In a magnetic tape cartridge comprising a thin cartridge casing having flat upper and lower surfaces and a single reel which is housed in the cartridge casing for rotation and around which a magnetic tape is wound, island-like or point-like projections are provided at least three places of the lower surfaces of the cartridge casing near the leading edge and the trailing edge of the cartridge casing as viewed in the direction X of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge in a recording and reproducing apparatus and recesses which are adapted to be engaged with the projections are provided on the upper surface of the cartridge casing so that, when a plurality of the magnetic tape cartridges are stacked, the projections and the recesses of the cartridge casings of magnetic tape cartridges which are just above and below each other are engaged with each other, whereby the magnetic tape cartridges are prevented from being displaced with respect to each other when a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges are stacked and the sliding resistance when the magnetic tape cartridge is inserted into a recording and reproducing apparatus is reduced.

This invention relates to a one-reel magnetic tape cartridge for use in a computer or the like.
As a backup medium for a computer memory, there has been known a magnetic tape cartridge comprising a thin rectangular cartridge casing formed of upper and lower halves fixed together by screws or the like and a single reel which is housed in the cartridge casing for rotation and around which a magnetic tape is wound.
When such a magnetic tape cartridge is loaded in a recording and reproducing apparatus, a drive member of the apparatus is engaged with engagement teeth on the reel exposed through a circular opening formed on the lower half of the cartridge casing at the center thereof and the magnetic tape wound around the reel is drawn out from the cartridge casing into a predetermined position on the tape running path by a tape drawing mechanism of the apparatus, whereby read/write of data becomes feasible.
In such magnetic tape cartridges, conventionally, a projection for stacking is formed on the upper surface of the cartridge casing of each magnetic tape cartridge and a recess for stacking is formed on the lower surface of the cartridge casing of each magnetic tape cartridge so that, when a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges are stacked, the recess for stacking on one magnetic tape cartridge is engaged with the projection for stacking on the upper magnetic tape cartridge, whereby the relative position between the upper and lower magnetic tape cartridges is fixed so that a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges can be transported in a stacked state.
Conventionally, the projection for stacking on the lower surface of the cartridge casing is generally in the form of a pair of protrusions which extend in the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus on opposite sides of the circular opening. This arrangement gives rise to a problem that the protrusions are apt to warp and when they warp, the protrusion on each magnetic tape cartridge cannot be stably engaged with the engagement recess of the lower magnetic tape cartridge when a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges are stacked, whereby the magnetic tape cartridges become shaky.
Further, there has been also a problem that the protrusions increase sliding friction when the magnetic tape cartridge is inserted into the recording and reproducing apparatus.
In the magnetic tape cartridge, locator holes for locating the magnetic tape cartridge with respect to the recording and reproducing apparatus are often provided in the bottom wall of the lower half of the cartridge casing. In such a case, bosses each provided with a locator hole extending through the boss are formed on the bottom wall of the lower half at its four corners together with bosses each provided with through holes through which a screw for fastening together the upper and lower halves of the cartridge casing is inserted.
Further, a tape draw-out opening through which the magnetic tape in the cartridge casing is drawn out is formed in the side wall of the cartridge casing near one corner thereof, and a taper leader member is removably held in a space open to the tape draw-out opening between the lower surface of the top wall of the upper half and the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lower half. Accordingly, the tape draw-out opening must be provided with a space for accommodating the tape leader member, a space through which the magnetic tape runs and a space through which a tape draw-out member on the recording and reproducing apparatus is given access to the tape leader member, which greatly limits the space near the tape draw-out opening in which bosses can be provided.
Further, since a circular rib which coaxially surrounds the reel is erected from the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lower half, the space near the tape draw-out opening in which bosses can be provided is further limited and accordingly, the bosses for the locator holes and the screw holes and the circular rib must be provided in contact with each other or close to each other.
However, when the bosses and the rib are formed in contact with each other or close to each other, the part is locally thickened, which makes it difficult to keep a sufficient dimensional accuracy and geometric accuracy of the locator holes when the cartridge casing is molded due to nonuniform cooling in the mold and difference in shrinkage factor. Further, the bosses, the holes and the rib become apt to lean.
Further, when there exists a part at which the wall thickness is extremely large as compared with other parts, there arises fear that sink marks and/or welding lines are generated on the inner surface of the locator hole and the locator hole is disabled from functioning as a locator.
Further, even in the case where the bosses and the rib are in contact with each other but are simply close to each other, the part of the wall of the mold between parts which are close to each other is less apt to be cooled as compared with other parts, and accordingly, it is difficult to keep a sufficient dimensional accuracy and geometric accuracy and the bosses, the holes and the rib become apt to lean.
Further, the magnetic tape cartridge is generally provided with a brake member which locks the reel not to rotate when the magnetic tape cartridge is not being used and a coiled spring which urges the brake member in the direction of the axis of rotation of the reel. Generally the cartridge casing is formed by plastic injection molding. The urging force of the coiled spring can deform outward the top wall and/or the bottom wall of the cartridge casing. When the top wall and/or the bottom wall of the cartridge casing is deformed outward, the cartridge casing can interfere with the reel to obstruct rotation of the reel, location of the magnetic tape cartridge with respect to the recording and reproducing apparatus can become infeasible and/or stacking of the magnetic tape cartridges can be adversely affected.
In order to overcome these problems, the cartridge casing has been formed by molding of a glass-fiber reinforced polycarbonate resin or the like so that the rigidity of the cartridge casing is increased and deformation of the cartridge casing is prevented.
However this approach has been disadvantageous in that the service life of the molds is shortened and wear of the bucket of the recording and reproducing apparatus is increased when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded in or unloaded from the recording and reproducing apparatus. That is, use of glass fiber reinforcement is not preferred from these viewpoints.
Though the plastic injection molding is useful as a technique for accurately and efficiently forming products of a complicated shape, it gives rise to a problem that a gate mark is left on the surface of the products which can obstruct loading and unloading of the magnetic tape cartridge in and from the recording and reproducing apparatus and can be ground to produce plastic grindings during loading and unloading of the magnetic tape cartridge depending on the position of the gate mark.
When a desired magnetic tape cartridge is taken out from a library and loaded in a recording and reproducing apparatus by a chucking machine or when the magnetic tape cartridge is taken out from the recording and reproducing apparatus and returned to the library by the chucking machine, the gate mark sometimes obstructs stable chucking of the magnetic tape cartridge.
Though these problems can be avoided by disposing the gate in a recess of the surface of the cartridge casing, flow of the resin near the gate becomes low since the wall thickness near the gate becomes smaller due to existence of the recess. As a result, uneven packing of resin is generated near the gate, the end of the flow (e.g., side walls) can sink to deteriorate the dimensional accuracy and, at the worst, short molding can occur due to a poor packing pressure. Though these problems can be avoided by providing a plurality of gates, the approach adds to the cost and is not advantageous.
Further, the problems can be avoided by providing a tunnel gate or a side gate on a side wall or the like of the cartridge casing. However, this approach is disadvantageous in that the length of the path over which the resin flows is elongated and the dimensional accuracy of the product deteriorates.
Further, an arcuate rib is formed on each corner of the upper half to surround the reel. The ends of the arcuate rib merge into side walls of the upper half in tangential directions of the rib. Further, a corner of the upper half is often provided with a cutaway portion for preventing the magnetic tape cartridge from being inserted into the recording and reproducing apparatus in a wrong direction. The cutaway portion is formed, for instance, from the upper surface of the top wall of the upper half halfway of the height of the side wall by cutting the corner of the upper half in a shape like a triangle including a point near the intersection of the arcuate rib and the side wall.
In such a case, the part of the side wall near the intersection forms a recess at an upper part thereof while forming a thick wall portion at a lower portion thereof. The thick wall portion is cooled slower than the surrounding parts, which results in a sinkmark and/or lean in the part near the intersection and a step on the surface to be mated with the corresponding part of the lower half.
In view of the foregoing observations and description, a first object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge which can be stably stacked with other magnetic tape cartridges and is low in sliding friction when it is inserted into a recording and reproducing apparatus.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge which is provided with a boss provided with a locator hole extending through the boss and a boss provided with a through hole through which a screw for fastening together the upper and lower halves of the cartridge casing both formed near a tape draw-out opening through which the magnetic tape in the cartridge casing is drawn out, and is yet high both in dimensional accuracy and geometric accuracy of the locator hole.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge which is rigid enough to prevent expansion or deformation of the cartridge casing by urging force of the spring which urges the brake member and to ensure a sufficient clearance between the reel and the cartridge casing even if the cartridge casing is formed by molding of a plastic material without glass fiber.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge which can be formed by injection molding in such a manner that fine geometric properties can be formed with a high dimensional accuracy with one gate for each product disposed in a position where the gate mark does not interfere with loading and unloading the magnetic tape cartridge in and from the recording and reproducing apparatus and with chucking of the magnetic tape cartridge when the magnetic tape cartridge is taken out from and returned to a library.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge in which the aforesaid drawbacks inherent to the magnetic tape cartridge where an arcuate rib is formed on each corner of the cartridge casing to surround the reel so that their ends merge into side walls of the cartridge casing in tangential directions of the rib and a cutaway portion for preventing the magnetic tape cartridge from being inserted into the recording and reproducing apparatus in a wrong direction is formed on a corner of the cartridge casing can be effectively avoided.
The first object of the present invention can be accomplished by a magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention characterized in that island-like or point-like projections are provided at least three places of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge casing and recesses which are adapted to be engaged with the projections are provided on the other of the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge casing so that, when a plurality of the magnetic tape cartridges are stacked, the projections and the recesses of the cartridge casings of magnetic tape cartridges which are just above and below each other are engaged with each other to keep the relative position between the magnetic tape cartridges.
