Compounds are described which are efflux pump inhibitors of cellular efflux pumps of microbes. Also described are methods of preparing such compounds, methods of using such efflux pump inhibitor compounds and pharmaceutical compositions which include such compounds.

Microbes are known to have developed the ability to evolve different mechanisms of self-defense against antimicrobial agents. In particular, bacterial and fungal pathogens have developed mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial agents used to inhibit their growth, or to treat infections by them in humans, animals and tissue cultures. As a result, treatment regimens can be adversely affected or, in some cases rendered ineffective.
One of the most frequently employed resistance strategies in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes is the transmembrane-protein-catalyst extrusion of drugs from the cell, with these proteins acting like bilge pumps, reducing the intracellular drug concentration to subtoxic levels. (M. Ines Vorges-Walmsley et.al., Trends in Microbiology, 2001, 9: 71–79).
Recent developments in the efflux area include the discovery of new monodrug efflux systems, as well as the realisation of the importance of multidrug efflux systems (H. Nikaido and H. I. Zgurskaya, Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 1999, 12: 529). In gram-negative bacteria, for example, single component efflux pumps extrude their substrates into the periplasmic space as is done by the transposon-encoded tetracycline- and chloramphenicol-specific pumps, TetA and CmlA, respectively, and the MDR pump MdfA encoded in the chromosome of Escherichia coli.
Bacterial genomes sequenced to date almost invariably contain genes apparently coding for multidrug efflux pumps. Multidrug efflux as a major cause of intrinsic drug resistance in many microorganisms, or overproduction of intrinsic pumps, or acquisition of pump genes from external sources, all play a prominent role, often resulting in high levels of resistance. Examples of multicomponent efflux pumps, belonging mainly to the resistance-modulation-division (RND) family members, found mostly in gram-negative bacteria, include the MDR pumps AcrAB-TolC and MexAB-OprM from E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Interplay between efflux pumps may provide either additive or multiplicative effects on drug resistance (A. Lee et al., J. of Bacteriology, 2000, 182: 3142). MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ, MexEF-OprN, MexXY-OprM, AcrAB-TolC, AcrEF, MarA, SoxS, or/and Tet pump/s are known to be present in Gram negative organisms such as P. aeruginosa and E. coli and are reviewed in recent publications and papers, such as K. K. Y. Wong et. al., J. of Bacteriology, 2001, 183: 367–374; K. Poole, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemothero, 2000, 44: 2233–2241; R Srikumar et. al., Abstracts of the 40th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemother., 2000, Abstr. 441: 74; Xian Zhi Li et. al., Journal of Antimicrob. Chemother., 2000, 45: 433–436; Koronakis et. al., Nature, 2000, 405: 914 –919; M Oethinger, et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 2000, 44: 10–13; W. V. Kern, et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 2000, 44: 814–820; O Lomovskaya, et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 1999, 43: 1340–1346. Active efflux has been shown to be the primary or molecular mechanism of a fluoroquinolone resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium (E Giraud et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 2000, 44: 1223–1228) and in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients (S Jalal et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 2000, 44: 710–712). Efflux mediated aminoglycoside and macrolide resistance in Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of meliodosis has been described in R A Moore et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chempther., 1999, 43: 465–470.
Efflux transporters are also among different mechanisms responsible for the resistance to antibiotics displayed by gram-positive bacteria and mycobacteria, particularly aerobic gram-positive cocci. The multidrug transporter NorA, belonging to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporters, contributes to the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to fluoroquinolone antibiotics. A minireview describes effllux-mediated resitance to fluoroquinolones in Gram-positive bacteria and the mycobacteria (K Poole, Antimicro. Agents and Chemother., 2000, 44: 2595–2599). To the MFS transporters also belong the Bmr and QacA/QacB efflux pumps of Gram positive bacteria, and EmrB of E. coli (H. Nikaido, Current Opinion in Microbiology, 1: 516–523). A structure based mechanism for drug binding by multidrug transporters is recently proposed using the BmrR protein from Bacillus subtilis and the multidrug transporter MdfA from E. coli (E. E. Zheleznova et. al., Trends in Biological Sciences 2000, 25: 39–43), which mechanism is also putatively considered for the QacA/QacB efflux system of S. aureus . New MFS pumps include PmrA (a homolog of NorA) of Streptococcus pneumoniae (J. Broskey etl.al., Journal of Antimcro. Chemother., 2000, 45: Suppl. S1, 95–99; M J Gill et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 1999, 43: 187–189) and Tap of Mycobacterium fortuitum and M. tuberculosis. Recently, NorM, which pumps out fluoroquinolones and some cationic agents was found to be outside the MFS transporter class. The role of membrane-fusion protein (MFP) structural homologues recently identified in low G+C Gram positive bacteria that lack an outer membrane, as essential transport accessory proteins with transporters of the ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) super family has been described (K. T. Harley et. al., Molecular Microbiol., 2000, 38: 516–517).
The Mef efflux system mediates large fractions of erythromycin-resistant clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae (N. J. Johnston et al., Antimicrob Agents Chemother., 1998, 42: 2425; T. Nishijma et al., J. Antimicrob Chemother, 1999, 43: 637). Beta-haemolytic Streptococci and pneumococci resistant to erythromycin due to the prsence of MefA efflux pumps in Streptococcus pyogenes, MefE pumps in S. pneumoniae, and an M phenotype bearing S. agalactiae possessing MefA or MefE pumps are found to be emergent and prevalent in Europe (C Arpin et. al., J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 1999, 44: 133–138; E. Giovanetti et. al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother., 1999, 43: 1935–1940).
Efflux and drug resistance in fungi and protozoa have also been described (T. G. White et al., Clin Microbiol Rev 1998, 11: 382; D. Sanglard, Drug Resistance Updates1998, 1: 255; B. Papadopoulou et al., Drug Resistance Updates 1998, 1: 266; E. Orozao et al., Drug Resistance Updates, 1999, 2:188).
In summary, the above discussion indicates that cellular factors affecting transport (both active and passive transport) of antibiotics into bacterial cells are important components of antibiotic resistance for many microbial species.
One strategy to target resistance mechanisms of microbial self-defense is to find inhibitors of microbial efflux pumps and, in particular of bacterial and fungal efflux pumps.
There is disclosed in PCT Patent publication WO 96/33285 and U.S. Patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,832 with priority in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/427,088 and PCT/US96/05469, methods for screening for inhibitors of microbial efflux pumps, efflux pump inhibitors, compositions containing such efflux pump inhibitors, and methods for treating microbial infections using those compositions, but unlike the efflux pump inhibitors of the present invention, the efflux pump inhibitors disclosed are dipeptide amides specifically inhibiting a Pseudomonas aeruginosa-type efflux pump. There is disclosed in PCT Patent publication WO/001714, with priority in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/108,906, compounds which have efflux pump inhibitor activity, methods of using such efflux pump inhibitors and pharmaceutical compositions which include such compounds, but unlike the efflux pump inhibitors of the present invention, the efflux pump inhibitors disclosed are dipeptide amide derivatives demonstrating pump inhibitory activity against P. aeruginosa strains containing singular efflux pumps and multiple efflux pumps.
Patent WO 99/17791, with U.S. priority in 60/060,898 discloses a method for inhibiting the selection or propagation of a bacterial mutant that overexpresses an efflux pump wherein the inhibitor disclosed is the dipeptide amide, L-phenylalanyl-L-arginyl-beta-naphthylamide (MC′-207,110), which is unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,245,746, 6,114,310 and WO 9937667 all with U.S. priority in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/012,363 disclosed methods of using efflux pump inhibitors which increase the susceptibility of microbes in particular P. aeruginosa strains to antimicrobial agents and pharmaceutical compositions which include such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,729 describes peptidomimetic efflux pump inhibitors; secondary amide containing benzoxazole derivatives, methods of using such efflux pump inhibitor compounds and pharmaceutical compositions which include such compounds.
Patent WO 00/32196, with U.S. priority in 60/110,841, discloses inhibitors of multidrug transport proteins which may be used in combination with existing antibacterial agents and/or antifungal agents, wherein the inhibitor is an indole or a urea or an aromatic amide or a quinoline, all of which inhibitors are unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention. In addition, the inhibitors disclosed in patent WO 00/32196 are specifically inhibitors of bacteria expressing a norA pump, or a fungus expressing a multidrug transport protein.
Novel inhibitors of the NorA multidrug transporter of S. aureus having structurally diverse chemical structures were also described by P. N. Markham et al., (Antimicrob. Agents & Chemother., 1999, 43: 2404), among which the more active compounds include (a) those containing an indole moiety like the previously known inhibitor, reserpine, (b) biphenyl urea derivatives, (c) a substituted pyrimidinone derivative and (d) compounds INF 240 and INF 277, but they are all unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
Another inhibitor of the NorA MDR pump in a pathogenic S. aureus strain is 5′-methoxyhydnocarpin (F. R. Stermitz et al., Proc. New York Acad. of Sci., 2000, 97: 1433), which has a structure unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
Nocardamin, a cyclopeptide, was found to be a general antagonist of a tetracycline efflux pump from S. aureus . It has a structure unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
Minocycline and 1,1-dimethyl-5-(1-hydroxypropyl)-4,6,7-trimethylindan (Ro 07-3149) inhibit the active tetracycline efflux pump in S. aureus 743 (T.Hirata et al., Biol Pharm Bull, 1998, 21:678). Both the compounds have a structure unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
(±)-3-(2-chloro,5-bromophenyl) ethyl-4-fluoropiperidine as an example of 3-arylpiperidines has recently been described as potentiator of existing antibacterial agents against E. coli (A. Thorarensen et. al., Bioorg. and Medicinal Chem. Letters, 2001, 11: 1903–1096). The 3-arylpiperidine compounds have a structure unlike the efflux pump inhibitor compounds of the present invention.
To our knowledge no drug like organic molecule has been identified, described or proposed as an inhibitor of Mef efflux pump.
Deficiencies abound in the efflux pump inhibitors disclosed in the art prior to our present invention.
Reserpine is not a usable compound for therapy because of its neurotoxicity at the concentration required for efflux pump inhibition.
The inhibitors of single drug and multidrug transporters such as the dipeptide amide, MC′-207,110, are broad in specificity, inhibiting all three RND systems of P. aeruginosa involved in fluoroquinolone efflux, but have not been shown to be effective against pumps of other strains, for instance a NorA pump. Moreover, the methods employed to demonstrate their efflux pump inhibitory properties are mainly in vitro methods. For demonstration of in vivo activity, recourse has had to be taken to parenteral administration (cf. T. E. Renau et al, J. Med. Chem.,1999, 42, 4928), rather than oral administration, as it is generally known that oral bioavailability is poor for compounds of a peptidic nature.
The series of inhibitors described in WO 00/32196 and by Markham et al (vide infra) have been minimally and incompletely profiled in terms of their efficacy, safety and tolerability, which has yet to be demonstrated in in vivo models.
Potent inhibitors of microbial efflux pumps is thus an important goal for the improved control of infectious diseases, allowing a renaissance for drugs that are no longer effective owing to their efflux (K. Poole, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2001, 53: 283–294). The current inventors have synthesised screened and identified novel inhibitors of cellular efflux pumps of microbes. Distinctive structural features characterise the difference sets of efflux pump inhibitors for different microorganisms as will be described in the following description.

