A system described herein may provide a mechanism for accurately tracking data usage across multiple User Plane Function (“UPF”) devices in a telecommunications network. For example, different types of traffic may be handled by UPFs (e.g., may be dropped or forwarded), and the UPFs may be able to report the dropping of specific types of traffic, without needing to perform deep packet inspection (“DPI”). Header information may be passed from an upstream UPF to a downstream UPF with the traffic, where the header information indicates rules and/or policies that were applied by the upstream UPF. The downstream UPF may identify the rules and/or policies from the upstream UPF, and may use this information when reporting usage to a Session Management Function (“SMF”).

Wireless telecommunications networks (e.g., Fifth Generation ("5G") networks) may send and/or receive traffic from multiple data networks ("DNs"). In such scenarios, the 5G network may include multiple User Plane Functions ("UPFs"), where one UPF handles traffic to and/or from one DN. Each UPF may have separate rules and/or policies to apply when handling traffic, which may result in differing traffic rates and/or amount of traffic transmitted via each of the UPFs.

Systems and methods for tracking and calculating network usage in a network with multiple user plane functions


The invention comprises a brace which may be used in a conventional valve assembly for holding the packing gland flange in place while valve components are repacked, repaired, and/or replaced. The brace is put in place around the valve stem and wedged between the gland flange and the yoke. The brace comprises a section of pipe cut into two longitudinal sections and held in place by a pipe clamp. The brace is preloaded by adjustment of jacking screws located between the brace body and the valve yoke. When in place, the brace will hold the valve gland flange together while the gland flange bolts e.g., are replaced. The brace may be left in position if desired as added reinforcement for perhaps a cracked gland flange.

In valves used for transporting toxic and/or dangerous gases and fluids, it has become necessary to frequently adjust packing and/or inject fluid re-pack into packing for in-service valves to meet the stringent requirements of government rules and regulations regarding fugitive emissions. Due to the leak-sealing capability of various types of packing, the design of valves, and the metallurgy of the valve, it is possible that damage may occur to the valve while attempting to meet the rules. Caution, therefore, must be exercised when adjusting the packing of valves in-service. The purpose of the invention is to reduce the risk to personnel from valve damage and to prevent contamination of the environment.


A system and method for an ordering system whereby a first user may remotely purchase goods and services from a second user by live stream video chat whereby the second user may then transmit the order to an establishment or other location, allowing first users to interact and connect with another person in a pleasant manner via video chatting, such as enabling the first user to order from a remote location to the second user who also may be at another location with respect to the establishment.

For quick-service restaurants around the country, the reality of business after coronavirus is becoming clear. More than eight million restaurant employees have been laid off or furloughed in recent months. The challenges facing restaurants from fast food to fine dining, and everywhere in between, are simply unprecedented. Restaurants had to adopt digital tools to stay alive. Currently, there are many remote digital ordering systems available that allow a person to place an order for goods or services over their mobile devices. However, these applications do not solve the problem of people not interacting with someone to take their order in a friendly manner that is pleasant on the eyes for the user. Restaurant systems also have prolonged waits when ordering over the phone that deter users from ordering. Thus, there still exists a great need for an improved process and system for mobile ordering.

System and method for ordering of goods or services via video conference with establishment attendant or virtual avatar


Monoclonal antibodies against dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase are disclosed. Immunologic assays using the monoclonal antibodies are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to immunological materials and methods useful for the determination of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in biological samples.
Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is an enzyme which catalyzes the reduction of pyrimidines to 5,6-dihydropyrimidines, where the resulting catabolites, dihydrouracil and dihydrothyrnine, are further catabolized to xcex2-alanine or xcex2-aminoisobutylic acid, respectively.
DPD is also known to catalyze the reducing reactions of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and various catabolites from pyrimidine analogues and derivatives, which are widely utilized as antitumor medicines, such as 2xe2x80x2-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (2xe2x80x2-dFUrd), 5xe2x80x2-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5xe2x80x2-dFUrd, doxifluridine), and the like. It has been reported that the DPD level in biological samples of individuals suffering from tumor is an interesting marker of the therapeutic efficacy of antitumor medicaments in the series of 5-fluorouracil derivatives (see e. g. Iigo et al., 1969, Biochem. Pharmacol., 38, 1885-1889).
Deficiency in DPD is known to be responsible for the toxicity of the metabolites of pyrimidine antitumor medicines, which results in life-threatening condition during chemotherapy (Milano, G. and Etienne, 1988, M. C., Pharmacogenetics, 4, 301-306). Recently it was found that the disorder of DPD deficiency is more frequent than initially thought (Diasio and Lu, 1994, J. Clin. Oncol., 12, 2239-2242). It is thus important to identify patients with DPD deficiency.
There is therefore a need for a sensitive and reliable assay for the determination of the DPD level in biological samples.
Several methodologies for such assays have been described. Fernandez-Salguero et al. reported a thin layer chromatography (TLC) procedure for the determination of DPD activity in human peripheral lymphocytes (Fernandez-Salguero et al., 1995. Biochem. Pharm. 50, 1015-1020). The assay uses radiolabeled uracil as a substrate. However, a method which uses a radiolabel is obviously not adapted to routine diagnosis in hospitals. Furthermore, such a TLC method is time-consuming.
Other assay methods utilizing HPLC have been also described, e.g. by van Gennip et al., 1982, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 253A: 111-118, and Sommadossi et al., 1982, J. Biol. Chem., 257: 8171-8176. Those methods are based on the measurement of enzyme activity by the determination of the sum of various catabolites of 5-FU using reverse phase HPLC. Such methods are cumbersome and time-consuming.
The problem addressed by the present invention is to find materials and methods for the determination of DPD level that do not have the drawbacks of the above known methods, and that provide a simple and speedy assay for routine use in hospitals.
The above problem is solved by the invention as defined in the appended claims.
The present invention provides a monoclonal antibody specifically recognizing dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and particularly human dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase.
The above monoclonal antibody is suitably a monoclonal antibody that shows strong reactivity to a homogenate from human tumor cell line HT-3 (ATCC HTB-32), but a low reactivity or no reactivity to a homogenate from human tumor cell line MCF-7 (ATCC HTB-22).
The above monoclonal antibody is a monoclonal antibody that shows a high specificity for DPD.
Suitably the immunoprecipitate obtained with a homogenate from human tumor cell line HT-3 (ATCC HTB-32) will show a single band when analyzed by SDS-PAGE.
The monoclonal antibody can suitably be produced by a hybridoma cell line selected from the group consisting of hybridoma cell lines 2B6-11-1, 9C7-30-1, 5E6-19-1, 3A5-6-1 (FERM BP-6015), 6H5-42-1, 4B9-12-1 (FERM BP-6016), 2E2-B3-1-3 (FERM BP-6014) and 3B12-B1-56-1-2. Preferably the monoclonal antibody is one produced by a hybridoma cell line chosen among 3A5-6-1 (FERM BP-6015), 4B9-12-1 (FERM BP-6016), 2E2-B3-1-3 (FERM BP-6014).
The monoclonal antibody can also be any monoclonal antibody that binds to DPD in an equivalent manner as a monoclonal antibody produced by one of the above cell lines, i.e. a monoclonal antibody which binds to the same epitope as a monoclonal antibody produced by one of the above cell lines or crossreacts strongly with a monoclonal antibody produced by one of the above cell lines.
The invention also concerns a hybridoma cell line producing the above defined monoclonal antibody.
That hybridoma cell line is suitably chosen from the group consisting of hybridoma cell lines 2B6-11-1, 9C7-30-1, 5E6-19-1, 3A5-6-1 (FERM BP-6015), 6H5-42-1, 4B9-12-1 (FERM BP-6016), 2E2-B3-1-3 (FERM BP-6014) and 3B12-B1-56-1-2, and preferably a hybridoma cell line chosen among 3A5-6-1 (FERM BP-6015), 4B9-12-1 (FERM BP-6016), 2E2-B3-1-3 (FERM BP-6014).
The present invention also relates to a pair of monoclonal antibodies which is useful for the qualitative and/or quantitative detection of DPD, wherein the pair comprises a first monoclonal antibody specifically recognizing dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and a second monoclonal antibody specifically recognizing dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, wherein the first monoclonal antibody and the second monoclonal antibody recognize different epitopes from one another.
Such a pair of monoclonal antibodies can include as first monoclonal antibody, a monoclonal antibody selected from the group consisting of Mab-3A5-6-1, Mab-6 H5-42-1 and Mab-3B12-B1-56-1-2, and as second monoclonal antibody, a monoclonal antibody selected from the group consisting of Mab-4B9-12-1, Mab-2E2-B3-1-3, Mab-9C7-30-1, Mab-2B6-11-1 and Mab-5E6-19-1.
Preferably the first monoclonal antibody is Mab-3A5-6-1, and the second monoclonal antibody is Mab-4B9-12-1 or Mab-2E2-B3-1-3.
Further the present invention relates to kit for the detection and/or determination of the amount of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in a biological sample which comprises
(a) at least one monoclonal antibody as defined above, and
(b) a label for qualitatively and/or quantitatively detecting the immunoconjugate of the monoclonal antibody and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase.
Preferably that kit comprises a pair of monoclonal antibodies and a label as defined above.
In another aspect, the invention relates to an immunoassay method for detecting and/or determining the amount of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in a biological sample which comprises
(a) treating the sample with at least one monoclonal antibody as defined above, so to produce an immunoconjugate between that antibody and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, and
(b) qualitatively or quantitatively detecting the said immunoconjugate with the aid of a label.
The immunoassay can be of any immunoassay format known in the art of immunoassays (see e.g. M. Ferencik, 1993, in xe2x80x9cHandbook of Immunochemistryxe2x80x9d, published by Chapman and Hall, London, UK). In particular it can be one-point binding assay, e.g. an immunoprecipitation method, or a two-point binding assay (sandwich assay), e.g. an ELISA. A two-point binding assay will preferably use a pair of monoclonal antibodies as defined above.
In a further aspect the invention relates to a method for the determination of the DPD deficiency state of a patient which comprises; (a) treating a biological sample from the patient with a monoclonal antibody as defined above, and (b) quantitatively detecting the immunoconjugate of the monoclonal antibody and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase.
In another aspect the invention concerns a method for estimating the susceptibility of patients suffering from cancer to the treatment with antitumor medicaments in the series of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) derivatives, which comprises
(a) treating a biological sample from the patient with a monoclonal antibody as defined above,
(b) quantitatively detecting the immunoconjugate of the monoclonal antibody and human dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, so as to determine the level of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in the biological sample from the patient to obtain a measure of susceptibility.
The above method enables the physician, by comparing that measured level of DPD for a patient to that of a reference set of patients, to predict the efficacy and toxicity of the above medicaments.
In further aspect the invention concerns a method for estimating the susceptibility of patients suffering from cancer to the treatment with antitumor medicaments in the series of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) derivatives, which comprises
(a) treating a biological sample from the patient with a monoclonal antibody as defined above,
(b) quantitatively detecting the immunoconjugate of the monoclonal antibody human and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, so as to determine the level of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in the biological sample from the patient,
(c) determining the level of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase in the said biological sample from the said patient, and
(d) calculating the ratio of the level of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase and the level of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase to obtain a measure of susceptibility.
The above method enables the physician, by comparing that calculated ratio of the level of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase and the level of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase for a patient and that of a reference set of patients, to predict the efficacy of the above medicaments.

