher spatial frequencies.

Test surfaces useful for calibration of surface profilometers

The Regents of the University of California


Automatic metering and registration, between exposures, relative to an exposure station in a still camera of a next available unexposed frame of a perforationless filmstrip is achieved by reading frame number identifying cues, including stop point flags, magnetically encoded on the film. Continuation of registration is confirmed and, if necessary, corrected automatically in preparation for the next exposure by reading the same cues and comparing a stored cue for a desired next frame with a cue read from a registered unknown frame. The direction of film movement for misalignment correction is set based on the frame number comparison.

In a still camera, the importance of achieving accurate metering and registration of each image frame with the exposure gates in the frame-to-frame advance between exposures of a film strip has long been recognized Proper frame alignment with the picture-taking optical axis not only ensures correct frame-to-frame spacing and avoidance of overlap in a series of exposed images, but also correctly positions the film frame for properly locating exposure data and the like relating to a specific frame and recorded adjacent thereto on the film at the time of exposure for later reference in producing prints from the developed negatives. Harvey U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,111, for example, discloses marginal encoding by optical means adjacent a frame at the time of exposure of frame specific field of view identification information in a tele/pan camera.
Cameras incorporating an automatic wind-up drive mechanism for the frame-to-frame film transport between supply and take-up reels have means for stopping the advance of the film at a point of registration of the next available frame with a camera exposure station in alignment with the picture-taking optical axis. A common practice of achieving accuracy of metering and registration is to utilize film resident, frame correlated marginal fiducials, such as single or multiple perforations per frame, which can be detected to determine the correct positioning for the next frame. One system uses a single perforation per frame film and a mechanical claw or pawl that detects the perforation corresponding to the next frame and disengages the wind-up motor drive when that perforation reaches a desired stopping point (see, e.g., Beach U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,322). In another system (see, e.g., Takahashi U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,292), the film travel distance is tracked by counting the number of multiple perforations per frame which pass by a given point, such as over a toothed sprocket wheel in engagement therewith.
Once registration is achieved, it is desirable to provide means to maintain such registration until commencement of the next exposure. In the absence of such provision, the film is subject to creep out of registration due to vibration or physical shock forces exerted on the camera body or residual torque forces in the drive mechanism. For cameras designed to operate with a single perforation per frame film, registration can be maintained by continuing to engage the pawl at its stopping point through the perforation and into a slot located in the camera wall or film cartridge, until the next exposure. For sprocket wheel drives, the wheels can be locked to hold the frame in registration. It is a desirable objective to be able to achieve initial frame registration, as well as pre-exposure reassurance of continuation of registration, even for films that contain no marginal perforations at all and, thus, for which such pawl and sprocket drive systems are inadequate.
It is known to provide periodic film frame correlated fiducials or cues other than perforations for various post-exposure purposes. Yamada U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,235, for example, discloses a framing adjustment device which responds to a transparent optical locator signal spaced at periodic intervals along a marginal edge of a motion picture for automatically repositioning the picture during projection. In Staudacher U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,136 a motion picture film projector responds to interrupt-transport frame markings to signal a transition between those images which are to be sequentially displayed and those which are to be displayed as still images. Butler U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,920 shows marginal frame specific fiducials in the form of optically scannable binary representations of the sequential numerical identifications of successive frames. And, Williams U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,009 shows the use of marginal magnetic cue marks in the form of microscopicly thin metal disks which can be detected by magnetic scanning heads for the purpose of instituting an event or series of events (control or variation of printing light intensity, etc.) when a predetermined point or points are reached during the course of travel of a motion picture film.
The provision of a magnetic recording track on a still camera roll film for the purpose of storing various frame specific data relating to image exposure information (such as the photographing day, exposure conditions, photographing place, photographer, data for photographic laboratory use, and the like) is disclosed in Ohta U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,911. Ohta suggests the use of such a track as a recording medium for providing the camera with information regarding film sensitivity or the number of exposed or unexposed frames. There is, however, no disclosure or suggestion of using such a magnetic track for wind-up motor control to achieve initial frame registration, or for confirming and, if necessary, correcting a previously achieved alignment in preparation for a next exposure.

