An automatic adaptation of a control of a technical system, in particular of a power plant, is provided. Control circuits are created for controlling the technical system, wherein at least one control circuit and a second control circuit are coupled using a decoupling member. The decoupling member has at least one adaptable parameter. The at least one adaptable parameter of the decoupling member is automatically adapted in an online operation of the technical system to an actual, dynamic process behavior of the technical system, i.e., automatic online adaptation.

Automation systems are normally used for an automation, in particular an automated control and/or regulation, of industrial processes in technical plants, such as, for example steam power plants.
Automation systems of this type for technical plants, which are available in the form of software implemented in control systems, contain—in the form of single-loop or multi-loop control circuits—control systems by means of which the industrial processes can be mapped in these technical plants—usually at subsystem level—and by means of which the technical plant is run in a regulated/controlled manner by means of actuating elements/units controlled by the control systems.
Such a, for example single-loop, control circuit is made up of an analog measurement of a process variable (control variable) to be regulated and an input of the measured process variable into the automation system via an analog/digital (A/D) conversion. Furthermore, the control circuit usually provides a filter with which a noise of the measured process variable is eliminated. The control circuit specifies a desired value (target value) for the process variable and forms a deviation of the control variable from the desired value (control difference). From the control difference, a control algorithm (controller) determines how an actuating element/unit is to behave so that the control variable approximates the target value (actuating signal). The actuating signal is output via a digital/analog (D/A) conversion to the actuating element/unit of the technical system.
Moreover, when control circuits of this type are set up, control circuit parameters, such as transmission elements, time constants and/or amplification factors must be selected or set by the user.
For the automation of a subsystem of a technical plant, for example a steam power plant block in a steam power plant, it is necessary to set up a multiplicity of control circuits of this type for this subsystem that is to be automated.
The control circuits of the subsystem, for example a steam power plant block, are not independent from one another, but rather are strongly interlinked—due to industrial process circumstances (process engineering).
For example, the control of a pressure in a furnace of the steam power plant block via an induced draft is strongly influenced by the control of a fresh air feed via the forced-draft fan in the steam power plant block. Also, an increased fuel mass flow in the steam power plant block not only results in an increased steam production, but also influences the steam temperature in the steam power plant block which is to be kept constant by means of injections. The control of the feed water mass flow by means of the feed pump and the control of the feed water pressure by means of the feed water control valve are also dependent on one another.
In order to be able to achieve a high control quality and a high system stability, process-engineering-related (cross-) couplings of this type must again be decoupled or separated in the control engineering in the subsystem considered.
This is done via control engineering through the use of so-called decoupling networks with decoupling branches in the control structures or between the control circuits. These decoupling branches contain so-called decoupling elements, for example DT1 derivative lag elements and/or PTn delay elements.
Depending on the type of process engineering coupling actually present, decoupling must be carried out with a delay element or derivative lag element.
Via a derivative lag/delay branch with a derivative lag/delay element, a control difference of a specific process variable then no longer acts only on the actuating element allocated to it, but also on the actuating element of the coupled control circuit.
Due to the coordinated action with a plurality of actuating elements, it can be ensured that only the one process variable, instantaneously affected by a control difference, is influenced, and the other (process-engineering-coupled) process variables can remain at their desired value or deviate as little as possible and from the latter.
A design, i.e. a parameterization, of the decoupling branches is dependent on an actual dynamic process behavior of the systems considered, and must be carried out during a commissioning of the power plant control.
Plant tests are carried out during the parameterization. The evaluation of the test results then provides an insight into the parameters that are to be modified and to what extent. The parameters are then manually adjusted until the control achieves an optimum decoupling. The parameterization is laborious (time-consuming) and correspondingly expensive.
In the test performance period, the technical plant, for example the steam power plant, cannot be operated economically, for example at low cost according to a current power requirement of an electricity grid to be supplied with electric power by the steam power plant.
The dynamic response of the process is normally dependent on the current operating condition of the plant, so that the parameterization must be carried out in or for a plurality of operating points.
In addition, the dynamic behavior of the technical plant, and also the power plant process, will change due to the use of different fuel types, through wear, contamination and the like over time.
The decoupling branches, which have been set once to a specific plant behavior, then become no longer optimal with time. The control behavior will therefore deteriorate with time, and the stability of the plant will decrease.
On the basis thereof, the need therefore exists for a plant control which is simple to set up for coupled multivariable systems.
A so-called multivariable control for coupled multivariable system is known in the prior art.
In multivariable control, a complete system, such as a technical plant or only a subsystem of the technical plant, is considered with a plurality of control variables and a plurality of actuating elements. Here, every actuating element can—theoretically—act on every control variable, whereby a—theoretical—multi-dimensional process engineering coupling of processes can be taken into account in the subsystem.
A coupled multivariable system can thus be simulated in/by a multivariable control of this type.
If a multivariable controller is designed for a coupled multivariable system, decoupling structures are therefore also automatically generated.
However, a multivariable controller or multivariable control of this type has one or more of the following disadvantages which make it unsuitable for the control of technical plants, such as power plants.
The multivariable controller is based on a mathematical algorithm which cannot be represented in a function plan of a power plant control system. It is therefore not transparent and therefore not maintainable for a plant operator, i.e. is not modifiable and not extendable.
The result of the lacking transparency of the multivariable controller is furthermore that a commissioning engineer does not have the facility to set up additional structures with which special operating conditions can be taken into account.
However, non-linear boundary conditions of this type, such as, for example, limit curves of a pump, occur in every technical plant.
The multivariable controller can be designed once for a specific process structure and process dynamic response in the technical plant. However, it is not capable of adapting automatically to constantly changing boundary conditions.
The multivariable controller itself has parameters which are definable only with difficulty, in some cases only using a special tool. A targeted and desired reduction in the commissioning outlay cannot therefore be achieved.
The implementation of a multivariable controller additionally entails a high computing outlay and storage space requirement, and cannot therefore be used in an automation system, in particular in a power plant control system.
Since these disadvantages of multivariable controllers make their use unsuitable in the automation of technical plants or in power plant control systems, the use of single-loop control circuits with decoupling branches and the performance of plant tests for the parameterization of the decoupling elements is current practice.
Manual parameterization is currently restricted to the use of low-order decoupling elements, as there would otherwise be too many parameters to be set in the plant tests, which would ultimately be unmanageable in practice.
However, a lower control quality must in some cases be accepted as a result, since a higher-order decoupling element which is possibly more suitable in terms of control engineering could not be set manually.
It is furthermore known to implement automation systems, in particular plant engineering controls and/or regulations—mostly in the form of software—in a control system of a plant.
A control system, in particular a process control system, of a plant therefore normally designates means and methods which serve to control, regulate and secure such a process engineering plant.

Automation system and method for automated adaptation of a power plant control


Currently pre-printed signs are used for many functions and are not always appropriate or attractive. The present invention provides an electronic display with multiple pre-programmed messages. A particularly useful application is for preprogrammed messages to be displayed by a hotel guest on the corridor side of the hotel room door.

Currently vinyl or plastic display signs with pre-printed messages are in wide use for various everyday applications, such as where a merchant or service provider wishes to convey information to a customer. For example, stores use "Closed—Back At . . . " or "Open" signs, or pre-printed signs displaying store hours. Hotel rooms are provided with "Do Not Disturb" or "Maid Service" signs and an office conference room may have a sign "Meeting in Session". Such display signs are often unprofessional looking, or a party may require a customized message which is not available on a pre-printed sign.
Previous electronic display signs with changeable messages are known for various applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,993 Cohen, issued May 9, 2000, discloses a mobile display on a vehicle which has a changeable electronic message using LED or liquid crystal display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,666 Fahs, issued Jul. 21, 1992, discloses a display on a vehicle which has both a changeable electronic message panel using LED display, and a fixed illuminated display. There is a need however for an electronic display sign with changeable messages for universal application on which the message can be easily changed.

Electronic display with multiple pre-programmed messages


A particle separator for a gas turbine engine includes a housing defining an annular first flow passage, an annular first opening, and an annular second flow passage positioned in fluid communication with the first flow passage through the first opening. The particle separator also includes a plurality of first vanes coupled to the housing in the first flow passage and a plurality of blades positioned in the first flow passage for rotation about an axis of the particle separator in response to a stream of air flowing past the blades downstream of the first vanes to allow the blades to deflect particles entrained in the stream of air from the first flow passage into the second flow passage through the first opening.

