The present technology relates to interatrial shunting systems and methods. In some embodiments, the present technology includes interatrial shunting systems that include a shunting element having a lumen extending therethrough that is configured to fluidly couple the left atrium and the right atrium when the shunting element is implanted in a patient. The system can also include an energy receiving component for receiving energy from an energy source positioned external to the body, an energy storage component for storing the received energy, and/or a flow control mechanism for adjusting a geometry of the lumen.

Heart failure is a medical condition associated with the inability of the heart to effectively pump blood to the body. Heart failure affects millions of people worldwide, and may arise from multiple root causes, but is generally associated with myocardial stiffening, myocardial shape remodeling, and/or abnormal cardiovascular dynamics. Chronic heart failure is a progressive disease that worsens considerably over time. Initially, the body's autonomic nervous system adapts to heart failure by altering the sympathetic and parasympathetic balance. While these adaptations are helpful in the short-term, over a longer period of time they may serve to make the disease worse.
Heart failure (HF) is a medical term that includes both heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The prognosis with both HFpEF and HFrEF is poor; one-year mortality is 26% and 22%, respectively, according to one epidemiology study. In spite of the high prevalence of HFpEF, there remain limited options for HFpEF patients. Pharmacological therapies have been shown to impact mortality in HFrEF patients, but there are no similarly-effective evidence-based pharmacotherapies for treating HFpEF patients. Current practice is to manage and support patients while their health continues to decline.
A common symptom among heart failure patients is elevated left atrial pressure. In the past, clinicians have treated patients with elevated left atrial pressure by creating a shunt between the left and right atria using a blade or balloon septostomy. The shunt decompresses the left atrium (LA) by relieving pressure to the right atrium (RA) and systemic veins. Over time, however, the shunt typically will close or reduce in size. More recently, percutaneous interatrial shunt devices have been developed which have been shown to effectively reduce left atrial pressure. However, these percutaneous devices often have an annular passage with a fixed diameter which fails to account for a patient's changing physiology and condition. For this reason, existing percutaneous shunt devices may have a diminishing clinical effect after a period of time. Many existing percutaneous shunt devices typically are also only available in a single size that may work well for one patient but not another. Also, sometimes the amount of shunting created during the initial procedure is later determined to be less than optimal months later. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices, systems, and methods for treating heart failure patients, particularly those with elevated left atrial pressure.


A cathode assembly (43) for a computed tomography scanning system (10) is provided. The cathode assembly (43) includes a one-piece tab assembly (52) for simple and relatively quick installation on a cathode cup (44). In one embodiment, the one-piece tab assembly (52) has two rail portions (56) extending substantially across its length. These rail portions (56) are intended for insertion into channels (50) formed within the cathode cup (44) and for properly locating the one-piece tab assembly (52) in a desired position relative to the filament (46). The assembly (52) further includes two tab portions (58, 58xe2x80x3) located on opposing ends of the rail portions (56). The tab portions (58, 58xe2x80x3) each include a main body portion (62) and a flap portion (54) extending from the main body portion (62). The main body portion (62) extends between the two rail portions (56) and has a mounting surface for attaching the one-piece tab assembly (52) to the cathode cup (44). The flap portions (54) extend substantially perpendicular from the main body portions (62) and direct the electron beam emitted by the filament (46).

The present invention relates generally to X-ray imaging machines, and particularly to X-ray imaging machines that include dihedral cathode cups with cathode tabs for producing desired focal spot length profile.
A traditional X-ray imaging system employs an X-ray source and a detector array for producing an internal image of an object. The X-ray source generates X-rays which pass through the object. This object absorbs a portion of the X-rays as the X-rays are transmitted therethrough. As a result, the transmitted X-rays vary in intensity. The detector array receives and measures the resultant X-ray flux so as to generate the electrical signals necessary for constructing an internal image of the object.
Computed tomography (CT) imaging systems typically include a gantry that rotates at various speeds in order to create a 360xc2x0 image. The gantry contains a CT tube assembly that generates X-rays across a vacuum gap between a cathode and an anode. In order to generate the X-rays, a large voltage potential of approximately 120-140 kV is created across the vacuum gap allowing electrons, in the form of an electron beam, to be emitted from the cathode to be incident on the target of the anode. In releasing the electrons, a filament contained within the cathode is heated to incandescence by passing an electric current therein. The electrons are accelerated by the electric field and impinge on the target at a focal spot, whereby they are abruptly slowed down and directed at an impingement angle xcex1 of approximately 90xc2x0 so as to emit X-rays through a CT tube window.
The filament or electron source typically is a coiled tungsten wire that is heated to temperatures approaching 2600xc2x0 C. The electrons are accelerated by an electric field imposed between the cathode and the anode. The anode, in a high power X-ray tube designed for current CT devices, is a target having a target face that rotates at angular velocities of approximately 120 Hz or greater. This target may be comprised of molybdenum, graphite, and various other materials.
Cathode tabs typically are positioned adjacent to the filament in order to focus the X-ray flux or electron beam and produce a uniform focal spot length profile. Ordinarily, two cathode tabs are located on opposite ends of the filament. Existing tabs are L-shaped brackets that surround the filament. One portion of the bracket typically is fastened to the cathode cup while the other portion is utilized for directing the electron beam.
A drawback of existing cathode tabs is that meticulous alignment of these tabs on the cathode cup is usually necessary for producing the desired focal spot length profile. Ordinarily, CT scanner manufacturers carefully fasten each tab to the cathode cup in a specific predetermined position. This position is usually based on precise distances from the filament, as well as the distances between the tabs themselves. In this regard, installation of the separate tabs results in a labor intensive, time-consuming procedure.
Therefore, a need exists to provide a cathode assembly having a structure that simplifies integration of cathode tabs within the cathode cup thereby decreasing installation time and costs associated therewith.
The present invention provides a cathode assembly for an X-ray imaging machine. The cathode assembly includes a one-piece tab assembly for simple and relatively quick installation on a cathode cup. In one embodiment, the one-piece tab assembly has at least two rail portions extending substantially across its length. These rail portions are intended for insertion into channels formed within the cathode cup and for properly locating the one-piece tab assembly in a desired axial position on the cathode cup. The cathode assembly further includes a first tab portion and a second tab portion located on opposite ends of the rail portions. The first tab portion and the second tab portion each include a main body portion and a flap portion. The main body portion extends between the two rails and includes a mounting surface for attaching the one-piece tab assembly to the cathode cup. The flap portions extend substantially perpendicular from the main body portions and direct the electron beam emitted by the filament.
One advantage of the present invention is that a one-piece tab assembly is provided with at least two rail portions integrated therein for insertion into channels of a cathode cup and properly locating the one-piece tab assembly on the cathode cup.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a one-piece tab assembly is provided that may be properly located on the cathode cup by merely adjusting the position of the one-piece tab assembly along one axis of movement.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that a one-piece tab assembly is provided with a first tab portion and a second tab portion located at a fixed distance from each other so as to eliminate the need for adjusting the tabs relative to each other.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a one-piece tab assembly is provided with a main body portion for mounting the one-piece tab assembly to a cathode cup.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

One-piece tab assembly for a cathode cup of an X-ray imaging machine

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


The present invention relates to an Agrobacterium having improved gene transfer efficiency. The present invention provides a transformed Agrobacterium which harbors a foreign GABA transaminase gene and exhibits improved gene transfer efficiency, and a method for producing a transformed plant using the same.

A method for gene transfer to plants via Agrobacterium, a soil bacterium (Agrobacterium method) can be carried out by convenient procedures without the need of special techniques or apparatuses. The Agrobacterium method can transfer a gene in a complete form and with a small copy number to a plant. This method is therefore used with high frequency in the preparation of transformed plants, as compared with other plant gene transfer methods. However, on the other hand, there are many plant species having low transfer efficiency by the Agrobacterium method. Accordingly, the development of Agrobacterium having enhanced gene transfer ability to plants has been demanded.
Super-Agrobacterium has been reported, which is Agrobacterium having improved gene transfer efficiency to plants by harboring a plasmid containing an ACC deaminase gene imparting the ability to inhibit ethylene production to Agrobacterium (Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 1). The development of Agrobacterium having high gene transfer efficiency has still been demanded in order to improve gene transfer efficiency on the basis of various mechanisms. The present inventors have developed a technique of stably improving the gene transfer efficiency of Agrobacterium by integrating an ACC deaminase gene into a predetermined region on the genome of Agrobacterium (Patent Literature 2).
Meanwhile, GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is produced in plants as a result of damages to or Agrobacterium infection of the plants (Non Patent Literature 2). Plants highly producing GABA have also been reported to have low susceptibility to infection by an Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 strain (Non Patent Literature 3). Plant GABA is further known to inhibit the quorum sensing signals of Agrobacterium and inhibit the replication of Ti plasmids necessary for gene transfer or horizontal transfer among Agrobacterium bacteria (Non Patent Literatures 4 and 5). It is, however, unknown whether the GABA activity of plants can be altered by modification of Agrobacterium and whether gene transfer efficiency can thereby be changed.