That is, when the island-like or point-like projections are provided on the lower surface of the cartridge casing, the recesses are provided on the upper surface of the cartridge casing, and conversely, when the island-like or point-like projections are provided on the upper surface of the cartridge casing, the recesses are provided on the lower surface of the cartridge casing.
The expression xe2x80x9cisland-like projectionxe2x80x9d means a projection which is independent of its surroundings and has a small certain area and the expression xe2x80x9cpoint-like projectionxe2x80x9d means a projection which is independent of its surroundings and has a smaller certain area.
When the projections are provided on the lower surface of the cartridge casing and the recesses are provided on the upper surface of the cartridge casing, it is preferred that the height of the projections be slightly larger than the depth of the recesses so that a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the upper magnetic tape cartridge and the upper surface of the lower magnetic tape cartridge when a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges stacked with the projections and the recesses engaged with each other.
Further, it is preferred that each of the projections be formed at a predetermined distance d from the edge of the cartridge casing.
Further, it is preferred that the height t of the projections be larger than the distance d.
Further, it is preferred that the projections be formed near the leading edge and the trailing edge of the cartridge casing with respect to the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus.
Further, it is preferred that the distance d of the projection from the leading edge or the trailing edge of the cartridge casing satisfies the condition t less than dxe2x89xa60.15D, wherein t represents the height of each projection, and D represents the length of the cartridge casing as measured in the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus.
In the case where the projections are provided on the lower surface of the cartridge casing, it is preferred that the projections be formed outside the circular opening, formed in the lower surface of the cartridge casing at the center thereof, with respect to the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus.
In the magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, since the projections for holding the magnetic tape cartridges in place relative to each other, when a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges are stacked, are island-like or point-like and are very small in area, the sliding friction acting between the magnetic tape cartridge and the recording and reproducing apparatus can be reduced. Further, unlike the conventional magnetic tape cartridge where the projections are in the form of protrusions, a stack of the magnetic tape cartridges becoming shaky due to warpage of the projections can be avoided.
When the projections are formed near the leading edge and the trailing edge of the cartridge casing with respect to the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus, the magnetic tape cartridges are stabilized when they are stacked. In this case, when each of the projections is formed at a predetermined distance from the edge of the cartridge casing, damage on the projections when the magnetic tape cartridge is dropped can be suppressed.
In the case where the projections are provided on the lower surface of the cartridge casing, when the projections are formed outside the circular opening, formed in the lower surface of the cartridge casing at the center thereof, with respect to the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus, the drive member of the apparatus can be prevented from interfering with the projections, and at the same time, the magnetic tape cartridges are more stabilized when they are stacked.
The second object of the present invention can be accomplished by a magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with a second aspect of-the present invention characterized in that a first boss provided with a locator hole for locating the magnetic tape cartridge relative to a recording and reproducing apparatus when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded in the recording and reproducing apparatus and a second boss provided with a through hole through which a screw for fastening together the upper and lower halves of the cartridge casing is inserted are erected in contact with each other or close to each other from the inner surface of the cartridge casing near a tape draw-out opening, and the wall thickness of the first boss is smaller than the wall thickness of the second boss.
In this case, it is preferred that the wall thickness of the first boss be in the range of 0.5 to 0.8 times the wall thickness of the second boss.
Further, in the case where a sliding door for opening and closing the tape draw-out opening is provided, it is preferred that the second boss be provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a flat surface which is in alignment with the inner edge of a sliding groove formed on the cartridge casing so that the sliding door slides on the groove.
In the case where an arcuate rib coaxially surrounding the reel is erected from the inner surface of the cartridge casing, it is preferred that the first and second bosses be apart from the rib.
In the magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the first boss provided with the locator hole is smaller in wall thickness than the second boss provided with a through hole through which a screw for fastening together the upper and lower halves of the cartridge casing is inserted, the first boss is cooled faster than the second boss and accordingly the dimensional accuracy and the geometric accuracy of the locator hole can be more easily obtained.
When the second boss is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a flat surface which is in alignment with the inner edge of the door sliding groove formed on the cartridge casing, the second boss can be formed at a sufficient distance from the first boss, and accordingly the dimensional accuracy and the geometric accuracy of the through hole can be more easily obtained and at the same time, lean of the locator hole can be prevented.
Further, in the case where an arcuate rib coaxially surrounding the reel is erected from the inner surface of the cartridge casing, the dimensional accuracy and the geometric accuracy of the through hole can be obtained by forming the first and second bosses apart from the rib.
In the case where a boss provided with a locator hole is erected from the inner surface of the lower half of the cartridge casing near a tape draw-out opening, it is preferred that the lower surface of the upper half of the cartridge casing be provided with a circular recess opposed to the boss. The circular recess can be used for locating the upper half relative to the lower half during assembly of the magnetic tape cartridge.
The third object of the present invention can be accomplished by a magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention characterized in that a pair of protrusions are provided on each of the lower surface of the top wall of the upper half of the cartridge casing and the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lower half of the cartridge casing to respectively extend along diagonal lines of the cartridge casing.
Each of the protrusions may be uniform in height substantially over its entire length. In this case, it is preferred that the protrusion is about 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm in height. Otherwise, the protrusion may become lower toward the side walls of the cartridge casing at a predetermined rate or stepwise.
By providing such protrusions, the cartridge casing can be rigid enough to prevent expansion or deformation of the cartridge casing by urging force of the spring which urges the brake member and to ensure a sufficient clearance between the reel and the cartridge casing even if the cartridge casing is formed by molding of a plastic material without glass fiber.
Instead of providing such protrusions, the top wall of the upper half of the cartridge casing and the bottom wall of the lower half of the cartridge casing may be formed so as to be thicker toward the center thereof.
The fourth object of the present invention can be accomplished by a magnetic tape cartridge in accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention characterized in that a thick wall portion is formed in one of the top wall of the upper half of the cartridge casing and the bottom wall of the lower half of the same and a gate for injection molding is provided in a recess formed on the outer surface of the thick wall portion.
It is preferred that the thick wall portion be formed in the top wall of the upper half of the cartridge casing at the center thereof and the gate for injection molding be provided in a recess formed on the outer surface of the thick wall portion.
The gate may be provided in a recess formed on the outer surface of the upper half or the lower half for a purpose other than that for providing a gate.
By providing the gate in a recess, the problems that the gate mark left on the surface of the product obstructs loading and unloading of the magnetic tape cartridge in and from the recording and reproducing apparatus and the gate mark is ground to produce plastic grindings can be avoided. Further, by providing the gate in a recess formed on the outer surface of a thick wall portion, flow of the resin becomes more smooth, and especially when the gate is provided in a recess formed on the outer surface of a thick wall portion formed in the top wall of the upper half of the cartridge casing at the center thereof, the length of the path over which the resin flows during injection molding can be substantially uniform, and the thickness of the cartridge casing near the gate can be prevented from becoming thin even if the gate is formed in a recess.
In the case where a pair of locator holes for locating the magnetic tape cartridge with respect to the recording and reproducing apparatus are provided on the bottom surface of the lower half of the cartridge casing, the gate may be provided in a recess formed on the bottom surface of the lower half in a region surrounded by a straight center line which passes through the center of the bottom surface of the lower half in parallel to the straight line joining the locator holes and a pair of straight lines extending on the bottom surface of the lower half through the respective locator holes in perpendicular to the center line. In this case, especially when the gate is provided at substantially the same distance from the locator holes, the resin can be evenly supplied to both the locator holes from the gate and accordingly the locator holes can be formed at a high accuracy.
Further, in the case where the projections for stacking are provided on the bottom surface of the lower half, the gate may be provided in a region on the trailing side of the projections with respect to the direction of insertion of the magnetic tape cartridge into the recording and reproducing apparatus.
In this case, since the region is not brought into contact with the recording and reproducing apparatus when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded in and unloaded from the recording and reproducing apparatus, the problems that the gate mark left on the surface of the product obstructs loading and unloading of the magnetic tape cartridge in and from the recording and reproducing apparatus and the gate mark is ground to produce plastic grindings can be avoided without forming a recess.
The fifth object of the present invention can be accomplished by a magnetic-tape cartridge in accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention comprising a cartridge casing formed by fixing together rectangular upper and lower halves, a single reel which is housed for rotation in the cartridge casing and around which a magnetic tape is wound, an arcuate rib which is formed on the cartridge casing to surround the reel and an end of which intersects a side wall of the upper half or the lower half to form a thick wall portion near the intersection of the end of the arcuate rib and the side wall, a cutaway portion, for preventing the magnetic tape cartridge from being inserted into the recording and reproducing apparatus in a wrong direction, formed on the outer surface of the upper half or the lower half at a corner thereof to extend from the upper surface of the upper half or the bottom surface of the lower half halfway of the height of the side wall in such a manner that it cuts the corner in a shape like a triangle including the vicinity of the intersections of the arcuate rib and the side walls and characterized in that a thickness reduction portion which makes the thickness of the side wall substantially uniform is formed on the back side of the side wall near the intersection.
By forming a thickness reduction portion on the part adjacent to the cutaway portion in the direction of height of the side wall, the difference in cooling rate can be substantially nullified near the intersection, whereby formation of a sinkmark and/or lean in the part near the intersection is prevented and formation of a step on the surface at which the upper and lower halves are mated is prevented.


