A continuous process is described for the production of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) having a desired or predetermined trans-:cis- isomer ratio by catalytic hydrogenation of a dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate in the presence of an ester hydrogenation catalyst. The process is capable of being operated for an extended period of time during which the hydrogenation catalyst declines in catalytic activity and comprises feeding a vaporous mixture of the dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate and hydrogen to a hydrogenation zone containing the hydrogenation catalyst and recovering CHDM product. The degree of conversion of the dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate at a particular combination of temperature and pressure is related to the trans-:cis- isomer ratio of the CHDM product and may be varied by adjusting at least one feed condition selected from (i) the dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate feed rate and (ii) the hydrogen-containing gas:dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate molar ratio. As catalyst activity declines during operation of the process over an extended period of time at a particular combination of temperature and pressure, the degree of conversion of the dialkyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate and/or the trans-:cis- isomer ratio of the CHDM product may be maintained at a constant value by adjusting at least one of the feed conditions referred to above. The determination of the Actual Activity and Reference Activity of the catalyst and the Actual and Effective Residence Times are included in the hydrogenation process.

1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol is used to prepare highly polymeric linear condensation polymers by reaction with terephthalic acid and is useful as an intermediate in the preparation of certain polyester and polyester amides. The use of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol for such purposes is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,466. This document teaches that the trans-isomer of polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate has a higher melting point range (315.degree.-320.degree. C.) than the corresponding cis-isomer (260.degree.-267.degree. C.).
One method for preparing 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (hexahydroterephthalyl alcohol) involves the hydrogenation of diethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate (diethyl hexahydroterephthalate) in a slurry phase reactor in the presence of a copper chromite catalyst at a pressure of 3000 psia (about 206.84 bar) and a temperature of 255.degree. C., as is described in Example 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,664. The yield is said to be 77.5%.
The hydrogenation of dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate (DMCD) to 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) is shown below in equation (1):- ##STR1## The two geometrical isomers of CHDM thus produced are: ##STR2##
The resulting 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol product is a mixture of these two isomers which have different melting points. As reported on page 9 of the book "Fiber Chemistry" edited by Menachem Lewis and Eli M. Pearce, published by Marcel Dekker, Inc.: "Both the alicyclic ester [i.e. dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate] and the alicyclic diol [i.e.1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol] exist in two isomeric forms, cis ... and trans ..., that are not interconvertible without bond rupture". The passage continues later: "Control of the [cis-:trans-] ratio is important [in 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol] since many polymer and fiber properties depend on it".
The cis-isomer of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol has a melting point of 43.degree. C. and the trans has a melting point of 67.degree. C. The higher melting point trans-isomer is often preferred over the cis-isomer for use as a reagent in the preparation of polyester and polyester-amides if a high melting point for such materials is considered desirable. As noted above, the trans-isomer of a typical polyester, such as trans-polycyclohexylmethyl terephthalate, has a higher melting point than the cis-isomer. Hence, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,435 discloses a polyester copolymer, the 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol content of which has a trans-isomer content of at least 80 mole %, and which has a high heat resistance. The preferment of trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol over cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol is also discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,090 and in GB-A988316.
A liquid phase process for the production of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol by plural stage hydrogenation of dimethyl terephthalate is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,149. This utilises a palladium catalyst to effect hydrogenation of dimethyl terephthalate to dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate, followed by use of a copper chromite catalyst in the liquid phase to catalyse the hydrogenation of that diester to 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. In the procedure described in Example 1 of that patent specification a residence time of about 40 to 50 minutes is used in the second stage of this process. The activity of the copper chromite catalysts recommended in U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,149 is such that long residence times are required.
In a liquid phase process for the production of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,149, the trans-:cis- isomer ratio of the product 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol will tend towards an equilibrium value. This equilibrium value has been reported variously and may lie between about 2.57:1 (trans-:cis- 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol) (as reported in GB-A-988316) and about 3:1 (as reported in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549). However, the starting material, dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate, is generally commercially obtainable as a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers wherein there is a preponderance of the cisisomer. Thus in a typical commercial grade of dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate the trans-:cis- isomer ratio is from about 0.5:1 to about 0.6:1. Moreover, the rate of approach to the equilibrium product composition during the hydrogenation process is slow in the liquid phase. Liquid phase hydrogenation of a typical commercial grade of dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate according to the teaching of the prior art therefore provides a process wherein the rate of approach to the appropriate trans-:cis- isomer equilibrium ratio for 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, reported to be about between 2.57:1 and about 3:1, is very slow. Hence in a commercial liquid phase process the requirement, in terms of operating and catalyst consumption costs, for high reactor throughput conflicts with the requirement for a product which contains a high proportion of the trans-isomer.
Attempts to deal with the problem of the presence of an excess of the less desirable cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol isomer in any process for 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol manufacture have focused on the isomerisation of the cis- isomer of cyclohexanedimethanol to the trans-isomer thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549 discloses a process for isomerising cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol to trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol which comprises heating cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol at a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. in the presence of an alkoxide of a lower atomic weight metal such as lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium or aluminium. However, the process of U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549 necessarily involves a two-stage process wherein the initial cis-/trans- 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol hydrogenation product is recovered from the hydrogenation zone and subjected to temperatures in excess of 200.degree. C. in the presence of a metal alkoxide catalyst under an atmosphere of nitrogen. The capital and operational costs associated with a plant designed to carry out the process taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549 would be undesirably high. Another disadvantage of such a plant is the associated hazard relating to the use of metal alkoxides as catalysts in the isomerisation zone. Such catalysts are required to effect the isomerisation, which is reported not to occur under typical hydrogenation conditions using hydrogenation catalysts such as copper/chrome or Raney nickel catalysts, according to the teaching of Example 11 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,549. Furthermore, steps would be required to prevent product contamination by the metal alkoxide catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,090 discloses a process for the isomerisation of cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol by distillation in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide or alkoxide at a temperature of between 150.degree. C. and 200.degree. C. and at a pressure of between 1 mm Hg and 50 mm Hg (between 1.33 millibar and 66.5 millibar). This process has very similar disadvantages to those of U.S. Pat. No. 2917549.
GB-A-988316 teaches a process for the preparation of trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol in which a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers of dimethyl hexahydroterephthalate (i.e. dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) is hydrogenated at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of a Cu/Zn catalyst. Trans-1,4-dimethylolcyclohexane (i.e. trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol) is separated by crystallisation from the reaction product and then the residual product, now enriched in cis-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, is recycled to the hydrogenation zone whereupon it undergoes isomerisation to a cis-/trans- 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol mixture. The recycle procedure may be repeated to obtain a 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol product containing the trans-isomer in substantial excess. However, the process according to GB-A-988316 is more preferably operated under conditions such that recycled cis-isomer enriched product is combined with fresh dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate feed on re-entry to the hydrogenation zone. The effectiveness of recycling the cis-isomer to the hydrogenation zone is largely a result of the dual function of the copper/zinc catalyst which possesses both a hydrogenating and an isomerising catalytic action. As would be expected from thermodynamic principles, the isomerising action is most effective when a mixture containing a preponderance of the cis-isomer is recycled to the hydrogenation zone. However, recycling the cis-isomer in this way is acknowledged to cause a new problem, that of the formation of unwanted by-products, such as 1-methyl-4-hydroxymethylcyclohexane, which may be formed by operating the hydrogenation reaction under too severe conditions. To minimise the formation of such by-products, the hydrogenation zone may be operated under "relatively mild conditions", according to the teaching of GB-A-988316 (see, for example page 2, lines 55 to 79 of GB-A-988316). However, such mild conditions reduce the achieved conversion of dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate with the result that, for any one pass through the hydrogenation zone, a significant quantity of dimethyl hexahydroterephthalate (dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate) remains unconverted. By the term "relatively mild conditions" is meant a temperature of at least 200.degree. C., preferably between 240.degree. C. and 300.degree. C., and a pressure of 200 to 300 atmospheres (202.65 bar to 303.98 bar), according to page 2, lines 26 to 32 of GB-A988316. The use of such high pressures at these elevated temperatures can be hazardous, besides requiring reactors with thick walls and flanges of special alloy constructed to withstand such extreme pressures. Hence it is expensive to construct a plant to operate at pressures as high as envisaged in GB-A-988316. Furthermore it is potentially hazardous to operate a plant operating at 200 atmospheres (202.65 bar) or above, as well as being very expensive, not only in terms of the capital cost of the plant but also with regard to operating costs. A substantial proportion of this capital cost is associated with the rigorous safety precautions that must be taken when operating a high pressure conventional commercial scale hydrogenation plant. It is also expensive to compress gaseous streams to such high pressures and to circulate them through the plant.
Although there is a passing reference (see page 1, line 84 of GB-A-988316) to use of "the gaseous phase", even at temperatures of 300.degree. C. both cis- and trans- dimethyl hexahydroterephthalate would be in the liquid phase at pressures of 200 to 300 atmospheres (202.65 bar to 303.98 bar) at the hydrogen:ester ratio envisaged in the Examples. Thus in each of the Examples of GB-A-988316 liquid phase conditions are used. According to Example 4, which uses a feed mixture containing dimethyl hexahydroterephthalate (i.e. 1,4-dimethyl cyclohexanedicarboxylate), and methanol such as might be used in a recycling process, the isomers present in the diol in the hydrogenation product are stated to represent an equilibrium mixture of about 72% of the trans- and about 28% of the cis-isomer, i.e. a trans-:cisratio of about 2.57:1.
It is known to effect hydrogenation of certain esters and diesters in the vapour phase. For example it has been proposed to use a reduced copper oxide/zinc oxide catalyst for effecting hydrogenation of esters in the vapour phase. In this connection attention is directed to GB-B2116552. Also of relevance is WO-A-90/8121.
It is further known to produce diols, such as butane-1,4-diol, by catalytic hydrogenation of esters of dicarboxylate acids, such as a dimethyl or diethyl ester of maleic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, or a mixture of two or more thereof. Such processes are described, for example, in GB-A-1454440, GB-A-1464263, DE-A-2719867, U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,458, and U.S. Pat. No. 4172961.
Production of butane-1,4-diol by vapour phase hydrogenation of a diester, typically a dialkyl ester, of a C.sub.4 dicarboxylic acid selected from maleic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, and a mixture of two or more thereof has been proposed. In such a process the diester is conveniently a di-(C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl) ester, such as dimethyl or diethyl maleate, fumarate, or succinate. A further description of such a process can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,419, EP-A-0143634, WO-A-86/03189, WO-A-86/07358, and WO-A-88/00937.
In all of the above-mentioned vapour phase processes the esters or diesters all have a vapour pressure which is high compared to the vapour pressure of dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol.