Immunological materials and methods for detecting dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase


A controller of an internal combustion engine operable by an alcohol-containing fuel includes: an alcohol concentration detecting unit, operable to detect an alcohol concentration of the alcohol-containing fuel; and a suppressing unit, operable to suppress a degree of change of an intake air amount of the internal combustion engine when the alcohol concentration, detected by the alcohol concentration detecting unit, is higher than a concentration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller of an internal combustion engine operable by an alcohol-containing fuel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gasoline is used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine (engine) of an automobile or other vehicle. Meanwhile, there is a vehicle (FFV: Flexible Fuel Vehicle) in which is installed an engine enabled to use, in addition to gasoline, alcohol as an alternate fuel mixed at any ratio (0% to 100%).
The ratio of gasoline and alcohol (alcohol concentration; blend ratio) of a blended fuel supplied to an engine for FFV is not necessarily constantly fixed. For example, there may be a case where, in a state in which a blended fuel with an alcohol concentration of 80% is stored in a fuel tank of an FFV, a fuel of 0% alcohol concentration (that is, a fuel of 100% gasoline concentration) is supplied or a fuel of 100% alcohol concentration (that is, a fuel of 0% gasoline concentration) is supplied. Normally, the amount supplied also differs each time.
With an engine using a blended fuel, by ascertaining the alcohol concentration in the blended fuel, a fuel injection amount can be adjusted appropriately according to characteristics of the blended fuel. Due to such circumstances, there is an art, for example, of changing a target engine rotation speed according to the alcohol concentration when fuel injection is stopped during vehicle deceleration (see JP-A-4-128525).
Alcohol has a characteristic of vaporizing less readily (being lower in volatility) at a low temperature in comparison to gasoline. For example, whereas gasoline has a boiling point of 25° C. to 210° C., alcohol (ethanol) has a boiling point of 78° C. Thus, whereas when gasoline is used as the fuel, a characteristic of vaporizing constantly from a low temperature region to a high temperature region is exhibited, when ethanol is used as the fuel, a characteristic of hardly vaporizing up to a temperature of 78° C. and becoming high in vaporization amount when the boiling point is exceeded is exhibited.
The art described in JP-A-4-128525 takes note of the characteristic of alcohol of vaporizing less readily (the characteristic of low evaporativity) in comparison to gasoline and in performing control of fuel stoppage, the engine rotation speed is adjusted to be high when the alcohol concentration is high.
Because alcohol is low in volatility at a low temperature, when a blended fuel is used, a large amount of the blended fuel becomes adhered to an intake port and a valve head. There are thus cases where, when an intake air amount changes during acceleration or deceleration, the blended fuel adhered to the intake port and the valve head causes a supply of the blended fuel to become delayed during acceleration and an acceleration lean state to be entered, and an excess amount of the blended fuel to be supplied during deceleration and a deceleration rich state to be entered even in a state where a correction for the adhesion is implemented (a control of estimating a fuel transport delay due to the adhesion and compensatingly lessening the fuel injection amount).
For example, in rapid deceleration in a state where large amounts of the blended fuel are adhered to the intake port and the valve head, because the fuel injection amount is set with the adhesion correction being added to the fuel amount that is in accordance with a decrease in the intake air amount, the target fuel amount may conceivably be set to zero or a negative value. This means that although the supply of fuel from a fuel injection valve is stopped, the large amounts of the blended fuel adhered to the intake port and the valve head vaporize and become fed excessively into an engine cylinder. There are thus cases where, in rapid deceleration, the fuel amount supplied into the cylinder becomes excessive and an air-fuel ratio changes to a rich side with respect to a target air-fuel ratio.
Also, in rapid acceleration in a state where large amounts of the blended fuel are adhered to the intake port and the valve head, the fuel injection amount is set with the adhesion correction being added to the fuel amount that is in accordance with an increase in the intake air amount, and because alcohol is low in volatility, the adhered blended fuel may not vaporize adequately by an end of an intake stroke. There are thus cases where, in rapid acceleration, the fuel amount supplied into a cylinder decreases and the air-fuel ratio changes to a lean side with respect to the target air-fuel ratio.
Actual circumstances are thus such that, with an FFV engine, in transient periods in rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, there are cases where a change of the air-fuel ratio becomes large and lead to misfire or degradation of exhaust gas performance. Such circumstances are especially significant in a cold state.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


The present disclosure relates to a benzoyl substituted carbazole-dioxazine pigment and its preparation. The process involves benzoylation of 3-nitro-N-ethylcarbazole in monochlorobenzene using benzoylchloride and ferric chloride to yield 3-nitro-6-benzoyl-N-ethyl carbazole, which on catalytic hydrogenation and subsequent condensation with chloranil and cyclization yields benzoyl substituted carbazole-dioxazine pigment.

Dioxazine compounds are used in the synthesis of valuable dyes and pigments. These compounds are typically prepared by a five-stage synthesis process which involves N-alkylation of carbazole, followed by nitration, reduction, condensation and ring closure.
Pigment violet 23 is one of pigments belonging to Dioxazine class. In the recent past, it has gained significant importance due to its outstanding properties as a colorant.
Structure:

Molecular Formula: C34H22Cl2N4O2
Molecular Weight: 589.47
CAS Registry Number: 6358-30-1
Pigment violet-23 (carbazole violet) belongs to dioxazine class, with color ranging from bluish-red to violet shade and is used in various applications such as paint, plastic, inks, coatings and the like.
Pigment violet 23 is obtained by cyclization of 2,5-di-(9-ethylcarbazol-3-ylamino)-3,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone which is synthesized by reacting chloranil (tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone) with 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,074 discloses synthesis of Pigment violet 23 by condensing and cyclizing 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole with excess tetrachlorobenzoquinone in an organic solvent in the presence of acid acceptors. The process particularly focuses on carrying out the condensation reaction in the presence of 0.1 to 4% of water in order to avoid fluctuation in the yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,222 discloses a process for improving the heat stability of Pigment Violet 23 by conditioning crude Pigment Violet 23. The conditioning is carried out by grinding the crude pigment in the presence of a grinding agent and an organic solvent.
WO2012001708 discloses a process for preparing dioxazine pigments such as Pigment Violet 23, which avoids the formation of by-products. The process involves cyclization of 2,5-di-(9-ethylcarbazol-3-ylamino)-3,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone in the presence of air (enriched with 19-20% of oxygen).
The known prior art processes provides synthesis of carbazole-dioxazine pigment such as Pigment Violet 23. However, there is a need for synthesizing and exploring hitherto unknown variants of carbazole-dioxazine pigment in order to exploit the inherent colour strength of dioxazine chromophore with improvement in the pigmentory properties like viscosity, transparency, gloss, heat stability, color strength and durability properties relative to Pigment Violet 23.


