A pneumatically actuatable clamping or braking device, has a housing with a space accommodating a hydraulic medium constructed least in part as a solid body. The space for accommodating the hydraulic medium is delimited on one side by a wall of the housing and on the other by a clamping or braking element. The device has at least one actuating element that acts on the hydraulic medium to produce a clamping or braking force which can be transmitted by the clamping or braking element to an impinging element. According to the invention, at least one actuating element is shaped like a pin or a spike. The actuating element is movable along a predetermined spatial curve, and acts on the hydraulic medium through an aperture in the wall of the housing delimiting the space for accommodating the hydraulic medium.

Clamping or braking devices of very diverse designs are used for very diverse applications. For example, European Publication No. EP-A-0936366 describes a braking device for a linear guide with a support body that is movable along a guide rail. The support body has brake shoes that act on the two long sides. The support body is constructed in an H-shape and has a thin, elastically flexible web and two lower legs with which it reaches around the guide rail. A brake shoe is arranged between each leg and the guide rail. The support body is furnished with two upper legs which, together with the web, form a holding space in which a force-generating means acting on the upper legs is provided. This can be a hydraulically or pneumatically actuatable knee lever mechanism or a piezo actuator. A hydraulically or pneumatically actuatable tapered slide valve that is guided, in a space formed for this purpose and tapering in the direction of the braking device, between the upper legs of the support body can also be provided as a force converter. In all cases, the elastic web bends due to the application of force to the two upper legs, so that the two lower jaws with the brake shoes are moved inwards and apply a greater force to the guide rail.
In this known braking device, used with an electromechanical converter such as a piezo element, the sensitivity of the latter to shocks or other mechanical stresses is particularly disadvantageous.
The use of a knee lever mechanism or a tapered slide valve implies a high assembly or manufacturing cost just like that for an electromechanical converter.
Additionally there is the need, particularly in the case of clamping devices, for relatively high clamping forces that can be achieved in known devices only with a relatively great construction effort and therefore high costs.
Another example design is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,446, which describes a hydraulic clamp bushing that is aligned with a shaft and can be connected to it in torque-proof fashion. The bushing has a substantially stable bushing body, which is arranged around a driveshaft a distance therefrom. A chamber which can be subjected to pressure is provided adjoining this bushing body and facing the shaft. A side wall of this chamber extending substantially parallel to the shaft simultaneously serves as a braking element, which is pressed against the shaft due to the expansion of the chamber when the chamber is acted upon by pressure in order thereby to produce a frictional connection. A Σ-shaped formation of the laterally adjoining walls of the chamber is intended to prevent the bushing from being oriented at a slant to the shaft when the chamber is acted upon by pressure. The Σ-shaped side walls of the chamber allow an expansion of the side walls radially toward the shaft in case pressure is applied, even before the increasing chamber pressure also presses the chamber wall running parallel to the shaft against the shaft. Thus, the bushing can orient itself perpendicular to the shaft axes before the rotationally fixed connection is produced.
This clamping device does not have a favorable force transmission for generating high pressing forces. Moreover, the chamber is limited in its shape and, in particular, in its possibilities for arrangement relative to the bushing body. Braking force can be achieved here only by application of positive pressure, and the actual braking element, which may have to transfer high drive forces, is not connected fixedly to the bushing body, but only via the necessarily relatively unstable pressure chamber.
Another known device is found in PCT Publication No. WO 01/34990 A1, which describes a clamping or braking device in which a chamber that can be subjected to pressure and is delimited in at least a partial area by at least one flexible tension-resistant or pressure-resistant wall, is provided on a base element. The boundary of the chamber opposite the wall can be designed like the first wall. It can also be a rigid part of a body, however. The walls are preferably a relatively slight distance apart. The forces resulting from the deformation of the chamber are directed at least in part in the direction of or along the wall, and are directed into the base element in the area of its connection to the wall. If one suitably selects the impingement point of such forces on the base element, and if this base element is at least partially deformable, then the forces can be transmitted via this base element to other parts of the base element, for example, into clamping or braking areas. A corresponding braking or clamping means in these areas can then be moved by means of the forces into an impingement position or out of the latter, in order to brake or release an element to be clamped or braked. Both applied positive and negative pressure in the chamber can be used here in order to introduce both tensile and compressive forces into the base element. Naturally, the clamping or braking areas can still be engaged with the guide element or the element to be clamped or braked before and after the force introduction, in which case however, changes of the impinging forces between the clamping or braking areas and the respective other element result.
This known clamping or braking device proceeds from the recognition that a suitable chamber seeks a deformation when acted upon by negative or positive pressure. If this chamber is formed to a large degree by at least one approximately flat wall, then positive or negative pressure in the chamber initially causes a deformation in a first direction that runs substantially perpendicular to this wall. In order to yield to the deformation (expansion or contraction) in this first direction, there is a corresponding contraction or expansion of the chamber in a second direction running generally perpendicular to the first direction (i.e., substantially parallel to the wall). This makes use of the fact that slight forces or deformations in the first direction produce large forces in the second direction, which can be used for braking or clamping, or for releasing pretensioned clamping or braking devices.
Finally, an expansion chuck device is known from PCT Publication No. WO 2005/044491 A1, which has a base element with a thin-walled expansion bushing provided on an axial end area of the base element and forming a central receptacle for a component to be clamped. Also provided is a clamping ring which surrounds the expansion chuck, forming an annular pressure chamber therebetween, and which is screwed to the base element. The pressure chamber is filled with a hydraulic means. The expansion bushing can be elastically deformed in order to fix a component in the receptacle. For this purpose, the clamping ring is displaced by rotation relative to the base element, reducing the volume of the pressure chamber. The hydraulic means in this expansion chuck is implemented as an elastic solid body. A sliding ring element is arranged between the elastic solid body and a pressure surface of the clamping ring in order to transmit an axial compressive force from the clamping ring to the solid body. By using the sliding ring, purely axial compressive forces are introduced onto the solid body, and their axial movement is decoupled from the rotational movement of the clamping ring.
This expansion chuck device, however, only allows the clamping of a rotationally symmetrical body by means of the annularly shaped solid body serving as a hydraulic means. What is needed, therefore, are clamping devices that allow flexible adaptation to a variety of clamping tasks.


A portable power take-off unit for mounting to and dismounting from the rear of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, providing mechanical operational power to construction and farm implements and machinery includes an engine for driving a belt and pulley assembly that drives a chain and sprocket assembly that, in turn, drives a power take-off shaft at selectable high or low speeds. An elongated drive shaft from the machinery is connected to the power take-off shaft for connection to the implement or machinery so that power can be provided thereto. The power take-off unit includes a hydraulic system, comprising a pump, reservoir, couplers, and hoses, for controlling the operation of the machinery, and a manually operable engagement lever for engaging and disengaging the belt and pulley system thereby controlling the engagement and disengagement of the power take-off shaft.

Many types of work vehicles utilize what is referred to as a power take-off (PTO) shaft for the operation of equipment and implements that are attached to or towed behind the work vehicles. Agricultural vehicles such as the range of tractors available for use by farmers often employ power take-off shafts. The power take-off shaft provides for the power linkage and the transmission of mechanical power from the tractor's engine to the attached implement or piece of equipment. The power take-off shaft provides operational power for the implement, and this can include turning or rotating blades of the implement or powering the conveyor belt or system of the implement. Among the common pieces of equipment or machinery that can be driven from the power take-off are balers, mowers, grinders, augers, grinder mixers, manure pumps, forage (chopper) boxes, power boxes, hay rakes, and various types of wagons. In addition, some types of equipment and machinery are hydraulically operated, and the use of the power take-off shaft can be used to supply the power for their hydraulic operation. Such machinery includes, for example, hydraulic dump wagons and trailers; implements having discs that must be raised and lowered for transport; and wood splitters that employ hydraulic cylinders for running a blade or cutter.
In many cases the implement or machinery must be removed or hauled from the field by a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, and then unhooked from the pickup truck and hooked to the tractor—with the power take-off—for unloading the contents of the implement or undertaking further processing at feed mills or fertilizer plants. In addition, tractors are specialized types of vehicles, and are not conducive to traveling on regular roads and highways, let alone towing or hauling farm implements and machinery on such roads and highways. Yet such towing or hauling loads or produce is common, and it is desirable to have a power take-off assembly available for unloading the contents when the destination is reached (which can be a field on another part of the farm or feed or grain storage silos). Thus, it is desirable to have a power take-off unit available that is mounted to or operated from vehicles other than tractors. Moreover, it is desirable to have a portable power take-off unit for supplying mechanical power to non-powered construction or farm implements and machinery that are located at the work site or field and remote from a power source. Thus, the prior art discloses a number of power take-off systems and assemblies.
For example, the Ham patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,413) discloses a demountable attachment for a load-carrying vehicle that includes a demountable body having wheels that roll along longitudinal members on the vehicle chassis for loading and unloading the body. The body also includes retractable legs that support the body when it's dismounted from the vehicle.
The Dehn patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,020) discloses a framework that can be removably mounted onto the bed of a pickup truck and which includes detachable and retractable legs that facilitate the loading of the framework onto the pickup truck and the freestanding support of the framework when unloaded from the truck.
The Ward patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,182) discloses a triangular-shaped frame for pivotal connection to the hitch members of a three-point hitch system mounted to the rear of a tractor. The frame includes a tube socket to which a hitch ball-type connection can be attached.
The Stelzle et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,134,494) discloses an automatic power takeoff control system for controlling the engagement of a power take-off shaft of a work vehicle having a hitch.
The Spears patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,928) discloses a three-point hitch mounting system that includes hydraulically actuated draft arms for raising and lowering farm implements and a power take-off shaft for driving implements such as a mower.
The Spears patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,948 B2) discloses a frame apparatus for disposition on the bed of a pickup truck and which accepts and operates implements such as off-the-shelf front-end loader assemblies.
However, despite the ingenuity of the above devices, there remains a need for a portable self-powered power take-off unit that can be easily transported and set up in several minutes at the rear of a pickup truck and is also adaptable as a stand-alone power take-off unit.