The invention features computer-assisted methods for identifying molecules which will bind to the EPO receptor and act as an erythropoietin (EPO) mimetic. Preferred EPO mimetics identified using the method of the invention act as agonists of the EPO receptor in one or more in vitro or in vivo biological assays of EPO activity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer-assisted methods for identifying and designing small molecule mimetics of erythropoietin.
2. Description of Related Art
Erythropoietin (EPO) is the primary regulator of the proliferation and differentiation of immature erythroid cells. EPO is produced in the fetal liver and in the adult kidney in response to hypoxia (low oxygen levels in blood or tissue). It circulates in the blood stream where it targets the EPO receptor (EPOR) on committed progenitor cells in the bone marrow and other hematopoietic tissues. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is widely used in therapy of patients with anaemia due to chronic renal failure, cancer chemotherapy and AZT treatment.
The EPO receptor belongs to the cytokine receptor superfamily which includes receptors for other hematopoietic growth factors such as interleukins (ELs), colony stimulating factors (CSFs) as well as growth hormone prolactin and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). The structural architecture of this family of receptors consists of three modules: a ligand binding extracellular domain, a short trans membrane region and a large cytoplasmic domain. It has been proposed that the extracellular domain of this superfamily comprises two discrete domains each containing approximately 100 residues that fold into a sandwich consisting of 7 antiparallel .beta.-strands with the topology of an Ig constant domain. Members of the family share two characteristic motifs in their extracellular domain: a pair of conserved disulfide bridges in the N-terminal domain, and a WSXWS box (SEQ ID NO:2) (where X is any amino acid residue) in the C-terminal domain. For most members of this receptor superfamily, oligomerization of one or more polypeptide chains is essential for forming high affinity receptor complexes. A homodimer complex has been demonstrated to be the active form of hGHR and a similar model has been suggested for G-CSF, prolactin and EPO receptors.
Erythropoietin induces dimerization of two EPO receptor molecules, which results in subsequent phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domains by the association with two tyrosine kinase (JAK2) molecules to initiate a cascade of events that leads to the relevant biological.
Given the importance of erythropoietin, it would be very desirable to be able to identify molecules capable of binding the EPO receptor and eliciting the response normally elicited by EPO.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Small molecule mimetics of erythropoietin


A hold-down apparatus (10) for holding an associated cable tray on an associated support rod member includes a main body portion (100), U-shaped expansion and fixed clamp portions (102, 104), and first and second indicia (330, 332). The expansion clamp portion (102) is configured to loosely engage hold an associated bead of the cable tray relative to the associated support rod member and the fixed clamp portion (104) tightly holds the members together. The first indicia (330) is carried on a side of the main body portion (100) opposite from the fixed clamp portion (104) and the second indicia (320) is carried on a side of the main body portion (100) opposite from the expansion clamp portion (102). The indicia (330, 332) are visually distinguishable from the main body portion (100) for indicating an orientation of the fixed and expansion clamp portions (102, 104) relative to the associated cable tray.

Cable trays are, in general, support structures used in commercial and other buildings and in connection with other structures to support or otherwise carry long runs of electrical wiring, conduit and the like relative to the buildings or other structures. A typical cable tray comprises a pair of parallel elongate rails connected by a plurality of cross members spaced apart along the length of the parallel rails. The long runs of electrical wiring, conduit and the like are laid into the cable tray along the length of the parallel rails and transverse the plurality of spaced apart cross members.
The cable trays themselves are, in general, supported relative to fixed structures and commercial or other buildings by a series of parallel support bars suspended at intervals and spaced lengthwise of the cable tray. The cable tray rests on these support bars and is held in position on the bars by hold-down members which are affixed to the support bars by suitable fasteners such as threaded bolts and captive nuts or the like. These hold-down members are intended to hold the cable tray on the support bars and to prevent lateral shifting of the cable tray relative to the support bars.
One type of hold-down member prevalent in the industry is functional to rigidly clamp a cable tray against its support. These are commonly referred to as fixed clamps. Another common type of hold-down member holds the cable tray loosely on the support bars to permit selective relative movement between the cable tray and support bars necessitated largely by thermal expansion and contraction of the cable tray due to temperature variations. These are commonly referred to as expansion clamps. Accordingly, in practice, in order to permit relative movement between the cable tray and the support bars in selected regions along the length of the cable tray, several expansion clamps are used in the selected regions between pairs of fixed clamps on the ends of the regions. In some applications, as many as dozens of expansion clamps may be used in the selected expansion regions between pairs of fixed clamps. It is to be appreciated that a run of a cable tray system may span several expansion regions along its length.
For many reasons including economy, ease of use, and a reduced parts list, it is preferable to have a single "combination" hold-down member which is selectively functional in both capacities. Combination hold-down members can be selectively applied in either a clamping (fixed) mode or non-clamping (expansion) mode.
It is extremely important, however, to correctly install these combination hold-down members in the clamping mode when it is desired to fixedly clamp the cable tray to the support bar(s) and, correspondingly, to install the combination hold-down members in the non-clamping mode when it is desired to loosely clamp the cable tray to the support bar(s). Misapplication of the hold-down members could adversely interfere with providing for the required relative movement between the cable tray and the support bars in the selected designated regions wherein a failure of the connections, a buckling of the cable tray or the like could occur as the cable tray expands, contracts, and vibrates relative to the support.
Some applications do not lend themselves to close post-installation inspection such as for example high overhead uses. Accordingly, it is difficult to visually verify that the hold-down members are properly installed in the prescribed modalities along the length of the cable tray.

Combination hold-down clamp and expansion guide apparatus for cable trays


The present invention is directed to non-cytotoxic protein conjugates for inhibition or reduction of exocytic fusion in a nociceptive sensory afferent cell. The protein conjugates comprise: (i) a galanin Targeting Moiety (TM), wherein the TM is an agonist of a receptor present on a nociceptive sensory afferent cell, and wherein the receptor undergoes endocytosis to be incorporated into an endosome within the nociceptive sensory afferent cell; (ii) a non-cytotoxic protease or a fragment thereof, wherein the protease or protease fragment is capable of cleaving a protein of the exocytic fusion apparatus of the nociceptive sensory afferent cell; and (iii) a Translocation Domain, wherein the Translocation Domain translocates the protease or protease fragment from within the endosome, across the endosomal membrane, and into the cytosol of the nociceptive sensory afferent cell. Nucleic acid sequences encoding the protein conjugates, methods of preparing same and uses thereof are is also described.

Toxins may be generally divided into two groups according to the type of effect that they have on a target cell. In more detail, the first group of toxins kill their natural target cells, and are therefore known as cytotoxic toxin molecules. This group of toxins is exemplified inter alia by plant toxins such as ricin, and abrin, and by bacterial toxins such as diphtheria toxin, and Pseudomonas exotoxin A. Cytotoxic toxins typically kill their target cells by inhibiting the cellular process of protein synthesis.
In contrast, the second group of toxins, which are known as non-cytotoxic toxins, do not (as their name confirms) kill their natural target cells. Non-cytotoxic toxins have attracted much less commercial interest than have their cytotoxic counterparts, and exert their effects on a target cell by inhibiting cellular processes other than protein synthesis. As with their cytotoxic counterparts, non-cytotoxic toxins are produced from a variety of sources such as plants, and bacteria. Bacterial non-cytotoxic toxins are now described in more detail.
Clostridial neurotoxins are proteins that typically have a molecular mass of the order of 150 kDa. They are produced by various species of bacteria, especially of the genus Clostridium, most importantly C. tetani and several strains of C. botulinum, C. butyricum and C. argentinense. There are at present eight different classes of the clostridial neurotoxin, namely: tetanus toxin, and botulinum neurotoxin in its serotypes A, B, C1, D, E, F and G, and they all share similar structures and modes of action.
Clostridial neurotoxins represent a major group of non-cytotoxic toxin molecules, and are synthesised by the host bacterium as single polypeptides that are modified post-translationally by a proteolytic cleavage event to form two polypeptide chains joined together by a disulphide bond. The two chains are termed the heavy chain (H-chain), which has a molecular mass of approximately 100 kDa, and the light chain (L-chain), which has a molecular mass of approximately 50 kDa.
L-chains possess a protease function (zinc-dependent endopeptidase activity) and exhibit high substrate specificity for vesicle and/or plasma membrane associated proteins involved in the exocytic process. L-chains from different clostridial species or serotypes may hydrolyse different but specific peptide bonds in one of three substrate proteins, namely synaptobrevin, syntaxin or SNAP-25. These substrates are important components of the neurosecretory machinery.
Non-cytotoxic toxins are also produced by other bacteria, such as from the genus Neisseria, most importantly from the species N. gonorrhoeae. For example, Neisseria sp. produces the non-cytotoxic toxin IgA protease (see WO99/58571).
It has been well documented in the art that toxin molecules may be re-targeted to a cell that is not the toxin's natural target cell. When so re-targeted, the modified toxin is capable of binding to a desired target cell and, following subsequent translocation into the cytosol, is capable of exerting its effect on the target cell. Said re-targeting is achieved by replacing the natural Targeting Moiety (TM) of the toxin with a different TM. In this regard, the TM is selected so that it will bind to a desired target cell, and allow subsequent passage of the modified toxin into an endosome within the target cell. The modified toxin also comprises a translocation domain to enable entry of the non-cytotoxic protease into the cell cytosol. The translocation domain can be the natural translocation domain of the toxin or it can be a different translocation domain obtained from a microbial protein with translocation activity.
For example, in the context of non-cytotoxic toxin molecules, it has been well documented that a clostridial neurotoxin may be re-targeted by incorporation of a Targeting Moiety (TM), which is not the natural TM of a clostridial neurotoxin. The described chemical conjugation and recombinant methodologies are now regarded as conventional, and reference is made to Hermanson, G. T. (1996), Bioconjugate techniques, Academic Press, and to Wong, S. S. (1991), Chemistry of protein conjugation and cross-linking, CRC Press.
For example, WO94/21300 describes modified clostridial neurotoxin molecules that are capable of regulating Integral Membrane Protein (IMP) density present at the cell surface of the target cell. The modified neurotoxin molecules are thus capable of controlling cell activity (e.g. glucose uptake) of the target cell. WO96/33273 and WO99/17806 describe modified clostridial neurotoxin molecules that target peripheral sensory afferents. The modified neurotoxin molecules are thus capable of demonstrating an analgesic effect. WO00/10598 describes the preparation of modified clostridial neurotoxin molecules that target mucus hypersecreting cells (or neuronal cells controlling said mucus hypersecreting cells), which modified neurotoxins are capable of inhibiting hypersecretion from said cells. WO01/21213 describes modified clostridial neurotoxin molecules that target a wide range of different types of non-neuronal target cells. The modified molecules are thus capable of preventing secretion from the target cells. Additional publications in the technical field of re-targeted toxin molecules include: WO00/62814; WO00/04926; U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,586; WO93/15766; WO00/61192; and WO99/58571.
Thus, from the above-described publications, it will be appreciated that the basic concept of re-targeting a non-cytotoxic protease to a desired target cell, by selecting a TM that has a corresponding receptor present on the target cell, has been well documented.
However, different receptors present on a target cell of interest demonstrate different binding affinities for different TMs. This may be a particular problem with pain-sensing cells, which possess a wide range of receptor types having different binding affinities for different TMs. Thus, a re-targeted conjugate comprising a particular TM (that binds to a receptor on a pain-sensing cell) may demonstrate a low binding affinity for a pain-sensing target cell, which is undesirable.
There is therefore a need to develop modified non-cytotoxic conjugates that address one or more of the above problems. Of particular interest is the development of an improved conjugate for use in treating pain.