A support material for use in additive manufacturing includes greater than about 30 weight percent up to about 70 weight percent of a C12 to C18 fatty alcohol ethoxylate, about 30 weight percent to about 70 weight percent of a C16 to C22 fatty alcohol, and a tackifier, a transition temperature measured as the temperature immediately before phase change, based on viscosity measurement, is less than about 65° C. A system for additive manufacturing includes such a support material and a build material, the ratio of C12 to C18 fatty alcohol ethoxylate to C16 to C22 fatty alcohol is selected for property matching of the support material to the build material. A method of additive manufacturing includes providing such a system and printing via an inkjet printer the support material and the build material to provide a precursor to a three-dimensional printed article.

The present disclosure relates to additive manufacturing. In particular, the present disclosure relates to sacrificial support materials used in connection with additive manufacturing.
Multi-jet modelling (MJM) or 3D inkjet printing processes typically require a sacrificial support material to be co-jetted with the build material. The support or encapsulation material allows one to maintain high aspect ratios and sharp walls in the finished article/product. The support material is typically of either the melt-away (phase-change) type or the wash-away (curable hydrophilic) type. Both materials' design sets have their limitations. Pure melting materials can oftentimes require high temperatures for removal, which can lead to warpage of the cured build materials. Also, removal of the last residual bits of support require manually picking/sanding parts, or rinsing with solvents. Pure washable/dissolvable materials usually require water-jet mechanical removal; this can become time-consuming and tedious when many parts need to be post-processed. Moreover, when delicate build parts are made, water-jet removal can break the build parts.
In addition to the issues raised above, there are two common failure modes of support materials that occur upon cooling. One failure is the formation of a 'trough' at build/support interface whereby the support material pulls away from a portion of the build material creating a V-shaped trough where the support material is flush against one portion of the build material but is pulled away from the build material distal to the flush portion. Another failure mode that occurs is warping (delamination) from the substrate upon which the support material has direct contact. Such warping creates a bowed structure with lifting (delamination) of the support material at opposing ends of the support material-substrate interface creating a gap between support material and substrate while direct contact between support material and substrate remains in a middle portion at the interface.
Embodiments herein provide a hybrid support material that is both washable and meltable for fast processing at modest temperatures, as well as additives to address trough formation and warping. Other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Removable support material comprising tackifier for additive manufacturing


The present disclosure provides devices and methods for refreshing memory. The method includes receiving information of a memory array in an accelerator coupled to a host device, and when the accelerator operates in a first refresh mode, based on the received information: disabling one or more refresh operations of a memory controller; and refreshing one or more rows of the memory array by the host device.

Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) or Embedded Dynamic Random-Access Memory (eDRAM) devices are widely used in data centers or servers in cloud computation systems. With the increasing number of applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) applications, being migrated to cloud computation, data centers are confronted with challenges in terms of managing workload such as neural network computing tasks.
In a DRAM/eDRAM architecture, data is stored as electrical charge in a capacitor of memory cells. Since electrical charge leaks over time due to leakages such as junction leakage, gate-induced drain leakage, off-leakage, field transistor leakage, and capacitor dielectric leakage, the memory cells storing information need to be refreshed or accessed at least once within its retention time to preserve the data before an erroneous readout occurs. As the size of DRAM increases, undesired refresh overhead and penalty, including the energy consumption, instruction per cycle (IPC) penalty and memory access latency, may also increase significantly, which results in limited performance and poor energy-efficiency.


A tool attachment has: (i) a drive shaft driven rotationally; (ii) a locking section for locking on a mounting interface of a hand-held machine tool, the machine tool including a tool holder having a receiving member for receiving an insert tool and a first locking sleeve preloaded by a first spring element in an axial direction pointing away from the hand-held machine tool; and (iii) an actuating element configured to shift, upon mounting the tool attachment on the hand-held machine tool, the first locking sleeve against a spring force applied by the first spring element, in the direction of the hand-held machine tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool attachment having a drive shaft able to be driven rotationally and a locking section for locking on a mounting interface of a hand-held machine tool, that has a tool holder having a receiving member for receiving an insert tool and a first locking sleeve preloaded by a first spring element in an axial direction pointing away from the hand-held machine tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art describes tool attachments of this type, which are able to be locked by an assigned locking section on a mounting interface of a corresponding hand-held machine tool. In so doing, a drive shaft assigned to the tool attachment engages with a tool holder, assigned to the hand-held machine tool and provided with a spring-loaded locking sleeve, regardless of a specific position of the locking sleeve, in order to allow torque to be transferred from the tool holder to the drive shaft.
The related art has the disadvantage that in the case of such tool attachments, there must be comparatively great radial and tangential play between the drive shaft and the tool holder in order, for example, to allow the drive shaft to engage with the tool holder in its locked state.

Tool attachment for a hand-held machine tool


A main device for use in a computer network, wherein the computer network has a topology and comprises a plurality of interconnected devices, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected devices comprises device information and at least one network port, wherein the devices are interconnected with the computer network by network links, each network link connecting two respective network ports, wherein the main device is interconnected with at least one of devices by a connection, and configured to obtain network information, wherein the network information comprised the topology of the computer network and the device information of the plurality of interconnected devices in the network, retrieve a stored network model, wherein the network model comprises a defined topology of the computer network and defined device information, and compare the network information with the network model to provide the differences between the network information and the network model as distinction data.

The invention provides a main device for use in a computer network, wherein the computer network has a topology and comprises a number of devices, wherein each of the devices comprises device information and at least one network port, wherein the devices are interconnected with the network by network links, each link connecting to respective network ports, wherein the main device is interconnected with at least one device by a connection, whereby the main device is adopted to obtain network information, whereby the network information comprises topology and device information of devices in the network.
Computer networks are collections of devices and/or computers interconnected by communication channels. These channels allow for sharing of resources and information. Computer networks consist of many individual devices, whereby the devices are connected and forming a specific network topology. The devices and/or computers are usually configured to correctly fulfill the requested task for the user. This configuration can be different for each individual device.
The document EP 2424237 A1, which seems to be the closest state of the art, describes a device for use in a digital conference system, wherein the device has a first and a second port in connection with each other and comprises configuration means for configuring, on receipt of a trigger signal, either the first or the second port as input port of the device and the other port as output port. The device is preferably a delegate unit or an extension unit.

Main device for use in a computer network, computer network, method for configuring a computer network and computer program


It is an object of the present invention to provide a shutter opening/closing mechanism for preventing dust from being introduced into a removable disk drive. The shutter opening/closing mechanism includes a shutter spring for pushing a shutter in a direction of blocking an insert window, a shutter holder which is used for supporting the shutter in such a way that the shutter can be rotated, and which is rotatably provided on a front mask and installed in such a way that a portion thereof for supporting the shutter is rotatable in a direction of departing from the insert window when a cartridge is inserted into the insert window, and a shutter-holder spring for pushing the shutter holder in a direction in which the portion thereof for supporting the shutter approaches the insert window.

In general, the present invention relates into a mechanism for opening and closing a shutter for blocking a window for inserting a storage medium employed in a removable storage medium devices such as an optical disk drive. In particular, the present invention relates to a shutter opening/closing mechanism for improving a dust-prevention characteristic.
The shutter opening/closing mechanism of this type is intended for use in preventing dust and foreign material from being introduced into a removable storage medium device from the air.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of a typical conventional shutter opening/closing mechanism which is referred to hereafter as a first conventional example. A shutter 3 is rotatably installed at an insert window of a front mask 5 on the front surface of an optical disk drive. The shutter 3 is pressed against an inner surface of the front mask 5 by a shutter spring 6. In this configuration, the insert window is blocked by the shutter 3 to prevent dust from being introduced into the optical disk drive before a cartridge is inserted thereto.
In addition, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 5-234210 is a technology for blocking an insert window in order to prevent dust from being introduced into a storage device wherein a cartridge load mechanism is used for moving a shutter up and down so that the insert window is blocked before and after a cartridge is inserted into the insert window. This shutter opening/closing mechanism is referred to hereafter as a second conventional example.
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 5-205456 is a technology wherein, an insert window is opened by pressing a cartridge against a door and the insert window is blocked by the door after the insertion of the cartridge so that dust is prevented from being introduced into the storage device. This shutter opening/closing mechanism is referred to hereafter as a third conventional example.
In the case of the first conventional example, however, even though the insert window is blocked by the shutter 3 before a cartridge 8 is inserted, a portion of the shutter 3 is brought into contact with the cartridge 8 after the cartridge 8 has been inserted as shown in FIG. 5, causing the insert window to be closed incompletely. As a result, dust may be introduced into the storage device by way of a gap between the shutter 3 and the insert window. The introduction of dust gives rise to a problem that the dust is stuck to optical components and a disk, degrading the read/write performance.
In the case of the second conventional example, on the other hand, the configuration thereof is such that the shutter blocks the insert window after a cartridge has been inserted so that the problem with the first conventional example described above is solved. However, a mechanism for moving the shutter up and down is embedded in a load mechanism, giving rise to a problem that the mechanism becomes complex and the work to assemble it becomes difficult. There is also another problem that, in spite of the fact that the power of the load mechanism is limited by the driving power of a motor, the load mechanism can not be driven manually.
In the case of the third conventional example, since the power for opening and closing the shutter does not depend on the load mechanism, the problems with the second conventional example described above are solved. However, a space must be reserved for the locus of the rotating movement of the door, giving rise to a space problem. On top of that, the third conventional example has such a configuration that by pushing the cartridge in a horizontal direction the door is moved away in a slanting direction. In addition, a component of a force for pressing the cartridge toward a rotational shaft exists so that a greater force is required for pressing the cartridge, giving rise to a problem that the user feels a sense of incongruity and an operational problem that the cartridge is difficult to press.