Preparation of cyclohexanedimethanol with a particular ratio


The present invention provides a method of treatment of irritation of skin or mucous cells. The method comprises applying topically a composition comprising a combination of: xylitol, myonisotiol or mannitol or any combination of these; glycerol and/or urea; water; in the absence of any oil in water or wax in water emulsion.

The present invention provides a new combination of topically active substances, for the prevention and alleviation of cell damage, caused by preservatives, detergents or drugs, used in topical pharmaceutical, cosmetic or veterinary compositions.
Many substances are applied topically to the skin or mucous membranes of humans or animals in order to alter the subject's appearance, to protect the subject from the environment, or to produce a biological change in the skin or other tissue for therapeutic, preventive or cosmetic purposes. These substances may generically be termed "topical products" and include such topically applied substances as cosmetics, over-the-counter and prescription topical drugs, and a variety of other products such as soaps and detergents.
Topical products occur in a variety of forms, including solids, liquids, suspensions, semisolids (such as creams, gels, pastes or "sticks"), powders or finely dispersed liquids such as sprays or mists. Examples of topical products commonly classified as "cosmetics" include skin care products such as creams, lotions, moisturizers and "treatment cosmetics" such as exfoliants and/or skin cell renewal agents; fragrances such as perfumes and colognes, and deodorants; shaving-related products such as creams, "bracers" and aftershaves; depilatories and other hair removal products; skin cleansers, toners and astringents; pre-moistened wipes and washcloths; tanning lotions; bath products such as oils; eye care products such as eye lotions and makeup removers; foot care products such as powders and sprays; skin colorant and make-up products such as foundations, blushes, rouges, eye shadows and liners, lip colors and mascaras; lip balms and sticks; hair care and treatment products such as shampoos, conditioners, colorants, dyes, bleaches, straighteners and permanent wave products; baby products such as baby lotions, oils, shampoos, powders and wet wipes; feminine hygiene products such as deodorants and douches; skin or facial peels applied by dermatologists or cosmeticians; and others. Examples of topical products commonly classified as "topical drugs" are many and varied, and include over-the-counter and/or prescription products such as antiperspirants, insect repellents, sunscreens and sunburn treatments, anti-acne agents, antibiotics, topical respiratory agents, ocular drugs such as eyedrops and saline solutions, therapeutic retinoids, anti-dandruff agents, external analgesics such as capsaicin products, topical contraceptives, topical drug delivery systems, gastrointestinal agents such as suppositories, enemas and hemorrhoid treatments, reproductive system agents such as vaginal treatments, oral treatments such as lozenges, and many other products with therapeutic or other effects. Other topical products include hand, facial and body soaps and detergents and other forms of skin cleansers, as well as household detergents and many other household products such as solvents, propellants, polishes, lubricants, adhesives, waxes and others which are either applied topically or are topically exposed to the body during normal use.
In a large number of cases topical products contain chemicals which may produce "irritation," including various inflammation symptoms or signs, when applied to the skin or mucosa. The present invention is directed to compositions for inhibiting the irritation associated with such topical products.
The occurrence, frequency and nature of topical-product-induced irritation often varies from user to user. The severity of irritation to the susceptible user may range from subclinical to mild to severe. Typical symptoms of "irritation" include itching (pruritus), stinging, burning, tingling, "tightness," erythema (redness) or edema (swelling). The irritation response may be due to the direct effect on the skin of certain topical product chemicals or to a response by the immune system directed toward the chemicals alone or in combination with skin components (e.g. antigens).
Many ingredients used in topical products are known irritants or are potentially irritating, especially to people with "sensitive skin". These irritating ingredients include fragrances, preservatives, solvents, propellants and many other ingredients that might otherwise be considered inert components of the products. Additionally, many topical product active ingredients, including chemicals that may also be classified as drugs, produce irritation when applied to the skin. These include, but are not limited to, such ingredients as exfoliants and skin cell renewal agents, anti-acne drugs, antiperspirant compounds, antihistamines, anti-inflammatory agents, skin protective agents, insect repellent chemicals, sunscreens and many others. Where more than one chemical irritant is present, their irritating effects may be additive. Furthermore, chemical ingredients may react with one another, or in the environment of the skin, to form new chemicals which are irritating. The vehicles in which the active drug ingredients are formulated may also produce irritation in sensitive people.
Whatever the exact cause of irritation, many attempts have been made to reduce the irritation potential of topical products by identifying chemicals which tend to cause irritation and reducing their concentration or eliminating them from the products. Many of these products are advertised to consumers as "hypoallergenic" or the like to designate a product's reduced tendency to cause irritation in consumers with sensitive skin. Many skin and mucosal irritation responses, however, are not allergic in origin. In any event, it is often not feasible or practical to identify or eliminate all of the irritating chemical(s), particularly when the irritating chemical(s) are the active ingredient of the product or are required for formulation, preservative or other functional reasons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective topical composition, for combating damaging effects of irritants to mucous and skin cells.
The present invention relates to topical compositions for combating damaging effects of preservatives or other irritants, found, e.g. in multi-dose eye drops, to mucous cells, especially in the corneal cells and simultaneously beneficial to those tissues. It was found that glycerol counteracts corneal cell damage caused by preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, etc. Not all the polyhydroxy compounds have such anti-irritant properties. Moreover, it is known that isotonic sodium chloride is toxic to the corneal cells, whereas isotonic glycerol is not toxic. (Follmann, P. et. al. Szemeszet 141, 305-308, 2004.)
In addition two physicochemical parameters are very important for a good topical composition: increased viscosity and increased spread of the solution.
Increased viscosity is achieved by high molecular weight (equal to more than 0.5 million Dalton) polymers. Increased spread is achieved by surface active agents, however after chronic use the surface active agents usually have damaging effects. (See Animal Studies, a).
It has now been found according to the present invention that all of the above mentioned problems of irritation by preservatives, detergents and other cell damaging agents disappear, and the beneficial effects are preserved or increased, by using a combination of xylitol, myoinositol or mannitol with glycerol and/or urea, preferably together with a surface active agent.
The advantages resulting from the addition of a surface active agent include a decrease in the surface tension of the aqueous solution, thereby increasing the spread. Thus it has now been found, that polysorbate 90 even at a concentration of 0.002% increases the diminished Break Up Time (BUT) in dry eye patients. (It is accepted that 10 sec. or less BUT indicates dry eye syndrome) (See Human Studies 1).
Thus, according to the present invention there are now provided topical pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions for the prevention and treatment of irritation of mucous cells, or skin cells, comprising a combination of:
xylitol, myoinositol or mannitol or any combination of these;
glycerol and/or urea;
water;
in the absence of any oil in water or wax in water emulsion.
The present invention provides topical pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions for the prevention and treatment of irritation of mucous cells, comprising a combination of:
1.5-5.5% xylitol, myoinositol or mannitol or any combination of these;
0.9-2.0% glycerol;
less than 0.01% inorganic salts;
water;
in the absence of any oil in water or wax in water emulsion.
The present invention further provides topical pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions, for the prevention and treatment of irritation of skin cells, comprising a combination of:
5-18% xylitol, myoinositol or mannitol or any combination of these;
5-10% glycerol and/or urea;
water;
in the absence of any oil in water or wax in water emulsion.
More specifically the present invention preferably provides a non-irritant topical cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for mucous cells or for the skin, as defined above, for the prevention of cell damage caused by preservatives, detergents or drugs in topically used cosmetic, pharmaceutical or veterinary compositions.
In especially preferred embodiments of the present invention there is provided a non-irritant topical cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for mucous cells or for the skin, as defined above, further comprising at least one pharmaceutically active agent in solution, or in suspension but not in emulsion.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention there is provided a non-irritant topical cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for mucous cells or for the skin, as defined above, further comprising at least one viscosity enhancing agent.
While the invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments in the following examples so that aspects thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated, it is not intended to limit the invention of these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the following examples which include preferred embodiments will serve to illustrate the practice of this invention, it being understood that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of preferred embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of proving what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of formulation procedures as well as of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of treatment of irritation of skin or mucous cells

RESDEVCO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.