A tumor treatment apparatus is provided including a light source which emits a bundle of light including ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation and infrared radiation. Also provided are an infrared radiation filter which filters infrared radiation, a visible radiation filter which filters visible radiation, and an optical fiber which transmits a bundle of light transmitted through the infrared radiation filter and the visible radiation filter toward an affected part of a patient to be treated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tumor treatment apparatus in which light of a continuous spectrum including an ultraviolet spectrum, a visible spectrum, and an infrared spectrum, emitted from a light emitting lamp is radiated through an optical fiber through which ultraviolet light can be transmitted, onto an area of tissue of a living body in which TiO.sub.2 has been administered.
2. Description of Related Art
The inventors of the present invention have found that when TiO.sub.2 (titanium dioxide) is administered in a living body, a higher density of TiO.sub.2 is absorbed by tumorigenic cell than by a normal cell. If the tumorigenic cell receives an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength ranging from X-ray to ultraviolet, TiO.sub.2 is excited, so that the tumorigenic cell can be destroyed due to an active oxygen which is produced during the excitation. An antineoplastic agent containing TiO.sub.2 excited by the electromagnetic wave, as mentioned above has been proposed by the assignee of the present application (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 5-60449).
As mentioned above, TiO.sub.2 is excited by an electromagnetic wave having a wide band wavelength of less than around 400 nm. In general, a commercially available ultraviolet emitting apparatus, such as a 500 W extra-high pressure mercury-vapor lamp is used to radiate an entire range of ultraviolet light of around 300 to 400 nm onto an affected area.
To radiate ultraviolet light onto a specific affected area within a body cavity, it is advisable to use an endoscope having a forceps channel in which a quartz fiber, or the like, through which ultraviolet light can be transmitted is inserted, so that the radiation of ultraviolet light can be carried out while observing the affected area through the quartz fiber.
However, the light source (lamp) for the ultraviolet light emitting apparatus emits not only ultraviolet light but also visible light. Consequently, visible light energy is absorbed by an area of tissue of a living body; although, the absorption rate of visible light is smaller than that of ultraviolet light. This causes the temperature of the normal cell of the biotic tissue to increase.


A financial system in which an intermediary facilitates transactions between one or more credit card issuers and a plurality of different vendors which may be related by a common characteristic. The financial system of the present invention preferably includes a consumer credit card and a membership card, both including some type of rewards program. A customer applies for the credit card and membership card at a point-of-sale associated with a vendor that sponsors the credit card. The vendor uses a computer with a hardware or software identification system to securely transmit the application to the intermediary via a broad bandwidth communication medium, such as the Internet. The credit card issuer may use an instant on-line approval mechanism to instantly send a credit card number and initial spending limit to the customer via the vendor's computer. If the customer is not instantly or otherwise approved for the credit card, the intermediary may provide the customer with a branded membership card that carries no purchasing power, but which provides certain rewards at the vendor's location, preferably building customer loyalty to the vendor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-party financial systems, and, more specifically, the present invention relates to credit card acquisition systems in which a single intermediary facilitates transactions between a plurality of vendors and one or more credit card issuers.
2. Description of the Background
With the advent of new communications schemes and the ever-increasing ability to manage large amounts of information from a centralized location, multi-party financial systems have seen exponential growth recently. Among these financial systems, credit card systems are among the most highly competitive, and among the most varied.
A credit card generally gives a consumer enhanced purchasing power without having to have funds in an account prior to use of the funds (as with, for example, a checking account). The consumer gains the ability to purchase goods before the money to pay for the goods is earned and/or without having to carry legal tender at the point of sale. The credit card issuer preferably receives the benefit of yearly fees and/or the interest payments received on the money loaned to the consumer for the purchase of goods.
Because of the large amount of consumer credit card debt, many companies fiercely compete to sign up new credit card users, and further compete to keep consumers "loyal" to their particular brand/type of credit card. Among other factors, one way in which credit card issuers garner and keep customer loyalty and retention is by providing so called "rewards programs" whereby the consumer receives some benefit returned to them in exchange for use of the credit card. For example, a credit card issuer may provide cash-back savings on a small percentage of purchases. With credit cards that are specifically branded to a single company, for example an airline, the sponsoring company often offers a more focused rewards program, such as frequent flyer miles given to the user for every dollar spent using the airline credit card.
A major problem with matching these credit card opportunities to the potential customers of the card is to determine a unique characteristic of the customer which may define a certain future spending habit. For example, the purchasers of a new car may be expected to purchase maintenance services and or automobile accessories at the dealership in which the car was purchased. Eventually, if the customer has a good experience with the automobile and the dealer, the customer may also be expected to purchase additional or replacement automobiles of the same brand and at the same dealership. This process enhances the potential revenue stream for the credit card issuer and the loyalty for the dealer.
In addition to locating the appropriate market for a particular credit card, the issuers may also be disadvantaged in that it is difficult to administer different credit card programs for different groups of users. The credit card issuer may provide various benefits, rates, or other attributes to users in different customer groups, and each of these groups must be kept administratively separate from each other. When a large variety of vendors all desire to have groups of their customers obtain a branded credit card from a certain credit card issuer, the bookkeeping difficulties are enormous.
As such, a need exists in the art to provide an intermediary between one or more credit card issuers and a plurality of disparate vendors offering a varied assortment of goods and/or services which are related in some way (i.e., brand, manufacturer, industry). The intermediary should be able to uniquely identify all of the groups of vendors from each other, as well as subgroups or individuals within each group, at the time when each transaction is commenced. It would also be desirable if the intermediary could receive and send data in disparate formats based on the needs and desires of the various vendors and credit card issuers. Finally, it is desirable to use the Internet, or other broad bandwidth electronic communications network, to facilitate the various communications across such a system.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily recognized by one skilled in the art through the explanation given below, the attached figures and the claims appended hereto.

User rewards program and associated communications system


An optical film includes a transparent member including a surface to which light is incident, the surface including a plurality of bumps which is configured to diffusely reflect an incident light, and an adhesion member on a local region of the surface of the transparent member, where the adhesion member fills spaces between the bumps in the local region.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate generally to an electronic device. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to an optical film, a method of manufacturing the optical film, and an electronic device including the optical film.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an electronic device (e.g., a mobile device, etc.) is often used in an outdoor environment (i.e., in an environment in which various light sources exist), increasing the outdoor visibility of a display included in the electronic device becomes important. However, the outdoor visibility of the display may be degraded because an incident light is reflected on a surface of the display in the outdoor environment. Thus, a conventional method of disposing an anti-glare film on the display has been used in order to reduce a reflection of the incident light.

Optical film, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic device including the same


A disposable ink refill system includes a recharge cartridge that attaches to a conventional desktop inkjet printer. A host cartridge unit, which includes a translating inkjet cartridge and an attached umbilical assembly, is fluidly connected to the recharge cartridge. The umbilical assembly easily attaches and detaches from the recharge cartridge to facilitate quick and easy exchange of the ink recharge cartridge, thereby providing a significantly less expensive alternative to ink cartridge replacement. The host ink cartridge unit, which has a useful life exceeding its ink capacity, is refilled instead of replaced, thus lowering a user's costs. The docking platform is integrated into the printer chassis, thus further facilitating quick and easy coupling of the umbilical assembly to the recharge cartridge. A docking platform, attached to the printer, provides the interconnection between the recharge cartridge and the host cartridge unit. An umbilical suspension is self-supporting, thereby resulting in a significant reduction in the printer footprint.

