A lockable lid support that includes a mounting bracket, an arm, pivoting apparatus, and sliding and locking apparatus. The mounting bracket is removably mounted to a lid of a box that is pivotally mounted to a lower portion of the box. The arm is pivotally mounted at one end to the lower portion of the box and slidably and locking mounted at another end to the mounting bracket. The pivoting apparatus pivotally mounts the one end of the arm to the lower portion of the box, so that the lid of the box can be pivoted relative to the lower portion of the box from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. And, the sliding and locking apparatus slidingly and lockingly mounts the other end of the arm to the mounting bracket, so that when the lid of the box is pivoted relative to the lower portion of the box to a desired position the lid of the box is maintained in the desired position.

The present invention relates to a lockable lid support. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lockable lid support that includes a track disposed on a side of a lid of a box, an arm having one end pivotally mounted to a side of the box and another end slidably mounted to the track, and locking apparatus for maintaining the lid in a desired position relative to the box.
Boxes of all sizes provide storage for a variety of different objects. Lids are provided to close these boxes and maintain their contents therein. When a person wishes to access the contents of the box, the lid must be opened. When the person searches for the objects the lid has a tendency to fall and impact on the hand of the user and inflict pain and injury thereto.
Another situation arises when the user does not require the lid to be fully opened and wishes the lid to be maintained in a specific position relative to the box. Also, if the lid were to open completely and left to rest behind the box, great strain will be induced on the hinges and cause premature failure or unintentional removal thereof.
Numerous innovations for closure locking devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described. However, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a lockable lid support that includes a track disposed on a side of a lid of a box, an arm having one end pivotally mounted to a side of the box and another end slidably mounted to the track, and locking apparatus for maintaining the lid in a desired position relative to the box.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,803 to Barnish et al. teaches a hinged self-locking closure device that includes a first door part that is hinged to one end of an aperture, a second door part that is hinged to the first door part or to the end of the aperture. Self-locking and unlocking is contained by a lock which in the closed position of the doors parts locks the doors parts together or locks the second door part to the aperture.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,689 to Perdue, Jr. et al. teaches a key lockable arrangement for locking two members in abutting relationship that includes a cylinder button mounted in the first member for turning therein and having elements on a lower portion thereof which an S-shape, to be received in a housing in the second member.
STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,596 to Chen et al. teaches a hinge that includes a hinge body, a stop mechanism and a hold mechanism. The hinge body has specifically shaped knuckles to accomplish the stopping and holding functions.
FINALLY, YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,487 to Bowers teaches a hinge that includes two screws that are threaded into two holes in a hinge arm which is adapted to be assembled with a base plate by shifting the arm longitudinally to cause the screws to slide into the U-shaped slots in the plate. The slots perform longitudinal adjustment of the hinge arm.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for closure locking devices have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A medical electrical lead to conduct electrical stimulation and/or signals between an electrical stimulator and a heart site includes an elongated lead body extending to a proximal connector for attachment to the electrical stimulator. An electrode head at the distal end includes an electrode tip member for fixation to the heart and an electrode backing member fixed to the lead body is releasably attachable to the electrode tip member for transmission of electrical signals between the heart and the electrical stimulator. The electrode tip member may include a first non-conductive base with an outwardly projecting tip electrode and a first mounting member projecting oppositely away from the non-conductive base. The electrode backing member includes a second non-conductive base and a second mounting member thereon adapted for mounting engagement with the first mounting member for selectively releasably but firmly integrating the electrode tip member and the electrode backing member.

