A substrate processing method includes supplying a water-soluble polymer solution to a surface of a substrate having, on a surface of the substrate, a resist film on which no pattern is formed, after an immersion exposure process, hydrophilizing a surface of the resist film using the supplied water-soluble polymer solution, supplying, after the hydrophilizing, a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate to remove the water-soluble polymer solution that has not contributed to the hydrophilizing, and drying the substrate supplied with the cleaning liquid, wherein the water-soluble polymer solution has a pH value that allows an acid concentration in the resist film to fall within a permissible range.

Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate cleaning apparatus including a rotatable substrate holder configured to horizontally hold a substrate, a cleaning liquid nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a driving part configured to move the cleaning liquid nozzle. In this substrate cleaning apparatus, the driving part moves the cleaning liquid nozzle such that the position where the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle moves from the central portion of the substrate toward the peripheral edge while the substrate is rotating.

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus


An overhead support for receiving medical appliances comprises an extension arm and appliance receiving means and is modified for receiving various chassis-mounted appliances on said appliance receiving means. To this end the appliance receiving means is level-adjustable such that it receives a medical appliance carried on a chassis by grabbing the chassis from below.

The invention relates to an overhead support for carrying medical appliances. Such an overhead support comprises an extension arm, a column with supply lines passed therethrough and a first appliance carrying means.
Such supports are in particular used in operation rooms or hospitals. A central column carries devices such as a monitor or keyboards which are adjusted to a particular operationial level and, in case of monitors, to a defined inclination angle for the operators. If desired, further swivel arms may be provided which are fixedly connected with the central column. These may eventually carry monitors which have their rotational position and their inclination relative to the horizontal adjusted in correspondence to the working position. It is desired that an anaesthetic appliance may be supported at the column and can be detached from the column and moved to other places. Since such anaesthetic appliances are too heavy to be carried, a known overhead support comprises some kind of fork at the lower end of the extension arm column. In the bottom of the anaesthetic appliance to be supported there are recesses provided which correspond to the fork. The anaesthetic appliance is placed on the fork and carried by the support in this manner. For placing and removing, resp., of the anaesthetic appliance there is a lifting truck which is adjustable in height, such that it receives the anaesthetic appliance and lifts it off from the fork, whereupon the appliance may be drawn off from the fork by means of the lifting truck. It is a drawback of this solution that only particularly adapted appliances, in particular without fixed chassis may be received. Since the major amount of practically used anaesthetic appliances comprise a chassis fixedly connected thereto, the known overhead support is not suitable for the use thereof.


A fuel injection device for internal combustion engines including a fuel distributor which has a plurality of connection fittings with a radially protruding locking collar. A plurality of fuel injection valves embodied as so-called top-feed valves that are inserted in a liquid-tight manner into the connection fitting. For retention of the fuel injection valves these valves are provided with oppositely disposed catch springs which extend parallel to the valve axis and on faces oriented toward one another have a groove and locking protrusion for engaging the locking collar from behind.

The invention is based on a fuel injection device for internal combustion engines as defined herein.
In a known fuel injection device of this type (German Patent 3,428,597), an interlocking of the injection valves on a locking collar of the connection piece is achieved by means of a U-shaped spring clamp, the crossbar of which extends transversely to the longitudinal extension of the fuel injection valve, and the legs of which on the one hand, with tabs thereon bent radially inward at the edge, engage the circumferential groove on the fuel injection valve and on the other hand have apertures into which the locking collar can snap into place on the connection fitting. For radial fixation of the spring clamp in the circumferential groove of the fuel injection valve, the tabs have sections of circular arc shape and concave extension, the radius of the sections corresponding to that of the circumferential grooves. During assembly, the spring clamp is first slipped onto the injection valve, and the legs snap into the circumferential groove. Then the injection valve, provided with the spring clamp, is thrust axially into the connection fitting. To allow the legs to slide along the locking collar, they are bent outward in the insertion direction and upon insertion are spread apart by the locking collar. As soon as the locking collar has snapped into place in the apertures, the legs snap back into their outset position.

Fuel injection device for internal combustion engines


An information processor includes: a character recognizing unit; a recognized character feature obtaining unit; a translation deciding unit; a translating unit; a translated result feature obtaining unit; an output deciding unit; an image receiving unit; and an output unit that, wherein the character recognizing unit recognizes a character in character image of the image data received by the image receiving unit, and the recognized character feature obtaining unit, in a case where a picture image other than the character is recognized, obtains a third feature related to a character included in the picture image.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information processor, an information processing method, and a computer readable medium.
2. Related Art
For instance, there is a translating device that a paper document having a sentence written by a first language (Refer it to also as the original, hereinafter. In this case, the sentence does not have a form of the sentence and indicates characters written by the first language) is scanned, an obtained image is analyzed to extract a sentence area, the characters of the sentence area are recognized, and a sentence (Refer it to also as a translated sentence, hereinafter. In this case, the sentence does not have a form of the sentence and indicates characters of a second language) obtained by translating an obtained text as a result of a recognition of the characters into the second language is laid out on a page and outputted.

Information processor for translating in accordance with features of an original sentence and features of a translated sentence, information processing method, and computer readable medium


An ergonomically designed gaming device for a user that includes a semi-flattened hemispherical ovoid base, that is contoured into a general hand imprint shape with finger and thumb grooves and fingertip provisions to accommodate the user's index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger and thumb. A plurality of adjustment screws on the thumb side allows for tilting adjustments for the general hand imprint shape. A plurality of tactile buttons and dual rocker switches are provided in the fingertip recesses for the user to operate functions normally performed from a keyboard in a computer game.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer gaming accessories. More specifically, the invention relates to an ergonomically designed computer gaming device in the form of a shooter's mitt or shooter's glove.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer games continue to become more and more sophisticated as time goes on. As these computer games become more sophisticated, so must the devices that run and control these computer games. Many of these evolved devices are reflected in the related art.
U.S. patent application Publication No. 2001/0003713 published on Jun. 14, 2001, outlines the use of a hand held gaming and data entry system with an ergonomic housing that includes thumb operated controls which generate a first set of electrical signals, and finger operated controls which generate a second set of electrical signals when operated independently. U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0030625 published on Feb. 13, 2003, outlines the use of a data entry device especially designed for computers that has two joysticks or control handles that are equipped with keys so that they combine the functions of a keyboard and a mouse. The main keys contain the alphabet. Using special shift keys that are operated by thumb, their assignment is switched to numbers, special characters, text cursor functions or control functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,798 issued to Hamling on Jul. 15, 1997, outlines the use of a device that functions as either a mouse, a trackball or combination of both and allows the user to achieve a neutral operating position. This positioning, preferred by occupational therapists, forms the basis of the numerous ergonomic advantages of the invention. The invention permits neutral positioning by providing a formed hand support pad on top of a lower housing on which the side of the user's hand rests.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,831,597 issued to West et al. on Nov. 3, 1998, outlines the use of a computer device that is used in conjunction with a mouse input device. The computer input device of the invention has a body having a resilient layer covered by a surface layer textured throughout the entirety of the surface for operation of the mouse. A printed circuit card is incorporated in the body between the resilient layer and the upper surface layer and includes a plurality of capacitive touch sensor pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,307 issued to Bouton on Nov. 17, 1998, outlines the use of a reconfigurable video game and simulator system that includes a personal computer, a video display, a keyboard, and one or more game controllers including a throttle controller. The keyboard is coupled to the throttle controller as are the other game controllers. The throttle controller is coupled to the computer through a keyboard interface port.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,125 issued to Niedzwiecki on Apr. 20, 1999, outlines the use of an adapter which is coupled to a keyboard and one or multiple video game control devices, including widely available directional game pads and joysticks designed for other video game platforms. The adapter is in turn coupled to the keyboard port of a personal computer. During the function mode, button presses or other input decision actions observed at the video game controller result in a key scan code being sent to the personal computer's keyboard port based on a user-defined association list.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,554 issued to Tyler on May 30, 2000, outlines the use of a hand manipulated dual controller assembly for use with action video games. It has a base with a trackball type controller mounted in one recess in the top surface of the base and a joystick type controller mounted in another recess in the top surface of the base. By using the joystick controller, the player can separately move the action video game character in any desired direction and by using the trackball controller, allow the character to look with his eyes in any desired direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,516 issued to Rice on Jun. 13, 2000, outlines the use of a palm rest for use with a computer data entry device such as a computer keyboard, that minimizes alleviated posture and stress-related disorders associated with the use of computer devices. The palm rest includes a hand-support section that is substantially rectangular-shaped to allow the fingers of a user to readily access the computer keyboard, a base, and a curvilinear section that couples the hand-support section to the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,575 issued to Oktay on Jul. 4, 2000, outlines the use of a computer device having an oblong shape following the general outline of a human hand with a finger portion, a palm portion and a thumb portion. The finger portion accommodates three levers, which are operated by contact from the user's fingers. The palm portion fits the palm of a right or left hand comfortably and has a trackball judiciously placed so as to fit the cup of the hand ergonomically.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,869 issued to Harding et al. on Feb. 6, 2001, outlines the use of a computer input device having multiple multi-directional detection devices that can be simultaneously operated by a user to provide multi-dimensional input to a computer. The multi-directional detection devices are arranged on an input device housing to facilitate simultaneous operation by one hand of an operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,526 issued to Holmes on Apr. 24, 2001, outlines the use of a hand-held ergonomic computer controller that includes a housing having a lower extent taking the form of a grip and an upper extent with a cross-sectional area greater than that of the lower extent. At least one button is mounted on the housing. Also included is either a trackball or a joystick mounted on the upper extent of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,715 issued to Sawyer on Jul. 17, 2001, outlines the use of an improved ergonomic computer mouse that provides comfortable and efficient usage by maintaining the hand of a user at a large acute angle to the horizontal. This is accomplished by a device that includes a base having an upstanding pedestal structure about which the palm and hands of the user extends in a more natural handshake manner at a large acute angle to the horizontal where the user's wrist remains straight while grasping the mouse.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,245 issued to Park on Apr. 23, 2002, outlines the use of an ultra ergonomic computer mouse that includes an angled grip-rod which, when held and placed in the correct manner, supports and influences all of the fingers and the hand to be in a naturally curved position. It also includes a contoured and grooved rubber foundation, which is shaped in such a way that the hand holding this mouse is put in a natural position and is greatly supported.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,805 issued to Reid et al. on Aug. 27, 2002, outlines the use of a manually movable computer mouse with a mouse movement sensing system for providing mouse movement signals and at least one user finger operable control switch, for providing control signals for a graphic user interface, the mouse having a boomerang-shaped body ergonomically shaped to fit and support the user's hand in a naturally relaxed curled hand position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,948 issued to Lau on Dec. 3, 2002, outlines the use of a mouse that provides multiple cursor control input devices. A first input device is a tracking ball. The second input device may be another tracking ball, a finger pad, or a joystick, among other input devices. The second input device provides a secondary control of cursor movement that is combined with the input of the first input device to provide full cursor control.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,667 issued to Lilenfield on Apr. 8, 2003, outlines the use of a cursor control device to be used in conjunction with a computer, receiver or other processing unit that allows for convenient and comfortable use while being hand-held or while resting on a desktop. The cursor control device has a body with a shape for fitting in a user's hand so the user can operate the cursor control device in hand-held or desktop uses.
W.I.P.O. Patent Publication Number WO 02/01589 granted to Brookfield et al. on Jan. 3, 2002, outlines the use of a user-input device for use with all game simulations that require separate controls for movement and viewing or control over the orientation of the user within the game simulation. The user-input device has two controller units that plug into input ports of the computer or game port of a gaming system. The left hand controller enables a user to walk in 8 directions, while the right hand controller enables a player to look in any angle of horizontal direction while looking up and down in the vertical direction.
Although each of these patents and publications outline novel and useful devices, what is really needed is an ergonomically designed computer gaming device that is custom designed for a person's hand and can be utilized by touch only (without the user looking at the device). Such a device would be in great demand in the marketplace, particularly for more sophisticated games.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an ergonomically designed computer gaming device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Ergonomically designed computer gaming device