A solution how to calculate locations scores that depict the quality of specific locations as an installation point of an access point is disclosed. To calculate a location score a network planning area is divided into location topology cells, and in each location topology cell a plurality of predefined metrics that take into account environment are calculated. Then the metrics are converted into metric scores, and from the metric scores a location score for a location topology cell is calculated. Further, a solution in which final positions of access points are determined in a two-step procedure is disclosed. Firstly, initial positions are determined based on received planning information. Then final positions are determined starting from the initial positions and using both planning information and location scores.

A typical wireless network includes plurality of access points providing wireless access. There are a wide variety of network planning tools available for wireless network planning and design to create, based on requirements given by a user and information on a physical environment, network plans that indicate where to place access points, and possibly also how to configure the access points to provide wireless access fulfilling the requirements.
Network planning tools are configured to start from an initial network plan that defines access point positions and parameters for radios the access points contain, and to modify the network plan iteratively using at least one of an objective function estimating how good the plan is and/or a set of requirements for capacity and/or coverage that need to be fulfilled. When the set of requirements is used, the iterative modifying of the network plan continues until all the requirements in the set are fulfilled. When the objective function is used, the iterative modifying of the network plan continues until a better network plan, judged by the objective function, is not found. If both the set of requirements and the objective function are used, the iterative modifying of the network plan continues until a plan filling all the requirements in the set that is the best based on the objective function is found. However, the set of requirements does not take into account the environment, and in order to find the best plan within reasonable time, the objective functions used are rather simple and do not cover the exact positions of access points with enough detail to provide the optimum final positions of access points.
A position of each access point has a paramount importance for the operation and performance of a network, and a small change in an access point's position may have a huge impact, for the operation and performance. When deciding final positions of the access points signal propagation, interference, and obstacles, such as structures, and the like, affecting to signal propagation in an environment where the network is to be built, should be taken into account.

Selection tool for access point positions


In a tape cassette 10 in which a mouth portion 21 opened in forward and up-and-down directions is provided at the front portion of a cassette shell 20 accommodating therein tape reels 40 and 50 having a magnetic tape 30 wound therearound, a part of the magnetic tape is located so as to traverse the front end of the mouth portion, and a front lid 60 for covering the front side of the magnetic tape is provided, a slider 80 is provided so as to be freely movable forwardly and downwardly, each side surface portion of the slider along the side surface of the front lid has a lid-support portion 83 at the front-end portion thereof and a main-surface portion 82 located so as to be farther outward than the lid-support portion, the front lid has a front-surface portion 61 covering the front surface of the tape-shaped recording medium, and side-surface portions 62 projecting backwardly from both the ends of said front surface portion, the side surface portions being freely-rotatably supported to the lid-support portion of the slider, and the front-end portions of the slider and the side-surface portions of the front lid have overlap portions 62c and 82b which are overlapped with each other in the right-and-left direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel tape cassette, and, more particularly, to an improvement in the structure of a tape cassette in which step portions formed on the side surface portions of the tape cassette can be made small and also a smooth opening/closing operation of the front lid can be performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In connection with the enhancement of the recording density in a tape cassette field, there has been developed and known such a technique that a part of a tape-shaped recording medium exposed from a cassette shell to the outside is covered by a cover member called a xe2x80x9clidxe2x80x9d when a tape cassette is not used, thereby preventing dusts, oil and other foreign matter from adhering to the exposed part of the tape-shaped recording medium.
In such a tape cassette in which a tape-shaped recording medium located so as to pass through the front side of a mouth portion that is provided to the front portion of a cassette shell and opened in forward and up-and-down directions is covered by a front lid at the front side thereof and the tape-shaped recording medium is exposed to the outside by rotating the front lid upwardly by substantially 90 degrees when the tape cassette is used, members to be arranged in the mouth portion suffer various restrictions when the tape cassette is used because the upper side of the mouth portion is closed by the front lid. Therefore, as a technique of solving this problem, a slider is equipped to the cassette shell so as to be freely movable forwardly and backwardly, the front lid is freely-rotatably mounted to the front-end portions of the slider, and the front lid is upwardly swung while the slider is backwardly moved when the lid is opened, thereby preventing the front lid from stopping at the upper side the mouth portion (see FIG. 26).
In such a case where a slider a is merely equipped to a cassette shell b so as to be freely movable forwardly and backwardly and the front lid c is merely freely-rotatably fixed to the front end portions of the slider a when the front lid is mounted on the slider, when the tape cassette d is required to be designed so that the distance between the front-end portions thereof is equal to the distance between the rear-end portions, that is, the lateral (exe2x80x94e) width of the front lid c is set to be equal to the lateral width (fxe2x80x94f) of the rear face of the cassette shell b, a large step g occurs between each rear-end portion f of the cassette shell b and each slide surface portion of the cassette shell b along which the slider a is slid because each outer-side surface of the slider a is located farther inwardly than the side-surface portion e of the front lid c by an amount corresponding to at least the thickness of the side surface portion e of the front lid c.
When the tape cassette d thus constructed is inserted into a holder h to mount the tape cassetted at a predetermined mount position of a recording/reproducing apparatus, there would occur such an accident that step g is unintentionally hooked to a corner of the cassette entrance of the holder h or the like if the insertion orientation of the tape cassette is slightly inclined or the like (see FIG. 26).
Therefore, the present invention has an object to make small the steps of the side-surface portions of the tape cassette (i.e., reduce the height of the steps) and, also, to enable the opening/closing operation of the front lid to be smoothly carried out.
In order to solve the above problem, according to the tape cassette of the present invention, a slider is provided so as to be freely movable forwardly and downwardly; each side surface portion of the slider along the side surface of the front lid has a lid-support portion at the front-end portion thereof and a main-surface portion located outside of the lid-support portion; the front-lid has a front-surface portion covering the front surface of the tape-shaped recording medium and side-surface portions projecting backwardly from both the ends of the front-surface portion, the side surface portions being freely rotatably supported to the lid-support portion of the slider; and the front-end portions of the slider and the side-surface portions of the front lid have overlap portions which are overlapped with each other in the right-and-left direction.
Accordingly, in the tape cassette of the present invention, the main surface portions of the slider are located so as to be farther outwardly projected than the lid support portions thereof, and thus the corresponding slide portions of the side surfaces of the cassette shell along which the main surface portions of the slider are slid are located so as to be farther outwardly projected than those of the prior art. Therefore, the step occurring between each rear-end portion and each slide portion can be reduced. Further, the overlap portions are provided to the front-end portions of the main-surface portions of the slider and the side-surface portions of the front lid so as to be overlapped with each other in the right-and-left direction, Therefore, the overlap portions of the front lid are guided by the overlap portions of the slider during rotation of the front lid, so that the opening/closing operation of the front lid is smoothly carried out.

Tape cassette having lid and slider overlapping portions


An executable interactive program is combined with audio/video data for transmission. The program is divided into modules, similar to computer files, and a Directory Module is created which links program modules. Security for the executable application is provided by attaching a signed certificate to respective Directory Modules. The integrity of respective modules is monitored by hashing respective modules and including respective hash values in the Directory Module. A hash value of the Directory Module containing the other hash values is generated, encrypted and attached to the Directory Module. At a receiver the certificate is decoded and checked for authenticity of provider. If the certificate is authentic the program may be executed but only if receiver generated hash values of respective program modules are identical to corresponding hash values contained in the Directory Module.