Removable disk drive having shutter opening/closing mechanism


The invention provides a novel device for separating a composite raw material under pressure into constituent flowable and residual materials. The device comprises: a laminated block having a longitudinal axis, the block comprising a plurality of transverse plates, each plate having: a first aligned bore defining an elongate collection chamber; a second aligned bore defining an elongate drain; and a transverse surface of each plate including a drainage channel extending between the first and second bores; an elongate perforated liner disposed within the collection chamber, the liner comprising a plurality of transverse planar bushings having an external surface bearing on an internal surface of the collection chamber, each bushing having: an internal aligned bore defining an elongate compression chamber; a groove in said external bushing surface defining a collection manifold between the collection chamber and each bushing; and a transverse surface of each bushing including a plurality of indentations extending between the internal bore and the collection manifold; input means for loading the compression chamber with said composite raw material; pressure means for pressurizing the raw material in the compression chamber urging said flowable material progressively through the bushing indentations, bushing collection manifolds, collection chamber, plate drainage channels, and drain, while consolidating the residual material in the compression chamber; and output means for expelling consolidated residual material from the compression chamber. In a preferred embodiment the block plates include a first aligned bore with a laterally opening plate mouth defining a precollection chamber; the liner includes bushings with a laterally opening bushing mouth defining a precompression chamber; and the input means comprise laterally actuated ram means for loading the precompression chamber with raw material with a gravity feed hopper with a lower loading chamber within which the ram means operates.

In the fields of waste processing, food preparation, scrap metal processing, pulp and paper manufacturing etc., a common challenge is to separate relatively soft or flowable material from relatively rigid hard residual material.
In metal processing for example, chips, shavings and other scrap metal are often produced contaminated by cutting oil. This contamination greatly reduces the price paid for such scrap due to the added steps required in removing oil prior to reuse of the metal. Conventional devices merely compress such scrap into compact cubes or cylindrical briquettes to reduce the bulk of shipping, however no prior art metal scrap densifying device recognizes the improvement in profitability that could result from a reduction in the oil content.
In pulp and paper manufacturing, fibrous pulp material is separated from water that is used in processing, bleaching, and conveying pulp. The incomplete removal of all fibrous material constitutes a water contamination problem and wastes fibers that could be utilized if recovered.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,359 to Strictland describes a method of dewatering wood chips to form cube shaped compact bales by squeezing the chips with hydraulic rams in a compression chamber having perforated walls. U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,823 to Thompson describes a wood pulp baler and dewatering device that recovers pulp fibers by a similar straining process under pressure.
Such devices succeed in separating liquid from solid, however, the relatively low pressures which are used for soft wood chips and fibers are not sufficient to extract oil from scrap metal chips for example, or other high strength materials.
In waste processing, waste packaged foods are more efficiently disposed of when separated into waste food, which can be reprocessed into animal feed, and waste packaging, which can be recycled. Since the metal cans used for packaging constitute valuable scrap metal, the prior art waste processing devices have proposed recovery methods. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,917 to Peters describes lacerating cans, spraying with water to rinse away and reclaim the food and recovering the metal with a magnetic separator. This method results in a rather large expensive and complex machine that does not appear to be justifiable except where the volume of waste is very large. In most applications, disposal of waste in landfill dumps would likely remain the most economical choice.
In food processing, several applications require separation of materials. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,733 to Tilby juice is extracted by applying axial pressure to pulp in a cylindrical chamber with an end screen, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,920 to Amersfoort a filtering arrangement is used to extrude meat paste separating it from bone.
Again, in food processing, the pressures required fall far short of what is required to separate relatively high strength materials such as metal cans and food, or metal scrap and oil. The design of the straining or filtering screens and supporting structures clearly do not contemplate high pressure operation and are thereby severely limited in scope.
It is desirable therefore to produce a device that can separate a composite raw material into constituent flowable and residual materials, but at extremely high pressures. Operation at high pressures allows application of such a device to wastes and processes that are inadequately addressed by complex or ineffective prior art methods.

Material densifying and separating device


An automated book punch includes a base, a positioning mechanism, a punching mechanism, a conveying mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a paper straightening/collection mechanism: the base has a paper tray; the positioning mechanism at a fixed position (an open position) locates a book held in the paper tray (allows the book to pass); the punching mechanism is used to punch a book held in the paper tray; the conveying mechanism conveys a book in the paper tray; the transfer mechanism is able to shift a punched book from the conveying mechanism to a predetermined position; the paper straightening/collection mechanism collects and straightens a book from the transfer mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a punch, particularly an automated book punch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ordinary loose-leaf book composed of a plenty of papers whose margins have a number of punched holes arranged in a predetermined spacing is formed with a spiral coil threaded through the holes.
In general, the methods to punch a book are classified into full-manual punching and semi-automatic punching: the former depends on pure manual operation which requires obvious manpower/time and is unfavorable to mass production of loose-leaf books; the latter needs a worker to insert each book into a punch, remove, collect and stack the punched book and still fails to match demands of mass production despite less time/manpower spent than that of the full-manual punching.


Novel tools and techniques for performing steering operations for a tracked vehicle with a dragged implement using a control system that uses a combination of differential steering and rudder steering based on one or more operating conditions of the vehicle.

Excess subsurface water creates numerous problems for agriculture land including less than optimal growing conditions for crops and reduced access to cropland by farm equipment due to limited traction. One technique for removing excess subsurface water is to install tile drainage. Tile drainage can take a variety of forms, for example, polyethylene corrugated drainage pipe. The tile drainage is installed below the surface of the land and collects and drains excess subsurface water. By removing the excess subsurface water, the water table is lowered to an optimal level for growing the desired crops and to provide greater access to the land by farm equipment.
Before tile drainage is installed in an area with excess subsurface water, traction for farm equipment is generally limited. As a result, tile drainage is often installed using a tracked vehicle pulling a tile plow. The tracked vehicle pulls the tile plow to create a ditch to a desired depth. As the tile plow creates the ditch, the tile drainage is installed in the ditch.
However, because of the excess subsurface water and the significant weight of the tile plow, even tracked vehicles often experience limited traction when installing the tile drainage. Traction problems are particularly acute when a tracked vehicle needs to turn for example, to follow the contour of the field where the drainage tile is being installed. When relying solely on its differential steering to turn, a tracked vehicle will often have to either slow down or get stuck and have to raise the tile plow in order to regain traction. In either case, the limited traction creates significant inefficiencies and delays in installing tile drainage.
In addition, farm operators typically require tile drains to be installed precisely in terms of both depth and location. In particular, tile drains are installed using tracked vehicles with onboard positioning equipment, such as a global navigation satellite system receiver and/or automated steering system. Therefore, a tracked vehicle used to install tile drainage must be able to make precise turning adjustments that its differential steering often cannot provide in limited traction environments.
Accordingly, there is a need for control systems to enable more precise turning for tracked vehicles pulling a dragged implement such as a tile plow.