A method for deploying software in a computer system includes providing a deployment maintenance mechanism (DMM) which includes drivers for hardware. A deployment mechanism which includes an image with drivers for hardware and which identifies hardware associated with the computer, along with a native operating system, are also provided. For hardware detected by the deployment mechanism and not having an associated driver in the image, a driver from the DMM is copied into the deployment mechanism using the native operating system. The native operating system is then re-booted to deploy drivers for hardware associated with the computer.

New computers must be loaded with a significant amount of software, including the operating system of the computer. Additionally, programs called "drivers" must be loaded. "Drivers" facilitate communication with hardware such as mice, keyboards, printers, monitors, etc. that are associated with the computer. Also to be loaded are various user programs, typically referred to as "applications", including word processing programs, Internet browsers, email programs, etc.
Not surprisingly, the loading of new computers with software has become automated. Software deployment mechanisms such as IBM=s ImageUltra7 technology automatically detect the hardware that is being installed in a system (so that the correct drivers can be loaded) and dynamically "deploy", from an initial service partition into the operational regions of the HDD, the correct drivers and the native operating system. This provides a highly flexible mechanism to load software onto new computers.
As understood herein, the above-mentioned software deployment mechanism, while effective, consumes a lengthy amount of time. That is, while ImageUltra7 has a comprehensive database of various drivers, applications, and so on that can be loaded onto a new computer, it provides this support at the cost of time. For example, when it uses a Microsoft "Unattended Installation" process, forty five to ninety minutes can be required to install just the base operating system, after which applications are added which can add another twenty minutes to an hour to the process. Given these two installation phases, well over an hour can be required to load a computer with the necessary software. This can seem excessive in light of the relatively shorter time that some simpler and less comprehensive deployment mechanisms require, although these simpler systems disadvantageously are not hardware independent.
The present invention critically recognizes that some other deployment mechanisms exist, such as so-called "Sysprep" technology, that allow an operating system, hardware drivers, and core applications to be contained in a single package, also referred to herein as an "image", that quickly can be loaded into a new computer, significantly reducing the times noted above. The present invention further understands, however, that such image-based deployment mechanisms disadvantageously require hardware drivers to be contained in the image before the deployment process is started, meaning that some detected hardware might not be supported and; hence, that some required drivers will be missing. Moreover, post-processing steps contained within the image are locked in place. While the present invention recognizes that these limitations can be addressed by pushing driver files and post install files into the image before starting the deployment process, this would require that the base image either is in FAT32 format so it can be accessed from DOS (since the native operating system will not yet have been loaded) and/or use of a tool that can copy files from DOS into non-DOS partition types. Such non-DOS partition types are critical for customers desiring New Technology File System (NTFS)-based solutions.
As recognized herein, unfortunately DOS-based copying tools are very slow, thus offsetting the time gain. And, changes in a NTFS-based environment potentially may not be supported by the copying tool, making the use of DOS-based copying tools even less desirable. Having made the above critical observations, the present invention has been provided.

