The coil winding machine includes bobbin holding means for holding a coil bobbin having at each end portion a circumferential guide groove, a nozzle for feeding out a conducting wire for a deflection coil, the nozzle being movable along the inner peripheral surface of the coil bobbin, and a winding guide for restricting the position of the conducting wire. The winding guide has a tip portion movable in and out of the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin. The tip portion has a stepped portion capable of being engaged/disengaged with/from the conducting wire due to the relative positional relationship between the stepped portion and the nozzle in the center axial direction of the coil bobbin and a guide portion for restricting the feeding position of the conducting wire released from the stepped portion. With this configuration, since the conducting wire can be accurately positioned at a desired winding position in each slit of the coil bobbin, it is possible to reduce variations in winding position between the conducting wire portions wound in the slit and, hence, to increase the accuracy of a winding distribution of the deflection coil.

The present invention relates to a coil winding machine suitably used to wind a conducting wire of a deflection coil on a coil bobbin in a saddle type and a method of producing a deflection coil by using the coil winding machine.
In color cathode ray tubes (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9ccolor CRTsxe2x80x9d), three electron beams emitted from an electron gun are deflected in the vertical and horizontal directions to display a color image on a screen.
A deflection yoke having a horizontal deflection coil and a vertical deflection coil is used for deflecting electron beams.
The deflection yoke is mounted on a cone portion extending from a neck portion and a funnel portion of a CRT.
The deflection yoke forms a deflection magnetic field by making a horizontal deflection current flow in the horizontal deflection coil and also making a vertical deflection current flow in the vertical deflection coil, to deflect electron beams in the vertical and horizontal directions by the deflection magnetic field.
The three electron beams thus deflected are converged at one point of a color selection electrode (aperture grill or shadow mask), thereby to reproduce a desired color image on the screen.
By the way, in recent years, there have been strong demands toward higher accuracy of TV sets, computer displays, and the like.
In particular, to realize the enlargement of a display screen for TV sets and also realize the display of high-definition images for computer displays, the deflection frequency of electron beams has become increasingly higher.
Further, to reduce distortion and unnecessary reflection from the exterior at a peripheral portion of the screen of a CRT, flattening of the panel of the CRT has been developed.
A CRT having a flattened panel (hereinafter, referred to as xe2x80x9cflat panel CRTxe2x80x9d), however, has an inconvenience that since the distance between a deflection yoke and each of the right and left ends becomes longer, it becomes very difficult to ensure the convergence of electron beams in combination of reduction in raster distortion only by a deflection distribution generated by the deflection yoke.
At present, TV sets and computer displays using flat panel CRTs have been commercially available.
In such a flat panel CRT, however, if the convergence of electron beams in combination of reduction in raster distortion cannot be obtained only by a deflection magnetic field generated by a deflection yoke, it must be realized by using a complicated correction circuit or performing difficult adjustments.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of electric characteristic, as the number of turns of a conducting wire of a deflection coil becomes larger, it becomes harder for a current with a high frequency to flow in the conducting wire.
Accordingly, to increase a deflection frequency of electron beams, it is required to reduce the number of turns of a conducting wire of a deflection coil.
The reduction in the number of turns of a conducting wire means that the field strength per one turn of the conducting wire becomes large to raise the sensitivity.
As a result, a deviation in winding position of a conducting wire exerts a large effect on the deflection magnetic field distribution of a deflection coil.
For this reason, as the deflection frequency of electron beams becomes, it is strongly required to make higher the accuracy of a winding distribution of a deflection coil higher.
FIGS. 1A to 1H are schematic views showing a coil winding procedure for producing a saddle type deflection coil by using a related art coil winding machine.
First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a nozzle 52 placed inside a coil bobbin 51 is moved up along the inner peripheral surface of the coil bobbin 51 while feeding out a conducting wire W.
As shown in FIG. 1B, at a position near an opening of the nozzle 52, which has been moved above the coil bobbin 51, an upper hook 53 is turned into a xe2x80x9cclosexe2x80x9d position to catch the conducting wire W by the tip of the hook 53.
The hook 53 is then moved outside the coil bobbin 51 while the conducting wire W is fed out of the nozzle 52.
As shown in FIG. 1C, the coil bobbin 51 is rotated, to wind the conducting wire W in a circumferential guide groove (not shown) of the coil bobbin 51.
When the winding angle of the conducting wire W reaches a specific angle, the rotation of the coil bobbin 51 is stopped, and, in this state, the hook 53 is turned into an xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position to release the conducting wire W from the tip of the hook 53.
As shown in FIG. 1D, inside the coil bobbin 51, the nozzle 52 is moved down along the inner peripheral surface of the coil bobbin 51 while feeding out the conducting wire W.
As shown in FIG. 1E, at a position near the opening of the nozzle 52, a lower hook 54 is turned into the close position to catch the conducting wire W by the tip of the hook 54.
As shown in FIG. 1F, the hook 54 is moved outside the coil bobbin 51 while the conducting wire W is fed out of the nozzle 52.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1G, the coil bobbin 51 is rotated in the direction reversed to the rotational direction at the step shown in FIG. 1C, to wind the conducting wire W in the circumferential guide groove (not shown) of the bobbin 51.
When the winding angle of the conducting wire W reaches a specific angle, the rotation of the coil bobbin 51 is stopped.
In such a state, the hook 54 is turned into the open position to release the conducting wire W from the tip of the hook 54.
The conducting wire W has been thus wound by one turn.
Next, the nozzle 52 is moved up again, as shown in FIG. 1H. After that, the above-described operation is repeated while the winding position of the conducting wire W on the inner peripheral side of the coil bobbin 51 is sequentially shifted in the circumferential direction of the coil bobbin 51.
In this way, the conducting wire W for a deflection coil is wound around the coil bobbin 51 in a saddle type.
The above-described related art coil winding machine performs, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation of catching the conducting wire W by the tip of the hook 53 and the operation of releasing the conducting wire W from the tip of the hook 53 by turning the hook 53 in direction A into the open position and the close position, respectively.
Accordingly, upon feeding the conducting wire W having been wound in the circumferential guide groove 56 of the coil bobbin 51 in one of slits 58 formed by a plurality of ribs 57, it is required to ensure an operational space S for turning the hook 53 into the open position.
To be more specific, the conducting wire W is released from the hook 53 at a position P2 offset from a position P1, at which the conducting wire W is to be finally placed, by an amount equivalent to the operational space S in the direction from inside to outside of the coil bobbin 51.
Accordingly, the movement of the conducting wire W is not restricted in a distance L between the position P1 at which the conducting wire W is to be finally placed and the position P2 at which the conducting wire W is released from the hook 53.
As a result, after the winding of the conducting wire W is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, there occur variations in winding position between the conducting wire W portions wound in each slit 58 in the circumferential guide groove 56. This makes it very difficult to increase the accuracy of a winding distribution of the deflection coil.
On the other hand, the winding of the conducting wire W on the coil bobbin 51 can be performed only by operation of the nozzle 52 without use of the above-described hook 53; however, in this case, the coil bobbin 51 itself must have the function of guiding the conducting wire W.
As a result, the force applied to each rib 57 formed on the coil bobbin 51 becomes larger.
In particular, upon feeding the conducting wire W to each slit 58, as shown in FIG. 4, the conducting wire W withdrawn on the inner peripheral side of the coil bobbin by the nozzle 52 is brought into contact with the tip of the corresponding rib 57, to apply a large moment load on the contact portion (tip of the rib 57).
As a result, during the winding operation, there may occur the inconvenience that the rib 57 will be broken.
To cope with such an inconvenience, if the wall thickness of each rib 57 is made larger to increase the mechanical strength of the rib 57, the width of the slit 58 becomes narrower, to limit the winding position of the conducting wire W in the slit 58, thereby making it impossible to adjust finely the winding distribution.
Further, in the winding method making use of only the nozzle 52, the winding of the conducting wire W in the circumferential guide groove 56 of the coil bobbin 51 is performed in such a manner that a conducting wire W portion is stacked on the conducting wire W portion previously wound.
Accordingly, after the conducting wire W portions are stacked to some extent in the diameter direction of the coil bobbin 51, there may occur a phenomenon, called xe2x80x9cdisintegration of windingxe2x80x9d, in which when the next conducting wire W portion is wound, the stack of the conducting wire W portions previously wound is disintegrated.
As a result, like the winding method using the hook 53, after the winding of the conducting wire W is completed, there occur variations in winding position between the conducting wire W portions wound in each slit.
An object of the present invention is to provide a coil winding machine capable of increasing the accuracy of the winding distribution of a deflection coil and a method of producing a deflection coil by using the coil winding machine.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coil winding machine including: bobbin holding means for holding a coil bobbin having at each end portion a circumferential guide groove; a nozzle for feeding out a conducting wire for a deflection coil, the nozzle being movable along the inner peripheral surface of the coil bobbin in the center axis direction of the coil bobbin held by the bobbin holding means; and a winding guide having a tip portion movable in and out of the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin, the tip portion having a stepped portion capable of being engaged/disengaged with/from the conducting wire due to the relative positional relationship between the stepped portion and the nozzle in the center axial direction of the coil bobbin and a guide portion for restricting the feeding position of the conducting wire released from the stepped portion.
In the winding machine having the above configuration, a conducting wire fed out of the nozzle is engaged with the stepped portion of the winding guide and simultaneously the conducting wire is wound in the circumferential guide groove of a coil bobbin. The tip portion of the winding guide is then advanced in the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin, and the tip portion of the winding guide faces to a position at which the conducting wire is to be finally placed.
By moving, in such a state, the nozzle from one end to the other end of the coil bobbin in the center axis thereof, the relative positional relationship between the winding guide and the nozzle in the center axis direction of the coil bobbin is inverted, and thereby a drawing force is applied obliquely downward to the conducting wire engaged with the stepped portion of the winding guide.
The conducting wire is thus automatically released from the stepped portion of the winding guide, and, accordingly, upon advance of the tip portion of the winding guide in the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin, it is not required to ensure an operational space for releasing the conducting wire.
The conducting wire thus released from the stepped portion of the winding guide can be fed to the position at which the conducting wire is to be finally placed by guiding the conducting wire by the guide portion provided on the tip portion of the winding guide.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a deflection coil by using a coil winding machine, the coil winding machine including bobbin holding means for holding a coil bobbin having at each end portion a circumferential guide groove, a nozzle for feeding out a conducting wire for a deflection coil, the nozzle being movable along the inner peripheral surface of the coil bobbin in the center axis direction of the coil bobbin held by the bobbin holding means, and a winding guide having a tip portion movable in and out of the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin, the tip portion having a stepped portion capable of being engaged/disengaged with/from the conducting wire due to the relative positional relationship between the stepped portion and the nozzle in the center axial direction of the coil bobbin and a guide portion for restricting the feeding position of the conducting wire released from the stepped portion, and the method including the steps of engaging the conducting wire fed out of the nozzle with the stepped portion of the winding guide and simultaneously winding the conducting wire in the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin, and releasing the conducting wire from the stepped portion of the winding guide by moving the tip portion of the winding guide in the circumferential guide groove of the coil bobbin and moving the nozzle from one end to the other end of the coil bobbin in the center axis direction of the coil bobbin.
With this configuration, it is possible to feed the conducting wire released from the stepped portion of the winding guide up to the position at which the conducting wire is to be finally placed by guiding the conducting wire by the guide portion provided on the tip portion of the winding guide.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of disintegration of the winding of the conducting wire and hence to produce a deflection coil with a high accuracy.