The present invention provides a novel enamel composition and a method of using the same to decorate substrates such as a section of glass. The enamel composition comprises a solids portion and a vehicle. The solids portion includes at least one glass frit and a separate and distinct addition of silicon. The solids portion comprises from about 0.01 weight percent to about 20 weight percent metallic silicon.

For many years, as discussed in Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,383 the automobile industry has manufactured automobiles with back windows which include electrical heating elements to remove frost formed on the window surface. The back windows are printed by a silkscreen printing process with a grid of a metallic material which is then fired on the glass window to form the electrical heating element. In most instances, the grid arrangement forming the heating element is comprised of a bus bar extending along each side of the window, and a series of fine lines extending horizontally across the window, with the fine lines being connected to the bus bars. The grid material from which the heating element is formed typically comprises a mixture containing a silver powder and a small amount of soft lead glass dispersed in a printing vehicle, such as oil, suitable for silkscreen printing. The grid material is applied to the glass substrate in a silk-screen printing process.
Also frequently applied to the back window is a dark grey or black enamel border extending about the periphery, or outer edge, of the back window. The border is printed both for aesthetic reasons, and, also, to protect an adhesive utilized to seal the back window to the car body from degradation due to exposure to ultraviolet light.
In some instances, the bus bars are printed over the enamel border, but, after firing, the bus bars are still visible, and appear from the outside of the automobile, for example, as a dark amber color.
In order to prevent the detection of the bus bars from outside of the automobile some prior art patents disclose altering the composition of the enamel utilized to form the border. In particu-lar, some prior art patents disclose the addition of powdered zinc, tin, cadmium, or manganese to the enamel. Some prior art patents also suggest the addition of powdered metals such as zinc, tin, cadmium or manganese to the enamel, paint or die to facilitate the forming of the glass substrate by helping to prevent the sticking of the forming head or die to the paint or enamel.
More particularly, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,684,388 and 4,684,389 are means to form a glass sheet having an oil base paint fired thereupon wherein the paint contains a fine zinc metal powder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,388 further discloses the inclusion of a fine stannous oxide powder in an ultraviolet curable paint which, when applied to the glass sheet, is subject to ultraviolet radiation and heated to a temperature to soften the glass sheet to allow bending thereof. The paint on the glass engages with a fiberglass covering on a forming head or die. The zinc and the stannous oxide powders serve to prevent the sticking of the paint to the fiberglass forming die. U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,389 discloses an oil base paint to which fine zinc powder is added to the paint applied to the glass sheet. The painted glass sheet is then heated to a forming temperature and engaged with a fiberglass covering of a die to form a glass sheet of a desired shape. The metal powder functions to prevent the sticking of the paint to the fiberglass of the forming head or die during the forming process.
Boaz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,590 discloses a method of forming a glass sheet with a paint that minimizes sticking. The paint includes a metal oxide powder having at least a low valence oxidation state and a high valence oxidation state, the metal oxide powder being in its low valence state when applied. Examples of suitable metal oxide powders include stannous oxide, iron oxide and cuprous oxide.
Stotka, U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,196 also discloses an enamel composition that minimizes sticking. The enamel includes an iron metal powder to help prevent adhesion during the forming operation.
Andrews et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,301 discloses a glass enamel which serves to help hide the bus bars of the heating element. The enamel disclosed by Andrews et al. comprises powdered zinc, tin, cadmium, manganese, iron and mixture and alloys thereof for use in conjunction with a soda-free flux glass.
Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,383 also discloses a glass enamel which serves to help hide the bus bars of the heating element. The enamel disclosed by Andrews includes aluminum or lithium oxide.

Enamel for use on glass and a method of using the same


A system and method for remote device control are disclosed. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include a radio controlled toy and a controller for controlling the toy. In some embodiments, the controller may have an input mechanism and a housing component that defines a cavity, within which may be located a wireless wide area transceiver and a wireless local area transceiver. Some controllers may also have an operating system for the controller and an application resident on the controller and operable to convert inputs received via the input mechanism into commands for the toy. The controller may have a microprocessor operable to execute the application and to cause the commands to be communicated to the toy using the wireless local area transceiver.

Generally speaking, a radio wave is an electromagnetic wave propagated by an antenna. Radio waves can have different frequencies. Tuning a receiver to a specific frequency allows the receiver to pick up or listen to the waves or signals propagated at that specific frequency.
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) governs which frequencies may be used and for what purposes. In effect, the FCC has divided the radio frequencies into frequency bands or spectrums and issues licenses to entities desiring to use those frequency bands.
Common frequency bands include the following: AM radio—535 kilohertz (KHz) to 1.7 megahertz (MHz); Short wave radio—bands from 5.9 MHz to 26.1 MHz; Citizens band (CB) radio—26.96 MHz to 27.41 MHz; FM radio—88 MHz to 108 MHz; and Television stations—174 to 220 MHz for channels 7 through 13.
Though there are some unlicensed spectrums, many wireless devices have their own band. Garage door openers operate around 40 MHz. Baby monitors operate around 49 MHz. Many relatively simple radio controlled (RC) toys operate at either 27 MHz or 49 MHz, which represent frequencies allocated by the FCC for basic consumer items. Advanced RC models, such as the more sophisticated RC airplanes and RC cars may use 72-MHz or 75-MHz frequencies, respectively.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Radio controller system and method for remote devices


A thermal fixing device for an image forming apparatus is disclosed which comprises a heater for heating a piece of developer sheet to thermally fix and accelerate coloring of the image on the developer sheet, a sheet delivery path along which the developer sheet is delivered, a cover casing for substantially covering the heater, and a suction/discharge unit for sucking/discharging a gas generated from the developer sheet by the heater. The suction/discharge unit is connected to the cover casing.