Rudder-assisted steering for self-propelled drainage equipment


A light transmitting, visual display panel for use as a sign or message board and comprised of a plurality of closely adjacent, rectangular modules, each of which includes a closed, vertically disposed housing having top, bottom, side and back walls, and a front wall comprised of a plurality of closely adjacent, interchangeable, rectangular, 3-dimensional, light refracting filtering lenses. The lenses are removably secured in the housing. A vertical array of individual light sources is disposed within the housing behind the lenses and dividers behind the lenses separate the light sources. Each housing includes at least one pressurizing cooling fan and narrow, slot-like air exhaust ducts are provided between adjacent lenses.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to visual display panels made up of a plurality of closely adjacent, rectangular modules used as signs and similar visual displays in sports arenas and similar sites for the display of pictorial and/or alpha- numerical images. More particularly, the invention relates to lighted visual displays utilizing light refracting prism filters or lenses and incorporating a pressurized air cooling system, for indoor or outdoor use.
2. The Prior Art
Existing methods of constructing colored and monochrome electronic message boards include the use of arrays of closely spaced painted, incandescent bulbs or arrays of colored filters backed by unpainted, incandescent bulbs. Both have disadvantages.
Painted bulbs have a high initial cost and continuing high replacement cost. The filter mechanism, being comprised of a coat of colored paint, requires careful control of pigment particle size and quantity along with coat thickness. Such control is very difficult. The result has been that the color uniformity throughout a display varies both in color saturation and visible light intensity, a problem which is multiplied when bulbs from different manufacturing batches or from different manufacturers are combined in a display. Because incandescent bulbs have a frontal shape which is usually circular, but they are assigned to fill a square area or pixel, the area which the bulbs fill is often less than 60% of the total area assigned to them. This lack of "pixel fill" reduces visual definition, continuity and uniformity of the matrix display.
The present technology of color filters has limited its use to non-optical of fresnel prismatic designs. This limited the display distribution to the individual lamp output, or collomated the light into a narrow field of view.
When such color filters without light refracting prisms are used there is a lack of intensity and color saturation balance between all colors, especially the absence of effective blue light. The amount of illumination toward the spectators or observers, who are usually positioned below the maximum intensity of each individual filter's distribution, is limited. The filters or collomators have no way of controlling illumination above the horizontal plane and waste up to 50 percent of their intensity above the viewing plane. There is no choice of producing a wide angle or concentrated beam display.
Existing filters and matte finishes are selective in the wave length of light they redirect and therefore cause color shift when viewed from different angles. The reflected energy from the bulb is concentrated on the inside rear surface of the filters causing this part to overheat and limit present filter systems to use of low energy bulbs. This restriction, coupled with the lack of blue light in the incandescent spectrum, results in poor intensity-chromaticity balance which, in turn, results in poor daylight viewing and inadequate color balance for best color blending.


A zoom lens system comprising a positive first lens unit composed of three or four lens elements, a negative second lens unit, and subsequent lens units, wherein the subsequent lens units include an aperture diaphragm, an image blur compensating lens unit, and a focusing lens unit, which are provided on the image side relative to the aperture diaphragm, and the conditions: 1.8<|(YW/fW)×FNOT×(fT/fW)|<4.5 and 0.001<(D1W+D2T)/fW<0.200 (YW=fW×tan(ωW), fW, fT: focal length of the zoom lens system at wide-angle limit, telephoto limit, ωW: half view angle at wide-angle limit, FNOT: F-number at telephoto limit, D1W: inter-apex distance between the first and second lens units at wide-angle limit, D2T: inter-apex distance between the second lens unit and a most object side lens unit among the subsequent lens units at telephoto limit) are satisfied.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to zoom lens systems, interchangeable lens apparatuses, and camera systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, interchangeable-lens type digital camera systems (also referred to simply as "camera systems", hereinafter) have been spreading rapidly. Such interchangeable-lens type digital camera systems realize: taking of high-sensitive and high-quality images; high-speed focusing and high-speed image processing after image taking; and easy replacement of an interchangeable lens apparatus in accordance with a desired scene. Meanwhile, an interchangeable lens apparatus having a zoom lens system that forms an optical image with variable magnification is popular because it allows free change of focal length without the necessity of lens replacement.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-232543 discloses a zoom lens having a five-unit configuration of positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive, in which air spaces between first to third lens units are varied to change magnification, and a lens unit provided on an image side relative to an aperture diaphragm moves along an optical axis at the time of focusing.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-214386 discloses a zoom lens having a long back focal length, and a five-unit configuration of positive, negative, negative, positive, and positive, in which image blur compensation is performed by using a lens unit comprising the entirety or part of a fourth lens unit.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-194279 discloses a zoom lens having a five-unit configuration of positive, negative, positive, positive, and positive, in which, at the time of magnification change, a first lens unit moves to an object side so as to be apart from a second lens unit, a third lens unit moves to the object side so as to be close to the second lens unit, and a fourth lens unit moves to the object side so as to be close to the third lens unit.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-221600 discloses a zoom lens having a four-unit configuration of positive, negative, positive, and negative, in which, in a close-object in-focus condition, a first lens unit is moved to an object side, a third lens unit is moved to the object side, and a fourth lens unit is moved to an image side.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-163102 discloses a zoom lens having a four-unit configuration of positive, negative, positive, and negative, and including an aperture diaphragm between a most image side lens surface of a second lens unit and a most image side lens surface of a third lens unit.

Zoom lens system, interchangeable lens apparatus and camera system

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An aerosol provision system includes one or more receptacles each forming a respective central space, a base adapted to support the or each receptacle, the or each receptacle being removable from the base and at least a first airflow generator, operable to draw air through at least a first aerosol generator, wherein the base includes one or more outlets through which, in operation, aerosolized payload is directed to flow from the base into the central space of a respective receptacle and the or each receptacle comprises a first opening through which the user can inhale the aerosolized payload.

Aerosol provision (AP) systems, such as e-cigarettes, non-combustion tobacco heating systems and other aerosol delivery systems, generally hold a payload/substrate that is either a reservoir of liquid which is to be vaporized, typically comprising nicotine (this is sometimes referred to as an "e-liquid"), or a reservoir of plant material or some other (ostensibly solid) plant derivative or material from which volatiles or other liquids or particulate solids may be liberated. When a user inhales on the device, an electrical (e.g. resistive) heater is activated to vaporize a small amount of liquid or release volatiles, particulates etc., in effect producing an aerosol which is consequently inhaled by the user. The liquid may comprise nicotine in a solvent, such as ethanol or water, together with glycerine or propylene glycol to aid aerosol formation, and may also include one or more additional flavors. The plant material may comprise tobacco or a derivative. The skilled person will be aware of many different payload formulations that may be used in AP systems.
The practice of inhaling an aerosol in this manner is commonly known as 'vaping'.
However, such AP systems are typically viewed as individual and personal items that it would be unhygienic to share with others, limiting the sociability of their use, and also potentially dissuading users from experiencing different payload flavors that they may otherwise enjoy.

Aerosol provision system having a base for supporting one or more receptacles


The present invention is aimed to provide a system for providing, to a terminal device of an investor, data indicating delay of distribution of financial data, which data is used for the investor to make decisions on investment transactions in a simple and reliable way. To achieve the above aim, after entity 20 carries out specific processing of financial data received from financial data broadcasting device 10 to generate new financial data derived from the received financial data, entity 20 adds time data and an entity identifier for identifying entity 20 to the derived financial data and transmits the data to another entity 20 located at a downstream position or to financial data searching device 30.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for distributing financial data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, trading in various kinds of financial products, which are handled typically in negotiable securities markets, has generally been conducted electronically through computer networks. In trade conducted electronically, each investor connects his/her terminal device to a computer network, and, using financial data continuously distributed to his terminal device from data sources such as securities exchanges, makes decisions on timing and content of transactions.
Namely, each investor makes decisions on transactions on the basis of the content of the financial data distributed to his/her terminal device from data sources such as securities exchanges. Accordingly, each investor may be placed at a considerable financial disadvantage if financial data is not promptly received at his/her terminal device, since s/he may make wrong decisions based on out-of-date information. The below-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a system for avoiding problems which may be caused by such a delay in distribution of financial data. The system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication Hei 11-161715 (referred to as 'JP11-161715' hereinafter) comprises a data source which stores financial data provided by securities exchanges, and a data collection sub-system which obtains financial data from the data source and distributes the financial data to terminal devices of investors. When the data collection sub-system obtains financial data from the data source, it determines whether the financial data is obtained in real-time or is out of date. When the data collection sub-system determines that the obtained financial data is out of date, it distributes a signal for updating status code, along with the out-of-date financial data, to terminal devices of investors. On the basis of the signal, an investor can correctly evaluate whether s/he should use the financial data presented at his/her terminal device to make a decision on investments.