Coil winding machine and method of producing deflection coil


In a 4T SRAM cell, voltage states of nodes during transition to active is boosted to provide stability and allow lower power consumption standby states.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit structures and fabrication methods, particularly to storage cells.
Loadless SRAMs have been an important recent development in memory technology. Like conventional 4T or 6T SRAMs, loadless SRAMs include a xe2x80x9clatchxe2x80x9d (a cross-coupled pair of driver transistors) whose state corresponds to the stored data; but conventional SRAMs must have a load of some sort to maintain the state of the latch. (In a conventional 4T SRAM cell the load is provided by a special high-impedance element, which complicates fabrication; in a conventional 6T SRAM cell the load is provided by another pair of cross-coupled transistors, of opposite type to the driver transistors.) Loadless SRAMs do not have any such load: instead, the data state is maintained merely by leakage current through the pass transistors.
To maintain the data state, the leakage current into the high node must be greater than the leakage current through the driver transistor which connects the high node to ground. Actually, to maintain the data state, the leakage into and out of the high storage node must balance at a high enough storage node voltage to maintain the high node voltage higher than the low node voltage with the cross-coupling, with allowance for variation in transistor characteristics and the possibility of noise coupling.
4T Memory with Boost of Stored Voltage Between Standby and Active
Advantages of the disclosed methods and structures, in various embodiments, can include one or more of the following:
lower standby power consumption.

4T memory with boost of stored voltage between standby and active


For effectively achieving remote a display at long distance by using paging system, there is provided a personal computer, coding information to be transmitted into message code, dividing it into sub-message code which can be transmitted by one time of transmission operation of the paging system, and automatically transmits them in sequence. The message code sent through the paging system is received with a page adapter and input to a display device. The display device interprets the message code and generates display data to perform the display and control thereof.

The present invention relates to a data display system for a so called a pager signal, in particular to a data display system based on a paging signal, in which display data or information to be broadcast is transmitted through a pager to be displayed on data display means or to be output as audio signal.

Data display system based on a paging signal


A turntable for supporting an end blank having a tubular flange integral therewith is rotatable about an axis of the tubular flange. An annular threading roll die rotatable with the turntable receives therein the flange of the end blank with a full outer circumferential surface of the tubular flange being held against the annular threading roll die. The annular threading roll die has a first inner threading surface for threading the tubular flange. A threading roll is inserted into the tubular flange of the end flange supported on the turntable in spaced relationship to an inner circumferential surface of the tubular flange. The threading roll is rotatable and movable toward the inner circumferential surface of the tubular flange, and has a second inner threading surface which is complementary to the first threading surface. In operation, the threading roll die is rotated through the turntable and the threading roll is also rotated in synchronism with each other in the same direction, and the threading roll is moved toward the threading roll die to press the threading roll against the inner circumferential surface of the tubular flange while the threading roll die and the threading roll are being rotated. While the first and second threading surfaces are being rotated, they are pressed against the tubular flange to thread the tubular flange.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll threading apparatus for threading a tubular flange around an aperture defined in an end blank for use on a metal drum container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, it has been customary in the metal drum container industries to thread a tubular flange, which is separate from an end blank for use on a metal drum container, to form internal threads for engaging a plug, and then attaching the threaded flange to the end blank. Roll threading has been used to thread such tubular flanges.
Recently, it has been proposed to produce end blank with integral tubular flanges. However, threading tubular flanges that are integral with end blanks by way of roll threading cannot be performed by conventional roll threading apparatus because the end blank, which is relatively heavy, has to be rotated together with the tubular flange. Accordingly, it is necessary to thread tubular flanges integral with end blanks by way of tapping. When a tubular flange is tapped, however, the mechanical strength of the flange is lowered, and chips need to be removed.

Roll threading apparatus for threading end blank for metal drum container


A straddle-type rough-road running vehicle includes a vehicle body frame supporting front and rear wheels, an engine unit mounted to the vehicle body frame and including an engine body and a power transmission case, a straddle type driver's seat, an intake control unit for controlling an air/fuel ratio, and an air-cleaner case for supplying a clean air to the intake control unit. The intake control unit and the air-cleaner case are connected to each other, and the air-cleaner case is disposed above the power transmission case. An engine mounting portion is formed in a frame shape opened such that the engine unit is surrounded from a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction. The engine body, the power transmission case, the intake control unit, and the air-cleaner case are disposed in an arrangement offset from the engine mounting portion in a side view.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a straddle-type rough-road running vehicle, more particularly, in which an assembling performance of a vehicle body is improved.
2. Related Art
A straddle-type rough-road running vehicle or an automatic motorcycle is mounted with an engine unit which is formed by integrally combining a belt-type stepless transmission (change gear) with an engine body. In order to prevent an adverse influence of heat, generated by an operation of the transmission, on a V-shaped belt or seal members of the transmission, the engine unit is provided with a belt-cooling device.
The belt-cooling device has a function of introducing a fresh air as a cooling wind through an intake port and a duct from an external portion into a portion, for example, i.e., a belt case in which the transmission is accommodated. Parts and members in the belt case are cooled by the cooling wind. Thereafter, the cooling wind is transferred through, for example, another duct and then discharged from an outlet port to the atmosphere.
Further, since it is not preferable for the flowing air introduced into the belt case to contain any moisture (water) content, a liquid/gas separating member having a box-shape is provided to an air intake duct at the most upstream side thereof.
Such conventional straddle-type rough-road running vehicles are disclosed in, for example, the following three patent documents: Japanese Patent No. 2843570; Japanese Patent Laid-open (KOKAI) Publication No. 2000-313385; and Japanese Patent Laid-open (KOKAI) Publication No. 2005-315214.
However, the intake port and the outlet port provided to the belt case are usually arranged to a central portion of the vehicle body frame in a longitudinal direction or an outside portion in the width direction of the vehicle body frame, so that it has been obliged to layout an intake duct and an outlet duct so as to be connected to the intake port and the outlet port in a very complicated manner, thus involving inconvenient working or labor and deteriorating an assembling performance of the vehicle body.

Straddle-type rough-road running vehicle


Directory assistance calls are routed to an operator tandem switch that distributes incoming directory assistance calls among available operator positions. For each call, the operator interacts with the caller to identify a directory listing sought by the caller and enters the listing information into the operator's terminal to retrieve the requisite information from a data base. An interface is provided between the directory assistance system and an intercept system to handle listings for which a directory number is no longer operative. A flag set in the data base file for the old directory listing would indicate that the number was on intercept. The system can thus provide current information contained in the directory assistance data base or updated information as to the status of subscriber's of non-working directory numbers, obtained from the intercept system data base.