An alkaline flooding oil recovery process is enhanced by injection of aqueous solutions of foam-forming surfactant and gases, or pre-formed foams, either ahead of or behind conventional alkaline slugs. In a preferred embodiment, a slug of an aqueous solution containing an alkaline agent followed by a driving fluid is injected into the formation that displaces oil through the relative high permeability zones of the formation and oil is recovered via the production well. Thereafter, a slug of an aqueous solution of a foam-forming surfactant is coinjected into the formation with a gas creating a foam when the gas mixes with the foam-forming surfactant in the aqueous solution. The foam created from the aqueous surfactant and gas will go preferentially into the formation zones of relatively high permeability and low oil saturation substantially plugging these zones. Thereafter, a slug of an aqueous solution containing an alkaline agent is injected followed by a driving fluid that displaces the aqueous solution containing an alkaline agent and oil through the less permeable zones of the formation toward the production well and oil is recovered from the formation via the production well. This process improves volumetric sweep efficiency and/or reduces effective mobility ratio of released oil and displacing fluids thereby enhancing displacement of oil to the production well and total oil recovery.

This invention relates to the recovery of oil from subterranean oil reservoirs and more particularly to improved alkaline flooding operations involving the injection of aqueous solutions of foam-forming surfactants and gases, or pre-formed foams, either ahead of or behind conventional alkaline slugs.
In the recovery of oil from oil-bearing reservoirs, it is usually possible to recover only minor portions of the original oil in place by the so-called primary recovery methods which utilize only the natural forces present in the reservoir. Thus a variety of supplemental recovery techniques has been employed in order to increase the recovery of oil from subterranean reservoirs. The most widely used supplemental recovery technique is waterflooding which involves the injection of water into an oil-bearing reservoir. As the water moves through the reservoir, it acts to displace oil therein to a production system composed of one or more wells through which the oil is recovered.
It has long been recognized that factors such as the interfacial tension between the injected water and the reservoir oil, the relative mobilities of the reservoir oil and injected water, and the wettability characteristics of the rock surfaces within the reservoir are factors which influence the amount of oil recovered by waterflooding. Thus it has been proposed to add surfactants to the injected water in order to lower the oil-water interfacial tension and/or to alter the wettability characteristics of the reservoir rock. Also, it has been proposed to add thickening agents to all or part of the injected water in order to increase the viscosity thereof, thus decreasing the mobility ratio between the injected water and oil and improving the sweep efficiency of the waterflood.
The oil-water interfacial tension may be reduced, either by injecting aqueous surfactant solutions into the oil formation, or by forming surfactants in situ. In this regard, crude petroleum is known to contain varying amounts of acid components that upon reaction with alkaline agents form soaps (natural surfactants) in situ that reduce the interfacial tension between the crude petroleum and water. Accordingly, the use of alkaline waterflooding, to form such natural surfactants in situ as a recovery mechanism, has been extensively investigated.
Alkaline flooding improves oil recovery by one or more complex mechanisms, including interfacial tension reduction, emulsification of oil, and alteration of reservoir rock wettability. Interfacial tension reduction increases microscopic oil displacement by reducing the capillary forces which trap oil droplets in reservoir rocks. Emulsification is believed to promote increased oil recovery by entrainment of emulsified oil in carrier waters or by formation of viscous emulsions which tend to be entrapped and divert water to improve volumetric sweep efficiency. Wettability alteration produces changes in oil-water relative permeability characteristics which frequently results in lower residual oil saturations from waterflooding. These mechanisms, which operate to different extents in different reservoirs, are discussed in a review paper by E. H. Meyer et al entitled "Alkaline Waterflooding - Its Theory, Application, and Status", which was published in the Proceedings of the Second European Symposium on Enhanced Oil Recovery, Paris, Nov. 8-10, 1982.
When an oil reservoir is subjected to an alkaline flooding procedure, due to poor mobility or profile control substantial amounts of oil remain behind in the oil formation. Poor mobility control causes the alkaline flood to finger through more viscous oil and around the less permeable relatively oil-rich zones into the formation zones of high permeability and low oil saturation. To improve mobility control and sweep efficiency, expensive water soluble polymers such as xanthan gums or polyacrylamides have been used.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,470 to Chang and U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,638 to Burdyn et al discloses recovery of oil from subterranean reservoirs employing an alkaline agent and a sulfonate surfactant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,484 to Chang et al discloses an oil recovery process in which an aqueous solution containing a surfactant is injected with or followed by a gas into a formation to provide enhanced mobility control.
The present invention provides a process for recovering oil from a formation by alkaline flooding with improved mobility and profile control using generally low-cost foam forming injectants that substantially plug the relatively high permeability zones of the formation resulting in increased total oil recovery.

Method for using foams to improve alkaline flooding oil recovery


A data measuring device includes a communicating part capable of communicating with a plurality of numerical control devices which control a plurality of machine tools through communication cables, a physical data measuring part which measures physical data relating to operations of drive shafts of the machine tools corresponding to the numerical control devices which communicate with the communicating part through such numerical control devices, and a destination determining part which successively determines a numerical control device which should be the destination of the communicating part. The communicating part successively switches the destination so as to communicate with the numerical control device which should be the destination determined by the destination determining part, when the physical data measuring part measures the physical data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data measuring device which measures data relating to operation of a machine tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a factory with a plurality of production lines, a host computer is used to collect operating data to monitor the operating states of the respective production lines. The collected operating data is data indicative of the operating states of various industrial machines such as machine tools or conveyor devices installed on the production lines. The operating data includes, for example, the number of production units, information on whether the respective machines are in operation, or whether there is any alarm notification resulting in shutdown, etc.
The operating data collected by a conventional host computer is generally transmitted from a number of industrial machines to the host computer simultaneously, since the sampling period is relatively long and the data amount is small. However, in recent years, there has been a need to measure not only such operating data, but also physical data relating to the operations of a drive shaft of a machine tool in real time. The physical data of a drive shaft may include, for example, the position or speed of the drive shaft. The physical data of a drive shaft is useful information for investigating the cause of machining defects of workpieces or for improving the machining precision.
However, physical data of a drive shaft utilized for the above-mentioned purpose has to be measured in short sampling periods. For this reason, in a production system in which a large number of machine tools simultaneously operate, a large amount of data is communicated in a short time, there is a risk of the communication line being insufficient in the processing capability, resulting in failure to collect data.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-210800 discloses a monitor device for industrial machines, which is configured to store information indicative of the operating states of an industrial machine as continuous waveform data in time series and to transmit the stored waveform data to a diagnosis terminal via a network.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-013665 discloses an operation management system which manages the operating states of machine tools, in which storage devices connected to NC devices one to one are used to store data relating to the operating states of the machine tools to transmit the stored data to a management device.
According to the related art described in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 2000-210800 and 2004-013665, the measurement data from the machines to be measured is stored once and the stored data is transmitted to a monitor device or management device. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the machines with additional storage devices at the relay points of the network, etc. This requires an installation space, which in turn increases the size of the system and increases costs.
Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive and compact data measuring device which can reliably measure physical data of a machine tool.

Data measuring device switching communication destination for measuring physical data


An automatic floor scrubber (10) is disclosed having its frame divided into a truck (12) and an upper assembly (14) isolated from each other by a multiplicity of elastomeric isolator mounts (106) arranged in a nonlinear fashion. The wheels (18, 20), the drive motor (22), the squeegee system (26), and the brush scrub system (28) are mounted to the subframe (16) of the truck (12). The control handle (46), solution tanks (48, 50), and batteries (74) are mounted to the chassis (44) of the upper assembly (14). The mounts (106) include integral first and second portions (108, 110), with the first portion (108) sandwiched between the subframe (16) and the chassis (44) and the second portion (110) insertable into a mount aperture (118) and axially compressed into a mushroom shape by bolts (122) to capture the mount aperture (118). An acoustical tunnel (84) extends longitudinally in the chassis ( 44) intermediate the batteries (74) and defines a closed volume lined with foam sheets (88). The outlet hose (104) of the vacuum system (52) extends through the open end of the tunnel (84) and exhausts the air therein, with the air escaping from the closed volume flowing around the outlet hose (104) and through the open end of the tunnel (84).