Inhibitors of cellular efflux pumps of microbes


A biometrics authentication device uses biometrics information to perform individual authentication. Primary and secondary verification of biometrics characteristic data from an image capture device are performed by a control unit and IC card. The biometrics character data is scrambled and transmitted between devices. The second registration data which is more important to authentication is stored within the IC card, and first registration data is registered in the IC card in a scrambled state. Security is improved, and moreover the load on the CPU of the IC chip in the IC card is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a biometrics authentication method and biometrics authentication device to authenticate individuals using features of a portion of the human body, and in particular relates to a biometrics authentication method and biometrics authentication device suitable for verifying registered blood vessel image information for a body part against blood vessel information detected for a body part, in a contactless manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the human body there are numerous parts which can be used to differentiate individuals, such as fingerprints of hand and toe, the retinas of the eyes, facial features, and blood vessel patterns. Advances in biometrics technology in recent years have been accompanied by proposals of various devices which identify biometrics characteristics which are such regions of the human body to authenticate individuals.
Of these, because blood vessels and pin the palms and fingers and palm prints provide a comparatively large quantity of individual characteristic data, they are suited to individual authentication where high reliability is required. In particular, the patterns of blood vessels (veins) remain unchanged from the fetus throughout life, and are thought to be completely unique, and so are suited to individual authentication. FIG. 19 through FIG. 22 explain conventional technology for authentication using the palm. As shown in FIG. 19, at the time of registration or authentication, the user brings the palm of a hand 110 close to an image capture device 100. The image capture device 100 emits near-infrared rays, which are incident on the palm of the hand 110. The image capture device 100 receives the near-infrared rays reflected from the palm of the hand 110 using a sensor.
As shown in FIG. 20, hemoglobin within the red corpuscles flowing in the veins 112 has lost oxygen. This hemoglobin (reduced hemoglobin) absorbs near-infrared rays at wavelengths near 760 nanometers. Consequently when near-infrared rays are made incident on the palm of a hand, reflection is reduced only in the areas in which there are veins, and the intensity of the reflected near-infrared rays can be used to identify the positions of veins.
As shown in FIG. 19, a user first registers in a server and card the vein image data for the palm of his own hand, using the image capture device 100 of FIG. 19. Next, in order to perform individual authentication, the user uses the image capture device 100 of FIG. 19 to cause the vein image data of his own palm to be read.
The individual is authenticated by comparing the patterns of veins in the registered vein image retrieved using the user's ID and in the vein verification image read by the image capture device 100. For example, on comparing the vein patterns in the registered image and a verification image as in FIG. 21, the individual is authenticated as the individual in question. On the other hand, upon comparison of the vein patterns in a registered image and in a verification image as in FIG. 22, the individual is not authenticated (see for example Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-062826).
In a biometrics authentication system, measures must be taken to ensure that biometrics characteristic data is not leaked to outside parties. Hence in the field of fingerprint authentication, a method of individual authentication has been proposed in which fingerprint characteristic data for an individual is registered in an IC card, and fingerprint characteristic data read from a fingerprint sensor is verified against the data within the IC card (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-293643).
Further, in the above proposal, the IC card stores comparatively low-level characteristic data A (which may be leaked to outside parties), and comparatively high-level characteristic data B which should be kept confidential, taking into consideration the processing capacity of the IC cards. Characteristic data A is transmitted from the IC card to an external device including a fingerprint sensor, and in the external device verification with the characteristic data A (called "primary verification") is performed. The verification result and characteristic data B′ extracted from an image from the fingerprint sensor are transmitted to the IC card, and within the IC card verification with the characteristic data B (called "secondary verification") is performed.
In this method, two stage verification operations are performed, externally and in the IC card, so that high-speed authentication can be achieved while maintaining security of biometrics characteristic data.
However, in order to further prevent leakage of characteristic data, security measures should also be applied to communication between the sensor, external device, and the IC card. In the above-described technology of the prior art, at the time of registration of characteristic data A, B in the IC card from the external device, data is encrypted and transmitted, and is decrypted and stored in the IC card (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-293643, paragraph 0055). And to perform secondary verification, characteristic data B′ is encrypted and transmitted from the external device to the IC card, and is decrypted and used in secondary verification in the IC card (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-293643, paragraphs 0061, 0062).
However, in the technology of the prior art, no security measures are taken with respect to biometrics information sent from the sensor to the external device at the times of registration and verification. Consequently there are respects in which protection of biometrics information detected by the sensor is lacking. And because characteristic data A which may be released externally is also encrypted, the IC card has had to bear the substantial processing burden of decrypting the characteristic data A and B.