Prior to the advent of endocardially implanted leads and associated surgical implantation techniques, surgeons and cardiologists traditionally relied on epicardial leads for cardiac stimulation and diagnosis. Median sternotomy or anterior thoracotomy were commonly used techniques to access the pericardium for epicardial lead implantation. Both techniques involve a significant incision and the post-operative issues associated with large incisions, such as recuperation time, pain, risk of infection, and cosmetic results.
Patients and practitioners alike favor the use of endocardial leads for cardiac stimulation in most circumstances. The benefits of transvenous implantation are many, including improved post-operative cosmetic appearance, faster wound healing, less post-operative pain, and improved flexibility in electrode placement. In addition, many areas of the myocardium that do not normally lend themselves to epicardial stimulation, such as the interventricular septum or the coronary sinus, may be readily paced endocardially.
Despite the advantages associated with endocardial implantation, epicardial cardiac stimulation is still medically indicated for many patients, particularly children. Although the various indications for epicardial lead fixation in pediatric patients are numerous, some common factors include small stature, congenital heart defects with residual or potential right to left shunting, or lack of venous access to the chamber requiring pacing.
Early designs for myocardial leads required relatively large screw-in electrodes that were intended for ventricular applications only. Follow-on prior art electrode designs utilized a stab-on electrode that was configured to be inserted into the atrial or the ventricular myocardium in a direction almost tangential to, and just under, the epicardial surface. After the stab-on step, the electrode body was then sutured to the epicardial surface for stabilization. These prior art electrodes were most commonly implanted via median sternotomy or anterior thoracotomy
The advent of thoracoscopy in cardiac surgery has shown promise as a technique to enable surgeons to implant epicardial leads without sternotomy or thoracotomy. Thoracoscopy normally involves penetration of the chest cavity with two or more tubular introducers that are passed through small incisions in the chest wall. Illumination devices, cutting instruments, sutures, and the like may be inserted into the chest cavity via the introducers.
Despite the promise of thoracoscopy, many conventional epicardial leads utilize a widened suture pad that is normally disk-shaped and includes one or more suture holes for guiding a suture needle into the epicardium. These disk-like suture pads may present the surgeon with certain difficulties during insertion via a typical thoracoscopy introducer. To begin with, there is the potential for the suture pad to resist movement through the introducer. Unless extreme caution is exercised, the lead may be damaged. To avoid the potential for snagging the lead, surgeons may have to use a larger than necessary introducer, resulting in a larger incision, more scarring, and potentially more post-operative pain for the patient. In addition, if a conventional suture pad epicardial lead must be relocated due to improper threshold or some other indication, the surgeon must expend time and effort cutting the existing sutures and sewing the pad to the new location.
Another solution proposed for myocardial lead implantation utilizes a sutureless screw-in electrode. The electrode is screwed into the myocardium perpendicular to the surface of the epicardium while the lead is laid approximately parallel to the epicardium surface. The arrangement produces an almost 90 degree bend in the lead just proximal to the electrode that may give rise to forces capable of dislodging the electrode and/or injuring the epicardium, particularly in view of the normally vigorous cyclic movement of the epicardium. Injury to the epicardium may also occur if the rib cage is compressed against the 90 degree bend during rough play or other exercise.
Another existing lead design incorporates a projectable side hook that is normally biased in a retracted position by a coil spring. The side hook is moved to an extended position by application of axial force from a stylet to an internally disposed leg of the side hook that includes a roller disposed in an arcuate channel. The fabrication of this system requires a series of complex molding and machining steps, often under relatively tight tolerances. In operation, this system relies on a series of cooperating rollers, curved slots, and springs that may be subject to malfunction during implantation, and requires the surgeon to simultaneously apply axial force on a stylet and torsional force on the lead.
Typical of the patented prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,833 to Wildon which discloses a pacing lead assembly with an epicardial lead placed via needle access through the chest wall intended to be temporarily implanted in the body of a cardiac patient before the pericardium and chest wall are closed. Another instance is U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,135 to Fain et al. which discloses an implantable lead system that includes an epicardial lead placed through the abdomen or thorax and employs various configurations of electrodes when in the deployed state. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,252 discloses a system for implanting electric leads in the pericardial space of a heart with an electrical lead being advanced, through a channel earlier positioned in an access hole through the pericardium, to penetrate the pericardial space and is secured with an anchor flange at the end of the electrical lead. U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,532 to Schroeppel discloses a lead assembly for fixation to a human heart via thoracoscopy. The lead assembly includes a tubular introducer that is passed through the chest wall of a patient and used to place the lead with a detachable epicardial electrode proximate the epicardium. As a final example of known lead constructions, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0074041 to Parry et al. discloses an epicardial electrode preferably implanted by performing a thorascopy of the thorax of the patient to visualize the site of the epicardium through a thoracoscope and to provide a pathway to the site of the epicardium.