The present invention generally relates to equipment for the floor-care industry, particularly to automatic floor scrubbers, and specifically to automatic floor scrubbers including unique provisions for dampening the vibrations caused by the machine moving over a rough surface and/or provisions for reducing the sound level generated during operation.
An automatic floor scrubber is a commonly used piece of equipment in the floor-care industry. The machine is generally comprised of a tank to hold cleaning solution, a scrub system to agitate the solution on the floor surface in order to loosen dirt, a vacuum squeegee system to pick up the dirty solution, and a tank to contain the dirty solution. The larger automatic floor scrubbers are usually battery powered, and, because the batteries weigh a substantial amount, are equipped with a traction drive system to propel the machine across the floor.
In use, the automatic floor scrubber is used to scrub aisles, hallways, and the like, and to scrub close to objects. Therefore, the automatic floor scrubber is used on a variety of floors, such as smooth tile or concrete, ceramic tile, or rough concrete, so it is advantageous both from the standpoint of operator and machine to provide a means of dampening the vibrations caused by the machine moving over a rough surface. Current means for providing dampening in automatic floor scrubbers has been utilizing cushion tires. However, cushion tires have a lower load rating than a noncushion tire for a given size, so the tire size must be substantially increased. This necessitates a less compact machine, causing potential maneuvering difficulties. Alternately, spring caster wheels, which provide a degree of suspension, have been utilized for dampening in automatic floor scrubbers. These spring casters, however, are very expensive, and in many cases are not economically feasible.
Additionally, automatic floor scrubbers are often utilized in areas where excessive noise is undesirable, such as hospitals or nursing homes, so the machine needs to be as quiet as possible in operation. The vacuum system creates most of the noise generated by automatic floor scrubbers. Current means of reducing the sound level is to attach a porous, open-cell acoustical foam tube onto the outlet port of the vacuum system. However, since the automatic floor scrubbers are designed to be as compact as possible, the length of the tube could not be any substantial length, resulting in a compromise in sound level reduction.
Thus, a need exists for improved methods of providing dampening of the vibrations caused by floor-care equipment moving over rough surfaces. Additionally, a need exists for improved methods of reducing the sound level generated by the vacuum system of floor-care equipment.


A new and distinct variety of Prunus rootstock tree ([Prunus dulcis x Prunus persica] x [Prunus davidiana x Prunus persica]), which is denominated varietally as ‘Warootone’, which when utilized as a rootstock reduces the growth and height of fruiting cultivars of peach, nectarine, plum, almond, and apricot.

The present invention relates to a new, novel, and distinct variety of a Prunus hybrid rootstock tree, [Prunus dulcis x Prunus persica] x [Prunus davidiana x Prunus persica], and which has been denominated varietally as 'Warootone'.
The present variety of rootstock tree resulted from an on-going program of fruit tree and rootstock breeding. The purpose of this program is to improve the commercial quality of deciduous fruit varieties, and rootstocks, by creating and releasing promising selections of Prunus species and interspecific hybrids thereof. To this end we make both controlled and hybrid cross pollinations each year to produce seedling populations from which improved progenies are evaluated and selected.
The seedling, 'Warootone' was originated by the breeders at Wawona Packing Company and selected from a population of seedlings growing in our experimental orchards which are located near Fowler, Calif., USA. The seedlings, grown on their own roots, were derived from planting seed of a Wawona Packing Company Rootstock 'Cornerstone' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,248), [Prunus dulcis, 'Titan' {92-54 USDA/Cal State Fresno release, unpatented} X Prunus persica, 'Nemared' {unpatented}], used as the female parent. The pollen parent used to create this seedling was a seedling of Prunus davidiana x Prunus persica, non-patented. The resulting fruit of this cross was collected from the female parent at a mature stage and seeds were extracted in September of 2000. After a period of stratification, the seed was placed in the greenhouse by population, and then field planted for tree establishment and observation. One seedling, which is the present variety, exhibited especially desirable characteristics, and was then designated as 'D63.182'. This seedling was marked for subsequent observation. After the 2005 growing season, the new variety of rootstock tree was selected for clonal repropagation, scion compatibility, rooting percentage studies, nematode screening, and advanced evaluation.


There is provided a power amplifier capable of supplying variable bias to an amplifier circuit by accurately transferring the envelope components of an input signal during the supply of active bias power to the amplifier circuit. The power amplifier includes: an envelope detector detecting an envelope of an input signal; a bias power generator including at least one P-type MOSFET and one N-type MOSFET connected to each other in an inverter manner between a driving power terminal supplying driving power having a preset voltage level and a reference bias power terminal supplying preset reference bias power to generate bias power varied according to detection results from the envelope detector; and an amplifier amplifying the input signal according to the bias power level from the bias power generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power amplifier, and more particularly, to a power amplifier capable of supplying variable bias to an amplifier circuit by accurately transferring the envelope components of an input signal during the supply of active bias power to the amplifier circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, blocks configuring a wireless transceiver are being integrated into a single chip by using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process technology. In this process, only the power amplifier, among the blocks of the wireless transceiver, is implemented by an indium gallium phosphide (InGaP)/gallium arsenide (GaAs) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) process. However, in the above-mentioned InGaP/GaAs HBT process, manufacturing costs are increased and the power amplifier is formed in a multi-chip structure and thus, it is difficult to couple the power amplifier with an adjustment circuit block implemented by the CMOS process in order to improve linearity, as compared with the CMOS process. For this reason, research into a CMOS process based power amplifier has been actively conducted.
The amplification circuit of the power amplifier is supplied with the bias power to amplify and output an input signal. Generally, the amplification circuit of the power amplifier is supplied with bias power having a preset voltage level.
Meanwhile, a main index evaluating the performance of the power amplifier may include maximum output power (maximum linear output) and maximum efficiency up to a point in which linearity are satisfied greatly and efficiency at a point in which the maximum output power is backed-off.
Comparing with the HBT process, the CMOS process slightly degrades the performance of the power amplifier. As a result, it is a recent trend to supply active bias power in order to increase linearity at the time of implementing the power amplifier using the CMOS process.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a power amplifier according to the related art and FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs showing electrical characteristics of the power amplifier according to the related art of FIG. 1.
Reference to FIG. 1, the power amplifier according to the related art may be configured to include an amplifier 11 amplifying an input signal Pin and outputting it as an output signal Pout, a detector 12 detecting a voltage level of the input signal Pin to the amplifier 11, and a voltage generator 13 generating voltage varied according to the detection result of the detector 12 and supplying it to the amplifier 11.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the power amplifier according to the related art delays the bias power from the voltage generator 13 and the input signal Pin, such that the linearity of the output signal Pout from the power amplifier at this point A is degraded as compared with a power amplifier supplying a fixing bias.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A motor includes a rotor having a permanent magnet; a sleeve rotatably supporting the rotor; fluid provided in a gap between the rotor and the sleeve; a stator having a electromagnet disposed opposite to the permanent magnet to rotate the rotor relative to the stator; and a boss interposed between the sleeve and the stator. In the motor, the sleeve, the stator, and the boss are provided as separate members.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to fluid dynamic bearings, motors, and recording-medium driving apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluid dynamic bearings are used as shaft bearings for apparatuses requiring high rotational accuracy. This type of bearing has a gap, filled with a working fluid, between a shaft and a housing to rotatably support the shaft relative to the housing. When the bearing rotates, the working fluid produces a dynamic pressure to keep the shaft and the housing out of contact with each other.
An example of an apparatus requiring high rotational accuracy is a recording medium such as a hard disk. The rotational speed and accuracy of hard disks are becoming increasingly higher with increasing recording density.
Fluid dynamic bearings are suitable for use in spindle motors for driving recording media having increasingly higher rotational speed and accuracy, including hard disks.
The demand for reduction in the size and thickness of recording media such as hard disks, as well as higher rotational speed and accuracy, has been increasing in recent years. Accordingly, various techniques have been disclosed to provide thinner fluid dynamic bearings.
In particular, a thrust bearing of the dynamic bearing unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-65552 includes a sleeve having a flange (thrust plate) defining a thrust dynamic bearing portion and a shaft member having a circumferential portion surrounding the flange. A fluid such as oil is provided between axially opposing surfaces of the flange of the sleeve and the circumferential portion of the shaft member to produce a dynamic pressure when the shaft member rotates. The flange has pressure-generating grooves for producing dynamic pressure in the oil when the shaft member rotates. The dynamic bearing unit also includes an absorbing sheet for absorbing oil leaking from the thrust bearing.
However, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-65552, because the dynamic bearing unit is started with the surface of the flange where the pressure-generating grooves are provided and the inner surface of the shaft member close to each other, the grooves attract the surrounding oil to produce a negative pressure that causes bubbles in oil-poor regions. These bubbles degrade the lubrication performance of the oil and can thus cause problems such as vibration due to unstable rotation and, at worst, fusion of the bearing due to metal-to-metal contact. In addition, the oil can leak out of the thrust bearing because the bubbles squeeze the oil. Although the absorbing sheet absorbs the leaking oil, an oil film forms between the thrust bearing and the absorbing sheet. This oil film is no longer easy to cut off and is thus constantly fed to the absorbing sheet. Accordingly, the absorbing sheet continues to absorb the oil until becoming saturated. As a result, the amount of oil provided on the thrust bearing decreases and, furthermore, the oil can be totally depleted. This makes it difficult to maintain the operation of the fluid dynamic bearing.