Interactive television (TV) systems are known from for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,654. Interactive television systems typically involve the transmission of programming and/or control data (hereafter PC-data), as well as audio and video information, to respective receiving apparatus. The receiving apparatus decodes the PC-data, and applies it to some type of control apparatus for automatic use by the receiver or selective use by the user of the receiver. The control apparatus may take the form of a computer, for example, and the use may include downloading selective e.g., financial data for subsequent user manipulation.
As envisioned herein, information in the interactive television system (ITVS) is transmitted in compressed digital form. The receiving end of the system includes an integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for receiving and decompressing the transmitted information and providing decoded audio, video and PC-data to respective processors. The audio and video processors may be audio and video reproduction devices or a television receiver and the PC-data processor may be a computer. Ideally the system will only provide well tested PC-data provided by authorized service providers, and under such conditions there is little likelihood of transmitted information actually damaging respective receivers. However, if a large number of service providers are authorized to use the system, it becomes vulnerable to a) invasion by unauthorized users and intentional infliction of damage to system users, and b) careless preparation of PC-data and consequent unintentional damage to system users. The ability to broadcast PC-data to tens of thousands of IRD's simultaneously, multiplies the potential disruption that may be inflicted by ill behaved software many fold. Thus there is a need for measures to assure protection of respective ITVS receivers from both ill behaved and unauthorized PC-data.

Apparatus and method for authenticating transmitting applications in an interactive TV system


A method of nested maximum space computation is used for the processing of shapes in design data for integrated circuits and printed circuit electronic packages. This method determines the complement of a design level without unnecessary flattening or denesting thereby reducing the processing time and the volume of the output data. Native shapes are first expanded by one-half the maximum space ground rule value to get the expanded native shapes. The nested shape complementation method is applied to the expanded native shapes to get the error candidate shapes. The error candidate shapes indicate areas that are possible violations. Next, the expanded native shapes are subtracted from the error candidate shapes to get the real error shapes. The nested shape complementation method finds the regions between shapes in a hierarchical design without denesting. For each cell that does not have transforms of other cells, the nested shape complementation method finds the cell's proper frame and uses that frame and the cell's native shapes to create complemented shapes. For each cell with transforms of other cells, the nested shape complementation method finds the cell's proper frame and uses that frame, the cell's native shapes, and its transformed cell's frames to create complemented shapes. The complemented shapes are added to the cell as native shapes on a new design level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the design and manufacture of integrated circuits and printed-circuit electronic packages whose structures consist of several layers of conducting, insulating and other materials that are structured in the horizontal dimension by fabrication processes and, more particularly, to a method of computing a maximum space restriction between shapes and generating shape complements without denesting the hierarchical data structure that defines the shapes, thereby considerably reducing the output data and the consequent processing time.
2. Background Description
Semiconductor integrated circuits and printed circuit electronic packages are generally structures consisting of several layers of conducting, insulating and other materials that are structured in the horizontal dimension by fabrication processes that transfer patterns defined in physical designs or layouts. These physical designs or layouts are typically represented as computer data consisting of two dimensional shapes in a hierarchical data structure that exploit the repetitive structure usually found in such circuits and packages. Some physical rule checking or shapes processing involves the distance or area between shapes. In particular, some integrated circuit chip processes impose a "maximum space" restriction between shapes on some fabrication layers. While minimum space methods are well established, the maximum space computation is difficult.
In some cases, the action of the fabrication processes is affected by the design patterns being transferred to the physical materials. For example, the local pattern density of the design, i.e., the fraction of area over which material is deposited (or removed) can affect the shapes and dimensions of features, with the "locality extent" dependent on the specific fabrication process. As a specific example, this can occur in reactive ion etching (RIE), in which an excess in local pattern density (meaning that less material is to be etched away) causes nearby pattern features to be too small (i.e., "overetched") due to relatively high concentration of etchants. This effect appears to act at a length scale of hundreds of micrometers to millimeters. Other processes that may be affected by local pattern density include lithographic patterning of resist materials and chemical-mechanical (so called "chemech") polishing (CMP).
The standard process for verifying maximum spacing of structures in the design has been to work on the design in flattened, or denested, form. An efficient representation for rule checking or shapes processing is to determine the complement of the designed shapes, which is then used for subsequent processing. The standard process for creating the complement of a design level is again to flatten, or denest, the shapes and subtract (complement) them from a frame. The problems with those methods which denest the hierarchical design data are as follows:
Every instance of every shape must be handled, which consumes computer processing time. PA1 The result of the operation, a complemented design level, contains too much data to process efficiently.
Thus, what is needed is a maximum space computation method which processes the design data without denesting and an efficient generation of shape complementation, again without denesting the design data.

Nested maximum space computation and efficient generation of nested shape complementation

International Business Machines Corporation


A front plate adapter panel container television and telephone hookups can be factory-installed or field-installed within existing metallic power pedestal enclosures to provide such telephone and television facility along with electric power facility. A weather-tight luminaire adapter unit is attached to the top surface of such power pedestals to provide illumination to the electrical components contained within the power pedestal enclosure as well as to provide "stumble lighting" to the ground area in the immediate vicinity of the power pedestal.

Power pedestals used within marinas and trailer parks to provide temporary electric hookup are economically fabricated from sheet metal enclosures that usually contain a hinged metal cover that allows access to the circuit breakers and power cable sockets while affording protection to the components under inclement weather conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,762 entitled "Meter Power Distribution Apparatus for Mobile Homes with a Detachable Front Panel for Power Outlet Fittings" describes one such metal power pedestal that includes power meters along with the circuit breakers and electrical power receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,436 entitled "Power Distribution Center" describes a metal power pedestal that further includes a lamp on the top of the enclosure for area illumination in the vicinity of the power pedestal.
A more recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,182 entitled "Modular Plastic Power-Light Pedestal Enclosure" discloses a plastic enclosure that includes television, telephone connections, circuit breakers and power receptacles along with a lamp for area illumination.
The modular plastic power-light pedestal enclosure is ideal for new installations in view of the excellent weather resistance of the plastic material and access to such a wide range of facilities within a common enclosure. However, in some applications such as with large trailer parks and marinas, the additional expense requirements with such plastic power-light pedestal enclosures would not economically justify replacement of existing metal power pedestals which adequately provide electric circuit protection as well as metering. It would be economically advantageous, to provide such existing metal power pedestals with television, telephone and lighting facilities by means of an adapter that can be either factory-installed or field-installed at a moderate cost.
One purpose of the invention accordingly, is to provide such an adapter to existing metal power pedestals for television and telephone connections. A further purpose of the invention is to provide a lighting luminaire adapter that can also be factory-installed or field-installed on existing metal power pedestals to provide such lighting at a moderate cost.

Power pedestal having television, telephone and luminaire adapter unit


A caster wheel assembly for a wheeled device, such as a wheelchair, includes a housing suitable for connection to a wheeled device, a caster fork configured to mount a caster wheel for rotation, and a caster bolt connected to the caster fork and inserted into the housing for rotation within the housing. Also included is a damping insert applying a biasing force between the caster bolt and the housing to dampen the rotation of the caster bolt with respect to the housing.

Wheelchairs are well known forms of transportation for increasing the mobility of the physically impaired. Wheelchairs are typically relatively small, single-person conveyances that generally comprise a seat supported by a frame which, in turn, is supported by two opposed drive wheels and two front casters. Other arrangements of casters are found on wheelchairs, including rear caster wheels and front and rear anti-tip wheels. One of the problems of caster wheels is that they sometimes oscillate rapidly when the wheelchair is moving, thereby causing annoyance to the wheelchair user. It would be advantageous if there could be developed an improved caster that moderates the oscillating or fluttering phenomenon.

Caster wheel assembly with anti-flutter control


A pulsed laser comprises a laser rod (6), and is pumped by diode array (3) selected such that with additional components (7, 9) only a maximum of two longitudinal modes are generated between mirror (1) and output coupler (2). By slow Q-switching Q-switch (9) hoped to get a single longitudinal mode output pulse. However if on the onset of the relaxation pulse mode beating is detected by detector (28), indicating that two longitudinal modes are present, then the optical path length of the resonator is changed by quarter of one wave length, by applying an electrical signal to a pulse length control means (10), such that one of the modes is suppressed prior to the Q-switch being fully opened. The output may be amplified by amplifier arrangement (24).

This invention relates to a laser for providing a single longitudinal mode (SLM) output.
A laser resonator can sustain waves which have any integral number of half wavelengths. These discrete frequencies of oscillation are known as modes of the resonator. In principle all mode frequencies which lie within the gain bandwidth of the laser medium can oscillate. Usually lasers run on many modes simultaneously, they are multi-transverse and multi-longitudinal modes. Each mode starts from noise (spontaneous emission), a random thermal like process. Initially the mode intensities grow exponentially with time and each mode competes with its neighbours for the available gain. This fierce competition leads to the suppression of weak modes, those that see low net gain or which started with low intensity. The modes nearest the gain centre see the highest gain and reach the saturating intensity first. This line narrowing process can be enhanced by lengthening the build-up time of the oscillation in order to allow more time for mode competition. Etalons and other interferometric techniques are also used to introduce additional losses on unwanted modes. However getting a high gain solid state laser, such as Neodymium: YAG or YLF, to run SLM is still difficult and it has previously been found necessary to ensure the oscillator also runs in a single transverse mode.
The present inventors have established that a diode pumped end pumped Neodymium master oscillator will run TEMoo and SLM. This is discussed in the paper: Single Frequency, end pumped Nd:YLF laser excited by a 12 mJ diode-laser array: Optical Letters; Dec. 1, 1992, Vol. 17, No. 23, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by way of reference. The SLM performance is achieved by slow Q-switching and cavity length control and by pumping the oscillator at low level (1 mJ output). The single mode which oscillates is generally that which is closest to the centre of the gain bandwidth (line centre). However this mode has been found to be unstable as the environment changes, and the mode frequency drifts away from line centre until two longitudinal modes occur.
An extension to the technique of "pre-lase" Q-switching which ensures that a TEMoo mode, Q-switched NdYAG laser produces SLM oscillation on every shot is disclosed in Optics Communications, 43 (1982) 6, pages 414-418. This discloses monitoring the pre-lase output and only opening the Q-switch when SLM oscillation is detected, relying on the heat generated in the lasing medium in conjunction with the coefficient of expansion of the lasing medium to perform a resonator length sweep with a sufficient shift in path length to ensure that SLM oscillation is present at some point during the sweep, normally within the period in which four or five pre-lase pulses occur. The document also discloses including an actuator to physically alter the path length of the resonator if the coefficient of expansion of the laser medium is not sufficient.