System and method for configuring computer for operation


A plastic article is formable by using a metal die having a cavity to accommodate melted resin therein at a given pressure. The plastic article includes a transfer face to which is transferred a face shape of the metal die, a projection disposed at least one face other than the transfer face, an incomplete transfer face having a concave shape disposed at the same face on which the projection is disposed, formed by an incomplete transfer of a face shape of the cavity of the metal die, and an incomplete transfer face having a convex shape disposed at least one face other than the transfer face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plastic article, a method of shaping the plastic article, and an optical scanning device including the plastic article, and more particularly, to a plastic article used for an optical scanning system of laser type digital copier, a laser printer, or a facsimile machine, an optical device of a video camera, and an optical disk.
2. Description of the Background Art
Plastic articles can be formed using various shaping methods. For example, an injection molding method can be used to form plastic articles with given shapes. Specifically, melted resin material such as hot-melt resin is injected to fill a cavity, having a given volume, defined in a metal die, while the temperature of metal die is set around a given temperature at which the resin can be deformed by heat. Then, the metal die is gradually cooled while controlling the internal pressure of metal die. After the completion of cooling, the metal die is opened to extract out the molded product.
Such injection molding method can be cost-effective for mass production of a plastic article having a special shape, using the metal die adapted for such special shape of the plastic article.
Optical elements, such as lenses and prisms, have heretofore been mainly made of glass, because high degree of precision is demanded for the optical face and internal birefringence. With demand for further cost reduction of products, materials used for forming optical elements have been shifted to plastic, and plastic lenses, plastic mirrors, or the like have come to be widely used.
The plastic article may be shaped into various shapes in view of the application fields of the plastic article. For example, a plastic article having a portion of reduced thickness as a precison transfer area can be formed by transferring a minute and complex concave/convex shape to the transfer area, in which high degree of precision transfer of the metal die shape to the transfer area of the plastic article is required. For example, in the case of the lenses (e.g., f-theta lens) used for an optical scanning system of a laser printer, the shapes of the lenses are designed into a spherical shape or a complex non-spherical shape to reduce the number of parts while maintaining a plurality of capabilities with a limited number of parts. Further, such lenses may be made thin for greater compactness of the apparatus.
The process of shaping the plastic article includes cooling and solidifying the melted resin in the cavity of metal die, and the plastic article can be formed into a desired shape with high degree of precision by maintaining a constant, uniform pressure and temperature within the cavity. However, the speed of cooling and solidifying of the plastic article having a complex uneven thickness shape differs among different portions of the same plastic article, and internal stress may cause sticking of the article to the metal die or other separation failure when the plastic article is removed from the metal die, and the shape deformation such as warping of article after the removing process may occur. For example, internal strain of plastic optical elements may cause birefringence of plastic optical elements.
For example, a plastic article 10 shown in FIG. 1 may be formed or shaped as follows. The plastic article 10 has a transfer face 11, and a cross-sectional face 14 perpendicular to the transfer face 11. The plastic article 10 has a first thickness "a" in a direction perpendicular to the transfer face 11 and a second thickness "b" in a direction parallel to the transfer face 11.
Even at the portion of reduced thickness of the plastic article 10 having the aspect ratio of a/b<1, because the cooling speed in the first thickness "a" direction is faster than the cooling speed in the second thickness "b" direction, the plastic article 10 may be cooled and solidified while retaining the pressure on the transfer face 11, internal stress may cause sticking to the metal die or separation failure when the plastic article is removed from the metal die, and the shape deformation such as warping of article after removing process may occur.
Hereinafter, when plastic articles have a relation of "a/b<1" for the first thickness "a" in a direction perpendicular to the transfer face 11 and the second thickness "b" in a direction parallel to the transfer face 11, such plastic articles may be referred to as a plastic article having thin-thickness shape such as having a portion of reduced thickness or thin-thickness shape plastic article.
Low-pressure injection molding using the lowest possible pressure (called low pressure injection molding) needs to be conducted to reduce the remaining pressure. However, in low pressure injection molding, because the amount of resin injected into the mold is small compared to the cavity volume, shrinkage may likely occur to a plastic article formed by such molding, and due to an increase of resin volume shrinking, the precision with which the shape of the metal die is transferred to the plastic article (hereinafter "transfer precision of the metal die shape") deteriorates.
In view of such shrinkage, JP-H06-304973-A discloses a method of using a gas port, in which air having a given pressure is applied to a non-transfer portion of an article through the gas port to set a pressure difference between the non-transfer portion and a transfer portion of the article to induce the shrinkage at the non-transfer portion of article, by which shrinkage occurrence at the transfer portion may be prevented.
Similarly, JP-H11-28745-A discloses a method of moving one block among the blocks composing a metal die, in which a cavity is defined by the blocks. When an article is formed using the injection molding, resin is injected into the cavity to fill the cavity and a certain pressure is created in the cavity, and a transfer face of the article resin is maintained in close contact with the block at a suitable pressure. While forming the article, one of the blocks defining the cavity is slidably moved in one direction to separate a non-transfer face of article resin from the block. With such block movement, a space is set between the block and the non-transfer face of article resin, by which the shrinkage can be induced at the non-transfer face of article resin.
Further, JP-2000-84945-A discloses a method of forming a plastic article having a thick thickness and/or uneven thickness shape, in which an incomplete transfer portion of an article is set at one portion of the article other than a transfer face of the article, and a concave shape or a convex shape is transferred at such incomplete transfer portion of the article by transferring a cavity shape defined by the metal die, by which the remaining resin internal pressure and internal strain can be reduced.
The shrinkage may occur when the remaining resin internal pressure after the injection filling and resin cooling becomes lower than the air pressure applied to the non-transfer face or portion.
When a plastic article having thin-thickness shape such as having a portion of reduced thickness is formed by the method of JP-H06-304973-A, the resin at the thin-thickness portion is cooled and solidified under high pressure at the earlier stage of cooling and solidifying, by which the internal stress and internal strain remains in the article, and thereby the transfer face precision deteriorates and birefringence deteriorates.
Further, when a plastic article having thin-thickness shape such as having a portion of reduced thickness is formed by the method of JP-H11-28745-A, a separation process of block from the resin is required before a transfer face portion of resin is cooled and solidified, by which the cavity volume is increased as the separation process proceeds and the pressure in the cavity becomes a negative pressure. When the negative pressure occurs to the resin, an adhesiveness of transfer face of article resin becomes low, by which shrinkage may occur to the transfer face of article resin. In light of such situation, a movable block may be used that can follow a volume shrinking of resin. But it is hard to move the movable block precisely while maintaining the stability of the movable block.
Further, when a plastic article having thin-thickness shape such as having a portion of reduced thickness is formed by the method of JP-2000-84945-A, similar to JP-H11-28745-A, when a separation process is conducted before the resin is cooled and solidified, the negative pressure occurs to the resin in the cavity, by which shrinkage may occur to the transfer face of the article resin. Further, even if the shrinkage is induced after the pressure becomes a low level, the cooling and solidifying of resin has already proceeded while the internal stress remains.
Further, the method of JP-H06-304973-A may not completely control a shrinkage inducing area, by which the shrinkage may spread to the transfer face of the article resin. Further, the methods of JP-H11-28745-A and JP-2000-84945-A may not completely control a shrinkage area within the separated block area, by which the shrinkage may spread to the transfer face of the article resin.
The progression or spread of shrinkage area to the transfer face is described with reference a plastic article 10 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. The plastic article 10 having a transfer face 11 is an article formed by injection molding.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the metal die 30 used for forming the plastic article 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the metal die 30 cut at the cross-sectional face 14 of the plastic article 10 made of melted resin such as hot-melt resin 37. The metal die 30 may include at least a pair of metal dies, which can be opened and closed in a given direction, and a cavity is defined by the metal dies. The plastic article 10 can be formed by injecting the hot-melt resin 37 into the cavity. For example, the cavity is defined by an upper transfer block 31, a lower transfer block 32, and a side block 33. The side block 33 may be disposed with a gas slit 35 and a gas port 36 communicated to the gas slit 35. The gas port 36 is connected to a gas compression unit disposed outside of the metal die 30, by which the compressed gas (e.g., air) can be guided to a side face of the cavity. In the method of JP-H06-304973-A, the metal die 30 is used for forming an article by applying an air pressure to the non-transfer portion through the gas port 36, in which the shrinkage is induced to a non-transfer face 22 of the article. However, the shrinkage area may not be confined within the separated block area such as block 33, and the shrinkage may spread to the transfer face 11 of the article resin (see a circle P of FIG. 2).
Further, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the metal die 30 for forming the plastic article 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the metal die 30 cut at the cross-sectional face 14 of the plastic article 10 made of the hot-melt resin 37. The metal die 30 of FIG. 3 includes a movable block 34 instead of using the gas slit 35 and the gas port 36. Such metal die 30 can be used for the method of JP-H11-28745-A, in which the movable block 34 is slidably moved to induce the shrinkage to the non-transfer portion of the article resin. However, as similar to a case shown in FIG. 2, the shrinkage area may not be confined within the separated block area such as block 33, and the shrinkage may spread to the transfer face 11 of the article resin (see a circle Q of FIG. 3).

Plastic article, method of shaping plastic article, and optical scanning device having plastic article


A method of measuring blood pressure, and an automatic sphygmomanometer for implementing this method, whereby an appropriate value of cuff inflation is achieved which is dependent upon the systolic blood pressure of a patient. Pulse waves are extracted from cuff pressure obtained through a pressure detector during inflation of the cuff, and the rate of change in the amplitude of the pulse waves is obtained by a control unit. When the rate of change obtained has exceeded a predetermined threshold value, it is judged that the internal cuff pressure has surpassed the patient's systolic blood pressure. In response, inflation of the cuff by means of a pump is terminated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of measuring blood pressure and an automatic sphygmomanometer for implementing this method. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of measuring blood pressure and an automatic sphygmomanometer in which an appropriate value of pressurization is capable of being detected automat ically.
2. Prior Art
A well-known method of measuring blood pressure includes the oscillometric method in which oscillation (referred to as a "pulse wave") produced when blood flows through a blood vessel is detected and the value of blood pressure is determined by a change in the state of the pulse wave. In accordance with this method, it is necessary to know the amplitude of the pulse wave, the change thereof and the characteristics of the waveform. Therefore, when blood pressure is measured, first the internal pressure of a cuff wound upon the patient's arm is elevated to a value 30 to 40 mmHg higher than that of the patient's systolic blood pressure or maximum blood pressure, then the cuff pressure is gradually reduced to obtain a waveform, of the kind shown in FIG. 7, indicating the change in the pulse wave with the passage of time. As shown in FIG. 7, the amplitude of the pulse wave gradually increases with respect to time, but then its amplitude decreases after it reaches a certain point. It is known that cuff pressure at the time of maximum amplitude of the pulse wave is the mean blood pressure.
Thus, when blood pressure is measured in this manner, the interior of the cuff is required to be pressurized so that its internal pressure exceeds the patient's systolic blood pressure by 30 to 40 mmHg. For this reason, the conventional sphygmomanometer is provided with a switch so that different values of increased pressure (e.g., 140, 170, 200, 240 mmHg) can be set, and the patient makes use of the switch to select and set a suitable value of increased pressure depending upon the patient's own systolic blood pressure value.
However, the prior art described above has certain disadvantages. For example, if the patient does not have a rough idea of his or her own blood pressure, or if the value of pressurization selected is inappropriate, the pressure of the cuff may be inadequate or, conversely, the pressure of the cuff may be too high. In addition, the switch provided on the sphygmomanometer for setting different values of pressurization is capable of setting these values in stages only. For example, if the values can only be set in the manner described earlier, then a patient whose systolic blood pressure is 120 mmHg must pressurize the pressure of the cuff to 170 mmHg. Pressurization to this extent can cause the patient discomfort.
In an effort to solve the foregoing problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-40038 discloses a technique in which the mean blood-pressure value is obtained during increase of the internal pressure of the cuff or inflation of the cuff and an appropriate value of pressurization is found based upon the mean value obtained. In this case, however, it is required that the rate at which the internal pressure of the cuff is raised be held at 5 mmHg/sec in consideration of the patient's pulse rate (60.about.70 beats/min), and in order to obtain the mean blood-pressure value in accurate fashion. As a consequence, an extended period of time is required to measure blood pressure. This places a considerable burden upon the patient. Furthermore, in order to obtain the mean blood-pressure value (absolute value), a calibration circuit is necessary. This inevitably results in a more complicated apparatus.

Method of measuring blood pressure, and automatic sphygmomanometer for implementing said method


An oral delivery product comprising a semi-permeable pouch designed for delivery of an active agent in the oral cavity of a subject. The pouch encloses multiple particles, and the particles are alginate matrices that comprise an active agent, e.g. nicotine. The alginate is e.g. sodium alginate, such as PROTANAL® LFR 5/60 or PROTANAL® LF 10/60.