Fluid dynamic bearing motor, and recording medium driving apparatus


According to one embodiment, a display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a display function layer, and a connecting material. The first substrate includes a first basement and a first conductive layer. The second substrate includes a second basement including a first hole, a first projection formed on an inner circumferential surface of the first hole, and a second conductive layer. The connecting material covers a surface of the first hole including the first projection and electrically connects the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

Recently, various types of techniques for reducing the width of the frame of a display device have been considered. For example, a technique for electrically connecting a wiring portion comprising an in-hole connecting portion inside a hole penetrating the inner and outer surfaces of a resinous first substrate and a wiring portion provided on the inner surface of a resinous second substrate with a substrate connecting portion is disclosed.


The present disclosure provides a device for locking a first cowling and a second cowling of a thrust reverser of an aircraft propulsion assembly. The cowlings are mounted such that each cowl pivots around a longitudinal axis between a closed flight position and an open maintenance position. The locking device includes a telescopic connecting rod having at least one sliding shaft, a locking mechanism on a proximal end of a shaft on the second cowling, and a connecting rod support. The connecting rod support or the tubular element includes two walls each delimiting a hole, and the tubular element of the connecting rod or the connecting rod support has two support fingers which each extend longitudinally on a side of the tubular element into a hole. The holes engage with the support fingers when the cowlings are open and allow free movement of the support fingers in a closed-cowlings configuration.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The propulsion units for aircrafts generally include a nacelle forming a generally circular outer envelope, comprising inside a turbojet engine arranged along the longitudinal axis of this nacelle.
The turbojet engine receives the fresh air coming from the upstream side, or the front side, and rejects from the downstream side, or rear side, the hot gases coming from the combustion of fuel, which give a certain thrust.
The turbofan engines have around the motor fan blades generating a significant secondary cold air flow along an annular flow path passing between this motor and the nacelle, which adds a high thrust during normal operation providing a direct jet.
Some nacelles include a thrust reverser system which closes at least partially the annular cold air flow path, and rejects the secondary flow forwards while forming a reverse jet which generates a braking counter-thrust of the aircraft.
A known type of nacelle, presented particularly by the document FR-A1-2920144, includes two half-cowls covering the middle section surrounding the secondary flow fan, called hereinafter cowls, including a hinge having a longitudinal axis located at the upper portion, so as to allow an opening of these cowls for maintenance operations.
To guarantee the structural strength of the two cowls, a locking device is known, which includes a telescopic connecting rod, the connecting rod comprising a rod which is slidably mounted along a generally transverse axis, in a tubular element, between a retracted position corresponding to a closed cowls configuration and a deployed position corresponding to an open cowls configuration.
The movable rod of the connecting rod has a distal end which is linked on the first cowl, and a proximal end which is adapted to be linked on the second cowl via a locking means.
The locking means is designed to interlock the cowls in their closed position, by blocking the movable rod of the connecting rod.
Furthermore, the locking device includes an assembly allowing linking the connecting rod on a fixed portion of the propulsion unit, for example on the mast of the aircraft or on the motor, this assembly comprising a bracket, a vertical rod and a yoke joint.
The bracket is fastened on the mast, or on the motor, and the vertical rod is mounted in a pendulating manner on the bracket about a longitudinal pivot axis.
The yoke joint is slidably mounted vertically and pivoting on the vertical rod, about a vertical axis perpendicular to the sliding axis of the connecting rod.
In addition, the yoke joint is pivotally mounted on the connecting rod about a longitudinal axis, perpendicular to the sliding axis of the connecting rod.
To ensure maintenance of the support function of the connecting rod and the yoke joint, the vertical rod is equipped with a stop which allows supporting the yoke joint which is driven downwardly in the open cowls configuration.
Upon closing the cowls, the connecting rod is engaged in the locking system via ramps which recenter the connecting rod vertically.
Also, to stabilize the locking device in flight, the locking device includes a spring which is interposed axially between the free end of the movable rod of the connecting rod and the tubular element of the connecting rod.
A disadvantage of this type of locking device is that the connecting rod is linked, in the flight phase, both to the movable cowls, by both ends of the sliding rod of the connecting rod, and to the motor, or to the mast, by means of the yoke joint and the bracket.
The cowls, the motor and the mast have different frequencies and vibration levels, so that the connecting rod and the locking means are subjected to severe vibration environment which may reduce the longevity of the locking device.
Furthermore, this type of locking device is hardly adapted to a configuration in which the yoke joint must be fastened on the motor, which may be the case when the mast is too far from the locking means or is not accessible because hidden by the equipment.
Indeed, the motor is arranged under the locking means, while the mast is arranged above the locking means, so that the vertical rod, which is pivotally mounted on the yoke joint, will tend to naturally pivot forwards or backwards under the effect of gravity.
To limit the tilting of the vertical rod, the addition of angular stops will be necessary, these stops must allow keeping a freedom of displacement of the yoke joint along to longitudinal axis relative to the connecting rod during the flight phases.
The position of the connecting rod in the open cowls configuration will be uncertain, which will call for providing more substantial recentering ramps to ensure the engagement of the connecting rod with the locking means upon closing the cowls.

Locking device for pivoting cowls of a thrust reverser


An example method for facilitating software navigation includes storing navigation history information pertaining to user interaction with software; displaying one or more representations of breadcrumbs in accordance with the navigation history information, resulting in displayed breadcrumbs; detecting when a number of breadcrumbs exceeds a threshold number of breadcrumbs; and replacing, in response to the detection, one or more of the breadcrumbs with a user interface control adapted to selectively display representations of the one or more breadcrumbs in response to user selection of the user interface control. Hence, certain breadcrumbs of a breadcrumb trail may be condensed or collapsed, e.g., into a drop-down menu control, when a breadcrumb trail would otherwise be too large to display.

The present application relates to software and more specifically to user interfaces and accompanying features for facilitating navigating or accessing electronic content or software functionality.
Software navigation mechanisms are employed in various demanding applications, including web browsers for navigating websites; file system explorers for browsing folders and files; database software for navigating hierarchical structures of a database, and so on. Such applications often demand user friendly mechanisms for enabling efficient user access to files and folders, webpages, software functionality, and other electronic content.
Efficient software navigation mechanisms are particularly important in mobile applications, such as mobile web browsers and enterprise applications, where relatively small display screens may hinder efficient navigation of complex content.

Navigation tool for device user interface


An intranasally applicable powdery pharmaceutical composition comprising a polypeptide having a physiological activity, a quaternary ammonium compound, and a lower alkyl ether of cellulose. This powdery pharmaceutical composition has an excellent preservability and chemical stability of the polypeptides and, when the powdery composition is administered to the nasal cavity in the form of a spray, the polypeptides are effectively absorbed through the nasal mucosa.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel intranasally applicable powdery pharmaceutical composition comprising a polypeptide having a physiological activity, a quaternary ammonium compound, and a lower alkyl ether of cellulose. More specifically, it relates to an intranasally applicable powdery pharmaceutical composition comprising a physiologically active polypeptide such as calcitonin and insulin, a quaternary ammonium compound such as benzalkonium chloride, and a lower alkyl ether of cellulose. This powdery composition has an excellent chemical stability and preservability of the polypeptides and, when this powdery composition is administered to the nasal cavity in the form of a spray, the polypeptides are effectively absorbed through the or nasal mucosa.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since peptide hormones such as insulin and calcitonin have a large molecular weight and are easily decomposed by proteinases such as pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, they are not easily absorbed by oral administration and, therefore, the intended pharmacological effects cannot be effectively exhibited. Accordingly, such peptide hormones are generally administered by injection. However, since the injectable administration is generally painful, various other administration methods have been proposed
For example, J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 33, 334 (1981) discloses rectal absorption of insulin and heparin in a suppository in which salicylic acid derivatives such as sodium salicylate, sodium 3-methoxysalicylate, and 5-methoxysalicylate are used as an absorption aid. Furthermore, other methods such as intratracheal administration methods (see Diabetes 20, 552, 1971) and eye instillation methods (see Tonyobyo Gakkai Shoshu, Japan, 237, 1974) are being studied. However, since these methods are disadvantageous in that high dosage amounts are required when compared with the injection, and that the absorption amounts are likely to vary, these methods are not practically acceptable.
On the other hand, as disclosed in, for example, Diabetes, 27, 296, 1978, as well as Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 59-89619 and 59-130820, intranasally applicable liquid pharmaceutical preparations of insulin or calcitonin containing, as an absorption aid, certain surfactants, are proposed for administration to the nasal cavity. Furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 58-189118 discloses intranasally applicable liquid pharmaceutical preparations of insulin in which cyclodextrin is used.
However, for the intranasally applicable liquid pharmaceutical preparation of, for example, insulin or calcitonin, it is necessary to ensure that contamination of the liquid preparations caused by the invasion of, for example, microorganisms, is prevented. It is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 59-89619 that- benzalkonium chloride be included in the intranasally applicable liquid pharmaceutical preparations to prevent such contamination, and to enhance the preservability of medicines such as calcitonin.
Intranasally applicable powdery pharmaceutical preparations containing calcitonin, insulin, or the like, and lower alkyl ethers of cellulose are also known, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 59-163313. However, it is still necessary to improve the preservability of the medicines such as calcitonin and insulin and also to enhance the chemical stability of the medicines such as calcitonin and insulin even in these powdery preparations.