A ceramic matrix composite component for a power generation system includes a ceramic foam core and a ceramic matrix composite material surrounding at least a portion of the ceramic foam core. The ceramic foam core remains in place during operation of the component in the power generation system. Additionally, a method of forming the ceramic matrix composite component is provided.

Silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials have been proposed as materials for certain components of gas turbine engines, such as the turbine blades and vanes. Various methods are known for fabricating SiC-based CMC components, including melt infiltration (MI), chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) and polymer pyrolysis (PIP) processes. Though these fabrication techniques significantly differ from each other, each involves the use of tooling or dies to produce a near-net-shape part through a process that includes the application of heat at various processing stages. As with turbine blades and vanes formed of more conventional superalloy materials, CMC blades and vanes are primarily equipped with cavities and cooling passages for two main reasons one to reduce weight which reduces centrifugal load and secondly to reduce their operating temperatures. These features are typically formed in CMC components using a combination of removable and expendable tooling.
The external contours of hollow CMC components are typically formed using removable tooling that can be reused in most cases. Internal cavities can also be formed using removable tooling, though conventional silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) cores widely used with investment casting methods that have also been used.
Silica and alumina cores require removal with a leaching compound, including salts, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and alkalis such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). In some cases, the exposed surfaces of a metal investment casting are coated with a masking material to prevent surface attack by the leaching compound—the internal surfaces of the casting cannot be masked due to the presence of the core. As a result, the critical external surfaces of the casting are protected, while less critical internal surfaces are subject to mild attack by the leaching compound. However, leaching compounds conventionally used to remove silica cores from investment castings aggressively attack many CMC materials, and particularly those (that contain silicon and boron, typically in the form of SiC and boron nitride (BN), respectively. Accordingly, attempts to remove silica cores from CMC components susceptible to attack by leaching compounds suffer unacceptable attack of its internal surfaces, which reduces the structural integrity of the CMC component.
Therefore, a CMC component and a method of forming a ceramic matrix composite for a power generation systems that do not suffer from the above drawbacks is desirable in the art.

CMC component, power generation system and method of forming a CMC component


A semiconductor device is provided which includes a semiconductor substrate (10), an ONO film (16) provided on the semiconductor substrate (10), and a bit line (14) formed in the semiconductor substrate (10) and connected to a contact (34) provided on the bit line (14), the semiconductor substrate (10) having trench isolation regions (50) provided at both sides of the bit line (14), the contact (34) being interposed between the trench isolation regions (50). Accordingly, even if the bit line (14) and the contact (34) is overlapped in a misaligned manner in a direction vertical to the bit line (14), the leakage current does not flow between the bit line (14) and the semiconductor substrate (10) via the contact (34), because the contact (34) is formed on the trench isolation region (50). This makes it possible to make the overlapping margin of the bit line (14) and the contact (34) large, thereby providing a semiconductor device in which the memory cell can be downsized.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to semiconductors and fabrication methods therefor and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device having an Oxide Nitride Oxide (ONO) film and a fabrication method for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, non-volatile memory semiconductor devices, in which data is rewritable, have been widely used. In the technical field of such non-volatile memories, developments downsizing the memory cells are being promoted to obtain higher storage capacity.
As non-volatile memories, floating-gate flash memories, in which the charge is stored in a floating gate, have been widely used. However, when the memory cell is downsized to realize high memory density in recent years, the internal voltage must necessarily be lowered, resulting in a requirement to reduce the thickness of the tunnel oxide film thereof. However, reducing the thickness of the tunnel oxide film increases the leakage current flowing across such film. In addition, defects introduced into the tunnel oxide film cause a problem in reliability that results in loss of the charge stored in the floating gate.
To address this problem, there have been developed flash memories having an Oxide/Nitride/Oxide (ONO) film such as a Metal Oxide Nitride Oxide Silicon (MONOS) or Silicon Oxide Nitride Oxide Silicon (SONOS). These are a type of flash memory in which the charge is stored in silicon nitride film, also known as a trapping layer, interposed between two silicon oxide films. In this type of flash memory, the charge is stored in the silicon nitride film which serves as an insulating film. Therefore, even if there is a defect in the tunnel oxide film, charge loss is minimized, unlike floating-gate type flash memories. A flash memory having an ONO film is described in, for example, Boaz Eitan et al., Electron Device Letters, Vol. 21, No. 11, pp. 543-545(2000) (hereinafter referred to as Non-Patent Document 1).
A description will next be given, with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, of a flash memory having a conventional ONO film and the fabrication method thereof (hereinafter, referred to as a conventional technique). The flash memory includes a memory cell region and a peripheral circuit region. FIG. 1 is a top view of the memory cell region in accordance with the conventional technique (a protection film 32, an interlayer insulating film 30, an interconnection 34, and an ONO film 16 are not shown), and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B′ shown in FIG. 2. A bit line 14 is provided in a given region of a P-type silicon semiconductor substrate 10. As the ONO film 16, there are provided a silicon oxide film serving as the tunnel oxide film, a silicon nitride film serving as the trapping layer, and another silicon oxide film serving as the top oxide film, on the semiconductor substrate 10. A polysilicon film is formed in a given region on the ONO film 16 as a word line 20 to be a gate of a core cell.
In a bit line connecting region 42, the bit line 14 and the interconnection 34 are connected via a contact hole 40 provided in the interlayer insulating film 30. One bit line connecting region 42 is provided at intervals of multiple word lines 20. To downsize the memory cell, the distance between the bit lines must be narrowed and the distance between the word lines, including the bit line connecting region 42, must also be narrowed.
The conventional technique, however, has a problem in that the distance between the bit lines are hard to downsize because the overlapping margin of the bit line 14 and the contact hole 40 has to be ensured during exposure. Referring now to FIG. 5, a description will be given of a related problem caused by a misaligned overlapping of the bit line 14 and the contact hole 40 during exposure in a direction vertical to the bit line 14. FIG. 5 is a view showing a case where the contact hole 40 is not aligned with the bit line 14 in a left-hand direction. In a region represented by a reference numeral 55, the contact hole 40 is in touch with the P-type silicon semiconductor substrate 10. This contact in the region 55 allows leakage current to flow between the bit line 14 and the semiconductor substrate 10 via the contact hole 40. To prevent this leakage, an overlapping margin of the bit line 14 and the contact hole 40 during exposure is assured and then the width of the bit line 14 and the distance between the bit lines 14 are determined. Yet, assuring the overlapping margin makes it difficult to decrease the distance between the bit lines 14.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method therefor


An absorbent article is provided with a central region which is selectively stretchable in the longitudinal direction, and two end regions adjacent to the central region which are selectively stretchable in the lateral direction. When employed as a garment, such as a disposable diaper or pant-like absorbent garment, the central region provides selective longitudinal (front-to-back) stretching in the crotch area of the wearer, and the two end regions provide selective lateral (side-to-side) stretching in the front and back waist areas of the wearer.