Conventionally, the public switched telephone network (PSTN) system will place a telephone number on an `Intercept` status if the number has changed or if the line has been disconnected. Calls placed to numbers on intercept, which therefore cannot be completed as dialed, are routed instead to an intercept system. Such system may provide a message to the caller with an appropriate announcement, determination of which may be made by accessing an intercept data base. For example, if the database indicates a change of the telephone number, the announcement can inform the caller of the new or `referral` number. If instead the called line has been disconnected without change of number, the message can notify the caller of the inactive status.
Known intercept systems are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,337 to Cofer and U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,666 to Cobb et al. The Cofer system delivers intercept messages that originate from the caller's originating switching office rather than at the destination office or an intermediate switching location. A message intercept condition can occur at the destination office or other location remote from the originating office. Such condition is signaled to the originating office and used to actuate a suitable announcement message apparatus. The originating office is equipped to forward an acknowledgement signal to the terminating office so that the trunk circuit can be released. The Cobb et al. system interfaces an electromechanical (EM) switching office having step-by-step or crossbar switching equipment with a remotely located digital changed number intercept system such as that disclosed by Cofer.
Directory assistance is a commonly provided service of the PSTN for a caller who does not know the directory number of the intended called party and does not have the appropriate "white pages" directory readily available. In response to a call placed to directory assistance, identifying the intended called party and address, a directory assistance data base equivalent to the white pages directory is accessed to obtain the directory number of the intended called party. If a change has occurred in the subscriber's status, such as termination of service or change in directory number or address, potential problems arise in providing accurate information. The data base may not have been updated with new material. Even if updated, the caller may not be aware of a new address that would be necessary to access the data base.
There is no standard interface between directory assistance and the conventional automatic intercept system. If the intercept number is contained in the directory assistance data base before updating has occurred, the caller upon obtaining the number, must place a new call to the intercept number to be provided with the appropriate intercept message. An additional call to the changed number, if such circumstances exist, may then be necessary to complete a call to the intended party. A more likely occurrence is that directory assistance has no information in its data base as to dropped telephone numbers and considerable time must be spent by a live operator to determine, often without success, the subscriber status of the intended called party and whether a new directory number is active for that party. A similar drawback exists in situations in which the directory assistance data base contains a new listing for a subscriber who has moved to a new address. If the caller is not aware of the change of address, input to directory assistance of the old address will present difficulty in finding the intended called party's directory number. If the subscriber name is a common name associated with several listings at different addresses, or the subscriber name is a business having several directory listings, obtaining accurate information is further complicated.
Examples of directory assistance systems are described in the following patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,206 to Padden et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,855 to Daudelin disclose an automated directory assistance system using speech recognition and speech synthesis technology. The caller is given the option to complete a call to the station identified by a retrieved directory listing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,237 to Dowden et al. discloses a system for automatically processing operator assistance type calls, without actually connecting the calls to a live operator. The system includes an automated position group, having speech recognition facilities and announcement capabilities, to replace the functions of a human operator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,519 to Daudelin discloses an automated operator assistance calling system. An operator assistance switch initially connects the calling customer to a voice processing unit and prompts the customer to speak a command or key a command code identifying the desired class of call, for example a person-to-person call. The command/code is recognized and used to direct the flow of the control program to selectively defer a connection to an operator position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,719 to Daudelin discloses an automated announcement system for processing directory assistance and/or intercept calls. The disclosed system permits connection to an operator after completion of the announcement, for example in response to speech from the caller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,352 to Armstrong et al. discloses a directory assistance system in which a call may be completed, upon request, by the system to the station identified by the retrieved listing. This feature is particularly useful if the caller is using a wireless communication device.
None of these prior art systems enables a call dialed to directory assistance to be automatically referred to an intercept handling system. Thus, at present, a caller who refers to personal records or an old telephone book to identify an out-of-date directory number will be connected to the intercept system by dialing the old number; if that person instead calls directory assistance, either the correct information will be reached through great effort by the directory assistance operator or no information will be obtainable. In either case, an unacceptably long delay in the directory assistance call would occur. Such delays are annoying to callers and extremely costly to the telephone company.

Directory assistance access to intercept telephone numbers


The invention relates to a method for making and administering a blinded oral dosage form and the blinded oral dosage form therefor, used for disguising the identity of tableted medications. The method includes making a blinded oral dosage form by placing a tableted medication within a capsule have a diameter greater than its height. The blinded oral dosage form is the combination of the above-described capsule and the tableted medication.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for making and administering a blinded oral dosage form and the blinded oral dosage form therefor, used for disguising the identity of tableted medications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, various methods and devices have been used to compare one medication with another to determine the relative safety and/or efficacy of the medication. It is a common practice to disguise the medications in order to prevent any prejudice from investigators administering the drugs and subjects ingesting the drugs. Disguising medications from investigators administering or subjects ingesting the medication is commonly referred to as "blinding".
Tableted medications are normally "blinded" by placing the medication in elongated cylindrical, i.e., tubular, opaque gelatin capsules along with inactive packing materials. In this way, none of the tableted medications can be identified by the investigators administering the medication or subjects ingesting the medication. However, conventional "blinding" procedures using elongated cylindrical gelatin capsules have specific limitations when using certain tablets since the diameter of the tablet is often very large in relation to the diameter of the capsule.
Elongated cylindrical, or tubular, gelatin capsules may be purchased in standard sizes having a body portion and a cap portion. The capsules typically have an elongated cylindrical shape with rounded ends that facilitate the swallowing of the capsule. Standard elongated cylindrical capsules may be purchased in various sizes. However, the diameter of the capsule is typically small in relation to the length or height of the capsule.
For example, ELANCO Qualicaps.TM., which are typical of the industry, are available in the following sizes: 000, 00, 0EL, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The dimensions of these capsules are provided in the following table.
__________________________________________________________________________ DIMENSIONS OF ELANCO QUALICAPS .TM. CAP BODY CAP BODY FILL.sup.1 DIAMETER DIAMETER LENGTH LENGTH LENGTH SIZE (MM) (MM) (MM) (MM) (MM) __________________________________________________________________________ 000 9.88 9.5 13.1 22.0 26.1 00 8.51 8.15 11.7 20.2 23.5 0EL 7.63 7.33 12.0 20.7 24.0 0 7.63 7.33 10.9 18.5 21.8 1 6.90 6.62 9.7 16.5 19.5 2 6.35 6.07 8.9 15.1 17.8 3 5.82 5.56 7.9 13.3 15.8 4 5.32 5.06 7.2 12.3 14.5 5 4.9 4.67 6.0 9.1 11.7 __________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 FILL LENGTH is the recommended filled joined length of ELANCO POSILOK .TM. capsules which is controlled by the location of the locking features on the cap and body.
As listed, such capsules have a length to diameter ratio of well over two but less than three.
In contrast, tableted medications commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry are manufactured in various shapes and sizes. One common shape used for tableted medications is the disk-shaped tablet. The diameter of these tablets is usually large in relation to the length or height of the tablet. Consequently, when investigating or comparing medications, one of which is in a tablet form, the investigator must obtain a capsule large enough to facilitate the diameter of the largest tablet used in the study. That is, the cylindrical or tubular capsule into which the tableted medication must be placed for purposes of blinding, must have a larger diameter than the diameter of the tablet. Alternatively, the tableted medication must be broken into small pieces or particles to place the medication into the capsule.
A standard elongated capsule having a diameter larger than the diameter of the tableted medication has a length at least two times longer than the diameter of the tableted medication. For example, a tableted medication having a diameter of 9 millimeters would have to be encapsulated in an 000 ELANCO Qualicap.TM.. The fill length of the ELANCO Qualicap.TM. is 26.1 millimeters. Consequently, the standard elongated cylindrical capsules are much longer than necessary.
One concern that arises with respect to the ingestion of medication is that the elongated cylindrical capsules large enough to encapsulate various tableted medications are so large that they are not as easily swallowed as the tableted medication itself. This is especially important when administering such medication to infants, children and the elderly who often have difficulty swallowing medication.
Another concern that arises with respect to the ingestion of medication is that elongated cylindrical capsules can accidently be swallowed sideways which causes the capsule to enter the esophagus lengthwise. This produces difficulty in swallowing and significant discomfort to the subject ingesting the capsule. This is especially important when cylindrical-shaped capsules are presented to animals as it is sometimes necessary to push the capsule down the throat of the animal.
Another concern that arises with respect to the ingestion of medication is that there are no readily available cylindrical capsules that may be used to encapsulate tableted medications having a large diameter. For example, a tableted medication having a diameter of 10 millimeters or more could not be encapsulated in even the largest ELANCO Qualicap.TM. which has a diameter of 9.5 millimeters. Tableted medications having a diameter of 10 millimeters or more are common. Such medications are illustrated in the Physician's Desk Reference, 43rd Edition, Medical Economics Company, Inc., Oradell, N.J. (1989) and in The Family Physician's Compendium of Drug Therapy, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York (1988) both of which contain actual size, full-color reproductions of various medications available from various manufacturers.
Of course, tableted medications could be broken into smaller pieces or used in smaller sizes; however, breaking tableted medications or using them in smaller sizes affects the actual kinetics of medication. In particular, when tablets are broken up into smaller sizes there is more surface area for dissolution and absorption of the medication. Furthermore, many tableted medications have various coatings which will become ineffective if destroyed. Consequently, the integrity of the investigation or comparison is compromised when breaking up the tableted medications.
Thus, in the majority of research studies, a "double-dummy" approach is used when encapsulation is not practical. The "double-dummy" approach could best be exemplified in a study in which two or more tablets of varying size (for instance, one large and one small) are compared for safety or efficacy. When the larger of two tablets is of too great a diameter to be placed inside the standard elongated capsule, it becomes necessary to produce placebos for both the large and small tablets. The "double-dummy" procedure requires the subject to ingest two tablets (one active and one placebo). Therefore, when taking a large tablet as active medication, the subject must also take a smaller tablet as a placebo and vice versa. This method allows the investigator and the subject taking the medicine to be blinded as to whether the larger tablet is an active medication or, alternatively, a placebo.
Many variations of the "double-dummy" procedure exist. However, all variations require the expense of developing placebos identical to test medications or obtaining the placebo from the manufacturer of the active product. Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of two or more tablets in a "double-dummy" procedure requires the subject to ingest several pills at each dosing period. The ingestion of two or more pills inherently results in a significant placebo effect which may increase (or, alternatively, decrease) the perceived efficacy (or side effect) profile of the study medication. In addition, ingesting multiple pills may affect the actual kinetics of the study medication.
While various unconventionally shaped capsules are known in the art, the capsules are either not used to blind tableted medications and/or are not convenient for blinding tableted medications. Such various unconventionally shaped capsules are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 462,990; 710,060; 730,643; 1,087,843; 1,148,621; 2,196,283; and 4,774,092.
U.S. Pat. No. 462,990 discloses a capsule consisting of a soluble shell or casing formed integrally with a soluble partition to provide separated chambers for different kinds of medicine. This patent does not disclose a method for blinding tableted medications. In fact, the capsules are not suitable for blinding tableted medications since they are not constructed in a manner that permits tableted medication of various sizes and shapes to be placed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 710,060 discloses a capsule in which one piece is provided with a double wall construction and the other piece a single wall construction. The patent mentions nothing with respect to placing a tableted medication within the capsule.
U.S. Pat. No. 730,643 discloses a tableted medication contained within a gelatin casing. The tableted medication is enclosed within the casing along with a liquid ingredient for introducing the solid and liquid simultaneously. The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 730,643 is not acceptable for blinding procedures since the casing containing the liquid and solid ingredients is formed with various presses and dies resulting in an integrally formed-one piece sphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,074 discloses a tableted medication within a liquid impervious frangible sac. The tableted medication is enclosed within the frangible sac along with a liquid ingredient to assist in the swallowing of the tableted medication. The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,074 is not acceptable for blinding procedures since the frangible sac containing the liquid and solid ingredients is an integrally-formed one piece unit.
The devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 730,643 and 3,536,074 are unacceptable for blinding studies since the manufacture of such devices requires manufacturing equipment for placing the tablet and liquid within the capsule and for sealing the capsule.
The above-described methods and devices are intended to provide a means for "blinding" medications from investigators and subjects taking the medications. However, as described above, there are many disadvantages associated with these methods. Such disadvantages include the fact that elongated cylindrical or tubular shaped capsules readily available to those in the art are not convenient for disguising many tableted medications due to their inability to contain many of the larger tableted medications and the unsatisfactory nature of the alternative methods which are commonly utilized.
Thus, there remains a long felt need in the art for an improved method and device for "blinding" tableted medications containing an active substance. Such method would facilitate the investigation of various medications to determine their physiological or pharmacological effect as well as to compare the safety and/or efficacy of the medications with other medications.