Intranasally applicable powdery pharmaceutical composition


An apparatus is provided for estimating one or more quality of experience (QoE) parameters associated with a specific terminal. The apparatus includes a traffic processor configured to acquire a plurality of transactions for providing multimedia content to a specific terminal. At least one of such transactions is a secured transaction. The apparatus further includes a QoE parameter estimator configured to detect a quality level variation event based on the transactions and the sizes of the transactions, and to estimate one or more QoE parameters based on the detection of the quality level variation event.

The recent few years has witnessed an explosive growth of data traffic in networks, particularly in cellular wireless networks. This growth has been fueled by a number of new developments including faster, smarter, and more intuitive mobile devices such as the popular iPhone® series and the iPad® series, as well as faster wireless and cellular network technologies that deliver throughputs on par or better than fixed line broadband technologies.
For many people today, a primary mode of access to the Internet is via mobile devices using cellular wireless networks. Websites such as Google™ or YouTube™ provide an increasing amount of multimedia content to mobile devices. For example, Google™ or YouTube™ provide videos using HTTP live streaming (HLS) protocols. An HLS protocol is an adaptive bit-rate (ABR) type protocol and is one of the protocols for providing multimedia content to mobile devices. In the past, some of the multimedia content provided using the HLS protocols are encrypted. In recent years, however, websites such as Google™ or YouTube™ are increasingly encrypting multimedia content provided using the HLS protocols. For example, videos are increasingly transported using secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) protocols. Another adaptive bit-rate type protocol for providing multimedia content to mobile devices is the dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP (DASH) protocol. Websites can also provide encrypted multimedia content to mobile devices using the DASH protocols.
When encrypted multimedia content are provided to mobile devices using, for example, SSL or TLS protocols, measurement of quality of experience (QoE) parameters can be affected. Quality of experience parameters include, for example, user experience indexing (UXI) parameters that reflect the subscribers' quality of experience of using the mobile devices. The UXI parameters include metrics such as the total media time of the multimedia content provided, the video bitrate, and the amount of video stalling. Measurement of such UXI parameters can be used for implementing traffic management techniques or for reporting purposes. Traffic management is a broad concept and includes techniques such as throttling of low priority traffic, blocking or time shifting certain types of traffic, and traffic optimization. Optimization of web and video traffic is a key component in the array of traffic management techniques used by wireless operators. Therefore, when the measurement of the QoE parameters are affected by the encryption of the multimedia content transmitted to mobile devices, the implementation of traffic management techniques can be negatively affected as well.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for estimating quality of experience (QoE) parameters of secured transactions


This invention relates to a resealable package for holding goods which may be perishable such as cheese. A tray is structured to hold the goods and a cover fits over the top of the tray to seal and reclose the package as goods are removed. The empty tray is stackable for shipment in nested fashion and includes a ledge to space the trays to facilitate separation.

Work was done on this invention primarily to provide a container for marketing cheese slices. The product could be sold to the public, then the customer could open the package, extract some of the cheese slices, and then reclose the package to reduce the oxidation and drying of the cheese. It is desirable to increase the shelf life of all food products which could be contained within the package, and restricting the flow of oxygen to and moisture from the food product tends to prolong its shelf life. The reclosability of the package itself also helps to insure that dust and other debris floating in the air will not have access to the products after it is opened.
The tray and cover combination of this invention is useful for other products than cheese and, indeed, the package could be reused to hold other products after the goods initially contained have been used and the package washed for reuse.
Containers which are stackable and having corner shelves to hold them in separated position are disclosed in the patent to Fornas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,134.
Containers which are resealable or partially resealable after the contents of the package are partially used are not new. A patent to Stevens et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,903, discloses a container with an integral lid, the two parts being hinged together. A patent to Schechter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,074, teaches a container which is hermetically sealed at the top, while below the hermetic seal is a reusable inner lid. The lid fits in a groove around the inside surface of the tray but the tabs allowing removal of the lid also allow air to reach the package contents. The structure of the lid inherently allows the incursion of oxygen and airborne debris.
A patent to Sosin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,698, discloses a package for luncheon meats where the two halves of the package are hinged along one edge and are virtually mirror images of each other. The disclosure indicates that it is "resealable", but there is nothing in the disclosure which tells one how the resealing would take place. Apparently the only force to reseal the package is gravity.
A patent to Muehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,483,964, discloses a conventional blister pack which is hermetically sealed at the outset, but has no substantial disclosure of how one would reseal the package to prevent the incursion of undesirable oxygen and debris after it is opened.
The patent to Lundquist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,486, discloses a reusable, four sided, blister pack for food where the tray portion of the container is hinged to the lid portion along one side, and a resealable edge is provided on the diagonally opposite side. There is no means for resealing along the other two of the four sides.
The patent to Constantine, U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,416, discloses vertically extending ribs in a container sidewall to provide mechanical stability.
The patent to Wyslotsky et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,705, discloses a reusable package for commestibles involving two parts pressed together to hold goods therebetween and having a detent-type latch means along one side.
The patent to Wise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,580, discloses a tray and cover formed of thermoplastic resin having vertically extending flutes in the sidewall to increase mechanical stability.
There is a need in the industry for a food package which is resealable or reclosable by positive mechanical means after the package has been opened and a portion of the contents removed.


A monitoring apparatus include a memory which stores a program for executing procedures and a processor coupled to the memory and executes the procedures based on the program, wherein the procedures includes detecting a destination of access from a server apparatus to a storage apparatus on the basis of a result of analysis of a packet transmitted and received between the storage apparatus and the server apparatus, the storage apparatus including a plurality of storage areas, the server apparatus executing a plurality of virtual servers, part of the plurality of storage areas being allocated to each of the plurality of virtual servers as an accessible storage area, and determining that abnormal access is performed from the server apparatus to the storage apparatus when the storage areas of the detected destination are beyond a certain criterion in the plurality of storage areas.

There are technologies to connect physical servers to storage apparatuses over networks. The technologies include Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), in which physical servers are coupled to storage apparatuses over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Network addresses, such as IP addresses, are given to the physical servers and the storage apparatuses coupled over the IP networks on the basis of network devices installed in the physical servers and the storage apparatuses, and the physical servers communicate with the storage apparatuses by using the network addresses.
Multiple virtual machines (VMs) can be run on the physical servers to access the storage apparatuses on the networks in recent years.
Since the network addresses used in the communication are given to the respective network devices. In other words, the network addresses are not given to the respective VMs running on the physical servers. Accordingly, the network addresses allocated to the network devices (e.g. NIC (Network Interface Card)) installed in the physical servers are used in access from the VMs running on the physical servers to the storage apparatuses. In other words, the multiple VMs running on the physical servers may use the same network addresses to access the storage apparatuses.
Since the multiple physical servers access the storage apparatuses over the networks, accessible areas in the storage apparatuses can be restricted for every physical server from the viewpoint of security. However, any physical server can make access beyond the accessible areas that are set in advance due to, for example, faulty or malicious software (such access is hereinafter called unauthorized access). Such unauthorized access can be monitored by capturing packets on the networks. For example, packet capture apparatuses are provided in the networks and source physical servers are identified on the basis of the network addresses included in the packets captured by the packet capture apparatuses to monitor the presence of access to areas outside the accessible areas of the storage apparatuses included in the packets.
However, when the source IP addresses are allocated to the respective network devices (e.g. NIC) installed in the physical servers, as described above, even if the packets are acquired, it may not be determined which VMs running on the physical severs transmits the packets.
Accordingly, it is not possible to determine whether the respective VMs make access to areas outside the allocated areas or within the allocated areas by using the source network addresses.
In other words, in the identification by using the source IP addresses, it is not possible to determine whether the access from the physical servers executing the virtual servers is unauthorized access or authorized access to the storage apparatuses.
Related art is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-269486.