A fundamental consumer issue in inkjet printing is the cost of replacement ink cartridges. While the retail prices of inkjet printers continue to erode, the per page cost of the ink replacement cartridges makes inkjet the most expensive of all the available desktop printing technologies.
The inkjet printer manufacturers have chosen to provide disposable inkjet cartridges which combine the electronically actuated nozzles with a small ink reservoir. This approach is justified by the fact that the "nozzles" have a limited life and must be periodically replaced. However, practice has shown that the volume of ink provided by the small reservoir in the disposable cartridges, is meager in comparison to the potential life of the nozzles, and that the volume of ink provided is limited for reasons other than nozzle life.
There exists technical ability to provide larger capacities of ink, and there is also economic incentive to provide replacement ink at more reasonable cost by leveraging the life of the nozzles. Thus, an aftermarket industry has evolved with the goal of providing more economical ink refilling options for inkjet printers. Many innovative means have been derived for refilling the existing inkjet cartridges or retrofitting larger reservoirs to the existing inkjet cartridges. Other approaches provide a second ink reservoir of larger volumetric capacity, usually in a stationary orientation, that transmits ink to the smaller reservoir of the translating ink cartridge. The process of interconnecting to the stationary reservoir has been accomplished in an intermittent fashion by parking the translating ink cartridge at an injector or pumping station for recharging. Alternatively, the stationary reservoir may be continuously connected to the translating ink cartridge by means of a flexible umbilical conduit and thus continuously recharge the smaller reservoir of the translating ink cartridge by utilizing either atmospheric or subatmospheric pressure differential. Both reservoirs in these dual reservoir systems must be recharged periodically, but at different intervals.
The most economic dual reservoir solutions take the form of extending an umbilical ink flow tube from the translating ink cartridge to a remotely located stationary reservoir. In such cases, the stationary reservoir may take the form of a disposable tank which can be exchanged several times during the useful life of the translating ink cartridge. In this way, the original nozzles of the manufacturer's inkjet cartridge can remain resident in the printer over the life of several exchanges of the remote tank. Since the stationary reservoir does not bear the expense of the electronics and nozzles of the resident inkjet cartridge, the stationary reservoir can be manufactured more economically and made available at considerably less expense. In this way, more reasonably priced consumables can be made available to the users of inkjet printers.
Such dual reservoir systems presently exist in industrial inkjet printer applications, but are noticeably absent amongst the array of desktop inkjet printers that are used in conjunction with personal computers in the office and home environments. There are three (3) problems that have precluded the use of dual reservoir configurations in such inkjet printers:
1) spatial inefficiency, PA1 2) cumbersome umbilical detachment means, and, PA1 3) costly umbilical configurations. PA1 where I=moment of inertia (in4) and y=distance to neutral fiber (in). PA1 w=0.50=width of the beam (in), f=0.10=height of the beam (in), and t=0.01=section thickness (in), PA1 substituting yields: EQU y=(0.1+0.01)-[((0.1).sup.2 +(2)(0.01)(0.10)+(0.5)(0.01))/((2)(0.5)+(2)(0.10))] in PA1 .thrfore.y=0.095833 in PA1 and EQU I=1/3[(0.01)(0.095833).sup.3 -(0.5)(0.10+0.01-0.095833).sup.3 -[(0.5-0.01)(0.10-0.095833).sup.3 ]] in.sup.4 PA1 .thrfore.I=3.40.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4 PA1 where I=moment of inertia (in.sup.4) and y=distance to neutral fiber (in). PA1 w=0.50=width of the beam (in), f=0.10=height of the beam (in), and t=0.01=section thickness (in). Substituting yields EQU y=(0.1+0.01)-[((2)(0.10).sup.2 +(4)(0.01)(0.1)+(0.5)(0.01))/((2)(0.5+0.2))] in PA1 .thrfore.y=0.089286 in PA1 and EQU .thrfore.I=[(2)(0.01)(0.10).sup.3 +(6)(0.10).sup.2 (0.01).sup.2 +(6)(0.10)(0.01).sup.3 +(0.5)(0.01).sup.3 ]/3-[((0.10+0.01-0.089286).sup.2 ((0.5)(0.01)+(2)(0.10)(0.01))] in.sup.4 PA1 .thrfore.I=6.03.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4. PA1 where DCF=dimensionless column factor=L .sqroot.(P/EI).
The spatial efficiency problem stems from the difficulty in integrating the umbilical and stationary reservoir into the printer chassis configuration in a compact manner. Provisions for the path and suspension of the umbilical and relative spatial requirements for the stationary reservoir usually mandate larger printer dimensions. Conversely, the quest for a smaller printer "footprint" is a major competitive factor in the desktop printer market which consequently distracts manufacturers from the consideration of a dual reservoir configuration. The ability to quickly and easily exchange the stationary reservoir is also required if such dual reservoir systems are to appeal to consumers. This quick change feature can only be achieved if the umbilical is also easily detachable and manageable without entanglement or ink leakage. Finally, the umbilical assemblage must be implemented in a simple and economic way that can render it disposable along with the inkjet cartridge.
The task of connecting a tubular liquid ink conduit between a translating ink cartridge and a non-moving supply reservoir is easily understood as shown by the prior art. However, it is a much more difficult task to integrate the path and motion of the conduit into a compact printer configuration. The detailed tasks of supporting, suspending, guiding, and controlling the path of the conduit is a serious engineering challenge. These tasks are even more acute problems when the goal of the configuration is to provide a disposable ink supply reservoir and a disposable inkjet cartridge, both of which are quickly and easily exchangeable.
It is important to recognize the mechanics of the umbilical loop motion in order to appreciate its inherent geometry problems. In FIG. 1, a gravity-oriented umbilical is shown attached to and extending from the left of a translating ink cartridge. The ink cartridge and umbilical are shown in two positions which might represent the width of the recording zone for the ink cartridge or some other boundary. The three essential elements of the umbilical include an unsupported upper portion extending leftward from the ink cartridge, a loop which traverses in the direction of the ink cartridge, and a lower supported segment that can be attached to a stationary reservoir. A marker m represents a point on the umbilical and shows the track of that point as the umbilical unrolls during the inkjet cartridge translation. The lower region of the umbilical is maintained in a flat shape because it is supported by a structural frame member which is straight. However, the upper section of the umbilical is not supported, and thus cannot be maintained in a straight orientation because of its flexibility. Note that the addition of a stationary support for the upper umbilical section would block the motion of the translating print cartridge and is thus impractical.
This unsupported upper umbilical portion takes the shape of a mathematical curve called a catenary. A catenary is known as the curve in which a flexible cable or cord will hang when supported at its two ends. The height of the catenary (y) at any position (x) along its span can be computed from the fundamental relation ##EQU1## where a=T.sub.h /w, T.sub.h is the horizontal component of the umbilical tension, and w is the weight per unit length of the umbilical.
The height of the loop, as shown by h.sub.1 and h.sub.2 in the two positions, is dependent upon the weight of the unsupported span of umbilical to its right, and the bending moment of the umbilical across the loop. The two vectors F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 are in equilibrium at any position of the umbilical where F.sub.1 represents the vertical reaction to the bending moment and F.sub.2 represents the left reaction component due to the weight of the unsupported span. As the ink cartridge moves leftward, the loop portion of the umbilical translates at a rate of one half the rate of travel of the ink cartridge.
The total motion of the loop would equal one half that of the ink cartridge (x.sub.1) if the radius of the loop would remain constant. However, the unsupported length of the upper umbilical decreases as the ink cartridge moves leftward. This reduces the length of the unsupported span and thus reduces the vertical umbilical weight component (F.sub.2). The result is less opposition to the bending moment of the umbilical, such that height of the umbilical (h.sub.2) is larger when the ink cartridge is at its left boundary. The traverse distance of the loop is thus only approximately equal to one half of the ink cartridge excursion, because the radius of the loop can be expected to gradually change as the ink cartridge traverses. This diagram also shows that a significant amount of space is required for the umbilical travel in the spatial region existing to the left of the leftward boundary of the ink cartridge excursion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,448 and 4,757,331 (Mirusawa et al.) teach that control of the flexible conduit is a serious problem in configuring an appropriate printer structure. This prior art teaches that "it is required to reserve a large space for the flexible tube to move without trouble" and "since the tube is flexible, the locus of movement is not fixed but somewhat variable". "This large space dedicated to the movement of the flexible ink conduit has prevented the construction of smaller printers." For these reasons, the invention of Mizusawa et al. elected not to use an umbilical ink connection, but instead to provide an injection station. With this methodology, the translating ink cartridge is not connected to the stationary ink reservoir during the normal translation of the ink cartridge while printing or recording. Instead, the translating ink cartridge is transported to an injection station at certain intervals based upon ink exhaustion criteria, whereupon it is parked adjacent to an injector and pump which actively injects liquid ink from a larger volume ink reservoir. Such a configuration suffers the cost burden associated with pumps and injectors, as a result of not realizing a novel means for providing a more compact umbilical arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,354 (Arquilevich et al.) demonstrates a fundamental umbilical spatial problem as shown in FIG. 2. The umbilical assemblage is oriented in the plane of gravity underneath the translating ink cartridge and supported by a stationary frame member. The invention claims to "prevent the unwanted twisting of the fluid delivery tubes outside their vertical planes during carriage motion". This patent explains the obvious translation of the umbilical loop as the printhead traverses laterally, but does not show the orientation of the umbilical loop to the path of the printed media. Also noticeably absent is the identification and description of the relative orientation of the inkjet cartridge nozzles.
