A process is disclosed for producing an acidic superabsorbent polysaccharide derivative, comprising the steps of: (a) crosslinking at least one polysaccharide containing acidic groups, such as carboxymethyl cellulose and/or 6-carboxy starch, with a crosslinking agent to produce a gel; (b) if necessary, adjusting the pH of the polysaccharide to a value between 3.5 and 5.5; (c) comminuting the acidified polysaccharide gel; and (d) drying the comminuted polysaccharide at elevated temperature. The superabsorbent polysaccharide obtainable by this process has a pH below 5 and provides odour control when contacted with malodorous fluids.

The present invention relates to a superabsorbent material which has enhanced odour control and prevents bacterial growth, based on polysaccharides, and to a method of producing such material.
Superabsorbent materials of various types are known in the art. Examples are crosslinked polyacrylates and polysaccharides grafted with polyacrylates. A problem related to the use of superabsorbent materials is the odour caused by urine components which cause superabsorbent materials to become objectionable long before their maximum absorbing capacity has been used. Furthermore, the known absorbent materials are normally based on non-renewable and/or non-biodegradable raw materials. Consequently, there is a need for superabsorbent materials, which have odour control and reduced bacterial growth when contacted with body fluids, and which are biodegradable.
WO 98/27117 discloses a superabsorbent polysaccharide derivative obtained by oxidation and crosslinking of a polysaccharide such as starch, in which at least 0.1 carbinol group per monosaccharide unit of the polysaccharide derivative has been oxidised to a carboxyl group, the total number of carboxyl groups per monosaccharide unit being 0.2-3.0, and the derivative results from reaction with at least 0.001 equivalent of crosslinking agent per monosaccharide unit. The derivatives are not devised for odour control. U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,072 describes superabsorbent carboxyalkyl polysaccharides, especially carboxymethyl cellulose, without odour control, obtained by crosslinking as a result of heat treatment. EP-A-202127 discloses superabsorbent articles for reducing diaper rash, which contain acid in distinct zones to control the skin pH between 3.0 and 5.5.
It has been found that a superabsorbent polymer with improved odour control can be produced by a process comprising the steps of:
(a) crosslinking at least one polysaccharide containing acidic groups with a crosslinking agent to produce a gel;
(b) ensuring that pH of the polysaccharide is between 3.5 and 5.5 and, if necessary, adjusting the pH to between 3.5 and 5.5, especially to between 3.9 and 4.9;
(c) comminuting the acidified polysaccharide gel; and
(d) drying the comminuted polysaccharide at elevated temperature.
The term xe2x80x9cpolysaccharide containing acidic groupsxe2x80x9d is understood to comprise polysaccharides having a pK ot less than 5, down to about 1.5. Such polysaccharides may contain carboxylic groups, sulphonic groups (xe2x80x94(O)xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94OH), phosphonic groups (xe2x80x94(O)xe2x80x94PO(OH)2), ammonium groups (xe2x80x94NR2H+, wherein R is alkyl or hydrogen) and combinations thereof. The carboxylic groups may be present as a result of carboxyalkylation, in particular carboxymethylation, or as a result of reaction with an anhydride such as maleic or succinic anhydride or as a result of oxidation, e.g. of a hydroxymethyl group (xe2x80x94CH2OH, usually at C6 of a monosaccharide unit), or of a bis(hydroxymethylene) group (xe2x80x94CHOHxe2x80x94CHOHxe2x80x94, usually at C2-C3 of a monosaccharide unit).
The phosphonic groups may be present as phosphate groups, resulting e.g. from reaction with phosphorylating agents (see e.g. WO 97/28298), or as phosphonic or phosphinic acid groups, resulting e.g. from reaction with halomethyl phosphonic acids. The sulphonic acids may be present e.g as sulphate groups or as a result of sulphite addition to polysaccharide aldehydes (see e.g. WO 99/29354) or to maleic anhydride adducts (products with xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94CHxe2x80x94CH(COOH)xe2x80x94SO3H groups). The ammonium groups are also acidic groups, and can result from protonation of amine groups, such as in chitosan-type polysaccharides or in aminoalkylated polysaccharides.
The polysaccharides may be xcex1-glucans like starch, amylose and amylopectin, xcex2-glucans like cellulose and chitin and scleroglucan, galactomannans like guar gum (guaran) and locust bean gum, glucomannans including e.g. xanthan gum, fructans, (arabino)xylans, galactans including alginates and pectin and other mixed polysaccharides. Starch and cellulose are particularly preferred. Starch may be derived from any suitable source, such as corn, wheat, potato, rice and the like; it may also be a residual, crude or lower-grade starch product containing minor amounts of other biopolymers such as cellulose, pectin or protein. Cellulose may also contain minor amounts of other materials such as hemicellulose.
The polysaccharides may comprise non-ionic, non-carboxylated derivatives such as hydroxyalkyl polysaccharides, but the presence of such non-ionic derivatives does not have a particular advantage. The chain length of the polysaccharides is important although there is no critical minimum for the molecular weight. In general, polysaccharides having a molecular weight of more than 1,000 are preferred. A molecular weight above about 25,000 may have a positive effect on the properties of the oxidised product.
The acidic polysaccharide can be a carboxymethyl polysaccharide without further substitution, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, preferably having a degree of substitution of 0.3-3.0, more preferably 0.5-1.5. For such carboxymethylated polysaccharides, the process advantageously comprises the further step of contacting the crosslinked polysaccharide with an organic solvent which is at least partly miscible with water, between step (b) and step (c). The organic solvent is preferably a water-miscible alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, methoxyethanol or isopropanol, a water-miscible ether such as dioxane, tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane, or a water-miscible ketone, such as acetone. Most preferred are methanol and ethanol. The amount of solvent can be e.g. 2-30 times the amount of the gelled polysaccharide. The water-miscible solvent is evaporated before or during step (d).
The carboxymethylated polysaccharide can also be a carboxymethyl polysaccharide containing further carboxyl groups produced by oxidation of saccharide carbinol groups. Such carboxyl groups may be 2- and/or 3-carboxyl groups obtained by oxidation of anhydroglycose rings of the polysaccharide using hypochlorite or periodate/chlorite, but preferably they are 6-carboxyl groups obtained by oxidation of the 6-hydroxymethyl group, e.g. with a nitroxyl compound (TEMPO) as a catalyst. In such carboxy-carboxymethyl polysaccharide, such as 6-carboxy-carboxymethyl starch or 6-carboxy-carboxymethyl-cellulose, the degree of substitution for carboxymethyl is preferably 0.2-0.8, especially 0.3-0.6, and the degree of substitution for (6-carboxyl groups is preferably 0.1-0.5, more preferably 0.15-0.4.
Suitable oxidation methods are described in WO 98/27117 and references cited therein. TEMPO oxidation may be performed with hypochlorite with or without bromide as a catalyst, or with peracid/bromide or another oxidant. Unsubstituted TEMPO or 4-hydroxy or 4-acetamido-TEMPO or mixtures thereof may be used. When oxidations resulting in salt production are used, the salts may advantageously be removed after the oxidation reaction.
Similarly, the acidic polysaccharide may contain both other acidic groups obtained by substitution, and carboxyl groups obtained by oxidation. Such other acidic groups obtained by oxidation include e.g. phosphonic groups obtained by phosphorylation of the polysaccharide, sulphonyl groups and carboxyalkylcarbonyl groups obtained by reaction with a dicarboxylic anhydride. Substitution and oxidation may be performed in either order, e.g. first phosphorylation and then oxidation, or first oxidation and then phosphorylation. Combinations of different acidic substituents e.g. carboxylalkyl groups and phosphonic groups are also suitable.
In such oxidised and subsituted (carboxyalkyl or other) polysaccharides the addition of an organic water-miscible solvent can be dispensed with, as a gel with the required structure already results from direct cross-linking.
The polysaccharide containing acidic groups can also be a carboxylated polysaccharide wherein the carboxyl groups have been introduced by oxidation of saccharide carbinol groups in a manner as described above, without carboxyalkylation. Such oxidised polysaccharides include dicarboxy polysaccharides (obtained by C2-C3 oxidation) and, especially 6-carboxy polysaccharides, e.g. obtained by TEMPO oxidation, especially 6-carboxy starch. These polysaccharides do not require the use of a water-miscible solvent after crosslinking.
The polysaccharide containing acidic groups may also be a mixture of acidic polysaccharides as described above. A particularly useful mixture is a mixture of carboxymethyl cellulose and 6-carboxy starch, e.g. in a ratio of between 1:1 and 1:20. Other mixtures are also quite useful, e.g. carboxymethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl starch, or carboxymethyl starch and cellulose phosphate having a degree of substitution of about 0.3 to about 0.5.
The polysaccharide containing acidic groups is reacted with a crosslinking agent to produce a gel. A gel is defined herein as a polymeric network based on polysaccharides, which swells in water and does not dissolve in water. Crosslinking agents are reagents containing two or more functions capable of reacting with a hydroxyl group, resulting in intra- and inter-molecular bonds between different mono-saccharide units. Suitable cross-linking agents may act on the hydroxyl groups of different polysaccharide chains and include divinyl sulphone, epichlorohydrin, diepoxybutane, diglycidyl ethers, diisocyanates, cyanuric chloride, trimetaphosphates, phosphoryl chloride, and mixed anhydrides, and also inorganic crosslinkers such as aluminium and zirconium ions, but are not restricted to these examples. Mixtures of crosslinkers may also be used.
Especially preferred crosslinkers, in particular for crosslinking at elevated temperature and/or concentration, are crosslinkers that are active under neutral or acidic conditions, such as bis-epoxy crosslinkers, for example diepoxybutane, 1,5-diepoxyhexane, 1,7-diepoxyoctane, bis-glycidyl ether, glycol bis-glycidyl ether, butanediol bis-glycidyl ether and the like, as well as mixtures of different crosslinkers. Crosslinking can also be performed using carboxyl or aldehyde groups formed by oxidation or carboxyl groups introduced by carboxyalkylation, e.g. using polyols, polyamines or other polyfunctional reagents. Esterification and other crosslinking methods described herein can also he effected intramolecularly at the surface between the carboxyl group of one polysaccharide chain and a hydroxyl group of another chain as known in the art. This inter-chain crosslinking can be catalysed by an acid or a multivalent ion such as magnesium or calcium, or by heating. Divinyl sulphone is another preferred crosslinker. Crosslinking of starch and other polysaccharides is well-known in the art. A description of crosslinking agents and reaction conditions can be found e.g. in xe2x80x9cStarch Derivatives: Production and Usesxe2x80x9d by M. W. Rutenberg and D. Solarek, Acad. Press Inc., 1984, pages 324-332.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, crosslinking is performed under conditions of increased temperatures and high concentrations. The temperatures are typically at least 100xc2x0 C. more preferably between 120 and 180xc2x0 C. The concentration of the polysaccharide to be crosslinked is at least 20% by weight, more particularly between 25 and 65% by weight with respect to the total aqueous crosslinking mixture. The crosslinking mixture may further contain a plasticiser such as a polyol. Suitable polyol plasticisers include glycerol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, glycol and glycerol monoesters, sorbitol, mannitol, monosaccharides, citric acid monoesters and the like. The amount of plasticiser may vary from 1 to 25% weight of the crosslinking mixture. The crosslinking can be conveniently performed in a kneading apparatus or an extruder under conditions of reactive processing. The various components of the crosslinking mixture can be mixed before entering the extruder, or one or more of them, e.g. the crosslinking agent, may be added at a later stage in the extruder.
After crosslinking, the crosslinked polysaccharide is treated with an acid so as to reduce the pH to 3.5 to 5.5. However, if the crosslinking is performed under acidic conditions, such as with bis-epoxy crosslinkers, the acidification takes place before cross-linking, and an adjustment of a pH to between 3.5 and 5.5 may or may not be needed after the crosslinking step. Suitable acidifying reagents include inorganic and organic acids such as hydrochloric, phosphoric, acetic acid etc. If crosslinking is performed under normal conditions (ambient temperature or up to about 100xc2x0 C., atmospheric pressure, lower concentration) or before acidification, it is preferred that the polysaccharide is acidified to pH 4.9 or lower. After acidification, the cross-linked, gel-like material is comminuted to smaller particles, e.g. in the range of 0.5-5 mm.
Instead of or in addition to the treatment with the water-miscible organic solvent described above, an additional post-crosslinking step (surface crosslinking) may be applied to strengthen the gel. This post-crosslinking may be performed after the comminuting step c or even after the drying step d, resulting in different swelling degrees of the gel particles obtained. The crosslinking agent to be used in this post-crosslinking step can be the same as those referred to above for the first crosslinking step. In this procedure, the gel particles are slightly swollen, and treated and mixed with a crosslinking agent, and subsequently the particles are dried at a temperature which depends on the liquid used to swell the gel particles and on the crosslinking agent. The post-crosslinking may be performed in the presence of compounds providing further crosslinks at the outside of the gel particle. Such compounds may include bifunctional or multifunctional capable of reacting with hydroxyl and (if still present) carboxyl functions, for example diamines, polyamines, polyamide-amine-epichlorohydrin (PAE resin), bis-epoxy compounds, chitosan-like compounds, metal salts (zirconium, aluminium), dialdehydes, or polyaldehyde-polycarboxy starch derivatives.
The comminuted material is dried, preferably in a fluidised bed drier. Drying can be performed at ambient temperatures, but preferably increased temperatures are used, in a particular above 50xc2x0 C., more in particular above 70xc2x0 C. Drying times from 15 minutes up to 8 hours or more can be applied. Preferably an additional heat treatment is performed after the initial (fluidised bed) drying; this additional drying step can be performed at 80-150xc2x0 C. e.g. for 2 minutes to 2 hours, and results in a further enhanced gel strength of the product.
The invention also pertains to a bacteriologically stable superabsorbent polysaccharide derivative having odour control of absorbed liquid, as well as to a superabsorbent article in which this derivative is incorporated. The derivative and the article preferably have a pH below 5 (down to 3.5) when contacted with neutral or near-neutral water; if necessary, an acidifying agent can be incorporated in a sufficient amount to maintain the required low pH. Suitable acidifying agents include organic di- or poly-carboxylic acids such as citric, maleic, fumaric, oxalic, malonic, succinic, tartaric and similar acids, hydroxyacids such as gluconic, ascorbic, glycolic, glyceric, lactic, malic, salicylic acid and the like, as well as benzoic acid and phosphoric and other inorganic acids. These acids may be used in combination with their partially neutralised salts (e.g. monosodium citrate or monopotassium phosphate) to provide buffering capacity. Also, neutral materials such as acid anhydrides and lactones, e.g. maleic anhydride, succinic anhydride, xcex4-gluconolactone, can be incorporated for lowering the pH.
The superabsorbent polysaccharides combine high absorption capacity with control of bacterial growth and control of odour, as well as with biodegradability. The absorption capacity can be expressed as free swelling capacity (FSC) and the centrifugal retention capacity (CRC), and with the absorption under load (AUL), using synthetic urine (SU) as lest liquid. The composition of the synthetic urine is as follows: 300 mM urea, 60 mM KCl, 130 mM NaCl, 2.0 mM CaSO4.2H2O, 3.5 mM MgSO4, and 1 mg/l Triton X-100 in deionised water.
The superabsorbent polysaccharide derivatives of the invention can be used for ot absorbing liquids, especially of body fluids which contain various salts and non-ionic substances. The product is particularly suitable for the production of absorbent hygiene articles, such as diapers, sanitary napkins and the like. Such articles can be produced entirely on the basis of the polysaccharides according to the invention, but they can also contain conventional absorbent materials, such as cellulose pulp in addition to the absorbents according to the invention. The absorbent article is preferably part of a layered product, in which the superabsorbent polymer constitutes at least one layer. The absorbent layer can be located between a liquid-pervious top layer and a liquid-impervious bottom layer. In particular the product may have four layers. The first one can be a thin, non-woven layer of polyester fibres or other fibres. The second layer can be a wadding which is used for acquiring and spreading the absorbed fluid such as urine. The third layer can consist of fluff pulp wherein the SAP is spread as fine particles, especially 50-800 xcexcm. The last layer can be a back sheet of a water-resistant material such as polyethylene, which prevents leakage from the layered absorption product.