This invention is directed to an absorbent article having longitudinal stretchability in a central region and lateral stretchability in two end regions.
It is known to make absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers and pant-like absorbent garments, using stretchable materials. Some absorbent articles are rendered stretchable by placing elastic bands in the waist and leg regions, and otherwise employing inelastic construction materials. In some instances, absorbent articles have employed elastic or otherwise stretchable materials in constructing the primary layers. This approach has been limited because most absorbent articles include, at minimum, a liquid-permeable top layer, an absorbent core composite, and a substantially liquid impermeable outer cover material. The use of an elastic or stretchable material in one or more layers will not render the absorbent article stretchable unless each and every layer can be made from a similarly stretchable material. Often, the absorbent composite in the core is the least stretchable of the layers, and tears when the top layer and outer cover materials can be stretched to a greater degree.
Stretchable absorbent articles are disclosed, for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,878, issued to Dragoo et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,542, issued to Anjur et al. In the disclosed articles, all of the layers are stretchable. Other stretchable absorbent articles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,134 and 5,376,198, both issued to Fahrenkrug et al. In these articles, some of the layers are more stretchable than others. The less stretchable layers form rugosites upon relaxation.
During actual use of absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers and pant-like absorbent garments, there is a greater need for a lateral stretch in the waist regions, and a greater need for a longitudinal stretch in the central xe2x80x9ccrotchxe2x80x9d region. Absorbent articles which stretch uniformly in all directions at all locations will accommodate the desired stretching, but will also stretch in directions and regions where no stretching is desired. There is a need or desire for an absorbent article which stretches only in selected directions in selected regions, as needed.
The present invention is directed to an absorbent article having a central region between two end regions. The absorbent article is selectively stretchable in a longitudinal direction in the central region, and is selectively stretchable in a lateral direction (i.e., a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) in the two end regions. The absorbent article is particularly suitable for diapers and pant-like absorbent garments, where lateral stretching in the waist regions and longitudinal stretching in the crotch region are desirable. The absorbent article is also suitable for use in any other absorbent application where these selective stretching properties are desired.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and advantage of the invention to provide an absorbent article having selective stretching in different regions, wherein the degree and direction of stretching correspond to parameters which are ideal for each region.
It is also a feature and advantage of the invention to provide a disposable diaper that is selectively stretchable longitudinally in the central region, and laterally in the two end regions.
It is also a feature and advantage of the invention to provide a pant-like absorbent garment that is selectively stretchable longitudinally in the central region, and laterally in the two end regions.
The foregoing and other features and advantages will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the drawings.

Absorbent article having zoned directional stretching


The present invention falls into the field of methods and devices for identifying the various phases of the ionization current during combustion in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine.

It is known that this identification is utilised to maximise the efficiency of the catalytic converters of said engines to maintain the concentration of exhaust gases of said engines in proximity to a set value, to monitor the air/combustible ratio, to evaluate detonation and to monitor combustion quality in said engines.
The devices and methods currently utilised for said identification are based on the use of sensors, i.e. special circuits able to identify a specific phase of the said ionization current, be it chemical or thermal.
Said currently utilised devices and methods are not, however, able to identify the various phases of said current.

Method and devices for the identification of various phases of an ionization current signal during the combustion in an internal combustion engine

Abstract: The present invention develops over various phases comprising the measurement of the ionization current signal and the sampling of the signal within predetermined windows, with the subsequent identification of the sample signal which is preceded by a signal whose derivative has a positive value and followed by a signal whose derivative has a negative value.


A power-off protection device. The device outputs operating power according to a first level signal and a second level signal, and comprises a processor, a modulating circuit, a power generating circuit, and a reference-voltage maintenance device. The processor outputs a voltage modulating signal. The circuit is coupled to the processor and the first level signal to output a voltage control signal responding to the voltage modulating signal. The power generating circuit is coupled to the second level signal and the modulating circuit for generating operating power from the second level signal according to the voltage control signal. The reference -voltage maintenance device is coupled to the first level signal and the modulating circuit to delay the drop time of the first level signal to confirm that the first level signal is higher than the second level signal when the first level signal and the second level signal are turned off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a power-off protection device. In particular, the present invention relates to a power-off protection device to prevent abnormal high-level signal generated during main power shutdown.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, most PC products and peripheral devices have adopted switching power, which uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to control integrated circuits (IC) to act as the power controlling circuit.
FIG. 1 depicts a circuit diagram of a conventional power supply. Pulse-width modulation integrated circuit 10 (PWM IC) outputs a voltage control signal responding to the voltage modulating signal at the input of the PWM IC 10 provided by the CPU 12. The voltage control signal is a high frequency signal. The pulse width of the voltage control signal is adjusted responding to the voltage modulating signal provided by the CPU 12. Then, the voltage control signal is input into a voltage generating circuit 14. The voltage generating circuit 14 generates operating voltage Vop from the power provided by Vcc2 according to the voltage control signal, then the operating voltage Vop is provided to the CPU 12 for operation.
FIG. 2 shows a table of the signals output from CPU 12 (VID0xcx9cVID4) to the PWM IC 10 and the output voltages Vop of the voltage generating circuit 14. The output voltage Vop of the power supply is controlled by the signals input to the PWM IC 10. In FIG. 1, the inputs of the PWM IC 10 (VID0xcx9cVID4) are connected to Vcc1 (3.3V) through pull-up resistor R1. Therefore, when the system is not active, the operating voltage Vop is off while the inputs of the PWM IC 10 (VID0xcx9cVID4) all receive high level signals. In addition, when CPU 10 operates, the PWM IC 10 controls the voltage generating circuit 14 to generate the desired voltage responding to the signals input to the inputs of the PWM IC 10 (VID0xcx9cVID4) from CPU 12.
Generally, when the main power is turned off, Vcc2 drops to low level faster than Vcc1, so the system is turned off successfully. However, when an abrupt Vcc1 drop to low level is faster than Vcc2, at this time, Vcc2 is still at high level, the operating voltage Vop reaches 1.85V (refer to the table in FIG. 2), because the inputs of the PWM IC 10 (VID0xcx9cVID4) all receive low level signals when Vcc2 is still at high level, the voltage generating circuit 14 generates the signal at 1.85V from Vcc2, which damages the CPU.
The present invention provides a power-off protection device, which adds a reference-voltage maintenance device at the input of the PWM IC to delay the PWM IC power dropping to low level, ensuring that the power of the voltage generating circuit drops to low level first. Thus, the situation in the prior art wherein the inputs of the PWM IC receive low level signals and generate excessive high voltage is prevented.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a power-off protection device for outputting operating power according to a first level signal and a second level signal, which comprises a processor, a modulating circuit, a power generating circuit, and a reference-voltage maintenance device. The processor outputs a voltage modulating signal. The modulating circuit is coupled to the processor and the first level signal to output a voltage control signal responding to the voltage modulating signal. The power generating circuit is coupled to the second level signal and the modulating circuit to generate the operating power from the second level signal according to the voltage control signal. The reference -voltage maintenance device is coupled to the first level signal and the modulating circuit to delay the drop time of the first level signal to confirm that the first level signal is higher than the second level signal when the first level signal and the second level signal are turned off.


A hard coating, which is to disposed to cover a surface of a tool substrate, has a total thickness of 0.5-20 μm and includes an A layer and nanolayer-alternated layer that are alternately laminated by physical vapor deposition. The nanolayer-alternated layer includes a B layer and C layer that are alternately laminated. The A layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm and is AlCr(SiC) nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Al1-W-XCrW(SiC)X]N wherein an atomic ratio W is 0.20-0.80 and an atomic ratio X is 0.01-0.20. The B layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is TiAl nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Ti1-YAlY]N wherein an atomic ratio Y is 0.30-0.85. The C layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is Ti(SiC) nitride represented by a composition formula of [Ti1-Z(SiC)Z]N wherein an atomic ratio Z is 0.05-0.45. The nanolayer-alternated layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm.

Regarding various machining tools such as a cutting tool (e.g., drill, endmill, milling cutter, lathe cutter), a non-cutting tool (e.g., forming tap, rolling tool, press die) and also various tool members such as a friction part requiring wear resistance, there is proposed a technique of covering a surface of a substrate made of cemented carbide or high-speed tool steel, with a hard coating, for improving the wear resistance and durability.
On the other hand, in each of Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1, there is suggested a drill with a hard coating of TiAlN system/TiCrN system. In Patent Document 2, there is suggested a drill with a hard coating constituted by a multilayered structure of AlCrN system and TiSiN system.