Epicardial and myocardial leads for implanting in the heart by thoracotomy or port access surgeries with detachable electrode tip


A method for slowing the heat-release rate in homogeneous charge compression ignition (“HCCI”) engines that allows operation without excessive knock at higher engine loads than are possible with conventional HCCI. This method comprises injecting a fuel charge in a manner that creates a stratified fuel charge in the engine cylinder to provide a range of fuel concentrations in the in-cylinder gases (typically with enough oxygen for complete combustion) using a fuel with two-stage ignition fuel having appropriate cool-flame chemistry so that regions of different fuel concentrations autoignite sequentially.

Diesel engines have been faced with increasingly stringent emissions requirements for more than a decade. Despite substantial improvements, new emissions standards scheduled to take effect in 2007–2010 will require approximately another order of magnitude reduction in both nitrogen oxides ("NOx") and particulate matter ("PM") emissions. These new standards are challenging and will likely require a combination of strategies including development of advanced combustion systems to reduce engine-out emissions (i.e., emissions prior to after treatment), development of adequate, reliable and cost-effective aftertreatment systems, and improvements in the coupling between engine and aftertreatment systems operation.
Homogeneous charge compression ignition ("HCCI") is an attractive advanced combustion process that offers potential as a high-efficiency alternative to spark ignition engines. By providing diesel-like efficiencies but with substantially lower NOx and PM emissions, HCCI also offers a low emissions alternative to diesel engines. Unlike conventional diesel combustion, HCCI does not rely on maintaining a flame front. Rather, combustion occurs as the result of spontaneous auto-ignition at multiple points throughout the volume of charge gas. This unique property of HCCI allows the combustion of very lean mixtures or mixtures that are made very dilute by the addition of combustion-product gases (e.g., by exhaust gas recirculation), resulting in low combustion temperatures that dramatically reduce NOx emissions. Also, unlike conventional diesel combustion, the charge is sufficiently well-mixed so that PM emissions are very low. Consequently, HCCI provides a low emissions alternative to conventional diesel engines.
Although the use of conventional diesel fuel or gasoline for HCCI would be desirable since these fuels are readily available, achieving acceptable HCCI with these fuels can be difficult. With diesel fuel, elevated temperatures are required before significant vaporization occurs making it difficult to form a premixed near-homogeneous charge. Second, diesel fuel has significant cool-combustion chemistry leading to rapid auto-ignition once compression temperatures exceed about 800° K. This can lead to overly advanced combustion phasing and/or require reduced compression ratios that reduce engine efficiency. Conversely, gasoline can require overly high compression ratios or various techniques to provide significant charge heating.
Currently, the power output of HCCI engines using diesel fuel or gasoline is limited to about half the that of traditional diesel engines. Extending HCCI operation to higher power outputs remains a significant challenge. This is mainly because the reaction rates with HCCI become very rapid as the fueling rate is increased causing engine knock that results in undesirable noise and reduced durability. Because high-load operation is a challenge, most HCCI concepts currently being pursued utilize HCCI only below about half load and revert to conventional spark ignition or diesel combustion for high loads. Thus, at present the advantages afforded by HCCI are limited to only part of the operating range.
Finally, it is widely recognized in the art that the charge in an HCCI engine is never fully homogeneous (in both temperature and mixture) in practical application. In some applications, such as diesel-fueled HCCI, there can substantial mixture inhomogeneities. However, the term HCCI is commonly used to refer to all cases where the charge is sufficiently premixed to achieve low NOx and PM emissions due to a quasi-volumetric, low-temperature combustion of a dilute charge. Therefore, hereinafter the term "homogeneous" in reference to homogeneous charge compression ignition (i.e., HCCI) can refer to a fuel charge that can be substantially inhomogeneous. Further, the term "fuel charge" will mean the product resulting from combining fuel plus air plus residual gases and/or combustion products or any combination thereof.

Fuel mixture stratification as a method for improving homogeneous charge compression ignition engine operation