Methods for making and administering a blinded oral dosage form and blinded oral dosage form therefor


An exemplary gas turbine engine includes a fan section including a fan rotor and at least one fan blade. A fan pressure ratio across the at least one fan blade is less than 1.45, noninclusive of the pressure across any fan exit guide vane system. The engine further includes a low-pressure compressor having a low-pressure compressor rotor that rotates together with the fan rotor at a common speed in operation, and a geared architecture that drives the low-pressure compressor rotor and the fan rotor. The geared architecture has a gear reduction ratio of greater than 2.5. The engine further includes a high-pressure compressor having a pressure ratio greater than 20, a low-pressure turbine having a pressure ratio greater than 5, and a bypass ratio greater than 10.

This disclosure relates to a geared turbomachine having a compressor rotor and a fan rotor that rotate together.
Turbomachines, such as gas turbine engines, typically include a fan section, a turbine section, a compressor section, and a combustor section. Turbomachines may employ a geared architecture connecting the fan section and the turbine section. The compressor section typically includes at least a high-pressure compressor and a low-pressure compressor. The compressors include rotors that rotate separately from a rotor of fan. To maximize performance of such turbomachines, various recent engine architectures have been proposed in which the fan rotates in a first direction and at a first speed as compared to a low-pressure compressor which rotates in the opposite direction and at a higher speed. These recent engine architectures can also be improved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Geared turbomachine fan and compressor rotation


In an electronic device printed circuit boards in a housing are kept parallel to each other by guiding means. One or a plurality of these printed circuit boards is connected with a housing part each on their corresponding edge by means of electronic plug-in connections. To secure the electronic plug-in connections, spring means are provided which exert pressure on opposite edges of the printed circuit boards in the direction of the plug-in connection.

Guiding means known to the Applicant which are provided between the printed circuit boards and which enable parallel arrangements cannot prevent the plug-in connections from loosening in case of vibrations. The applicant also knows separate safeguarding elements by means of which the electronic plug-in connections are secured. However, such safeguarding elements will require space between the printed circuit boards which is not available in a compact parallel arrangement.


An electrical rocker wall switch guard that is sized to fit over an electrical rocker wall switch where the electrical rocker wall switch guard has a main body sized to fit over a rocker arm of an electrical rocker wall switch; at least one aperture; and a circumferential skirt that extends downwardly from the main body and extends completely around the main body, the circumferential skirt having integrally formed portions at a first end and a second end of the electrical rocker wall switch guard that provide an attachment structure that permits removable attachment of the electrical rocker wall switch guard to an electrical rocker wall switch using screw receiving fittings that are provided in the electrical rocker wall switch for a decorative or protective wall plate.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a switch guard for restricting the operation of a rocker type electric wall switch.
2) Description of Related Art
The problem of the inadvertent operation of an electric wall switch and the resulting problems caused by connecting or disconnecting domestic electrical circuits is well known.
In the prior art, the typical method of preventing the inadvertent operation of an electric wall switch has been to apply a strip of adhesive tape that would prevent the operation of the electric switch and would also serve as a reminder that the particular switch was to remain in a preset condition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,660, a guard is disclosed for use with a circuit breaker switch that would only allow the circuit to be turned on with a finger and would not allow the circuit to be turned off except with the aid of a specially designed tool. U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,120 discloses a switch guard that that is positioned on top of a conventional toggle type electric wall switch so that the toggle switch may not be operated. U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,759 discloses a flat protective cover for a rocker switch that is attached to the rocker switch using hook and loop fasteners that are widely available as Velcro® fasteners. The protective cover has two holes positioned over one arm of the rocker switch and two holes over the other arm of the rocker switch. An implement or tool is used to operate the rocker arm switch once the cover is fastened in place with the hook and loop fasteners.