The present invention provides for a method of controlling selection of a localised scheduling scheme or a distributed scheduling scheme within an OFDMA downlink and including the step of estimating a fading characteristic and initiating switching between the scheduling schemes responsive to the result of the said estimation, wherein the fading characteristic can comprise one of fading rate or fading type, and wherein the invention can provide for such estimating functionality within a mobile radio communications device.

It is known that in relation to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) OFDMA downlink channel the eNodeB Multiple Access Control (MAC) scheduler is arranged to allocate time/frequency downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) resources among a plurality of UE devices based upon a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) report received from the UE devices. Such allocation from the eNodeB MAC scheduler can also be determined by other factors such as Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and priorities of the UE devices and buffer occupancy in eNodeB MAC for the UE devices. It is further known that the eNodeB MAC scheduler can be arranged to adopt one of two scheduling schemes. A localised scheduling scheme is employed for slow-moving UE devices, whereas a distributed scheduling scheme is employed for fast-moving UE devices. The eNodeB MAC scheduler selects the particular scheduling scheme that it considers most appropriate for the particular UE based upon CQI reports received from the UE.
The frequency/time allocation within OFDMA is achieved on the basis of resource blocks, wherein one block contains the plurality of sub-carriers. For the above-mentioned localised scheduling, consecutive sub-carriers are employed, whereas for the distributed scheduling, non-consecutive sub-carriers are allocated to a resource block.
However, it is considered that the current selection and employment of the aforementioned scheduling schemes exhibits disadvantageous limitations in view of the potentially high signalling overhead that can arise in uplink and due to degradation of overall system performance that can be experienced.