The present invention relates to a thermal fixing device for an image recording apparatus in which an image formed on a sheet is thermally fixed on the sheet.
In a conventional copying machine, in the case where a latent image formed on a photo-sensitive, pressure-sensitive sheet is developed and transferred to a developer sheet to provide a visible image, the photo-sensitive, pressure-sensitive sheet and the developer sheet are superimposed one on the other and pressure is applied thereto. Thereafter, the developer sheet is blown by a heated air stream with a dryer type heating unit to thereby thermally fix the image thereon and accelerate coloring of the image while traveling the developer sheet.
However, in this case, when the developer material coated on the developer sheet is heated, a gas having an unplesant smell is generated from the developer sheet. The conventional apparatus is designed so that the gas is not diffused out of the apparatus.

Thermal fixing device for image recording apparatus


A functional device includes a pair of electrodes 1 and 4 and a macromolecular structure including a hole-conducting layer 5 and an electron-conducting layer 2. The macromolecular structure includes a first hyperbranched macromolecule and a second hyperbranched macromolecule, at least one of the first hyperbranched macromolecule and the second hyperbranched macromolecule has a hole conductivity or an electron conductivity, one of the hole-conducting layer and the electron-conducting layer includes one of the first hyperbranched macromolecule and the second hyperbranched macromolecule, and the macromolecular structure has a self-assembled structure formed by a non-covalent interaction via the first hyperbranched macromolecule or the second hyperbranched macromolecule in at least one of the hole-conducting layer, the electron-conducting layer and the interface between the hole-conducting layer and the electron-conducting layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a macromolecular structure including hyperbranched macromolecules having a hole conductivity or an electron conductivity, a functional device using the same, a transistor whose semiconductor layer includes organic macromolecules, and a display apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, active matrix liquid crystal display apparatuses using active devices such as thin film transistors (TFTs) have been used as monitors in notebook personal computers, desktop personal computers, workstations, etc., and as LCD televisions, etc., for their advantageous features such as providing image qualities as high as, or higher than, those of CRTs, consuming less power and taking up smaller spaces than CRTs. However, active matrix liquid crystal display apparatuses are more expensive than CRTs, and a further decrease in the price is called for so that active matrix liquid crystal display apparatuses can become widespread.
Active researches have been undertaken also for active matrix organic EL devices in which organic electroluminescence light-emitting devices (organic EL devices or OLEDs) are driven by using active devices, and a decrease in the price is called for also for active devices of organic EL devices.
As one approach to decrease the price, it has been proposed in the art to employ, as active devices, field effect transistors (organic FETs or organic TFTs) using an organic thin film semiconductor, which can advantageously be produced by a relatively simple method.
At present, a plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus for producing an insulating layer or a semiconductor layer of an amorphous silicon or polysilicon TFT and a sputtering apparatus used for forming electrodes thereof are expensive. Moreover, a CVD method uses a high deposition temperature of 230° C. to 350° C., and requires frequent maintenance such as cleaning, resulting in a low throughput. As compared with a CVD apparatus and a sputtering apparatus, an application apparatus, an inkjet apparatus, and the like, for producing an organic FET, etc., are less expensive, use lower deposition temperatures, and are easy to maintain. Therefore, a significant decrease in the cost can be expected when organic FETs are used in a display apparatus such as a liquid crystal display apparatus or an organic EL device.
A typical organic TFT includes a transparent substrate made of a glass, or the like, a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a drain electrode, a source electrode, and an organic semiconductor film. The gate voltage is changed to control the amount of charge at the interface between the gate insulating layer and the organic semiconductor film to be excessive or insufficient, thereby changing the level of the drain current flowing between the drain electrode and the source electrode, thus performing a switching operation.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-076378 discloses production of an organic TFT by using a film of polythiophene or a polythiophene derivative as the organic semiconductor film. Moreover, Yen-Yi Lin, David J. Gundlach, Shelby F. Nelson, and Thomas N. Jackson, IEEE Transaction on Electron Device, Vol. 44, No. 8 p. 1325 (1997) discloses production of an organic TFT by using pentacene.
In a case where pentacene is used, it is necessary to use a vapor deposition method, and it is thus necessary to improve the degree of crystallinity, etc., in order to improve the characteristics. It has also been studied in the art to use a pentacene derivative to provide solubility in order to improve the workability. However, sufficient characteristics have not been obtained.
Moreover, an organic semiconductor using polythiophene, a polythiophene derivative or a thiophene oligomer has a desirable formability and can easily be formed into a thin film by using an electrolytic polymerization method, a solution application method, or the like, and it has been researched in the art for practical applications. However, sufficient characteristics have not yet been obtained.
As described above, a conductive macromolecule (including a semiconductive macromolecule) has a desirable formability and can easily be formed into a thin film, and it has been researched in the art for its application to various functional devices such as a light-emitting device, a solar cell and a photoelectric conversion device, in addition to an organic FET device.
These functional devices have a semiconductor-semiconductor interface, a semiconductor-conductor interface, or the like, and their functions are exerted by, for example, carriers such as holes and electrons passing through these interfaces. It is important for such an interface that the opposing members are in close contact with each other across a large area. However, there are limits to increasing the interface area, and such an interface is often subject to a strong electric field or stress and is prone to degradation and peeling. This results in problems such as a decrease in durability due to interface degradation, and a decrease in response speed and output due to an insufficient interface area.
In view of this, U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,424 discloses a technique using a three-dimensional cocontinuous phase-separated structure of a polymer blend-type polymer alloy in order to increase the interface area. Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-286479 discloses a technique using a copolymerized-type polymer alloy, in which the interface durability is improved by forming a chemical bond at the interface.
Moreover, in recent years, hyperbranched macromolecules such as dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers have been attracting public attention. Dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers have characteristic features such as being amorphous, being soluble in organic solvents, and having many terminals to which functional groups can be introduced. In view of this, L. L. Miller, et al.; J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 1005 shows that a polyamide dendrimer having, at a branch terminal, a 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarbonate diimide residue with quaternary pyridinium salt bound thereto has an isometric electron conductivity and that the conductivity is brought about by π-electron interaction due to spatial overlap between branch terminal structures. Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-336171 discloses a dendrimer and a photoelectric conversion device using the same, in which the dendrimer has a hole (positive hole)-conducting structure at a branch terminal, and the dendrimer is produced by using dendrons that do not include a π-electron conjugated system including a carbonyl group and a benzene ring.
Hereinafter, a conductive macromolecule that does not include a hyperbranched macromolecule, such as a conjugated macromolecule, will be referred to as a "conventional conductive macromolecule".
However, in a functional device using a conventional conductive macromolecule as described above, a high charge conductivity is exhibited in the direction in which the macromolecular chain is oriented, whereby it is influenced by the structure of the macromolecule.
Furthermore, many of the conventional conductive macromolecules are generally rigid and insoluble/non-meltable. In view of this, a polymer derivative or an oligomer to which a side chain is introduced for providing or improving meltability or solubility has been used (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 4-133351, 63-76378, 5-110069, 7-126616, 8-18125 and 10-92576).
However, when a side chain is introduced, the flexibility of the macromolecular chain is increased, and the glass transition temperature is exhibited within the operating temperature range. As a result, thermochromism occurs due to micro-Brownian motion, and the π-electron conjugation length is shortened, thereby lowering the characteristics stability against temperature. The use of an oligomer results in problems such as a decrease in reliability. Moreover, with a system using an oligomer, sufficient mobilities have not been obtained, and it is necessary to increase the degree of polymerization, or to take measures such as to improve the alignment of the conductive organic compound by using an alignment film as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-206599, etc. Furthermore, a conjugated macromolecule is easily influenced by oxygen or water, and is prone to degradation.
Moreover, in the device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-336171, only the charge-conducting portion is formed by using a dendrimer, and the charge-generating portion is formed by using a conventional conductive macromolecule. Therefore, while the characteristics of the charge-conducting portion formed from a dendrimer is improved, characteristics such as interlayer energy movement and interlayer carrier movement are substantially the same as those of a device using a conventional conductive macromolecule, thus resulting in problems such as a poor durability and peeling at the interface.
As described above, sufficient characteristics have not been obtained with conventional organic functional devices such as organic FET devices, and they have problems such as a poor stability and a short operating lifetime.
The present invention, which has been made in view of the above, has an object to improve the characteristics and/or reliability of a functional device using a conductive macromolecule, and to provide a macromolecular structure that can suitably be used in such a functional device. Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a display apparatus using such an organic functional device.

Macromolecular structure, functional device having the same, transistor, and display apparatus using the same


Devices, systems, and methods to treat hypertension. In at least one embodiment of a method of the present disclosure, the method comprises the step of obtaining data indicative of a renal artery of a patient with hypertension; and if the data indicates that the renal artery is stiff, relatively stiff, noncompliant, or relatively noncompliant, the method further comprises the step of performing a renal ablation procedure on the renal artery to treat the hypertension.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) affects nearly 100 million people in the United States alone. Approximately 1% of that group do not react to pharmacological treatment.
Within that subgroup, treatment via renal ablation to treat hypertension is a potential option. Renal ablation (also referred to as renal denervation) is a procedure whereby ablative energy, such as radiofrequency energy, is directed toward portions of the renal artery in attempt to ablate portions thereof to address overactivity of the renal sympathetic nervous system. However, it has been discovered that a significant percentage (approximately 30-35%) of renal ablation patients don't respond either (i.e., non-responders). Hence, it would be ideal to have a method that predicts responders from non-responders to optimize the outcome of renal ablation only to those patients that are likely to benefit from the therapy.
In view of the same, improved renal ablation methods, and devices and systems useful to perform the same, would be well received in the marketplace.