Switch guard for restricting the operation of a rocker type electric wall switch


An image pickup apparatus having a construction which enhances the degree of freedom in layout and enables size reduction. The image pickup apparatus includes a lens barrel, and an upper barrier group and a lower barrier group that open and close a front face of the lens barrel. The upper and lower barriers are rotated about respective upper and lower barrier rotary shafts disposed on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens barrel. A first spur gear and a second spur gear connected thereto are provided on a side of the lens barrel. A member transmits the rotation of the first spur gear driven by a motor to the lower barrier group, and another member transmits the rotation of the second spur gear to the upper barrier group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and a lens device, which are provided with a barrier for protecting the front face of a lens barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been proposed various types of barriers each for opening/closing the front face of a camera, so as to protect a photographic lens of the camera.
In image pickup apparatuses provided with barriers of the above-mentioned kind, most of the barriers have conventionally been configured to vertically or laterally open/close flat plates disposed in front of a lens barrel, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-98486.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-258133 discloses a technique in which a barrier, which is divided into an upper part and a lower part, is opened and closed along a dome-shaped path about a point on the axis of the lens barrel.
FIGS. 28A and 28B are perspective views of a conventional barrier mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-258133. FIG. 28A shows a state in which a barrier is closed, and FIG. 28B shows a state in which the barrier is open. This barrier is formed into a spherical shell shape having a center at a point on the optical axis of a lens (i.e. the point on the axis of the lens barrel). Further, as mentioned hereinbefore, the barrier is divided into an upper half barrier 62a and a lower half barrier, and these barriers can be rotated about respective rotary shafts (one of which is denoted by 68m) which are supported on bearings provided in laterally symmetrical relation on the opposite sides of the lens barrel and have the same rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis and extending through the point on the optical axis.
Further, on the front face of the lens barrel, there is provided an opening/closing ring 21 for opening and closing the barrier, in a manner rotatable about the optical axis of the lens. When the opening/closing ring 21 is rotated, the upper half barrier 62a and the lower half barrier operate in respective opposite directions with respect to the optical axis, whereby the barrier is opened and closed.
However, in the above-described conventional barrier, the upper half barrier and the lower half barrier are configured to rotate about the same rotational axis, there arises the following problem: In a case where for further size reduction, the upper half barrier and the lower half barrier are each further divided in two, i.e. the barrier is comprised of four barrier blades, a rotary shaft provided at each of the left and right sides of the lens barrel requires a thickness corresponding to the four barrier blades. Therefore, the thickness of the barrier forms an obstacle to size reduction.
Furthermore, the barrier constructed as above needs a large rotary ring for driving the upper half barrier and the lower half barrier on the front side of the lens barrel, which lowers the degree of freedom in layout, and also becomes an obstacle to size reduction.


The invention relates to a method and stretch-bending straightener for straightening metal strips (1) by stretch-bending, comprising a plurality of straightening rolls (5a, 6a, 7a, 8a) which are arranged behind one another in the strip flow direction (D) and spaced from one another in the strip flow direction (D), wherein the strip (1) subject to tensile stress below the limit of elasticity is alternately bent around the straightening rolls (5a, 6a, 7a, 8a), undergoing plastic elongation, wherein a deflecting roll (5b, 6b, 7b) is arranged upstream of one or more straightening rolls (5a, 6a, 7a), respectively, wherein said straightening rolls can be adjusted relative to the strip (1) and wherein said deflecting roll has a larger diameter than the respective downstream straightening roll. Said method and said system are characterized in that, in order to vary the immersion depth, the straightening rolls (5a, 6a, 7a) can be adjusted relative to the associated deflecting roll (5b, 6b, 7a) such that the free strip length (F) between the nm-off point (9) of the strip (1) from the deflecting roll to the run-on point (10) of the strip (1) onto the associated straightening roll does not exceed a predefined maximum value, above which longitudinal undulations of the strip form. The system is preferably designed such that, as the immersion depth and/or the angle of contact are varied, the free strip length never exceeds the maximum value over the entire adjusting range.

With stretch-bend leveling in a stretch-bend leveler of this type or a stretch-bend leveling stand of this type, the strip as a rule is under tension below the elastic limit or yield point and the strip is bent around the straightening rollers in the plastic or elastic-plastic range bidirectionally. The straightening rollers acting in a plastic or elastic-plastic manner are also referred to as stretch rollers. The amount by which the strip (overall) is plastically stretched and is consequently elongated is referred to as the stretch ratio.
With a stretch-bend leveler of this type nonplanar metal strips can be straightened and consequently nonplanarity can be eliminated. Nonplanarity means, for example, strip waviness and/or strip camber resulting from length differences of the strip fibers in the strip plane. However, nonplanarity also means strip curvature in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction resulting from bending moments in the strip, for example, if the strip was elastically/plastically bent around deflection rolls, or is caused by elastic-plastic deformations when winding up the strip. Longitudinal curvatures are also referred to as coil set, transverse curvatures as cross bow. In the course of stretch-bend leveling, the nonplanar strip is bent (bidirectionally) around rollers with a sufficiently small diameter under a tension that is below the elastic limit RE or the technical elastic limit Rp0.01 of the strip material, so that with the superimposition of the tensile stress with the bending, an elastic/plastic deformation of the strip is generated. The strip is plastically elongated, the amount of the plastic elongation being referred to as the stretch ratio. In the case of the plastic elongation, the originally short strip fibers are elongated to a relatively greater extent. In the ideal case after straightening all of the strip fibers have the same length so that in principle an ideally straightened strip free from waviness or strip cambers should be produced. This is not always achieved fully in practice, so that slight residual nonplanarity (for example, center waves or edge waves) can remain in the strip. Moreover, due to the bidirectional bending, residual bending moments are induced in the strip that can lead to undesirable plastic residual curvatures after straightening in the longitudinal direction (coil set) or transverse direction (cross bow). Through suitable coordination of the bending intensities on the individual rolls, the residual bending moments can be basically minimized. To this end it has already been proposed in different ways to adjust the geometry of the stretch-bend leveling stand to achieve the best possible straightening results.
Moreover, it is basically known from practice to provide deflection rolls upstream, between and/or downstream of the straightening rollers, which deflection rolls have a much larger diameter than the straightening rollers and generally have only an elastic effect.
Thus a device for leveling a metal strip is known, for example, from EP 0 298 852 (or DE 38 85 019) [U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,013], in which several stretch-bend leveling rollers are provided between a set of input tension rollers and a set of output tension rollers. Deflection rollers can be provided at different locations of the apparatus, which deflection rollers are primarily used to guide the strip during its travel through the apparatus along a certain path.
In a similar manner the professional article "Benefits of a new leveler technology for packaging steels: Multi-roller tension leveler" (Emmanuel Dechassey, Irsid, Arcelor Group, METEC Congress June 2003) describes a stretch-bending-leveler with four straightening rollers. There the overlap of the first straightening unit (first and second straightening roller) and the overlap of the second straightening unit (third and fourth roller) are movable. In turn several deflection rollers with larger diameter are integrated into the apparatus.
The stretch-bend levelers known from practice, in which deflection rollers with elastic action are also provided optionally, have proven to be basically useful, but can be developed further.

BWG Bergwerk—und Walzwerk—Maschinenbau GmbH


Desulfation methods for an exhaust treatment system having a fuel reformer configured upstream of a LNT. Reductant is injected upstream of the fuel reformer. The reductant reacts within the reformer to generate heat, but the system is configured for some reductant to breakthrough and react in the LNT to generate further heat. This configuration allows the LNT to operate at temperatures higher the than first device and facilitates independent control of the LNT and first device temperatures. An outer loop controls the LNT temperature by issuing instructions to an inner loop that controls the reformer. Typically, the inner loop will pulse the reductant injection rate in order to limit the reformer temperature. The outer loop can pulses the loop on a longer time scale, resulting in two pulse periods. Through timing, a reformate peak from one period is made to overlap a temperature peak from a previous period.