Localised and distributed scheduling control method and apparatus


Electronic devices and other apparatuses adapted to receive electromagnetic wave communications are disclosed. An outer housing encloses various device components, including at least an internal antenna located fully therewithin and adapted to receive/send communications from/to an outside source via RF or other electromagnetic waves. A ceramic coating can be a thermal spray coating that covers at least a portion of the outer surface proximate to the internal antenna, and can be “RF transparent”—adapted to allow communications to/from the internal antenna via electromagnetic waves. The outer housing can be plastic, metal or a combination thereof. For metal or other non-RF transparent housings, an RF-transparent insert can be fitted into a window in the housing to permit communications to the internal antenna. The ceramic coating covers some or all of the metal, plastic and/or insert that comprise the outer housing and surface for a final aesthetic finish to the device.

Portable computing devices, such as media players, cellular telephones, PDAs and the like, are becoming omnipresent. With a multitude of manufacturers competing for sales of these devices in retail markets, the need to provide state of the art features and content on a device that very aesthetically pleasing is increasing. This is particularly true given the nature of consumers to desire portable computing devices that are "hip" or "cool" looking, with many purchasing decisions for such devices being affected by this particular desire. Accordingly, the outer look or feel of a portable computing device can be a critical factor in device design.
One design challenge associated with portable computing devices is the composition and appearance of the outer housing or enclosure that is used to house the various internal components of the portable computing device. A seamless, smooth and/or sleek look is often highly desired, with metal or other similar materials being preferable. Some solutions to these issues have involved the use of an outer housing that is tubular in nature. Various examples of and methods of manufacturing such tubular outer housings can be found in, for example, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/884,172 and 11/501,184, filed on Jul. 2, 2004, and Oct. 7, 2006 respectively, both of which are entitled "HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE," and both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties and for all purposes. Such outer housings can be used on, for example the iPod® media player or iPhone® cellular telephone made by Apple Inc., among other suitable portable computing devices or items.
One drawback to a common approach of manufacturing a generally metallic outer housing for a portable computing device is that metal can be a poor material choice where electromagnetic wave transmissions through the material are desired. For example, a cellular telephone that requires radio frequency transmissions to operate must either have an external antenna or a region in the housing through which radio waves can pass. As a more detailed example, because no external antenna was used on the iPhone® 2G cellular telephone made by Apple Inc., its metallic outer housing included a plastic portion located proximate to an internal antenna or receiver region. This design permitted most of the outer housing to be aluminum, but also required a smaller region of plastic to allow for radio frequency communications through the outer housing.
Unfortunately, the use of two different materials for the outer housing results in a seam between the materials, as well as the likelihood of a two-toned look in the overall look of the device. One solution to avoid such seams and two-toned appearances can be to use an outer housing that is comprised entirely of a "radio transparent" material, such as a hard plastic. One drawback to this approach, however, is that metallic surface finishes are thought by some to be more aesthetically pleasing than plastic surface finishes. In general, metallic surface finishes have a look and feel that tends to be harder, smoother and sleeker than plastic surface finishes. Thus, with respect to a portable electronic device that must be able to communicate via electromagnetic waves, a designer has traditionally needed to choose at least one of the lesser aesthetically pleasing alternatives involving an external antenna, a seam or seams on the outer housing, or an outer housing made entirely of plastic or some other radio transparent material.
While many designs and methods of manufacture for providing outer housings on portable computing devices and other similar items have generally worked well in the past, there is always a desire to provide new and improved designs that result in aesthetically pleasing and functional outer housings for such portable computing devices. In particular, it is desirable to provide a portable computing device that can communicate via electromagnetic waves, have an internal antenna, have no seams in the outer housing, and have an outer housing with a sleek and hard finish that is metallic or similar thereto.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Thermal spray coating for seamless and radio-transparent electronic device housing


A polymer having pendant silyl ether groups is disclosed having a minimum solubility parameter of 6.85 (cal/cc).sup.1/2 or less. That minimum solubility parameter is reduced to 6.85 (cal/cc).sup.1/2 or less by control of the number of pendant silyl ether groups and by the selection of said silyl ether groups. The polymer can be formed by reacting a olefin monomer with a silyl monomer or by grafting a silyl monomer onto an unsaturated polyolefin. Preferably, the silyl monomer is either a vinyl trimethylsilyl ether monomer, a vinyl dimethylchlorosilane monomer, or a vinyl methyldichlorosilane monomer. Preferably, the olefin monomer is decene, and the unsaturated polyolefin is polydecene.

In newly discovered oil fields, oil usually will be recovered by flowing from a producing well under the naturally occurring pressure of the fluids present in the porous reservoir rocks. That naturally occurring pressure decreases as the fluids are removed. This phase of production, called primary production, recovers perhaps 5% to 20% of the oil present in the formation.
Secondary recovery methods (e.g., waterflooding) are used to recover more of the oil. In these methods, a fluid is injected into the reservoir to drive additional oil out of the rocks. Waterflooding has limitations. As the water is immiscible with oil, and as the water displaces the oil, oil remaining in the reservoir reaches a limiting value known as "the residual oil saturation" and oil no longer flows. There is a strong capillary action which tends to hold the oil in the interstices of the rocks. The amount of oil recovered by secondary techniques is usually from about 5% to 30% of the oil initially present.
In recent years, more attention has been directed to enhanced recovery or tertiary recovery techniques. While these methods are more expensive, they are justified by the increased price of crude. In general, these tertiary recovery methods are used to recover the residual oil by overcoming the capillary forces which trap oil during waterflooding. For example, it has been suggested to add surfactants to the flood to decrease the interfacial tension and thus allow oil droplets to move to producing wells.
Secondary or tertiary recovery of oil is also possible by the miscible fluid displacement process. Propane, for example, can be used, for it is fully miscible with oil. But, except in remote regions such as the Arctic, where it is impractical to pipe propane, propane is usually far too expensive to use.
Nevertheless, it is well known to use crude oil miscible solvents, such as propane, to displace crude oil through a formation. For example, see the teachings of Morse in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,953. Morse suggests that the viscosity of the propane can be increased by the addition of kerosene. Henderson et al. teach in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,345 the use of a slug of thickened material, such as propane, before flooding with an amphipathic solvent. Dauben et al. teach in U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,601 the recovery of oil using viscous propane, where the propane is viscosified by first dissolving a solid polymer (such as polyisobutylene) in a heavier hydrocarbon (such as heptane) and then diluting this first solution with propane to form the oil-driving bank.
In the continental United States, carbon dioxide is generally less expensive than propane. A number of carbon dioxide floods have been tried in the United States. The carbon dioxide tends to dissolve in the oil which swells with a consequent decrease in viscosity and improvement in the flow to producing wells. The carbon dioxide also extracts light hydrocarbons from the oil and this mixture of carbon dioxide and light hydrocarbons can in some cases reach a composition that will miscibly displace the oil. This carbon dioxide-rich phase characteristically has a lower viscosity than the oil and tends to finger through the formation. Early carbon dioxide breakthrough is undesirable since reservoir sweep is reduced and expensive separation procedures are required to separate and recycle the carbon dioxide. For example, the viscosity of carbon dioxide at usual reservoir pressures and temperatures is on the order of a few hundredths of a centipoise while the oil being displaced may have a viscosity in the range of from 0.1 to 100 centipoises.
An increase in the viscosity of carbon dioxide would be helpful in decreasing the mobility of the carbon dioxide, thus increasing the pressure gradient behind the frontal region which would reduce fingering and improve the reservoir sweep.
The prior art describes a number of techniques to control the mobility of carbon dioxide. These techniques are described generally in an article entitled "CO.sub.2 as Solvent for Oil Recovery" by F. M. Orr, Jr. et al. (Chemtech, August 1983, page 42, et seq.). There is the water-alternating-with-gas process where slugs of carbon dioxide are injected alternatively with slugs of water. Also studied was the use of polyxers to reduce carbon dioxide mobility. The F. M. Orr, Jr. et al. paper describes studies by New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center that indicate that only low-molecular weight polymers dissolve in carbon dioxide and, as a result, only 10% to 20% increase in solution viscosity have been observed.
Other studies of the use of polymers for carbon dioxide thickening appear in "Measuring Solubility of Polymers in Dense CO.sub.2 " by J. P. Heller et al. (Polymer Preprint, Vol. 22(2), 1981, New York ACS Meeting) and "Direct Thickeners for Mobility Control of CO.sub.2 Floods" by J. P. Heller et al. (SPE 11789, June 1983). In the latter paper, Heller et al. conclude that the search for polymeric direct thickeners has been "unsuccessful in the purpose by a wide margin." The increase in viscosity observed by Heller et al. was small and in no case greater than 30%.
Recent work by J. P. Heller and J. J. Taber has been reported in "Development of Mobility Control Methods to Improve Oil Recovery by CO.sub.2 : Final Report," DOE/MC/10689-17 (available from NTIS) where the authors list some 53 polymers which have been tried in an effort to thicken the carbon dioxide but with little to no success.
Work done by Heller et al. was done with pure dry carbon dioxide at pressure of 1500 to 3160 psig and temperatures of 25.degree. to 58.degree. C. which would be typical of reservoirs where carbon dioxide flooding could be carried out. A number of low and high molecular weight polymers were tried, and in general their results showed that high molecular weight polymers were not soluble. Polymers having solubilities above one weight percent (i.e., polybutene, polydecene and polypropylene glycol) all had molecular weights of 400 to 1000. Increasing molecular weight of the polymer led to decreased solubility of the polymer in carbon dioxide. Heller's work suggests that it is not obvious how to find polymers having a molecular weight over 1000 that have any significant solubility in carbon dioxide. The known poor solvent properties of liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide are a limiting factor when it comes to dissolving large molecules such as high molecular weight polymers.
In our application entitled "ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY USING CO.sub.2 FLOODING", filed on July 14, 1987, and assigned U.S. Ser. No. 073,791, we taught a means to increase the viscosity of carbon dioxide to achieve a viscosity of at least 0.15 centipoises utilizing polymers having a molecular weight above 1000. We achieved viscosity increases for the carbon dioxide of three-fold to 30-fold or more utilizing certain defined cosolvents along with certain defined polymers having a minimum solubility parameter of 6.85 (cal/cc).sup.1/2 or less and having electron donor groups such as ether, silyl ether, and tertiary amine. Those defined polymers include polysiloxanes and polyvinylethers. Unfortunately, those polymers are expensive.