There are many ways of delivering active pharmaceutical agents to a patient body depending on the type of drug and the disorder to treat or prevent. A common administration protocol is oral delivery of oral formulations, such as tablets, capsules and lozenges. In this administration route, the tablet is swallowed for release of the agent in the intestine.
A problem associated with oral delivery to the stomach is that many drugs may be degraded during the passage through the acid environment of the gastrointestinal system. When the agent has entered the intestine it is taken up into the blood stream via the portal vein in the liver, where a large portion of the active agent is typically metabolized into inactive chemicals by the enzymes of the so-called first-pass metabolism.
These factors result in a significant delay before a positive therapeutic effect can be noted, leading to a risk of gastrointestinal side effects augmented by the need of administering considerably higher amount of the active agent than would be needed by, for instance, a direct injection of a drug solution into the vein.
WO 2007/104573 discloses the delivery of the active agent nicotine to the oral cavity of a patient in the form of a snuff product. The snuff product comprises a semi-permeable snuff pouch enclosing small particles of microcrystalline cellulose having the nicotine sorbed to the surface of the cellulose particles. When being placed between the lip and the teeth of the patient, the onset of the nicotine effect is very rapid, typically within 1 to 2 minutes after application of the snuff pouch.
WO 2005/023227 discloses nicotine-containing pharmaceutical compositions wherein nicotine is absorbed into and/or adsorbed onto cellulose of non-seed organism origin, especially cellulose from algae, bacteria and/or fungi. A vast amount of products comprising the pharmaceutical compositions are given in the document, including chewing gums, mouth sprays, nasal sprays, inhaling devices, tablets, lozenges, buccal sachets, transdermal patches and powders.


Methods and apparatus for providing ubiquitous and configurable communications between users is provided. Ubiquity and other features are provided using a common identifier linking two or more users. In one embodiment, a common identifier is automatically provided when call forwarding is directed to a designated phone number. In another embodiment, a user can cause a common identifier to be created linking the user with a user of their choice by sending a text message to a designated address. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Contemporary mobile communications devices typically incorporate multiple communications modalities into a single device. In addition to traditional voice communications service, current mobile phones typically also provide voicemail, Short Message Service (SMS or "texting"), Email, call forwarding, and Internet connectivity. Of these, SMS has, because of its unobtrusive and flexible nature, become the fastest growing and most ubiquitous mode of communication. For many users, texting via the SMS protocol is preferred over traditional voice communication. One of the advantages of SMS texting, in addition to being less obtrusive, is that a text message is much more robust against the various factors that can disrupt live voice communications. For this reason, a text message is often used as an invitation to participate in a live voice call at some later, more convenient time and location. Newer devices such as the Apple iPhone™ have tended to blur the distinction between text and voicemail with features such as "visual voicemail." However, many mobile phone users have been slow to adopt texting, referring instead to attempt a voice call as the default communication method. When, for various reasons, a voice call cannot be completed, the caller typically either hangs up or leaves a voicemail that may not become available to the recipient until much later. Another limitation of currently implemented voicemail occurs when a caller would like to be able to deliver a single voicemail to multiple recipients quickly and reliably.
For these and other reasons, there still remains a need to further integrate, automate, and simplify the various communications modes. In particular, there is a need to leverage the ubiquity of text messaging to enhance the effectiveness of live voice and voicemail modes of communications.


A fluid-dispensing device which selectively draws fluid out from at least two containers or fluid chambers, mixes the fluids in a desired concentration or ratio and expels the mixture of fluids out a nozzle. The dispensing device may be equipped with a mechanism for variably controlling the ratio of the fluids being mixed. The containers may be bottles connectable to the fluid-dispensing device and selectively detachable for refilling with fluid or exchanging one of the containers with another container having an alternate fluid. The bottles include mating elements to permit interconnection of the bottles as well as venting and spill prevention mechanisms.

The field of the present invention relates to devices for ejecting or spraying a fluid stream or spray through a nozzle from out of a container or bottle.
Heretofore there have been various hand-held sprayers such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,290 in which fluid from a container is pumped out by a pump mechanism comprised of a collapsible tubular bulb, the actuation of the trigger compressing the bulb to expel the fluid. Another type of trigger sprayer device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,228 in which the trigger actuates the piston and cylinder combination which alternately draws fluid in from the container and then expels it out through a nozzle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,355,739 (Vierkotter) and 3,786,963 (Metzler) disclose hand pump devices which claim to disperse a mixture of two fluids from two fluid sources. These devices however require the two fluids to be mixed far from the pumping chamber which provides opportunity for the fluids to separate rather than staying mixed. In the application where the device varies the fluid concentration and a new concentration is selected, a large amount of fluid must be first expelled before fluid of the new concentration is expelled. In an application where the fluid is activated by mixing action, mixed fluid which is not expelled may become inactive in time.
The present inventor however is aware of no successful handheld device on the market, other than his own, which can reliably draw a plurality of fluids from a plurality of fluid sources and eject the fluid mixture at a desired concentration. The vast majority of all trigger-type sprayer devices are sprayers which draw fluid from a single container, the sprayer ejecting only that particular fluid and fluid concentration which is within the container.

Hand operated fluid dispenser for multiple fluids and dispenser bottle


An aspect of the present invention provides an electro-optical device including a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines, a plurality of power lines extending in a direction intersecting with the plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixel circuits provided corresponding to intersections of the plurality of scanning lines and the plurality of data lines, wherein pixel circuits of the plurality of pixel circuits provided adjacent to each other along one of the plurality of data lines is coupled to one of the plurality of power lines.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, such as an electro-optical device, a method of driving the same, and an electronic apparatus, and more particularly, to the commonality of power lines through which a voltage is applied to pixel circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
Display devices using organic electronic luminescence (EL) elements have lately attracted considerable attention. The organic EL element is a current driven element whose brightness is set according to a driving current passing therethrough. A method of writing data to pixels using the organic EL elements includes a current program method in which data are supplied to data lines based on a current and a voltage program method in which data are supplied to data lines based on a voltage.

Electro-optical device, method of driving the same, and electronic apparatus


A process for manufacturing a high performance gun propellant containing an energetic thermoplastic elastomeric binder and a high-energy oxidizer is disclosed. The process includes preparing or obtaining a molding powder of the high-energy oxidizer particles coated with the energetic thermoplastic elastomeric binder and extruding the molding powder into the desired gun propellant configuration. The high-energy oxidizer has a concentration in the range from 70% to 85%, by weight, and the energetic thermoplastic elastomeric binder has a concentration in the range from 15% to 30%, by weight. The molding powder has a particle size in the range from 200.mu. to 2000.mu.. Typical thermoplastic elastomeric binders include oxetane, oxirane, and nitramine backbone polymers, copolymers, and mixtures thereof. Typical high-energy oxidizers include nitramine oxidizers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the processing of high performance gun propellants which use an energetic thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) binder in combination with a high energy oxidizer.
2. Technology Background
There is a continuing need for high performance gun propellants which exceed the performance of currently fielded gun propellants and which are easily processed. As an example, the current Army 120 mm tank round gun propellant is a double base propellant (JA2) containing nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, and an energetic plasticizer. This composition is gelled. If the gun propellant is processed or gelled improperly, the material cannot be easily reprocessed. The gun propellant JA2 has an impetus of about 1190 J/g and a flame temperature of about 3400.degree. K.
Persons skilled in the art have previously proposed using an energetic thermoplastic elastomeric binder instead of nitrocellulose. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,737 to Biddle et al. discloses a gun propellant composition containing an energetic thermoplastic elastomeric ("TPE") binder and a high-energy oxidizer. Oxetane polymers, such as copoly-BAMO/AMMO (bisazidomethyloxetane/azidomethyl-methyloxetane) and copoly-BAMO/NMMO (bisazidomethyloxetane/nitraminomethyl-methyloxetane) are disclosed TPE binders. According to Biddle et al. (column 4, lines 26-32), these gun propellants are prepared mixing at a temperature between 100.degree. C. and 125.degree. C., followed by extrusion at a temperature between 70.degree. C. and 130.degree. C. The high temperatures melt the thermoplastic elastomeric binder and allow the propellant to be processed.
A major disadvantage of Biddle et al.'s processing technique is the need to heat the energetic binder and high energy oxidizer to very high processing temperatures. This creates a substantial hazard to equipment and personnel. It also limits the quantity of gun propellant that can be safely processed at any one time. This batch technique can safely process only about 200 grams due to safety and rheological constraints.
It would be a significant advancement in the art to provide a process for manufacturing a high performance gun propellant containing an energetic thermoplastic elastomeric binder and a high-energy oxidizer which enables the safe processing of large quantities of high performance gun propellant.
Such processes of manufacturing a high performance gun propellant are disclosed and claimed herein.

Process for the manufacture of high performance gun propellants


The invention provides MurB polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding MurB polypeptides and methods for producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques. Also provided are methods for utilizing MurB polypeptides to screen for antibacterial compounds.