Film frame registration and correction by means of film prerecorded track


A molding method of a plastic molded product includes preparing at least one mold including a high-precision surface; preparing a plurality of molds having a low-precision surface; sequentially supplying molten resin to one of the plurality of molds having low-precision surface; sequentially cooling, for a predetermined length of time, the molds supplied with the molten resin while applying pressure, taking out a molded member from the cooled mold, setting the molded member which has been taken out in the mold having the high-precision surface, and melting only a surface of the molded member while pressing the high-precision surface against the surface to form a plastic molded product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plastics molding system and an optical element formed by the plastics molding system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plastics injection molding system using a plurality of molds, which is so-called a rotary molding system. According to the rotary molding system, the site where the molds are cooled is different from where the injection filling is performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a plastic product is formed by injection molding, normally, after a mold is set on an injection molding machine, a heated and molten resin is injected into the mold. When the resin is cured by cooling, the cured resin is taken out from the mold. Then, the next molten resin is injected into the empty mold. This processing is repeated.
However, according to a molding using such processing, it is necessary to take long cooling time when molding thick products or high precision products used, for example, in optical systems such as plastic lenses, prisms, and mirrors. While the resin is cured, which takes long time, the mold cannot be used. Thus, the injection molding machine cannot be used for the injection of the next resin while the injected resin is being cured. For this reason, the usage ratio of the injection molding machine is not good and productivity is not increased.
To alleviate the above-discussed limitations, a plastics injection molding system referred to as a rotary molding system has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-124078 (JP 05-124078). According to the system described in JP 05-124078, a plurality of molds is prepared and the molds are sequentially loaded onto an injection molding machine, so that molten resin is successively injected into the molds one at a time. When molten resin is injected into a first mold, the first mold filled with the resin is moved to another place and cooled. Immediately after the first mold filled with the resin is moved to another place, molten resin is injected into the next mold loaded on the injection molding machine. When the first mold filled with resin has cooled, the molded form is extracted. Each process of heating and injecting the resin into a mold, and cooling and extracting the molded form is repeated at a specified processing time known as the "takt time".
In the following description, a plastics molding system that performs the injection filling processing and the cooling processing at different sites from each other using a plurality of molds, such as the system described above, is referred to as a rotary molding system.
In recent years, with advance in image quality of digital copying machine and printers, precision at a higher level has been required for optical elements. Under such circumstances, demands for not only optical elements of high precision shapes but also elements of higher optical characteristics regarding, for example, birefringence and refractive index distribution has been increasing. The rotary molding is useful not only in obtaining molded products having high precision shape but in obtaining molded products having good optical characteristics as above described in a short takt time.
For example, in order to obtain molded products with good refractive index distribution, it is effective to slow down the cooling speed of the mold at a temperature near the glass transition temperature. Further, in order to reduce the birefringence, it is effective to set high mold temperature. Since longer cooling time is necessary if the mold cooling speed is decreased and higher mold temperature is used, the efficiency in the use of the molding machine is reduced.
According to the above-described rotary molding system, since the injection-filled mold is moved and cooled in another place, molded products with good optical characteristics can be obtained in a short takt time without reducing the efficiency in the use of the molding machine. However, there are problems in using the rotary molding system. Specifically, although molded products having high precision shape and high precision optical characteristics can be produced in a short takt time, a number of molds that require long cooling time and short takt will be needed. In recent years, with the demand for high precision molded products, high precision shape molds have been also demanded. Thus, it is necessary to prepare a number of high-precision molds in a short takt time.