NOx emissions from diesel engines are an environmental problem. Several countries, including the United States, have long had regulations pending that will limit NOx emissions from trucks and other diesel-powered vehicles. Manufacturers and researchers have put considerable effort toward meeting those regulations.
In gasoline powered vehicles that use stoichiometric fuel-air mixtures, three-way catalysts have been shown to control NOx emissions. In diesel-powered vehicles, which use compression ignition, the exhaust is generally too oxygen-rich for three-way catalysts to be effective.
Several solutions have been proposed for controlling NOx emissions from diesel-powered vehicles. One set of approaches focuses on the engine. Techniques such as exhaust gas recirculation and partially homogenizing fuel-air mixtures are helpful, but these techniques alone will not eliminate NOx emissions. Another set of approaches remove NOx from the vehicle exhaust. These include the use of lean-burn NOx catalysts, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and lean NOx traps (LNTs).
Lean-burn NOx catalysts promote the reduction of NOx under oxygen-rich conditions. Reduction of NOx in an oxidizing atmosphere is difficult. It has proven challenging to find a lean-burn NOx catalyst that has the required activity, durability, and operating temperature range. Lean-burn NOx catalysts also tend to be hydrothermally unstable. A noticeable loss of activity occurs after relatively little use. Lean-burn NOx catalysts typically employ a zeolite wash coat, which is thought to provide a reducing microenvironment. The introduction of a reductant, such as diesel fuel, into the exhaust is generally required and introduces a fuel economy penalty of 3% or more. Currently, peak NOx conversion efficiencies for lean-burn catalysts are unacceptably low.
SCR generally refers to selective catalytic reduction of NOx by ammonia. The reaction takes place even in an oxidizing environment. The NOx can be temporarily stored in an absorbent or ammonia can be fed continuously into the exhaust. SCR can achieve high levels of NOx reduction, but there is a disadvantage in the lack of infrastructure for distributing ammonia or a suitable precursor. Another concern relates to the possible release of ammonia into the environment.
LNTs are devices with NOx absorbents and catalysts that reduce NOx during regeneration. The absorbent is typically an alkaline earth oxide absorbent, such as BaCO3 and the catalyst is typically a precious metal, such as Pt or Ru. In lean exhaust, the catalyst speeds oxidizing reactions that lead to NOx adsorption. Accumulated NOx is removed and the LNT is regenerated by creating a reducing environment within the LNT. In a reducing environment, the catalyst activates reactions by which adsorbed NOx is reduced and desorbed.
A LNT can produce ammonia during denitration. Accordingly, it has been proposed to combine a LNT and an ammonia SCR catalyst into one system. Ammonia produced by the LNT during regeneration is captured by the SCR catalyst for subsequent use in reducing NOx, thereby improving conversion efficiency over a stand-alone LNT with no increase in fuel penalty or precious metal usage. U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,507 describes such a system. U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2004/0076565describes such systems wherein both components are contained within a single shell or disbursed over one substrate. WO 2004/090296 describes such a system wherein there is an inline reformer upstream of the LNT and the SCR catalyst.
Creating a reducing environment for LNT regeneration involves eliminating most of the oxygen from the exhaust and providing a reducing agent. Except where the engine can be run stoichiometric or rich, a portion of the reductant reacts within the exhaust to consume oxygen. The amount of oxygen to be removed by reaction with reductant can be reduced in various ways. If the engine is equipped with an intake air throttle, the throttle can be used. The transmission gear ratio can be changed to shift the engine to an operating point that produces equal power but contains less oxygen. However, at least in the case of a diesel engine, it is generally necessary to eliminate some of the oxygen in the exhaust by combustion or reforming reactions with reductant that is injected into the exhaust.
Reductant can be injected into the exhaust by the engine or a separate fuel injection device. For example, the engine can inject extra fuel into the exhaust within one or more cylinders prior to expelling the exhaust. Alternatively, or in addition, reductant can be injected into the exhaust downstream of the engine.
The reactions between reductant and oxygen can take place in the LNT, although it is generally preferred for the reactions to occur in a catalyst upstream of the LNT, whereby the heat of reaction does not cause large temperature increase within the LNT at every regeneration.
In addition to accumulating NOx, LNTs accumulate SOx. SOx is the combustion product of sulfur present in ordinarily fuel. Even with reduced sulfur fuels, the amount of SOx produced by combustion is significant. SOx adsorbs more strongly than NOx and necessitates a more stringent, though less frequent, regeneration. Desulfation requires elevated temperatures as well as a reducing atmosphere. The temperature of the exhaust can be elevated by engine measures, particularly in the case of a lean-burn gasoline engine, however, at least in the case of a diesel engine, it is often necessary to provide additional heat. Typically, this heat is provided through the same types of reactions as used to remove excess oxygen from the exhaust.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,473 describes a system wherein the reductant is reformate produced outside the exhaust stream and injected into the exhaust as needed. During desulfations, the reformate is injected upstream of an oxidation catalyst. Heat generated by combustion of the reformate over the oxidation catalyst is carried by the exhaust to the LNT and raises the LNT to desulfations temperatures.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0101713 describes an exhaust treatment system with a fuel reformer placed in the exhaust line upstream of a LNT. The reformer includes both oxidation and reforming catalysts. The reformer both removes excess oxygen and converts the diesel fuel reductant into more reactive reformate. For desulfations, heat produced by the reformer is used to raise the LNT to desulfations temperatures. The diesel fuel injection may be pulsed to control the reformer temperature.
In spite of advances, there continues to be a long felt need for an affordable and reliable exhaust treatment system that is durable, has a manageable operating cost (including fuel penalty), and is practical for reducing NOx emissions from diesel engines to a satisfactory extent in the sense of meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations effective in 2010 and other such regulations.

LNT desulfation strategy with reformer temperature management


The present invention provides an improved vascular access port comprising a port base with a metallic dish insert molded (or bonded) into the bottom of the reservoir. In one embodiment, a single reservoir is provided. In another embodiment, plural reservoirs are provided. The metallic bottom of the reservoir provides a hard surface that will resist abrasion and puncture by the access needles used to infuse medication or withdraw blood. Additionally, the single and dual ports can include exit ports that are intended to better anatomically fit into the subcutaneous areas around muscle tissue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a subcutaneously implantable vascular access port. More specifically, the present invention relates to an access port having a single needle-penetrable, self-sealing septum which affords repeated access to a plurality of distinct fluid cavities having staggered outlet ducts in communication with a plural lumen catheter.
2. Description of Related Art
Access portals, or ports, provide a convenient method to repeatedly deliver medicants to remote areas of the body without utilizing surgical procedures. The port is totally implantable within the body, and permits the infusion of medications, parenteral solutions, blood products, and other fluids. The port may also be used for blood sampling.
Known ports typically include a chamber accessible through a self-sealing septum. Septums of the prior art vary in shape, from a wafer-like cylindrical block of silicone to a pre-molded septum of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,885 to Weeks et al. The pre-molded septum of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,885 includes opposed convex surfaces and a peripheral ledge.
In common practice, a caregiver locates the septum of the port by palpitation. Port access is accomplished by percutaneously inserting a needle, typically a non-coring needle, perpendicularly through the septum of the port and into the chamber. The drug or fluid is then administered by bolus injection or continuous infusion. Ordinarily the fluid flows through the chamber, into a catheter and finally to the site where the fluid is desired. Except for the septum, traditional ports are constructed from all-metal or all-plastic. Each type of construction has unique advantages and disadvantages.
All-metal constructions have the advantages that they maintain a septum in a self-sealing fashion after repeated percutaneous injections. Additionally, all-metal constructions, such as titanium, or stainless steel provide a port which is both biocompatible and compatible with the injected fluid.
However, all-metal constructions present the disadvantages that they are relatively heavy, difficult to fabricate and relatively expensive. Additionally, all-metal ports produce large Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) artifacts. On the other hand, all-plastic ports have the advantages that they are inexpensive to construct, light in weight, and do not create an MRI artifact. However, ports constructed from plastic have the disadvantage that infused fluids may react with the plastic body of the port. All-plastic ports contain the disadvantage that they cannot maintain a sealing engagement with the septum after repeated percutaneous injections. Additionally, all-plastic ports are susceptible to nicks and scratches on the interior surface by the accessing needle. These nicks and scratches could lead to nidus, blood clots, or precipitation formations.
Efforts have been made to combine the advantages of all-metal ports with all-plastic ports. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,885 to Weeks et al., a metal reservoir having a chamber sealed by a pre-formed silicone septum is jacketed by a single piece of a silicone elastomer. However, all-metal ports jacketed by a single piece of elastomer have significant shortcomings. These shortcomings include quality control problems during manufacturing, and expensive molding processes.
Other efforts have focused on providing a multiple piece all-plastic housing in cooperation with an open metal cup to sealingly engage a septum. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,574 to Tucker. This design has shortcomings associated with it, including defects in the plastic housing which may cause an improperly sealed septum. Once the septum is improperly sealed the entire port must be discarded.
Therefore a need has arisen for an access port device which addresses the problems of prior port devices.
A variety of implantable devices, known as subcutaneous access ports, are utilized to deliver fluids to or to withdraw fluids from the bloodstream of a patient. Such access ports typically include a needle-impenetrable housing which encloses one or more fluid cavities and defines for each such fluid cavity an access aperture communicating through the housing on the side thereof which is adjacent to the skin of the patient when the access port is implanted in the body. A needle-penetrable septum is received in and seals each access aperture. Exit passageways located in an outlet stem communicate with each of the fluid cavities for dispensing medication therefrom to a predetermined location in the body of the patient through an implanted catheter attached to the access port.
Once the access port and the catheter have been implanted beneath the skin of a patient, quantities of medication or blood may be dispensed from one such fluid cavity by means of a non-coring needle passed through the skin of the patient and penetrating the septum into one of the respective fluid cavities. This medication is directed through the distal end of the catheter to an entry point into the venous system of the body of the patient.
Blood may also be withdrawn for sampling from the body of a patient through such an access port. This is accomplished by piercing the skin of the patient and one of the respective septums with a non-coring needle and applying negative pressure thereto. This causes blood to be drawn through the catheter into the fluid cavity corresponding to the pierced septum and then out of the body of the patient through the needle.
To prevent clotting thereafter, the withdrawal route is flushed with a saline solution or heparin using again a non-coring needle piercing the skin of the patient and the septum in the same manner as if a medication were being infused.
Both intermittent and continual injections of medication may be dispensed by the access port. Continual access involves the use of a non-coring needle attached to an ambulatory-type pump or a gravity feed IV bag suspended above the patient. The ambulatory-type pump or the IV bag continually feeds the medication or fluid through the needle to the fluid cavity in the access port and from there through the catheter to the entry point into the venous system.
To facilitate locating each respective septum once the access port has been implanted, some access ports incorporate a raised circular ring located about the outer perimeter of the septum. This raised ring enhances the tactile sensation afforded by the subcutaneous septum to the palpating fingertip of a medical practitioner. Alternatively, other access ports have utilized palpation ridges rather than a raised circular ring for substantially the same purpose. The palpation ridges allow the location of the septum to be accurately determined when the access port is subcutaneously implanted.
To preclude reaction with the tissues in the body of the patient, access ports are constructed of nonreactive materials, such as titanium or stainless steel. Although these materials are nonreactive, access ports constructed utilizing titanium or stainless steel materials produce an interfering or blurred image of the body of the patient in the vicinity of the implanted access port when diagnostic imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI"), CAT scans, or computerized tomography are used. The blurred region caused by the presence of a metallic access port in the body of a patient extends beyond the access port itself. Therefore, the use of metallic access ports limits the diagnostic imaging techniques that may be used relative to those areas of the body in which an access port is implanted. In place of metallic materials some access ports have been fabricated at least in part from biocompatible plastics.
A further problem relating to the materials for and manufacture of access ports is the deleterious impact of some manufacturing procedures on the fluids which flow through the fluid cavities and related structures located between the fluid cavities and the catheter. During the manufacture of an access port, whether the port is comprised of metallic or plastic materials, it becomes necessary to form the fluid cavities and exit passageways through which the fluid will be directed into the attached catheter. This manufacturing process often leaves sharp edges, seams and corners in the areas where the fluid cavity is to direct the flow of the fluid through an exit passageway. As blood or other fluids are injected through the septum into the fluid cavity, pressure developed within the fluid cavity tends to cause fluid to flow through the exit passageway. As the fluid in the fluid cavity flows past the sharp edges and corners produced in the manufacture of the access port, turbulence arises, taking the form of a vortex, adjacent to the sharp edges and corners. Some fluids, such as blood, are sensitive to this turbulence, and lysing of the red blood cell component of the injected blood can occur in these turbulent areas.
In addition, the production of the circular fluid cavities often results in the creation of areas within the housing in which fluid flow is retarded. These areas are referred to as dead spaces and usually occur in areas of transition, such as where the bottom of the septum interfaces with the walls of the fluid cavity and where the floor of the fluid cavity meets the exit passageway through which the fluid must flow. As the flow of fluids through dead spaces is retarded, stagnation occurs, resulting in some fluid being trapped within these dead spaces. If the access port is used to withdraw or transfuse blood, blood trapped in these dead spaces may form clots and block the flow of fluid through the fluid cavity.
Moreover, in some prior vascular access ports the internal reservoirs are formed by two plastic parts with are bonded together. This results in an undesirable seam being formed where the adjacent parts abut one another. The inside of the reservoir should be as smooth as possible to help prevent damage to blood cells or the initiation of blood clotting during infusion or withdrawal of blood through the port.
A further problem encountered in the design and construction of access port relates to the positioning of the septums within the housing of the access port. The positioning of the septums within the housing is a compromise between two conflicting objectives. These are the need to separate the septums to such a distance so that the septums may be easily differentiated for the purpose of injection and the need to restrict the overall dimensions of the access port for patient comfort and aesthetics. The distancing of the septums to facilitate their differentiation, however, results in a corresponding distancing of the fluid cavities. This result is at odds with another structural requirement for access ports with plural cavities, namely that the exit passageways from each fluid cavity be closely spaced at the point where the implanted catheter is to be coupled to the access port.
To guide the flow of a fluid from each of the spatially separated fluid cavities into the side-by-side configuration of fluid outflow necessitated by the dimensions of a plural lumen catheter, intermediate structural members have been required. Naturally, this complicates the process of manufacture and increases its cost, as well as the changes of structural failure.
There are several examples of such intermediate members used to resolve the manufacturing constraints imposed upon the construction of a passageway flowing from spatially separate fluid cavities into a side-by-side configuration acceptable by a catheter. One is to produce passageways in the form of bent metal tubes which are then insert molded or welded into the larger body of the access port. The use of such a metal component will interfere with the production of an access port which is free of limits as to the diagnostic imaging techniques that may be used relative to those areas of the body in which an access port is implanted. In addition, the integral nature of such metal outlet passageways raises the possibility of leakage of medication through the interstices between the metal tubes and the body of the access port.
Alternatively, to produce fluid flow from spatially separated fluid cavities into the closely spaced lumens of a catheter, each fluid cavity has been designated with its own spatially separated outlet stem. These outlet stems are then coupled by a hub structure for permanent attachment to the closely spaced lumens of a catheter. This type of arrangement increases the size of the overall access port and its cost of manufacture by adding thereto the necessity of fabricating and assembling of the hub element. Port connections to catheters in this manner are permanent. Accordingly, if the catheter is to be shortened by trimming, that trimming must occur at the distal end of the catheter, and this precludes the use of any type of specially designed tip or valve.
An additional set of problems encountered in the use of access ports relates to the actual connection of the catheter to the access port. This is most commonly effected by securing the catheter to an outlet stem protruding from the housing of the access port. In an attempt to lock the catheter to the outlet stem of the access port, thread-type systems have been developed wherein the catheter is attached to an outlet stem, and the outlet stem is then threaded into the access port. When utilizing this system, however, it is difficult to determine the amount of engagement of the catheter onto the outlet stem. Some catheter connection systems do not allow visual verification of attachment. As a result, leakage and failure can occur.
To overcome this problem, access ports are produced in which the catheter is pre-attached at the factory. While this practice alleviates many of the problems with leakage and failure due to catheter slippage, this system severely limits the type of the catheter usable with the access port. This precludes the use of catheters having specialized distal tips, as the distal end of the catheter is the only end that can then be trimmed to effect its ultimate sizing. For example, catheters utilizing a Groshong.RTM. slit valve at their distal end may not have any of the distal tip of the catheter removed without compromising the catheter.
Thus, there has been a need for an improved vascular access port which overcomes the above-noted problems, and which can be manufactured economically. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