Biometrics authentication method and biometrics authentication device


A telephoto lens system includes a positive first lens group, a positive second lens group, a diaphragm, a negative third lens group constituting a focusing lens group, and a positive fourth lens group. The first lens group includes a positive first lens element, a positive second lens element, and a negative third lens element. The second lens group includes a negative or a positive fourth lens element and a positive or negative fifth lens element which are cemented to each other. The third lens group includes a positive or negative sixth lens element and a negative or positive seventh lens element which are cemented to each other. The fourth lens group includes one positive eighth lens element. Upon focusing on an object at infinity to an object at a closer distance, the third lens group is moved toward the image. The telephoto lens system satisfies the following conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephoto lens system for use in a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recent exchangeable lens system for a SLR camera, a high-speed focusing capability is required in order to cope with the automatic focusing system thereof. In order to provide a high-speed focusing capability, the weight of the focusing lens group needs to be lighter.
In a lens system in which all the lens groups are advanced for focusing, the weight of the lens groups to be moved becomes heavier; and accordingly, such a lens system is not suitable for a higher-speed focusing capability.
In known telephoto lens systems, many lens systems employing an internal-focusing system which is arranged to move only a lens group provided in the middle of the telephoto lens system, have been proposed.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JUPP) No. H08-327896, four lens elements constitute an internal-focusing lens group; and in JUPP No. H08-5907 and JUPP No. H06-201989, three lens elements constitute an internal-focusing lens group.
Furthermore, in JUPP No. H01-211711 and JUPP No. H06-138385, two lens elements constitute an internal-focusing lens group.
Here note that in JUPP No. H01-211711, a first lens group includes two positive lens elements made of a special low-dispersion glass (Abbe number of over 80) in order to correct aberrations, especially chromatic aberration; and in JUPP No. H06-138385, the rearmost (final) lens group includes a positive lens element and a negative lens element which are cemented to each other in order to correct distortion and spherical aberration.
As disclosed in JUPP No. H08-327896 and JUPP No. H08-5907, the internal-focusing lens group includes three or four lens elements, and the weight of the focusing lens group is lighter compared to that of a lens system in which all the lens groups are advanced for focusing. However, such an internal-focusing lens group is heavier than the internal-focusing lens groups disclosed in JUPP No. H01-211711 and JUPP No. H06-138385, and is not advantageous for high-speed focusing.
Furthermore, in JUPP No. H08-327896, JUPP No. H08-5907 and JUPP No. H06-201989, the distance between the focusing lens group and a lens group therebehind is very short, so that a range in which the focusing lens group is allowed to move is very small. Consequently, the minimum photographic distance becomes longer.
In JUPP No. H01-211711 and JUPP No. H06-138385, focusing is performed with two lens elements, so that a high-speed focusing operation is possible.
In JUPP No. H01-211711, the first lens group includes the two positive lens elements made of a special low-dispersion glass (Abbe number of over 80) in order to correct aberrations, especially chromatic aberration. The first lens group of a telephoto lens system is generally known to have an extremely large aperture; and moreover, if the two positive lens elements are made of a special low-dispersion glass (Abbe number of over 80), such an optical arrangement inevitably causes an increase in manufacturing costs.
In JUPP No. H06-138385, the rearmost (final) lens group includes a positive lens element and a negative lens element which are cemented to each other, because it has been understood that a single meniscus lens element cannot correct both distortion and spherical aberration. The cemented lens elements, however, generally increase manufacturing costs, compared with the single (meniscus) lens element.