A method for generation of virtual images on a computer system having a Virtual Machine (VM), including (a) generating a virtual image of the VM that includes a state of the VM's disk at a particular moment in time; wherein the virtual image is viewable via a host-side graphical representation component for viewing a history of virtual images representing states of the VM's disk at prior moments in time; (b) storing the virtual image as multiple chunks or partitions; (c) from the host side, acquiring a state of the VM's memory using a guest-side Application Process Interface (API) and adding the state of the VM's memory to the virtual image; (d) configuring the graphical representation component to display only selected virtual images based on user selection, and (e) in the graphical representation component, displaying a representation of differences between at least two of the virtual images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Virtual Machine (VM) technology and, more particularly, to a method and system for generation and management of snapshots of a VM and creation of Centralized Integrated Backup (CIB).
2. Background Art
In the past decade, capabilities of computer systems have increased significantly. Computer systems process large volumes of data, which is changed or updated constantly. In order to track changes of data, files located on a system Hard Disk Drive (HDD) are usually copied, and a system data backup based on these files is created. This enables a user to access previous versions of files, as well as to protect data from possible system failure.
Typically data backup performed on a physical machine does not require saving of any system configurations because the structure of the physical machine remains the same. Thus, making the snapshot of data from HDD is sufficient for generating a backup. Conventional data snapshot is generated by an Operating System (OS) of the physical machine.
The industry trend of virtualization and isolation of computer system resources makes the task of generating backups more complex. A Virtual Machine (VM) is a type of an isolated Virtual Execution Environment that runs on the same physical machine simultaneously. Each VM instance executes its own OS kernel. Support of Virtual Machines is implemented using a Virtual Machine Monitor and/or a Hypervisor.
Virtualization allows running a number of VMs on the same physical machine or processor. Thus, scheduling and controlling efficient backups of data among numerous VMs becomes even more crucial. Furthermore, configuration of each of the VMs can be changed by a user. Thus, saving snapshots of all previous states of a particular VM into a backup is critical.
Typically data backups are performed by system administrators according to backup schedules. With Virtual Machines it is important to allow users to perform backups at any time, when the state of the VM is about to change.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and a method for generating snapshots of various states of the VMs by users and incorporating these virtual snapshots into an integrated backup.

Method and system for creation, analysis and navigation of virtual snapshots


The present invention relates generally to polyelectrolyte-layer forming block copolymers adsorbed at colloid interfaces in aqua solution and compositions and uses thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to agricultural material compositions comprising particles of at least one agricultural material and a polyelectrolyte-layer forming block copolymer. The present invention also relates to non-agricultural material compositions comprising particles of at least one non-agricultural material and a polyelectrolyte-layer forming block co-polymer.

Forces between particles and drops influence the properties of a composition, the preparation and application thereof. For example, in liquid dispersions or suspension, when concentration of the particles is increased, the friction between the particles and accordingly the viscosity of the formulation typically increases as well. In emulsions, increasing the amount of the dispersed phase in the continuous phase might lead to an inversion of phases, resulting in an inverse emulsion.
Forces between particles can also significantly affect milling and granulation processes. At high particle concentrations, the viscosity and temperature of a liquid suspension will typically increase during milling, and the process will become inefficient or destructive to the active ingredient. In the granulation process, where the concentrations of solids are high, reducing the pressure is necessary for producing proper granules.
Many pesticidal active ingredients (AI) and other materials for agricultural application are hydrophobic and insoluble in water. Therefore, water based formulations are composed of the hydrophobic solid particles of the AI suspended in the aqua phase or hydrophobic drops and capsules, which contain the active ingredient, dispersed in the water.
Further, the concentration of a pesticide active material and other materials for agricultural application in a formulation can influence the application rate and packaging of the product. High-load formulations require less packaging and thus are easier to handle and transport. In many cases the ultimate goal for designing a pesticidal formulation is to prepare the formulation with the highest possible amount of the active material, with the resultant formulation maintaining stability and a long shelf life, and also providing an environmentally friendly and cheaper product.
Various dispersing agents and surfactants are known in the art to achieve these purposes. The dispersing agents in this regard can be ionic or non-ionic compounds, polymeric or non-polymeric surfactants. Some of these co-formulants impart rheology properties for the concentrated pesticidal formulations. The dispersant surrounds the particles and disperses the particles in the liquid phase and therefore prevents and/or breaks aggregates.
Previously exemplified and known dispersants useful in this regard include comb co-polymers such as Atlox™ 4913, block co-polymers of alkylene oxide, ethoxylate alcohol and anionic type polymers such as fatty acid sulfonate.
In order to achieve and stabilize a high load formulation there is a need for the dispersants to stabilize extremely well against flocculation and coagulation, to perform well at low concentration of dispersant and to reduce the friction between the particles. In granulation processes, good lubricating properties of the dispersant are also desired. Another important property for a dispersant is good performance in both high and low concentrations of the electrolyte.
Many polyelectrolytes are known in the art. For example, WO 2015116716 is directed to compositions for plant growth regulation comprising at least one polyanionic polymer in combination with one or more plant growth regulators, in preferred forms, the polyanionic polymer comprises a copolymer polymers having repeat units randomly located along the polymer chain without any ordered sequence of repeat units.
WO 2013004704 discloses, in part, an apolar liquid comprising micelles comprising a copolymer AB, in which the micellar cores are more hydrophilic than the micelle coronas. The copolymer is formed as micelles in a water-free organic solvent liquid medium to provide a surface coating.
WO 2013189776 discloses a solid dispersion consisting of hydrophobic active ingredients and cationic copolymers of N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate, the monomers being provided at a weight ratio of 35:65 to 55:45.
WO 2013133706 discloses compositions comprising a polyelectrolyte complex of a polyanion, preferably selected from the group consisting of a natural polyanion such as xanthan gum, alginate, a lignin compound such as lignosulfonate, pectin, carrageenan, humic acid, fulvic acid, angico gum, gum Kondagogu, sodium alkyl naphtalene sulfonate, poly-γ-glutamic acid, maleic starch half-ester, carboxymethyl cellulose, chondroitin sulphate, dextran sulphate, hyaluronic acid, and a synthetic polyanion such as poly(acrylic acid), polyphosphoric acid, and poly(L-lactide), and a polycation preferably selected from the group consisting of poly-L-lysine, epsilon-poly-L-lysine, poly-L-arginine, chitosan oligosaccharide and chitosan.
WO 2013093578 discloses a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethyl acrylate); poly(methacrylic acid-co-styrene); poly(methacrylic acid-co-butylmethacrylate); poly[acrylic acid-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate]; and poly(n-butylmethacrylcate-co-methacrylic acid).
Any known dispersants as described by the prior art are limited in some of the characteristics needed for a dispersant to achieve a high load formulation: stabilization against agglomeration, reduction in the friction between particles, perform well at low concentration and efficient in different electrolyte solutions. Thus, the prior art typically provides products with the amount of particles present being limited. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for pesticidal compositions containing improved dispersants which permit a higher concentration of the active ingredient in the composition, and which enable improved milling and granulation of the composition.

Polyelectrolyte-layer forming block copolymers and compositions and uses thereof


A cable-to-board connector includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector. The plug connector includes a plug housing, a plurality of plug terminals disposed in the plug housing, and a plug shielding shell surrounding the plug housing. At least two buckling blocks protrude oppositely from two outer surfaces of two opposite sides of the plug shielding shell. The receptacle connector includes a receptacle housing, a plurality of receptacle terminals disposed in the receptacle housing, and a receptacle shielding shell defining a receptacle accommodating space therein. The receptacle housing is inserted in a front of the receptacle accommodating space. Each side of the receptacle shielding shell defines at least one second buckling hole. A rear inner periphery of the receptacle shielding shell is attached to a front outer periphery of the plug shielding shell with the buckling blocks being buckled in the second buckling holes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cable-to-board connector, and more particularly to a cable-to-board connector having a better electromagnetic shielding performance.
2. The Related Art
In general, a cable-to-board connector adapted for connecting between a cable and a circuit board includes a plug connector and a receptacle connector. The plug connector includes a plug housing, a plurality of plug terminals disposed in the plug housing, and a plug shielding shell surrounding the plug housing. The receptacle connector includes a receptacle housing, a plurality of receptacle terminals disposed in the receptacle housing, and a receptacle shielding shell surrounding the receptacle housing. When the plug connector is engaged with the receptacle connector, the plug terminals electrically contact with the receptacle terminals to realize an electrical connection between the cable and the circuit board. However, the plug shielding shell is apart from the receptacle shielding shell to weaken an electromagnetic shielding performance of the cable-to-board connector that affects the electrical connection between the cable and the circuit board.