Polymer containing pendant silyl ether groups useful in enhanced oil recovery using CO.sub.2 flooding


A vascular baroreflex-related sympathetic activity (VBRSA) detection device, a VBRSA detection program, and a VBRSA detection method capable of detecting in a simple and non-invasive manner VBRSA, which is sympathetic nervous activity of a blood vessel involved in a baroreflex function, are provided. The VBRSA detection device detects the VBRSA based on pulse wave data on a biological artery and a beat interval corresponding to the pulse wave data. The VBRSA detection device includes a VBRSA-series detecting unit that detects, as a VBRSA series indicative of VBRSA, a series where, from among the series in which the beat interval increases or decreases by n (n is a natural number 3 or more) beats consecutively, a correlation coefficient for the beat interval and pulse wave data is greater than any positive threshold up to the (n-1)-th beat and the correlation coefficient at the n-th beat falls to or below the threshold.

It is conventionally known that blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cerebral infarction or the like. Therefore, by daily monitoring the status of blood pressure, it is possible to use the status of blood pressure as a guideline for preventing the aforementioned cardiovascular disease, cerebral infarction or the like, or as a diagnostic material in a pre-clinical stage. However, the act of measuring a blood pressure becomes a burden on the body and is a troublesome work, and so it is practically difficult to monitor the blood pressure daily or continuously.
Therefore, in recent years, a study of evaluating the baroreflex function of the autonomic nervous system trying to keep the blood pressure within a certain range is underway. This is because a reduction of the baroreflex function is considered as a risk factor for cerebral apoplexy, hypertension, faint, or the like. However, the blood pressure is hemodynamically defined as the product of cardiac output (single cardiac output×heart rate) and vascular resistance, whereas in baroreflex, the contribution of sympathetic nervous activity of the heart to the heart rate is not seen, and so the heart rate is controlled by parasympathetic nervous activity of the heart and the vascular resistance is controlled by vascular sympathetic nervous activity. Therefore, both parasympathetic nervous activity of the heart (neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart) and vascular sympathetic nervous activity (vascular neurogenic baroreflex function) are associated with the baroreflex function.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, in the neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart, when the blood vessel wall expands due to an increase in the blood pressure, baroreceptor cells existing in the carotid or the like ignite. The brain that has received the ignition signal reduces the cardiac output via parasympathetic nervous activity of the heart (that is, by increasing the heartbeat interval or beat interval), trying to lower cardiac output and lower the blood pressure. On the other hand, the neurogenic baroreflex function of the blood vessel tries to increase the blood pressure by activating vascular sympathetic nervous activity and increasing the blood pressure so that the blood pressure does not fall to or below a predetermined value when the blood pressure drops due to relaxation of the blood vessel.
However, there is an individual difference in the operating balance between the neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart and the neurogenic baroreflex function of the blood vessel, and there are people whose neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart works dominantly or there are people whose vascular neurogenic baroreflex function works dominantly. Even in the same individual, for example, the operating balance may change when the individual is at rest and after doing exercise. Therefore, in order to evaluate the baroreflex function comprehensively, it is necessary to measure the neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart and the neurogenic baroreflex function of the blood vessel separately.
An example of the technique for measuring the neurogenic baroreflex function of the heart is a method for non-invasively measuring the function as sensitivity. For example, a so-called sequence method is known in which an increase or decrease in the diameter of a blood vessel due to expansion of the blood vessel wall is measured for each beat using an ultrasonic echo and the neurogenic baroreflex function is detected based on a baroreflex-series of the heart appearing as an accompanying extension or contraction of heartbeat or beat interval. The present inventor proposes a method for measuring neurogenic baroreflex sensitivity of the heart using a blood volume based on a normalized pulse-wave volume (Non-Patent Literature 1) instead of the blood vessel diameter (Patent Literature 1).
On the other hand, as a technique for measuring the neurogenic baroreflex function of the blood vessel, there is conventionally only a method for deriving it from a function of a diastolic blood pressure or vascular resistance as shown in FIG. 16, and vascular sympathetic nervous activity (MSA: muscle nerve sympathetic activity) of the blood vessel invasively measured by so-called microneurography (Non-Patent Literature 2).

Baroreflex vascular sympathetic nervous activity detection device, baroreflex vascular sympathetic nervous activity detection program, and baroreflex vascular sympathetic nervous activity detection method


Process and apparatus for the thermal treatment of pulverulent substances, in which the pulverulent substance is dispersed in a carrier gas and is passed in a continuous manner through a heated reactor where it is thermally treated and is then quenched by a cooling medium and is collected in a gas-solids separating unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the thermal treatment of pulverulent substances.
2. Description of Related Art
Known heat treatment methods for pulverulent substances take place in batch processes and therefore require long treatment times and are difficult to automate. Moreover, a disadvantage with these known furnace heat treatment processes, in which the material being heat treated is introduced into the furnace in dishes, pans or other containers, is the formation of agglomerations, coarse lumps and caking of the pulverulent substances as well as the occurrence of inhomogeneities that are caused by a non-uniform heat treatment due to temperature gradients in the furnace chamber, as well as by variable gas accessibility depending on the position in the furnace chamber.
Known revolving tubular furnaces have considerable disadvantages in terms of energy consumption due to the large dead volume. Furthermore the material being heat treated is contaminated by parts of the tubing and adhering catalyst residues.
According to EP 0 591 881 1 (DuPont) it is known to produce palladium and palladium oxide powders with particle sizes of around 1 micron by decomposing a Pd-containing aerosol in a heated wall reactor.
This process cannot be used for supported catalysts containing noble metals.
DE 19545455 (Degussa) describes a process for the production of noble metal powders by heat treatment of an aerosol in a flame reactor.
A disadvantage of the flame-heated reactor system is an irregular temperature/time profile as well as the necessity to feed in fuel gases and air, or oxygen, to produce the flame. As a result, the system is disadvantageously complex.
EP 0 537 502 (Degussa) describes a post-treatment process for noble metal powders in a heated wall reactor, in which the noble metal powder is nebulised in a carrier gas.
On account of the high density the powder mist is inhomogeneous however, with the result that particle-particle contact and thus agglomerations occur during the heat treatment.
DD 286523 (Leunawerke) describes a process for the production of a supported silver catalyst by heat treatment of an inert carrier material that has been impregnated with a silver salt solution.
The decomposition of the silver salt on the carrier material is however incomplete, with the result that an additional heating step is necessary in order to activate the catalyst.
JP 63319053 (Tanaka) describes a plasma process for the heat treatment of electrocatalysts for fuel cells, which is carried out in a quartz tube formed in the shape of a coil.
Although this process leads to alloyed noble metal catalysts, it is very complicated and expensive.
RO 54548 describes a continuous heat treatment process in which the catalyst material is dispersed in a carrier gas and is then treated in an electric arc.
According to the prior art, such heat treatments of pulverulent substances are carried out for example in revolving tubular furnaces or stationary furnaces.
The disadvantage of these thermal treatments (calcination) is that, on account of the thermal stress of the material, the metal crystallites applied to the carrier become mobile and sinter.
A thermal treatment of pulverulent catalysts at high temperatures without such sintering effects with simultaneous alloy formation, fixing of the metal on the support, and decomposition of metal oxides or the removal of surface functionalities is not possible according to the prior art.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,937 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,772 it is known to remove surface functionalities by treating a carbon-based carrier material by oxidation with HNO3 and subsequent thermal treatment.
A disadvantage of this process is that it includes a further complicated step involving the production of metal-containing, pulverulent catalysts.
There is therefore a need to develop a process for the thermal treatment of pulverulent substances that does not have these disadvantages.