The present invention relates to a particle separator, and particularly to a particle separator for. a gas turbine engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a particle separator configured to separate particles from a stream of air entering an air intake of the engine.
Particle separators are provided to separate undesirable particles from a stream of air entering or flowing through a gas turbine engine. Such particles can adversely affect the internal working components of the engine. Some engines are intended to operate in particulate-laden environments, such as in dusty and sandy locations. In these types of environments, a particle separator capable of separating fine particles (e.g., particles having a diameter of 2.5 microns) from the stream of air entering the engine could help protect the engine.
According to the present disclosure, a particle separator for the air intake of a gas turbine engine includes a housing that defines an axis and is adapted to be coupled to the engine. The housing further defines an annular first flow passage, an annular first opening, and an annular second flow passage positioned in fluid communication with the first flow passage through the first opening. The first and second flow passages and the first opening are positioned concentrically about the axis.
The particle separator further includes a plurality of nozzle vanes coupled to the housing and spaced circumferentially about the axis in the first flow passage. The nozzle vanes are configured and positioned to impart a velocity to a stream of air flowing through the first flow passage and a different velocity to particles entrained in the stream of air as the stream of air flows past the nozzle vanes. The particle separator also includes a rotor including a plurality of blades positioned in the first flow passage and a blade support. The blades are coupled to the blade support for rotation of the blades about the axis in response to the stream of air flowing past the blades downstream of the first vanes. This allows the blades to deflect particles entrained in the stream of air into the second flow passage through the first opening so that the stream of air can enter the engine from the first flow passage free of the particles removed therefrom.
In illustrative embodiments, the particle separator includes an inlet and an outlet positioned radially inwardly from the inlet. The nozzle vanes, the blades, and the first opening are positioned generally radially inwardly from the inlet and generally radially outwardly from the outlet. In addition, the nozzle vanes and at least a portion of the first opening are positioned generally radially outwardly from the blades. This is so that the stream of air flows radially inwardly while the particles migrate radially outwardly through the first opening into the second flow passage in response to the particles impacting the rotating blades to achieve particle separation.
In other illustrative embodiments, the particle separator includes a row of de-swirl vanes coupled to the housing and positioned downstream of the nozzle vanes and the blades. The de-swirl vanes are configured to remove the swirling motion of the airstream induced by the nozzle vanes to limit the pressure drop across the particle separator.
In yet other illustrative embodiments, the particle separator includes an inertial particle separator section positioned upstream of the row of nozzle vanes, the rotor, and the row of de-swirl vanes. The nozzle vanes, the rotor, and the row of deswirl vanes may be thought of as being components of a dynamic particle separator section of the particle separator. The inertial particle separator section is configured to separate coarse particles from the airstream while the dynamic particle separator section is configured to separate fine particles from the airstream. Removal of coarse particles upstream from the dynamic particle separator section can help lengthen the useful life of the blades by avoiding erosion of the blade tips, or leading edges, that could be caused by coarse particles impacting the blade tips.

Particle separator for a gas turbine engine


A stent graft (10) with a stent frame (12) having a plurality of stents (16) connected together with monofilament line (22). A covering (14) of collagen having an extracellular matrix (ECM), such as small intestine submucosa (SIS), is disposed through the inside and over the outside of the stent frame. The covering (14) is affixed to the stent frame (12) such as by being sutured onto the stent frame at the ends of the stent frame and also at the connections of the stent bodies, such as at eyelets (24).

Endoluminal exclusion of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) by transluminal implantation of stent grafts has in selected cases become an attractive alternative to open surgical aneurysmal repair. It has been done on an elective basis after detailed preoperative visualization and measurements are made of the aneurysmal and adjacent arterial anatomy. Recent developments and a greater variety of new stent graft systems has enabled endoluminal exclusion to be extended to patients with ruptured AAA and to perform it on emergency basis. The stent graft systems for both elective and emergency AAA exclusions have been constructed with conventional surgical synthetic materials DACRON® or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) supported by metallic expandable stents.
Conventionally, stent grafts that are emplaced within the vascular networks include one or more stents affixed to graft material. The stent grafts are secured at a treatment site by endovascular insertion utilizing introducers and catheters, whereafter they are enlarged radially and remain in place by self-attachment to the vessel wall. In particular, stent grafts are known for use in treating descending thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms where the stent graft at one end defines a single lumen for placement within the aorta and at the other end is bifurcated to define two lumens, for extending into the branch arteries.
One example of such a stent graft is disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO 98/53761 in which the stent graft includes a sleeve or tube of biocompatible graft material (such as DACRON® or polytetrafluoroethylene) defining a lumen, and further includes several stents secured therealong, with the stent graft spanning the aneurysm extending along the aorta proximally from the two iliac arteries; the reference also discloses the manner of deploying the stent graft in the patient utilizing an introducer assembly. The graft material-covered portion of the single-lumen proximal end of the stent graft bears against the wall of the aorta above the aneurysm to seal the aneurysm at a location that is spaced distally of (farther from the heart) the entrances to the renal arteries. Thin wire struts of a proximal stent extension traverse the renal artery entrances without occluding them, since no graft material is utilized along the proximal stent while securing the stent graft in position within the aorta when the stent self-expands. An extension is affixed to one of the legs of the stent graft to extend along a respective iliac artery and, optionally, extensions may be affixed to both legs. Another known stent graft is the ZENITH™ AAA stent graft sold by William A. Cook Pty. Ltd., Brisbane, Queensland, AU.


A magnetic write apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes a main pole, an auxiliary pole, a magnetic separation layer and coil(s). The auxiliary pole is adjacent to the main pole and has an auxiliary pole front surface recessed from the MFS by a first distance. The first distance is nonzero. The magnetic separation layer has a front surface facing the MFS and a back surface opposite to the front surface. The back surface is closer to the MFS than the first distance. The front surface is recessed from the MFS by a second distance that is nonzero. The coil(s) energize the main pole.

A magnetic recording apparatus, such as a disk drive, typically includes a write apparatus and a read apparatus. The write apparatus includes a main pole used to write to a media, a nonmagnetic gap layer, side shield(s), a leading shield, a trailing shield, auxiliary poles recessed from the air-bearing surface (ABS) and coils for energizing the pole. Although such a magnetic recording apparatus functions, there is a continued desire to push magnetic recording to higher areal densities. For higher areal densities, higher data rates are also desired. A high data rate requires a reduced field rise time while maintaining a sufficient field magnitude. Sufficiently small wide area track erasure (WATer) is also desired in order to prevent inadvertent writing to nearby tracks. Current magnetic recording apparatuses may be unable to meet these specifications.

Magnetic recording write apparatus having a pole and a magnetic separation layer


A phosphor with high efficiency having an excitation band corresponding to light of the ultraviolet-visible (300 to 550 nm) wavelength region emitted from a light emitting portion which emits blue or ultraviolet light is provided. A nitride of Ca, a nitride of Al, a nitride Si, and an oxide of Eu are prepared, and respective raw materials are weighed so that a mol ratio of respective elements becomes Ca:Al:Si:Eu=0.985:3:1:0.015, mixed under a nitrogen atmosphere, and thereafter fired at 1500° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere to thereby produce a phosphor having a composition formula Ca0.985SiAlN3:Eu0.015.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phosphor used in a display device such as an LED, CRT, PDP, FED, and EL, and a lighting unit such as a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) and fluorescent lamp, the phosphor being particularly suitable for an LED, a light source, and a lighting unit each of which has a light emitting portion of ultraviolet-blue light or the like and emits visible or white light.
2. Description of the Related Art
An LED, a light source and a lighting unit are known, which emit white light by a combination of a light emitting element which emits blue or ultraviolet light and a phosphor which has an excitation band in the ultraviolet-blue wavelength region generated from the light emitting element.
As the phosphor used in the LED and the like, Y2O2S:Eu, La2O2S:Eu, 3.5MgO.0.5MgF2.GeO2:Mn, and (La, Mn, Sm)2O2S.Ga2O3 are known as a red phosphor, ZnS:Cu,Al, SrAl2O4:Eu, and BAM:Eu,Mn are known as a green phosphor, YAG:Ce is known as a yellow phosphor, and BAM:Eu, Si5 (PO4)3Cl:Eu, ZnS:Ag, and (Sr, Ga, Ba, Mg)10(PO4)6Cl:Eu are known as a blue phosphor. Then, an LED, a light source and a lighting unit of white or monochromatic light can be obtained by combining these phosphors and a light emitting element.
As a phosphor for a white LED, there are suggested an oxynitride glass phosphor (refer to Patent Document 1) a phosphor having a sialon as a host material (refer to Patent Documents 2 and 3), and a phosphor including, nitrogen of a silicon nitride group or the like (refer to Patent Documents 4 and 5), and there is further suggested a lighting device using these phosphors.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-214162
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-336059
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-124527
[Patent Document 4] Translated National Publication of Patent Application No. 2003-515655
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-277746


A heating element that can be incorporated into a molded foam article closely adjacent to the outer cover sheet without showing any evidence that a heating element is encapsulated within the foam portion of the article and provides essentially the same relatively softness and xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d that would be obtained if the heating element was not part of the article.