An apparatus manipulates the shape of hair using dielectric heating. Typically,the apparatus includes opposing first and second electrodes respectively provided on first and second arms that are movable towards and away from one another. Drive circuitry supplies electrical energy to the first and second electrodes, to cause an alternating electric field to be produced in the vicinity of the electrodes in use, and thereby cause dielectric heating of hair placed between the electrodes in use. Sensing circuitry senses a change in coupling of energy from the alternating electric field to the hair during heating of the hair. Control circuitry controls the drive circuitry to vary the electrical energy supplied to the first and second electrodes in dependence upon the sensed change in coupling. A related method manipulates the shape of hair using dielectric heating.

It is known for persons to employ electric hair stylers to manipulate the shape of hair. Common electric hair stylers employ one or more resistive heating elements incorporated within heating plates that are carried by opposed jaws. Such resistive heating elements generate heat by passing an electric current through a resistive material, which causes the heating plates to heat up (typically to a temperature of around 210° C.). It will be appreciated that the heating plates when hot can potentially represent a safety risk to the user (or to others, such as children, who may come into contact with the styler), either during operation of the styler or once it has been turned off but is still at temperature.
Furthermore, the styler needs to be engineered to withstand the temperature of the heating plates when they have heated up. Accordingly, temperature resistant materials such as glass reinforced plastic are commonly required to support the heating plates. Such materials can be relatively costly to obtain and then form into the required shape. Consequently there is a desire to be able to use materials that are less expensive to obtain and form.

Method and apparatus for manipulating the shape of hair


An optical switch having a fixed-position concave reflector, a fixed array of optical waveguides facing the concave reflector, said array including n number of input waveguides for transmitting the optical signal into the switch, and m number of output waveguides adapted to receive the optical signal, and a refractive element located between the reflector and the array of optical waveguides having multiple angular positions for selectively coupling one of the n number of input waveguides with one of the m number of output waveguides, the switch further including an actuator connected to the refractive element for moving the refractive element between angular positions.

In optical fiber communication systems, it is often necessary to selectively switch the optical transmission emanating from one optical waveguide between alternative waveguides. Many arrangements exist for providing this type of switching.
U.S. Pat No. 4,239,331 discloses an optical switch that moves an angularly-orientated transparent plate into, and out of, the optical path between pairs of fibers on opposite sides of the plate. The signal passes through a collimating lens as it enters the switch. If the plate is not in the optical path, the signal passes to a second lens element, opposite the first element, that focuses the signal on the end of an optical fiber. If the plate is within the optical signal path, the signal path is altered by refraction into a different lens element which focuses the light on the end of another optical fiber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,745 discloses an optical switch utilizing a refracting slab that is moved parallel to its sides into the path of the optical signal in order to select a different output fibers. Lens elements collimate the optical signal prior to its passing through the slab and focus the signal after being refracted, as in the '331 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,534 discloses an optical switch that utilizes a movable planar mirror for switching the optical signal between pairs of fibers by reflection. The optical signal is collimated by a lens and then reflected by the mirror onto a second lens which focuses the signal onto an end of another optical fiber. Switching occurs by changing the angular orientation of the mirror, thereby selectively reflecting the signal through another focusing lens onto a different optical fiber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,017 discloses an optical switch that uses a movable spherical reflector to effectuate switching of optical signal. Switching occurs by tilting the spherical surface so that its center of curvature is midway between the end of the fiber from which the signal emanates and the end of the fiber receiving the signal.
In the first three patents, the inventions require the use of collimating and focusing lenses in conjunction with a mirror or a refractive element. In the final patent, a movable concave reflective mirror is used without lens elements but the center of curvature of the mirror surface must be precisely located in relation to the ends of the waveguides. This alignment is especially difficult to maintain when using single mode optical fibers.
What is needed is a compact optical signal switch that may be used with single mode signal transmissions that utilizes a minimum number of precision optical components and is adjustable to compensate for optical element misalignment during assembly and set-up, thereby allowing for the use of less precisely manufactured components.

Refractive element optical transmission switch


A computer-implemented method is provided for classifying an input signal against a set of pre-classified signals. A computer system may calculate, for each of one or more signals of the set of pre-classified signals, a parallelism value indicating a level of the parallelism between that signal and the input signal. The computer system may calculate, for a first subset of the set of pre-classified signals, a sparse vector, wherein each element of the sparse vector serves as a coefficient for a corresponding signal of the first subset. The computer system may determine, for each of the signals in the set of pre-classified signals, a similarity value indicating a level of similarity between that signal and the input signal.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of signal processing, and more particularly to the classification of a signal against a set of pre-classified signals.
Signal classification aims to determine how likely an input (or probe) signal is to belong to particular categories or classes of signals that are already known. Typically, a signal classification system compares the input signal to a set of signals which are representative of each of the known classes of signals in order to assess the likelihood or probability that the input signal belongs to each class. These probabilities may then be used to determine a particular class that the input signal is deemed to belong to.
Standard sparse representation solvers are known which use a variety of known algorithms and techniques to solve an equation Ax=b subject to x being as sparse as possible. Such sparse representation solvers typically accept a matrix A and a vector b as inputs and output a sparse vector x as an output.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of detecting the presence of an insult within an absorbent article is disclosed. An electrical property is monitored and the electrical property is compared to a wet/dry threshold value to determine either a wet characteristic or a dry characteristic of the article. If a dry characteristic, then a first and possibly a second test are applied. If a wet characteristic, then the second test is applied. The electrical property is compared to a first threshold value and a second threshold value is set based upon the function of the comparison. A change in the electrical property of the article is monitored to determine if the electrical property has stabilized after activation of an insult alarm.

The present invention relates generally to a monitoring system for detecting the presence of an insult in an absorbent article while it is being worn by a wearer.
Disposable absorbent articles find widespread use as personal care products such as diapers, children's toilet training pants and other infant and child care products, adult incontinence garments and other adult care products, sanitary napkins and other feminine care products and the like, as well as surgical bandages and sponges and medical garments. These articles absorb and contain body waste and are intended to be discarded after a limited period of use; i.e., the articles are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored for reuse. Conventional disposable absorbent articles comprise an absorbent body disposed between an inner layer adapted for contacting the wearer's skin and an outer layer for inhibiting liquid waste absorbed by the absorbent body from leaking out of the article. The inner layer of the absorbent article is typically liquid permeable to permit body waste to pass therethrough for absorption by the absorbent body.
Disposable absorbent training pants, in particular, are useful in toilet training children. Typically, these disposable undergarments are similar to washable, cloth underwear in the manner in which they are put on and worn, yet provide an absorbent function similar to diapers to maintain skin health. Training pants provide a child undergoing toilet training with an undergarment that eases the transition from diapers to washable, cloth underwear as they become more confident in their ability to use the toilet independently.
In order to learn to use the toilet independently, a child must first learn to recognize when urination has occurred. Because urination may often occur during an activity that distracts the child to the extent that the child does not notice urination, this recognition can represent a substantial hurdle in the training process. Also, a child's ability to recognize when urination occurs may be hampered by the improved performance of disposable absorbent undergarments which quickly draw and retain urine away from the wearer's skin after an insult occurs.
Close monitoring of a toilet-training child by a caregiver can be helpful in that when urination occurs it can be discussed by the child and caregiver to enhance and improve the learning experience. Therefore, it is beneficial to provide the caregiver with immediate notification and/or verification that urination has occurred so that it may be discussed with the child while the event is still fresh in the child's mind.
One way of monitoring a toilet-training child is by using a system that detects a change in an electrical property of the undergarment which electrical property is a function of the wetness of the undergarment. For example, the electrical property may be resistance, conductance, impedance, capacitance or any other parameter which varies as the wetness of the undergarment varies. For example, pair of spaced apart parallel conductors may be situated within the absorbent material of the undergarment. These conductors are in electrical contact with the absorbent material of the undergarment and are connected to a sensing circuit for monitoring the electrical property, the circuit includes a power source, such as a battery. For example, the circuit may comprise a voltage divider for detecting resistance between the conductors. The output of the circuit is an analog output voltage that corresponds to a resistance value. When the undergarment is dry, the resistance between the conductors is extremely high and relatively infinite, appearing as an open circuit. When the undergarment is wet, more particularly when the absorbent material of the undergarment between the conductors becomes wet, the resistance of the undergarment at that area drops to a relatively lower value because urine acts as a conductor.
Accordingly, in a conventional system a sensor monitors the resistance between the conductors and compares resistance values to a predetermined and fixed threshold resistance value. If a resistance value is less than the threshold resistance value, then the sensing circuit (herein sensor) sends a signal to an alarm device, which informs the caregiver and/or the wearer that the wearer has urinated. For example, the alarm device may be a device for producing an auditory signal, such as a song, a visual signal, such as a light, or a tactile signal, such as a change in temperature.
These conventional devices may be prone to giving false positives, that is informing the caregiver and/or the user that there is urination present in the undergarment when there is not because there is only one "check" or "test" for the presence of urination (i.e., whether the resistance of the undergarment falls below a fixed threshold value). There are situations, such as when the child sits or other pressure is applied to an undergarment that has been previously insulted, when the resistance of the undergarment may fall below the threshold value, thus indicating a new insult, when in fact a subsequent insult has not occurred (i.e., detecting a false-positive). Accordingly, conventional devices may be ill-suited for accurately detecting multiple insults and/or preventing the detection of false-positives. Moreover, sweat may at least somewhat saturate the undergarment, typically over a relative lengthy period of time, and may trigger the sensor. Moreover still, after a first insult of urination by the wearer, the resistance value of the undergarment is substantially less than when the product was dry. However, the threshold value has not changed, and therefore, the resistance may be lower than the threshold, thus triggering an alarm, even though a subsequent insult has not occurred.