A method for performing non-affine deformations. The method includes receiving data representing mathematical vectors associated with elements defining an object. The elements are organized in a hierarchy, a different subset of mathematical vectors is associated with one or more elements, and the mathematical vectors within each subset are defined relative to a local coordinate space associated with each element. The method further includes determining that a first non-affine deformer is to be applied to a first set of the elements, and, for each element in the first set, applying the first non-affine deformer to world coordinate space values corresponding to the mathematical vectors within the subset of mathematical vectors associated with the element to generate modified world coordinate space values for the mathematical vectors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer graphics and, in particular, to a system and method for performing non-affine deformations.
2. Description of the Related Art
One core functional aspect of animation, simulation, or rendering applications is converting geometric and/or mathematical descriptions of objects into images. This process is known in the industry as "rendering." For movies or other feature films, a user (known as an animator) specifies the geometric description of objects (e.g., characters) by assigning poses and/or applying motions to the objects or to portions of the objects. Additionally, the animator may perform various transformations and/or deformations to the objects or to portions of the objects.
As is known, many graphics applications allow for a graphics scene to be represented as a hierarchy of objects. In a typical graphics application, the hierarchy includes one or more nodes connected to one another with links. In some conventional graphics applications, a parent node in the hierarchy may be connected to one or more child nodes that inherit the characteristics of the parent node. In other embodiments, the hierarchy may define a top-down geometric representation of the character, where each node defines further structural details of the character. For example, a "torso" node may be a parent node that is connected to child nodes such as a "left arm" node, a "right arm" node, a "left leg" node, and a "right leg" node. The left arm node, for example, may then be a parent node that is connected to child nodes such as "finger" nodes. This type of geometrical hierarchy is commonly referred to as a "transform hierarchy."
One feature of transform hierarchies is the ability to perform affine transformations. An affine transform typically includes performing linear transformations, such as rotating, scaling, shearing, or translating, to the geometry that comprise the nodes in the transform hierarchy. Affine transformations are typically carried out by applying a transformation matrix to points that define the geometry being transformed.
Another feature of some graphics applications is the ability to create a different type of hierarchy for rendering the scene known as a "data flow graph." The nodes that make up the data flow graph may represent atomic computations that are to be performed on some portion of the geometry. The nodes may then be strung together, forming the data flow graph. The input to the data flow graph may be the unaltered and untransformed object, while the output of the data flow graph may be the output object that has been modified by passing through one or more computational nodes. In some prior art systems, data flow graphs are used to perform "non-affine" transformations to the geometry in the scene. Non-affine transformation operators, also referred to herein as "movers" and "deformers," modify or mold the shape of geometry in a non-linear fashion. For example, an animated character may be defined by a mesh of primitives that represents the skin of the character. As the underlying joints of the character move, the skin changes shape and deforms based on the movement of the joints. The deformations in the skin are often non-linear and may be represented by a non-affine operator in a data flow graph.
One problem with performing non-affine transformations using a conventional data flow graph is that the deforming process is very inefficient. In a typical situation, there may be hundreds or thousands of atomic computations strung together in a data flow graph to perform a single non-affine transformation of a singe object, causing the non-affine transformation to be computationally expensive. Since the computations that make up the non-affine transformation are geometric computations, many of the computations occur in a particular coordinate space. Some computational operators are executed in a first coordinate space, while other computational operators are executed in a second coordinate space. Additionally, in conventional approaches, the results of computations must be propagated downward and affect subsequent computations on the data flow graph. These inherent constraints on traditional data flow graph approaches create classical inefficiencies, where data must be passed through the entirety of the data flow graph and may be converted between different coordinate spaces several times to accommodate the various coordinate spaces of the particular operators being executed. Since the computational operators cannot make assumptions about other computations that are being performed downstream, certain computations are performed in case another operator may require certain data. This redundancy in computation adds further complexity and adds to the inefficiency of conventional data flow graph approaches.
As the foregoing illustrates, there is a need in the art for an improved technique for performing non-affine transformations.

System and method for performing non-affine deformations


The embodiments disclose a method and apparatus for controlling the output ratio of the speed of operation and distribution of power/energy from a primary power source, applying continuously variable resistance using a multiple axis continually variable differential transmission to a primary power source input to adjust the rotational power level and speed output to match an operator adjustable performance speed setting at the same, slower decelerated or faster accelerated speed or power level in the same or reverse direction; and controlling the operation of the multiple axis continually variable differential transmission to match the operator desired performance speed using a programmable control system to process operator input, load stored operating parameters, and modify operating parameters based on operator input and adjusting continuously variable resistance operations.

Current continuously variable transmission (CVT) technologies use friction-drive to control the transfer of power. Friction-drive systems can not handle high torque efficiently due to slippage. Friction-drive systems use a belt and pulley or a disk and rubber wheel to transmit torque through the drive train. The belts or wheels slip. Friction is added to reduce slippage which in turn adds drag and cuts down on efficiency. Car designers use multi-speed transmission, some up to 8 speeds, to try to best match the engines efficiency range with the typical driving speeds. All engines, gas, diesel, electric etc. operate most efficiently at a particular rpm range. Current CVT systems are not used in higher torque applications because the efficiency of having an engine run at its most efficient rpm range is negated by the inefficiency of torque transfer.
In theory a transmission moves in a continuous motion. To date the actual operation of transmissions has been less than continuous motion. In manual transmissions shifting gears requires passing through a neutral position and perhaps disengaging a clutch which causes the motor to rotate with less load or even without load. This interrupts and reduces the amount of work being accomplished and wastes power or energy. Automatic transmissions are more efficient because the delays caused by human abilities to shift were inconsistent, but with automatic transmissions the shifting still occurs. Current continuously variable transmission or CVT systems, although an improvement over automatic transmissions, accomplish the variable transitions by transferring power using friction from two variable diameter objects thereby varying the ratio with power losses due to slippage.

Controlled applied resistance multiple axis continually variable differential transmission


A truck bed is provided including a truck having a bed with a peripheral side wall which defines an open top and upper peripheral edge. At least one light assembly is mounted on the side wall for illuminating the bed of the truck.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to truck bed liners and more particularly pertains to a new illuminated truck bed liner for illuminating a truck bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of truck bed liners is known in the prior art. More specifically, truck bed liners heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art truck bed liners include U.S. Pat. Des. 345,431; U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,957; U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,677; U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,618; U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,083; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,099.
In these respects, the illuminated truck bed liner according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of illuminating a truck bed.


A process and apparatus for multi-stage sorption and desorption of process gas using a multiple concentric tube apparatus having a thermal supply gas pass through the central conduit creating a thermal wave passing through a high temperature sorption/desorption salt in the innermost annular compartment desorbing prior sorbed process gas followed by passing the thermal wave to an outer annular compartment which together with heat of sorption of process gas in an inner annular compartment desorbs process gas in the outer annular compartment. The process is useful in heat pumps and gas evaporative cooling cycles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for multi-stage absorption/adsorption and desorption of a process gas using a multiple concentric tube apparatus wherein a thermal wave passing through a high temperature salt in the process of desorption is directly utilized together with the heat of absorption/adsorption for desorption of absorbed/adsorbed process gas in a direct thermally coupled low temperature salt. The process and apparatus is particularly useful in air conditioning applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Triple tube heat exchangers for transfer of heat to or from a plurality of fluids which flow through the heat exchanger in helical directions through a series of fins, which in combination with the walls, conduct heat from the warmer fluid to the cooler fluid which absorbs the heat and carries it away is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,701.
Annular chemical reactors for exothermic reactions having a central rotatable drum cooled on the inside and having extensions on the outer surface extending into an annular reaction volume defined by an annular outer cooling jacket are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,742.
Phase change chemical thermal energy storage is known: U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,207 teaches a stacked plurality of ring-like disc shaped containers holding a phase change thermal energy storage material with a thermal exchange fluid passing through the conduit formed by the center of the rings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,958 teaches a plastic double tube structure having integral spaced webs between the tubes forming segments which are filled with a phase change thermal energy storage material, the inner tube forming a conduit for passage of a heat transfer fluid.
Use of a shell and tube reactor in the catalytic formation of ammonia with a plurality of catalyst beds arranged to preheat reactants by indirect heat exchange with effluen from the first catalyst bed and subsequent cooled gas flow to the second catalyst bed is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,760. Multiple shell and tube interchangers for cooling reaction gas streams leaving multi-catalytic beds in an ammonia synthesis converter by thermal exchange with incoming feed gases are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,799.
Sorption and desorption of gaseous refrigerants in a liquid which is then slurried with a particulate solid to form a ligand complex with the heat of the complex-forming reaction being transferred for recovery to heat exchange surfaces at different elevations is taught be U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,391 and 4,875,915.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,994 teaches a heat exchange system using the cooling created by specific metal salt/ammonia ligand complex compounds which are alternately heated and cooled to alternately desorb and adsorb, respectively, providing energy storage or refrigeration.
Constant pressure staging of a plurality of solid reactant adsorbents of different gaseous reactant vapor pressures wherein heat transfer fluid at one temperature desorbs gases in endothermic reactions and then at a lower temperature adsorbs gases in exothermic reactions with a portion of the heat released during exothermic reactions or a portion of the heat adsorbed during endothermic reaction passed by the heat transfer fluid to a heat exchanger for energy recovery is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,635. The process and apparatus of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,635 patent, based upon circulation of a heat transfer fluid, is suitable for heat actuated heat pumps, thermal compressors and heat pumps activated by mechanical work or pressure.
Discrete constant pressure staging of solid-vapor compound reactors wherein a plurality of solid sorbents each having a different sorption and desorption temperature is each located in a different chamber of a reactor, or in separate reactors, with the exothermic heat of sorption from one chamber being transferred by a heat exchange fluid for use in endothermic desorption in another chamber is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,928. The process and apparatus taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,928 patent, based upon circulation of a heat transfer fluid, is useful as heat actuated heat pumps, thermal compressors and heat pumps activated by mechanical work or pressure.