Hard coating and hard coating-covered member


2-cyclopenten-1-one oxime derivatives represented by Formula (I), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof inhibit the production of TNF-α or PDE4, and therefore show therapeutic effect in inflammatory or immunological disorders mediated through TNF-α or PDE4.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine discovered decades ago. TNF-α is produced by diverse types of cells in response to inflammatory and immunological stimuli. [Trends Cell. Biol. vol 5, 392-399 (1995)] For example, monocytes treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increases the production of TNF-α. Although TNF-α was also known to shrink tumors through apoptosis, it plays a central role in inflammation and immunology.
Abundant presence of TNF-α has been observed in a variety of immunological disorders including but not limited to rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, Crohn's disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), sepsis, endotoxin shock, multiple sclerosis, chronic hepatitis, and so on. [J. Med. Chem. vol 42, 2295-2314 (1999); Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. vol 153, 633-637 (1996); Lupus vol 11, 102-108 (2002); Hepatogastroenterology. vol 47, 1675-1679 (2000)]
Blockade or neutralization of the TNF-α activity by a TNF-α monoclonal antibody has been found effective in treating immunological disorders including but not limited to rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease and psoriatic arthritis, as seen with the cases of infliximab (Remicade™) and adalimumab (Humira™). [Remicade™ (infliximab) Prescribing Information. Centocor Inc. September 2005; Humira™ (adalimumab) Prescribing Information. Abbott Lab October 2005.] Etanercept (Enbrel™) is a fusion protein with the decoy receptor part for TNF-α and therefore neutralizes the biological activity of TNF-α. Etanercept is indicated for rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis in the US. [Enbrel™ (etanercept) Prescribing Information. Immunex Corporation. July 2005.] These protein drugs are currently available by injectable formulations only.
To date many biological targets are known to inhibit the cellular production of TNF-α. Pro-TNF-α is cleaved into the active soluble form of TNF-α by TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE). [Nature vol 385, 729-733 (1997)] Production of TNF-α is decreased by an increase in the cytosolic level of cAMP. Since inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) increases the cytosolic level of cAMP, PDE4 inhibitors, such as rolipram, cilomilast and roflumilast, attenuate the production of TNF-α. [Curr. Pharm. Design vol 8, 1255-1296 (2002)] Adenosine receptor A2a is coupled with adenylate cyclase and its agonists, such as CGS21680 and NECA, inhibit the synthesis of TNF-α. [Drug Devel. Res. vol 45, 103-112 (1998)] Kinases such as NIK, IKK, and PKB, which are involved in the signaling of NF-κB, are known to suppress the production of TNF-α if inhibited. IKK inhibitors such as BMS-345541 block phosphorylation on IκB and inhibit the NFκB-dependent transcription. [J. Biol. Chem. vol 278, 1450-1456 (2003)] 5-aminosalicylic acid is known to inhibit IKK at therapeutically relevant dose for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aspirin, a traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is also known to inhibit IKK at high dose level. [Nature vol 396, 77-80 (1998)] Inhibition of MAP kinases such as p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) suppresses the TNF-α production. p38 inhibitors such as VX-745 and SB203580 inhibited TNF-α production in cells treated with LPS, and showed therapeutic effect in animal models for rheumatoid arthritis. [Curr. Opin. Investig. Drugs vol 5, 566-571 (2003)] Thalidomide is indicated for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), although thalidomide weakly inhibits the synthesis of TNF-α at cellular level. It appears that thalidomide destabilizes TNF-α mRNA to decrease the TNF-α production. [Clin. Exp. Immunol. vol 110, 151-154 (1997)] Steroids also potently inhibit production of TNF-α. [J. Exp. Med. vol 172, 391-394 (1990)]
Reflecting that TNF-α plays a central role in inflammation and immunology, agents inhibiting the biological activity or production of TNF-α are expected to show therapeutic effect in a variety of disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sepsis, endotoxin shock, hepatitis, Type I diabetes, and so on. Some types of agents were found more effective for some disorders than others, depending on the mode of action and their physiochemical properties. PDE4 inhibitors such as roflumilast and cilomilast, for example, have been heavily developed for COPD. On the other hand, anti-TNF-α biologics were initially indicated for rheumatoid arthritis, and their indications are expanding to include ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease. 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfasalazine are used to treat moderate to mild inflammatory bowel disease, while steroids and anti-TNF-α biologics are indicated for severe cases. There have been attempts to treat inflammatory bowel disease using PDE4 inhibitors. [Ann. Rev. Med. Chem. vol 38, 141-152 (2003)] Although p38 inhibitors such as VX-702 were evaluated for human rheumatoid arthritis, their therapeutic utility remains to be established for MAP Kinase inhibitors. [Curr. Opin. Drug Discov. Devel. vol 8, 421-430 (2005)] Steroids are initially effective for diverse kinds of immunological disorders, however, their long term use is strongly limited due to adverse events.
Although anti-TNF-α biologics such as infliximab, adalimumab and etanercept are widely used to treat immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, these protein drugs are doomed to be expensive and administered by injection. In this regard, small molecules inhibiting the action or production of TNF-α are in strong demand due to cost and convenience of avoiding injection.

2-cyclopenten-1-one oxime derivatives inhibiting production of TNF-α


A silicone-modified epoxy resin composition that offers a cured product excellent in low permeability to gas, mechanical strength, and heat resistance and transparency and further offers an optical semiconductor sealing material excellent in heat cycle resistance, and a cured epoxy resin product obtained by curing the composition. The epoxy resin composition comprises the following components (A) to (C):                (A) a silicone-modified epoxy resin having a cyclic siloxane structure,        (B) a silicone-modified epoxy resin having a branched siloxane structure, and        (C) an epoxy resin curing agent containing a polyvalent carboxylic acid having a tricyclodecane structure and a carboxylic anhydride compound.

Compositions containing a bisphenol A-type epoxy resin excellent in adhesiveness and/or mechanical strength, an epoxy resin free from UV absorption, for example, a hydrogenated bisphenol A-type epoxy resin or an alicyclic epoxy resin, a curing agent, and a curing catalyst are frequently used as resin compositions for optical semiconductor device sealing. Such compositions, however, disadvantageously cause discoloration or cracks due to light, heat, or the like from LED devices, as the luminance and output of the LED devices are increased.
To solve these problems, a resin has been known which contains an epoxy group introduced into a silicone resin that offers a UV absorption-free and flexible cured product. For example, the following has been known: a silicone resin having one or more cyclic ether-containing groups such as a glycidyl group and an epoxycyclohexyl group (JP 2008-45088), a reaction product of epoxyalkoxysilane and silanol (JP H7-97433), and an alicyclic epoxy-modified silicone resin used in combination with an alicyclic epoxy resin (JP 2006-282988). Silicone resins, however, are very highly permeable to gas as compared with epoxy resins. Therefore, products having a higher silicone content are more difficult to use in usage required to have low permeability to gas. Accordingly, an addition reaction-type phenyl-based silicone resin composition has been disclosed as a resin composition having low permeability to gas (JP 2002-265787), but is still unsatisfactory in terms of low permeability to gas and adhesiveness. In addition, an epoxy resin composition obtained using epoxy group-containing polysiloxane and a carboxylic anhydride compound as a curing agent for the polysiloxane has been disclosed (JP 2012-92172), but is unsatisfactory from the viewpoint of the heat discoloration resistance of a cured product.

Epoxy resin containing silicone-modified epoxy resin and polyvalent carboxylic acid compound, and cured product thereof


A reading device includes a first housing, and a second housing capable of being attached and detached in relation to the first housing, in which the first housing includes a reading unit which reads a document according to a reading mode, and a power transmission circuit which wirelessly supplies power to the second housing according to the reading mode, and in which the second housing includes a power reception circuit which wirelessly receives power from the power transmission circuit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a reading device.
2. Related Art
There is known a flatbed scanner which is provided with an automatic feeding device (Auto Document Feeder (ADF)) capable of automatically transporting a plurality of documents which are placed on a document tray. The documents which are transported by the ADF sequentially become a reading target. The document tray and the ADF are installed on a cover (a cover for closing a document stand) which is disposed on a main body of the scanner which includes the document stand which is formed of a transparent glass or plastic. The main body and the cover of the scanner are connected by a cable for supplying power from the main body to a cover-side drive unit (the ADF or the like) (for example, refer to JP-A-2014-194485).
The presence of the above-described cable increases the difficulty and the complexity of assembly work of a product. The presence of the cable may be an impeding factor in relation to size reduction, weight reduction, cost reduction, and the like of the product.


An ECU executes a program including injecting fuel only by an intake passage injector when an engine is idling, starting an addition-type PFI timer, resetting the PFI timer when a count of the PFI timer reaches a set value that is set shorter as the fuel is lighter in fuel property, and injecting the fuel only by an in-cylinder injector.

There has been an internal combustion engine that includes an intake passage injector for injecting fuel into an intake passage of an internal combustion engine and an in-cylinder injector for injecting the fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, and determines a fuel injection ratio between the intake passage injector and the in-cylinder injector based on a revolution speed of the internal combustion engine and a load of the internal combustion engine.
The in-cylinder injector is exposed to a hot combustion gas in a combustion chamber so that deposits are liable to adhere onto a nozzle unit of the in-cylinder injector. Further, when the fuel is injected only from the intake passage injector, the in-cylinder injector does not inject the fuel so that cooling by vaporization of the fuel does not occur, and the temperature of the nozzle unit rises, resulting in further production of the deposits on the nozzle unit. These deposits interfere with the fuel injection from the nozzle unit, and change a form of a fuel spray to increase a particle diameter. Also, a quantity of the injected fuel becomes smaller than a required quantity, which may cause misfire and thus a combustion failure.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-201083 has disclosed an injection control device of an internal combustion engine that can appropriately suppress production of deposits on a nozzle unit of an in-cylinder injector. This injection control device of the internal combustion engine includes an in-cylinder injector injecting fuel into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, an intake passage injector injecting the fuel into an intake passage and a control unit that controls driving of at least one of these injectors to change a form of the fuel injection. The control unit forcedly changes the fuel injection form to inject the fuel only by the in-cylinder injector for a predetermined period when the engine is in a drive region where the intake passage injector injects the fuel.
Since this fuel injection control device of the internal combustion engine is configured to perform the fuel injection only by the in-cylinder injector for the predetermined period even when the engine is in the region where the fuel injection is to be performed only by the intake passage injector, an injection force can blow off deposits produced on the nozzle unit of the in-cylinder injector and thus can remove the deposits. Further, the above fuel injection by the in-cylinder injector can cool the nozzle unit by vaporization of the fuel, and thereby can suppress the production of new deposits on the nozzle. Consequently, it is possible to suppress lowering of the fuel injection quantity of the in-cylinder injector.
Variations within an allowed range are present in the properties (including a state) of the fuel used in the internal combustion engine. For example, the fuel properties may be classified as being light or being heavy. When the fuel contains a large amount of olefin (unsaturated hydrocarbon with at least one carbon-carbon double bond) ingredient, the fuel is light in property. When the fuel contains a small amount of olefin ingredient, the fuel is heavy in property. When the fuel contains a large amount of olefin ingredient, there is a tendency to produce rapidly the deposits. However, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-201083 described above has not referred to this difference in fuel property.