Monitoring apparatus, control method, and computer-readable recording medium


A method of manufacturing an electronic device including an oxide film of perovskite-type, said method comprising the steps of forming on a base substrate a first conductive oxide film of perovskite type in an atmosphere of reduced pressure at a first temperature, and performing heat treatment on the first conductive oxide film in an oxidizing atmosphere containing oxygen at a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device having perovskite-type oxide film, a process for producing the same, and a ferroelectric capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prevailing computers, regardless of their size, have the main memory composed of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM) which are of volatile memory. Volatile memory holds data while it is supplied with electric power but loses stored data as soon as the supply of electric power is suspended. By contrast, non-volatile memory holds data even without power supply. One of such non-volatile memory attracting attention is FeRAM which is based on ferroelectrics. The advantage of FeRAM is non-volatility, low power consumption, and capability of high integration density. In addition, because of its greatly improved rewritability, FeRAM is expected to supersede the existing memory and to find use in new applications such as IC card.
The constituent element of FeRAM is a ferroelectric capacitor, which is constructed of a ferroelectric film and two electrodes of platinum (Pt) or the like holding it between them. The ferroelectric film is required to have a high degree of residual polarization, a hysteresis loop with good squareness ratio and low coercive field, and a good fatigue characteristic (or ability to retain polarization even after repeated applications of pulses more than 10.sup.12 times). Its additional requirement is an ability to prevent leak current between capacitor electrodes when it forms a ferroelectric capacitor. Leak current aggravates hysteresis. Another requirement is good (low) imprint characteristics, which is an ability to keep the hysteresis unshifted when the ferroelectric capacitor is kept at a high temperature in its polarized state.
Among known ferroelectric materials suitable for ferroelectric capacitors is known lead titanate zirconate (Pb(Zr,Ti)O.sub.3) (abbreviated as PZT hereinafter). PZT is characterized by its comparatively high residual polarization even at room temperature and its sufficiently high Curie point compared to the operating temperature. When used for ferroelectric capacitor of layered structure (Pt/PZT/Pt), PZT suffers so-called fatigue (which is a phenomenon that residual polarization decreases when pulses are applied repeatedly more than 10.sup.6 times). This is detrimental to reliability.
An FeRAM less subject to fatigue is attracting attention. It is provided with conductive oxide electrodes, such as SrRuO.sub.3 (abbreviated as SRO), in place of platinum. These conductive oxide electrodes function as a barrier against diffusion of Pb and prevent the oxygen defects of ferroelectric materials. This is the reason whey they protect ferroelectric film from fatigue.
Ferroelectric capacitors with SRO electrodes have been reported by Argonne National Laboratory in USA and Texas Instruments Corp. (TI) in USA. The one reported by the former is not suitable for mass production because it uses SrTiO.sub.3 single crystal as the substrate. The one reported by the latter has PZT film deposited by sol-gel method on the SRO film deposited by high-temperature sputtering. Its disadvantage is that residual polarization is as small as 14.3 .mu.C/cm.sup.2 when the applied voltage is 3V. Another disadvantage is that high-temperature sputtering to deposit SRO film tends to cause oxygen defects (probably due to operation under reduced pressure), which poses a problem with crystallinity, although it yields polycrystalline film (in which crystals are oriented) if the substrate is heated during sputtering.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that it would be difficult to uniformly heat the entire surface of the substrate of large diameter and it would be difficult to form SRO film of good quality on the entire surface of the substrate of large diameter.
Although SRO is a conductive oxide, it has a resistance of 350 .mu..OMEGA.cm, which is slightly higher than that of Pt (11 .mu..OMEGA.cm). This makes it difficult to establish a good ohmic contact with Ti.sub.1-x Al.sub.x N which forms an adhesion layer when plugs are made of Si or W. Therefore, there is a demand for SRO having bottom resistance.

Electronic device having perovskite-type oxide film, production thereof, and ferroelectric capacitor


An externally tunable clock circuit (10) and a method for adjusting the calibration of a clock circuit with an externally defined time period. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) (40) provides clock signals of variable frequency, and a counter (42) receives timing and control signals to provide a digital count indicative of clock signals during a predetermined period. The input voltage to the VCO (40) is adjusted based on differences between the oscillator clock count and a predetermined value. Calibration of the clock circuit (10) is done by counting clock signals from the VCO (40) during an externally defined time period, then comparing the clock signal count with a predetermined value that represents a desired frequency. The VCO frequency is then adjusted according to the difference between the clock signal count and the predetermined value. A system (20) can embody a number of such tunable clock circuits (10) and may include a controller (30) connected to provide timing and control signals to define a predetermined time period for performing oscillator adjustments. The system enables accurate timing and individual control of sequential operations. This is particularly advantageous for operations at different locations, for example, to provide a plurality of detonators in blasting or explosive detonation operations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to improvements in timing and control circuits, and, more particularly, to externally tunable timing circuits, and methods for operating such circuits. The invention also pertains to improvements in circuits and methods for synchronizing a plurality of timers, and to improvements in detonators for explosives, or the like.
2. Technical Background
A variety of applications exists for timing control systems. This is especially true in those instances in which a control unit starts one or more timing circuits that generate a signal after a predefined delay period. The delay period may be individually programmed into each circuit through the control unit. The timing circuits are often located at an operation site selected to reduce reliability problems that can result from interference or physical stress. Systems are often formed with multiple timing circuits, and are useful to control time sequenced operations, particularly in performing the individual operations at different locations.
In many systems applications, such as those involving generating acoustic or vibration waveforms, control of the sequence of operations to accuracies ranging between milliseconds and microseconds often may be necessary. The stability of the oscillator upon which clock signals are based in each timing circuit is important to the accuracy of the event timing. To achieve this reliability, crystal oscillators can be used in many applications. While crystal oscillators are normally accurate, they are generally unsatisfactory for operation in harsh vibration environments, such as those experienced, for instance, in the blasting industry. On the other hand, the performance of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is normally stable by high impact shock waves of the type generated by explosive charges. Nevertheless, circuits that incorporate VCOs are known to experience rapid frequency drifts.
In theory, a solution to the problem of frequency drift in a time delay system formed with VCOs should entail calibration of either the clock signal or the delay time before the control unit activates the timing circuit. Efforts to carry out this approach have had limited success. In systems that include a large number, for example, 100, timing circuits, the time required to input delay information under calibrated conditions can be long enough to allow some of the VCOs to drift.
Improved time accuracies are being sought to provide greater control over blasting operations, and to improve the quality of data gained, for example, for seismic or similar analyses by the detonation of explosive charges in predetermined time sequences. Also, in blasting operations, an improved accuracy in timing successive explosions can lead to greater control over ground vibration and the fracture of rock formations. For example, in some instances it is desirable to control blasting detonations to provide reinforcing shock waves, improving blasting efficiency. In other instances, it may also be desirable to generate secondary accurate shock waves to create a canceling effect on the propagation of other explosive blasts. This nulling can be applied, for example, to limit damage due to ground vibrations propagating from the locus of blasting into remote, but sensitive, regions.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,933 shows a system arrangement in which a central unit sequentially provides reference timing signals to some timing and load starting devices. The timing signals provided to each device define a delay that is to precede starting a device. Each delay defined by the timing signals is counted with a VCO clock signal generated on the corresponding device.
Thus, programming of the delay time can be done by counting oscillator clock pulses during a timed period corresponding to the desired delay. After receiving a fire command from the control unit, each device generates the predefined delay period by counting out the same number of pulses. Accuracy of this technique for implementing a programmable delay is, of course, dependent upon the stability of the clock frequency between the times at which programming begins and all operations have been started.
When many devices are serially programmed for delay periods ranging up to several seconds, the programming process can be lengthy. For example, when a thousand devices are programmed with varying delay periods, assuming the delay periods range from zero to 3 seconds with an average delay of 1.5 seconds, the time required for programming can be as high as 25 minutes. The cumulative drift among the VCO clocks during a 25 minute period would make it difficult to maintain millisecond accuracy in the delay sequence, and would make microsecond accuracy unattainable.
In many applications, such as those involving detonation of explosive charges in which a number of timer circuits are employed, and in which critical timing relationships among the timers is desired to be maintained, often the destruction of one of the timers causes loss of synchronization or coordination among the remaining timers. This may be especially true in those instances in which subsequent timers base their initial timing on previous timers. Also, in such instances where successive timing is "in series" from one timer to the next, any timing errors in preceding timers results in similar timing errors in successive timers.