Plastics molding system and optical element formed by the same


A semiconductor device that is suitable for miniaturization is provided. The semiconductor device has a plurality of different transistors, active layers of the plurality of transistors are each an oxide semiconductor, and in the plurality of transistors, field-effect mobility of a transistor whose channel length is maximum and field-effect mobility of a transistor whose channel length is minimum are substantially constant. Alternatively, when channel lengths ranges from 0.01 μm to 100 μm, a reduction in field-effect mobility of a transistor whose channel length is minimum with respect to field-effect mobility of a transistor whose channel length is maximum is less than or equal to 70%.

A technique by which a transistor is formed using a semiconductor thin film formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has been attracting attention. The transistor is used in a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (IC) or an image display device (also simply referred to as a display device). A silicon-based semiconductor material is widely known as a semiconductor thin film applicable to the transistor, but an oxide semiconductor has been attracting attention as an alternative material.
For example, a technique for manufacturing a transistor using zinc oxide or an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide semiconductor as an oxide semiconductor is disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A rigid piston-type multi-cavity dispensing container for simultaneous coextrusion of two or more flowable materials in a predetermined proportion, such as multi-component toothpaste and the like which, upon relative compression of the upper and lower body members, produces a single, banded, unmixed stream of material. The container has a unique outlet which is arranged to cause the outlet streams of material to flow towards each other. The outlet maintains the segregation of the different materials as they move simultaneously outward through the outlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rigid telescopically arranged multi-cavity dispensing container for a flowable material, such as toothpaste and the like, from which it is desired to dispense simultaneously two or more reactive substances which require separate storage until time of use.
2. Prior Art
There exists a desire to provide sodium bicarbonate and peroxide gel as components of toothpaste. Sodium bicarbonate is a well known and commonly used abrasive and cleaner. Peroxide gel is regarded as a beneficial ingredient to help promote healthy gums. These components are reactive when mixed, and therefore must be maintained separately until time of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,940 to Wilkinson discloses a basic single cavity dispenser. A hollow upper cylinder filled with a single flowable material has a dispensing spout but is otherwise closed at its upper end. A piston is arranged for telescopic upward movement within the upper cylinder so as to force a stream of flowable material through the spout upon relative compression of the piston and cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,517 to Hart discloses a single cavity container for simultaneously dispensing increments of two extrudable materials that polymerize when mixed. The two materials are separated by an extrudable barrier layer which prevents intermixing of the materials until after they emerge from the outlet. A piston slidably mounted within the cavity acts to force the materials through a specially-adapted mixing nozzle so that the materials emerge in an already-mixed state. The nozzle must then be removed and replaced after each use because of the trapped epoxy mixture which later hardens and clogs the passageway.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,221 to Nielsen discloses a rigid piston-type, double-tube dispensing container with a rigid barrier separating the two compartments. When the tube member is pushed down into the housing member, the contents will be pressed out through two separate nozzles. The contents emerge in the shape of two separate but closely juxtaposed bands which are difficult to dispense neatly onto the narrow width of a toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,663 to Schaeffer discloses various configurations for simultaneously dispensing hydrogen peroxide and sodium bicarbonate. A rigid pump-type dual-cavity dispenser has two closely-positioned but separate outlets producing a double material stream which is difficult to apply to the narrow width of a toothbrush surface. Also disclosed is a collapsible tube separated into two compartments by a divider which extends to the rim of the mouth. Such an embodiment fails to take into account the possibility that the two components might have different rheologies, which will result in improperly proportioned quantities of the two materials being dispensed when the tube is squeezed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,757 also discloses a toothpaste tube with separate compartments with a divider extending to the dispensing nozzle. Experimentation has shown that embodiments of this patent and the Schaffer patent tend to dispense the dual materials in an uncontrolled manner, for example, there is a tendency to dispense the dual material in uncontrolled varying proportions. Dispensing of the dual materials in predetermined proportions becomes even more difficult if the materials are of different rheologies. In addition, in certain embodiments there is a tendency of the materials to curl away from each other as they emerge from the nozzle, making it difficult to provide efficient dispensing onto a toothbrush.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a rigid piston-type multi-cavity dispensing container for simultaneous coextrusion in predetermined proportions of two or more flowable materials, which may have different rheologies, such as two components of a toothpaste and the like which, upon relative compression of the upper and lower body members, produces a single, banded, unmixed stream of material that can be neatly and easily applied onto the narrow width of a toothbrush.
It is a further object to provide such a dispenser which dispenses a single stream of unmixed material and which provides segregation of the component materials within the dispenser both prior to and after dispensing.