A computing device is described that determines an exit location at which a user of a computing device exited a stop associated with a transportation service. The computing device determines a predicted duration of travel by the user from a current location of the computing device to the exit location at which the user exited the stop associated with the transportation service. The computing device outputs, for display, a notification based at least in part on the predicted duration.

A mobile computing device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer, etc.) may offer a variety of functionality and features. When traveling, a user may employ such a mobile computing device to keep track of time, to navigate, and/or to search for information relevant to a current trip and/or destination.
While access to large amounts of information may be beneficial to a user, a mobile computing device may not always present requested information in an organized way. For example, rather than allowing entry of a single search with the mobile computing device to determine an appropriate departure time for traveling to a mass transit station (e.g., a bus stop, subway or train station), a mobile computing device and/or search service may require the user may need to submit multiple, related searches with the mobile computing device (e.g., to find directions to the station, to determine an estimated travel time to the station, to estimate a time of departure from the station, etc.) and manually evaluate the results of these searches to determine an appropriate departure time to facilitate arrival at a destination by a predetermined time.


A device for opening wings of a motor vehicle, more particularly for opening vehicle doors and vehicle hinged lids. An exterior handle is connected to a closing system. The exterior handle is arranged in the exterior skin of the a motor vehicle and is subjected to the action of a spring force. The exterior handle includes a holding fixture which can be brought into contact in an interactive manner with a connecting element which can be inserted from the exterior. In addition, the one end of the connecting element which is assigned to the closing system can be interactively connected to an actuating element which unlatches the one blocking element of the closing system. The other end of the connecting element is displaceably mounted on an insertion part which can be inserted from the exterior skin and which can be fixed with regard to the exterior skin.

The invention relates to a device for opening wings of a motor vehicle, more particularly for opening vehicle doors and vehicle hinged lids.
From DE 44 05 383 A1 an exterior handle assembly for a motor vehicle door is known having a bearing yoke which can be prefitted on the inside of the door exterior panel and in which are installed a draw bar separated from the door handle and acting on a lock release lever, as well as a holding plate for a closing cylinder. The door handle, which is loaded with spring force, and the closing cylinder are able to be mounted from outside by means of a detent device when the door is closed. For assembly, three openings are provided, namely a bearing opening for mounting the door handle, an operating opening for connecting the door handle to the draw bar, as well as a closing opening for the closing cylinder.
The known exterior handle assembly has a number of complicated individual parts so that the cost of manufacturing and assembling the known exterior door assembly is really quite high. Furthermore there is the drawback that the known assembly takes up a lot of room in the space between the exterior panel of the door and the interior panel. Furthermore the assembly has a relatively large number of openings in the exterior panel of the door which have to be sealed at high cost in order to prevent moisture from penetrating into the space between the interior and exterior panels of the door.
Furthermore, in order to connect the exterior handle assembly to the locking system (door lock), there are always at least three assembly steps which are required. First the draw bar which acts on the lock release lever has to be pre-assembled. Then in individual assembly steps, the door handle is connected to the draw bar, and the closing cylinder is connected to the locking system.
Thus there is a need for a device for opening wings of a motor vehicle which is simple and cost-effective to manufacture and which can be fitted at low cost.
The device according to the invention has the advantage that an exterior handle of a wing, e.g. a door, and a connecting element which can be inserted from the exterior skin of a motor vehicle can be brought into interaction with each other so that the exterior handle and the connecting element are mutually entrained. By way of example, when the exterior handle is operated to open a vehicle door, the exterior handle entrains the connecting element. During the reverse procedure, the connecting element then entrains the exterior handle. The connecting element thereby serves as a connection between the exterior handle and a closing system of the door.
The device according to the invention furthermore has a small number of individual parts which can be manufactured without complication and at low cost. Furthermore, the small number of parts and their simple method of construction enables a low-cost assembly. More particularly, it is possible by means of an individual assembly step to connect the exterior handle to the closing system fixed inside a bodywork chamber. The term xe2x80x9cclosing systemxe2x80x9d is meant here as a lock with its individual components.
The space required by the device is small so that it can be installed without problem, in particular, in doors having a small structural space. Additionally, there is the special advantage that the device for connecting the exterior handle to the closing system enables fitting to be carried out from the outside of the door. In this way, assembly is particularly easy and simple. It is also ensured that a door which is already painted no longer becomes scratched during the assembly.
According to the invention, the connecting element is displaceably mounted on an insert part which can be inserted from the exterior skin of the vehicle door, and can be fixed relative to the exterior skin. This insert part preferably has a closing cylinder for manually actuating the closing system. As an alternative or in addition the insert part has an infrared receiver of an infrared control for automatically actuating the closing system.
In a further development of the invention the insert part has an illumination unit. This makes it easier to actuate the closing system manually by means of the closing cylinder in darkness.
A rotatable paddle of the closing cylinder mounted in the insert part is preferably in engagement with a follower of the closing system. By operating the closing cylinder, the paddle is moved so that a blocking element of the closing system is unlatched or locked.
A compression spring is preferably supported between the insert part and the connecting element for spring-tensioning the exterior handle. This compression spring serves to reset the exterior handle and connecting element. It is thus not necessary to provide a separate individual return spring for each of the exterior handle and connecting element. Furthermore, the compression spring restricts at the same time the setting path of the exterior handle. As an alternative, or in addition to the compression spring described, it is proposed to tension the exterior handle through a spring with a handle shell of the vehicle door.
The advantage of these spring arrangements is that by deliberately saving space the entire assembly becomes more compact and the manufacturing costs are reduced through the lower number of component parts.
In a further development of the invention, the insert part can be fixed relative to the exterior skin through an opening in the interior skin. By way of example, fixing is carried out by a positive locking connection between the insert part and handle shell.
The connection between the blocking element and the connecting element is preferably produced by snap-fitting or detent elements. By way of example, a detent element is provided on the blocking element and engages in a detent opening of the connecting element. As an alternative, or in addition to this it is proposed that the connection between the blocking element and connecting element is undertaken by a separate part which can be actuated through the interior skin of the vehicle door, for example, an actuating element which acts on the blocking element. For this, the interior skin has an assembly and dismantling opening for producing and disengaging the connection between the connecting element and closing cylinder.
In a further development of the invention, the blocking element is designed as a locking pawl which interacts with a rotary spring bolt of the door lock provided as the closing system. The locking pawl prevents the movement of the rotary spring bolt when the vehicle door is closed. By actuating the exterior handle the locking pawl is moved so that it releases the rotary spring bolt and the vehicle door can be opened through rotation of the rotary spring bolt with further actuation of the exterior handle.
The idea on which the invention is based will now be explained in further detail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