Method of detecting the presence of an insult in an absorbent article


The present invention introduces an aliased selection system with audible cues to allow a user of a handheld computer system locate a desired item from a list of item. The aliased selection system allows a user to spell out a desired item by activating an input that specifies a subset that containing a next letter. In one embodiment, two different subsets are used: A to M and N to Z. When the user has entered information on enough letters such that the number of possibilities fits entirely on a display screen then a first audible cue is given. The user may enter additional information on until a single list item is uniquely identified. Once a single item is uniquely identified, the system emits a second audible cue that informs the user that a single item has been specified. The aliased selection system allows a user to select a desired item from a list with a single hand and without looking at the display screen. However, the user may shorten the selection process by looking at the display screen.

The present invention relates to the field of computer-human interfaces. In particular the present invention discloses methods for selecting an item from a list of items with only one hand and without requiring visual feedback.
New classes of handheld computer systems have become standard office worker tools. Specifically, many knowledge workers have purchased handheld computers such as Palm Computing, Inc.""s line of Palm(copyright) handheld computers, the Handspring(trademark) Visor(trademark), and the Microsoft Pocket PC to organize their schedules and store contact information. Typically, these handheld computer systems contain Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as an address book, a calendar application, a memo application, and a To-Do list application.
Sales research has indicated that having a simple intuitive method of accessing the stored data is one of the most important aspects of a handheld computer system. Due to its simple elegant design and efficient operation, handheld computer systems based upon the Palm(copyright) Operating System (Palm OS(copyright)) have captured the majority of the handheld computer system market. With the Palm OS(copyright), a user can launch a desired application from the handheld computer system""s dormant state by simply pressing a designated application button. The selected application then opens in a state selected to best display information that the user may desire.
As previously set forth, one of the most important applications of handheld computer systems is to hold personal information. For example, an addressbook contains a list of acquaintances and a calendar application contains a list of appointments. To satisfy consumers, it would be desirable to create new useful interfaces that allow a user to select an item from such lists in a simple manner.
The present invention introduces an aliased selection system with audible cues to allow a user of a handheld computer system locate a desired item from a list of item. The aliased selection system allows a user to spell out a desired item by activating a series of inputs that specify subsets containing the letters. For example, in one embodiment the system uses two different inputs associated with two different letter subsets: A to M and N to Z. The user xe2x80x9cspellsxe2x80x9d out the desired name by activating a series of inputs wherein each input is associated with a letter of the name. For example, the name xe2x80x9cMarkxe2x80x9d is entered with four inputs: A to M, A to M, N to Z, and A to M.
In one embodiment, the system emits a first audible cue when the user has entered information on enough letters such that the number of possibilities fits entirely on a display screen. The user may enter additional information on until a single list item is uniquely identified. Once a single item is uniquely identified, the system may emit a second audible cue that informs the user that a single item has been specified.

Method and apparatus for aliased item selection from a list of items


The solvent composition of the present invention comprises diphenylmethane derivative (a) represented in general formula (I) below, and polyether (b) represented by general formula (II) below, and has high safety, low odor-emission, excellent dissolving power for various organic materials, and high affinity for various substrates.

Solvents play an important role in fields such as paint, adhesive, and printing ink. Solvents are naturally required to have high dissolving power for solutes. In the above fields, solvents also have substantial effects on performances such as wettability for surfaces to be coated and drying property.
As solvents used together with resins commonly used in paint, adhesive, printing ink, and other fields, such as cellulose resin, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride resin, alkyd resin, and polyester resin, there has been conventionally used cellosolves which are glycol ethers, particularly cellosolve acetate with appreciation of its excellent performances. However, due to recent very stringent requirement for safety of chemical substances in consideration of problems such as pollution, restriction for use of cellosolve acetate has been tightened because of its toxicity, and the concentration control standard for working environment has been established by the Labor Safety and Hygiene Law.
Therefore, development has been actively pursued for alternative solvents having high dissolving power comparable to cellosolve acetate and no concern about safety. For instance, solvents such as ethyl lactate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, methoxypropanol, and ethyl β-epoxypropionate are under study as prospective alternative solvents, but they are not fully satisfactory in dissolving power, safety, odor, handleability, or the like. Among them, ethyl lactate, which is approved as a food additive, is considered as most preferable in terms of safety but not quite satisfactory in dissolving power for high-molecular-weight compounds or various additives.
In terms of dissolving power, alkyl β-alkoxypropionates such as methyl β-methoxypropionate and ethyl β-ethoxypropionate are considered as most preferable, but they are not yet satisfactory in dissolving power for high-molecular-weight compounds or various additives, and not satisfactory in volatility after application, either.
In addition to uses as described above, solvents are also used for cleaning cutting oil, process oil, press oil, rust-preventive oil, lubricant oil, and oils used as grease, pitch, or the like; for cleaning solder flux, ink, liquid crystals, etc.; and for other purposes. For such cleaning purpose, there are commonly used solvent compositions mainly composed of halogen-containing solvents such as CFC-113 (1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane), methylchloroform (1,1,1-trichloroethane), and trichloroethylene. Especially, CFC-113 has been widely used because of its nonflammability, low toxicity, and hence high safety, and also because CFC-113 can selectively dissolve various contaminants while not damaging metals, plastics, elastomers, or the like. However, because CFC-113 and methylchloroform destruct ozone layer in the stratosphere, which is a cause of skin cancer, the use thereof has been rapidly restricted. Use of trichloroethylene has been also restricted from safety viewpoint because of problems such as suspicion of carcinogenicity.
Therefore, development is actively conducted for CFC-substitute cleaning agents with excellent cleaning capability comparable to CFC-113 and the like and no concern about ozone layer destruction. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a cleaning agent comprising 1,2-difluoroethane as a main component. Patent Document 2 proposes a mixture of 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane and dimethoxybenzene, while Patent Document 3 proposes a cleaning agent comprising hexafluorobenzene as a main component. However, these solvents are inferior in performance to CFC-113, and the use of these halogen-containing solvents will become wholly restricted in the future because of environmental and safety problems.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication H1-132694
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication H2-178396
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication H3-167298

Abstract: (In the formula, n represents 1 or 2, each of x and y independently represents 0, 1, 2, or 3, each of R1 and R2 independently represents a C1-10 alkyl group, and when a plurality of R1 or R2 exist, they may be different.)

Abstract: (In the formula, m represents 1 to 10, p is 0, 1, 2, or 3, Prop represents a 1,2-propylene group, each of R3 and R4 independently represents a C1-10 alkyl group, and when m is 2 or more, methyl groups in 1,2-propylene groups represented by Prop may be randomly located.)