In one example, an apparatus for selectively removing primer in a printing system is described, having a chamber for supply of a pressurised fluid, a plurality of valves fluidically coupled to the chamber and individually pivotable about a common elongate member that extends along a length of the apparatus, and a set of actuators to pivot the plurality of valves about the elongate member to selectively supply pressurised fluid from the chamber along the length of the apparatus.

Priming treatment may be applied to particular types of print media or substrates prior to the application of printing fluid or toner. This may be performed to improve adhesion of the printing fluid or toner to the print medium or substrate. This kind of treatment is usually performed by a page-wide roller at a stage when the print medium or substrate is fed from another roller, in order to apply the priming treatment uniformly and evenly. However, it is desired to selectively apply a priming treatment to the print medium or substrate.


Disclosed herein is a method of designing spokes of a non-pneumatic tire which randomly arranges spokes around a circumference to optimize noise dispersion. The method of designing spokes of a non-pneumatic tire includes placing a plurality of spokes (2) holding and supporting a tread (1) to be radially installed around a circumference of the tire on a circular spoke support (3) under the tread (1) to be in contact with the ground, wherein the spokes (2) are arranged at three angles on the circular spoke support (3) around the circumference of the tire, the three angles being divided into a small angle (a), a medium angle (b) and a large angle (c), and the spokes (2) are arranged at irregular angles under a condition that a ratio (q) of the large angle (c) to the small angle (a) is greater than a ratio (p) of the medium angle (b) to the small angle (a).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of designing spokes of a non-pneumatic tire. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of designing spokes of a non-pneumatic tire which randomly arranges spokes around a circumference of the tire to optimize noise dispersion.
2. Description of the Related Alt
Generally, a non-pneumatic tire includes spoke members which are arranged at regular intervals and at an angle in a certain range between inner and outer cylindrical members. The non-pneumatic tire has empty support spaces between the spoke members and the support spaces are discontinuously arranged by the spoke members, thereby causing substantial noise during driving of a vehicle.
For the non-pneumatic tire, although the spoke member serves an important role in view of supporting a vehicle, a spoke supporting load has a narrow area, so that impact to a tire contacting the road is entirely transmitted to an axle of the vehicle during driving of the vehicle.
In order to overcome such a disadvantage, non-pneumatic tires as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are conventionally suggested. A non-pneumatic tire of FIG. 3 has spokes 102 designed into two parts, wherein the number of spokes 102 on an outer circular spoke support 103a, which is in contact with a tread 101, is about two times more than the number of spokes on an inner circular spoke support 103b disposed inside the outer circular spoke support 103a. In this case, excitation frequency occurring by rotation of the tire can be doubled, while reducing the extent of force applied through the wad 101 by half.
A non-pneumatic tire of FIG. 4 also has spokes 102 designed into two parts, wherein the number of spokes 102 on an outer circular spoke support 103a and the number of spokes 102 on an inner circular spoke support s 103b are the same, but the spokes on the outer circular spoke support 103a are designed in three parts in a transverse direction, so that force imparted to the tire contacting the ground is dispersed in view of frequency.
These conventional non-pneumatic tires disperse impact by changing the number of spokes which contact the ground.