This invention relates to vehicle seats and more particularly concerns an electric heating element for a vehicle seat in which the trim cover is integrally affixed to a foam cushion member.
It is well known to have a built-in heating element for providing heat to the body of the occupant of the driver seat and/or the passenger seat of a motor vehicle. The heat is provided by electric current supplied through a conductor having suitable resistivity that ensures the desired amount of heat from the conductor. The conductor, in the form of a resistance wire, is located on a layer of textile or a plastic material to provide a carrier in the form of a planar or flat sheet. The resistance wire is fixed in position on the carrier by stitching means or by an adhesive and, afterwards, positioned between various layers of material to form the heating element which then can be incorporated into a seat. In this regard, the heating element can be sandwiched between a top cover member of leather, fabric or plastic material and the foam rubber core portion or padding of the seat.
Seats provided for vehicles used for material handling, earthmoving, or lawn cutting are normally fabricated utilizing an in-mold forming process to reduce the cost of the seat. This type of process provides a seat having a core made of a plastic foam, such as polyurethane foam, that is bonded to an outer decorative cover sheet or skin during the molding process. In the practice of such process, a properly shaped mold cavity is lined with a thin plastic or fabric skin after which liquid polyurethane is poured onto the skin to form an integral seat cushion or seat back. Various attempts have been made to provide a relatively inexpensive seat of this type that would have a heating element incorporated between the skin of the article and the foam layer. In most cases, such attempts have resulted in the configuration of the heating element and/or the conductor being outlined in the cover sheet and, therefore, not acceptable from an aesthetic standpoint. Obviously, if the heating element. could be spaced from the skin a certain distance, maintained in such position, and completely encapsulated in the foam during the molding operation, the xe2x80x9creadingxe2x80x9d of or outline of the heating element would not be visible to the observer.
There has also been the problem in providing a comfortable xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d to the buttocks of a seat occupant when seated in a seat assembly having a heating element as a part of the seat structure. Inasmuch as the heating element needs to be positioned relatively close to the outer skin of a seat member and becomes an integral part of the foam structure, it stands to reason that the heating element should be designed and constructed so that it does not take away from the softness and comfort of the seat. In other words, not only should the heating element within the seat not be detectable from an appearance standpoint but, in addition, the heating element should not cause the seat to provide any substantially less comfort when occupied than would be attainable if the heating element was not a part of the seat.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved heating element that can be incorporated into a molded foam article closely adjacent to the outer cover sheet without showing any evidence that a heating element is encapsulated within the foam portion of the article and provides essentially the same relatively softness and xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d that would be obtained if the heating element was not part of the article.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved heating element which can be positioned relatively close to the outer skin of a seat member and permit the occupant of the seat member to have a comfortable and relatively soft seating area without detecting any hardness or the xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d of the heating element through his/her buttocks when sitting in the seat member.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved heating element for a seat member formed as a molded foam article that includes a porous carrier member having resistance wires attached to one side thereof and that serves as a spacer for preventing the heating element and/or the resistance wires from being outlined or in the outer skin of the seat member.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved heating element for a seat member formed as a molded foam article that is held to the skin of the seat member in a fixed position during the molding operation so as to insure that the heating element is completely embedded within the foam and is substantially uniformly spaced from the outer skin of the seat member.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method of incorporating a heating element within a molded foam seat member so that it is not evident that a heating element is encapsulated within the article and the heating element is maintained uniformly closely adjacent to the outer skin of the article so as to effectively transfer heat to the occupant of the seat member and provide a relatively soft xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d to the buttocks of the occupant.
The above and other objects of the present invention are realized in accordance with the present invention by providing a heating element for an in-place foam molded seat assembly having a seat cushion member and a seat back member each of which has the foam core thereof integrally formed with the outer cover sheet. More specifically and in the preferred form, the heating element comprises a generally rectangular carrier member having an open-cell reticulated plastic structure provided with a pair of spaced substantially parallel planar surfaces. An electric conductor in the form of a resistance wire is secured to one of the surfaces of the carrier member in a zig-zag pattern and in a plurality of spaced rows so as to cover substantially the entire area of the carrier member. In addition, in the preferred form, a double-faced adhesive tape incorporating a scrim as a reinforcement member is provided on the other of the pair of surfaces of the carrier member. The tape is adapted to connect the carrier member to the inner surface of the cover sheet so as to maintain the resistance wire spaced from and in a fixed position relative to the inner surface of the cover sheet during the molding of the seat member.


An improved latch-type sense amplifier circuit having two cross-coupled inverters forming a latch, a supply coupling device for selectively connecting the latch to a supply source, and a bit line coupling circuits for selectively connecting the inputs of each inverter to the complimentary bit line from the memory array. The circuit is configured to sense a voltage difference between the bit lines with improved reliability by providing a delayed sense amplifier enable signal to pass transistors for delaying disconnection of the bit lines from the sense amplifier until the latching action is completed, and adding two transistors in series with the existing transistors of the conventional latch for correcting the offset between the threshold voltages of the inverters of the latch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to latch-type sense amplifiers and, more particularly, provides an improved apparatus for a latch-type sense amplifier for sensing low voltage splits with very high reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sense amplifiers are used in memory devices for sensing the output voltage of selected memory cells. With advancements in technology, memory cells are continually shrinking in size. The reduction in memory cell size is accompanied by reduction in the sensed voltage from the memory cell. Conventional sense amplifiers are unable to provide reliable operation under these conditions.
Consider the conventional latch-type sense amplifier of FIG. 1. PMOS transistor 10, PMOS transistor 20, NMOS transistor 30, and NMOS transistor 40 together form the memory latch. Bit line BL is connected through PMOS transistor 50 to the latch while complementary bit line BLB is connected through PMOS transistor 60. A latch enable transistor 70 is connected to the control signal SAEN. The PMOS pass transistors 50 and 60 are cut-off as soon as the latch enable transistor is turned on. The problem with this arrangement is that the split required for latching correct data with sufficiently high reliability is dependent on two important criteria—the threshold voltage mismatch between the NMOS sense transistors 30 and 40 in the latch, and the capacitance imbalance that may exist between the internal nodes (SN1 & SN2) of the sense amplifier. Since the sources of NMOS transistors 30 and 40 are connected together, the transistors go into saturation when an enable signal is provided. The current through them is therefore proportional to their respective Vgs–Vth values. Since the source of the two transistors is charged to the same potential therefore, the minimum bit line split required for latching correct data is required to be greater than the threshold voltage mismatch between them. In other words, the minimum voltage differential between the inputs necessary for the correct latching of data is largely determined by the threshold voltage mismatch present between the NMOS transistors 30 and 40 forming the latch. Triggering the sense amplifier at a voltage differential equal to the minimum required voltage results in large access times, which limits the speed of the device. High-speed memory designs are not feasible with such an arrangement. This implies that a greater voltage split on the bit lines is required to offset such effects. As the discharge rate is slow in high-density memories, even a few extra milli-volts of split result in an increase in the overall access time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,713 describes a general-purpose sense amplifier suited for memory and level shifting applications. In this conventional circuit arrangement, the amount of voltage split necessary for the correct data to be latched is largely governed by the threshold voltage mismatch present in the NMOS transistors forming the latch. Triggering the sense amplifier at such a voltage split results in larger access times, which ultimately proves to be a bottleneck in high-speed memory designs. A further disadvantage is that this type of sense amplifier is not very reliable when the voltage difference between the bit lines is small.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,621 describes a threshold voltage mismatch compensated sense amplifier for SRAM arrays. The disadvantage of the circuit described by this invention is that it is complex, involving more number of transistors, which require more signals to operate. Coordination of the many signals used in this device is cumbersome.


The present invention provides admixtures and methods for PCR amplification of a target nucleic acid in which amplification efficiency is increased by including an antibody specific for a polymerization agent and at least one of an exonuclease and a glycosylase in the PCR reaction mix. Kits for amplification of a target nucleic acid are also provided.