Provided is a toner not undergoing the effect of change of temperature and humidity, with high charging stability and having good fixing property and releasability. This is an electrophotographic toner containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, a charge controller and a wax in which the binder resin comprises a polyester resin having an aromatic alcohol ingredient, the charge controller comprises an organic bentonite and the wax comprises a non-polar paraffin wax.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic toner. More specifically, the invention relates to an electrophotographic toner used as a developer in a so-called electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a laser beam printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image formation in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is conducted in accordance with each of the steps of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. At first, in the charging step, the surface of a photoreceptor as an image support for forming static latent images is charged uniformly. In the exposing step, a light in accordance with image information is irradiated to the charged surface of the photoreceptor thereby forming static latent images on the surface thereof. In the developing step, a black toner, for example, is deposited selectively to the formed static latent images, and visible images (toner images) with the toner are formed on the surface of the photoreceptor. Then, in the transferring step, the toner images are transferred by electrostatic force on a transfer paper. In the final fixing step, the toner images transferred on the transfer paper are melted by heating to fix the toner images on the transfer paper.
Further, electrophotographic coloring techniques have been developed rapidly in recent years, and full color image forming apparatus have been developed and provided to markets. The markets for the color image forming apparatus have been extended along with popularization of black and white image forming apparatus. Generally, for reproducing colors in the full color image forming apparatus, toners of three colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) as three primary colors in subtractive color mixing, or four color with addition of black (K) to the three colors are used. As the procedure for reproducing the colors, the steps up to the charging, exposure, development and transfer are repeated among the image forming steps to each of the colors of C, M, Y and K and toner images comprising toners of a plurality of colors are superposed on the transfer paper thereby forming full color images. Then, in the final fixing step, the superposed toner images are melted and fixed on the transfer paper. In the procedures, since the superposed toner images are mixed by melting, colors are reproduced in accordance with the principle of subtractive color mixing.
In the full color electrophotography described above, since it is necessary for conducting development for a plurality of times and superposing several kinds of toner images of different colors on one identical support in the fixing step, charging characteristic and the fixing characteristic to be provided for the toners of respective colors are extremely important factors.
That is, in order to keep stable and good color reproducibility of full color images, it is at first necessary to transfer a predetermined amount of a toner on the transfer paper from the developing step in the transfer. The deposition amount of the toner in the developing and transferring steps greatly depends on the charging characteristics of the toner such as the rising characteristic of the charged amount, the circumstantial stability and the aging stability for the charged amount, the durability, etc of the toner. Therefore, a charge controller is incorporated in the toner to keep a good chargeability as a first measure. A toner using a polyester resin is usually negatively charging and, as a negatively charging controller, oil soluble dyes such as oil black and spiron black, metal-containing azo dyes, metal naphthenate salts, metal alkyl salicylate salts, fatty acid soaps, resinic acid soaps, etc. are used.
Then, various devices have been made for finely dispersing the charge controller uniformly in the toner. In addition, it is also an important factor to select the kind and the chemical composition of the binder resin for the toner. In order to make the charging characteristic of the toner excellent, it is an important factor not only using a charge controller of excellent charging characteristic but also selecting and using a resin capable of finely dispersing the charge controller uniformly in accordance with the charge controller to be used.
Each of the color toners of different colors transferred to the transfer paper is fixed in the fixing step. In this case, the fixed color toner has to be such a color toner having a wide range of color reproducibility that can be melted till the boundary between each of toner particles is eliminated to obtain transparency. Further, it requires appropriate glossiness.
As the fixing device for fixing the color toner, a heating roller utilizing a material of excellent surface releasability relative to the toner is used. However, in most of the devices, a great amount of oil is coated on the surface of the fixing roller, etc. in order to prevent offset. Accordingly, the transfer paper is contaminated with the oil, and provision of the oil supply portion and an oil coating portion is essential, which results in a problem such as increase in the size of the fixing device, complication of the mechanism and, further, increase in the cost.
Generally, the reason of using the oil for fixing the color toner is as described below. Compared with fixing under heating of a black toner for use in usual black and white printing, it is necessary to increase the fusibility to obtain a transparency and reduce the viscosity of the color toner. However, in such a color toner, cohesion during melting is lowered to cause adherence of the toner to the fixing roller to result in high temperature offset phenomenon. Accordingly, in order to prevent the high temperature offset, a great amount of oil was coated to the fixing roller thereby decreasing the adherence of the toner to be fixing roller.
In view of the above, with an aim of simplifying the fixing device and preventing undesired effects of the oil on the images (oil contamination, stickiness), it has become necessary to cope with the development of an oilless mechanism of saving a silicon oil coating mechanism. For this purpose, improvement for the fixing characteristic with the toner in a wide range from low temperature to high temperature has been desired so that the fixing roller can be used without coating the oil and provision of a so-called oilless toner for coping therewith has been attempted.
For this purpose, it has been proposed to disperse a wax in the toner. As the wax, amide wax, carnauba wax, higher fatty acids and esters thereof, higher fatty acid metal soaps, partially saponifying higher fatty acid esters, higher aliphatic alcohols, polyolefin waxes, and paraffin waxes are used. It is important that the wax exudes properly from the molten toner. It is considered that exuding of the wax can prevent adherence of the molten toner to the surface of the fixing roller thereby suppressing the offset phenomenon.
Further, as a second measure, in the toner, external additives for improving and controlling the charged amount and the fluidity are added to a matrix particle incorporated with the binder resin, the colorant, the charge controller, etc.
For the binder resin for use in the full color toner, those resins excellent in the sharp melting property, the coloring property and the fixing property are demanded and polyester resins are used usually. Then, the polyester resins usually show strong negatively charging characteristic and the toner using such resins is designed for negative charging and, as the negative charge controller used for the toner, oil soluble dyes such as oil black and spiron black, metal containing azo dyes, metal naphthenate salts, metal alkyl salicylate salts, fatty acid soaps, and resinic acid soaps, etc. are used.
The external additive includes, for example, fine inorganic powder such as of silicon dioxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, and zirconium oxide, those formed by applying a surface treatment to them by using a hydrophobic treating agent such as silicon oil, and silane coupling agent, as well as fine resin powder such as of polystyrene, acrylate, styrene-acrylate, polyester, polyolefin, cellulose, polyurethane, benzoguanamine, melamine, nylon, silicon, phenol, and vinylidene fluoride.
For making the chargeability of the toner excellent, it has been known that uniform and fine dispersion of the charge controller in the toner particle or on the surface of the toner particle is at first important. In a case where the charge controller is agglomerated to a portion in the toner or is not finely particulated even if it is dispersed uniformly and present as coarse particles, initial charged amount can not be obtained. Further, in a case where the charge controller is not dispersed, the rising characteristic of charging is poor or a toner with remarkable decay of charging is formed. Accordingly, various devices have been conducted for uniformly and finely dispersing the charge controller in the toner, and selection for the kind and the chemical composition of the binder resin is an important factor. Accordingly, in order to make the charging characteristic of the toner excellent, it is important not only using a charge controller of excellent charging characteristic but also selecting and using a binder resin capable of uniformly and finely dispersing the charge controller in accordance with the charge controller to be used.
Then, as the external additive for improving the chargeability, the fluidity, the adhesion, or the like, a fine powder of an inorganic oxide is generally added, that is, fine silica particles are generally added to toner matrix particles, to obtain a toner. However, in a case of fine silica particles used usually, while they are particularly excellent in the effect of improving the toner fluidity, they have a strongly negative polarity and, particularly, in a low temperature and low humidity circumstance, they excessively increase charges of the negatively charging toner.
Further, under high temperature and high humidity, since they absorb water content to decrease the chargeability, it results in a great difference of the chargeability between the low temperature and low humidity condition and high temperature and high humidity condition, so that the transportability of the toner to the developer support and the chargeability thereof can not be optimized both for high temperature and high humidity and low temperature and low humidity conditions to result in the problem of failure in the reproducibility of image density, fogging, dropping of toner and, further, contamination inside the machine.
With an aim of improving them, fine silica particles applied with a surface treatment by an amino compound for moderating the effect of negative charging are used. However, no satisfactory effect of reducing the difference of the charged amount depending on the circumstance can be obtained only by the use of fine silica particles and no sufficient effect is obtained in a case of using a polyester resin as the binder resin in the toner matrix particles. In a case where a sufficient chargeability can be provided under high temperature and high humidity, the charged amount increases excessively under low temperature and low humidity and the distribution of charging is widened remarkably and, particularly, lowering of the developability and increase of fogging are ferocious.
Accordingly, as a method of eliminating the circumstantial fluctuation of the toner particle characteristics, a method of applying a surface treatment with a hydrophobic treating agent such as a silicone oil or a silane coupling agent is utilized.
As described above, even when a hydrophobic treatment, or a treatment of moderating negatively charging property is applied to fine silica particles, dependence of charging on the circumstance, charging rate and the poor distribution of charges inherent to silica have not yet been improved at present.
In view of the above, external addition of inorganic compounds other than the fine silica particles to the toner has been studied and titanium oxide or the like has become used. Titanium oxide has a low charging level and has a merit that the charging level and the circumstantial dependence can be controlled easily by using a treating agent. However, titanium oxide is generally obtained by a method of taking out titanium oxide crystals using ilmenite ores by a sulfuric acid method and, since titanium oxide is obtained by heating and baking after purification by a wet method, and chemical bonds formed by dehydrating condensation reaction are naturally present in titanium oxide, strong agglomerates are present therein. Such agglomerated particles can not be easily re-dispersed by the existent method. That is, crystalline titanium oxide obtained as a fine powder contains secondary agglomerates and tertiary agglomerates and the effect of improving the fluidity of the toner was extremely lower compared with that of silica.
Further, a demand for improving the image quality has been increased, particularly, color photography, etc., and it has been attempted to attain high image quality by making the particle size of the toner smaller but refining of the toner matrix particles increases the inter-particle adhesion and lowers the fluidity of the toner further. The phenomenon tends to occur, particularly, in titanium oxide.
Accordingly, it has been known to use and add hydrophobic titanium oxide and hydrophobic silica together to toner particles in order to make the improvement of the fluidity and the circumstantial dependence of charging compatible for the toner.
With regard to the first measure, for overcoming the problem in the charging characteristic and the fixing characteristic of the toner, a technique as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2004-4207 has been proposed. JP-A 2004-4207 proposes a technique of incorporating an organic bentonite as a charge controller in a polyester resin having an aliphatic alcohol ingredient as a binder resin, thereby enhancing uniform and fine dispersibility of the charge controller in the toner to improve the charging characteristic of the toner. Further, it discloses to use, particularly, those waxes containing higher fatty acid ester compounds and/or aliphatic alcohol compounds to the polyester resin having the aliphatic alcohol ingredient as a releasing agent. Improvement of the charging characteristic and the fixing characteristic have been intended by using them.
Since polyester resin having the aliphatic alcohol ingredient used as the binder resin disclosed in JP-A 2004-4207 is inferior in the humidity resistant circumstantial characteristic to the polyester resins having aromatic alcohol ingredient, it is expected that no sufficient charging stability can be obtained. Therefore, as images are formed repetitively, it gives rise to a problem such as contamination of images or contamination inside the machine by toner scattering, etc.
Further, the wax containing the higher fatty acid ester compound and/or aliphatic alcohol compound is highly compatible with the polyester resin having the aliphatic alcohol ingredient and has good dispersibility. However, the wax is poor in view of the exuding effect from the toner and no satisfactory offset resistance and fixing strength can be expected. The anti-offset characteristic and the fixing characteristic are extremely important factors.
Further, with regard to the second measure, JP-A 2004-4207 discloses therein to use silica and titanium oxide subjected to a hydrophobic treatment as an external additive. It is disclosed that the charging characteristics, etc. can thus be improved, images with no background contamination can be obtained even in high speed development, toner scattering inside the developing apparatus can be decreased and stable images can be obtained from the initial state to the completion of development.
By the way, JP-A 2004-4207 neither discloses nor suggests the optimization of the external additive for charge control and it mentions nothing at all about the stability of the image quality due to circumstantial change or the like or suppression of change for the image density.