The present disclosure relates to a vehicle article carrier system for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. The system makes use of a pair of support rails fixedly secured generally parallel to one another on the outer body surface, and at least one cross bar assembly clampable to the support rails, and having a cross bar element having opposing ends. First and second end supports are secured at the opposing ends and able to engage the support rails to secure the cross bar against movement on the support rails. At least one of the end supports includes fixed and movable jaw portions, an actuating lever, and a pivot component pivotally coupled to the actuating lever and including a bore. A barrel nut is positioned in a bore of the movable jaw portion. A threaded member is coupled to both the barrel nut and the pivot component for changing an effective distance between the bore of the movable jaw portion and the pivot component, to thus effectively change a clamping force able to be applied by the movable jaw portion relative to the fixed jaw portion when the actuating lever is moved into a closed position.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Vehicle article carrier systems have been in widespread use for a number of years, and are presently growing in popularity, due in part to the growing popularity of SUVs and mini-vans, and the general interest in increasing the cargo carrying capability of passenger motor vehicles.
A typical vehicle article carrier includes a pair of support rails which are fixedly secured to the roof surface of the vehicle. Typically at least one cross bar is included which has an end support at each end. The end supports typically clamp onto the one of the support rails to provide a surface above the outer body surface that may be used to support articles or other implements (e.g., bike racks, ski racks, cargo boxes, etc.) thereon.
Typically, an end support has traditionally made use of a locking pin which can be engaged with an opening in its associated support rail to positively lock the end support at a specific location along the length of the support rail. This has traditionally been needed because per U.S. federal crash test requirements, the end supports, and the cross bar which they support from the support rails, must not be able to slide along the support rails for any appreciable distance during an impact event. Traditionally, the idea of just relying on the clamping force provided by the end support to provide sufficient force to prevent movement of the cross bar during a crash event has been dismissed because of the inability of heretofore designed end supports to consistently provide the high degree of clamping force required to meet such crash tests. This is further complicated by slight variations in the dimensions of the support rails, slight variations in the thicknesses of rubber or elastomer layer surfaces which are often applied to the clamping surfaces of the end support components, and other variables, which can affect how much clamping force the end support exerts on its support rail. For example, if a support rail has a slightly smaller than expected cross sectional dimension, then the clamping force provided by the end support will be just slightly reduced. The same can be said if the rubber/elastomer pads used on the clamping surfaces of the end support have a thickness which is less than specified.
Another important consideration is that the end support clamping mechanism must be easy for an individual to latch and unlatch without requiring any external tools. Simply designing the end support with an added degree of clamping force beyond what is needed to effect secure clamping may make it unduly difficult for an individual to manipulate the end support between its latched and unlatched conditions. So ideally, the precise degree of force required to effect the clamping needs to be determined, and the additional force beyond that amount needs to be carefully controlled so that user latching and unlatching of the end support can be comfortably carried out. Meeting these opposing requirements has heretofore not been possible without incorporating some form of locking pin into the end support design.

Vehicle article carrier system with end support having tunable clamping force


There is disclosed a washing machine including a spouting module with a variable spouting direction. The washing machine includes a cabinet forming an external appearance, an accommodating module arranged in the cabinet and including an accommodating case in which a space for accommodating laundry is formed, spouting units formed in a horizontal direction and arranged in the accommodating case to spout water, and a driving unit for having the spouting units perform reciprocating rotational motions.

In general, a washing machine refers to various apparatuses for applying physical and chemical operations to laundry to process the laundry such as a washer for separating contaminants from clothes, bedding, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as 'laundry') using a chemical decomposition of water and detergent and a physical operation such as friction between water and laundry, a drier for dewatering wet laundry to dry the dewatered laundry, and a refresher for spouting heated steam to prevent allergy from being caused by laundry and conveniently washing laundry.
On the other hand, in a washing machine having a multifunction so that washing and drying may be performed together, water supply spouting nozzles for supplying water and hot air spouting nozzles for supplying hot air are provided.
In the washing machine, it is very important in washing laundry that the laundry is evenly wetted by water. Therefore, it is necessary for the water supply spouting nozzles to be efficiently operated.


A cannula assembly for use in conjunction with endoscopic surgical techniques includes a cannula, a housing mounted on one end of the cannula, and a variable interior dimension cannula valve assembly in the housing. The variable interior dimension cannula valve assembly includes a flexible tubular member having a distal portion affixed to the housing, an intermediate portion capable of changing interior dimension and a proximate portion including a rigid rotating means and a locking means. The interior dimension of the cannula valve assembly may be set to a desired size to fit a surgical instrument inserted into the cannula passage while maintaining a substantially air-tight seal.

Insufflatory surgery involves filling a body cavity with pressurized gas to maintain the cavity under a certain predetermined pressure. Such surgery may be performed by first puncturing the skin of a desired body cavity region with a needle. Insufflation gas is then introduced into the body cavity to inflate the cavity via a stylet in the needle.
A trocar is then used to puncture the body cavity. The trocar is inserted through a cannula or sheath, which cannula partially enters the body cavity through the incision made by the trocar. The trocar may then be removed from the cannula, and an elongated endoscope may be inserted through the cannula to view the anatomical cavity.
Various types of cannula or trocar assemblies are provided with valves so that when the trocar or other surgical instrument is removed from or inserted into the cannula a relatively constant or certain pressure is maintained within the body cavity.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,710 to Moll and 4,654,030 to Moll et al. disclose trocar assemblies which include an elongate trocar obturator having a piercing tip at its front end and an elongate trocar tube or cannula in which the trocar obturator is housed. As shown in the '030 patent, a flapper valve may be employed to close off the cannula passage after the trocar obturator or other instrument has been withdrawn.
A gasket may also be employed to ensure a seal between the trocar assembly and an instrument inserted therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,739 to Stevens, for example, teaches a hemostasis cannula having a pair of juxtaposed gaskets mounted in the passageway to the cannula, the first having a round hole and the second a Y-shaped slit. U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,287 to Turp et al. describes a trocar assembly which includes a flexible insulating ring received in a flange and a collar which retains the flexible ring in the flange. The flexible ring is allowed to flex as an instrument is inserted into the cannula and provides a seal with the instrument to prevent gas leakage.
Endoscopic surgical procedures employ a variety of surgical instruments, e.g., endoscopes, biopsy forceps, bipolar forceps, coagulation probes, etc. Due to the relatively noninvasive nature of endoscopic procedures, endoscopy is a preferred surgical approach when possible. As such, additional instruments and accessories for use in endoscopic procedures are being introduced at a rapid pace. These instruments have differing sizes, for example, some instruments have a cross-sectional diameter in their elongate regions on the order of 5 mm whereas others have a diameter of 10 mm or larger. In recognition of this instrument variability, cannulas are available in different inner diameters. Commercially available trocars offer cannulas having a broad range of inner diameters, ranging from 3 to 12 mms (e.g., 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 mm sizes).
Despite the availability of trocar assemblies having cannulas of various sizes, it is both inconvenient and impractical for a surgeon to insert multiple cannulas into a patient to accommodate the various instrument sizes employed in a given surgical procedure. This greatly restricts the flexibility available to surgeons in performing endoscopic procedures. For example, the use of a 5 mm instrument in a 10 mm cannula is not possible because a gas seal would not exist between the trocar assembly and the instrument. Similarly, the use of a 10 mm instrument in a 5 mm cannula is impossible because the instrument simply doesn't fit. It has therefore been necessary heretofore for a surgeon to effect multiple cannula placements or to employ accessory devices having a predetermined aperture diameter to accommodate the use of instruments of varying sizes. Consequently, such multiple placement dictates multiple invasionary punctures into the body of a patient and the use of accessory devices can be a clinical nuisance. It is desirable to decrease the number of punctures because, e.g., the possibility of infection would be decreased, patient discomfort would be decreased and both time and money would be saved, while accommodating instruments of varying diameters.

Variable interior dimension cannula assembly


A roaster for roasting coffee beans includes a roasting chamber having a top and a bottom for holding coffee beans when the beans are being roasted, a cover seated on the top of the roasting chamber and a base on which the bottom of the roasting chamber is seated. A device is provided in the base for supplying airflow into the roasting chamber. A controller controls the airflow supplying device to generate a roasting temperature inside the roasting chamber that tracks a predetermined temperature curve. The temperature curve includes a first stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a first predetermined level for a first predetermined time period, and a second stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a second predetermined level that is higher than the first predetermined level. The second stage includes a plurality of stages including a current stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a current predetermined level for a current predetermined time period and a subsequent stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a subsequent predetermined level that is higher than the current predetermined level for a subsequent predetermined time period.

The present invention generally relates to coffee roasters, and more particularly to a coffee roaster that has multiple roasting stages.
A demand for coffee roasters for home use has been on the rise in response to growing number of devoted coffee drinkers who desire the flavor of freshly roasted coffee. These home coffee roasters typically have a heating element and a fan for directing hot air into a roasting chamber where the coffee beans are roasted as they are blown around by a hot air stream. The controls on these roasters typically include a variable timer that allows beans to be roasted at a constant temperature for a prescribed time. Coffee beans come in different densities and have varying moisture content. As a result, roasting coffee beans at a constant temperature for a prescribed time, as in conventional coffee roasters, do not always result in consistent and fully developed flavor that coffee enthusiasts desire.
There are coffee roasters that have more than one roasting stages, where coffee beans are roasted, for example, at one temperature for some time and at another temperature for a certain other time period. These roasters, however, do not have the means for maintaining the desired roasting temperature when the ambient temperature varies. Depending on the ambient temperature in which the roaster is operated, there could be a significant temperature variation in the roasting chamber from the desired temperature. For example, some users are known to place the coffee roaster outside the home during use, so as not to have smoke from the roaster fill the inside the house. In such a situation, the temperature inside the roasting chamber may not be at the desired temperatures, resulting in the beans being over or under roasted.
The present invention is directed to a roaster for roasting coffee beans, and includes a roasting chamber having a top and a bottom for holding coffee beans when the beans are being roasted, a cover seated on the top of the roasting chamber and a base on which the bottom of the roasting chamber is seated. A device is provided in the base for supplying airflow into the roasting chamber. A controller controls the airflow supplying device to generate a roasting temperature inside the roasting chamber that tracks a predetermined temperature curve. The temperature curve includes a first stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a first predetermined level for a first predetermined time period, and a second stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a second predetermined level that is higher than the first predetermined level. The second stage includes a plurality of stages including a current stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a current predetermined level for a current predetermined time period, and a subsequent stage in which the roasting temperature is set to a subsequent predetermined level that is higher than the current predetermined level for a subsequent predetermined time period.