Device for connecting an exterior handle to a closing system


Irrespective of a specification of the controller, a plurality of TFTs are formed for the controller on a substrate in advance. Then, in accordance with a design of the controller, connection is achieved among sources, drains, and gates, which serve as three terminals in each of the plural TFTs, appropriately through a wiring formed on a layer different from the one where the plural TFTs are formed, so that the controller with a desired specification is formed. At this time, it is not required to use all the TFTs arranged on the substrate and some TFTs may remain unused depending on the specification of the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is relates to that a design method and a manufacturing method of the semiconductor display device, the semiconductor display device manufactured by using said manufacturing method, and an order receiving system of the semiconductor display device manufactured by using said manufacturing method.
2. Related Arts
In recent years, a technology of forming the TFT on a glass substrate is advanced rapidly, and an application of the technology to an active matrix type semiconductor device is developed. Especially, the TFT using a poly-crystalline silicon film (poly-Si TFT) has higher field effect mobility than the conventional TFT using an amorphous film, and is possible to be fast operated. Therefore, by using the poly-Si TFT, the system on glass can be realized that the driver circuit and the controller are integrated on the glass substrate together with the pixel portion.
The driver circuit of the semiconductor display device is formed on a silicon substrate so far, and connected to a pixel portion of the display device via the FPC or the like. However, if IC is connected to the glass substrate on which the pixel portion is formed through the FPC, the problem that the connection portion thereof is weak against the physical shock is occurred. This defect is detected more as there are many wirings of the FPC. In order to avoid the certain problems, the number of FPC wiring is restrained by that the driver circuit is formed together with the pixel portion on the glass substrate, and thereby the size of the display device can be reduced.
For example, in the case that the active matrix type liquid crystal display device that is one of the semiconductor devices, it has generally the scanning line that selects in sequence one or several pixels among the plural pixels in the pixel portion and the signal line driver circuit that input a signal (video signal) having an image information to a selected pixel. Forming said driver circuit on the glass substrate together with the pixel portion, the liquid crystal display device can be enhanced the resistance property against the physical shock, and thereby the size of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.
In addition, in recent years, the controller that is formed on the silicon substrate until now is tried to form on the glass substrate as well as the driver circuit. If the controller and the driver circuit can be formed on the same glass substrate together with the pixel portion, the size of the semiconductor device can be reduced dramatically, and the resistance property against the physical shock can be more enhanced.
However, the controller has functions of generating signals that determines a timing of the operation of the driver circuit and the pixel portion, and processing a constant standard video signal from external video source adjusting to the specification of the driver circuit and the pixel portion, and the driver method of the semiconductor display device. Therefore, it is necessary that the design of the controller should be changed in each case according to the standard, the specification, and the driver method of the semiconductor device.
For example, if there is a necessity of changing design of the controller to manufacture various prototypes, or changing design of the controller for each customer, all masks should be changed including the pixel portion and the driver circuit in each time in case of forming the controller together with the driver circuit and the pixel portion on the glass substrate. Thereby, it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor display device.
Especially in recent years, there is a tendency to large item small scale production of the semiconductor device because the device is used in display portions of various electronic apparatuses. Accordingly, it is expected that the problem is occurred that increasing costs with the above-mentioned design change of the controller if the controller is formed together with the driver circuit and the pixel portion on the glass substrate.

Order receiving process for manufacturing a semiconductor display device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


This is directed to a luminaire having a removable inner accessory and optical component. A luminaire can include a base and an outer accessory through which light generated by a light source placed in the base is transmitted. To customize the light emitted by the luminaire, an inner accessory having an optical component can be placed within the outer accessory. The optical component can be tuned to provide a light pattern corresponding to an environment in which the luminaire is placed. Because all of the components used to create the luminaire, other than the optical component, are standard, the luminaire can be easily constructed with a default optical component, but also easily customized at a minimal cost. In addition, the optical component can be recessed relative to the outer accessory to improve optical performance of the luminaire.

Light fixtures provide a source of light to illuminate dark environments. A light fixture, or luminaire, can be constructed from a light source placed in contact with a cover directing light from the light source into an environment. In some cases, the cover of a luminaire can include particular optical properties for directing the light emitted by the luminaire. For example, the cover can include a diffuser for changing the radiation pattern of light provided by the light source within the luminaire. Some luminaires, however, can be placed in environments where a standard light pattern may be inefficient or lead to undesirable lighting artifacts. Alternatively, the cover can be substantially co-planar with a drop ceiling, and be a source of glare.

Removable optical component for luminaire


The present invention relates to a power transmission device of the clutchless compressor, which includes: a pulley; a hub disposed in one side face of the pulley and connected to a driving shaft of a compressor; a drive-side connection member including a connection portion detachably connected to one side face of the pulley and a breaking portion connected to the connection portion and broken when a torque above a preset value is generated in the compressor; and a driven-side connection member connected to one side face of the hub and is connected to the breaking portion and including a plastic deformation portion outside the driven-side connection member so that the driven-side connection member is plastic deformed or is broken due to plastic deformation if a rotational shock is applied from the connection portion to a remaining breaking member remaining even after the breaking portion is broken.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmission device of a clutchless compressor, and more particularly, to a power transmission device of a clutchless compressor which prevents damage of an engine belt and unnecessary noise that may occur while a breaking portion connecting a pulley-side and a hub-side is broken when a torque above a preset value is generated in a compressor when power is transmitted to the compressor from an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, air conditioning systems for a car keep the temperature inside the car lower than the internal temperature due to a cycle of circulation such as compression, condensation, vaporization of a refrigerant. Essential elements of the circulation cycle include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.
The type of a compressor among the elements of the circulation cycle includes a variable capacity type compressor which adjusts required power according to the state of air conditioning. A demand for the variable capacity type compressor has been gradually increased. The variable capacity type capacitor does not need a clutch which controls a drive force transmitted to a compressor from an engine.
However, due to a failure such as seizing etc. inside a driving shaft of the compressor, a considerably larger overload torque than a normal transmission torque occurs in the driving shaft of the compressor. Thus, a pulley may not rotate any more and may stop. In this case, an engine belt driven by an engine slides on the pulley continuously and is worn (belt slip). Furthermore, the engine belt may be broken due to friction heat generated during friction with the pulley.
To solve the problems, a conventional power transmission device and hub of a compressor are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,477).
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional power transmission device comprises a pulley 10, a hub 20, a driven-side connection member 30, and a drive-side connection member 40.
The pulley 10 is rotatably installed at a nose portion (not shown) protruding from a front housing (not shown) of a compressor (not shown). The pulley 10 is rotated by a rotational force transmitted from an engine which is a driving power source, and a flange 12 protrudes from one side face of the pulley 10. In other words, the pulley 10 is supported by a bearing 13 installed in a through hole 11 formed in the middle of the pulley 10 and is rotatably installed at the nose portion of the front housing. The flange 12 may be integrally formed with the pulley 10, and an additional bearing bore 14 may be inserted in the through hole 11, and the flange 12 may protrude from one end of the bearing bore 14. If the bearing bore 14 is installed in the through hole 11, the bearing 13 is installed in the bearing bore 14.
The hub 20 is disposed in the through hole 11 formed in the middle of the pulley 10. The hub 20 comprises a hub body 21 connected to a driving shaft (not shown) of the compressor and a cover plate 22 integrally formed in the outer peripheral face of the hub body 21. A connection hole 23 which the driving shaft perforates is formed in the hub body 21. In addition, an edge of the cover plate 22 is bent toward the pulley 10 to encompass the driven-side connection member 30 and the drive-side connection member 40, which will be described below.
The driven-side connection member 30 is connected to the hub 20, and more particularly, is connected to the cover plate 22 of the hub 20. To this end, a plurality of seating grooves 32 are formed in the outer peripheral face of the driven-side connection member 30, and a damper 50 is seated in the seating grooves 32 so as to absorb shock, and a projection 24 protruding from an inside of the cover plate 22 of the hub 20 is combined with the damper 50. The damper 50 is generally formed of a rubber material so as to have a predetermined elastic force.
The drive-side connection member 40 comprises a connection portion 41 detachably connected to one side face of the pulley 10, and a breaking portion 42 connecting the connection portion 41 with the driven-side connection member 30 and broken when a torque above a preset value is generated in the compressor.
The connection portion 41 of the drive-side connection member 40 forms a tap 41a in the inner peripheral face of the connection portion 41 and can be screwed to the outer peripheral face of the flange 12 protruding from one side face of the pulley 10. Although not shown, besides screw connection, the flange 12 may be forcibly press-fitted and inserted in the inner peripheral face of the connection portion 41 and may be connected thereto.
The breaking portion 42 of the drive-side connection member 40 connects the connection portion 41 and the driven-side connection member 30, and when a torque above a preset value is generated in the compressor, the breaking portion 42 is broken and intercepts a power transmission path connected to the driven-side connection member 30 from the drive-side connection member 40.
After the breaking portion 42 is broken, a shock providing portion 43 which transmits a rotational shock to a remaining breaking member 42a causing interference while remaining in the driven-side connection member 30 is formed to the connection portion 41 of the drive-side connection member 40.
However, after the breaking portion 42 is broken, the remaining breaking member 42a causes interference with the connection portion 41 of the drive-side connection member 40 while the connection portion 41 rotates continuously due to the pulley 10 so that excessive noise occurs in the remaining breaking member 42a.
Furthermore, if interference occurs in the breaking portion 42 continuously, a shock load is given to the engine several times and thus, the engine belt may be damaged.

Power transmission device of clutchless compressor


A game device is provided. The game device includes a first execution section, a game screen updating section, and a game situation data acquiring section. In the case where a first execution time which comes every first time period is reached, the first execution section generates game situation data. In the case where a second execution time which comes every second time period is reached, the game screen updating section updates a game screen based on game situation data corresponding to an attention time which comes a time period before the second execution time. The game situation data acquiring section acquires the game situation data corresponding to the attention time by executing interpolation processing based on first game situation data corresponding to a time which comes before the attention time and second game situation data corresponding to a time which comes after the attention time.