The technology of PCR permits amplification and subsequent detection of minute quantities of a target nucleic acid. Details of PCR are well described in the art, including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195 to Mullis et al., 4,683,202 to Mullis and 4,965,188 to Mullis et al. Generally, oligonucleotide primers are annealed to the denatured strands of a target nucleic acid, and primer extension products are formed by the polymerization of deoxynucleoside triphosphates by a polymerase. A typical PCR method involves repetitive cycles of template nucleic acid denaturation, primer annealing and extension of the annealed primers by the action of a thermostable polymerase. The process results in exponential amplification of the target nucleic acid, and thus allows the detection of targets existing in very low concentrations in a sample.
PCR is widely used in a variety of applications, including biotechnological research, clinical diagnostics and forensics. However, the methodology is subject to practical limitations that result in less than optimal efficiency and specificity. In particular, before the first cycle of a PCR experiment (i.e. at "zero cycle"), the reagents for amplification are typically mixed and stored at room temperature or lower. Because thermostable polymerases, for example, Thermus aquaticus (Taq) polymerase, have residual activity even at 0.degree. C., relatively large quantities of non-specific products can be formed by low stringency priming and replication. The non-specific products, known as zero cycle artifacts, include primer-dimers formed by ligation of primers having homology at their 3' ends. Because of the micromolar concentrations of primers used in PCR relative to the often minute concentrations of target, the formation of primer-dimers is predominant. Primer-dimers are thus particularly pervasive zero-cycle artifacts. Other primer based amplification systems, such as solid phase amplification, similarly suffer from primer-dimer artifacts.
The formation of zero-cycle artifacts during amplification has practical consequences. Reagents, including primers and deoxyribonucleosides, may be depleted, and the non-specific side products act as competitive inhibitors with respect to the target for the polymerase and other limiting components of the reaction. Consequently, amplification efficiency may be decreased and assay precision degraded. Any decrease in amplification efficiency may adversely effect the assay detection limit, and thus potentially cause false negative results. As demonstrated in accordance with the present invention, primer-dimer formation can reduce efficiency of target amplification to such a degree that the amplified product is not detectable on a stained gel. Such a result would clearly be undesirable in tests for pathogenic organisms, such as HIV.
Specificity is particularly important in homogeneous PCR reactions. See, e.g., EPA 487218 to Mitoma; EPA 512334 to Higuchi. In the homogeneous assays, PCR amplification and detection are coupled by contacting the reaction mixture, during or after amplification, with a fluorescent pigment that undergoes a detectable change in fluorescence upon reaction with a double-stranded nucleic acid. For example, when PCR is conducted in the presence of ethidium bromide, the production of double-stranded DNA is correlated with an increase in fluorescence as free ethidium bromide becomes intercalated into double-stranded DNA. Generally, amplification and detection are carried out in the same vessel. Changes in fluorescence are detected spectrophotometrically, and thus detection requires neither separation of PCR products nor hybridization. Because detection is based upon formation of double-stranded DNA generally, and fails to discriminate between target DNA and non-specific products, the formation of double-stranded artifacts such as primer-dimers is fatal to the specificity of the homogeneous assay.
Various strategies have been developed to increase PCR specificity. Theoretically, primer-dimer artifacts can be avoided by selecting primers with no 3'-homology. In practice, however, some 3' homology may be unavoidable, particularly in applications that require mixtures of primers. Coamplification of numerous strains or alleles of a target are typical applications that require a large number of primers.
Specificity can also be improved by increasing stringency, for example, by increasing the annealing temperature or incorporating denaturing solvents. However, increasing stringency may lead to false negative results because the assay's ability to detect mutated forms of the target, which may have been amplified at lower stringency, is reduced.
In another method of reducing zero-cycle artifacts, the so-called "hot start" method of PCR, the reaction is started by the addition of polymerase to hot reagent mixtures. (See, e.g., Erlich et al. (1991) Science 252:1643.) Primer-dimers are reduced since the reactive intermediates formed by cross-reaction of primers are thermally unstable. However, this method does not provide the convenience of room temperature preparation, and is subject to complications caused by timing errors resulting from manual addition of polymerase to multiple (typically 96) PCR tubes.
Thermolabile physical barriers, such as paraffin beads or overlays, have been used to physically separate one or more PCR components from the others until temperatures suitable for high stringency priming are reached (See, e.g., Hebert et al. (1993) Molecular and Cellular Probes 7:249). However, these methods are generally inconvenient and require considerable manual dexterity.
Thermally labile antibodies to Taq polymerase have been used to inhibit Taq polymerase at low temperatures in an attempt to limit zero cycle artifacts. (See, e.g., Sharkey et al. (1994) Bio/Technology 12:506; U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,671 to Scalice et al.) When the temperature is elevated in the PCR thermal cycling, the antibodies are thermally denatured and active polymerase is released. However, even avid antibodies do not completely inhibit polymerase activity. For example, one micromolar antibody having affinity of 10.sup.10 M.sup.-1 acting on polymerase at a concentration of 10 nanomalar in a volume of 100 microliters would leave 60 million molecules of free active polymerase at equilibrium. Since primer levels used in PCR are relatively large, sizable numbers of primer-dimer intermediates can nonetheless be formed and amplified. As a result and as demonstrated in accordance with the present invention, anti-Taq antibody alone may be insufficient to suppress primer-dimer formation, especially in cases in which the primers have substantial 3' homology or in which the homology consists of strong G--C bonds.
Enzymes capable of digesting primer-dimer intermediates have also been disclosed for use in side product suppression. Zhu et al. (1991) Nucleic Acids Res. 19:251) report the use of exonuclease III (Exo III) for "pre-PCR sterilization" to reduce amplicon and primer-dimer carry over. However, since Exo III catalyzes the sequential cleavage of 5' mononucleotides from the 3' hydroxyl end of duplex DNA, it may also attack target DNA. Further Zhu et al. report that Exo III does not degrade single-stranded DNA, and thus single-stranded primer-dimers could be expected to escape Exo III treatment and thereby be susceptible to amplification. Muralidhar et al. (1992) Gene 117:107 report the use of T7 exonuclease to reduce amplification of carry over PCR product molecules. The contaminating PCR molecules are preferentially inactivated due to their symmetric geometry relative to genomic target molecules. Muralidhar et al. fail to reduce primer-dimer products, and note that the geometry of primer-dimers has not been established.
The enzyme uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG) has also been used in a preamplification step to cleave products made during the zero cycle at incorporated uracil residues. (See, e.g., Longo et al. (1990) Gene 93:125; Espy et al. (1993) J. Clin. Microbiol. 31:2361.) Deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) is substituted for deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP) in the PCR and thus PCR products can be distinguished from template DNA. The enzyme UNG is included in the premix, and catalyzes the excision of uracil from single or double-stranded DNA present in the reaction prior to the first PCR cycle. The resulting abasic polynucleotides are susceptible to hydrolysis and cannot function as templates during PCR. While UNG is reportedly inactivated by thermal denaturation, residual activity may degrade amplification products synthesized during PCR. Further, Longo et al. compared the relative amount of amplification product in the presence and absence of UNG treatment, and reported a reduction in the intensity of the amplified target in reactions with UNG treatment. Thus UNG treatment would not be expected to solve the problem of inefficiency of product amplification.
Epsy et al. report that the efficiency of UNG in inactivating amplified DNA is dependent upon the length of the DNA. In particular, UNG was ineffective in inactivating PCR amplicons of less than 100 base pairs. Accordingly, UNG fails to inactivate primer-dimers.
As demonstrated in accordance with the present invention, neither Exo III nor UNG is particularly effective for suppression of primer-dimers and improved amplification efficiency. Further, as discussed hereinabove, the prior art methods of suppressing zero cycle artifacts suffer from practical deficiencies. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for practical and effective methods of suppressing zero cycle artifacts and thus increasing PCR efficiency and specificity.

Use of exonuclease and/or glycosylase as supplements to anti-polymerase antibody to increase specificity in polymerase chain reaction


Monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology is advantageously used to fabricate microwave circuitry for an antenna-converter system to enable an antenna and its associated converter circuits to be integrated together into a unitary package. Small reliable radio frequency (RF) circuits, polarization switch matrix circuits, intermediate frequency (IF) circuits and power and control circuits for the converter are manufactured and integrated onto a plurality of small area microwave circuit disks using MIC/MMIC technology. The plurality of converter circuit disks are sandwiched together and directly mounted flat against the back of the antenna to form a unitary package. The disks for the converter circuits are further sized such that the circuit disks fit within an envelope volume defined by the size and shape of the antenna.

Conventionally, an antenna and the various components of its associated converter circuitry (such as radio frequency receivers, polarization switch matrix circuits, intermediate frequency receivers and power and control circuits) were each designed as separate packages. The distinct, separate packages of the antenna-converter system were then interconnected with each other to form an assembled antenna-converter system through the use of cables and connectors. This conventional assembly method, however, has proven to provide unsatisfactory performance for several reasons. For example, the use of cables and connectors for interconnecting the separate antenna and converter packages often results in degraded system performance due to signal losses in the cables and decreased system reliability. Furthermore, the use of separate packages for the antenna and various converter circuits increases the required size and overall weight of the antenna-converter system.

Integrated antenna-converter system in a unitary package


A charging and billing system, which can be installed in a space-saving manner and at low cost when installed in a parking lot where multiple electric vehicles park, is provided. The charging and billing system has: multiple charging devices that performed charging by supplying electricity; a vending machine, which is separate to the charging devices, and which performs billing according to the amount of electricity supplied during charging; and a transmission line that connects the charging devices to the vending machine so as to enable information to the transmitted. The vending machine has: a touch panel that displays on a fee on a screen according to the amount of electricity supplied during charging; a settlement unit for settling the fee according to the amount of electricity supplied during charging; a fee calculation unit that calculates the fee corresponding to the amount of electricity supplied by a charging device; and a charging initiation unit that causes the charging device to begin charging, by transmitting initiation information for causing the charging device to begin charging to the charging device via the transmission line.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electricity vending machine that performs charging by supplying electric power to a load (subject) such as a car-mounted battery of an electric vehicle. This electricity vending machine performs billing according to the amount of electric power supplied upon charging. Specifically, the electricity vending machine calculates an amount of electric power that corresponds to a payment, and supplies the calculated amount of electric power to the load.