Current practice shows that the nozzles of inkjet printheads are oriented on the lower surface of the inkjet cartridge body in both atmospheric and subatmospheric type configurations. The term "lower surface" is interpreted in respect to gravity. The reasons for this are obvious and also include the need for gravitational support of the printed media in the gap adjacent to the nozzles. This printhead orientation causes a significant problem if the umbilical loop must also operate in the plane of gravity (vertical plane). In such cases, the umbilical must have sufficient length and travel in its operating plane, to prevent the loop from cutting across the plane of the media, as shown by the illustration in FIG. 3. The operational zone of the loop must exist leftward of the media path and requires a width equal to about one half that of the printhead excursion zone plus some spatial clearance for the loop. The umbilical operational zone is shown in FIG. 3 by the dimension (k.sub.1 +x/2). This illustration thus explains that the printer chassis would need to include provision for the significant extra space that is required for the motion of the umbilical loop. A printer which used this umbilical configuration would require at least a 50% wider footprint than the same printer without an umbilical.
It can be seen that the gravity-oriented umbilical suspension is not amenable to the goal of providing a compact desktop printer. The explanation in Arquilevich et al. teaches that spatial efficiency was not a goal of this arrangement, stating that "the actual length and configuration of the apparatus is not important provided that the ink-delivery tubes are sufficient to connect one or more ink sources to the moveable printhead".
U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,453 (Shibata et al.) is another example of the prior art which teaches an umbilical loop translation but fails to explain the relative orientation of the media path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,962 (Orosawa et al.) shows an umbilical shape in FIG. 4 that more appropriately illustrates the shape of those actually found in practice. This prior art also fails to disclose the relative orientation of the media path.
Other prior art seeks to solve problems which are the aftermath of inadequate umbilical control. Shibata et al. teaches a solution to the potential problem of the conduit being collapsed by a "kink" or entanglement, as shown in FIG. 5. A custom profile flexible ink carrying conduit contains multiple chambers to allow fluid ink flow when the primary chamber becomes restricted as a result of collapsing or kinking. This prior art does not, however, teach how to support, guide, suspend, or control the path of the flexible conduit so as to initially prevent the problems of collapsing or kinking.
Arquilevich et al. teaches a solution to bundling groups of flexible tubes in the situations where multiple ink supply conduits are utilized, as in the case of multicolor printer devices. As show in FIG. 6, a thin membrane material is bonded over the periphery of several circular tubes such as to interconnect the individual tubes into a common structure which will prevent entangling. Hirosawa et al. also teaches a multiple conduit approach to help manage the movement of the flexible ink supply interconnections. The two tubes are made to move in parallel to each other by virtue of their exit orientation relative to the traversing ink cartridge carrier structure. However, neither Arquilevich et al. nor Hirosawa et al. proposes a solution to the case where only a single ink conduit is utilized. Furthermore, none of these inventions seeks to explain a solution to the problem of guiding, suspending or controlling the path of the flexible conduit assemblage. Nor does this prior art seek to minimize the spatial requirements of the umbilical.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,732 Dennis et al.) discloses a helically wrapped wire spring to enshroud and support a fluid (air) duct, and thus prevent the collapsing of the internal cavity of such a duct. Longitudinal wires are attached along the peripheral axes of the duct to render the duct inflexible. This arrangement lacks flexibility and would thus not be suitable for the task of providing a flexible conduit from a stationary reservoir to a translating ink cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,021 (Chikama et al.) teaches the use of a helically wrapped spring in conjunction with control wires, to provide a controlled flexible conduit motion in one plane. Corrugated metal strips are spot welded to the periphery of the helix along the longitudinal axis of the spring on two opposing sides as shown in FIG. 7. The helices along two sides of the spring are thus rendered inflexible in the plane formed by the two spot welded strips. Two control wires are threaded through the internal cavity of the conduit and terminated at the flexible end of the structure at positions which are orthogonal to the spot welded bands. Rotation of a pulley in the control end of the conduit then pulls one of the wires to create limited flexure in one plane. This technique is a complex and costly solution to the problem of providing a conduit that is flexibly controllable in one axis only. Such complexity and cost precludes its utilization in a disposable and economically sensitive inkjet cartridge application.
Many methods for interconnecting flexible liquid carrying conduits have been shown in the prior art, including those that clamp needle-like probes to a septum. U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,524 (Lynn et al.) shows a sliding collar to clamp a probe, which contains a needle, to the exterior surface of a septum after the needle has penetrated the septum. This is shown in FIG. 8. While this invention presents a means to couple two sections of flexible conduit, it does nothing more than provide a system of two possible states consisting of either a coupled or uncoupled flexible conduit. In the first, or coupled state, there exists a connection between the remote liquid reservoir and the receiving end (patient's vasculature), but little control over the suspension and path of the flexible conduit. In the second, or uncoupled state, the control of the conduit is lost completely.
The lack of a docking station, and lack of means to control the umbilical assemblage, are deficiencies which prevent earlier invented stationary reservoir systems from presenting a quickly exchangeable reservoir or a quickly changeable translating ink cartridge.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,369,429 and 5,367,328 (Erickson et al.) show stationary reservoir ink delivery systems where ink is delivered through one or more flexible tubes to translating ink cartridges. The individual tubes are affixed to cavities in the individual links of a link chain which provide the support elements for an umbilical assembly. At the reservoir end of the flexible tubes, the tubes enter the stationary reservoirs through an orifice which is both strain relieved and sealed to a plastic reservoir liner, such that the tubes are a permanently and inextricably attached to the remote reservoirs. FIG. 9 shows this reservoir and ink cartridge without the link chain. The process of exchanging the remote tank then requires that the tubes be individually unthreaded and rethreaded through the individual clamping stations of the chain link umbilical assemblage. Before such threading can take place, the support chain itself must be detached from the printer structure. The tedious nature of this threading and unthreading process, combined with the lack of an umbilical docking station, prevents the possibility of providing a quickly exchangeable reservoir.
Other prior art proposes to operate the umbilical in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of gravity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,201 (Erickson et al.) presents two solutions to constraining the movement of an umbilical to one plane of motion. A preferred solution is highly flexible but unstable, while an alternate solution is excessively inflexible. In the prior art preferred embodiment shown by FIG. 10, plastic link chain is utilized as a flexible umbilical carrier and looped into a plane which is orthogonal to its hinge pins, such that it is self supporting in that particular plane. However, while the link chain is constrained to that plane, its movement within that plane is not predictable. This problem is resolved by the addition of a flat metal band which is mounted adjacent to and along the periphery of the link chain to aid in controlling the shape of the loop. The result is an umbilical assemblage that is self supporting in one axis which is perpendicular to the axis of gravity, but flexible in the other two axes. This umbilical assemblage can only be self-supporting when arranged within the printer configuration such that the axis of the chain link hinge pins is oriented within the axis of gravity. This restriction then presents an impediment to providing a compact printer configuration, as the plane of the looped umbilical cannot exploit a more vertical orientation. A more vertical umbilical orientation is a requirement to position the reservoir as closely as possible to the path of the translating ink cartridge, and thus to provide a compact printer configuration as shown by the invention herein. Further, since this combination of link chain and flat metal band is complex and costly, it precludes the possibility of providing an economically disposable umbilical.