In a game device, processing is executed every predetermined time period. For example, the processing to be executed every predetermined time period in the game device includes processing of updating game situation data indicating the situation of a game and processing of updating a game screen based on the updated game situation data. For example, in the case of a game device for executing a sport game in which a moving object (for example, ball or puck) is used, the following items of processing are alternately executed. Those items of processing are processing of updating state data indicating the state (for example, position) of a player character or a moving object and processing of updating the game screen based on the updated state data of the player character or the moving object.
In general, the interval at which processing is executed in the game device is set in accordance with the system of a display device for displaying the game screen. For example, in a case where the game screen is displayed on a television set compliant with the National Television System Committee (NTSC) system, the processing is executed every 1/60th of a second (or 1/30th of a second). On the other hand, for example, in a case where the game screen is displayed on a television set compliant with the Phase Alternating Line (PAL) system, the processing is executed every 1/50th of a second (or 1/25th of a second).

Game device, method for controlling game device, program and information memory medium


A method of received data sequence assessment, the method comprising producing a correlation metric describing the fit to a received sequence of the most likely of a set of candidates for the received sequence and calculating an error metric indicative of discrepancies between the received sequence and its most likely candidate.

In order to know whether data is to be received on the HS-DSCH data channel, the UE needs to decode the HS-SCCH channel(s). The HS-SCCH channels are shared between different users in the downlink. The receiver needs to identify if any of the HS-SCCH channels transmitted by the Node B is intended for the UE.
A preliminary decision must be made after the first slot ('part 1') of the HS-SCCH three-slot sub-frame, so that HS-DSCH reception can start if necessary. Since the CRC is only included in HS-SCCH part 2 (the second and third slots of the sub-frame), another method must be used to identify which, if any, of the received HS-SCCH channels are intended for the UE. The UE Identifier is encoded with the part-1 data so that good decoding results should be achieved only for HS-SCCH channels directed to the UE in question.

Selection of a received sequence by means of metrics


A non-aerosol, foaming high alcohol content hand sanitizer is provided which has excellent antimicrobial activity and tolerance for organic load and excellent residual activity, as well as enhanced moisturization and skin-feel properties over currently marketed alcohol-based sanitizers. The inventive composition achieves an unexpectedly large amount of quality, stable foam even in the presence of significant quantities of skin conditioning agents through the use of novel silicone surfactants and achieves enhanced and prolonged antimicrobial efficacy through the combination of high alcohol content and activity enhancing components.

Hand sanitizing products, including those that are alcohol-based, are known in the art. The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizing products, in particular, continues to grow, both within the United States and internationally. Alcohol-based sanitizers can be found in hospitals and other healthcare environments, the workplace, and in everyday home use. These products are considered especially useful when microbial contamination is a concern, particular in high risk areas of hospitals and prior to surgical procedures.
Some examples of high alcohol content sanitizers include U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,689, which describes an emollient antimicrobial composition comprising high alcohol content (60-95 wt. %), preservatives, a cationic cellulose polymer thickening agent, and silicone-based moisturizers and emollients, useful as a hand healthcare preparation or a pre-surgical scrub; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,610,315; 6,562,360; 6,352,701 and 5,951,993, which describe alcohol compositions useful as pre-surgical scrub replacements or as a lotion or other hand preparation, comprising alcohol and a non-polymeric thickener system that includes mixtures of at least two emulsifiers; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,239, which describes a gel product for use as a skin sanitizer having a higher alcohol content and comprising, humectants, silicones as detackifying agents, moisturizers, and thickeners.
Alcohol and alcohol gels in which alcohol levels exceed about 50% have the most pronounced immediate antimicrobial effects; however, they lack persistent antimicrobial properties, i.e., residual activity or effect. Although alcohol may kill microbes on contact, upon drying, there is no means for killing or controlling microbial growth. As such, sanitizers using alcohol alone are often less effective over time. Hence, some alcohol-based compositions utilize additional antimicrobial compounds, which may themselves cause skin irritation and sensitization.
In addition, many alcohol-based products comprise thickening agents or emollients that increase the viscosity of the composition, in order to lower the alcohol evaporation rate and increase the exposure time that the alcohol is present on the skin. These thickened compositions often result in a less than optimal aesthetic skin feel in use or upon rinsing. Prolonged contact of high alcohol content may also dry and irritate the skin, and thickeners may trap dead skin and bacteria on the surface of the skin.
Alcohol-based antimicrobial compositions that provide prolonged and enhanced activity against various microorganisms without the need for additional antimicrobial agents have been described in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,268,165 B2 and 7,985,773 82 (both to Greten et al., STERIS Corporation) describe antimicrobial compositions comprising a synergistic combination of a simple aliphatic alcohol and an activity enhancing substance (an aromatic alcohol or cationic substrate binding compound) that provides unexpected and persistent activity against a broad range of microorganisms, while, at the same time, moisturizing the skin. While additional antimicrobials may be added as an option, they are not required in order to provide enhanced and prolonged antimicrobial effect. The Greten et al. compositions are stated to be useful as hand sanitizers or pre-surgical scrubs, but are not foaming compositions.
Foaming alcohol sanitizers have been commercially available for many years, especially in healthcare settings. Traditionally, most foaming alcohol sanitizers used propellant-based, i.e., aerosol, technologies to create and stabilize foam, and these products are still widely used in this market. However, due to recent concerns about disposal of propellant systems, environmental sustainability, various safety issues, and regulatory scrutiny, non-aerosol, alcohol-based products have recently found their way into the market as replacements for aerosol products.
Most non-aerosol, alcohol-based foaming hand sanitizers utilize either fluorosurfactant or linear silicone surfactant chemistries to lower the surface tension of the alcohol system to a level that creates foam in an alcohol-rich environment. Most of these products have poor moisturization and aesthetic properties, when dispensed through an appropriate dispenser (mechanical). By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,723,279 describes a foaming non-aerosol, alcohol-based composition comprising polymeric fluorosurfactants as foaming agents; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,683,018 describes a foaming non-aerosol, alcohol-based composition comprising anionic phosphate fluorosurfactants as the primary foaming agent. Other compositions are commercially available that utilize fluorinated surface active agents.
Other non-aerosol, alcohol-based compositions utilize silicone-based compounds either as the sole foaming surfactant or in conjunction with fluorosurfactants or other surfactants. Some examples include: U.S. Pat. No. 8,053,399, which discloses a foaming composition containing very little water that comprises the dimethicone copolyols PEG-10 dimethicone, PEG-12 dimethicone, or mixtures thereof; U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,615 (polysiloxane-polyether copolymers, such as, for example, a bis PEG-PPG-20/20 dimethicone); U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,990 (dimethicones and dimethicone copolyals with PEO and PPO side chains); U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,416 (polyoxyethylene ethers, esters, fatty acids, sulfated acids, sulfosuccinates, polysiloxane, sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxamers, and the like); and U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,725 (linear PEG 8-PEG-12 dimethicones having foam heights greater than 20 mm). Dimethicone copolymers, such as PEG/PPG 18/18, 17/18, 4112, 35/65, among others, are disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2009/0326076; and derivatized dimethicones, such as PEG-8-12 dimethicones coupled with foam strengthening agents are disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2009/0098067.
There are disadvantages to the currently available non-aerosol alcohol foam products that are currently in the market. First, there exists a general negative perception with regard to fluorosurfactants and their persistence in the environment and overall toxicity profile. Based on this perception, some have used traditional linear silicone surfactants to achieve foam creation in alcohol systems. Though not as effective as fluorosurfactants from a foam-generation standpoint, silicone surfactants are capable of producing a moderate amount of stable foam, especially when used at fairly high concentrations (e.g., 3%-5%).
Secondly, non-aerosol alcohol foam systems are very sensitive to excipient ingredients that could normally be used to enhance other attributes, specifically moisturization and overall feel. Alcohol sanitizers, due to the high level of alcohol required for acceptable microbial efficacy, can be inherently drying to the skin. Standard alcohol gels or liquids often contain water-insoluble, but alcohol soluble (or miscible) ingredients (such as occlusive agents) to improve overall moisturization benefits. However, due to the complex foam structure of alcohol-water mixtures, these ingredients often have a very significant negative impact on foam generation, quality and stability. Hence, ingredient selection may be limited.
The potential limitation for ingredient selection can also impact the microbial efficacy of the system. Though high levels of alcohol have good immediate efficacy against a broad range of microorganisms, due to its volatile nature, little prolonged microbial activity can be achieved without the addition of ingredients that either help retard the evaporation rate and/or bind to the skin. However, most ingredients traditionally used for this (e.g., cellulosic thickeners, high molecular weight occlusive agents) cannot be used in non-aerosol foam products.
As is evident from the foregoing, many non-aerosol alcohol foam systems have poor moisturization properties and/or limited microbial efficacy. While U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,268,165 and 7,985,773 to Greten et al. describe compositions that have enhanced and prolonged microbial efficacy and excellent moisturization properties, the compositions also contain thickeners that are not conducive to non-aerosol foam production.
In a healthcare environment, the CDC Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health Care Settings include recommendations for increased use of alcohol-based sanitizing products and, at the same time, express significant concern with skin health issues resulting from their use. Alcohol-based sanitizing products are often used on hands that do not have a visible organic load, however, many currently available products are negatively impacted by both the presence of any organic load, even that not clearly visible, and dilution. In order to leverage the CDC guidelines properly and provide a product that also has enhanced moisturization capabilities that are equivalent or superior to current alcohol-based foam sanitizers, an alcohol based foam sanitizer having efficacy and enhanced skin care properties in the presence of organic load and on repeated application is needed.
Further, the Tentative Final Monograph for Health-Care Antiseptic Drug Products sets forth the FDA criteria necessary to make the claim of "Healthcare Personnel Handwash." It is believed that when the tentative monograph issues as a final version, the criteria outlined in the tentative version will remain. For example, the Healthcare Personnel Handwash Test outlined in the tentative monograph establishes criteria that require a 2 log (base 10) reduction in bacteria after the first application and a 3 log reduction in bacteria after the tenth application. Because of the high inoculums and organic load present in the required methodology, not all alcohol-based sanitizing products can meet these criteria, especially after the tenth application and in fact, may actually demonstrate a decrease in log reduction when compared to the first application. Indeed, alcohol gel products used alone were not considered as good, from both an overall microorganism reduction profile and skin irritation potential, as a combination of alcohol gel with either an antimicrobial or a plain lotion soap. Paulson at al, Am. J. Infect Control 1999; 27(4): 332-38. Combination regimens may, therefore, be preferred to achieve persistent antimicrobial properties that are required by FDA criteria.
There is a need, therefore, for non-aerosol, alcohol-based hand sanitizing foam products having enhanced and prolonged antimicrobial activity, tolerance to organic load and dilution, excellent residual activity, skin moisturization and aesthetic skin feel properties, while at the same time meeting all of the CDC and FDA requirements.
A novel non-aerosol alcohol foam sanitizer has been discovered that resolves the disadvantages of current alcohol-based foam sanitizers and that will meet and exceed the criteria for a Healthcare Personnel Handwash claim. The invention is a non-aerosol alcohol foam hand sanitizer that comprises a novel silicone-dimer reaction product which, in combination with known components, resolves several issues encountered with alcohol-based sanitizing products in the past.
The inventive composition provides both the necessary surface tension reduction to allow a high alcohol system to foam without the use of propellants and aids in improving moisturization and aesthetic skin feel properties of the final product. The system contains certain ingredients previously known to enhance and prolong antimicrobial efficacy in combination with moisturizing components, but also contains novel components, not used heretofore, that provide unexpectedly high-quality, stable foam and excellent moisturizing and skin feel properties over current commercially available products.
Specifically, the inventive composition contains a high level of an aliphatic alcohol, a silicone based surfactant system comprising a novel silicone dimer reaction product, i.e., bis-PEG-10 dimethicone/dimer dilinoleate, PEG-17 dimethicone, or mixtures of both; activity enhancing substances, including an aromatic alcohol, a cationic substrate binding component, or mixtures thereof; a polyquaternium component; a blend of humectant ingredients; a cationic surfactant(s); and water-soluble emollient ingredients, all in an aqueous base. The composition is efficacious against a broad range of microorganisms, including gram-negative organisms. Importantly, the composition meets the Healthcare Personnel Flandwash guidelines at both one and ten applications, based on the criteria set forth in the Tentative Final Monograph for Health-Care Antiseptic Drug Products (1994, 21 CFR Parts 333 and 369).
The final inventive corn positions have unexpectedly superior moisturization and aesthetic feel characteristics, making it more likely that they will be used multiple times throughout the course of the day. The aesthetics of the inventive composition are such that the rub-in time, residue and foam properties are similar to current commercially available non-aerosol alcohol-based foam products, but with superior after-feel properties.
It is an object of the invention to provide a non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizer product, having excellent moisturization and aesthetic skin-feel properties, while still producing a large amount of quality foam that is stable even in the presence of high amounts of alcohol.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizer product having enhanced and prolonged antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microorganisms, including gram negative organisms, that is, at minimum, equivalent, but in many instances superior, to the antimicrobial activity of currently available non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizer product that has superior tolerance for organic load and dilution, even with repeated applications, and excellent residual activity as compared to currently marketed non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a non-aerosol, foaming alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is environmentally friendly, free of fluorosurfactants and that meets CDC guidelines and FDA criteria for hand sanitizing compositions.