The Streptococci make up a medically important genera of microbes known to cause several types of disease in humans, including, for example, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, sinusitis, pleural empyema and endocarditis, and most particularly meningitis, such as for example infection of cerebrospinal fluid. Since its isolation more than 100 years ago, Streptococcus pneumoniae has been one of the more intensively studied microbes. For example, much of our early understanding that DNA is, in fact, the genetic material was predicated on the work of Griffith and of Avery, Macleod and McCarty using this microbe. Despite the vast amount of research with S. pneumoniae, many questions concerning the virulence of this microbe remain. It is particularly preferred to employ Streptococcal genes and gene products as targets for the development of antibiotics.
The frequency of Streptococcus pneumoniae infections has risen dramatically in the past few decades. This has been attributed to the emergence of multiply antibiotic resistant strains and an increasing population of people with weakened immune systems. It is no longer uncommon to isolate Streptococcus pneumoniae strains which are resistant to some or all of the standard antibiotics. This phenomenon has created an unmet medical need and demand for new anti-microbial agents, vaccines, drug screening methods, and diagnostic tests for this organism.
Moreover, the drug discovery process is currently undergoing a fundamental revolution as it embraces "functional genomics," that is, high throughput genome- or gene-based biology. This approach is rapidly superseding earlier approaches based on "positional cloning" and other methods. Functional genomics relies heavily on the various tools of bioinformatics to identify gene sequences of potential interest from the many molecular biology databases now available as well as from other sources. There is a continuing and significant need to identify and characterize further genes and other polynucleotides sequences and their related polypeptides, as targets for drug discovery. The enzyme UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase, encoded by the gene MurB catalyses the reduction of UDP-N-acetylpyruvylglucosamine to UDP-N-acetyl muramate, with the concomitant oxidation of NADPH. N-acetyl muramate is a precusor for peptidoglycan biosynthesis.
The gene has been sequenced from Escherichia coli (Pucci, M. J., Discotto, L. F. & Dougherty T. J., 1992, J. Bacteriol., 174, 1690-1693) and the enzyme over-expressed, purified and kinetically characterized (Benson, T. E., Marquardt, J. L., Marquardt, A. C., Etzkom, F. A. & Walsh, C. T. (1993) Biochemistry, 32, 2024-2030). There is also a crystal structure of this enzyme (Benson, T. E., Walsh, C. T., & Hogle, J. M., (1996) Structure, 4, 47-54).
The gene has also been sequenced from Bacillus subtilis and shown to be essential in this organism (Rowland et al., (1995) Gene 164, 113-116).
The discovery of a MurB homologue in the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae will allow us to produce UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase enzyme which can then be used to screen for novel antibiotics. Inhibitors of this enzyme will have utility in anti-bacterial therapy as they will prevent the construction of the bacterial cell wall.
Clearly, there exists a need for polynucleotides and polypeptides, such as the MurB embodiments of the invention, that have a present benefit of, among other things, being useful to screen compounds for antibiotic activity. Such factors are also useful to determine their role in pathogenesis of infection, dysfunction and disease. There is also a need for identification and characterization of such factors and their antagonists and agonists to find ways to prevent, ameliorate or correct such infection, dysfunction and disease.
Certain of the polypeptides of the invention possess significant amino acid sequence homology to a known MurB from B. subtilis protein.


An accessory towing apparatus that connects a towing vehicle to a gooseneck type trailer. The accessory towing apparatus includes a chassis assembly mounted on an axle having two ground engaging wheels. The chassis assembly includes two linkage arms, which are attached to and extend from the axle. The ends of the two linkage arms are designed to engage two brackets attached to the main frame of the towing vehicle. The linkage arms may further include a pivot point near the axle attachment point that permits the arms to pivot and spread away from one another in order to facilitate the engagement of the linkage arms in their respective brackets. A novel clamping lever system may also be utilized to secure the two linkage arms into their respective brackets. An automatic alignment and attachment system may also be included to greatly simplify the attachment process of the gooseneck type trailer to the towing vehicle.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a trailer towing system and more particularly to an improved towing apparatus used to connect a towing vehicle and a gooseneck type trailer, whereby the improved towing apparatus enhances the utility, stability and safety of the hitched vehicle and trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1a, a towing mechanism such as a simple bumper hitch 12 is frequently added to a vehicle 10 for the purpose of towing a trailer 20. However, such a bumper pull trailer can oftentimes place an excessive vertical load on the back end of the towing vehicle 10. Moreover, such draw bar trailers have inherent stability and weight transfer problems due to the towing pivot point being positioned behind the rear axle of the towing vehicle 10.
A more recent innovation in trailer towing systems includes what are commonly referred to as gooseneck trailer rigs and fifth wheel recreational vehicle (RV) trailers (hereinafter referred to as "gooseneck type trailers"). As shown in FIG. 1b, gooseneck trailer rigs typically include a trailer 50 having an extended forward section with a vertical tongue 52 extending therefrom. The vertical tongue 52 is adapted to be coupled to a hitch mechanism 44, which is secured to and supported by a suitable frame mechanism attached to the bed 42 of a pick-up truck 40. The hitch mechanism 44 is typically mounted onto the bed of the truck above and slightly forward of its rear axle. A coupler mechanism, located at a distal end of the vertical tongue 52, pivotally attaches the vertical tongue 52 to a fixed ball portion of the hitch mechanism 44. Fifth wheel RV trailers are much the same as gooseneck trailers but have much shorter vertical tongues and typically require a raised hitch mechanism on the tow vehicle.
The gooseneck type trailer system offers a number of advantages over the bumper pulled or draw bar trailers. By virtue of its geometry, gooseneck type trailer rigs are typically able to safely tow greater loads than similarly sized bumper pulled trailers because the load is passed directly onto the rear axle of the truck instead of onto the bumper. Moreover, by positioning the pivot point of the trailer nearly over the rear axle, gooseneck type trailer rigs distribute the load more evenly over the tow vehicle, causing less wear and tear on the vehicle and a smoother ride. In addition, gooseneck type trailer rigs also offer a smaller turning radius.
While current gooseneck type trailer rigs offer improved stability over bumper pull trailers, they also have several disadvantages. In general, gooseneck type trailer rigs are only suitable for use with a pick-up truck style towing vehicle. Moreover, the storage capacity of the pick-up bed is greatly diminished while the gooseneck type rig is attached to the towing vehicle. In addition, when detached from the towing vehicle, supporting legs or jack stands must be extended to support the forward portion of the trailer rendering the gooseneck type trailer essentially immobile. The reattachment of the gooseneck type trailer to a towing vehicle can also be inordinately complex and difficult. What is needed is an improved trailer towing system which fully exploits the usefulness of the gooseneck type trailer while minimizing its inherent shortcomings.
Another problem area with all trailer towing systems involves braking. While four wheel brakes are mandatory for vehicles and combinations of vehicles over 10,001 lbs., many lighter trailers have no brakes. This is particularly critical with regard to gooseneck type trailers, which are typically larger. Without brakes, a trailer will push against the tow vehicle every time it decelerates to stop. Moreover, if there is a sway, the trailer can jackknife because there is nothing to control it. Thus, larger trailers are typically equipped with rudimentary braking systems. There are basically three types of trailer braking systems currently available: electronically controlled electric brakes, hydraulically controlled electric brakes, and surge hydraulic brakes. Electronically controlled electric brakes provides automatic and manual control of electric trailer brakes and require the towing vehicle to be equipped with controlling device and additional wiring for electrical power. Hydraulically controlled electric brakes are electric brakes which are applied in proportion to brake pedal pressure applied in the towing vehicle. Surge brakes are independent hydraulic brakes activated by a master cylinder at the junction of the hitch and trailer. Thus, current trailer braking systems are highly dependent upon the towing vehicle for either electrical power or hydraulic power. Therefore, a need exists for an improved trailer towing system having enhanced braking and stability capabilities. Moreover, it would be desirable to produce an improved trailer towing system having an independent trailer braking capability and providing enhanced stability to the both the trailer and the towing vehicle.


An internal structure detection system includes: two kinds of sensors with different operating principles for receiving reflected waves of vibration applied to an inspection target in an investigation area; and a processing apparatus that detects an internal structure of the inspection target by using the sensor data received by the two kinds of sensors. The two kinds of sensors are deployed in the investigation area with different densities, in a distributed manner.

As a method of detecting an internal structure of a construction, capturing an elastic wave using a speed sensor or an acceleration sensor and analyzing data of the captured elastic wave and thereby detecting the internal structure of the construction is widely practiced. Such a method is applied not only to later-described resource exploration but also to non-destructive testing by ultrasound probe, inspection of bridges, buildings, tunnels or the like, and water leakage inspection of water pipes. Hereinafter, a resource exploration is described as an example of such application. In petroleum and gas industries, large-size reservoirs (petroleum and gas reservoirs), which are easy to extract petroleum and/or gas, have already been discovered and developed. Henceforth, exploration at a deeper depth and in a complex stratum is required. Improvement in sensitivity of sensors and/or high-density exploration is important to achieve such exploration. In addition, a lower cost of operation is demanded from the market.
A method referred to as physical exploration or reflection seismic exploration is present as a method widely used in resource exploration. In principle, elastic waves generated by an artificial seismic source (such as a dynamite, a vibrator vehicle that vibrates the ground, and the like) are reflected at an interface of a stratum, for example, an interface of a petroleum layer, gas layer, water, a rock layer, etc.; reflected waves returning to the ground surface are detected by a plurality of sensors deployed on the ground surface or a borehole; and an underground structure image is constructed from data of these reflected waves.
Geophones, which are speed sensors utilizing a coil and a magnet, are widely used as sensors for detecting reflected waves. However, in the case of geophones, it is practically difficult to improve the sensitivity in a low frequency region in the range of several hertz and to obtain flat frequency characteristics. Thus, there is a demand for another sensor mechanism that resolve these problems. In this context, a high sensitive sensor using a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) technology, which utilizes conventional semiconductor circuits and mechanical operations, is disclosed for example in Patent Literature 1 "INERTIAL SENSOR".


