In a keyboard input device, a mounting member of a pointing device has holes, and a base has projections. The projections are joined to the holes by caulking, thereby mounting the pointing device on the base. An operating portion of the pointing device is placed among a plurality of control keys.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard input device having a pointing device for controlling the cursor position on a graphic display device and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, pointing devices, such as mice or trackballs, which are provided separately from keyboard input devices, are widely used in graphic display devices and the like. In this case, not only is space necessary for mounting the keyboard input device, but space is also necessary for mounting the pointing device, and this increases the footprint of the overall graphic display device.
Accordingly, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 6-32421 discloses a combination of a keyboard input device having a plurality of control keys arranged in order and a pointing device having strain gauges, in which the pointing device is incorporated in the keyboard input device.
Such a keyboard input device integrally provided with a pointing device has the advantages of a smaller footprint and easier carrying, and demand therefor is increasing in the fields of portable personal computers and the like in which miniaturization is extremely important.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a pointing device 20 integrally incorporated in a conventional keyboard input device includes a control member 23 having a flat pedestal 21 at the bottom, and a prismatic operating portion 22 projecting upward from the center of the pedestal 21.
Strain gauges 24, such as resistors, are bonded on four outer side faces of the operating portion 22, and are connected to terminal portions 25a of a flexible substrate 25. A cap 26 is mounted on the top end of the operating portion 22.
The pointing device 20 having such a configuration is mounted on a metal plate 30 by directly mounting the pedestal 21 on the metal plate 30 and folding support pieces 30a, which are formed on the metal plate 30 by louvering, onto recesses 21a of the pedestal 21.
A plurality of control keys are arrayed on a plurality of contact portions (not shown) formed on a membrane switch 31. The cap 26 of the pointing device 20 is exposed, surrounded by a plurality of control keys.
The contact portions of the membrane switch 31 are turned on and off by operating the control keys. When the operating portion 22 is tilted or bent by imposing a load on the cap 26 of the pointing device 20 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 10, the four strain gauges 24 are tensioned or compressed by the bending, and the voltages thereof change. A cursor on a display (not shown) can thereby be moved to a desired position in accordance with the amount of change in the voltages.
Such recent keyboard input devices, particularly those to be incorporated into notebook personal computers, must have low profiles. In order to achieve a low profile, it is necessary to reduce the height of the control keys and the height of the operating portion 22 in the pointing device 20.
However, height reduction of the operating portion 22 makes it difficult to mount the strain gauges 24 thereon.
For this reason, a keyboard input device has been proposed in which strain gauges are mounted on the upper surface or lower surface of a flat pedestal, a control member is tilted by applying load on an operating portion so as to bend the pedestal, and the bending of the pedestal is detected by the strain gauges.
If the pointing device having the strain gauges attached to the upper or lower surface of the pedestal is directly mounted on a metal plate by bending support pieces in the above-described manner, the force of bending of the support pieces is applied in a direction parallel to the pedestal, and thereby acts on the strain gauges. This makes it difficult to cause the strain gauges to function precisely, and to move the cursor on the display with accuracy.
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard input device in which a pointing device is mounted on a metal plate so that the strain gauges can function precisely.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device including: a membrane switch having a plurality of contacts; a plurality of control keys arranged on the contacts so as to operate the membrane switch; a base for placing the membrane switch thereon; and a pointing device mounted on the base and having a control member including an operating portion and a plurality of sensing elements, the control member being mounted on a mounting member, wherein one of the mounting member and the base has a hole, the other has a projection, the pointing device is mounted on the base by joining the projection and the hole by caulking, and the operating portion of the pointing device is placed among the plurality of control keys.
In the keyboard input device, one of the mounting member and the base has a hole, the other has a projection, the pointing device is mounted on the base by joining the projection and the hole by caulking, and the operating portion of the pointing device is placed among the plurality of control keys. Therefore, it is possible to provide a keyboard input device in which the mounting member can be mounted on the base without applying unnecessary load on the sensing elements, the beam portions can be reliably bent in response to the load applied on the operating portion, and the bending of the beam portions can be precisely detected by the sensing elements.
Preferably, the base and the mounting member are made of metal, and the projection is formed by burring or drawing.
In this case, working of the base is facilitated. Moreover, since the mounting member to be mounted on the base by caulking is made of metal, it is possible to increase the caulking strength of the projections, and to thereby reliably mount the pointing device on the base.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard input device including: a membrane switch having a plurality of contacts; a plurality of control keys arranged on the contacts so as to operate the membrane switch; a base for placing the membrane switch thereon; and a pointing device mounted on the base and having a control member including an operating portion and a plurality of sensing elements, the control member being mounted on a mounting member, wherein the mounting member and the base have holes, an eyelet or a rivet is passed through the holes in mutual alignment, and the pointing device is mounted on the base by caulking the eyelet or rivet.
The mounting member and the base have holes, and an eyelet or a rivet is passed through the holes in mutual alignment and is caulked, thereby mounting the pointing device on the base. Therefore, it is possible to provide a keyboard input device that further facilitates working of the base.
The mounting member may be mounted on the upper surface of the base.
In this case, the projection of the base and the hole of the mounting member can be aligned and assembled while being visually checked when mounting the pointing device on the base, which provides a keyboard input device having superior assembly characteristics.
The mounting member may be mounted on the lower surface of the base.
In this case, it is possible to make wide use of the upper surface of the base adjacent to the pointing device, and to increase the degree of flexibility in arranging the control keys.
Furthermore, even when the height of the control keys is further reduced, the amount of protrusion of the pointing device above the control keys can be also reduced, and therefore, the pointing device is also applicable to a low-profile keyboard input device.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Keyboard input device with pointing device for controlling cursor position on graphic display and the like


A handlebar height adjustment assembly for a bicycle for use with a bicycle having a vertically presented head tube, a stem, and with handlebars engaged to said stem comprising a vertically presented stem tube engaged to the upper portion of the stem and projecting downwardly into a head tube for axially reciprocal shiftable movement relative to the head tube. The stem contains a passage communicating with the interior of the stem tube, with there being a control rod extending downwardly through the stem passage and into the stem tube. A fork tube surrounds the stem tube and is fixed against relative rotative movement with respect to the stem tube; a latch member interengages the control rod and the stem tube for joint shiftable movement thereof and with the latch member being selectively engageable with the fork tube through shifting of the control rod for presenting and maintaining the handlebars in predetermined vertical relationship with respect to the head tube.

This invention relates in general to bicycles and, more particularly, to gear shifting systems therefor which do not necessitate removal of the rider's hands from the handlbars to effect operation.
Heretofore, current multi-speed bicycles, such as the usual ten-speed, have disposed operating levers for shifting gears in such a manner upon the bicycle frame as to require the rider to remove a hand from the handlebar for manipulation thereof. One very common location for such gear shift levers is in the upper region of the front diagonal of the bicycle frame; while another is at the extremities of the handlbars. A third customary location is upon the post or stem. But all such locations necessitate the user's withdrawing one hand from the handlebars with consequent diminution in control of the bicycle in order to bring about the intended gear ratio. Also with each of said gear shifter positions, operation causes the rider, at least momentarily, to divert his gaze from the road ahead with attendant potential hazard. Regrettably, many avoidable accidents have occured during the shifting interval by reason of the bicycle striking some undetected obstacle, such as a pothole or other obstruction in the road while the rider is distracted with shifting. Too often injury results.
Until most recently, handlebars on multi-speed bicycles were provided with hand controls for the usual caliper brakes. The effective operation of such hand controls militated against mounting gear shifting means on the handlebars. However, in my pat., No. 4,030,774, issued June 21, 1977, I disclosed a system for pedal-actuation of bicycle brakes on multi-speed bicycles, thereby obviating the need for a rider to utilize his hands for braking action and, accordingly, to reduce the use of hands for other than bicycle steering. Also of interest with respect to pedal-actuated brakes for bicycles of such type is the structure set forth in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 937,465, filed Oct. 13, 1978. Thus, by my said inventions, the handlbars are liberated from the need to support hand brakes and, therefore, with resultant availability for mounting gear shifting systems directly thereon.
In providing gear shifting mechanisms on the handlebars, consideration should be taken of the fact that handlebars may be of various configurations, with the two most popular being of the racer or dropped type wherein the end portions, often called "drops", are curved downwardly and rearwardly, and of the touring type wherein the end sections of the handlebars may project outwardly and, if desired, rearwardly and/or upwardly; as well as of the fact that riders often times have individual preferences with respect to the zone for gripping handlebars. With racer handlebars individuals may generally grip the upper central part of the handlebars and merely grip the "drops" for a change of pace or an extra power spurt. Similarly, with touring handlebars, a rider may shift his hand position from the ends to the central horizontal portion, and thence back and forth.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for multi-speed bicycles for effecting gear shifting which is mountable upon the handlebars and the operation of which does not obligate the rider to remove either hand from the handlebars so that full dirigibility is at all times maintained, as well as appropriate bracing for braking action.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gear shifting system of the type stated which is so uniquely constructed of coacting components that the operation thereof does not require the rider to divert his gaze from the road ahead during gear shifting.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a bicycle gear shifting system of the type stated which is adapted for utilization on various configurations of bicycle handlebars and which, in addition, is suitably adapted for facile manipulation by the rider consonant with the rider's peculiar predilection for hand location upon the handlebars.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a bicycle gear shifting system of the type stated which permits comfortable, yet reliable, gripping by the rider and with the operation thereof being simply and non-strenuously effected.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gear shifting system of the type stated which is extremely versatile in usage, being adapted for use with various multi-speed bicycles, including, by way of example, those provided with the current, popular front freewheeling systems, whereby the present invention may be applied upon existing bicycles without necessitating costly installation or structural modifications.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bicycle gear shifting system of the type stated which is constructed of a simplicity of parts; which may be manufactured and installed in a most economical fashion; which promotes increased safety for the rider; and which is durable and reliable in usage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for effecting facile elevation of the handlebar-supporting stem during bicycle operation; which system may be easily mounted upon existing bicycles.
The present invention comprises, in essence, a sleeve-forming member mounted upon each side portion of a bicycle handlebar for rotative movement thereabout; with each such sleeve-forming member at its inner or stem-proximate end being operatively engaged with the end of an associated cable; one of such cables carries detents for effecting selective engagement of the rear chainwheels or sprockets which are provided in the usual cluster of five mounted upon the rear axle; and the other such cable leading to the front chainwheel or sprocket wheel assembly for effecting engagement of the particular one. By mere turning of the particular sleeve-forming member about the handlebars, through the requisite angle, forwardly or rearwardly as the case may be, the desired gear ratio may be established without the user having to remove either hand from controlling disposition upon the handlebar and without the need of visually observing such operation since a sense of "feel" will indicate the gear engagement. The customary levers mounted upon portions of the bicycle frame such as the front diagonal, the stem, or the like is obviated by the present invention; and with the brakes being pedal-actuated, a rider using the present invention is at all times in full command of the bicycle.