Multiple stage sorption and desorption process and apparatus


The present invention pertains to a screw for use in nonmetal objects comprising a plurality of cut-aiding portions formed by the longer and shorter cutting surfaces inclined toward opposite directions. Further, a cutting edge formed by the junction of any two adjacent cutting surfaces presents in a fastening direction of the screw. Thus, the cutting edge assists the threads to thoroughly severe and to shatter the fibers and debris of the objects, which can also be accommodated into the cut-aiding portions. Also, the ridge of the longer cutting surface aids in cutting fibers and further guides the debris out. In this manner, the present invention facilitates to enhance cutting capability for obtaining less screwing resistance, to prevent the destruction of the object and to increase the screwing speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screw, in particular a screw for use in nonmetal objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional screw 1 comprises a screw head 10, a shank 11 extending from the head 10, a drilling portion 12 disposed at the distal end of the shank 11, and a plurality of threads 13 disposed on the shank 11; wherein a plurality of slots 14 are disposed on the surface of the shank 11, which results of the slight concavities in cross section PP P of FIG. 1 separately presented around the periphery of the shank 11, as shown in FIG. 2. In operation, the screw 1 is rotated into the wood object 2 by exerting the slots 14 to cut the fibers and accommodate the debris.
Generally, in regard to the resilience of the wood fibers and the expeditious rotation, the fibers would not be thoroughly received into the slots 14 with smaller spaces, thus rendering part of fibers to be severed into debris and the remaining part to be unsevered. Furthermore, due to the configuration of the slots 14, the debris is hardly guided out of the object 2 and is continuously accumulated therein; simultaneously, the unsevered and unbroken fibers are twisted round the shank 11. In this manner, the aforementioned debris and the fibers facilely make a larger screwing resistance and further cause the burden of the operators and the destruction of the object 2 while rotating the screw 1, thus affecting the screwing efficiency.


The punching blades acts to punch out parts of any desired shape from paper, cardboard, pasteboard, plastics material foils, leather, rubber and the like. In order that an optimum cutting quality can be generated from the start using the punching blade, the punching blade has a cutting edge which comprises a curvature with a radius of from 0.005 to 0.060 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a punching tool for punching out parts of any desired shape from paper, cardboard, pasteboard, plastics material foils, leather, rubber and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Punching tools of the type that is known, for example, from DE-PS 33 17 777 Cl, are preferably used in strip steel punching tools for punching out parts of any desired shape from flat materials, in particular folding box blanks. They are increasingly also used in rotational punching tools for the same purposes.
The punching tools must fulfill three conditions: first, the material must be reliably and completely separated over the entire punching surface, so that no damage to the product occurs in the subsequent operating steps; second, the cut piece must come away perfectly with very little dust and fiber and with smooth cut edges; and, thirdly, the cutting friction should be as small as possible, this being shown in the number of good punching operations. Using blades of the type that exist at present, these three requirements can only be achieved in an inadequate manner.
The cutting edges of the known punching tools are usually produced by grinding, scraping, and, at present, by means of lapping, based on the principle that the cutting edge should be as sharp as possible. Cutting edges which are significantly below 0.010 mm are achieved, but these have an uneven microsaw-like contour and, owing to the production, the smallest grinding burrs become attached thereto. These cutting edges must first be equalized and smoothed, in alternating action with the cutting material, such that, subsequently, the best possible cutting quality can be obtained. Depending on the cutting quality, several thousand punching operations may be necessary for this.
These very narrow cutting edges are exceptionally sensitive to mechanical loads, in particular to pressure. A particular significance is attached thereto because the usual operating method with this punching technology of the above-mentioned type is that of steel on steel, i.e., the blade cutting edges operate against a reinforced printing plate.
The punching lines have, for reasons of production, height differences of +/-0.02 mm. In addition, further height tolerances are generated from the punching machines, the tool production and the handling of the punching processes.
In inexpedient cases, all the mistakes accumulate, such that height differences of up to 2 mm cannot be considered impossible.
In order to guarantee that the complete separation of the stamping material is ensured, the height differences must be compensated in such a manner that the very sensitive cutting edges are not damaged by overloading.
In practice, the punch is subjected to pressure until 50% of all cutting points are separated. Subsequently, the remaining differences in height are equalized by means of subsequent adhering with suitable strips of different strengths. Depending on the box blank, up to 100 m of punching lines may be found in one strip steel stamping mold, as a result of which the equalization of the height differences known in the technical field as "preparation" requires much care and experience and takes many hours during which the punching machine is inactive. These preparation times are, in some cases, longer than the subsequent actual production time. These times when the machine is inactive cause unproductive additional costs. Frequently this leads to the punches being brought together so far that the largest part of the punching line separates, but at the expense of a large part of the cutting edges being damaged or destroyed. Under the excess pressure, the cutting edge is deformed in an undefined manner. This causes a cut which is not clean, in the case of which dust and stamping hairs form to a greater extent and also leads to cardboard covers and rear parts tearing. The working life of cutting tools of this type is substantially reduced, such that the tools must be replaced prematurely, this causing correspondingly increased costs.
Many attempts have been made to make it possible to simplify the preparation or to replace it altogether. There is known, from DE 31 35 980 Cl, a strip steel punching tool of the initially-mentioned type, in which punching lines with deformable blade backs are used for automatic height equalization. This solution fails as regards the technical possibilities in the production of the intended deformation places on these punching lines.
DE 39 28 916 Cl, describes a process in which the cutting edges which are too high can deflect towards the rear against a soft metal plate. In this connection, the plate is work-hardened in the pressure area of the blade backs, such that a stabilized balance state sets in.
This process fails because of the constructive features of the punching machines which prevail in the market.
In the case of a strip steel punching tool which is known from DE 33 17 777 Cl, the backs of the blades are formed as reinforced cutting edges and are mounted on a softer metal plate, in which, under the action of the punching pressure, they can deflect corresponding to the height difference. The production of these lines is expensive and, in practice, demonstrates that the soft plates become unusable prematurely owing to the digging in of the hardened back cutting edges as a consequence of fatigue factors. They must therefore be exchanged relatively rapidly, as a result of which, as regards cost, the technical advantages are lost.
More recently, it has been possible, in order to increase the working life, to coat the cutting edges in a manner which reduces wearing and friction. Coatings of this type are, in general, of a ceramic type with extremely high levels of hardness, but are correspondingly brittle. In-house tests have proved that these wear-reducing layers are likewise destroyed by the damage to the cutting edge until they lose their effect.
A cutting edge blade for cutting a moving cardboard sheet is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,336, the cutting edge of which cutting edge blade has a curvature with a radius of 0.05 to 0.1 mm and a cutting angle of 55.degree. to 80.degree.. As a result of this cutting shape, it is intended that the cardboard sheet which is under a tensile stress be separated, before the cutting edge has moved completely through the cardboard sheet. A punching stroke is, however, not performed using this cutting blade.