A lens holder is disclosed which holds a plurality of objective lenses, the lens holder holding the plurality of objective lenses so as to be arranged with a composite gravity center position of the plurality of objective lenses matching a gravity center position of the entire lens holder without the plurality of objective lenses.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lens holder and an optical pickup apparatus having the lens holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, widespread optical discs used for optically recording/reproducing information with an optical pickup apparatus include a CD medium using "780 to 790 nm" AlGaAs infrared laser for recording/reproducing and a DVD medium using "650 to 660 nm" AlGaInP red laser for recording/reproducing. As a result of widespread use, a general user has the CD medium and the DVD medium using laser lights with different wavelengths in hand, and therefore a CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus is in widespread use to improve the level of convenience for a general user.
An important part of the CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus is an optical system, especially, an objective lens responsible for forming a minute spot of laser light on the CD/DVD medium, and a wide variety of development is performed with a focus on the objective lens. For example, in a proposed mode, a CD medium objective lens and a DVD medium objective lens are disposed correspondingly to two laser lights in conformity with the CD/DVD standards in a CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus and are switched depending on the CD/DVD medium placed on a turntable. And, in another proposed mode, one special objective lens compatible with both CD and DVD is disposed, which has a diffraction lens structure formed on an aspheric surface so as to correct spherical aberration caused by a difference between thicknesses of the protective layers of the CD/DVD medium.
Regarding the CD medium objective lens, the DVD medium objective lens, and the special objective lens compatible with CD/DVD, a single plastic lens is mainstream, which is advantageous in that the lens is lightweight, excellent in mass productivity, and has a higher degree of freedom of size/shape, as compared to a glass lens. By plastic molding, it is possible to design the CD medium objective lens and the DVD medium objective lens to be substantially the same in size/shape and in weight.
In the case of the mode of switching the CD medium objective lens and the DVD medium objective lens, a drive mechanism is needed, which performs complex feed control such that a optical axis of the CD/DVD medium objective lens corresponding to the placed medium is located on a geometric center line of the placed medium in every time the CD/DVD medium is placed on the turntable. Therefore, to eliminate such a complex drive mechanism, a method of disposing the CD/DVD medium objective lens in a lens holder (also known as optical pickup bobbin), is devised in some proposed technologies, wherein the lens holder is one of the components of the optical pickup apparatus.
For example, in the description of International Publication Pamphlet No. WO98/02874, as shown in FIG. 8A, a first objective lens 65 (e.g., CD medium objective lens) and a second objective lens 60 (e.g., DVD medium objective lens) are disposed in a lens holder 500, such that a line b-b′ linking between the optical axis P1 and the optical axis P2 becomes parallel to a tangent line c-c′ of an information track formed concentrically or spirally with a rotation center O as a base point on a surface of any one of different optical discs (52, 54) mounted on a turntable (not shown). As a result, the configuration of the optical pickup apparatus can be simplified, since the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 are driven in a focusing direction and a tracking direction by a common drive mechanism without switching a reference position.
In patent document 1 shown later, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 are disposed in a lens holder 510 such that the optical axes P1, P2 are located on a line a-a′ passing through the rotation center O on a surface of any one of different optical discs (52, 54) mounted on a turntable. As a result, in either case of using the objective lenses 65 or 60, the information track can be highly accurately scanned with a light.
By the way, recently, a Blu-ray medium (hereinafter, referred to as BD medium) and an HD-DVD medium (hereinafter, referred to as HD medium) have been coming into practical use, which uses InGaN blue purple laser with a wavelength of "400 to 410 nm" for recording/reproducing. Therefore, an optical pickup apparatus has been developed, which has compatibility with the BD medium and/or HD medium in addition to that with the conventional CD medium and DVD medium. The following will be described on the premise that the optical pickup apparatus as mentioned above is exemplified by an optical pickup apparatus compatible with the BD medium, the CD medium, and the DVD medium (hereinafter, referred to as BD/CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus).
With respect to the BD/CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus, the optical system thereof must further be simplified in comparison with that of the CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus since an optical system for the BD medium must newly be added, and the mode of disposing one special objective lens compatible with CD/DVD may be employed rather than the mode of disposing a CD medium objective lens and a DVD medium objective lens. As described above, a single "plastic lens" is mainstream regarding the special objective lens compatible with CD/DVD.
Since the BD medium objective lens (numerical aperture NA 0.85) has a high numerical aperture as compared to the CD medium objective lens (numerical aperture NA 0.45) and the DVD medium objective lens (numerical aperture NA 0.60), the BD/CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus may employ a double lens including a combination of two plastic lenses or a single glass lens for ensuring a range of a working distance. However, since the manufacturing cost of the double lens is high and the working distance between the BD medium and the objective lens is as narrow as "0.15 mm", the single "glass lens" is mainly employed to solve these problems. Currently, the practical use of the BD medium objective lens employing a single plastic lens is not yet within sight.
Therefore, it is conceivable that the mode in which the BD/CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus employs the "glass lens" for the BD medium objective lens and the "plastic lens" for the CD/DVD compatible special objective lens will be mainstream in the future.
By the way, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the case that the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 are substantially the same in size/shape and weight, the balance of the gravity centers can be easily maintained in the lens holders 500, 510 by arranging the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 symmetrically to the geometric centers X, Y of the lens holders 500, 510.
For example, in the case that the optical pickup apparatus covered by FIGS. 8A and 8B is the CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus and also in the case that the first objective lens 65 is the CD medium objective lens and the second objective lens 60 is the DVD medium objective lens, the single plastic lenses which are substantially the same in size/shape and weight are mainly employed for the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60. Accordingly, the balance of the gravity centers can be easily maintained in the lens holders 500, 510.
On the other hand, for example, in the case that the optical pickup apparatus covered by FIGS. 8A and 8B is the BD/CD/DVD compatible optical pickup apparatus and also in the case that the first objective lens 65 is the BD medium objective lens, i.e., a glass lens, and the second objective lens 60 is the CD/DVD medium objective lens, i.e., a plastic lens, the lens holder 500, 510 may have a problem that the balance of the gravity centers thereof is disrupted easily, when disposed with the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. This is because the specific gravity of the glass lens is higher than that of the plastic lens and therefore the glass lens is twice or more heavier than the plastic lens even if the sizes/shapes thereof are substantially the same.
Due to the above, unnecessary resonances such as pitching and rolling are generated, and for this reason, balancers 501, 511 must be added in the direction of the first objective lens 65 and the second objective lens 60 disposed as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. When added with the balancers 501, 511, however, an objective lens drive apparatus 8 becomes heavier, which results in the difficulty of ensuring sensitivity to the drive mechanism. Since the number of components is increased by the number of those of the balancers 501, 511, a discrepancy between the drive point and the gravity center of the objective lens drive apparatus 8 is likely to be generated due to an error in weight and mounting position of each component, which results in a problem that unnecessary resonances may easily be generated.

Lens holder and optical pickup apparatus having the same


Devices incorporating a thin wafer of electrically and ionically conductive porous material made by the method of introducing a mixture of a thermoplastic binder and one or more of anion exchange moieties or cation exchange moieties or mixtures thereof and/or one or more of a protein capture resin and an electrically conductive material into a mold. The mixture is subjected to temperatures in the range of from about 60° C. to about 170° C. at pressures in the range of from about 0 to about 500 psig for a time in the range of from about 1 to about 240 minutes to form thin wafers. Devices include electrodeionization and separative bioreactors in the production of organic and amino acids, alcohols or esters for regenerating cofactors in enzymes and microbial cells.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, there was described an ion-exchange resin wafer designed for use in an electrodeionization (EDI) process. The ion-exchange resin wafer disclosed in the '014 patent overcame internal fluid leakage problems. The resin wafer technology enabled the application of EDI technology to desalination of chemical products. The '014 patent described a detailed method to fabricate wafers using latex binders through a polymerization process. U.S. patent application publication nos. 2004/0060875, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,140 issued Sep. 28, 2004 and 2004/0115783, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, relate to latex wafers and devices incorporating same. The new resin wafers disclosed herein greatly increase the performance of devices in a variety of applications, as well as new devices and uses.
The wafers using latex binders described in the '014 patent were adequate for their intended purpose but there were problems in the length of time it took to make those wafers due to the setting times for the latex binding material as well as the separation and capture efficiencies in enzymatic bioreactors using these wafers.
Accordingly, there is a need in this art for material which will increase the separation and capture efficiency for enzymatic bioreactors as well as new methods for manufacturing wafers to accommodate commercial production requirements.
In investigating ways to improve wafers of the type described in the '014 patent, it was found that new wafers could be made with improved characteristics more quickly and efficiently than previously by the use of thermoplastic binders such as polyethylene rather than latex and when combined with an electrically conducting material, provided not only improved characteristics with respect to the prior art wafers made with latex binders but also enabled the wafers to be used in new devices.

Devices using resin wafers and applications thereof


In an electrophotographic system, a compact, space-efficient device is provided which allows adjustment and quick release of a photosensitive belt. An idler roller supporting the belt is used in conjunction with a cam which provides a take-up feature. A configuration is provided which allows the cam to be disengaged, and the idler roller retracted to facilitate removal of the belt.