Method of designing spokes of non-pneumatic tire


The present invention comprises an insect screen and a security barrier contained within a removable frame installable to replace a conventional screen or storm window, the assembly functioning both as a barrier to insect penetration, and as a security barrier to deter an intruder from entering the building through the window or door. The main components of the window guard insert comprise a frame assembly, a security barrier, an insect screen, a spline, and a weather strip. The assembled frame includes a security barrier channel to retain the security barrier, a weather strip channel to retain the weather strip and an insect screen channel, partially formed by the security barrier to retain the insect screen. An optional clip retaining channel is used to increase the window guard insert's ability to withstand an unauthorized entry attempt.

Fine mesh screen is commonly used in door and window openings to prevent insects from gaining interior access. While effective at insect control, fine mesh screen is easily cut, making it ineffective as a security device. Building windows, especially those on a ground floor level, are commonly protected from unauthorized entry by means of window guards or grills. Often a guard formed by a framed mesh screen of heavy gauge wire or heavy gauge perforated metal is used to make it difficult for an intruder to enter.
While heavy gauge mesh or perforated metal is adequate for security purposes, it is not used to simultaneously inhibit insects, for reducing the mesh opening or perforations to a size that would inhibit insects would prohibitively restrict visibility. With both heavy gauge wire mesh screen sized to prevent insect penetration and perforated metal screen manufactured with small diameter perforations sized to prevent insect penetration there is a marked reduction in the amount of admitted light and air. Visibility is hindered by the small grid size of the screen or the small diameter perforations, particularly when looking through the guarded window at an oblique angle.
One method used to overcome the visibility limitation is to combine into one window guard two separate screens—a fine mesh screen for insect control and a perforated metal screen for security. Perforated metal screens fabricated from a single sheet of relatively thin metal perforated in a predetermined pattern to admit light and ventilating air are available. The perforated pattern is aesthetically pleasing to render the installation attractive while also providing adequate security and maintaining good visibility.
Such a combination is currently being manufactured in a permanently mounted window guard by the assignee of the present invention. However, this permanently mounted combination security perforated panel and fine mesh screen is limited in its application due to its relative high manufacturing and installation costs.
A permanently mounted window guard has a number of other disadvantages. For example, in the event of a fire or other emergency, it is not possible to leave the building through the guarded window.
Still another disadvantage to permanently mounted guards is that window guards are subjected to weathering; in time it may be necessary to replace the fine mesh screen or paint the frame. Likewise, exterior window panes require periodic cleaning. With permanently mounted window guards, these parts may be inaccessible or difficult to remove for purposes of maintenance and repair.
Accordingly, there is still a continuing need for improved combination security and insect screens; specifically, window guards that are removably mounted. The present invention fulfills this need and further provides related advantages.

Combination security and insect guard insert


An aseptic pillow packaging bag and a laminated resin film that can be preferably used to produce the packaging bag. The laminated resin film includes a center layer that has a first surface provided with an inner surface layer, and a second surface provided with an outer surface layer. In the laminated resin film, the inner surface layer is a first multilayer film made of linear low density polyethylene, including two or more films selected from C6L-LDPE and/or C8L-LDPE, the center layer is a nylon-based film, or a barrier nylon film, and the outer surface layer is formed by laminating a medium density polyethylene film onto a low density polyethylene film or a medium density polyethylene film with a nylon film interposed therebetween.

A resin film exhibits diverse properties depending on types and percentage of monomers constituting the resin and methods of production. In order to obtain properties suitable for desired use, it is effective to have a laminated resin film in which more than one type of resin is combined and laminated, and various laminated resin films have been proposed (PTLs 1 to 4). As an example of a laminated resin film constituting an aseptic pillow packaging body, a laminated resin film made of metallocene-based HDPE (40 μm)/barrier nylon (18 μm)/L-LDPE (80 μm) is widely used. Moreover, PTL 5 proposes a laminated resin film made of L-LDPE/barrier nylon/(L-LDPE/nylon/HDPE) and an aseptic pillow packaging bag using the film, which can be preferably used to hold a large amount of flowable goods.