A system and methods for estimating a noise power level in an uplink signal for a virtual MIMO system is disclosed. The system comprises a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) module configured to obtain a DMRS receive symbol from the uplink signal and determine a DMRS sequence for a first UE in the virtual MIMO system. An autocorrelation module is configured to calculate an average autocorrelation value for the subcarriers in the uplink signal. A cross-correlation module is configured to calculate first and second cross-correlation values of the uplink signal RZ(l) for values of l selected such that the sum of the received power from the first UE and the second UE can be accurately estimated. A noise power level module is configured to determine the noise power level for the uplink signal using the average autocorrelation value and the first and second cross correlation values.

When information is transmitted over a wireless channel then the received signal can be distorted due to the effects of multipath transmissions. Multipath transmissions can be caused by reflections of the transmitted signal off of objects such as buildings, vehicles, and other types of obstructions. The result is that multiple copies of the transmitted signal arrive at the receiver, with each signal having a certain time delay. The amount of the time delay is proportional to the length of the path the signal traveled. Obviously, signals that are reflected multiple times will travel a longer path than a signal with a direct line of sight.
The amount of time between a first signal (typically the line of sight signal) and a last reflected signal arrive at the receiver is referred to as the delay spread. In cellular communication applications delay spreads can be on the order of several microseconds. The delay induced by multipath can cause a symbol received along a delayed path to "bleed" into a subsequent symbol arriving at the receiver via a more direct path. This is typically referred to as inter-symbol interference (ISI). In a single carrier communication system, the symbol times decrease as the data rates increase. At very high data rates (with correspondingly shorter symbol periods) it is possible for ISI to exceed an entire symbol period and spill into a second or third subsequent symbol. This can cause significant problems at the receiver.
In addition to problems in the time domain, there can be additional problems in the frequency domain due to multipath distortion. As the multiple reflected signals are combined at the receiver, some frequencies within the signal passband can undergo constructive interference (a linear summation of in-phase signals), while other signals may undergo destructive interference (a linear summation of out-of-phase signals). This can result in a composite received signal that is distorted by frequency selective fading. The ability to estimate signal power and noise power for a received signal can significantly improve the ability to receive a signal that has distortion.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.

Uplink noise estimation for virtual MIMO


The present invention is generally directed to a method, system, and article of manufacture that avoid exposing the sensitive information (e.g., infrastructure details) to untrusted clients. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, message destinations are protected from a client in an HTTP bridged scenario. Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the replyTo message destination are obfuscated (e.g., via a hash function) and sent to the client as a replyTo address. Consequently, the embodiments of the present invention negate the requirement to expose the sensitive information to the untrusted client applications.

As network functionality increases, it is becoming increasingly more important for systems to allow applications and application components to be distributed across networks (e.g., on multiple application servers). For applications and application components to be effectively distributed, various distributed parts of applications and application components (i.e. nodes) need to be able to communicate with each other. As used herein, a node may be a software component or process that runs on a common computer or different computers connected by a network or networks. Furthermore, a node may be a message producer and/or a consumer. Consequently, nodes may communicate with each other using messaging to exchange information. The information may be sent and received by nodes using only a predetermined message format and a destination address for the message. The predetermined message format may include a message header for message identification, a properties section for application-specific, provider-specific, optional header fields—e.g., a "replyTo" header field to indicate the origin of the message for call back messages—and a body section that contains the content of the message. Moreover, the content of a message may include text, data packets, objects, or other information to be communicated between nodes.
As used in the context below, a "message" is a unit of information transmitted electronically from one computer application to another. Examples of messages generally include email messages and messages in data communications protocols such as HTTP or TCP/IP. Many messages in embodiments according to the present invention are units of information communicated in message oriented middleware (hereinafter referred to as "MOM") framework (or system of software components and conventions that provide a message-oriented middleware architecture and features; see generally Chappell, "Enterprise Message Bus", O'Reilly (2004)). MOM messages differ somewhat from many other kinds of messages. Email messages, for example, implement human-readable communications from a person to a person or from a software application to a person. HTTP messages represent requests for particular computer resources and responses to such requests. MOM messages, however, are used for communications between software applications and other software applications to implement business logic. That is, a MOM message generally communicates input data for, or output data from, operation of some form of business logic, accounting, on-line sales or marketing, financial calculations, security services, and so on. Examples of MOM systems include IBM's WebSphere MQ products and the Java Message Service (hereinafter referred to as "JMS") Application Programming Interface (or "API").
Several different types of messaging systems may be used for communicating between nodes including point-to-point and publish-and-subscribe. As seen in FIG. 1a, in a point-to-point messaging system (generally, a one-to-one delivery system), a message 105 may be sent by a message producer 101 to a message consumer 103 through a message queue 110 (also known as a virtual channel). For example, a message producer 101 may send a message 105 to a message queue 110 for a message consumer 103. The message consumer 103 receives and processes the message 105 from the message queue 110.
As seen in FIG. 1b, in a publish-and-subscribe messaging system (generally a one-to-many broadcast), the message producer 101 may be a publisher for a topic 123 (also known as a virtual channel) that sends a message 115 to several message consumers (known as subscribers) that have subscribed to the topic 123. For example, the message producer 101 may send a message 115 to a topic 123. Several nodes, such as the message consumer 103 and the second message consumer 121 may subscribe (i.e., request that messages of a certain type be sent to the node when available) to the topic 123. The topic 123 may deliver the message 115 to the message consumer 103 and the second message consumer 121. Message consumers not subscribed to the topic do not receive the message.
To facilitate sending and receiving messages, nodes typically connect to a messaging agent for implementing message queues and/or topics. One example of a messaging agent may be implemented according to the JMS API. Messages may be sent and received asynchronously, and nodes sending and receiving messages do not typically need to know anything about the nodes they are communicating with. This allows more freedom between nodes and makes it easier to design interfaces between nodes and easier to distribute applications and application components across a network.
In addition, some network environments may utilize clustered systems. A clustered system may include nodes participating in a messaging system. Alternatively, a cluster may include multiple nodes that behave as a single node in the messaging system. For example, a node may be an application component and may use JMS to access MOM systems for messaging with other nodes in a network to form a distributed system. MOM systems support distributed data communications that are loosely coupled and generally asynchronous. A producer component sends a message to a destination (typically a message queue), and a consumer recipient can retrieve the message from the destination. The producer and the consumer are not required to be available, either on-line or connected to one another for data communications in order to communicate. In fact, the producer does not need to know anything about the consumer, nor does the consumer need to know anything about the producer. The producer and consumer need to know only what message format and what destination (or message queue) to use. In this respect, messaging differs from tightly coupled technologies, such as the Common Object Request Broker Architecture ("CORBA") or Java's Remote Method Invocation ("RMI"), which require a calling application to know a remote application's methods.
Consequently, a cluster of nodes may need to appear as a single producer/consumer for typical messaging systems. For example, confusion may result if two nodes in a cluster receive and process a topic message for which the cluster has subscribed to as a single entity. Also, it may be desirable for a cluster to support numerous different message-oriented middleware products.
In some environments, however, system operational requirements necessitate access to individual nodes (in a cluster or otherwise); for example, when a component expects a reply to a message that was sent. Consequently, within messaging in general, there is a messaging pattern such that a back-end application puts a message on a queue and sets a "replyTo" header that contains a specific Queue Manager (hereinafter referred to as "QM") name. The intention being that the client takes the message, processes it and then sends a response back to the specified location.
Thus, it becomes desirable to uniquely identify a single producer/consumer within a messaging system. Exposing infrastructure externally, however, may violate security policies. For example, some MOM providers have developed HTTP bridges (e.g., IBM's Websphere MQ) to allow messages to pierce a corporate firewall. An HTTP bridge allows an HTTP client to connect to the "bridge" (often implemented as an HTTP servlet in the Java™ 2 Enterprise Edition Application Programming Interface, or simply J2EE API) and the bridge connects to the MOM provider (e.g., IBM's WebSphere MQ) on behalf of the HTTP client. In order to scale appropriately, however, HTTP relies on horizontal scaling; namely, by replicating the HTTP server within the operating environment and each HTTP server may be situated on a different machine (see generally, Joines et al. Performance analysis of Java Web Sites, pp. 102-106, Addison-Wesley (2002). In tandem with this replication, an HTTP client is usually mapped one-to-one with a HTTP servlet, within the HTTP server, and QM of the MOM provider. To enable better response times, each QM may be on its own machine.
Additionally, within such a horizontally scaled environment, system designers frequently avoid exposing machine details to the clients to avoid direct communication with specific HTTP servers, QM's and therefore machines. In particular, there are potential security ramifications about exposing a QM name such that the clients can trawl the known QM names for queues that are not exposed through the bridged applications naturally, and therefore gain illicit access to the underlying computing device. Within the above specified bridging & horizontally scaled environment this would mean exposing the QM name to the client. This leads to excessive client knowledge, which may violate the security policies of network and potentially allow illicit access to the underlying computing devices.