Charging and billing system and billing device


In a resource acquisition system, computing resources are located in different domains, and a resource manager is located in each domain. A scheduler receives a resource acquisition request from a client via a network, and determines at least one administrative domain and transmits to the network a verification request specifying a computing resource and an operation. The resource manager is responsive to the verification request for performing reconfiguration of the specified resource according to the specified operation and verifying that the resource is legitimately reconfigurable, and transmitting back to the scheduler a verification report containing the identifier of the reconfigurable resource. The scheduler is responsive to the verification report for transmitting a reconfiguration request to the resource manager to perform reconfiguration on the verified resource. The scheduler and the resource manager may repeatedly exchange verification requests and verification reports for successively reconfiguring each successive resource according to dependent relationships between computing resources.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resource acquisition system and method for distributed computing resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in a document titled "A Resource Management Architecture for Metacomputing Systems", Karl Czajkowski et al, Proc. 4th IPPS/SPDP Workshop on Job Scheduling Strategies for Parallel Processing, pp. 62-82, 1998, the prior art resource acquisition system for distributed computational resources is essentially composed of a broker, an information service provider and a number of resource allocation managers located in respective administrative domains, all of which are interconnected by a communications network. The information service provider maintains resource information, which is periodically updated by the resource allocation managers. For the management of its local computing resources each resource allocation manager is provided with a gatekeeper, a job manager, a local resource manager and a reporter. In resource acquisition, resource user's data is entered to a client terminal and a resource acquisition request is sent from the terminal via the network to the broker, inquiring it about computing resources that satisfy the client's requirements. The broker acquires necessary information from the information service provider and selects appropriate resources and sends information back to the client, indicating the selected resources.
Next, the client terminal requests one or more resource allocation managers to perform reconfiguration on the selected resources by specifying a particular job such as "starting up of an application program" or "guaranteeing a network bandwidth". In each resource allocation manager, the gatekeeper is responsible for receiving the client's job and activating the job manager, which in turn hands it over to the local resource manager to perform the job on the target resources. However, the following shortcomings exist in the prior art system.
First, if a resource reconfiguration involves a consecutive series of operations whose executions are constrained to a particular order due to their hierarchically dependent relationships (such as between selection of servers and selection of routes for linking the servers), it usually takes a long time to complete. If one operation fails, subsequent operations cannot proceed and a rollback or compensation must be performed on all reconfigured resources to restore them to original configuration. This represents a substantial waste of time to both users and resource providers.
Therefore, a need does exist to allow users to check in advance to see if all steps of reconfiguration can successfully proceed.
Second, if target resources are scattered over different domains and the intended reconfiguration is such that hierarchically dependent relations exist between different domains, a central management entity, such as the broker, would take responsibility for obtaining resource information from all domains. However, the amount of burden the central management entity would take in selecting resources would become enormous as the distributed computing system grows in size and complexity.
Therefore, there exists a need to allow inter-domain reconfiguration operations to proceed without concentrating processing loads on a single management entity.

Acquisition system for distributed computing resources


A door control apparatus useable in buildings or other facilities having many locked doors or rooms and requiring controlled access to the rooms, utilizes paging transmitters and paging receivers to transmit information from a central control system to individual door control units located at each controlled door. The door control unit may include a card reader for reading an entry card. Card identification information is transmitted wirelessly from a main paging transmitter connected with the control system and is received by the door control units at selected doors to define the card or cards which are to be accepted at each door control unit to open a controlled door. The invention also allows all or selected doors to be unlocked by a transmitted command from the control system to allow fast entry through such doors to fire crews or other emergency personnel. The door control unit may also transmit data to the control system using paging technology.

This invention relates to the field of guest registration systems and door lock control apparatuses for places of lodging, such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, rooming houses, bed-and-breakfasts, and the like and to buildings or other facilities having numerous doors whose locks must be controlled. It relates to an improved registration system which handles most check-in and departure situations without the need for a desk clerk. It also includes a door lock control apparatus by which virtually any number of doors in a facility may be centrally controlled without the need for electrical wiring between the doors and a central control system.
In the lodging industry, and especially in the hotel and motel portions thereof, it has become commonplace to maintain computer records of guests and room availability. These records are constantly available to track the time that a guest stays at the place of lodging, the billing information for the guest, the room assignments and vacancies for the place of lodging, and other information. Such information is now usually entered manually by hotel employees. Most places of lodging utilize a front desk manned by an employee and at which registration information is obtained, a mode of payment is arranged and room keys are dispensed and collected. All these somewhat routine but personal tasks require most hotels and motels to staff their front desks 24 hours a day.
For some large hotel and motel chains, sufficient personnel time is available to staff the front desk at all times, to process arriving and departing guests, and to give out and collect room keys. However, small hotels and motels, including even the smaller or regional chains, and particularly individual or family owned units, often do not have the personnel or the resources to staff a front desk at all times. In many situations, the only staff at the smaller establishments is the proprietor or the immediate family of the proprietor, because limited operating budgets may be more wisely spent in activities other than staffing a front desk during inactive shifts. This smaller personnel base often means that guests arriving at off hours must ring a bell or buzzer for assistance, waking the manager or proprietor. Even large hotels, although able to staff the front desk at all times, may also have better ways of using operating dollars as opposed to constant staffing of the desk.
A major reason for needing a manned front desk has been the need to dispense and collect room keys. In recent years, the room key has evolved from the easily misplaced or duplicated metal key, to plastic hole-encoded punch cards, and then to plastic magnetically encoded room key cards proprietary to the hotel or motel and dispensed from the front desk. The latter key cards are useable only at the place of lodging and operate by the use of a magnetic card reader at the door of a guest room to actuate the guest room door lock after the card has been recognized and approved.
Hotel room key security is an ongoing problem when conventional keys and key cards are used. While a guest has some concerns about loss of his room key, it is seldom given the same level of concern as would be assigned to the guest's personal keys, wallet or the like. The guest's level of concern also varies with his perceived risk as, for example, a guest being fairly unconcerned with key security before he has physically placed his property in the guest room or after he has removed the property. Guests may even voluntarily allow others to use their hotel key, resulting in a still lower standard of security. The guest seldom realizes that each time the key is lost or available to unauthorized persons, that room security is jeopardized in some way, such as the room's equipment being vulnerable to damage, theft or other intrusion. Because of these attitudes hotel guest room key problems are substantially greater and more numerous than those encountered for a private residence. The present invention provides a workable solution to these difficulties.
With these shortcomings in mind there remains a need for a guest registration system which can successfully receive and also discharge the guest and address the problem of delivery and collection of a room key when employees are not available to assist the guest.
Similar room entry problems exist in many buildings and facilities other than hotels and motels. For example, office buildings, hospitals, many government and commercial buildings, schools and colleges, as well as certain apartment complexes have large numbers of doors which must frequently be retained in a locked condition while still requiring that the rooms be accessible to authorized persons. To allow central control of each of the many doors in such structures can be an expensive undertaking if control wiring must be extended from a central control point to each room and its entry door. It is desirable to provide an apparatus by which specific entry cards can be utilized as a key at each of these many doors and that each of the doors be capable of being programmed and reprogrammed to recognize specific cards. Even in situations where doors use conventional keys and are not provided with entry cards and entry card readers, the ability to quickly lock and unlock doors in a large facility can be highly desirable in order to permit rapid access of fire fighting crews and other emergency personnel when needed. Using conventional lock systems, which cannot be controlled by a central control system, emergency personnel when called to fight a fire at such a facility may be compelled to destroy locked doors in order to gain entry, and the amount of fire damage which can occur before doors can be effectively forced opened can be extensive. It is an object of the invention to provide a door control apparatus which will allow multiple doors in a facility to be unlocked by wireless, remote command in order to quickly deal with an emergency situation and allow access of fire and emergency personnel to all controlled rooms when necessary. Installation of such a system has been economically prohibitive when control wiring must be installed between the central control system and each room. In such situations, the cost of cutting through walls, removing wallpaper, upsetting carpet arrangements and the like is so aesthetically intrusive as to discourage the installation of a central lock control system.
Another shortcoming of most door control systems is that little or no information is available to the central control system as to the conditions at each room door, i.e. whether the lock is in locked or unlocked condition, whether the door is fully closed in the door jamb, or any information as to the card holders who have accessed the door and the times of access. It is desirable to have a door control system in which such information can be periodically transmitted to the control system for effective monitoring of the door for security and maintenance purposes.
Still another shortcoming of present lock control systems is that it is difficult and expensive to add additional doors or rooms to an existing door control system once a system is installed because most such systems operate with wiring which must be connected to each door and which requires extensive installation procedures. It is desirable to provide a system by which additional rooms and doors may be quickly added to the door control system without destroying or interfering with the aesthetics of the building.
The invention provides a solution to these shortcomings.