Fixtures for industrial tooling that may be made by additive manufacturing techniques, and systems and methods for making the same, are described. A fixture for industrial tooling may include a plurality of support columns that defines an intermediate area having at least 10% empty space between a contoured surface and a base structure. The fixtures may be made through a draping method instead of a slicing technique. A fixture for industrial tooling may alternatively be made by applying an extruded layer over a core of foam, balsawood, or other lightweight material, through a non-slicing process.

Fixtures for industrial tooling that are currently made by 3D printing rely on a slicing (i.e., planar or single-plane) technique. Slicing is currently the foundation and basic method used to conduct 3D printing. The majority of 3D printing software for converting a 3D object model to specific instructions for the printer is slicing software. With slicing software, an object is divided into a stack of flat layers, which are formed by linear movements of the 3D printer extruder following some specific printer commands such as to control the extruder temperature. In a slicing technique, material is extruded in the X, Y plane, then the extruder moves up one layer in the z-axis and back across the X, Y plane again, slowly building up the required shape layer by layer, or slice by slice. However, slicing results in inaccuracies in the produced fixture. Generally, the inaccuracies relate to thermal issues when a plastic or any material is melted and then cools. Additionally, almost all 3D printed processes use a heated platen as a base build platform. Material is then built upon that layer by layer until complete. This creates three temperature zones. The first is a continual heat zone decreasing from the platen up several layers, decreasing until the temperature reaches the ambient temperature of the heated built chamber, which is the second zone. The third zone is the temperature of the deposition as it is laid upon the previous layer. These thermal issues create inaccuracies of a somewhat unpredictable nature.
Furthermore, current techniques to make fixtures by 3D printing use more material and take longer than desired. It would be advantageous to cut down on the amount of material and time needed to 3D print fixtures.
There is a need in the art for new and improved fixtures for industrial tooling that may be made by additive manufacturing techniques.


An apparatus for maintaining security of a substrate having an optically verifiable mark including a partially demetallized metallic layer which forms a control graphic, a layer of optically active pigments adjacent the metallic layer, and an adhesive layer adjacent the layer of optically active pigments.

This invention pertains to a means for maintaining the security of a substrate, and in particular a means for maintaining the security of banknotes or financial documents.
Known in the state of the art are means for maintaining security formed by narrow strips presenting an easily recognizable and verifiable visual appearance and limiting the risks of counterfeiting.
As an example, EP 229645 describes a process for creating a security paper comprising a security element incorporated in the paper in the form of a thread or a strip. The security element is situated at least locally in the thinnest regions of the paper or on the surface of the paper.
A first paper layer is formed by a first wet part of a paper machine, which is detached from the metal netting by means of a gripper band. A second layer of paper is formed on a second wet part of a paper machine. One or both of the two layers of paper have at least local regions that are thinner, representing up to 30% of the total thickness of the two layers of paper.
In order to improve this process of the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,093 proposes creation of a security paper and a security device placed between the two surfaces of the paper as a characteristic of public security, comprising a flexible substrate with a metal layer on one surface of the substrate. The security device, which has a width smaller than 5 mm, is positioned at least partially between the surfaces of the paper. A continuous metallic track is present on at least one side of the device along its entire length. The device has demetallized parts which are permeable to light and which comprise between 10 and 50% of the surface of the device. The parts without metal placed along the length of the device form a pattern, a design or repetitive marks.
It would therefore be advantageous to further reinforce the security of such solutions by providing a security means that is easy to implement and difficult to counterfeit.
This invention relates to an apparatus for maintaining security of a substrate having an optically verifiable mark including a partially demetallized metallic layer which forms a control graphic, a layer of optically active pigments adjacent the metallic layer, and an adhesive layer adjacent the layer of optically active pigments.

Apparatus for maintaining the security of a substrate


Disclosed is a circuit for commonly controlling the contrast and brightness of both TV and TTX pictures in a TV receiver with TTX. A microcomputer processes the user's key-input for controlling the contrast and brightness of the TV or TTX pictures to generate PWM pulses, which are integrated so as to simultaneously control the contrast and brightness of the TV and TTX pictures, one of which is selectively applied to the CRT driver 7 to drive the display.

The present invention relates to a circuit for controlling the contrast and brightness of a picture of a television receiver with a teletext (TTX) board, and more particularly to a circuit for commonly controlling the contrast and brightness of both TV and TTX pictures.
It is well known in this technical field that a TV receiver with a TTX board needs a picture control circuit to control the picture signals according to whether they are TV or TTX signals. The picture control is divided into the contrast and brightness control.
The conventional TV receiver with a TTX board includes two picture control circuits to separately control the contrast and brightness of TV and TTX picture signals. As shown in FIG. 1, a first variable resistor VR1 is to control the contrast of the TTX picture, second variable resistor VR2 the brightness of the TTX picture, third variable resistor VR3 the contrast of the TV picture, and fourth variable resistor VR4 the brightness of the TV picture. Hence, the changing of the picture source from TV to TTX or vice versa always requires additional picture controls. Although a remotely controlled TV receiver employs a microcomputer to process the user's key-input to control the contrast and brightness of the pictures by generating pulse width modulation (PWM) pulses integrated, this may not applied to a TV receiver with TTX.

Contrast and brightness control for television receiver with teletext


A method and apparatus for authenticating a user commerce account associated with a merchant of a commerce platform are described. The method may include initiating authentication of the user commerce account associated with the merchant of the commerce platform from a commerce platform user interface of a user device, the user commerce account established for a user of the merchant. The method may also include sending an electronic message to a mobile device associated with the user account at the commerce platform, wherein the electronic message comprises an authentication code, and receiving the authentication code from the commerce platform user interface. Furthermore, the method may include generating an authentication key for the mobile device in response to matching the received authentication code with the sent authentication code and receiving a cookie provided from the commerce platform to the mobile device.

Merchants, such as grocers, car services, dry cleaning services, etc., provide their products and services to consumers. Such merchants often employ agents to deliver their products and/or provide the actual services. For example, a person acting on the merchant's behalf will drive a consumer in their own car, deliver food ordered through a merchant website, pick up and/or drop off clothes dry cleaned by the merchant, etc.
These merchants, although providing a system for supplying products and/or services to consumers through their agents, often do not perform the financial processing associated with the merchant transactions. Instead, merchants utilize commerce systems to process financial transactions for the products and/or services provided to consumers through their agents. This may include the agent establishing an account with the merchant and then establishing an account with the commerce system. Once the accounts are established, the agent can accept payments from customers of the merchant for provided products and/or services, and the commerce system processes the accepted payments. This processing may include running credit cards, crediting a merchant account for the transaction, crediting the agent responsible for the transaction, debiting a commerce system fee for processing the transaction on behalf of the merchant, as well as performing other commerce related transactions for the merchant and/or agent such as providing payouts for products/services rendered on behalf of a merchant.
One significant problem with the above described process of performing transactions for a merchant through an agent includes verifying the identities of the agents and/or devices that the agent uses during transactions with the consumers. That is, since financial and/or other sensitive consumer information may be handled by the agent of the merchant, it is very important that the identity of the agent be established, and that the device the agent uses to process merchant transactions is the actual device associated with the agent providing the merchant products/services.

Systems and methods for authenticating a user commerce account associated with a merchant of a commerce platform