The present invention relates to a method for producing Diesel grade fuel of plant origin by transesterifying a refined vegetable oil in a homogenous phase with a C1-C4 alkanol in the presence of an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent with a boiling point of 40-200° C. and a catalyst to form a first polar phase comprising glycerol by-product and a first apolar phase comprising transesterified fuel, non-transesterified vegetable oil, and aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, separating the first polar phase and the first apolar phase, and refining the fuel from the first apolar phase, wherein the C1-C4 alcohol is used in an amount selected from the group consisting of: a stoichiometric amount; and an excess not exceeding 30% of an stoichiometric amount, and the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent is used in an amount of at least 0.2 parts by volume relative to the unit volume of the refined vegetable oil.

It is known that transesterification of vegetable oils with an alkanol has a decisive influence on the quality of fuels produced from the oils, because the transesterification reaction determines whether the viscosity of the resulting fuel suitable for use in fuel-injection engines.
Transesterification of vegetable oils with an alkanoi proceeds in a reversible, equilibrium reaction according to the following scheme:
in the above formula, R, R′ and R″ stand for the hydrocarbyl moieties of the fatty acid constituents of vegetable oils and Alk is a C1-C4 alkyl group. As shown in the above scheme, glycerol is formed as a by-product in the reaction in addition to the fatty acid methyl esters, which are usable as fuel. The equilibrium can be shifted towards the formation of the required fatty acid alkyl esters by increasing the amount of the alkanol reactant and/or by removing the glycerol by-product. Transesterification is performed generally in the presence of a catalyst. Usually bases are applied as catalysts (most frequently potassium hydroxide); acid catalysts are used less frequently. Methanol is the most frequently used alkanol.
A standard method for transesterifying vegetable oils using methanol and for producing biodiesel fuel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,360,844, 2,383,632 and 2,383,633. This method has been generally used, with some minor modifications, for the production of biodiesel fuel on industrial scale until now. According to the method disclosed in the cited references, vegetable oil is reacted with methanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide catalyst for at least one hour at a temperature below the boiling point of methanol (usually at 65° C.). As methanol and vegetable oil have only limited miscibility in each other, the biphasic reaction mixture is intensely stirred and/or phase transfer catalysts are used in order to accelerate the reaction. Glycerol, which is liberated as a by-product, accumulates in the polar (methanol) phase, and—in accordance with the equilibrium nature of the reaction—is prone to reconvert the once-produced fatty acid methyl esters into glyceride esters. The optional phase transfer catalyst also contributes to this reconversion process, thus no full conversion of the vegetable oil can be attained. When the reaction mixture is close to equilibrium, which corresponds to a conversion rate of about 80%, the mixture is allowed to settle for about one day. Thereafter, the lower polar phase (which comprises glycerol together with the major portion of methanol used in excess) is removed, and the reaction is repeated with the upper apolar phase with freshly admixed alcohol and catalyst. After this second step, the upper apolar phase (fuel phase) is separated again, subjected to distillation to remove part of the methanol contained therein, washed with aqueous sulphuric acid to remove potassium hydroxide, washed again with water, dried and filtered (this latter series of operations is to refine the biodiesel fuel). If desired, quality improving additives, particularly additives improving cold resistance, are added to the resulting biodiesel fuel.
Major disadvantages of the above method are as follows: due to the biphasic mixture, the reaction requires a lengthy period of time and an energy consuming intense stirring to proceed; separation of the phase which contains the glycerol by-product is difficult and extremely time consuming; methanol is used in a great excess to the stoichiometric amount in order to shift the reaction towards the formation of the required product; the majority of non-reacted methanol appears in the glycerol phase from which it cannot be recovered in an economic way unless acceptable operational capacity is employed. In a paper discussing the improvement potentials of biodiesel transesterification fuel production (D. Darnoko and M Cheryan: JAOCS 77, 1269-1272 (December, 2000)), the authors mentioned further disadvantages in that the method requires large reactor volumes and repeated start up/shut down cycles, resulting in increased in capital and labour investments and decreased in production efficiency, and furthermore, the quality of the product may vary from batch to batch.
According to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,520,708 and 6,015,444, the time required for transesterification and phase separation is reduced by performing the reaction in an assembly of a static mixer, a heat exchanger, a homogenizer and a settling vessel rather than using a conventional reaction vessel equipped with a stirrer. The static mixer used in this method, like all static mixers, does not contain moving means for mixing the reactants; a turbulent flow created either by flow-breaking means (such as baffles, ribs, coils etc.) mounted inside the mixer or by a packing filled into the mixer serves to mix the reactants intensely. Vegetable oil, alkanol (most frequently methanol) and catalyst are passed through the static mixer, and the resulting dispersed stream is heated to reaction temperature in the heat exchanger. Thereafter the mixture is subjected to a high shear in the homogenizer to form an emulsion, and the emulsion is passed into the settling vessel where no further stirring is applied. The lifespan of the emulsion formed in the homogenizer enables transesterification to proceed to equilibrium conversion before the emulsion segregates in the settler. Although a significant reduction in time requirement can be attained with this method, it has a disadvantage in that a homogenizer with high energy consumption is used. Again, a conversion rate higher than the equilibrium in a single step may not be attained by using this method. Thus, in order to attain 95-98% conversion rate, which is required to obtain a fuel product with appropriate viscosity, the apolar phase needs to be reacted once again after the first step. A great excess of alkanol needs to be used, which is unacceptable for industrial scale production.
According to the method disclosed in DE 42,09,779, 98% conversion of vegetable oil is attained by performing transesterification in a column divided into reaction zones and separation zones, wherein each reaction zone is followed by a separation zone. The vegetable oil, the alkanol and the catalyst are fed into the first reaction zone. After a prescribed period of time, the resulting mixture is fed into the first separation zone and the glycerol is removed by centrifugation. The resulting glycerol-free mixture is then fed into the second reaction zone, and the above reaction/separation steps are repeated in series until the required rate of conversion is attained. An important advantage of this method is that it can also be performed as a continuous operation, because the time consuming step of settling the mixture is replaced by the much faster step of centrifugal separation. This advantage is, however, overcompensated by the extremely high installation costs which render the method too expensive. Therefore, this method is not employed in plants which have a capacity lower than 100,000 tons/year. As a further disadvantage, this method cannot be applied for transesterifying vegetable oils containing more than 2% of free fatty acids.
In order to avoid the disadvantages associated with heterogeneous reactions, particularly in order to decrease reaction time and energy demand of stirring, a method to transesterify vegetable oils with alkanol under homogeneous reaction conditions has been suggested. [www. bioxcorp.com with reference to Production of a cost-competitive biodiesel fuel alternative to petroleum diesel, in Environmental Science & Engineering, May, 2001.]. According to this method, a polar solvent that is highly soluble both in the polar alkanol and in the apolar vegetable oil (such as tetrahydrofuran or N-methyl-2-pyrrolidin-one) is utilized as a reaction medium. However, such a method requires very complicated and energy consuming separation steps for processing the final reaction mixture, which overcompensates the advantages resulting from the use of a homogeneous mixture. Specifically, due to a change in phase conditions after transesterification, the polar solvent is distributed between the biodiesel phase with increased apolarity and the glycerol phase with increased polarity and needs to be removed from both phases. The disadvantages arising from the equilibrium nature of the reaction cannot be avoided with this method, since glycerol is continuously present in a reactive state in the reaction mixture for transesterification. Thus, this solvent assisted method has not been utilized on an industrial scale.
Publications relating to biodiesel fuel production generally state that efficient transesterification, which is imperative for obtaining a product having the required quality, requires the use of refined vegetable oil as a starting substance. This is particularly important when the vegetable oil is a waste (e.g. used frying oil). No specific method for refining vegetable oils has been disclosed, however, in publications relating to biodiesel fuel production. According to the known technologies for producing food grade products, vegetable oils are refined by treating them with water to remove hydratable phospholipids and with a cids, such as phosphoric acid or citric acid, to remove non-hydratable phospholipids [Hoffman, G.: Chemistry and technology of edible oils and fats and their high fat products, Academic Press, London ; Toronto, 1989]. The resulting refined vegetable oils (termed in food technology as "degummed oils") are suitable to be used as starting substances for biodiesel fuel production. From the aspect of transesterification proceeding in heterogeneous phase, it is an advantage that such refined (degummed) vegetable oils contain a series of minor components having some surfactant properties. In the method of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,520,708 and 6,015,444, these vegetable oil components are utilized to form an emulsion. However, the difficulties in the separation of the apolar phase comprising transesterified substances from the polar phase comprising glycerol by-product can be attributed to the presence of these components.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improvements in transesterification, which is a key step in biodiesel fuel production. The present invention provides a method which enables one to reduce considerably the time requirements of transesterification and subsequent glycerol removal without requiring expensive equipment or complicated processing steps. The present invention further provides a method which enables one to reduce considerably the alkanol requirement of the transesterification reaction without affecting the conversion rate and to attain the required conversion rate of 95-98% without the time-consuming intermittent glycerol separation steps.