System and method of obfuscating queue management

International Business Machines Corporation


A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus generates an MR signal from an object to be examined by applying a gradient field pulse generated by a gradient field coil and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse generated by a high-frequency coil onto the object in a static field generated by a static field magnet, and reconstructs an image on the basis of the MR signal. The gradient field coil is housed in a sealed vessel. A cable extending from an external power supply and connected to the gradient field coil has predetermined flexibility.

The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for generating a magnetic resonance signal (MR signal) by applying a gradient field pulse and high-frequency magnetic field pulse to an object to be examined which is placed in a homogeneous static field, and generating a magnetic resonance image (MR image) on the basis of this MR signal.
In general, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of this type includes a static field magnet for generating a static field, a gradient field coil for generating a gradient field, and an RF coil for generating a high-frequency (RF) magnetic field pulse. An object to be examined is placed in the static field formed by the static field magnet. A gradient field pulse and RF magnetic field pulse are applied to this object in accordance with an arbitrarily selected pulse sequence. As a consequence, an MR signal is generated from the object. This MR signal is received via the RF coil. An MR image is reconstructed on the basis of the, received MR signal.
In the recent technical field of magnetic resonance imaging apparatuses, with improvements in fast imaging technology, research and development have been vigorously carried out. MRI fast imaging requires fast switching of a gradient field and an increase in strength. For this reason, the gradient field coil vibrates. The vibrations cause noise. This noise sometimes reaches 100 db(A) or higher. This makes it necessary for an object to wear earplugs or headphones.
A typical measure against noise is to house a gradient field coil in a sealed vessel, as disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 63-246146, U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,210, and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-118043. The sealed vessel is evacuated to a nearly vacuum to suppress air-born propagation of noise.
Another typical measure against noise is to support a gradient field coil by a damper. This suppresses solid-born propagation of the vibrations of the gradient field coil to the sealed vessel and other parts.
Noise can be reduced to a certain degree by such measures against noise. However, it is impossible to further reduce the noise. This is because it is assumed that the gradient field coil is not the only noise source.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus which has an excellent effect of reducing noise and vibrations.
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus generates an MR signal from an object to be examined by applying a gradient field pulse generated by a gradient field coil and a high-frequency magnetic field pulse generated by a high-frequency coil onto the object in a static field generated by a static field magnet, and reconstructs an image on the basis of the MR signal. The gradient field coil is housed in a sealed vessel. A cable extending from an external power supply and connected to the gradient field coil has predetermined flexibility.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out herein after.


In a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having a signal multiplexer circuit and a signal demultiplexer circuit disposed on each of a plurality of circuit boards, including a record/reproduce control circuit board and a motor circuit board, connected to each other by a cable, the signal multiplexer circuit located on the circuit board generating a plurality of signals to be transmitted multiplexes these signals to form a multiplexed signal to be supplied to the other circuit board through the cable, and the corresponding signal demultiplexer circuit located on the other circuit board restores the multiplexed signal into the individual signals, so that the number of signal conductors in the cable interconnecting the plural circuit boards can be decreased, thereby improving the reliability of the connection and reducing the size of the connection.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus which includes a plurality of printed wiring or circuit boards and whose electrical circuit is formed by connecting the printed wiring boards to each other by a cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, its electrical circuit is divided into a plurality of sections formed on a plurality of printed wiring boards respectively, and these printed wiring boards are electrically connected to each other by a cable, so as to reduce the size of the housing of the apparatus or to prevent mutual interference by noise components generated from the electrical circuit of the apparatus. In such a prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, a signal conductor or line is electrically connected between the printed wiring boards for each kind of signals to be transmitted between these printed wiring boards.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of an example of such a prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. For example, FIG. 1 shows the structure of a floppy disk drive having its electrical circuit formed by two printed wiring boards, that is, a printed wiring board for a motor circuit and a printed wiring board for record/reproduce control circuits.
In the floppy disk drive shown in FIG. 1, a disk cartridge 1 accommodating a magnetic recording medium 2 is loaded in the apparatus, and, in response to a demand from an externally connected system, information is recorded on or reproduced from the magnetic recording medium 2 by the function of magnetic heads 4 and 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the printed wiring boards and a connector between them in the floppy disk drive shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus includes a spindle motor mechanism 3 for rotating the magnetic recording medium 2 accommodated in the disk cartridge 1, a head carriage 6 carrying magnetic heads 4 and 5 for recording information on the magnetic recording medium 2 or reproducing information from the magnetic recording medium 2, a step motor mechanism 7 for moving the head carriage 6 in a direction crossing the tracks on the magnetic recording medium 2, a record/reproduce control circuit board 8, a motor circuit board 9, and a cable 10 interconnecting the record/reproduce control circuit board 8 and the motor circuit board 9. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus includes a disk cartridge detection switch 11 for whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is loaded in the apparatus, a write protect detection switch 12 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is in its write protect state, an HD detection switch 13 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is of the HD type, an ED detection switch 14 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is of the ED type, an index sensor 15 for detecting the track reference position of the magnetic recording medium 2, and an LED 16 emitting light when the apparatus is in operation. In addition to those elements described above, the apparatus further includes a mechanism (not shown) for loading, holding and unloading the disk cartridge 1.
The record/reproduce control circuit board 8 is provided with a circuit 17 for driving the step motor mechanism 7, a recording and reproducing circuit 18 for recording a signal on the magnetic recording medium 2 or reproducing a signal from the magnetic recording medium 2 by means of the magnetic heads 4 and 5, a control circuit 19 for controlling the step motor drive circuit 17, the recording and reproducing circuit 18, the motor circuit board 9, etc., a connector 22 connecting the cable 10 for connection with the motor circuit board 9, and an interface connector 23 used for connection with a system (not shown) to which the apparatus is applied.
The motor circuit board 9 is provided with a spindle motor drive circuit 24 for driving the spindle motor 3, a spindle motor control circuit 25 for controlling the spindle motor drive circuit 24, a disk cartridge detection circuit 26 connected to the disk cartridge detection switch 11 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is loaded in the apparatus, a write protect detection circuit 27 connected to the write protect detection switch 12 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is in its write protect state, an HD detection circuit 28 connected to the HD detection switch 13 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is of the HD type, an ED detection circuit 29 connected to the ED detection switch 14 for detecting whether or not the disk cartridge 1 is of the ED type, an index detection circuit 30 connected to the index sensor 15 for detecting whether or not the recording medium 2 is in its reference track position, an LED energization circuit 31 for energizing the LED 16 to signify that the apparatus is in operation, and a connector 34 connecting the cable 10 for connection with the record/reproduce control circuit board 8.
Three signals are usually supplied from the record/reproduce control circuit board 8 to the motor circuit board 9. That is, a signal MON is supplied to drive the spindle motor 3, a signal RPM is supplied to change over the rotation speed of the spindle motor 3, and a signal LED is supplied to energize the LED 16 to signify that the apparatus is in operation. On the other hand, five signals are usually supplied from the motor circuit board 9 to the record/reproduce control circuit board 8. That is, a signal IDX is supplied to index the track starting position, a signal DDP is supplied to indicate that the disk cartridge 1 is loaded or inserted already in the apparatus, a signal WPP is supplied to indicate that the disk cartridge 1 is in its write protect state, a signal HDP is supplied to indicate that the disk cartridge 1 is of the HD type, and a signal EDP is supplied to indicate that the disk cartridge 1 is of the ED type. In addition, at least two power supply conductors for connection with Vcc and GND are at least required for supplying power. Signal lines electrically connecting the printed wiring boards 8 and 9 to each other are prepared for all of these signals respectively. Therefore, in this case, a total of ten conductors (=eight signal lines plus two power supply conductors) are required to connect the printed wiring boards 8 and 9 to each other. These signal lines and power supply conductors are connected between the printed wiring boards 8 and 9 by soldering the cable 10 to the corresponding patterns provided on the wiring boards 8 and 9 or by means of the connectors 22 and 34, etc.
In the case of the prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus described above, an increase in the number of the signals transmitted between the printed wiring boards 8 and 9 results in a corresponding increase in the number of the signal lines allocated to the individual signals respectively, and the area occupied by the cable 10 and the connectors 22 and 34 used for connection also increases. The increase in number of the terminals of the cable 10 and the connectors 22, 34 is disadvantageous in that the parts cost increases, and the reliability of the connection is lowered due to the increase in the soldered parts and the fitting parts between the connectors 22, 34 and the cable 10. On the other hand, the desired size reduction becomes difficult when the area occupied by the cable 10 and the connectors 22, 34 becomes wider. When an attempt is made to attain the desired size reduction without changing the number of the signal lines, the pitch between the terminals of the cable 10 and the connectors 22, 34 must inevitably be narrowed, resulting in lowering of the reliability of the connection.
In JP-U-63-151052, Kawada discloses that, when a plurality of printed wiring boards are connected by parallel buses, and a time-division multiplexing mode is used in a system of a small scale, the efficiency of communication in such a system can be improved. According to the above application, a bus protocol controller is provided for each of the printed wiring boards to be accessed so as to specify a peculiar bus protocol through an associated bus communication protocol line. Thus, according to the disclosure by Kawada, it is necessary to separately prepare the bus communication protocol lines, and the desired reduction of number of signal lines cannot be fully achieved.

Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having printed wiring boards connected to each other by a cable

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method for reprocessing used lubricating oils is disclosed wherein the oil is dried, treated with finely dispersed sodium metal at elevated temperature, the remaining free or organically bound metal is decomposed by means of an active hydrogen containing compounds, followed by distillation of the oil for recovery.

The invention relates to a procedure for the reprocessing of used lubricating oils by treating dried oil with finely dispersed sodium metal at elevated temperature and subsequent separation of the processed product by distillation.
The reprocessing of use lubricating oils is a problem of increasing economic and ecological importance. Hitherto, this regeneration has been carried out predominantly in accordance with the so-called acid tar process, whereby the predried, old oils from which the benzine has been extracted, are subjected to a treatment with 5 to 15% of concentrated sulfuric acid and the treated product is subsequently decolored with heat using 3 to 10% of bleaching clay.
This process is usable per se, however, it is imbued with a few serious disadvantages. For one thing, the acid oils and the acid residues lead to considerable undesirable odors in the vicinity of the processing installations. For another thing, the considerable quantities of waste in the form of acid tar as well as of the bleaching clay filter cake, likewise represent a considerable ecological problem.
Therefore, the art has been searching for some other process which would lead in an economical manner to high grade, secondary raffinates, ecologically justifiable at the same time and producing as little waste material as possible.
Thus, an entire series of processes have previously been proposed in the case of which a generally large part of the inpurities contained is separated even before the acidification by additional chemical and physical treatment of the used oils, in order to decrease the amount of sulfuric acid needed for the oil and thus to produce smaller qualities of the undersirable acid tar. After that, the used oils are to be subjected, for example, to a solvent extraction prior to the acid treatment, a total evaporation, possibly with the addition of substances with alkaline reaction, to a coagulation by means of hydroxides of multivalent metals or to a hot treatment.
However, all these processes have not yet brought about a decisive breakthrough away from the classic acid tar process, for the reasons that the additional processing steps adversely affect the economy of the process; a further waste product is produced and because the waste producing steps of the acidification and treatment with bleaching clay must be carried out just as before with filtration.
Processes which operate entirely without acid treatment have also been previously described. In most cases, these known methods are combination of distillation, hydrogenation and filtration. The catalytic hydrogenation which otherwise plays a predominant role in the case of refining of hydrocarbons, is however less suitable in the case of the regeneration of used oils for two reasons: lubricating oil additives and their decomposition products as well as a halogen content that can never be excluded entirely, act as catalyst poisons and require a more or less expensive prepurification of the oils, for example, by total evaporation or solvent extraction. Beyond that, the necessary hydrogen is not economically available in the case of most medium size enterprises.
Two additional processes, described in the German Pat. No. 11 05 543 and the German OS No. 25 08 713 carry out a chemical treatment with sodium metal, but also only partially avoid the above mentioned disadvantages.
A variation according to the practice of the process described in the German Pat. No. 11 05 543 provides for the treatment in the presence of bleaching clay of a used oil regenerate obtained according to the sulfuric acid process with about 1.5% by weight of sodium metal dispersed in the regenerate and then to filter off the treatment product by way of additional bleaching clay. This process, however, is expensive because of the cost for the sodium metal and the bleaching clay and also was not able to gain grounds because of the difficulties encountered with the filtration of alkaline oils, particularly because of the high content of additives in today's lubricating oils, the requirement for auxiliary agents for filtering would have to be increased by a multiple of the originally provided volume with an unfavorable effect on the waste balance.
Another process described in the German OS No. 25 08 713 for the reprocessing of used mineral oil provides for the precleaning of the used oil by means of coagulation, adsorption, filtration as well as distillation and secondary treatment and to dehalogenize it subsequently in sequence, to distill it in a fractionated manner and to dehydrate it. For the dehalogenation, among others, a treatment with alkali metal in a volume rate of 1 to 2000 mole/1000 kilograms with exclusion of air and moisture at a reaction temperature of 15 to 300.degree. C. is proposed. Excess treatment agents and the reaction products formed should be separated either by distillation or by a cleaning treatment of the oil. In the first case, excess agent is allowed to deposit, the oil is decanted and is then distilled in the vacuum. In the second case, excess agent is destroyed with water, the oil is then cleaned with a diluted sulfuric acid and subsequently several times with water, is dried and filtered. Both alternatives are followed by the catalytic hydrogenation.
The large number of treatment steps alone is an impediment to an economic execution of this process. If one limits the observation to the step of the dehalogenation and the separation of oil and excess of processing agents, as well as to reaction products formed by decanting and distilling, then the last mentioned measure is made a great deal more difficult through the so-called "gum-formation," a resinification of the oil occurring in the case of all used oil treatment processes with alkali metal. This resinification is the more extensive, the higher the added quantity of the alkali metal and the higher the treatment temperature. Thus, for example, in the case of a distillation of oils treated at 100.degree. to 250.degree. C. with 1 to 2% by weight of sodium metal in the wetted wall distillation process, such strong spraying occurs that a double total evaporation may not be avoided and one must put up with a poorly distilled out residue of considerable volume.
If on the other hand, the processing of the oil from the dehalogenation stage by filtration is selected, then this presupposes the very expensive washing and drying process described.

Procedure for the reprocessing of used lubricating oils

Deutsche Gold und Silber-Scheideanstalt Vormals Roessler


Method and system for system for controlling dispensing of laundry chemistry from a laundry chemistry dispenser to a washing machine to minimize use of the laundry chemistry. The method and the system comprise an ozone monitor for determining a current ozone concentration level in the washing machine at a time that the washing machine requires dispensing of the laundry chemistry from the laundry chemistry dispenser; a control panel being coupled to the ozone monitor for receiving a signal indicative of the currently determined ozone concentration level in the washing machine; and the control panel is coupled to the laundry chemistry dispenser for controlling a dispensing operation of the laundry chemistry from the laundry chemistry dispenser based upon the currently determined ozone concentration level in the washing machine. When the ozone concentration level is low, less laundry chemistry is dispensed while when the level is high, more laundry chemistry is dispensed.

The use of ozone in cleaning and sanitizing laundry has been utilized for quite some time. The primary reason is that ozone is generally recognized as being effective in cleaning as well as deodorizing and sanitizing laundry while also minimizing the impact to the environment. With respect to commercial applications, however, ozone is generally the preferred cleaning component as it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and quite reliable in deodorizing and sanitizing laundry being washed.
As is well known, the application of ozone to a cleaning fluid, such as water, acts as a disinfectant as well as assists with removing dirt, debris, soil and other contaminants from the laundry detergent so that the laundry detergent can again be effective in removing additional dirt, debris, soil and other contaminants from the clothing or other laundry being washed. While it is known that dissolving ozone in a liquid, such as water, will assist with improving the cleaning and sterilization efficiency of the liquid, a number of the currently available prior art systems suffer a variety of associated drawbacks.
It is to appreciated that washing laundry can be a relatively expensive process. It utilizes costly resources—water, energy, laundry detergents and labor—and such laundering is often required not only to clean but completely disinfect and sanitize the items being laundered. While conventional detergents, soap and chemistry can be effective in removing dirt, grease, grime and other contaminants, they are not always effective in killing all of the germs and bacteria contained within the laundry. It is known to enhance the disinfection capabilities of a washing machine by introducing ozone into the washing water. The ozone improves cleaning of laundry, even at relatively low or cold wash water temperatures, and also has an antibacterial effect.
It is to be appreciated that a desired amount of laundry detergent (e.g., chemistry) generally must be added to the washing machine in order to ensure that the laundry being washed, in addition to being sanitized and disinfected, is also sufficiently and adequate cleaned. As is conventional in the prior art, an operator or an automated dispensing device typically adds a standard dose or set amount of laundry detergent (e.g., chemistry) to the washing machine while washing the laundry. However, in the event that the laundry is relatively clean, e.g., only slightly soiled, in substantially all washing applications, an excessive amount of laundry detergent (e.g., chemistry) is thus added to the laundry being washed which results in wasted laundry detergent (e.g., chemistry). On the other hand, if the laundry is relatively dirty, e.g., excessively soiled, then an insufficient amount of laundry detergent (e.g., chemistry) may possibly be added to the laundry being washed thereby preventing the laundry from being sufficiently cleaned following completion of the entire wash cycle.