Electrophotography is a dry copy process whereby copies of documents are made by setting up an electrostatic image of an original document and transferring that image to copy paper. Also known as xerography, electrophotography has become a standard process for creating copies of documents in a host of environments including offices, educational institutions and the like. The fundamental principles of electrophotography are well known to those skilled in the art.
In more recent years, various systems for color electrophotography have been created. In many respects, the process of color electrophotography is analogous to standard three-color printing processes used in the more conventional printing arts. Conventional three-color printing component images, commonly referred to as color separations, are created by photographing the original through appropriate filters. Each of the separations is in turn made into a separate printing plate. During the printing process, each plate is inked with an appropriate color determined by the filter used in making the original separation. The printing press is adjusted for proper registration--alignment of the separate color component images with each other. Once the press is properly adjusted, multiple copies of the original color image may be faithfully reproduced.
As is known to those skilled in the art, in monochromatic electrophotography an optical image of an original to be copied is focused onto an electrostatic medium. An electrostatic image of the original is formed on the electrostatic medium, or photoreceptor. Toner materials are then brought into contact with the photoreceptor and held in place on the appropriate portions of the electrostatic image by electrostatic forces. The photoreceptor carrying the electrostatic image is brought into contact with an image receptor which, in the most common applications of electrophotography, is a sheet of paper. Electrostatic charging techniques are used to transfer the toner from the photoreceptor to the image receptor. The toner materials are normally plastics which melt at a predetermined temperature and have appropriate color characteristics once they are melted. The image receptor with these toner particles is passed through a fuser, which is a station in the path of the image receptor. The fuser heats the transferred toner and thereby fixes the image onto the image receptor.
In color electrophotography, three separator color filters are typically used to create three separate color component images in a manner analogous to the creation of color separation in color printing. Each image is developed with a toner having the appropriate color characteristics. Each developed color component image is in turn transferred to the image receptor and overlaid upon the previous image to provide a composition image. The image receptor, typically paper, carrying the composite image is then passed through a fuser in a conventional manner.
It is known in the art of color electrophography to include an intermediate transfer medium upon which each developed color component image is deposited, between the above-described photoreceptor and the ultimate image receptor or paper. In this way, a composite developed image is built up, one color component image at a time, until an overlaid composite color image, having portions of all three of the color component toners thereon, is created on the transfer medium. Once this is accomplished, the composite image on the transfer medium is transferred to the paper which then passes through the fuser in the normal fashion. Examples of such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,652,115 and 4,705,385, both entitled "PRINT ENGINE FOR COLOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY", both incorporated by reference.
It is known in the art to use endless photoreceptive belts to serve as the above-discussed photoreceptors. It is also known to use endless belts for the above-discussed image receptors. These belts are known as photoreceptor belts, and image receptor belts, respectively. The term "endless" is used to denote belts which have no free ends. Such endless belts may be in the form of "seamless" belts which have no identifiable seam, or "seamed" belts which are essentially a length of belt having its end fashioned together by means known in the art, such that the belt is endless, but also has an identifiable seam.
Although such endless belts have several advantages, disadvantages exist in that they may tend to stretch over a period of time. Therefore, a need exists to provide a type of belt tensioning device which will prevent slack from developing in a belt, which results in improper registration, and a risk of damage to the machine.
A need also exists in the art for a device which will allow such endless belts to be readily and withdrawn from the electrophotographic system. As the belts are maintained in tension during operation, it is therefore necessary to provide a device which can quickly release tension on the belt, allowing it to be drawn away from the rollers, and thereafter replaced with the same or a different belt.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a need exists in the art for improved belt tensioning device which maintains desired tension on an endless belt, and also allows endless belts to be readily withdrawn or installed into the device.

Belt tensioning and quick release device for electrophotographic system


An enclosed benchtop Raman spectrometry device, systems, methods, and techniques related thereto are disclosed. A benchtop Raman spectrometer can comprise an enclosure enclosing a probe and sample. In an embodiment, a compliance component can determine concurrent satisfaction of a group of compliance rules. The compliance rules can relate to contact between the probe and sample, environmental conditions within the enclosure, illumination conditions within the enclosure, an operation state of a viewport allowing direct viewing of a sample-probe interface, etc. While concurrent satisfaction is determined, the release of optical energy for interrogation of the sample via the probe can be enabled. In an embodiment, the probe can comprise a spherical optical element, e.g., a BallProbe®, which can be brought into contact with the sample to perform Raman spectroscopy.

By way of brief background, conventional benchtop analytical equipment, e.g., benchtop Raman spectrometry equipment, etc., is generally configured to provide detailed analytical information about an interrogated sample. In some conventional systems, the Raman spectrometer-to-sample interface, hereinafter the interface, can be exposed, e.g., the interface can lack a housing or other enclosure. In these conventional systems, special considerations generally are made to accommodate safe and effective use of the Raman instrument, e.g., these conventional instruments can be placed on benchtops in special rooms to reduce ambient light, can be placed in fume hoods to remove noxious vapors and fumes emanating from the sample, can require operators to use laser-safe eye protection, etc. In some conventional systems, primitive enclosures can be observed, for example, a lid or box that blocks light transmission to protect eyes and block ambient light but that also typically introduce challenges, such as, positioning a sample for analysis in a convenient manner, difficulty in automating sequential sampling, a lack of environmental control, etc. Improving the integration of Raman technology into usable enclosed benchtop instruments provides advantages over the current state of the art.

Enclosed benchtop raman spectrometry device


A compound register pin is provided for aligning lithographic plates and mask sheets which has a rectilinear base portion adapted to fit into the slot of the lithographic plate and a further outer cylindrical portion adapted to accurately fit within the hole of a mask sheet so as to accurately align the mask sheet over the lithographic plate for transfer of the mask sheet images to the lithographic plate in precise registration.

This invention relates to lithography and in particular to a registration pin for use in a pin registration system for recording a developable latent image upon a sensitized lithographic plate.
In one form of lithography a photographic negative image of all subject matter to be reproduced is prepared on a light table or other suitable device and then the image must be transferred precisely to the lithographic plate which is to be developed and used in the printing press.
Typically a mask sheet is prepared on a light table and then the mask sheet is aligned with a lithographic plate in a platemaker for transfer of the latent image thereto by exposure to a light of suitable intensity and duration. As the art has developed, some printing presses available for use in this process have developed their own particular alignment pins requiring corresponding and mating holes to be available in the separately prepared mask sheets such as those prepared utilizing the layout board of the type shown in my patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,349 issued Aug. 18, 1981 to Beasley et al. This has necessitated either using a specific layout board and alignment pin configuration which locks one into using a particular manufacturers complete system or else stocking a wide variety of materials for each type of press and alignment system.
To aid in a proper understanding of the background and significance of the present invention, Applicant hereby incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,349 to Beasley et al. issued Aug. 18, 1981.


An inkjet recording ink set containing at least a black pigment ink and a color pigment ink which has a color selected from one or more colors, wherein the black pigment ink contains a first anionic self-emulsifying ether polyurethane resin having an acid value of 65 mgKOH/g to 85 mgKOH/g, and the at least one color pigment ink of every color contains a second anionic self-emulsifying ether polyurethane resin having an acid value 10 mgKOH/g to 40 mgKOH/g lower than those of the first anionic self-emulsifying ether polyurethane resin contained in the black pigment ink.

Until now, there have been various pigment inks proposed for use in inkjet recording, including a color pigment ink used in an ink set according to the present invention. The color pigment ink is disclosed in PTL 1, which concerns a prior application of the present applicant (such as a color pigment ink disclosed in Example 1 of the PLT 1).
According to these inventions of the prior application, image density, ejection stability, storage stability, and the like, can be improved for an inkjet recording process in which a black pigment ink and a color pigment ink are used separately. However, a problem of color-spreading may not be allowed for and solved for the inventions of the prior application in which the black pigment ink and the color pigment ink are ejected simultaneously.

Inkjet recording ink set, ink cartridge, and inkjet recording apparatus


A collapsible thermoplastic holder for supporting a beverage can insulation jacket cooler containing a beverage can being supported, the holder having a cooler receiver having a chamber with a lower anchor-receiving opening. An anchor telescopes in the receiver and is insertable into a beverage can support hole in a golf cart, boat, or other large unit for giving support to the receiver. The anchor can be removed and placed in the cooler. The cooler can then be placed in the receiver for compact storage of both holder and cooler in a golf bag, for example.

Beverage can support holes in golf carts, boats, and recreational vehicles have been of the size to receive the lower end of a common beverage can.
But beverage cans become luke-warm quick in the hot sun on a hot golf course or in an open boat in the sun on a lake. A person in such activities is hot also and wants a cool beverage not a luke-warm one.
There have long been insulation jackets of styrofoam, called coolers. These coolers keep a beverage cool very well but they will not fit into the can-sized holes on golf carts, boats and recreational vehicles where tipping over of an insulated beverage can is likely, with loss of the desired cool beverage.
Patents on can insulation devices have been known since before issuance on Jan. 1, 1980 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,765 to Richard C. Harmony, and titled: Insulator For Canned Drinks.
So the thirsty public has long been without a support system for insulation-jacketed beverage cans.
A problem of storage in a golf bag would arise for an insulation-jacket equipped with a fixed extension to fit into a support hole. This invention solves the problem with an inner extension removable from the outer jacket-receiver hereof and, after reversal, insertable into the jacket. The jacket, or cooler, can then be placed into the jacket receiver and all three parts are then of a minimum total nested size for fitting into a golf bag crowded with golf balls, gloves, sun tan cream, rain gear, towels and many other items.