Door lock control apparatus using paging communication


A slotted cylinder transducer is provided having a cylindrical metal or cosite material shell. A cylindrical piezoelectric driver is bonded to the inside of the shell with an opening corresponding to the slot. The shell thickness is tapered radially about the longitudinal axis such that the thickness is a maximum 180.degree. away from the slot and decreases progressively to a minimum adjacent each side of the slot. The piezoelectric driver is reverse tapered from the shell taper in that the thickness of the driver is a minimum 180.degree. away from the slot and increases progressively to a maximum adjacent each side of the slot. This taper places a larger volume of the driver material in the slot region of the shell where the maximum radial displacements occur, thus providing higher acoustic energy levels. When used as a hydrophone to detect acoustic signals in the surrounding medium, the larger volume of material at the point of maximum displacement provides increased signal detection capability.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to transducers, and more particularly to slotted cylinder transducers having a cylindrical piezoelectric driver element bonded to the inside of a cylindrical shell and having a slot cut along the length of the shell and the driver element.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Transducers are used in the generation and reception of underwater sound. A typical configuration of a slotted cylinder transducer would have the acoustically active component, or electromechanical driver, located in the interior cavity of a cylindrical shell. The shell would be fabricated of a metal or a laminated composite material. The driver is commonly a cylinder or set of rings of piezoelectric material that is mechanically connected to the cylindrical shell by means of an epoxy bond between the outer surface of the driver and the inner surface of the shell. The driver rings, or cylinder, are frequently constructed of an assembly of segmented pieces which are cemented together and electrically connected via foil electrodes located in the joints between adjacent segments. The curvature of the cylindrical shell places a residual compressive stress on the driver. This compressive stress on the driver must be maintained to prevent the driver from undergoing tensile strain which would cause the piezoelectric driver material to fracture. The driver receives additional compressive stress from increased hydrostatic pressure as the transducer is used in underwater operations.
A slot extending the length of the cylinder and parallel with the cylindrical axis is cut through the wall of the shell and also through the driver. Inserts or end shanks are bonded to the interior surface of the shell adjacent slot and to the ends of the piezoelectric element. When the driver is excited with an alternating electrical signal, the circumference of the driver will expand and contract against the inserts, creating flexural vibration in the cylindrical shell. The fundamental mode of this vibration consists of a nodal region of minimal or no radial displacement, located 180.degree. from the slot. In this mode, the radial displacement of the cylindrical shell increases in magnitude from a minimum in the nodal region to a maximum near the slot. The motion of the shell can be likened to a conventional tuning fork whose tines have been bent into a circular shape. The radial displacement of the cylindrical shell radiates acoustic energy into the medium surrounding the transducer. The transducer can also be used as a hydrophone by detecting acoustic vibrations in the medium that excite mechanical vibrations in the cylindrical shell, which in turn generate an electrical signal in the driver material.
To increase the level of acoustic energy radiated by the transducer, the wall thickness of the cylindrical shell can be tapered having its thickest point at the nodal region and becoming progressively thinner towards the slot. Such a tapered shell is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,427 to Plambeck. Some transducer applications, such as those requiring the acoustic signal to travel long distances, require further increases in radiated energy. Additionally, increased detection capabilities are required for transducers used as hydrophones to receive such long distance signals.

Tapered cylinder electro-acoustic transducer with reversed tapered driver

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


Printable ink jet laminateable labels comprised of (1) a substrate; (2) a first ink receiving coating on the front side of the substrate capable of absorbing an ink vehicle, and which receiving layer coating is comprised of (a) a hydrophilic binder polymer, (b) an ink spreading agent, (c) a dye mordant, (d) a lightfastness inducing agent or component, (e) an optional biocide, (f) an optional filler, and (h) an optional latex binder; (3) a second heat and pressure sensitive adhesive coating in contact with the back, or reverse of the front side of the substrate, and which adhesive is comprised of a polymer with a glass transition temperature of from between about a negative -100.degree. C. to about 25.degree. C.; and (4) a peelable release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label, which release paper is coated with a release polymer.