Method and system for dispensing laundry chemistry based upon ozone concentration


An axially turnable rotor for an electric generator. In one embodiment, a rotor coil is encased within two pole piece members each having a plurality of flanged magnetic poles extending from a flat base face. Each of these flanged magnetic poles has a retaining structure on the opposite end from the flat base face. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this retaining structure takes the form of a subflange. When the two pole piece members are meshed together around the rotor coil, the subflanges of each pole piece member extend beyond the flat base face of the opposing pole piece member, allowing for the introduction of a ring or other securing means upon the subflanges.

This invention relates generally to the field of rotors for use in electric generators and motors. In particular, the invention relates to electric dynamo rotor assemblies having multiple magnetic poles mounted thereon.
Rotors in the past have utilized a field core assembly consisting of two pole piece members with triangular magnetic poles alternatively meshed together. This core assembly covers a rotor coil through which current is passed to generate magnetic flux. The stator and stator coil generate an alternating current as the rotor spins within a field of magnetic flux. The stator is in a position where there is a spatial gap radially between the rotor and the stator.
As is well known by those skilled in the art, it is beneficial to the electrical output of the generator if the spatial gap between the rotor and the stator is kept as small as possible. However, due to the magnetic and centrifugal forces on the pole piece members, they tend to deform in an outward direction during rotation, possibly coming into contact with the stator as the deformation bridges the spatial gap. Contact with the stator is undesired because it hinders the rotation of the rotor and can possibly damage the stator, the poles or both. Even slight damage can compromise the rotational balance of the rotor, thereby causing vibration and various other harmonically induced forces that can further damage the rotor or surrounding componentry. In order to avoid this contact, the spatial gap can be increased, thus reducing the output of the electrical machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,084 attempted to solve this problem by placing magnets between adjacent triangular poles, which prevented some flux leakage, and placing non-magnetic tape or banding around the outer periphery of the rotor assembly. This solution had its own shortcomings, in that some deformation still occurred. Also, in this position, the tape or banding had to be made of an expensive, non-magnetic material to prevent flux leakage from the opposing pole pieces of the rotor assembly. Furthermore, the additional material around the circumference of the rotor was placed in a groove cut in all of the pole pieces. This groove added to the gap space between the rotor and the stator, resulting in a reduction in output power of the electrical machine.
The present invention provides, in one embodiment, an axially turnable rotor for an electric generator. A rotor coil is encased within two pole piece members each having a plurality of flanged magnetic poles extending from a flat base face. Each of these flanged magnetic poles has a retaining structure on the opposite end from the flat base face. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this retaining structure takes the form of a subflange. When the two pole piece members are meshed together around the rotor coil, the subflanges of each pole piece member extend beyond the flat base face of the opposing pole piece member, allowing for the introduction of a ring or other securing means upon the subflanges. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of permanent magnets is positioned under at least one of the flanged magnetic poles.
In another embodiment of the present invention, only one pole piece member is used, and it completely encases the rotor coil by itself.
The invention may also be embodied in a method for preventing the outward deflection of the flanged magnetic poles of the pole piece members during the rotation of the rotor. The method includes the steps of providing retaining structures on the ends of the flanged magnetic poles and securing the flanged magnetic poles by attaching a ring-shaped securing means to these retaining structures. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the retaining structures take the form of subflanges. The securing means may also include fasteners or brackets. In yet a further embodiment of the method, the securing means may be secured to the subflanges by an adhesive, by cutting a groove in the subflange to fit the securing means, or by bending the subflange up after placing the securing means on the subflange, thereby locking it in place.
The present invention provides a number of advantages over the prior art. The securing means prevents the outward deflection of the flanged magnetic poles during rotation. This keeps the flanged magnetic poles from contacting the stator. Since the outward deflection of the flanged magnetic poles is substantially reduced, the electric generator can be constructed in a manner leaving a very small spatial gap radially between the magnetic portions of the rotor and the stator. A smaller spatial gap results in increased output of the electrical machine.
Another advantage of the preferred embodiment of this invention is the fact that each securing means contacts only one of the two magnetic pole pieces. This means that they contact only one magnetic polarity, either North or South. Because of this feature, the magnetic flux leakage is kept to a minimum. This feature allows the use of both magnetic and non-magnetic materials for the securing means, which in turn provides the user with a broad range of material choices. This invention is also easier to manufacture than the prior art.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is the fact that each securing means is positioned outside of the spatial gap between the rotor and the stator. This avoids the prior art problem of cutting a groove in the circumference of the rotor, which would increase the spatial gap and decrease the output of the electrical machine.
It is to be understood that both the preceding summary and the following detailed description are intended to be exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide a further explanation of the invention claimed. The invention will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A Residential Gateway (RG) for distributing video, data and telephone services to multiple devices within a residence is disclosed. The RG receives signals from a telecommunications network, converts the signals to formats compatible with the multiple devices, and transmits the appropriate signals to the appropriate devices. Wireless remote control devices (RCs) associated with remotely located televisions (TVs) transmit channel select commands to the RG as wireless signals. The wireless signals are received by Remote Antennae Packages (RAPs) coupled to the remotely located TVs. The RAPs transmit the wireless signals over coaxial cable to a Media Interface Device (MID) coupled to the RG. The MID extracts the channel select commands and forwards them to the RG. The MID is also capable of combining and splitting TV signals, and adjusting the impedance of network signals so that they can be transmitted over the coaxial cable.

Advances in the field of telecommunications allow large amounts of digital information to be delivered to a residence. Digital telecommunications networks (access systems), such as Hybrid-Fiber-Coax (HFC), Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC), and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), can provide both traditional telecommunications services such as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) as well as advanced services such as Switched Digital Video (SDV) and high-speed data access. Devices inside the residence, will be connected to the network by twisted wire pairs which provide telephone services today, or by coaxial cable similar to that used by cable operators to provide cable television (TV) services. Because of this range of services, it is likely that digital networks will be widely deployed. In a widespread deployment of digital networks, millions of homes will connect to the digital networks.
Because the majority of new video services will be digital, and because existing TVs are analog, there is a need for a device, hereinafter referred to as a Residential Gateway (RG), to convert the digital signals supplied by the network to analog signals compatible with existing TVs. Furthermore, there is a need for the RG to act as an interface subsystem for each device connected to the digital network. For example, the RG needs to act as a Premises Interface Device (PID) to extract time division multiplexed information and generate a telephone signal, and an Ethernet Bridge or Router (EBR) to generate a signal compatible with a computer.
Numerous connectors may be required as multiple devices are connected to the RG and will transmit signals to and from the RG. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that combines multiple devices and connections into a single device so as to simplify the installation of the RG.


A detergent composition contains a combination of two different surfactants, one micellar phase and one lamellar phase, at least one of the surfactants being a glycolipid biosurfactant. Preferred micellar phase biosurfactants are rhamnolipids, sophoroselipids and cellobioselipids, advantageously used in combination with non-glycolipid anionic or nonionic surfactants; while preferred lamellar biosurfactants are trehaloselipids, glucoselipids, and rhamnolipids, advantageously used in combination with micelar biosurfactants. The detergent compositions show enhanced oily soil detergency in fabric washing even when the glycolipid biosurfactants used individually are poor detergents.

Detergent compositions traditionally contain one or more detergent active material in addition to various other ingredients such as detergency builders, bleaches, fluorescers, perfumes etc. Notable applications of detergent compositions are to clean fabrics, usually by washing portable fabric items in a bowl or in a washing machine, to clean crockery and cooking utensils, again by washing in a bowl (hand dishwashing), and to clean hard surfaces such as glass, glazed surfaces, plastics, metals and enamels.
A number of classes of surfactant materials have been used, some for many years, as detergent active materials, including anionic and nonionic materials.
Glycolipid biosurfactants, which are described in more detail below, include rhamnolipids, sophoroselipids, glucoselipids, cellobioselipids and trehaloselipids. Glycolipid biosurfactants can be produced by either bacterial or yeast fermentation. This is inherently advantageous in that products of fermentation can generally be derived from renewable raw materials and are likely to be biodegradable after use.
JP 63 077 535A (Toyo Beauty) discloses an emulsion composition containing alpha-decenoic bonded rhamnolipid or its salt as emulsifying agent. The emulsion is said to be useful for cosmetics, health-care products, medicines, toiletries, detergents and foods.
DE 3 526 417A (Wella) discloses a cosmetic agent containing sophoroselipid lactone used to combat dandruff and as a bacteriostatic agent in deodorants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,311 (Kao) discloses the production of a glycolipid methyl ester from sophoroselipid. These glycolipid methyl esters are useful as a base or improving additive for various cleansers and fats and oils products and for use in painting and printing processes, fibre processing, metal processing, stationery, cosmetics, drugs, agricultural chemicals, luster prevention, synthetic resins, paper manufacturing, machinery, leather and the like.
Our copending British Patent Application No 91 02945.4 filed 12 Feb. 1991, from which the present application claims priority, describes and claims the use of combinations of rhamnolipids with other surfactants in detergent compositions.
We have now found that glycolipid biosurfactants can give a synergistic enhancement of oily/fatty soil detergency when used in certain combinations with each other, or jointly with other surfactant(s). Enhanced detergency has been observed even with glycolipids that exhibit poor detergency when used alone.