Non-aerosol foaming alcohol hand sanitizer


A process for separating an electrodeposited metal from a cathode plate in electrolytic refining is disclosed. The cathode plate on which the metal is electrodeposited is first held. Then, heated air is blown toward the cathode plate and the electrodeposited metal thereon. As a result, the electrodeposited metal is separated from the cathode plate. An apparatus for carrying out the same process is also disclosed. The apparatus includes a separating furnace, a holding assembly, and a device for introducing heated air into the separating furnace. The holding assembly is attached to the separating furnace for holding the cathode plate in the furnace. The heated air-introducing device introduces heated air, blowing it against the cathode plate, whereby the electrodeposited metal is separated from the cathode plate.

The present invention pertains to a process for separating an electrodeposited metal from a cathode plate in electrolytic refining, and to an apparatus specifically adapted to carry out the same process.
A conventional electrolytic refining process involves preparing as a cathode plate a starter sheet of the same metal as the target metal to be refined, and carrying out electrolytic refining by electrodepositing the metal to be refined on the cathode plate. Subsequently, the electrodeposited metal is melted together with the starter sheet, and cast into an ingot.
In the above process, however, a starter sheet must be prepared every time electrolytic refining is carried out. Furthermore, it is necessary to secure a suspension bar of a conductive material to the starter sheet in order to hold the sheet in an electrolytic cell and apply electric current to the sheet, and much workload is required for the securing task because the starter sheets to be accommodated in a single electrolytic cell reach a considerable number.
In order to circumvent the above disadvantages, a modified electrolytic refining process has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, B-Publication Number 59-43996 or Japanese Patent Application, B-Publication Number 63-42716. In this process, a mother blank formed of stainless steel or titanium is used, and the metal to be refined is electrodeposited thereon. Then, the electrodeposited metal is mechanically separated from the mother blank, and the mother blank is repeatedly employed.
However, since the metal is electrodeposited on the entire outer surface of the mother blank including the edge portions, the task of separating the electrodeposited metal from the mother blank has been very laborious.
Furthermore, in order to facilitate the separation of the electrodeposited metal, another modified process has been proposed which includes covering the edge portions of the mother blank with an edge protector of an insulating material, and electrodepositing the metal only on the front and rear surfaces of the mother blank with electrodepositing the metal on the edge portions. With this modification, the mother blank can be used repeatedly, but when separating the metal from the mother blank mechanically, the mother blank may be subjected to deformation or damage, or the edge protector may be damaged. Thus, it has been necessary to repair or reform the mother blank and the protector.
Moreover, since tin, lead, indium or the like is less hard, it has been very difficult to separate it mechanically.

Process for separating electrodeposited metal in electrolytic refining


A method of evaluating a semiconductor wafer, which has a polished surface, by using a laser surface-inspection device including light-incident and light-receiving systems, includes evaluating the semiconductor wafer by detecting, as a light point defect, an abnormality of a process-induced defect and a surface-adhered foreign matter present on the polished surface of the semiconductor wafer, on the basis of measurement result obtained by directing incident light to the polished surface of the semiconductor wafer from one light-incident system and receiving, with a first light-receiving system, radiation light which has been radiated by the incident light being reflected or scattered by the polished surface, measurement result obtained by receiving the radiation light with a second light-receiving system, and measurement result obtained by receiving the radiation light with a third light-receiving system, and at least one of a light-receiving angle and polarization selectivity differs among the first, second and third light-receiving systems.

As the evaluation method for a defect of a semiconductor wafer or for a foreign matter adhering to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, a method based on a light point defect (LPD) detected by a laser surface-inspection device is widely used (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 5509581, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In this method, light is directed to the surface of a semiconductor wafer to be evaluated, and the radiation light (scattering light and reflection light) from this surface is detected to evaluate the presence or absence and/or size of a defect/foreign matter of the semiconductor wafer.

Semiconductor wafer evaluation method and semiconductor wafer