Implantable vascular access device with ceramic needle guard insert


A tether control system for an inspection vehicle operable in a housing having a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. The tether system includes a tether connected between the inspection vehicle and an electronic controller. A controllable buoyancy system associated with the tether is operable for moving the tether in a desired location. The controllable buoyancy system includes one or more floating bodies having a propulsion system and one or more buoyant elements having variable buoyancy capabilities.

An apparatus with a liquid-filled housing such as a power transformer or the like needs periodic inspection and maintenance. Liquid-filled housings are configured to hold electrically powered components and are often extremely heavy and difficult to transport and/or replace. In-situ inspection and maintenance can be a desirable alternative to replacement of such an apparatus. It is possible to drain the liquid from the housing prior to inspecting and repairing internal components, however this is a time consuming and expensive process. An inspection vehicle operable in a liquid medium with a tether connection may be used, however the tether may become tangled or interfere with internal components under some conditions. Some existing systems have various shortcomings relative to certain applications. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology.


According to one embodiment, a medical image diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry configured to generate initial restored signal data by applying a first restoration function to input signal data corresponding to medical signal data concerning an object, generate first element-wise product signal data by calculating an element-wise product of the initial restored signal data and reliability data representing a degree of degradation included in the input signal data, and generate restored signal data by applying a second restoration function to at least one of the input signal data and the initial restored signal data and the first element-wise product signal data.

There is available a technique using a DNN (Deep Neural Network) trained from a large amount of training data to restore an original signal from data lacking in part of a signal. Assume that a portion of a given image is lost, and the lost portion is unknown. There is available a technique of restoring the original image by compensating for the lost portion. In addition, there is available a technique of generating k-space data by restoring a lost portion of under-sampled k-space data by applying DNN to the data and then obtaining a restored image based on the k-space data after restoration.

Medical image diagnostic apparatus, medical signal restoration method, and model training method


An electronic display includes emission clock routing without the use of repeaters. This may be accomplished by providing row drivers for each emission clock signal on opposing edges of the display panel, so that each set of row drivers may provide the emission clock signal to only a portion of the micro-drivers in each row. The array of micro-drivers may be further segmented (e.g., into four or more sections, an alternating pattern, uneven sections, etc.) to provide similar advantages. Furthermore, rather than using multiplexors to provide the emission clock signals to the row drivers, the emission clock may be hardwired to the row drivers. This may reduce the number of pins and support the provision of more phases.

The present disclosure relates generally to techniques for driving a display and, more particularly, to techniques for distributing clock signals over a display panel.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
The emission control for certain types of electronic displays may utilize pulse-width modulation to cause the pixels or sub-pixels to emit various gray levels and luminance values. More specifically, the emission control uses an emission clock, which is a high-speed, non-linear clock, to generate the different gray levels and luminance values using pulse-width modulation. Power consumption, signal integrity, back plane routing, and pin counts are the main concerns when using this type of clock distribution scheme. These concerns are further complicated because multi-phase clocks tend to reduce the creation of artifacts on the display, but more phases lead to more complexity and more lines needed to carry the different phases. Conventionally, an emission clock is distributed vertically in the row drivers with phase rotators between each row and with multiplexors that drive the different clock phases to the various sub-pixels. The emission clock is further distributed horizontally in the micro-drivers in each row with repeaters at each micro-driver to retime the clock and send it to the next micro-driver. This approach tends to benefit signal integrity at the cost of power consumption, pin count, and backplane complexity. Furthermore, having too many repeaters may cause error accumulation, which can manifest itself as duty cycle distortion and latency.