Uncoated labels printed with ink jet inks and adhered to paper, cloth and plastic surfaces, such as spines and covers of books and magazines, may not be adequate primarily since the images on the uncoated labels are not resistant to water, or possess minimal resistance to water. Furthermore, the copy quality of the ink jet images, and xerographic images on the uncoated labels needs improvement. The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages, and in embodiments is directed to ink jet and xerographically writeable labels capable of receiving images from liquid inks and solid ink compositions used in various ink jet and xerographic printing processes, and which inks can be affixed to spines and covers of books and magazines. More specifically, the present invention in embodiments is directed to obtaining images of an optical density between about 1.5 to 2.0 for the black ink, between about 1.2 to 1.6 for the cyan ink, between about 1.1 to 1.4 for the magenta ink, and between about 0.85 to 1.0 for the yellow ink, with lightfastness values of greater than or equal to about 95 percent for all inks, waterfastness values greater than or equal to about 90 percent for all inks, and low edge raggedness values of about 0.25 millimeter (between black and yellow), about 0.30 millimeter (between cyan and yellow), 0.30 millimeter (between magenta and yellow), and about 0.45 millimeter (between magenta and cyan) on ink jet writeable labels, and labels that can be used in xerographic applications, which labels can be prepared from coated recording labels containing an ink receiving layer on the front of the first side of the label and a book spine and book cover compatible heat and pressure sensitive adhesive on the second or reverse back side of the label, and a peelable release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label, which release paper is removed from the label prior to affixing the label to the book spine and book cover by the application of low heat and pressure. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to ink jet printable laminateable labels for book spines and book covers comprised of (a) a substrate such as paper, polyvinylchloride (vinyl), opaque MYLAR.RTM., transparent MYLAR.RTM., polypropylene, Teslin, and the like, (1) a first ink receiving coating on the front side of the substrate label capable of absorbing the ink vehicle and comprised of a polymer, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylalcohol and the like, or mixtures thereof, an ink spreading agent such as poly(alkylene oxide), a dye mordant such as a quaternary compound, a lightfastness inducing agent such as 1,2-hydroxy-4-(octyloxy)benzophenone, 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy) ethylacrylate, and the like, an optional biocide like 2-hydroxypropylmethane thiosulfonate, a filler such as colloidal silica; (2) a second book spine and book cover compatible pressure sensitive adhesive coating in contact with the back, or reverse side of the substrate label and comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of polymers having a glass transition temperature of between a negative -100.degree. C. to about a positive 25.degree. C., such as polyvinylmethyl ether, polyethylacrylate, and the like; and (3) a peelable release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label, which release paper is coated with a release material, such as a wax, and the like, (b) imaging the ink receiving layer with a liquid method such as ink jet, and (c) peeling the release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label and affixing these labels at a temperature of about 25.degree. C. to about 50.degree. C. and a pressure of about 25 psi to about 125 psi to a spine and cover of a book, including manuals, using a hot roller.
In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a xerographically printable laminateable label for paper, cloth and plastic surfaces of books and magazines, which labels are comprised of (a) a substrate such as paper, polyvinylchloride (vinyl), opaque MYLAR.RTM., transparent MYLAR.RTM., polypropylene, Teslin and the like, (1) a first toner receiving coating on the front side of the substrate label capable of wetting the surface of the toner and comprised of a polymer such as ethyl cellulose, cyanoethylated cellulose, and the like, or mixtures thereof, a toner spreading agent, such as poly(alkylene oxide), an antistatic agent, such as a quaternary compound, a lightfastness inducing agent, such as 1,2-hydroxy-4-(octyloxy)benzophenone, 2-(4-benzoyl-3-hydroxyphenoxy) ethylacrylate and the like, an optional biocide, 2-hydroxypropylmethane thiosulfonate, a filler such as colloidal silica, and (2) a second book spine and book cover compatible heat and pressure sensitive adhesive coating in contact with the back side of the label substrate and comprised of at least one material selected from the group consisting of polymers having a glass transition temperature of between about -100.degree. C. to about 25.degree. C., such as polyvinylmethyl ether, polyethylacrylate and the like, and a peelable release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label, which release paper is coated with a release polymer such as a wax and the like; (b) imaging the toner receiving layer with a marking process using solid inks, or toners of resin and pigments, such as xerography; and (c) peeling the release paper covering the adhesive coated side of the label and affixing these labels at a temperature of about 25.degree. C. to about 50.degree. C. and a pressure of about 25 psi to about 125 psi to the spine and cover of the book using a hot roller.
Protective sheets used in various printing and imaging processes are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,208 discloses a laminated plastic card providing a lamination of a dye accepting layer, a substrate of paper or the like, and a back coat layer on the lamination one or more patterns are printed with a volatile dye, and a transparent plastic film adhered on the lamination by an adhesive agent, wherein the adhesive agent is a saturated polyester having an average molecular weight of 18,000 grams/mole and produced by condensation polymerization of polypropylene glycol or trimethylol propane and adipic acid or azelaic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,840 discloses a decorative laminated sheet with improved surface hardness, which sheet is produced by laminating a polyester film excellent in transparency on the surface of a semi-rigid thermoplastic resin film supplied with a colored layer or a pattern-printed layer, and then coating a hard coat layer comprising a UV-curable coating on the surface of the polyester film of the resulting laminated film.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,615 discloses hot-melt adhesive compositions useful for packaging. These hot-melt adhesive compositions are based on modified polyethylene and contain an ethylene-alkylacrylate copolymer, a polyethylene graft copolymer, a tackifying resin, and a high-melting low viscosity wax. The hot-melt adhesive compositions disclosed apparently possess fast setting times.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,758 discloses a hot-melt adhesive composition where polymers containing a high percentage of vinyl alcohol units may be blended with copolymers of alkylmethacrylate and unsaturated acids, the copolymers preferably containing an adhesion-promoting functionality, the blend preferably containing low levels of a plasticizer to improve melt flow, and the blends in molten form utilized as hot melt adhesives for the bonding of wood, paper, and other cellulosic articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,536 discloses a repositionable adhesive tape where an adhesive of certain elastomeric block copolymers and tackifying materials can be hot-melt coated on to a flexible backing to provide an adhesive tape, two pieces of which can bond to each other for excellent resistance to shear forces, and that apparently can be easily peeled apart, even after prolonged periods of time. The adhesive can be low-tack or tack-free. When the adhesive is tacky, it can bind sheets into a note pad from which individual sheets can be removed, and temporarily adhered to paper and other substrates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,530 discloses a highly transparent film having high strength, suitable extensibility, high weather resistance, and low moisture absorption, which consists mainly of ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,766 discloses a positionable-repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive that may be repeatedly applied to a surface and removed during an initial installation time period. The adhesive contains an adhesive base resin and coacting detackifying resin, and particulate components which temporarily reduce the tack and peel strength of the adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,685 discloses a hot melt coatable pressure-sensitive adhesive with high levels of adhesion to low surface energy films. The adhesive elastomeric phase comprises from 78 to 98 parts by weight of a diblock A-B type block copolymer with an elastomeric block of 1,3-polybutadiene with 2 to 22 parts by weight of multiblock A-B type block copolymer. The tackifying material comprises 140 parts or less of a solid tackifying resin and a liquid tackifier to provide an adhesive having a composite midblock glass transition of -10.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,876 discloses that the cuttability of elastomeric pressure-sensitive adhesives, particularly of the hot-melt tackified mutually immiscible elastomers, is improved by the addition of surfactants containing polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide blocks.
Xerographic transparencies useful in printing and copying processes wherein dry or liquid electrophotographic-type developers are employed, such as electrophotographic processes, are known as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,691 to Chester Carlson. Ionographic and electrographic processes are also known, and are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,556, U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,419, U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,084, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,584, U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,171, U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,371, U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,515, U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,363, U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,424, U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,163, U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,604, U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,214, U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,549, U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,556, U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,257, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,093, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference. The ionographic process involves generating an electrostatic latent image on an imaging member in an imaging apparatus; developing the latent image with a toner; transferring the developed image to a transparency and optionally permanently affixing the transferred image.
Ink jet transparencies and papers used in various printing and imaging processes are known, reference for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,777, U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,824, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,899, U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,224, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,530, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,338 the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises a substrate and a coating consisting essentially of quaternary ammonium polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,747, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises (a) a base sheet; (b) a cationic sulfur compound selected from the group consisting of sulfonium compounds, thiazolium compounds, benzothiazolium compounds, and mixtures thereof; (c) an optional binder; and (d) an optional pigment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,795, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises a base sheet and a material selected from the group consisting of pyridinium compounds, piperazinium compounds, and mixtures thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,902, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet of a substrate and, in contact with the substrate, a monoammonium compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,486, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises (a) a base sheet; (b) a material selected from the group consisting of tetrazolium compounds, indolinium compounds, imidazolinium compounds, and mixtures thereof; (c) an optional pigment; and (d) an optional binder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,004, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recording sheet which comprises a substrate, an image receiving coating, and a biocide.
While known laminated structures are suitable for their intended purposes, a need remains for improved laminated structures with improved printable laminateable labels for book spines. In addition, there is a need for improved coated printable laminateable labels for book spines which can be laminated by the application of low heat and low pressure to the uneven surface of the book spines. Further, a need remains for printable laminateable labels for book spines for ink jet printing wherein images on the spine exhibit reduced curl and a high degree of light and waterfastness. Additionally, there is a need for printable laminateable labels for book spines for ink jet printing with enhanced optical density. Further, there is a need for printable laminateable tapes for book spines for electrostatic printing processes, such as electrophotography, which exhibit excellent toner fix of the image to the sheet. Additionally, there is a need for printable laminateable tapes for book spines suitable for both ink jet printing processes and electrostatic printing processes, which tapes exhibit reduced curl and high optical density when used for ink jet printing and which exhibit reduced curl and excellent toner fix when selected for electrostatic printing.


An electrical power distribution unit (1) for an electrical system has a printed circuit board (200) with a punched grid (100) arranged thereon. An electrical component (300, 310) is arranged on the printed circuit board on a side of the punched grid (100). An electrical contact (350) of the electrical component projects through a passage opening in the printed circuit board. The punched grid is arranged between the electrical component and the printed circuit board, and an opening is formed in the punched grid in an area (130) around the electrical contact. The punched grid has a current infeed (110) which comprises a plurality of tongues (111, 112; 113). At least one of the tongues is bendable out of a plane of the punched grid in such a way that two of the tongues form a mutually adjacent common portion (115), which is electrically contactable by an electrical plug connector.

Power distribution units are used in particular in motor vehicles to distribute high electrical currents and are constituents, for example, of so-called central electrical systems. In the electrical systems of motor vehicles, central electrical systems constitute the interfaces between electrical or electronic control devices and electrical lines or line strands. The central electrical system substantially fulfils a distributor function, supplying electrical consumer units of the motor vehicle, such as for example antilock braking systems (ABS), electrical stability programs (ESP), windscreen wipers, indicators and the like, with electrical current or electrical voltage via electrical lines or wiring harnesses and monitoring the serviceability of these consumer units. The electrical consumer units are actuated by means of switching devices, which are arranged in pluggable manner in the central electrical system together with fuses of the consumer unit electrical circuits. In addition, central electrical systems may comprise slots for switches, resistors, relays, solder contacts, pins, tabs and the like, together with connection possibilities for wiring harnesses provided with electrical coupling members.
DE 10 2004 006 575 A1 discloses a power distribution unit exclusively using punched grid technology for a motor vehicle. After being punched out of sheet metal, the punched grid comprises a plurality of conductor track portions connected by connecting webs, into which conductor track portions holes have been punched on production of the punched grid, wherein press-fit contacts may be inserted into these holes. After the punching process, the punched grid is partially encapsulated by plastics injection molding and then the connecting webs between the conductor track portions are separated, in order to produce electrically separate areas on the punched grid. Then, the press-fit contacts are press-fitted into the holes in the conductor track portions.
In view of the disadvantageous nature of electrical power distribution units produced exclusively by punched grid technology (large structure, heavy weight) especially in the automotive sector, electrical power distribution units using printed circuit board technology are preferred.
Power distribution units using printed circuit board technology and the punched grids therefor are exposed to severe thermal loading due to the comparatively long current transport paths on the printed circuit board and sometimes narrow current transport paths on the punched grid. The reason for this is the comparatively large openings within the punched grid. In addition, this makes the punched grid unstable and the punched grid may rapidly suffer damage as a result.
With regard to the prior art relating to punched grids and electrical power distribution units, see also the explanations relating to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved electrical power distribution unit with an improved punched grid, wherein it is intended for the electrical power distribution unit to display improved thermal behavior and for the punched grid to be less susceptible to damage. Furthermore, it is intended that the electrical power distribution unit or the electrical punched grid should be cheaper to produce.

Electrical power distribution unit and electrical punched grid therefor


A method and apparatus for lifting the tabs of a protective seal with edges embedded in a laminate. The base of the device has an annular top having a plurality of cartridge receiving apertures spaced equally from one another. Each hole receives a tab engagement assembly comprising a cartridge, a spring, and a finger have an abutment surface. The finger is pivotally fastened at one end within the slot of the cartridge and is biased away from the cartridge by the spring. When the base is placed in proximate relationship with the laminate seal patch secured to the substrate, the rotating base causes the abutment surfaces of the fingers to drag across the periphery of the laminate seal in a circular motion. The stresses created on the tabs of the protective seal cause the embedded edges to be lifted. The lifted tabs are accessible to the end user and the protective seals may be easily peeled from the substrate when desired by the end user.