An alternate embodiment of Erickson et al. '201 is explained which uses a "unitary piece of rigid, flexible material" that is described and shown as being in the shape of a rectangular channel made of plastic or metal. The channel carries a series of attachment mechanisms, which are spaced intermittently at 3 to 4 inch intervals along the length of the channel, and whose purpose is to support the ink supply tubes. Each of the individual attachment mechanisms supports a "closure used to secure the supply line", which is further described as a "pivoting clamp mechanism". The structure and operational principles of the "pivoting clamp mechanism" and the means for attaching it to the channel, are not disclosed. The elongate channel is further described as maintaining a "generally U-shaped" structure and is diagrammatically shown as maintaining its cross sectional channel shape continuously without deformation, around a 180 degree bend with a smooth radius. Two views of this channel and its ink tubes are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.
The stiffness attributes of a structure, or conversely its flexibility attributes, are composed of two factors; shape and material composition. Any given material possesses a characteristic property called its elastic modulus, that uniquely dictates the degree of flexibility that a given shape can achieve when utilizing that particular material. For example, a 2".times.4" wooden stud made of Douglas fir such as used in residential building construction (a common two-by-four) can be compared in stiffness to a 2".times.4" stud which is made of steel. The Douglas fir possesses an elastic modulus of 1.9 million psi and the steel possesses an elastic modulus of 30 million psi. Thus, the steel stud is stiffer than the wood stud due to its significantly higher elastic modulus. The actual difference in stiffness between the two studs can be computed by simply comparing the ratio of elastic moduli. When checking this ratio, we can conclude that the steel stud will be exactly 15.79 times stiffer than the wooden stud. Conversely, we can also conclude that the wooden stud is 15.79 times more flexible than the steel stud. Thus it can be seen that a homogeneous material possesses a unique property, its elastic modulus, that quantifies its inherent flexibility regardless of shape. The description of a material that is both rigid and flexible, as explained in Erickson et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,201), is therefore clearly a self-contradiction.
More important to the issue of flexibility is the shape of the cross section of a structural member. In the field of structural mechanics, a characteristic number can be computed for any shape that inherently predicts how flexible that shape will be when subjected to forces which are imposed along different axes. That property is known as the moment of inertia of a sectional shape. Unlike materials, shapes in themselves can be inherently flexible or inherently inflexible by virtue of this property. Further, the moment of inertia is axis-dependent such that a given shape may have a moment of inertia that can be different in one axis than in another. An example of this can be easily understood from analyzing a thin flat metal strip.
For this example, assume that the goal was to make a thin strip that was to be very flexible. Common sense would dictate a shape with a high ratio of width to thickness. As an example, the dimensions of 1/2" for the width and 10 mils for the thickness might be chosen, which are similar to the dimensions of a small metal ruler. The ratio of width to thickness is 50:1 in this case. The moment of inertia for this rectangular shape along its bending axis can be easily computed from the equations of structural mechanics, which are found in most engineering handbooks. The results of such a computation yields a moment of inertia of 0.041.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4 as shown below.
Moment of Inertia for a Thin Rectangular Section (across thickness)
Referring to FIG. 3A, I=wt.sup.3 /12, where I=moment of inertia (in.sup.4). Since w=0.50 and t=0.01, I=(0.50)(0.01).sup.3 /12, and I=0.041.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4.
Alternatively, the moment of inertia of the strip could be computed for the direction across its width. The results of that computation yields a section modulus of 104.166.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4 as shown below. These results show that the strip is tremendously more stiff across its width than it is across the plane of its thickness and explains why the strip is rigid in that plane. The stiffness of the strip in each of the two planes can be compared by taking the ratio of the moments of inertia in the two planes. This shows that the strip is 2,540 times stiffer in the width direction than in the thickness direction, irrespective of the material that is utilized. This explains why large ratios of width to thickness are chosen in the case where both lateral stability and a high degree of flexibility are required, such as in the cases of power transmission belts which must wrap around pulleys.
Moment of Inertia for a Thin Rectangular Section (across width)
Referring again to FIG. 3A, I=tw.sup.3/ 12, where I=moment of inertia (in4). Therefore, EQU I=(0.01)(0.50).sup.3 /12 and EQU I=104.166.times.10.sup.-6 in.sup.4.
Assume that this strip was deemed "too flexible" for a given application, and that the shape should be modified in order to make the strip more structurally rigid. One way to achieve more rigidity is to add a "stiffening rib" projecting perpendicular to the thin section of the strip, such that the shape of the strip looks like a "T" section. The data below shows the quantified increases in stiffness for added sections of various ratios of the strip width. For example, a flange depth of 20% of the strip width produces an 82.9 times stiffness increase, so that the strip is no longer easily bendable.
Moment of Inertia for a "Tee" Section
Referring to FIG. 3B, y=(f+t)-[(f.sup.2 +2tf+wt)/(2w+2f)] in and EQU I=1/3[ty.sup.3 +w(f+t-y).sup.3 -[(w-t)(f-y).sup.3 ]] in.sup.4
For the comparative case where flange depth=20% of beam width,
In like manner, comparative moments of inertia are computed for the cases of 10% and 30% flange-to-width ratios and shown in the following table:
______________________________________ Moment of Stiffness Sectional Shape Inertia in.sup.4 ratio ______________________________________ Thin rectangular 0.041 .times. 10.sup.-6 1.0 "T" w/10% 0.555 .times. 10.sup.-6 13.5 flange ratio "T" w/20% 3.40 .times. 10.sup.-6 82.9 flange ratio "T" w/30% 10.20 .times. 10.sup.-6 248.8 flange ratio ______________________________________
Another method that can be used to stiffen the strip is to add two "stiffening ribs" at the longitudinal edges of the strip, such that it cross section takes the shape of a channel.
The increase in rigidity due to the channel shape is also intuitively understood, but the examples below have been generated to quantify the increases in stiffness, for added sections of various ratios of the strip width. For example, a flange depth of 20% of the strip width produces a 147 times stiffness increase, as compared to the thin rectangular strip. The relative proportions of these shapes is shown in FIG. 13. It can be seen that the channel shape is an extremely effective stiffening shape, and produces more rigidity than the "T" shape, when using the same size envelope. This is the reason that the channel shape is commonly used for steel beams in the construction of commercial buildings.
Moment of Inertia for a Channel Section:
Referring to FIG. 3C, y=(f+t)-[(2f.sup.2 +4tf+wt)/(2w+4f)] in and EQU I=[2tf.sup.3 +6f.sup.2 t.sup.2 +6ft.sup.3 +wt.sup.3 ]/3-[(f+t-y).sup.2 (wt+2ft)] in.sup.4
For the comparative case where flange depth=20% of beam width,
In like manner, comparative moments of inertia are computed for the cases of 10% and 30% flange-to-width ratios and shown in the following table:
______________________________________ Moment of Stiffness Sectional Shape Inertia in.sup.4 ratio ______________________________________ Thin rectangular 0.041 .times. 10.sup.-6 1.0 Channel w/10% 1.0 .times. 10.sup.-6 24.4 flange ratio Channel w/20% 6.03 .times. 10.sup.-6 147.0 flange ratio Channel w/30% 17.70 .times. 10.sup.-6 431.7 flange ratio ______________________________________
It can thus be seen that the rectangular channel shown by the alternate embodiment of Erickson et al. '201 is a structure that is inherently rigid, and thus difficult to bend whether it be made from plastic or metal. Since the forces required to bend such a structure must be continuously provided by the transport motor which translates the printhead, such motor will require considerable extra power for the task of continuously bending and unbending a channel structure during the translational printing process. This can be shown by the analysis below which compares the force required to bend a thin flat strip with those to bend a channel of the same thickness over onto itself into the shape of a loop.
The channel illustrated in the Erickson et al. '201 patent diagrammatically shows lateral flanges that are proportioned to the channel width by about a 20% ratio. It is understood that the embodiment is not limited to the channel proportions which are shown, but it is also clear that these proportions are intended to be instructional such that at least one desirable subset of the embodiment could be construed from the diagram. Thus, an understanding of the required forces to bend a channel of these proportions will help to understand the prior art. The comparative analysis that follows uses the case of a plastic channel proportioned with lateral flanges which are 20% of its beam width.
The force required to bend a column over onto itself can be calculated by the methodology of Baumeister and Sebrosky ("Finding Vertical Column Deflections", Machine Design, Oct. 19, 1972, p159, H. K. Baumeister and R. A. Sebrosky) which uses "dimensionless column factors" to compute the loads required for large vertical deflections of vertical columns. The case of bending a 10 mil thick plastic column over onto itself is used for this analysis, and assumes the use of acetal polymer, a plastic commonly utilized for applications which require repeated flexing.
Case 1 uses the cross section of the thin strip above as made from acetal, while Case 2 uses the same material and thickness, but adds the lateral sides to form a channel with a 20% ratio of flange depth to width. This analysis shows that the rectangular section will require a bending force of 0.043 pounds (less than an ounce), while the channel shape will require a bending force of 6.38 pounds to achieve the same looped configuration. For sake of comparison, the weight of the entire translating carrier assemblage on this printer is 7 ounces. The transport motor used with a channel-shaped ink tube carrier must then be considerably larger in horsepower and physical size, and then also much more costly, than the motor required to flex the comparable flat rectangular strip. The use of a channel-shaped ink tube carrier will then be contrary to the economy and compact size goals of the desktop printer configuration, and therefore must be avoided.