Tunable timing circuit and method for operating same and blasting detonator using same


The disclosure is directed in non-limiting embodiments to compounds, compositions, and methods of treating conditions and diseases associated with activation of the gonadotropin GnRH receptor (GnRHR), particularly those involving GnRHR activating autoantibodies (GnRHR AAbs). In one non-limiting embodiment, the disease is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The therapeutic compounds in at least certain embodiments include peptides which at least partially comprise D-amino acids, such as retro-inverso D-amino acid (RID) peptides, which are able to bind with high affinity to GnRHR AAbs.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a systemic disease characterized by multiple ovarian cysts, infertility, pain, discomfort, and associated metabolic abnormalities including insulin resistant diabetes mellitus, abnormal sex hormone function, hirsutism, and acne. It is considered of unknown etiology and frequently occurs in adolescence. PCOS involves the pituitary-ovarian reproductive organs, resulting in anovulatory infertility in 8-10% of women of reproductive age. Its causation is currently unknown but is associated with abnormal pituitary control and/or release of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), both of which are intimately related to development and release of ova from the ovary in timely fashion for possible fertilization when a viable sperm is in proximity. In this condition, the release of the developing ova is severely impaired and generally is internally reabsorbed without release. The developing follicle continues to be stimulated by this abnormal absence of rupture and release and becomes a persistent and enlarged cyst leading to distortion of the ovarian architecture and further disturbing normal development of subsequent follicles.
This infertility is profound in many conditions leading to heartbreak, frustration, self-recrimination, and marital discord. Current infertility therapies are frustratingly of low success, and current state of the art resides in in vitro fertilization, often requiring a separate donor and emplacement of the embryo. The costs are very high (e.g., $75K for three attempts) and are without guarantee of issue. Moreover, PCOS is not just an issue of infertility, as a significant majority of these women develop a complex syndrome over several years that includes obesity, significant insulin resistance manifested by Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and signs of hyper-androgenism (elevation of testosterone and weak androgens) including acne and hirsutism. A smaller subgroup includes women of thin nature despite eating freely yet who do not develop the above-mentioned metabolic syndrome. These women nevertheless share in the infertility and polycystic ovary presentation. This metabolic syndrome that is so prevalent must be treated using multiple dietary and pharmacological approaches. The diabetes has most commonly been treated with metformin with modest improvement, despite the frequent side effects of the medication and its long term inability to cure the disease. Interestingly, in some subjects there is minimal or very modest improvement in the infertility but this is not common. Newer diabetes medications are being tried but have significant costs and are not recognized as more effective than metformin on the infertility. The hypertension is treated with usually more than one antihypertensive agent with their concomitant cost and side effects. The hyper-androgen state is of particular concern for women of all ages but is especially devastating for young women in society. The therapy usually is started too late and or inadequately and consists of birth control pill (BCP) therapy to suppress LH and the use of androgen receptor antagonists with their concurrent side effects and expense. Alterations in gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) or its receptor (GnRHR) have not been successfully associated with causation.

Methods and compositions for treating diseases and conditions associated with gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor

The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma


A substrate processing method includes the step of forming an oxide film by oxidizing a silicon substrate surface and the step of nitriding the oxide film to form an oxynitride film, wherein there is provided a step of purging oxygen after the oxidizing step but before said nitriding step from an ambient in which said nitriding processing is conducted.

The present invention generally relates to substrate processing technology and more particularly to a substrate processing method of forming a high-K dielectric-film on a substrate.
With the progress in the technology of device miniaturization, production of ultra-fine semiconductor devices having a MOS transistor with a gate length of less than 0.1 μm is becoming possible.
To improve the operational speed of such ultra-fine semiconductor devices further by way of reduction of gate length of the MOS transistor, there is a need of reducing the thickness of the gate insulation film according to scaling law. For example, in the case of using a conventional silicon oxide film as the gate insulation film, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the gate insulation film to 1.7 nm or less. However, when the thickness of the oxide film is decreased like this, there occurs an increase of gate leakage current through the oxide film by tunneling effect, and there is caused deterioration of device characteristics such as increase of electric power consumption, and the like.
Thus, it has been studied conventionally to use a high-K dielectric film such as the film of Ta2O5, ZrO2, HfO2 or Al2O3, and the like, for the gate insulation film, in place of the conventional silicon oxide film. However, such a high-K dielectric film has the properties very much different from those of the silicon oxide film used conventionally in the semiconductor technology, and there remain numerous problems to be solved in order to establish the technology of using such a high-K dielectric film as the gate insulation film.
Contrary to this, a silicon nitride film is the material that has been used in the conventional semiconductor process and has various advantageous features such as large specific dielectric constant of twice as large as that of a silicon oxide film. Further, a silicon nitride film has the capability of blocking diffusion of dopant elements in the gate electrode into the silicon substrate effectively. Thus, silicon nitride is thought as being a promising material for the gate insulation film of the next generation high-speed semiconductor devices.
Conventionally, a silicon nitride film has been formed by a plasma CVD process. However, such a CVD nitride film generally shows poor interface characteristics and the user thereof for a gate insulation film has been thought inappropriate. Because of this, there has been no attempt conventionally to use a nitride film for the gate insulation film.
On the other hand, there has been a proposal recently about the technology of converting the surface of a silicon oxide film to an oxynitride film by introducing a nitrogen gas or a mixture of a nitrogen gas and a hydrogen gas or a gas containing nitrogen such as NH3 into microwave-excited rare gas plasma of Ar, Kr, He and the like, to form N radicals or NH radicals. (Katsuyuki Sekine, Yuji Sato, Masaki Hirayama and Tadahiro Ohmi, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A17(5), September/October 1999, pp.3129-3133; Takuya Sugawara, Toshio Nakanishi, Masaru Sasaki, Shigenori Ozaki, Yoshihide Tada, Extended Abstracts of Solid State Devices and Materials, 2002, pp.714-715). The oxynitride film thus formed has interface characteristics comparable to or superior to that of a silicon thermal oxide film, and thus, the oxynitride film is thought as being a promising material for the gate insulation film of the next generation high-speed semiconductor devices. Further, there is proposed a plasma nitridation technology that directly converts the surface of a silicon substrate by a nitriding processing by using such microwave plasma. Further, there is the technology of plasma oxidation that directly oxidizes a silicon substrate surface by introducing a gas containing oxygen into the foregoing rare gas plasma.
In the case of conducting a plasma nitridation processing subsequently to oxidizing processing in the same apparatus, on the other hand, there appears a problem in that oxidization occurs simultaneously to the nitridation due to the residual oxygen, which has been introduced into a processing apparatus previously for the oxidation processing or for other processing and remaining in the processing ambient, and there occurs an increase of thickness of the gate insulation film formed by such a nitridation processing. When such increase of the film thickness occurs, the desired improvement of operational speed of the semiconductor device according to the scaling low is not attained. This problem of increase of film thickness of the gate insulation film becomes particularly serious when the nitridation processing is conducted for long time in order to cause more diffusion of the introduced nitrogen atoms in the thickness direction of the film or in the case in which the thickness of the base oxide film is small. (Takuya Sugawara, et al., op. cit.; C. C. Chen, M. C. Yu, M. F. Wang, T. L. Lee, S. C. Chen, C. H. Yu and M. S. Liang, 2002 7th International Symposium on Plasma and Process Induced Damage, pp.41-44).
Further, even in the case the oxidation processing and the nitridation processing are conducted in different apparatuses, a similar problem of increase of film thickness of the gate insulation film by oxidation can be caused also when water is adsorbed to the substrate. In such a case, water is transported from the oxidation processing apparatus to the nitridation processing apparatus together with the substrate to be processed.


An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body; an openable and closable cover provided at the apparatus body; a conveyance unit to convey a recording medium upward and downward; a recording head to eject liquid droplets to the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit; and an opening authorization mechanism to authorize moving of the conveyance unit from a first open position to a second open position, the conveyance unit having a greater opening amount at the second open position than at the first open position, wherein the conveyance unit is disposed between the cover and the recording head, and configured to be openable to the first open position when the cover is in the open position, and openable to the second open position when the opening authorization mechanism authorizes the moving of the conveyance unit from the first open position to the second open position.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are used as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, or multi-functional devices having at least one of printing, copying, plotting, and facsimile capabilities. As one type of image forming apparatus employing a liquid-ejection recording method, an inkjet recording apparatus is known that uses a recording head (liquid ejection head) for ejecting droplets of ink.
For example, JP-20120136034-A proposes an image forming apparatus including an openable and closable cover provided in an apparatus body, a conveyance unit disposed at the inner side of the cover to convey a recording medium in an upward and downward direction, and a recording head to eject liquid droplets from nozzles toward the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit. The conveyance unit is disposed between the cover and a nozzle formed face of the recording head at which the nozzles are formed. When the cover is opened, the conveyance unit moves in a direction in which the cover is opened, thus widening a space between the conveyance unit and the nozzle formed face of the recording head.
An advantage of the above-described configuration is that, when a sheet jam occurs, the sheet jam is easily cleared by first opening the cover and then opening the conveyance unit.
However, if the conveyance unit is opened widely (e.g. 90°) like the cover, a droplet ejecting face of the recording head in a carriage that has stopped due to the sheet jam is exposed to the outside.
Accordingly, if an apparatus user can easily touch the droplet ejecting face of the recording head, accidental adhering of liquid droplets to the apparatus user's hand may occur and foreign matter may adhere to the nozzles, thus resulting in deterioration in image quality.
If the opening angles of the cover and the conveyance unit are restricted so that the apparatus user is prevented from easily touching the droplet ejecting face, maintenance works, such as the maintenance of the droplet ejecting face and implementation of countermeasures for other failures by a serviceperson, are hindered.