This invention relates generally to the protective seals of material covering container openings, and deals more particularly with an improved method and apparatus for lifting the comers of a protective patch of material used to seal a cartridge type dispenser containing viscous food sauces.
Protective seals are used in a wide number of containers. Oftentimes, the seals prevent the contents of the container from escaping before the initial use of the product within the container. The seals are generally made from thin, malleable metals such as aluminum. In addition to preventing premature escape of the container""s contents, the aluminum patch prevents air and other contaminants from interacting with the contents of the container. Further, the seal may give the user added assurance that no tampering occurred with the contents of container before the initial use. Thus, seals are particularly useful for containers for storing food products and pharmaceuticals which may spoil and are affected by contact with air and various contaminants. Seals may be placed over the openings of containers in a variety of manners. In some instances, the seals may extend beyond the edge of the opening so that the periphery of the protective seals are not in proximity with the surface of the container. For instance, protective seals used to cover the circular openings of aspirin bottles use protective seals which extend somewhat beyond the lip of the opening, but may still allow the cap of the container to be screwed to the bottle. When the cap is removed, the user simply grasps the exposed tabs and pulls the protective seal from the remainder of the bottle. However, for other containers, it is either undesirable or impracticable to have the edges of the protective seal extend beyond the surface of the container.
One example of such a container is prevalent in the retail food service industry. In fast service restaurants and other retail food establishments, food sauces of various types must be dispensed in a large number of portions each containing a relative small quantity of sauce. Some sauces such as vinegar may be placed in conventional bottles which are compressed by the user to force the contents out of the bottle. However, sauces such as mayonnaise are relatively viscous and are not efficiently and accurately dispensed from bottles formed from flexible materials. It has been found to be convenient to package a wide variety of food sauces in cartridges from which the sauces are dispensed by hand held dispensing guns similar to caulking guns.
The cartridges used in these dispensing guns typically employ composite discs having disk valves at one end of the cartridge to evenly distribute the sauces when forced by the plunger of the cartridge gun. Likewise, the valves retain the sauces within the cartridge when the plunger of the gun is not actuated. Reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,231 for a more thorough discussion of this type of disk valve. Generally, each composite disc comprises at least one paperboard layer framing the valves formed on a disc valve layer. The disc valve layer is typically made of polyethylene and has a number of slits or similar valves cut into the layer to allow the food sauce to flow from the container. Protective laminate patches comprising thin foil seals are placed over the disc valves of the composite disc substrate to seal the contents of the container. The seals are adhered to the disc valve layer substrate along a circular path at the interior of the edges of the foil laminates. The peripheral edges of protective seals extend beyond the framed PET disc valve layer and terminate at and overlap with the paperboard layer. When the end user wants to open a new container, the user pulls one of the comer tabs of the foil seal from the cartridge disc substrate and peels the protective foil laminate away from the remainder of the container.
In prior art methods used to manufacture cartridge discs, the foil laminate patches were cut before being adhered to the disc valve. The rectangular laminates were adhered to the paperboard layer of the disc and the tab area between the adhesive connection and the edge of the disc was relatively separated from the disc and easy for the user to grasp. Thus, the seals were easy to remove. The discs were manufactured by one machine and the protective seals were applied on another machine. This required that the discs be moved from the disc formation machine to the seal applicator machine and led to a number of inefficiencies. For instance, the slit valves on the disc could become lodged between the tabs and paperboard base of the adjacent disc when the discs were stacked.
A new manufacturing process was developed in which the foil tab was applied on the cartridge disc formation machine. Essentially, portions of foil from a supply roll are adhered to the upper surface of the cartridge disc after the composite disc is formed. The foil laminate is then cut from the roll. The depth of the cut severs the foil laminate from the foil supply roll without cutting the paperboard layer underlying the edge of the protective seal on the cartridge disc. Since the manufacturing method allows the foil laminate to be secured to the cartridge disc in one machine, one step of the process is eliminated and the associate inefficiencies are removed. However, the cutting technique tends to embed the edges of the protective foil tab patch into the paperboard layer and the foil laminate is difficult to remove.
Accordingly, the need exists for a tab lifting method and apparatus which will effectively lift the embedded tabs of protective seals applied during the disc formation process. The present invention fills these and other needs and overcomes the drawbacks associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a device which lifts the tabs of a protective laminate from a substrate so that the laminate is easily removable from the substrate.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a device for lifting tabs of a protective material from a substrate without causing the discs to jam during the manufacturing process.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for lifting foil tabs of protective seal which does not add an additional step or machine to the manufacturing process.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method for lifting the embedded edges of a laminate from a substrate.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for a method and apparatus for lifting the tabs of a protective seal with edges embedded in a laminate. The base of the device has an annular top having a plurality of cartridge receiving apertures spaced equally from one another. Each hole receives a tab engagement assembly comprising a cartridge, a spring, and a finger having an abutment surface. The finger is pivotally fastened at one end within the slot of the cartridge and is biased away from the cartridge by the spring. When the base is placed in proximate relationship with the laminate seal patch secured to the substrate, the rotating base causes the abutment surfaces of the fingers to drag across the periphery of the laminate seal in a circular motion. The stresses 20 created on the tabs of the protective seal cause the embedded edges to be lifted. The lifted tabs are accessible to the end user and the protective seals may be easily peeled from the substrate when desired by the end user.

Method and apparatus for lifting tabs of a laminate from a substrate


A method of the grooming traffic signals through a composite switch is disclosed that enables a traffic signal that is being transmitted between any two constituent switches to be re-routed through the composite switch without a hit (i.e., the dropping, replacing, inserting, or repeating of at least one bit in the traffic signal). This applies whether the constituent switches are adjacent in the composite switch or not. The composite switch in accordance with the illustrative embodiment comprises multiple routes between adjacent constituent switches and incorporates a mechanism that compensates for differential propagation delays along the routes. And still furthermore, the composite switch in accordance with the illustrative embodiment comprises alternative routes through different constituent switches and incorporates a mechanism that compensates for differential propagation delays through the constituent switches.

The first generation of optical fiber systems in the public telephone network used proprietary architectures, equipment line codes, multiplexing formats, and maintenance procedures. This diversity complicated the task of the Regional Bell Operating Companies and the interexchange carriers who needed to interface their equipment with these diverse systems.
To ease this task, Bellcore initiated an effort to establish a standard for connecting one optical fiber system to another. That standard is officially named the Synchronous Optical Network but it is more commonly called "SONET." The international version of the standard is officially named the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy but it is more commonly called "SDH."
Although differences exist between SONET and SDH, those differences are mostly in terminology. In virtually all practical aspects, the two standards are the same, and, therefore, virtually all equipment that complies with either the SONET standard or the SDH standard also complies with the other. For the purposes of this specification, the combined acronym/initialism "SONET/SDH" is defined as the Synchronous Optical Network or the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy or both.
FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a portion of a SONET/SDH network that receives a traffic signal at SONET/SDH switch 101 and transmits the signal from SONET/SDH switch 104. For example, the network might originally transmit the traffic signal from SONET/SDH switch 101 to SONET/SDH switch 104 through SONET/SDH switch 102. In the course of provisioning and deprovisioning the available resources, the need can arise whereby a traffic signal is carried from SONET/SDH switch 101 to SONET/SDH switch 104 through SONET/SDH switch 103, rather than through SONET/SDH switch 102. Analogously, the need can arise whereby a traffic signal is carried from SONET/SDH switch 101 to SONET/SDH switch 104 through SONET/SDH switch 102, rather than through SONET/SDH switch 103. These needs often occur when grooming is performed.
If there is a difference in the propagation delay through SONET/SDH switch 101 to SONET/SDH switch 104 through SONET/SDH switch 102, in contrast to the propagation delay through SONET/SDH switch 103, then the re-routing of the traffic signal through SONET/SDH switch 103 will cause the dropping, replacing, inserting, or repeating of at least one bit in the traffic signal. This is colloquially, although almost universally, called a "hit." Hits are not advantageous and therefore hitless re-routing is preferred.
If the user of a SONET/SDH network experiences infrequent hits, the hits are most likely to be tolerated. In contrast, if the user of the SONET/SDH network experiences frequent hits, the hits are unlikely to be tolerated. This places a practical limit on the number of hits that the operator of a SONET/SDH network can inflict on its users. Furthermore, the inability to inflict an arbitrarily large number of hits on a user hinders the ability of the operator to groom the network, and the operator of the network must be capable of freely grooming the network so as to maintain the resource utilization of the network.
Therefore, the need exists for a technique for the re-routing of synchronous signals without causing a large number of hits.

Hitless re-routing in composite switches