Disposable ink cartridge recharge system


In two phases signals (A, B) outputted from a scale or a scale having a discontinuous portion provided in its incidental member to a light receiving portion, a region in which amplitudes of the two phases signals (A, B) are small corresponds to outputs when a reflecting portion lies in the scale in terms of rotation position, and a region in which amplitudes of the two phases signals (A, B) are large corresponds to outputs when a nonreflecting portion lies in the scale in terms of rotation position. An optical encoder for discriminating positions of a reflecting portion and a nonreflecting portion of a scale using a threshold value (L) to detect an absolute position based on a reason that when the signals (A, B) are arithmetically operated by an arithmetic operation processing circuit to obtain a sum of squares of the signals (A, B), change points in the amplitudes of the signals (A, B) are steeply obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical encoder which is used for displacement measurement or angle measurement and which is capable of detecting an absolute position.
2. Related Background Art
An optical encoder basically includes a main scale in which a first optical grating is formed, an index scale which is disposed so as to face the main scale and in which a second optical grating is formed, a light source for radiating light to the main scale, and a light receiving element which serves to receive light transmitted through or reflected by the first optical grating of the main scale to return from the second optical grating of the index scale.
A system using a light receiving element array serving as an index scale as well in an optical encoder of this sort has been already proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-56304 for example. In addition, there is also filed Patent Application entitled "Optical Encoder" having the similar construction and laid open as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-161645.
An encoder having this construction is called an encoder of an incremental type and can detect an amount of movement based on an increase or a decrease in pulses for the movement of a scale. The encoder of an incremental type involves a problem in that since an absolute position of a rotation angle is obscure, so a sensor for detecting the absolute position is specially required.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-318790, in order to avoid the above problem to detect the absolute position in a transmission type encoder utilizing an incremental system, as shown in FIG. 7, transmittances of slits 2 disposed in a scale 1 are changed. For example, the transmittance of the slit 2a is set to 1, and the transmittances of the slits 2b, 2c, and 2d arranged in a row and in order are gradually reduced.
FIG. 8 shows a change in signal obtained when portions in which the transmittances of the slits 2 are changed pass through a sensor in a case where the scale 1 is used. Thus, analog two phases signals Oa and Ob are obtained from the sensor. Amplitudes of the analog two phases signals Oa and Ob are reduced due to the gradual reduction of the transmittances of the slits 2. Thus, this change is detected, thereby detecting the absolute position.
However, in case of the absolute position detecting means of the encoder as described above, for a method of detecting the signal amplitude, it is required to carry out the sampling at a timing much shorter than one period of the resultant encoder signal and to obtain the voltages of a peak and a valley of the signal obtained therefrom.
Consequently, in a state in which the scale is stopped, it is impossible to know a position where a predetermined portion is located.
In addition, in order to know the amplitude of the signal, there is required a circuit, having a large circuit scale, such as a high-speed A/D converter for carrying out sampling at a short timing. Moreover, it is necessary to precisely form the portions, having different transmittances, such as the slits 2 of the scale 1 shown in FIG. 7. Thus, there is a possibility that the actual amplitude change disperses.

Optical encoder capable of detecting absolute position


A virtual machine system for duplicating a first virtual machine to generate one or more second virtual machines is provided with a management unit that manages each memory area accessible by the first virtual machine so that after generation of the second virtual machines, every virtual machine is permitted to perform a read access to the memory area until any virtual machine performs a write access to the memory area, a determination unit that determines whether each memory area is a specific memory area, a detection unit that detects, after detecting a write access to a specific memory area, that a virtual machine other than the virtual machine performing the write access is attempting access to the specific memory area, and a memory allocation unit that acquires and allocates a new memory area to the virtual machine detected to be attempting access to the specific memory area.

In recent years, not only personal computers, but also an increasing number of household appliances have a network connection function. However, programs that operate maliciously, such as spyware, may be released on networks. The danger of downloading and executing one of these programs is increasing. As a security measure under such conditions, research and development is underway into virtual machine system technology that executes a plurality of operating systems (virtual machines) simultaneously by generating an operating system (OS) as an environment for downloading and executing a non-trusted program in isolation from a safe OS.
In general, when executing a plurality of virtual machines simultaneously, the amount of memory necessary for execution increases, thus raising the manufacturing cost of the device. In order to reduce costs, methods of duplicating a virtual machine have been proposed (for example, see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2).

Virtual machine system, memory management method, memory management program, recording medium, and integrated circuit

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America


In an amusement device, for example a pinball game, a rotatable turntable may be provided. A cover has a position for enclosing and retaining a ball rolling on the turntable. A shaft is also provided for raising the cover from that position, to permit the ball to roll outwardly across the periphery of the turntable to another portion of the device. This provides significant variation in the play of the amusement device in that the ball can leave the turntable in any horizontal direction to provide great variation in play of the ball.

In amusement devices such as pinball machines there is significant advantage by providing variety and unpredictability of play. To this end, in a previous pinball game known as Turtles, manufactured by Data East Pinball, Inc. a spinning turntable was provided flush with the playfield to provide a change in direction of motion of balls rolling on the playfield.
By this invention, further unpredictability and unexpected action is provided to a spinning turntable for pinball or any other amusement device, in which balls may be captured on the turntable, to rotate rather in the manner of a ball on a roulette wheel, until released by a predetermined event taking place in the device, or if desired by the specific control of the player.

Turntable and cover for amusement device


The present invention provides a new, high-performance system and method for updating databases or other data compilations with changes entered in a source database or data compilation. Updates are preprocessed to reduce system update demands while increasing update flexibility for remote processing sites. Data update records are captured or collected and extracted into one or more channel or other criterion-specific batches. Transaction boundaries within a batch are collapsed, and the records coalesced into a package comprising a sequence of updates that reflect the cumulated impact of the extracted records. In a preferred embodiment, the batched records are sorted by extracted sort key entries and the package is converted to the physical format of respective targets. The created update package is, therefore, organized and physically formatted in correspondence with the target database. The update package is then directly applied to the target database without resort to the traditional front door processing through the local database manager. The processing typically required in database update replication is, thereby, avoided and the update process significantly streamlined. The update packages may be moved to targets by a variety of methods. The packages can be conveyed across network or Internet connections or between disconnected computers. The packages may be stored in computer readable media such as disks or CD ROMs, for example, from which the packages may be accessed by target systems. The update packages may also be made available through modems to field users or clients to allow fiexible update scheduling. The invention results in a high performance, database update system and method that significantly reduces system update burdens while increasing update flexibility and minimizing impacts from failures during updating. Updates are performed in significantly less time with a system and method that requires little administrative oversight and minimal personnel training.