Coffee roaster having multiple roasting stages


A plasma ignition system has an electromagnetic noise reduction circuit in addition to a discharge power circuit, a plasma generating power circuit, a plasma ignition plug, a discharging wire and a plasma generating wire. The noise reduction circuit includes a first rectifier connected to the discharging wire, a second rectifier connected to the plasma generating wire, and a noise reducing capacitor connected in parallel to the second rectifier. The noise reduction circuit is disposed close to the ignition plug so that the noise reducing capacitor bypasses only high frequency noise currents generated when the ignition plug discharges.

A normal ignition system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, etc. has, as shown in FIG. 10A, an ignition plug 10, a battery 31, an ignition switch 32, an ignition coil 33, an electronic control unit (ECU) 35, an igniter (transistor) 34, and the like
In this system, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the ECU 35 generates an ignition signal after the ignition switch 32 is turned on, the igniter 34 turns on so that a voltage (e.g., 12 V) of the battery 31 is applied to a primary winding 331 of the ignition coil 33 causing a primary current in the primary winding 331. When the ignition signal disappears and the igniter 34 turns off, the primary current is cut off causing a magnetic field change in the ignition coil 33. A secondary winding 332 of the ignition coil 33 generates a secondary voltage of −10 to −30 kV in response to the magnetic field change. This secondary voltage generates electric discharge in a discharge space (gap) 140 between a center electrode 110 and a ground electrode 131 in the ignition plug 100, so that a high temperature zone is locally formed in a limited area. At this moment, a current of about 35 mA, which is rectified by a rectifier (diode) 21, flows in the secondary winding 332, and energy of about 35 mJ is discharged. In normal spark ignition by the ignition plug 10, this high temperature zone becomes a source of ignition to ignite compressed air-fuel mixture supplied to a combustion chamber of the engine for mixture explosion.
A plasma ignition system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, etc. also has, as shown in FIG. 11A, an ignition plug 10, a battery 31, an ignition switch 32, an ignition coil 33, an electronic control unit (ECU) 35, and an igniter (transistor) 34, as the normal system shown in FIG. 11A. In addition, the plasma ignition system has a plasma generating power circuit 4, which includes a battery 41, a resistor 42, a plasma generating capacitor or capacitors 43 and a rectifier 22. The ignition plug 10 is a plasma type, which includes an insulator 120 surrounding a center electrode 110 and defining a discharge gap 140. The capacitor 43 is provided to store electric energy by being charged by the battery 41 through the resistor 42.
In this plasma ignition system, as shown in FIG. 11B, a secondary voltage of about −10 to −30 kV is generated in the similar manner as in the normal ignition system. In addition, at a moment when the secondary voltage reaches a discharge voltage proportional to a discharge distance D between the electrodes 110 and 131, the energy stored in the capacitor 43 is instantly discharged in the discharge space 140 so that high temperature plasma gas in the discharge space 140 is generated. At this moment, high energy of about 100 mJ is emitted.
In this plasma ignition system, a relatively large high temperature zone is formed by very high energy and becomes a flame kernel of high directivity, which ignites compressed air-fuel mixture in an engine. Thus, the plasma ignition system is expected to be applied to a stratified combustion in a direct-injection engine, in which lean air-fuel mixture is combusted by supplying rich air-fuel mixture only around the ignition plug.
Since the energy stored in the capacitor 43 is supplied to the ignition plug 10 instantaneously, a large current of about 120 A flows in the negative direction during a discharge period of about 8 μs as shown in FIG. 10B. This occurs at every predetermined rotation of the engine, and hence high frequency electromagnetic noise N is generated. This noise is likely to cause various electronic control systems mounted in a vehicle. This may lead to misfire in the engine.
To counter this electromagnetic noise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,488 (JP-U-55-156263) proposes to form an electric wire of a plasma generating circuit and provide a steering diode in this electric wire at a position close to an ignition plug. This proposal will not cause reduction in a voltage supplied to a primary winding of an ignition coil from a discharging power circuit.
Since the shield wire has low flexibility, wiring the shield wire becomes difficult. If the shield wire has an imperfectly shielded part, electromagnetic noise leaks. As a result, the other electric wire of a discharging power circuit and a plug cap need be shielded. This shield may not be easily provided in a crowded engine compartment. In some instances, this shield itself operates as an antenna and generates electromagnetic noise. Further, since the stray capacitance formed between the shield and the electric wire of the plasma generating power circuit changes irregularly in accordance with bending, this may result in a new source of noise.
Further, the ignition coil and the plasma ignition plug is likely to form a transmission circuit, which generates electromagnetic noise when the ignition plug starts to discharge in response to the secondary voltage of the ignition coil. The electric wire is likely to operate as an antenna and radiates the noise outward. Since a large current must flow in the electric wire, it is not possible to stop generation of electromagnetic noise, which is generated at a start of discharging, by a resistor in the electric wire.


Resists can be removed while metal contamination of wafers, etc. and generation of particles, and growth of oxide films are suppressed. A substrate processing method comprises feeding a processing gas, such as ozone gas, into a processing vessel to pressurize an atmosphere surrounding a substrate. A solvent gas, such as steam, is fed into the processing vessel while the processing gas is fed into the processing vessel, whereby a resist of the substrate can be removed with the solvent gas and the processing gas while metal corrosion, etc. can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, more specifically, a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrate-to-be-processed, such as semiconductor wafers, LCD glass substrates or others, held in an atmosphere sealed processing vessel with a processing gas, such as ozone, etc., fed into the processing vessel.
2. Related Background Art
Generally in fabricating a semiconductor device, a series of processing steps of applying a photoresist to a semiconductor wafer, an LCD substrate or others (hereinafter called a wafer or others) as a substrate-to-be-processed, the step of diminishing a circuit pattern by photolithography, transferring the circuit pattern to a photoresist and developing the circuit pattern, and the step of removing the photoresist from the wafer or others is conducted.
One example of the above-described processing will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1H by means of a case where a substrate-to-be-processed is a silicon wafer. First, a thick oxide film OX1 is formed on the surface of a silicon wafer W (hereinafter called a wafer W) (the first oxide film forming step: see FIG. 1A). Then, a resist is applied to the surface of the oxide film OX1 to from a resist pattern RP1 (the first resist pattern forming step: see FIG. 1B). Next, an unnecessary portion of the oxide film is etched off with a chemical liquid, such as DHF (HF/H2O) or BHF (the first etching step: see FIG. 1C). Then, the resist, which is unnecessary, is released with a chemical liquid (sulfonated water), a mixed liquid of SPM (H2SO4/HEO2) (the first resist removing step: see FIG. 1D). Next, a thin oxide film OX2 is formed on the surface of the wafer W from which the unnecessary resist has been removed (the second oxide film forming step: see FIG. 1E). A resist is again applied to the surface of the oxide film OX2, and a resist pattern RP2 is formed (the second resist pattern forming step: see FIG. 1F). An unnecessary portion of the oxide film is etched off with a chemical liquid, such as DHF (HF/HEO), BHF or others (the second etching step: see FIG. 1G). Finally, the resist, which is unnecessary, is released (the second resist removing step: see FIG. 1H).
In a conventional cleaning equipment used as the above-described resist removing means, generally wafers, etc. are immersed in cleaning tank filled with a chemical liquid, such as SPM (a mixed liquid of H2SO4/H2O2) (sulfonated water) or others to remove the resist films.
However, when sulfonated water is used as the chemical liquid in the first resist removing step (see FIG. 1D), sulfuric acid ions remain on the surface of the wafer W after the resist has been removed, and there is a risk that the residual sulfuric acid ions may become a cause for particles and cause contamination. Furthermore, the residual sulfuric acid ions also causes an uneven thickness and poor film quality of the thin oxide film formed in the following second oxide film forming step (see FIG. 1E).
On the other hand, recently, it is required ecologically to removed the resist with a solution of ozone (O3), whose waste fluid is easy to treat. In this case, the so-called dip cleaning, in which the wafers or wafers or others are immersed in a cleaning tank filled with a solution of ozone, is used, so that the resist is oxidized with oxygen radicals in the solution to be decomposed into carbon dioxide, water, etc.
The above-described solution is generally prepared by bubbling and dissolving a high concentration of ozone gas into pure water, and later the thus prepared solution is filled in a cleaning tank. It is often that meanwhile ozone in the solution is decomposed, and the solution has the ozone concentration decreased, and a sufficient amount of ozone cannot be supplied to the resist surface. High reaction rates cannot be provided.
Then, in place of the dip cleaning, in which the wafers or others are immersed in a solution of ozone, it is proposed to use a processing gas, e.g., ozone, and a vapor, e.g., steam, as a solvent to remove the resist from the wafers or others. In this cleaning method, a processing gas, e.g., ozone gas is fed to the wafers or others held in a tightly closed processing vessel to thereby remove the resist from the wafers or others. The use of ozone and steam is free from the residual sulfuric acid ions, and accordingly can improve thickness evenness film quality of the thin film. In this case, ozone is generated by ozone generating means which mixes oxygen (O2), a base gas as a raw material with nitrogen (N2) while being discharged.
However, this ozone gas contains nitrogen as described above. As the ozone gas is fed, the nitrogen also flows into the processing vessel to contact the wafers or others. When nitrogen contacts the wafers or others, the nitrogen reacts with the ozone gas to corrode and etch metals of aluminum (Al) and tungsten (W) of the wiring portions, causing particles. This problem of the metal contamination and particle generation is the case also with the wafers or others which have not been subjected to the wiring step.
The processing with ozone gas containing nitrogen excessively oxidizes the wafers or others with NOx- or HNOx-based atmospheres (chemicals), and chemical oxide films grow on the surfaces of the wafers or others, possibly causing thickness unevenness and poor film quality of the thin oxide film.