Fuel injection control device of an internal combustion engine


A roaster for coffee beans or the like admits the beans into a roasting air stream (31, 23, 32) at an air stream entrance (24). The air stream transports the beans from entrance (24) in an air stream path (26, 36) to an altitude (36) from where they are directed to return to entrance (24) by falling into a hopper having side wall (13, 14) and a constriction (22) which controls the rate of admission of the beans into the air stream. In preferred embodiments the beans are admitted into a horizontal air stream with a component of velocity in the air flow direction and roasting air is also admitted to the hopper directly (46) or indirectly (44, 45) via wall perforations (19, 20).

In the past, particulate food matter which is suitable for roasting, for example coffee beans, has traditionally been placed within a rotating drum which is heated and/or has hot air blown through it. The process usually takes 5-30 minutes. For approximately two-thirds of this period the charge heats up uniformly and most of the moisture is lost. During the last five minutes or less the temperature of the coffee causes a rapid change of colour. Drum roasting of beans has several disadvantages including slowness, the buffeting of the beans against the sides of the drum or drum baffles with consequent risk of damage to beans and loss of aroma, and the fact that any machine incorporating rotating parts is susceptible to wear and breakdown. In addition, husks detach and burn within the drum causing flavour change.
On a larger scale, coffee beans have been roasted in a fluidized bed roaster in which hot air is admitted to a fluidizing chamber The air enters the fluidizing chamber in a vertical direction and fluidizes a bed of beans within the chamber. The beans remain suspended in hot air in the chamber or may be circulated in a vortex in the chamber until fully roasted. A substantial vertical air flow is required to maintain the fluidized bed in suspension and the whole of the fluidizing air has to be heated to a roasting temperature (typically 250.degree. C. to 300.degree. C.) which results in energy wastage or expensive heat recovery apparatus. Moreover it is difficult to establish and maintain a fluidized bed and the flow conditions required are critical and vary with bean blend and size. Furthermore, bean density varies during roasting as beans lose moisture and swell and air loses its potency as it heats up. These factors further complicate control of a fluidized bed. Fluidized bed roasters have been used for production rates of upwards of 5 Kgs. per hour and while mechanically simpler and quicker than drum roasters are more costly to manufacture and more difficult and costly to operate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a roaster which ameliorates at least some the disadvantages of prior art. An object of preferred embodiments of the present invention is to provide a roaster which is mechanically simple, and is of less complicated construction and operation than a fluidized bed roaster. A further object of preferred embodiments of the invention is to provide a roaster suitable for use at a point of sale of roasted beans. Such a roaster would be capable of roasting quantities as small as half to one kilogram and be capable of operation by an unskilled operator.

Apparatus and method for roasting food products


An apparatus to allow a prospective consumer of articles of clothing to try on one or more articles of clothing without actually putting the articles of clothing on his or her person. This is accomplished by means of an electronically produced full figure image which is composed of the consumer's head and a model's body, the model's body attired in articles of clothing to be presented. The composite image is viewed by the consumer on a television screen and this gives the effect of the consumer being attired in the articles of clothing presented.

This invention relates to a system of the type enabling a subject using the system to view a composite picture showing part of the subject himself (or herself) together with some separate article or object as though the subject were actually wearing such article. For instance, such a system, when used in a ladies bridal salon, might allow a customer to sample the effects of various wedding gowns and choose the most becoming one without actually having to try them on.
Systems of this general kind have already been proposed and have utilized various optical expendients for producing the composite pictures. However, none of such prior art devices so far as known to applicant, have been entirely satisfactory.
Perhaps the simplest type of system used employs a semi-transparent mirror positioned before the subject, with means for positioning the actual articles to be displayed, at a suitable position behind the mirror, so that a subject when looking at the semi-transparent mirror will see the the reflected image of his or her face or figure, together with the article, as seen by transparency through the semi-transparent mirror so that it will appear to be naturally joined with the reflected image. Systems of this kind are advantageously simple, but have the serious drawback that they require a large number of articles, samples or models to physically present, and the system will in many instances involve a prohibited amount of storage space.
Other composite display systems have accordingly been proposed in which these difficulties are eliminated through the use of projection slides for displaying the images of the articles in the composite pictures, thereby dispensing with the need, for a physical presence of the actual articles. Slides of course are much easier to store in large numbers and more convenient to manipulate, than are the articles themselves.
Another system requires a black draped subject looking through a semi-transparent mirror, the reflection of her own face in the mirror is formed on the plane of a screen, together with the projected image of a slide formed by a projector on the screen. The slides represent headless models wearing different articles of clothing whereby the subject appears to see composite pictures of herself as though wearing the articles.
Although this system will allow a full figure composite image, it does so under conditions which are not entirely comfortable for the viewing subject, and has serious drawbacks. For the system to work, it must be used in a darkened room which many people find uncomfortable especially in the presence of strangers (salespeople/system operators). Furthermore, the subject must sit with a black cape on her body from the neck down keeping her head fixed in a preset position so as not to misalign the composite image, additionally, there is an inherent inability to produce a composite image of dark or black skinned people. In producing the reflection of the viewer's face from the mirror, a black cape is used to black out the viewer's body below the neck, this ability of the mirror not to reflect the blacked out part of the viewer's body also makes it impossible for the mirror to reflect adequately a dark or black skinned face. Further, in order to have a common background for the composite image as seen in the mirror, the slides are photographed against a black background which will not allow a high quality (detail) reproduction in the slides of black articles of clothing. With this system, the operator attempts to correspond the body size of the projected image (model's body) to the viewer's body by means of a zoom lens on the projector. Inherently, a zoom lens will increase or decrease the size of its projected image proportionately in all directions. Therefore, with this apparatus, it is impossible to create a short fat image or a tall, thin image but rather only a short thin, tall fat or a well proportioned image in between which may or may not correspond with the viewer's own body. Another drawback of this system is the large amount of space it requires making its use impracticle except in very large stores.
The prior art in this field is best represented by U.S. Pat. No. 1,133,311, wherein the subject's head and a garment are composed on a mirror; U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,600, superimposition of two separate images on a common screen; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,730,565 and 3,576,945, composite pictures where background scenes are blended with a separate image; U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,664, directed to an automatic photoprocessor, and, U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,596 directed to various techniques for using a television camera for automatic alignment of two images side-by-side.
None of the foregoing references teach a system which is compact, allows the consumer to be photographed in an open area and allows the composite picture to be proportioned along at least one of two axes such that the image of the model's body can be adjusted to be proportioned to the consumer's head.
My invention encompasses a composite display system which overcomes the difficulties of the prior art and which is convenient to use and operate, will enable a full figure, full size display under comfortable conditions for the consumer viewer, can be readily adjusted and operated by the system operator in order to view sequentially a series of composite full figure picture displays at a rate as fast or slow as desired.
My invention is broadly directed to a system for displaying to a consumer, composite views including part of the consumer together with the image of an article as though said article were actually associated with or worn by the consumer which system comprises, means to record a portion of a body of a consumer, means to store the recorded portion of the consumer, means to store a plurality of images which images when combined with the recorded portion of the consumer will provide a full figure display, means to combine the images, means to display the combined images one adjacent to the other, and, means to vary the proportions of at least one image to match with the proportions of the other image in providing the full figure display.
The method of my invention of providing a proportioned full figure image which includes: recording at least a portion of a consumer on a medium, recording at least a portion of an article of clothing on a medium, combining the images to produce a full figure image, varying proportions of one of the images with respect to the other to provide a proportioned full figured composite image.
In the preferred embodiment the system comprising a video camera and a first videotape recorder, a second videotape recorder or slide chain, a switcher fader with a special effects generator and a television monitor. The videocamera takes the image of the consumer which is recorded on the first videotape recorder. Pre-recorded articles of clothing to be combined with the image of the consumer are stored in the second videotape recorder. Both images are combined in the special effects generator and displayer on a television monitor. Through use of the special effects generator, at least one of the images, preferably that of the article of clothing are varied at least along horizontal and vertical axes to provide a proportioned full figured composite.