Database information is, typically, both created and examined. Some database users create data, while other users may merely examine data. For example, an automatic teller machine ("ATM") typically adds or modifies database data, while a trend analyst seeking marketing profiles or fraud evidence, generally examines data created by others.
Databases are often replicated to reduce contention or access to a primary database or provide stand alone work systems and spaces. Replicated databases provide work fields that allow users and clients to create or inspect data without limiting access by others to a primary database. For clients interested in only specific aspects of the primary database, replicas of particular regions or fragments can be provided to avoid absorbing excess resources. Replicated databases also provide a backup in the event of media failure.
Database consistency becomes an important issue when multiple replicas exist simultaneously with a primary database. The replicas must be updated to predictably reflect changes entered in the primary database.
A variety of techniques have been employed to maintain database consistency. Any update technique should demonstrate reasonable throughput and consume limited resources. Amending replica databases to reflect changes entered in a primary database should not unduly limit either replica or primary database access.
Copy replication has been employed to ensure predictable database consistency. Although resource consumptive, copy replication is useful when extensive record changes have been made. In copy replication, copies of the primary database are mapped into database replicas associated with particular users or clients that seek access to the information of the primary database. A copy of the primary is created and is typically applied to the replica database through the local database management system controlling the local replica database. In accordance with a predetermined schedule, database access is locked and the replica is overwritten with the data of the updated primary. The replica database thus reflects changes entered by other clients and users on a predictable basis. Copy replication typically results in inefficient use of system resources and adversely impacts database availability while consuming significant amounts of processing resources and time. A significant flow of messages is required to implement copy replication and maintained, as well as changed, database records are overwritten during copy replication.
Update replication is another known technique employed to manage database consistency. Update replication is more flexible than copy replication and typically updates only records that change data. It can also be structured to update only records of interest to particular database users or clients.
In one known type of update replication, a log skimmer monitors a transaction record log for data changes. When a change of interest is identified, the change is imposed on the target database through the local database manager. When a client is interested in only periodic, rather than immediate updates, applicable changes are queued in structured query language ("SQL") statements corresponding to a sequence of transactions. The channel between the queue and the application process that specifies the changes is blocked until indicated by the update schedule. When scheduled, the block is removed and the application program sequentially specifies a transaction and corresponding subject record to the local database manager which, in response, brings the applicable data page of the target database out of storage for processing in a buffer according to the specified transaction.
Once updated, the processed page is over-written into the appropriate area of the target database. This process continues down through the pending queue. If numerous changes are queued, the update process consumes, therefore, significant resources.
Although more precise than copy replication, update replication is a complicated system and employs extra processes not required for copy replication. Update replication also serializes changes and suffers, therefore, from wasted handling overhead and transactions.
The serialized transactions corresponding to queued changes to a particular record do not efficiently express the cumulated impact of the individual transactions on the particular record. For example, numerous queued changes to a particular record could, at the conclusion of the sequence of changes, leave the record unchanged or even deleted. Nevertheless, update replication executes the sequence of operations corresponding to the queued changes despite an unchanged or deleted end result. Consequently, when a record is ultimately unchanged or deleted by a series of changes, the intervening corresponding sequence of individual transactions has wasted system resources.
Multiply queued changes to a particular record are not organized, rather than organized in correspondence with the physical storage organization of the database, further wasting processing effort. A particular page may be brought out of storage and overwritten in the target multiple times during an update because the changes are not organized according to physical storage location.
The multiple queued transactions implicit in update replication consume significant resources. A "transaction" is a unit of work performed by an application program. In one transaction interface technique, as an example of the processing undertaken in database page handling, a transaction log is maintained in nonvolatile storage. Every completed transaction is recorded as a log record including UNDO and REDO components. The UNDO component records a database record before it is changed by a transaction and the REDO component of the log record is a copy of the record after the change has been imposed. Each record update results in the writing of an UNDO and REDO record in the transaction log. Assuming completion of the transaction which updates a particular record, the database manager will copy the requisite page into the work buffer where the recovery process will use the transaction log REDO record to update the record of interest. The local database manager will then write the updated page to the target database. The creation of both REDO and UNDO records allows backward recovery to restore records to their prior state if a transaction is aborted. If a transaction associated with a REDO record aborts, the record data from the UNDO record is logged as a REDO record and is applied to the database page to back-out the original update. The log record can also contain a COMMIT field indicating the successful conclusion of the associated transaction. Consequently, the database manager is significantly burdened if required to implement a lengthy queue of transactions implicit in the queued update replication process.
Consequently, what is needed is an efficient and robust update system that reduces update replication demands on system resources. The update method should also be flexible enough to update specific records and readily adaptable to a variety of organizational or system configurations without undue administrative or maintenance effort.

System and method for database update replication


Method for manufacturing regulating membranes for breathing apparatus characterized in that it comprises a phase of molding of the aforesaid membrane during which a disk, made of rigid or semi-rigid material, is embedded and anchored inside the membrane itself, which presents continuity of material on the upper part.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing membranes, in particular regulating membranes for breathing apparatus, and relates also to a regulating device for breathing apparatus comprising a membrane obtained according to the method.
More in particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing membranes used for regulating the supply of air in second stages of breathing apparatus for underwater diving.
It is well-known that such regulators generally comprise a container body, communicating with an air supply pipe, where an air supply valve is located, and a pipe supplying air towards a breathing device. This container is generally delimited at the top by a cover, beneath which is set a membrane of known type, to which are connected means of operation of the above-mentioned air supply valve.
In such regulators of air supply, a plastic or metal disk is generally inserted in the membrane; this disk is previously painted and, during moulding of the membrane, the paint is polymerized to guarantee adherence. This disk associates the movement of the membrane with the opening and closing of the aforementioned air-supply regulating valve.
In such cases, if the paint has not been properly applied, traces of grease may cause detachment of the disk with prolonged use of the breathing apparatus, so that the air supply is blocked.
Furthermore, a regulator of air supply is known, comprising a double-flanged disk which, after the phase of moulding of the membrane, is inserted into a hole at the centre of the membrane.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the problems referred to above.
More in particular, the purpose of the present invention is to create a method for manufacturing regulating membranes for breathing apparatus that are able to guarantee perfect water-tightness of the membrane with the disk referred to connected to any regulating device of known type associated to the air supply device.
A further purpose of the present invention is to propose a method for manufacturing regulating membranes for breathing apparatus in which the disk referred to is made of any rigid or semi-rigid material.
These and other purposes specified in what follows are achieved by the present invention regarding a method for the manufacture of regulating membranes for breathing apparatus, comprising a phase of moulding of the said membrane, during which a disk made of rigid or semi-rigid material is embedded and anchored inside the membrane itself, which presents continuity of material on its upper side.

Regulating membrane for a breathing apparatus and a method of making same


An LCD backlight (30) comprises generally rectangular parallelepiped light guide (36) with an exit aperture (31) that is smaller than the surface area light guide (36) and illuminates a LCD (49). The light guide is illuminated by a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) dies (32) disposed along at least one edge of the light guide. A translucent fluorescent film (40) is disposed immediately above the exit aperture to diffuse the light exiting the exit aperture and also the change in the dominant wavelengths. Further, the light guide (36), the LEDs (32), fluorescent film (40), and additional light redirecting layers (42 and 44) are completely surrounded by and optically coupled to a diffusively reflective film (50), which covers the back surface, the edges, and the front surface of the light guide except for the exit aperture. This diffusively reflective shielding is covered by a conventional reflective material layer (51) to ensure no light escapes the backlight except through the exit aperture.

This invention relates to backlighting apparatus such as are used for backlighting Liquid Crystal Displays. Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD's) are commonly used in portable televisions, portable computers, and cellular phones to display information to the user. For the purposes of this disclosure, an LCD can be considered to act as a light valve, which allows transmission of light in one state and blocks transmission of light in a second state. When used as a high resolution information display, an LCD is typically arranged in a dot-matrix configuration with independently addressable pixels. Each individual pixel is controlled to selectively modulate light from a backlight (transmissive mode), from a reflector (reflective mode), or from a combination of the two (transflective mode). Backlighting the LCD in some form is the most popular method of providing a source of light for such displays because backlighting the LCD allows full function in low ambient light conditions and also provides for improved contrast ratios. Because conventional monochrome transmissive dot-matrix LCD's are only approximately 40% transmissive and color dot-matrix LCD's are only approximately 6% transmissive, relatively large amounts of light are necessary to provide a visible display. The backlight must provide a substantially uniform distribution of light over the entire display in order to prevent undesirable dark spots and, where the LCD is used in portable equipment, power consumption and size must be minimized.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,946 (the '946 patent) discusses several conventional backlight apparatus including a light curtain system, in which light from a light source passes directly through a variable density translucent blocking layer to backlight a display. The '946 patent also discusses several conventional edge-lit light guides, including a design incorporating a flat internally diffusive light guide; a flat light guide having a diffusive front surface and a specular back reflector; and a double-wedge shaped light guide having a diffusively reflective back surface. As discussed in the '946 patent, the light guide designs are generally thinner than the light curtain designs but, because of the need to turn the light ninety degrees they are also generally less efficient than a light curtain. The light curtain, on the other hand, is generally too thick to be used as a backlight in portable equipment such as computers or cellular telephones. The '946 patent addresses the efficiency problems inherent in light guide designs by proposing a light guide having a piecewise linear double wedge-shape with a preferably specular back reflector. The light source of the '946 invention is coupled to the edge of the light guide using an index-matching material such as silicon oil, epoxy, or a polymeric material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,547 discloses a thin, preferably 1 millimeter thick, light guide having a plurality of v-shaped grooves extending across the back surface of the light guide. The v-shaped grooves act as quasi-specular reflectors to reflect light entering the light guide toward the front surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,197 to Gleckman (the '197 patent) discloses an LCD backlight comprising a reflective cavity having an exit aperture. The backlight approximates an integrating sphere in that the area of the aperture from which the light escapes the cavity to illuminate the LCD display is substantially less than the total surface area of the Lambertian reflecting cavity.
In each of the foregoing light guide designs, precise geometric patterns are introduced in an effort to increase light output efficiency. Yet, in each case the light emitting aperture of the light guide is substantially equal to the cross section of the light guide itself. Thus, none of the prior art light guides have any of the light enhancing characteristics of an integrating sphere. The invention disclosed in the '197 patent approximates an integrating sphere, but does so using a relatively thick housing having a hollow cavity.
The inventors of the present invention have determined that in order for dot matrix LCDs to perform adequately in portable hand-held equipment such as cellular telephones, the backlight must be no more than 2.5 millimeters thick, must be capable of providing at least 300 foot-Lamberts of illumination with a contrast ratio (defined as the difference between the light intensity at the brightest area of the display and the light intensity at the darkest area of the display) of 1.6:1 or less, and must consume no more than 400 milliwatts of power. The prior art light guides could meet the thickness requirement, but at the specified thickness would not meet the combined light output uniformity and power consumption requirements. The quasi-integrating sphere disclosed in the '197 patent could meet the light output requirements, but would not meet the thickness or power requirements.