A check joint structure for a connection of an air nozzle of a tire and a connection hose of an air compressor, the air compressor contains: a box, a sealant supply can, and a connection hose. The box includes a body of the air compressor. The sealant supply can includes an open segment and a supply tube. The connection hose includes a first segment and a second segment. The second segment has a check connector which includes a fitting sleeve, and the fitting sleeve has a threaded orifice, a through orifice, and a projected shoulder. A cylindrical base includes a cylindrical room, a stepped coupling segment, a conduit, and a first stepped portion. A first spring is received into the cylindrical room to abut against the first stepped portion. A valve bolt includes a contacting element, at least one cutout, a head, a conical rib, and a neck.

A conventional air nozzle of a tire of a vehicle is used to inflate or discharge air into or from the tire. Furthermore, a conventional tire repair device is employed to feed chemical sealant and to inflate air into a tire that is broken. The tire repair device is connected with an air compressor, and a sealant supply can is connected with an outlet valve of the air compressor, wherein compressed air is controlled by a control valve to output the chemical sealant out of a connector on a distal end of a connection hose with the compressed air. However, when a connection structure of the connector of the connection hose and the air core of the tire is not operated properly, the chemical sealant easily erupts out of the connector of the connection hose.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

Check joint structure for connection of air nozzle of tire and connection hose of air compressor


Techniques for increasing flexibility in use of virtual component blocks include a method for hardening a foundation block, a pin-unscrambling methodology for semi-hardened virtual component blocks, and parameterizable virtual component blocks. A method for hardening a foundation block and utilizing it in a circuit design comprises the steps of defining a virtual component foundation block, hardening an interior region of the foundation block including at least the critical timing components such as the system bus. The foundation block has a “soft collar” for allowing interface parameters to be specified when the foundation block is incorporated into a circuit design. In addition, the foundation block may comprise an internal, hierarchical clocking scheme for even clock distribution and optimum performance. For example, all internal clock delays may be padded, except the longest one, so that the clock signal arrives at all relevant reference points within the foundation block at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to electronic design automation and, more particularly, to methods and systems for constructing integrated circuits and circuit block components using electronic design automation.
2. Background
Chip designers often use electronic design automation (EDA) software tools to assist in the design process, and to allow simulation of a chip design prior to prototyping or production. Chip design using EDA software tools generally involves an iterative process whereby the chip design is gradually perfected. Typically, the chip designer builds up a circuit by inputting information at a computer workstation generally having high quality graphics capability so as to display portions of the circuit design as needed. A topdown design methodology is commonly employed using hardware description languages (HDLs), such as Verilog® or VHDL, for example, by which the designer creates an integrated circuit by hierarchically defining functional components of the circuit, and then decomposing each component into smaller and smaller components.
The various components of an integrated circuit are initially defined by their functional operations and relevant inputs and outputs. From the HDL or other high level description, the actual logic cell implementation is typically determined by logic synthesis, which converts the functional description of the circuit into a specific circuit implementation. The logic cells are then "placed" (i.e., given specific coordinate locations in the circuit layout) and "routed" (i.e., wired or connected together according to the designer's circuit definitions). The placement and routing software routines generally accept as their input a flattened netlist that has been generated by the logic synthesis process. This flattened netlist identifies the specific logic cell instances from a target standard cell library, and describes the specific cell-to-cell connectivity. After this specific cell-to-cell connectivity has been established, the physical design and layout software creates a physical layout file of the integrated circuit, including the physical position of each metal line (i.e., wire) and each via (i.e., metal transition between chip layers). As a last step before creation of the mask file for delivery to the fabrication facility, the physical verification and layout validation software performs several design rule checks (DRCs) on the layout file.
Further explanation of a particular chip design process is set forth, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,583, hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth fully herein.
One of the new developments in circuit designs is the advent of so-called virtual component blocks, which, from a general standpoint, are pre-designed and pre-hardened (or semi-hardened) circuit designs in software form (for example, in GDSII format), which can be readily re-used or recycled in different, larger circuit designs. An advantage of virtual component (or VC) blocks is that they reduce the time to design an overall circuit, and thereby increase the speed to market. Virtual component blocks can also be pre-tested and verified from a logical and functional standpoint, also saving time in the test and verification areas.
While virtual component blocks have been found to be advantageous in many contexts, difficulties may be encountered when attempting to define a virtual component block that contains many capabilities yet is sufficiently generic to be used in multiple applications. If too many features are specified, then the virtual component block will be too large for many applications, causing wasted space. On the other hand, if too few features are specified, then very similar additional circuitry will likely be needed in a number of different circuit designs in which the virtual component block is used, resulting in needless duplication of design effort and increased time to reach a final product.
Another problem is that a virtual component block designed to contain the primary processing components of a circuit design may turn out to be rather large, and will often be the largest circuitry block in the circuit design. Such a virtual component block can take up half the available space of an integrated circuit design. Once a large virtual component block is placed in a circuit design, it can be difficult to route a system bus efficiently. It two smaller virtual component blocks are located on opposite sides of a large virtual component block, then the system bus may need to be routed around the large virtual component block, increasing propagation delays and wasting valuable space.
One possible approach to handle such a situation is to place feedthrough wires in a criss-cross pattern within the large virtual component block, to allow signals to pass through the virtual component block if necessary. However, feedthrough wires do not present a very efficient solution to the problem, because the wires are generally too spread out to form a suitable system bus. Moreover, feedthroughs that are not utilized constitute wasted system resources.
Another problem encountered in circuit design in which re-use of pre-established virtual component blocks may be attempted is that the pre-established virtual component blocks are often inflexible or pre-hardened, making layout problematic. If signals between pre-hardened virtual component blocks need to be connected, yet are on opposite sides of each other after placement of the virtual component blocks, then the signal lines (i.e., wires) may be unduly long. Likewise, if signals from a pre-hardened virtual component block needs to be connected to a chip pin not close by, then long signal lines may result. Long signal lines may have undesirable side effects, such as increased signal delay, capacitance, noise and interference. Alternatively, the virtual component blocks may be re-located so that the necessary connections are closer to one another, but then connections to other virtual circuit blocks or chip pins may be made longer.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide techniques to increase flexibility in virtual circuit design, thereby improving convenience and layout particularly of circuit designs incorporating multiple circuit blocks.

Adaptable circuit blocks for use in multi-block chip design


An information processing system includes an authentication server, a proxy authentication terminal, and an information processing device. The authentication server is connected to a wide-area line located outside a prescribed area, has an authentication privilege, and issues an authentication code. The proxy authentication terminal is connected to the authentication server through the wide-area line, has a proxy authentication privilege which serves as a proxy for the authentication privilege, and issues a proxy authentication code. The information processing device is connected to the proxy authentication terminal through a local-area line located within the prescribed area, receives the proxy authentication code from the proxy authentication terminal, and instructs processing of a job.

The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, and an information processing method.
An authentication system includes an authentication server and a proxy authentication server connected to each other through a network. When the authentication server is unusable in the authentication system, encrypted authentication information, which is transmitted to a terminal in advance, is sent to the proxy authentication server and the proxy authentication server decrypts the authentication information with a decryption key to perform proxy authentication.

Information processing system, information processing device, and information processing method