Synergistic dual-surfactant detergent composition containing sophoroselipid

Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.


A rear projector for projecting an image onto a display screen mounted on a frame. The frame includes first and second pairs of oppositely disposed mounting members having surfaces adapted to contact the screen. Each mounting member of the first pair is formed of first and second inwardly angled portions which meet at a juncture in a middle region of the member. The screen is coupled to the surfaces of the first and second pairs of mounting members to form an inward curvature of the screen.

This invention relates to a rear projector and, more particularly, to a rear projector having an angled mounting frame for securing a screen to have a predetermined arc.
In conventional rear projectors, such as video projectors as shown in FIG. 1, a cabinet 1 includes cathode-ray tubes 2 for emitting color images to a mirror 4 which reflects the color images to a flexible display screen 6 that is secured to the cabinet by a flat mounting frame 5. Screen 6 typically is made of flexible materials in order to increase the strength and rigidity of large diameter screens which, in a rear projector, may be on the order of at least 40 inches in diameter. However, using flat mounting frame 5 to secure large diameter screens has notable disadvantages.
Since a rear projector utilizes a flexible screen, the screen 6 will arc naturally in response to differences in temperature and humidity between the inside and outside of the rear projector. The size of the arc will fluctuate as a function of changes in the temperature and humidity differences. A fluctuating arc in screen 6 is undesirable for several reasons. For example, if the arc fluctuates to a larger than desirable angle, a double-image effect of the displayed image is produced. Conversely, if the arc fluctuates to a smaller than desirable angle, the screen loses its structural rigidity and thus can be cracked easily. These disadvantages are magnified as thinner screens that improve picture quality are used.

Rear projector having an angled screen mounting frame


A method in accordance with various embodiments may include: measuring a contact force between at least one probe and at least one contact pad for a plurality of probe overdrive positions, and determining a relationship between contact force and probe overdrive position from the measured contact forces; determining a first region in the relationship exhibiting a non-linear dependence of the contact force from the probe overdrive position, and a second region exhibiting a linear dependence of the contact force from the probe overdrive position; and determining a process window for a pad probing process based on the determined first region and second region.

Integrated circuits (also referred to as dies or chips) are typically tested on wafer level subsequent to manufacturing (so-called "wafer probing" or, short, "probing"). During the testing, a final application environment may be simulated electrically. To this end, dies on a wafer may be mechanically and electrically contacted with one or more probes (e.g., a probe card including a plurality of probes) to send in and read out electrical signals via the probes. The probes may be configured as needles, e.g., cantilever needles, which may contact one or more contact pads (also referred to as bonding pads or, short, pads) of the dies.
Recent chip manufacturing technologies tend to place the contact pads over active areas of the chips in order to save chip area (sometimes referred to as PoAA (Pad Over Active Area) configuration or design). Probes (e.g., needles) contacting the pads during wafer probing exert mechanical forces (contact forces) on the pads, which may cause damage to the pads and/or layers below the pads. For example, cracks may occur in an insulating layer (e.g., oxide layer) below a pad, which in turn may cause short circuits between the pad and an electrically conductive line below the pad.
Conventional methods for detecting damages caused by probing require, for example, a) measurement of pad penetration depths (scrub depths) by means of confocal microscopy, or b) chemical preparation of tested dies and subsequent optical inspection/control with respect to damages in the insulating layer (e.g., oxide) below the pads. Both methods may need to be carried out manually (which may require considerable effort, may be expensive and unreliable), and the results may often be open to interpretation. Investigations by means of chemical preparation may commonly require several days up to weeks, or may not be possible for some products.
Due to the relatively high effort involved in the aforementioned conventional methods, process windows may oftentimes only be determined with a relatively low number of parameter variations. This may result in an over dimensioning (e.g., with respect to pad geometry, pad material, expensive needle technology) in order to guarantee the necessary reliability. Furthermore, an optimum solution may not be found systematically.


The invention relates to a smoking article (1) comprising a smoking article rod portion (2) having a recess (13) and a mouthpiece (81, 91, 101) attachable to the smoking article rod portion. The mouthpiece includes an elongate cylindrical element (20) arranged to be inserted into the recess by a user. The cylindrical element comprises an outer surface having at least one circumferentially extending raised area (83, 103), and the at least one circumferentially extending raised area is configured to engage with an inner surface of the recess to prevent or restrict air flow between the inner surface of the recess and an outer surface of the mouth piece.

Cigarettes and other smoking articles produce an aerosol, smoke in the case of cigarettes, which is inhaled by a user. Filters for smoking articles are used to modify the aerosol before it reaches the user's mouth. Filters known in the art for this purpose may be formed from a plug of fibrous cellulose acetate or other materials with similar physical properties.
To enhance the removal of certain smoke constituents various additives may be added to smoking article filters. Examples include smoke adsorbents such as activated carbon which adsorbs certain smoke constituents thus removing them from the smoke stream passing through the filter. In addition to removing constituents from smoke, filter additives may impart characteristics to smoke or other aerosols passing through the filter. For example, fragrances and flavourants may be incorporated into the filter which alter the aroma and taste characteristics of the aerosol.

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED


A shroud and hanger assembly for a gas turbine engine and a method of transferring load from a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) shroud to a CMC shroud hanger assembly are provided. The shroud and hanger assembly includes a shroud hanger assembly formed of a first material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, the shroud hanger assembly having a forward hanger portion and a separate aftward hanger portion and a shroud formed of a second material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion, the forward and aftward hanger portions configured to couple together to clamp across a forward radially extending wall of the shroud.

This description relates to a composite shroud hanger assembly, and, more particularly, to a method and system for a two-piece ceramic matrix composite (CMC) shroud hanger assembly which clamps across a forward vertical wall of a shroud to support the shroud while transferring turbine nozzle load through the shroud hanger assembly and into a gas turbine engine casing.
At least some known gas turbine engines include a core having a high pressure compressor, combustor, and high pressure turbine (HPT) in serial flow relationship. The core engine is operable to generate a primary gas flow. The high pressure turbine includes annular arrays ("rows") of stationary vanes or nozzles that direct the gases exiting the combustor into rotating blades or buckets. Collectively one row of nozzles and one row of blades make up a "stage". Typically two or more stages are used in serial flow relationship. These components operate in an extremely high temperature environment, and may be cooled by air flow to ensure adequate service life.
Components of the gas turbine engine, for example stationary shrouds or shroud segments and their supporting structures, such as, shroud hanger assemblies, are exposed to a heated stream of combustion gases. It is desirable to operate a gas turbine engine at high temperatures most efficient for generating and extracting energy from these gases. However, such elevated temperatures frequently exceed the temperature capability of the basic component materials and can result in compromise of mechanical and/or physical properties, or distortion of the components. Consequently, use has been made of various heat-resistant coatings and/or cooling processes. If cooling is used, is it usually implemented by channeling relatively cooler air, for example from various points in the high-pressure compressor of the engine, and discharging it within or from a component to provide convection, impingement, or film cooling.
In other examples, due to operating temperatures within the gas turbine engine, materials having a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are used. For example, to operate effectively in such adverse temperature and pressure conditions, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials may be used. These low coefficient of thermal expansion materials have higher temperature capability than similar metallic parts, so that, when operating at the higher operating temperatures, the engine is able to operate at a higher engine efficiency. However, such ceramic matrix composite (CMC) have mechanical properties that must be considered during the design and application of the CMC. CMC materials have relatively low tensile ductility or low strain to failure when compared to metallic materials. Also, CMC materials have a coefficient of thermal expansion which differs significantly from metal alloys used as restraining supports or hangers for CMC type materials. Therefore, if a CMC component is restrained and cooled on one surface during operation, stress concentrations can develop leading to a shortened life of the segment.
At least some known gas turbine engine are manufactured using a CMC "open shroud" configuration, which may be preferred for manufacturing over other types of segmented CMC shrouds, such as a "box shroud". Complex hanger assemblies have been required, however to transfer a load from, for example, a nozzle of a turbine through the shroud hanger assembly without damaging the shroud. Because of the configuration, some portions of the CMC components are not always in compression. CMC material can withstand compression loads, but experiences a reduced life when subject to tensile or moment loads.
Other hanger designs have used a flexible spring-arm at the forward or aft side of the hanger and a ridged arm at opposite side to provide a light clamp load across the entire shroud for sealing. At the same time, additional engine components or more complex hanger designs were used to transfer the nozzle load around the shroud and through the hanger and into the turbine casing.