Method for transesterifying vegetable oils


A process for in-molding an energy-absorbing countermeasure to a headliner 18 for use in a vehicle, plus the intermediate and final assemblies formed by the process. The process includes the steps of (1) preparing a sheet; (1A) optionally affixing to the sheet a means for adhering to form a composite sheet; (2) thermoforming the composite sheet into a composite energy-absorbing countermeasure; (3) preparing a headliner layup (including optionally a means for adhering, a headliner core, and a cover stock) before forming a bond between the headliner layup and the composite energy-absorbing countermeasure. The assembly thus includes the energy-absorbing countermeasure 22 and a means for adhering it to the headliner core 18.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to protecting an occupant in a vehicle when the vehicle is on the giving or receiving end of an impact. More particularly, it relates to a method for in-molding an energy absorber to a headliner and the assembly created thereby.
2. Background Art
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201(FMVSS201), entitled "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact," spells out the criteria for upper interior impact protection of an occupant in a motor vehicle. NHTSA estimates that even with airbags, (1) the vehicle occupant's impact with the pillars, roof-side rails, windshield header and rear header results in many passenger car occupant fatalities; and (2) head impacts cause many moderate to critical (potentially fatal) passenger car occupant injuries. Manufacturers decide how to meet the requirements of FMVSS201. A popular method of compliance is the installation of energy-absorbing countermeasures such as padding, which manufacturers hope will reduce the number and severity of injuries.
Today's vehicles are equipped with a burgeoning array of devices. Some are installed for safety, such as airbags and energy absorbers. In most cases, the cost of material, manufacturing, and installation of all related components becomes a significant factor in overall manufacturing economics.
In some cases, one or more energy absorbers is or are glued to one side of a headliner. Gluing steps, however, take time, and entail material costs. Further, the area of contact between the headliner and energy absorber may be discontinuous if the glue is not applied uniformly to the entire underside of the energy absorber that is to be bonded with the headliner.
A search that preceded the filing of this application revealed the following U.S. references: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,204,209 B1; 6,368,702 B1; 6,231,072 B1; 6,582,639 B2; 6,652,021 B1; 6,779,835 B2; 6,832,810 B2; 2002/0013686 A1; 2002/0190506 A1; and 2004/0178662 A1.

Process for in-molding an energy-absorbing countermeasure to a headliner and resulting assembly


An amplifier circuit amplifies a differential signal supplied by a pair of input terminals. A phase controller circuit is placed between the emitters of two bipolar transistors and the ground. A feedback circuit is placed across the input and the output of the amplifier circuit for feeding the output of the amplifier circuit back to the input thereof. A phase change amount in the amplifier circuit is determined by the values of two inductors, whereas a phase change amount in the feedback circuit is determined by the values of two resistances and capacitors. The values of these devices are selected so that a phase difference between an input signal and a feedback signal is approximately 180 degrees in a range from the frequency of a fundamental wave of the input signal to the frequency of a second harmonic thereof.