Clock distribution techniques for micro-driver LED display panels


A light source system, an ultraviolet curing device and a curing method applicable to a display panel are provided. The light source system includes a light source assembly; a housing enclosing the light source assembly and having a first face, a second face and a third face, the first face having a first window, the second face having a second window, the third face being parallel to the display panel and located between the light source assembly and the display panel, and the third face having a third window; a first filter covering the first window, a second filter covering the second window and a third filter covering the third window; and a first reflecting element and a second reflecting element disposed outside the housing.

In the cell-assembling process for a liquid crystal display panel, after aligning and bonding a color filter substrate and an array substrate with sealant, the sealant needs to be cured.
A curing process is typically as follows. The panel is placed on a platform of an ultraviolet curing device and is irradiated by a light-emitting-diode (LED) light supplement lamp to supply sufficient light for capturing alignment marks on the panel. Then an image sensor (Charge-Coupled Device, CCD) is used to capture alignment marks on the panel to align the panel with A mask disposed over the panel such that the mask just blocks the display area of the panel and expose margin frame area of the panel, so as to avoid adverse impacts on liquid crystal molecules and interior circuits due to direct radiation of display area by the ultraviolet light. After completing the alignment, the ultraviolet source over the panel is used to expose the margin frame area of the panel to cure the sealant rapidly under the action of the ultraviolet light.

Light source system, ultraviolet curing device and curing method applicable to display panel

HEFEI BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A guided projectile having a nose portion, a body portion, a tail portion, and a central axis. In various embodiments the projectile includes a control support portion and a collar assembly pivotally mounted to the control support portion. In various embodiments the collar assembly includes a collar having an exterior sidewall with a plurality of fixed aerodynamic surfaces thereon for spinning the collar and a plurality of variable sweep wings for directional control of the projectile. In various embodiments the plurality of variable sweep wings each have a first end coupled to a wing actuator configured to rotate a second end portion between and including a first position, where the wings are oriented generally parallel to the central axis of the projectile to a second position, where the lengthwise wing axis of the plurality of wings are oriented generally perpendicular to the central axis of the projectile.

Delivery errors are known to significantly degrade the effectiveness of barrel fired projectiles, such as shells, bullets, or other projectiles. As such, extensive efforts have been directed toward guiding or steering such projectiles after they have been fired to compensate for delivery errors, thereby improving operational efficiencies and the likelihood of target engagement. In certain applications, such steering may be necessary for providing any reasonable probability of engaging a target, particularly for moving targets or targets that can take evasive action. Such projectile steering also minimizes collateral damage, conserves ammunition, reduces costs, and minimizes personnel time in engaging targets.
Artillery and other projectiles, have been successfully guided utilizing systems such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,672, owned by the owner of the instant application. Artillery shells utilizing the designs of this patent have been well received by the military. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,930. These patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
These artillery projectiles are generally fired from a conventional rifled barrel which imparts a spin generally around 800 KHz. A forward nose portion is rotatable with respect to a body of the artillery projectile. Aero-surfaces on the nose portion provide a rotational force counter to the spin direction of the body to despin the nose portion. Additional aero-surfaces configured as radially outwardly extending canards on the despun nose portion may then be positioned at a particular rotational position to impart a lateral force to the nose portion of the projectile thereby altering its flight trajectory.
These nose portions are effective for modest course corrections to the flight of the artillery projectile and provide power generation for the control circuitry. Although the rotating nose portion with the aero-surfaces provide increased drag to the projectile, such drag does not significantly inhibit the performance of the artillery round for the modest course corrections due to the weight of the projectile and the normal arcuate projectile flight with targets being located on the ground.
Guided missiles have long been utilized for targeting aircraft and may be self-guided or remotely guided. See, for example: U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,080, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes: Such missiles are typically not spun, have internal propulsion systems, and rely upon fins and radially extending flaps or propulsion directing members for altering flight path. Guided missiles have their own propulsion systems and need to be launched or fired from launch tubes or brackets designed specific to the missile. Due to the propulsion systems, missiles are substantially more expensive than non-propelled projectiles.
With respect to medium and large caliber projectiles, greater than 50 caliber, several solutions have been proposed utilizing movable aerodynamic surfaces for steering. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,507, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes, discloses a greater than 50 caliber projectile that may be fired from a conventional barreled gun. This projectile utilizes a spoiler that extends and retracts from a rearwardly positioned despun portion out into the air stream. The despun portion is despun by a motor and batteries are disclosed as providing power to the bullet. The structure depicted and described does not have features configured for the operative portions, particularly the flight control mechanisms, to survive high G firings needed for extended effective range of non-propelled projectiles and to minimize drag.
Several solutions to guiding small caliber projectiles, that is 50 caliber or less, have been proposed. These include firing the projectile without spinning the projectile and utilizing axially extending control fins for altering the flight. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,781,709, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. A notable disadvantage to such projectiles is that they cannot be fired from existing rifled barrels for conventional non steerable projectiles and require internal batteries for operating the control circuitry and control fins which may affect the useful life of the projectile and provides a failure path. U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,178, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes, also discloses a small caliber bullet that is designed to be fired from a non-rifled barrel. Deployable flaps are utilized controlling the flight path in the '178 device and the device requires a battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,716,639 discloses small to medium caliber projectiles fired through a rifled barrel that use beveled surfaces or canards on a despun nose portion operated by a motor and battery for flight control. U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,371 discloses a projectile fired through a barreled projectile that distributes air from the air stream through the projectile with valves to discharge the air laterally to change the flight path. These references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Additionally, it is generally understood in the art that minimal drag is conducive to maximum range for non-propelled projectiles. Impeding the air stream passing a projectile for purposes of despinning portions of projectiles or for flight control surfaces adds drag and reduce the effective range of such projectiles. Thus, aspects of the prior art generally find it desirable to minimize the drag of such aerodynamic surfaces.
For all types and sizes of such steered projectiles, elements necessarily include control/operation circuitry, on-board power supplies, and flight control mechanisms. As described, in most cases such flight control mechanisms will constitute movable aero dynamic control surfaces, such as fins, wing-like projections, or canards that engage the air stream.
Further improvements are always welcome for steerable projectiles that enhance accuracy, allow miniaturization, increase range, provide cost savings, or improve reliability of guided ammunition.

Despun wing control system for guided projectile maneuvers


A method for dynamically displaying a change of a parameter measured at an interval comprises: dynamically monitoring at least one type of hemodynamic parameters of a patient by means of a sensor on a monitor; obtaining a first monitoring value of the type of hemodynamic parameters monitored at a first monitoring time; displaying a first form corresponding to the first monitoring value in a simulated graph corresponding to each type of the hemodynamic parameters on a graphic display interface; obtaining a second monitoring value of the type of hemodynamic parameters monitored at a second monitoring time, and determining a second form of the corresponding simulated graph; and adjusting the simulated graph corresponding to each type of hemodynamic parameter from the first form to the second form on the graphic display interface. Also provided are a corresponding system and a dynamic monitor.

Patients may need to have hemodynamic parameters monitored in an intensive care unit (ICU) or in cases of longer-term monitoring. However, in existing hemodynamic monitors, only changes of a hemodynamic parameter of a patient in a short period of time can be observed. For changes of the hemodynamic parameter in a longer period of time, e.g., before and after a surgery, the changes cannot be visually checked by the existing dynamic monitors, and medical care personnel need to spend time comparing data to obtain the changes of the hemodynamic parameter of the patient and then determine a course of action for the patient's treatment and recovery.

Method, system, and monitor for dynamically displaying a change of a parameter measured at an interval

SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A printing device is provided that includes a housing having a media path therethrough. The printing device includes at least one sensor for detecting when a media jam occurs in the media path. At least one indicator is operatively associated with a processor to provide a series of indications that can be used to locate the media jam. The indicators can comprise lights, audible indicators or graphical indicators.

Media jams occur occasionally in printing devices. Such printing devices can include printers, multifunction printers, copiers and the like, whether digital or analog. Typically, the media used in printing devices is print paper. Media jams are often fairly easy to detect in small, personal printing devices, but they are much more difficult to detect in larger printing devices, such as workgroup printers.
Some models of larger printers include sensors that can detect that a media jam has occurred in the media path. Often the printer control panel, or a computer associated with the printer can indicate that a paper jam has occurred. In some instances, the printer will provide a single indication of the general area of the media jam.
Often times, instructions for precisely locating the media jam may be located on the printer, such as on the inside front door of the printer. Here, diagrams may be located showing the user where printer jams typically occur. These instructions are often unclear and difficult to follow. Still further, the user may have to consult a users guide or on-line manual to obtain the diagrams showing the user where the media jams typically occur.
There may be multiple locations where jams may occur, and multiple mechanisms may exist to clear the jams from the various places. But, even following the instructions may not lead to the location of the media jam. This is because the instructions typically only lead to the general area of the media jam. Further if the media jam is located and the media is removed, in some instances small amounts of the media may become separated and remain lodged in the media path of the printer. These small amounts of media are typically difficult to locate.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a printer that includes a sensor to locate the media jam and to provide indications to the user to more precisely indicate the location of the media jam.

Printing device and method for locating a media jam

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.