Method and system for a ceramic matrix composite shroud hanger assembly


Enhancement of mechanical properties of ceramic membranes by introduction of a uniformly distributed high-temperature oxidation-resistant metal phase into the brittle ceramic phase to achieve mechanically strong ceramic/metal composites operable in an oxidation atmosphere and at elevated temperatures.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to enhancement of mechanical properties of ceramic membranes, such as solid electrolytes and mixed ionic-electronic conducting ceramic materials. Use of many ceramic materials, particularly of perovskite structure, has been limited due to poor mechanical properties. This invention provides enhancement of mechanical properties by introduction of a uniformly distributed, high-temperature oxidation-resistant metal phase into the brittle solid electrolyte or mixed ionic-electronic conducting ceramic materials to achieve mechanically strong ceramic/metal composites operable in an oxidation atmosphere and at elevated temperatures.
2. Description of Related Art
Much prior work has centered around stabilizing and increasing oxygen ion conduction of materials such as Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3. High oxygen ion conduction compared to that of zirconia based electrolytes has been obtained using Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with Er.sub.2 O.sub.3 or Tm.sub.2 O.sub.3, M. J. Verkerk and A. J. Burggraaf, J. Electrochem. Soc., 128, No. 1, 75-82 (1981), and using Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with yttrium, P. J. Dordor, J. Tanaka and A. Watanabe, Solid State Ionics, 25, 177-181, (1987), and using Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with Yb.sub.2 O.sub.3, H. T. Cahen, T. G. M. Van Den Belt, J. H. W. De Wit and G. H. J. Broers, Solid State Ionics, 1, 411-423, (1980). Increasing oxygen ion conductivity and structural stabilization of the FCC phase of Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 based electrolytes has been investigated resulting in fast ion conduction in Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with oxides of Y and Tb-Lu, H. T. Cahen, J. H. W. De Wit, A. Honders, G. H. J. Broers and J. P. M. Van Den Dungen, Solid State Ionics, 1, 425-440, (1980), and Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with oxides of La, Nd, Sm, Dy, Er or Yb, H. Iwahara, T. Esaka, T. Sato and T. Takahashi, J. Solid State Chem., 39, 173-180, (1981), and Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 doped with oxides of Er and Dy, M. J. Verkerk and A. J. Burggraaf, Solid State Ionics, 3/4, 463-467, (1981). U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,494 teaches oxygen ion conductivity of Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 in the cubic form stabilized by 10-40 mole percent of a rare earth oxide such as yttria is greatly enhanced by inclusion of up to 10 mole percent of an oxide of a cation having a valence of 4 or greater, such as zirconia, hafnia, thoria, stannic oxide, tantalum oxide, and niobium oxide.
Mixed ionic-electronic conductors have been disclosed as solid electrolyte materials and for electrocatalysis: U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,904 teaches conversion of light hydrocarbons to synthesis gas using a solid electrolyte having a conductive metal or metal oxide coating on the cathode side which is capable of reducing oxygen to oxygen ions and a conductive coating on the anode side capable of catalyzing the oxidative conversion of methane or natural gas to synthesis gas with the solid electrolyte being a high ionic conductive material, preferably yttria or calcia stabilized zirconia, while also disclosing Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 stabilized by a lanthanide or calcium oxide; U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,054 teaches electrocatalytic oxidative conversion of saturated hydrocarbons to unsaturated hydrocarbons in an electrogenerative cell using a solid electrolyte having a conductive coating on each side, teaching the coating on the anode side may be bismuth and preferably mixtures of silver and bismuth, with the solid electrolyte being a high ionic conductive material, preferably yttria or calcia stabilized zirconia, while also disclosing Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 stabilized by a lanthanide or calcium oxide; U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,958 teaches electrocatalytic conversion of low molecular weight hydrocarbons to higher molecular weight hydrocarbons in an electrogenerative cell using a solid electrolyte coated with a metal or metal oxide coating on each side as taught in the 4,933,054 patent, the conductive metal or metal oxide coating on the cathode side being one capable of reducing oxygen to oxygen ions and the conductive metal or metal oxide coating on the anode side being capable of catalyzing the conversion of low molecular weight hydrocarbons to higher molecular weight hydrocarbons including bismuth oxide and preferably mixtures of bismuth oxide and silver; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,329 teaches a coating of oxygen-ionic-electronic conducting cerium and uranium oxide undoped or, preferably, doped with zirconia, thoria, or lanthanum oxides on cermet electrodes to provide electronic conduction for solid oxide electrochemical cells European Patent Publication No. 0 399 833 teaches multiphase mixtures of an electronically conductive material and an oxygen ion conductive material and solid membranes based upon ABO.sub.3 perovskite materials, preferably containing small amounts or no bismuth.
Solid oxide electrolytes based upon metal-containing perovskite structures are known and exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,851,303; 5,134,042; 5,213,911; 5,244,753; 5,298,235; and 5,306,411.
Mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxidic materials based upon 25 to 98 mole percent cubic or tetragonal ZrO.sub.2, 1.5 to 15 mole percent stabilizing oxide of alkaline earth metals, yttrium and/or rare earth metals, particularly oxides of Ca, Mg, Y, and 0.5 to 50 mole percent oxide V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mb, W and/or Ti with usual impurities are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,214 to provide high current densities, operate at lower temperatures than present materials, provide conductivity independent of oxygen pressure and are useful in oxygen concentration cells, oxygen probes, fuel cells, and electrolysis cells. U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,194 teaches mixed electronic and ionic conductors for positive electrodes of electrochemical generators which are monophased graphite material having an alkali cation of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, or NH.sub.4, a transition metal of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe or Mo, and a non-metallic electronegative atom of O, S, F, Cl or Br.
Solid electrolytes, such as ZrO.sub.2 -based materials, and their oxygen ion transport properties are reviewed in Khandkar, A. C. and Joshi, A. V., Solid Electrolytes: Emerging Applications and Technologies, The Electrochemical Society Interface, 2, 26-33 (1993). Materials other than ZrO.sub.2 and CeO.sub.2 -materials provide better oxygen ion transport properties, such as stabilized bismuth oxides as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,628; perovskites La.sub.x-1 Sr.sub.x Co.sub.1-y Fe.sub.y O.sub.3-.delta. as described in Teracka, Y., Shang, H., Furukawa, S. and Yamazoe, N., Oxygen Permeation Through Perovskite Type Oxides, Chemistry Letters, 1743-1746, (1985); and perovskites La.sub.1-x Ba.sub.x Co.sub.1-y Fe.sub.y O.sub.3-.delta. as described in U.S Pat. No. 5,240,480. Poor mechanical properties of these materials have restricted their use. The mechanical strength of yttrium stabilized bismuth oxide is usually low due to the weak bonding between the bismuth ions and oxygen ions, which limits its use as an electrolyte membrane in many electrochemical devices. Doping certain dopants into the crystal structure of the brittle materials, such as zirconia doped yttrium stabilized bismuth oxide as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,494, resulted in improved mechanical properties, but lowered oxygen ion conductivity of the material. Mixed ionic-electronic conducting perovskite materials are usually brittle, as recognized by the 5,240,480 patent which suggests a multi layer membrane with dense and porous layers to provide improved mechanical properties. Additionally, many perovskites have phase transformations between about 300.degree. and 1200.degree. C., and therefore cracking frequently occurs during formation of the perovskites by solid state sintering or it occurs later during thermal cycling.
A method for increasing the mechanical strength and ductility of brittle ceramic materials by introduction of metal nickel inclusions into Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 matrix by sintering green powder compacts of an admixture of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and NiO powders surrounded by a graphite powder bed to reduce NiO to Ni in situ is taught by Tuan, W. H. and Brook, R. J., Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 6, 31-37, (1990). Production of the Ni/Al.sub.z O.sub.3 composite as taught by Tuan, et al, supra, required sintering temperatures above the melting point of nickel which had a disadvantageous effect upon properties. Moreover, these techniques involve in situ formation of a metal phase under sub-atmospheric pressure at high temperatures, and, therefore, the materials can only be used for low temperature applications. If the materials are used at high temperatures, they must be kept under a reducing environment to avoid the metal phase being re-oxidized.

Enhancement of mechanical properties of ceramic membranes and solid electrolytes


A front body construction of a car body has a wheel apron used as part of a side wall of an engine compartment. A wheel apron is connected with a suspension tower for supporting a front wheel suspension therein and to a boxed U-channel front side frame extending in a lengthwise direction from a front end to a rear end of the engine compartment. A pair of gussets is provided as reinforcing members to interconnect the suspension tower and the front side frame. The lower portion of each gusset is disposed within the boxed U-channel front side frame and BonnectedDtoOinnerRwallsSoffth boxee Uchhnnnl Broot Bidd foamm s at t ppevvnttthh swsppnssonntoerrfrm Beiig ubkecced to loads causing an inward leaning.