In receivers of a wireless system, typified by cellular phones, a signal received at an antenna is amplified by an amplifier circuit at an initial stage. Such an initial-stage amplifier circuit is required to have characteristics of achieving low noise and high gain when receiving a weak signal, while achieving low distortion and low gain when receiving a large signal. Particularly, in recent mobile communications, since the characteristics of a reception electric field are greatly varied in accordance with a distance between a base station and a mobile station, a wider dynamic range is required than ever in a receiving system. Moreover, an amplifier circuit at a reception front end requires stricter low noise characteristics than ever.
In order to stabilize the operation of the amplifier circuit, a scheme widely used is inserting a resistance between a signal line and the ground at the input or output of the amplifier circuit. However, insertion of the resistance at the input side causes severe degradation in noise characteristics. Insertion of the resistance at the output side, on the other hand, causes sever degradation in distortion characteristics. Other known schemes for stabilizing the operation of the amplifier circuit include a scheme of applying negative feedback to the input. That is, in this scheme, a signal shifted in phase by 180 degrees is fed back to the input. According to this scheme, it is possible to achieve an amplifier circuit generally having a wide dynamic range, although noise and distortion characteristics are both slightly degraded. Better still, a negative feedback circuit used in this scheme can also operate as a distortion compensator circuit, thereby making the dynamic range still wider with some contrivances of the circuit configuration.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 12 through 16, five conventional negative feedback amplifiers are exemplarily described. A first conventional example is a "negative feedback power amplifier" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-22751 (1998-22751) (refer to FIG. 12). The amplifier illustrated in FIG. 12 includes a negative feedback circuit which is capable of operating as a distortion compensator circuit and is used in a microwave band. In FIG. 12, transistors 601 and 602 are both field-effect transistors. Inductors 603, 604, and 605, and capacitors 606 and 607 form a matching circuit for the transistors 601 and 602. A microstrip line 608 serves as a phase shifter. A power voltage Vcc is applied via the microstrip line 608 to the amplifier.
Part of an output signal from the transistor 602 is fed via the inductor 605, the microstrip line 608, and then the inductor 604 back to the input of the transistor 602. Here, a length L of the microstrip line 608 is adjusted so that the feedback signal and the output signal from the transistor 602 are different in phase from each other by 180 degrees. With part of the output signal including a distortion component being inverted in phase for feedback to the input, distortion characteristics in a high frequency band can be improved.
A second conventional example is a "high-output amplifier" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-216670 (1994-216670) (refer to FIG. 13). The amplifier illustrated in FIG. 13 includes strip lines 701a and 701b as signal lines, a signal-amplifying transistor 702, a directional coupler 703, a feedback strip line 704, a stub 705, resistances 706a and 706b for changing the amount of feedback, a level detector circuit 707, a harmonic suppression controller circuit 708, and a terminator resistance 709.
In FIG. 13, an input supplied via the signal-line strip line 701a is amplified by the signal-amplifying transistor 702. An output from the transistor 702 is fed, via the feedback strip line 704 having a predetermined line length and then the directional coupler 703, back to the input of the signal-amplifying transistor 702 for signal amplification. With this, what is fed back to the input of the signal-amplifying transistor 702 is a signal opposite in phase to a second harmonic. As such, with the distortion of the second harmonic being cancelled, the linearity of the signal-amplifying transistor 702 can be improved.
A third conventional example is an "amplifier" disclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO96/25791 (refer to FIG. 14). The amplifier illustrated in FIG. 14 includes a transistor 801, signal sources 802 and 803, a signal source resistance 804, an input matching circuit composed of components denoted by 805, 806, 807, 808, and 809, an output matching circuit composed of components denoted by 810, 811, and 815, a band-pass filter 812, a phase shifter 813, a variable attenuator 814, and a load resistance 816.
In FIG. 14, the band-pass filter 812 passes a second harmonic of an output from the transistor 801. The phase shifter 813 and the variable attenuator 814 adjust the phase and amplitude of the second harmonic, respectively, In this amplifier, as with the second conventional example, the second harmonic of the output signal is fed back to the input, thereby reducing the third-order intermodulation product of the amplifier.
A fourth conventional example is a "power amplifier" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-94954 (1995-94954) (refer to FIG. 15). The amplifier illustrated in FIG. 15 includes a combiner 901, a power amplifier 902, a divider 903, a filter 904, a variable phase shifter 905, and a variable attenuator 906. This amplifier phase-shifts a fundamental wave and higher order waves (a second or third-or fourth-order harmonic, etc.) of the output from the power amplifier 902 by 180 degrees in a wide band, and the resultant wave is fed back to the input of the power amplifier 902. As such, with the fundamental wave and the second harmonic of the output from the power amplifier 902 being negatively fed back to the input, distortion of the output signal can be compensated.
A fifth conventional example is a "wide-band feedback amplifier" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 10-335954 (1998-335954) (refer to FIG. 16). The amplifier illustrated in FIG. 16 includes an amplifying device 1001, a signal input 1002, a signal output 1003, a slot line ground plane 1004, a slot line open plane 1005, a strip line 1006, a microstrip line 1007 in a lot line conversion part, a slot line 1008, via holes 1009, through holes 1010, and a resistance 1011 for determining the amount of feedback. As with the fourth conventional example, this amplifier shifts the phase of the output from the amplifying device 1001 by 180 degrees in a wide band, and then feeds the results back to the input of the amplifying device 1001. As such, with the fundamental wave and the second harmonic of the output from the amplifying device 1001 being fed back to the input, distortion of the output signal can be compensated. The gazette of this publication discloses a specific example of a feedback circuit for phase shift by 180 degrees in a wide band.
However, the above first through fifth conventional examples have the following drawbacks. In the amplifier of the first conventional example, the second harmonic is shifted in phase by almost 360 degrees for feedback to the input. Therefore, this amplifier does not perform distortion compensation by negative feedback of the second harmonic. In the amplifiers of the second and third conventional examples, the fundamental wave is hardly fed back. Therefore, these amplifiers do not perform distortion compensation by negative feedback of the third-order intermodulation wave occurring at a frequency in the vicinity of the frequency of the fundamental wave. Furthermore, in the amplifiers of the fourth and fifth conventional examples, a process of phase adjustment made to both of the fundamental wave and the harmonic is performed only by the feedback circuit, thereby making the feedback circuit complex in structure and increased in size.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system and related techniques prepare and condition the installation of new networked service or application components, such as Internet services, based on an individual subscriber's subscribed-to services, features and other components. A subscriber to an Internet service may choose to add, for example, a componentized subscription to a music or video download service to their access plan. When the user inserts a CDROM or accesses a Web site for installation, the user may be prompted for a username or passport-type object to authenticate their account. The user may then be presented with a set of available service selections, extensions or enhancements to choose to add to their plan. Those available selections may be prefiltered or prequalified, for example, based on geographic location, account spending or access limits, language or other criteria. Because the installation engine delivers components which are intelligently filtered at time of installation, the service components or applications can be tailored to that specific user's needs and options, instead of downloading or installing a monolithic package which may contain services not available or of interest to that user.

Internet services are commonly advertised and provisioned using distributed CD-ROM bundles or Web site downloads. To ensure uniformity and economize bulk delivery costs, those media or downloads, however, are typically not tailored to the needs or access privileges of individual users. Rather, the Web browser, media player or other applications, services or components may instead be installed in a single, uninterruptible, fixed installation script which installs a monolithic package of components to the user's computer or other client.
When a user installs a client, service, media engine or other component from such prepackaged media or downloads, therefore, the classes, types and defaults in the service components delivered to that user may be undesired and extraneous to that person's usage needs. For example, language options may be installed which are not generally used in the user's geographic location, or media options which are not compatible with the user's access mode, such as dial-up, may be installed. This lack of selectability in the installation process may load the user's storage with unnecessary, and occasionally incompatible, features. Likewise a user who attempts to remove unnecessary components may cause unintended bugs or interruptions to the services they do actually want.
Moreover, when network services are installed using conventional techniques, the individual user's existing or desired access rights may be totally ignored. Many users may for instance choose to update or upgrade a browser, media client or associated Web services such as email, Web hosting, music downloads or others on an existing Internet service or other account. One-size-fits all installations routines as currently practiced do not in any way reference a user's existing subscription profile to pare down and isolate only those service components for that user's current service list. Nor do known installers attempt to differentiate desired from undesired services and thereby install only necessary supporting components when a new user initiates entirely new service. Other problems and inefficiencies in the provisioning and installation of network services exist.

System and method for automatically generating networked service installation based on subscription status