Diffusively reflecting shield optically, coupled to backlit lightguide, containing LED's completely surrounded by the shield


A frictional pivot 100 for use in a device measuring gravitational alignment is provided. The frictional pivot 100 comprises a gravity-responsive directional means 200 for indicating a datum direction of alignment with gravity; frictional pivoting means 300, 400 for allowing the gravity-responsive means coarsely to align with gravity; vibration means 303, 403 for vibrating one or more elements of the pivoting means; and portable power means 303a for powering the vibration means 303, 403.

This invention relates to devices containing frictional pivots in general, and more particularly but not necessarily to devices such as laser levels, which rely on frictional pivots for gravitational alignment of pendulous components about an axis.
The accuracy of such a device depends upon the accuracy with which the pendulous components align with gravity. Any misalignment leads to inaccuracy in the device. Friction in the point or points about which the pendulous components pivot is the chief cause of this misalignment. Conventionally, this problem is addressed by reducing friction in the pivot by employing such means as lubrication or precision roller bearings.
Unfortunately, this conventional solution generates further problems, one of which is that as friction is reduced in the pivot, so the pendulous components take longer to stop oscillating and come to rest. As accurate readings cannot be taken until the pendulous components come to rest, the lower the friction of the bearing, the longer the user must wait before taking a reading and therefore the more inconvenient it is to use the device. The conventional solution to this problem is to apply damping means to reduce the oscillations.
A further problem with very low-friction pivots is that the pendulous components are easily disturbed by stray environmental influences, setting up further oscillations of the pendulous components, incurring further delays in readings and inconvenience to the user.
Thus it can be seen that the conventional solution to the problem of inaccuracy caused by misalignment leads to expensive and complicated solutions which generate further problems necessitating more expense and complication in their solution.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Frictional pivots for gravitational alignment


The invention relates to a mould for encapsulating electronic components mounted on a carrier, comprising: at least two mould parts displaceable relative to each other, at least one of which is provided with a recess, and feed means for encapsulating material, wherein at least one of the mould parts is provided with a runner which connects on one side to a wall of a mould part co-defining a mould cavity and connects on the other side to a side of the mould part remote from the mould cavity. The invention also relates to an encapsulating device of which such a mould forms parts, and to a method for encapsulating electronic components mounted on a carrier.

The invention relates to a mould for encapsulating electronic components mounted on a carrier. The invention also relates to an encapsulating device. Finally, the invention also relates to a method for encapsulating components mounted on a carrier.
Such a mould, encapsulating device and method form known art with which, using for instance epoxy resin, a package of encapsulating material can be applied round an electronic component arranged on a carrier. This technique is used particularly for encapsulating semiconductor products, such as for instance chips.
1. Description of the Prior Art
The European patent application EP 0 730 937 discloses a resin moulding machine with release film. The machine is provided with a mechanism that fixes release film on inner faces of the moulding sections and clamping faces. Also disclosed are air sucking holes in the upper die to hold substrates in the upper die. The loading of substrates in the machine with air sucking holes in the upper die takes a lot of time. The apparatus is also not suited for lead frames with wire bounded electronic components.
There is a tendency in the market towards arranging packages of encapsulating material on a carrier which are increasingly larger in terms of surface area. During further processing these can be for instance sawn into separate parts. This technique is also known as "C.S.P.", which is derived from "chip size packaging". The existing moulds and methods have the drawback that when the mould parts are closed a part of the electronic components can come into contact with a mould part. This can for instance cause damage to the components and/or contact wires ("leads") can be deformed. This is the particular consequence of a carrier not being completely flat when it is placed in a mould. Particularly carriers on which larger packages of encapsulating material must be arranged so that a plurality of electronic components can be moulded simultaneously with one package have such a three-dimensional form. The reason for this is that these carriers are in general thermally treated at many points during placing of the electronic components. This results in stresses in the carrier which, when it is placed in a mould, can result in the carrier not being completely flat. As described above, this results in possible damage to the electronic components and/or connecting wires.
The present invention has for its object to provide an improved mould, encapsulating device and method for encapsulating electronic components mounted on a carrier, with which damage to electronic components and contact wires can be prevented.

Mould, encapsulating device and method of encapsulation


An instrument for removing a tissue sample from a subject comprises a plurality of tissue sampling devices having respective chambers, the tissue sampling devices being radially disposed along a length of the instrument such that upon insertion of the instrument into the subject one or more samples are extracted and isolated in the respective chambers of the sampling devices at the site at which removal occurs.

Fluid and tissue sampling is used in a number of fields, including gastroenterology, cardiology, oncology, radiology, ophthalmology, histology, neurology and neurosurgery, internal medicine, and renal specialties. Fluid and tissue samples are necessary for a number of purposes in the medical arena, including in the performance of biopsies, or the removal of tissue samples. Removed tissue from a patient is often used in diagnosis of, for example, a variety of diseases. Often, to make an accurate diagnosis, a number of tissue samples are necessary, as a single tissue sample can fail to represent the entirety of the area, organ, or lesion from which the sample is extracted. Taking a plurality of samples can be not only time consuming, but it can expose the patient to additional and repeated discomfort.
Tissue samples are extracted from a patient according to a variety of devices, including manually or automatically controlled needle devices, cutting jaw devices, and with catheters having cutting devices disposed on one end, for example. It is desirable to extract a number of tissue samples in a minimally invasive manner.


The present invention relates to an improved process for preparation of Rivastigmine of formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof comprising a step of N-methylation of compound of formula (III), wherein R1=R2=H or R1=H and R2=CH3 or an acid addition salt thereof, using paraformaldehyde in the presence of Raney Nickel and hydrogen in a suitable solvent to obtain compound of formula (II).

Rivastigmine is prescribed for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The tartarate salt of Rivastigmine is marketed under brand name of Exelon®. Rivastigmine is in a class of medications called cholinesterase inhibitors. It improves mental function by increasing the amount of a certain natural substance in the brain. Rivastigmine increases the amounts of a chemical called acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine may be involved in memory, attention, and learning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,807 describes process for preparation of racemic Rivastigmine by reacting α-m-hydroxyphenylisopropyldimethylmine or α-m-hydroxyphenyl ethyldimethylmine with carbomyl chloride in the presence of NaH. Process for resolution of racemic Rivastigmine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,176, which involves resolution using di-o,o′-p-toluoyl tartaric acid. The major drawback of this process is repeated recrystallization in the final step to achieve increased enantiomeric excess, which results in decreased yield with increase in processing steps.
PCT publication no. WO03/101917 describes process for preparation of Rivastigmine by condensing N-ethyl-N-methyl-4-nitrophenyl carbamate, which is obtained from 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate, with [1-(3-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl]dimethylamine, which is obtained by demethylation of [1-(3-methoxyphenyl) ethyl]dimethylamine, in the presence of base. The process of preparation of [1-(3-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl]dimethylamine involves use of DL-methionine and 50% sulphuric acid. DL-methionine is a costly reagent and also a skin, eye and respiratory irritant
The process described in PCT publication no. WO2004/037771 involves reductive amination of 3-methoxy acetophenone in presence of dimethylamine, titanium isopropoxide and sodium borohydride to obtain [1-(3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]dimethylamine, which is further demethylated using hydrobromic acid to obtain 3-(1-dimethylamino)phenol. This is further resolved using (S)-(+)-camphor-10-sulfonic acid and reacted with carbamoyl chloride to obtain Rivastigmine. Titanium isopropoxide and sodium borohydride are very expensive reagents which lead to increase in overall cost of the process. Moreover hydrobromic acid is hazardous in nature and thus making it difficult to handle at commercial scale.
The process for preparation of 3-(1-dimethylamino)phenol as described in PCT publication no. WO2006/068386 involves subjecting (S)-3-(1-dimethylaminoethyl)phenol to N-methylation using formaldehyde/formic acid. Further it is subjected to O-carbamoylation to obtain Rivastigmine. It was observed by the inventors of present invention that by process described here, the product obtained did not have desired physical properties and the yield of reaction was also poor.
Therefore there is a need to develop a process for preparation for preparation of Rivastigimine and its intermediates which is simple, cost effective, non-hazardous and commercially viable.

Process for the preparation of Rivastigmine