A front body section of a car body includes a wheel apron as a side wall forming part of an engine compartment. Such a wheel apron is welded to an outer side of a front side frame in the form of a U-channel or a boxed U-channel which generally extends in a lengthwise direction over the front body section. The wheel apron includes a wheel housing formed integrally therewith to which a suspension tower is attached to receive therein a shock absorber of a wheel suspension apparatus. A front body construction of a car body as noted is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Pat. No. 58-103,202 entitled "Body Construction of a Vehicle" filed on July 2, 1983 and laid open as Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication Pat. No. 60-11,274 on Jan. 25, 1985.
In order to provide a rigid structure for such front body sections, a connective structure between the wheel apron and front side frame is of importance. In particular, the suspension tower connected to the wheel housing of the wheel apron is subjected to a large lateral load applied from the front wheel suspension apparatus while the vehicle is traveling. In the connective structure and/or a reinforcing structure between the suspension tower and the wheel housing of the wheel apron, the suspension tower inevitably tends to lean somewhat toward the inside of the engine compartment (such action of the suspension tower is, in this specification, referred to as an inward leaning). If in fact such an inward leaning takes place, the part of the wheel apron forming the side wall of the engine compartment experiences a torsional deformation or vibration due to an external force acting on the wheel housing from the suspension tower.
Heretofore, in order to eliminate torsional deformations or vibrations of the wheel apron, a reinforcing member has usually been applied to the connection between the suspension tower and the wheel housing. Alternatively, a U-shaped reinforcing bracket connected between a side wall of the wheel housing of the wheel apron to which the suspension tower is attached and an outer side of the front side frame has been used.
A problem associated with such conventional connecting structures is that, although the provision of reinforcing members improves the connective strength between the wheel housing of the front wheel apron and the front side frame, it is insufficient to receive an external force acting on the suspension tower by the front side frame because the reinforcing member is connected to only one side wall of the front side frame. Therefore, an extra reinforcing member is needed to increase the connective strength of a connected section between the suspension tower on which the suspension apparatus exerts a torsional force and the wheel housing of the wheel apron.


Disclosed is a method for reading a two-dimensional code (17) by means of a camera (1) used for the three-dimensional optical measurement of an object using triangulation. Said method comprises the steps of placing the camera (1) above the two-dimensional code (17), having a white light source (5) of the camera (1) illuminate the code (17), having the camera (1) capture an image (18) of the code (17), and having an arithmetic unit (6) read data encrypted in the code (17) from the image (18) of the code (17).

Cameras for three-dimensional measurement of objects using triangulation, as used, for example, for measuring teeth or imperfections in dental medicine, must be calibrated before the first use or even regularly. For this purpose, calibration sets, for example, are used that comprise a carrier on which markers are arranged in precisely known positions. For calibration, this calibration target, i.e., the carrier with the markers, can be positioned and captured in various positions relative to the camera. The camera is calibrated using the image and the precisely known positions of the markers on the carrier or relative to each other.
Because the positions of the markers on the carrier can fluctuate somewhat for reasons relating to production and the positions of the markers are therefore not known with sufficient precision to perform a proper calibration, each of the calibration sets is usually measured precisely before they can be used and the results are stored in a database.
If a calibration set is used to calibrate a camera, the precise positions of the markers can be checked in the database in advance, for example, using a serial number of the calibration set.
However, reading, entering or searching for the serial number or any other identification/code in the database is a source of error.
The object of the present invention is to avoid this source of error.

Method for reading a two-dimensional code by means of a camera used for three-dimensional optical measurement of objects


A keyboard has a key array including keys, a top surface having a front edge and a back edge, and a bottom surface positioned opposite the top surface. An interface device for use with the keyboard includes a base, a front standoff coupled to the base and having a keyboard-contacting portion, and a back standoff coupled to the base and having a keyboard-contacting portion. The keyboard-contacting portions are spaced such that, when the base is positioned over the key array, the key array is positioned between the keyboard-contacting portions so as to align the base in a front-to-back orientation relative to the key array. The keyboard-contacting portions are both supported by the top surface of the keyboard. The interface device also includes a key-contacting mechanism mounted on the base in a fixed orientation relative to the standoffs, and a coupling mechanism for removably coupling the interface device to the keyboard.

In the past decade, the use of personal computers has grown at a tremendous pace. Since the introduction of the personal computer, there have been numerous inventions to help users input information and interface with their computers. The most common computer interface device is the standard "QRTY" keyboard. However, the standard "QRTY" keyboards may prevent people from using a computer if they have limited dexterity or who simply cannot type. There is a strong need for a computer interface device that can securely and removably attach to any underlying computer keyboard.
As a result, there have been numerous inventions attempts to overcome these inherent limitations of computer keyboards. For example, joysticks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,574 and 4,945,357. These joysticks reside above the numeric keypad and attach to at least one of the numeric keys. However, these joysticks are not securely anchored onto the keyboard and can be accidentally dislocated if they are bumped.
Further, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,855 discloses a keyboard overlay which is designed to fit over a specific "QRTY" keyboard. However, this keyboard overlay is not securely attached to the keyboard and can inadvertently be removed from the underlying keyboard. Further, this keyboard overlay disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,855 patent does not teach being adaptable to non-standard computer keyboards such as curved "QRTY" keyboards.
What is needed is a keyboard interface device which securely yet removably couples to computer keyboards of varying sizes. What is further needed is a keyboard interface device that automatically aligns itself with respect to the underlying keyboard when the keyboard interface device and the underlying keyboard are coupled together.


The present invention relates to a gene encoding an ascomycete or deuteromycete carboxypeptidase Y gene, and host cells modified so as to produce reduced amounts of carboxypeptidase.

The fungal vacuole is an acidic organelle that contains many hydrolases, including several proteases, and is essentially equivalent to the mammalian lysosome. Several of the hydrolases have been identified and characterized in one or more species of fungi, particularly in yeast; these include protease A(PEP4 or PrA), protease B(PrB), aminopeptidase(APE), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase B(DPAP B), carboxypeptidase Y(CPY), and carboxypeptidase S(CPS). Most of the vacuolar hydrolases are glycoproteins which are synthesized as inactive precursors. In fact, all the aforementioned proteases with the exception of APE have signal peptides that lead to transit through the secretory pathway. In the late golgi, vacuolar proteins are sorted from secretory proteins and eventually delivered to the vacuole. In addition to a signal peptide, most vacuolar proteins also have a propeptide which is cleaved upon delivery to the vacuole to generate the mature active enzyme. It has been demonstrated that the amino acid information in PrA and CPY required for vacuolar targeting is present within the propeptide(Johnson et al., Cell 48: 875-885, 1987; Rothman et al. PNAS USA 83: 3248-3252, 1989; Valls et al., Cell 48: 887-897, 1989; Valls et al. J. Cell Biol. 111: 361-368, 1987). For CPY a string of four amino acid residues (QRPL) has been shown to be required for localization to the vacuole (Valls et al., J. Cell Biol. 111: 361-368, 1990). Once delivered to the vacuole, proteinase A (pep4)cleaves the propeptide of CPY and PrB leading to the activation of the proteases (Ammerer et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6: 2490-2499, 1986; Woolford et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6: 2500-2510, 1986).
In S. cerevisiae, three classes of mutants which mislocalize or missort vacuolar proteins have been identified (Bankaitis et al., PNAS USA 83: 9075-9079, 1986; Robinson et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 8: 4936-4948, 1988; Rothman et al.,EMBO J. 8: 2057-2065, 1989; Rothman and Stevens, Cell 47: 1041-1051, 1986). These mutants are called vps or vacuolar protein sorting mutants. Several of these mutants are isolated using a selection based on the observation that overexpression of a vacuolar protease due to a high copy number on a plasmid leads to a secretion of vacuolar proteases (Stevens et al., J. Cell Biol. 102: 1551-1557, 1986; Rothman et al, PNAS USA 83: 3248-3242, 1986). This suggests that it is possible to saturate the sorting machinery within the late golgi.
In S. cerevisiae, it has also been demonstrated that strains deleted for PEP4, CPY and PrB produce higher levels of heterologous proteins due to a decrease in proteolysis of the desired product. Therefore, the vacuolar proteases in question are important from a commercial point of view because many of the fungi which produce them are used for recombinant production of heterologous proteins. The presence of these proteases in fermentation is undesirable, in that they can degrade the protein of interest, thereby significantly reducing yield. Elimination of the function of any given protease is facilitated by the disruption or deletion of the gene encoding it; however, doing so first requires identification and isolation of the corresponding gene in the host species of interest. As noted above, a few such genes have been isolated from various yeast strains; however, the genes encoding vacuolar proteases in the filamentous ascomycetes or deuteromycetes are less well known. For example, PEPC(Frederick et al., Gene 125: 57-64, 1993) and PEPE (Jarai et al., Gene 145: 171-178, 1994) genes coding for two other vacuolar proteases from Aspergilus niger have been isolated. PEPC codes for a proteinase B(PrB) homologue, and PEPE codes for a proteinase A homologue. The gene PEP4 from Neurospora crassa coding for a PrA homologue has also been cloned(Bowman, 17th Fungal Genetics Conference, 1993). For the first time herein is described the gene encoding a vacuolar CPY from a filamentous ascomycete or deuteromycete.

Gene encoding carboxypeptidase of aspergillus niger