An image processing system includes a storing section that stores a database in which specific pose data representing each of specific poses of a human, and effect manipulation data specifying each of manipulations applied to an image are registered in association with each other, a human region detecting section that detects a human region that is a region where a human appears in an image on which to perform image processing, a human pose recognizing section that recognizes a pose of the human in the human region detected by the human region detecting section, a matching section that finds the specific pose data matching the pose recognized by the human pose recognizing section, by referencing the database, and a manipulating section that applies a manipulation to the image on the basis of the effect manipulation data associated with the specific pose data found by the matching section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program, in particular, an image processing system, an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program which make it possible to automatically perform image processing suited to the position and pose of a human in an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, during an operation of performing image processing on an image in which a human appears, and applying an effect (special effect manipulation) to the human, it is necessary for the operator who performs the image processing to judge where the human is located in the image, and what kind of effect should be applied to the human. For example, to apply an effect that creates a greater sense of dashing forward movement to an image in which a human who is dashing forward appears, it is necessary to perform steps such as identifying the position of the human in the image, and selecting an effect suited to the pose of the human. In the related art, those steps are performed manually by the operator.
On the other hand, computer-graphics generated animated images are built on the basis of scenario information describing camera works, character movements, and the like. Therefore, by using the scenario information, effects can be semi-automatically applied to computer-graphics generated animated images (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4245433). However, since so-called actual-captured images actually captured with an image capturing apparatus are not images based on such scenario information, it is difficult to apply effects to such actual-captured images semi-automatically.
A technique exists which applies a manipulation to a face region recognized from an image by using a face recognition technique. In the case of manipulation using a face recognition technique, although only a face region is subject to manipulation in many cases, for example, a manipulation can be applied to the body portion through application of a rule that a body exists below a face region. However, depending on the pose of a human, such manipulation using a face recognition technique often results in a manipulated image that looks unnatural.
For example, referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a description will be given of an example of effect that puts clothing on a human in an image by using a face recognition technique.
As shown in FIG. 1A, when the rule that a body exists below a face region is applied to an input image P1 in which a human in a vertically oriented pose appears, to apply an effect that superimposes a clothing image P2, this results in an output image P3 that looks relatively natural. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the rule that a body exists below a face region is applied to an input image P1′ in which a human in a horizontally oriented pose appears, to apply the effect that superimposes the clothing image P2, this results in an output image P3′ that looks unnatural.
Even when image processing is performed in this way to apply an effect suited to a human in an image by using a face recognition technique, it is difficult to obtain a result suited to the position or pose of the human in the image.

Image processing system, image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program


The invention provides for a domain-exchanged antibody comprising a light chain (LC) composed of VL-CH3, and a heavy chain (HC) comprising VH-CH3-CH2-CH3, wherein the VL-CH3 of the LC is dimerising with the VH-CH3 of the HC thereby forming a domain-exchanged LC/HC dimer comprising a CH3LC/CH3HC domain pair, and means and method for producing the same.

Monoclonal antibodies have been widely used as therapeutic binding agents. The basic antibody structure will be explained here using as example an intact IgG1 immunoglobulin.
Two identical heavy (H) and two identical light (L) chains combine to form the Y-shaped antibody molecule. The heavy chains each have four domains. The amino terminal variable domains (VH) are at the tips of the Y. These are followed by three constant domains: CH1, CH2, and the carboxy-terminal CH3, at the base of the Y's stem. A short stretch, the switch, connects the heavy chain variable and constant regions. The hinge connects CH2 and CH3 (the Fc fragment) to the remainder of the antibody (the Fab fragments). One Fc and two identical Fab fragments can be produced by proteolytic cleavage of the hinge in an intact antibody molecule. The light chains are constructed of two domains, variable (VL) and constant (CL), separated by a switch.
Disulfide bonds in the hinge region connect the two heavy chains. The light chains are coupled to the heavy chains by additional disulfide bonds. Asn-linked carbohydrate moieties are attached at different positions in constant domains depending on the class of immunoglobulin. For IgG1 two disulfide bonds in the hinge region, between Cys235 and Cys238 pairs, unite the two heavy chains. The light chains are coupled to the heavy chains by two additional disulfide bonds, between Cys229s in the CH1 domains and Cys214s in the CL domains. Carbohydrate moieties are attached to Asn306 of each CH2, generating a pronounced bulge in the stem of the Y.
These features have profound functional consequences. The variable regions of both the heavy and light chains (VH) and (VL) lay at the N-terminal region, i.e. the "tips" of the Y, where they are positioned to react with antigen. This tip of the molecule is the side on which the N-terminus of the amino acid sequence is located. The stem of the Y projects in a way to efficiently mediate effector functions such as the activation of complement and interaction with Fc receptors, or ADCC and ADCP. Its CH2 and CH3 domains bulge to facilitate interaction with effector proteins. The C-terminus of the amino acid sequence is located on the opposite side of the tip, which can be termed "bottom" of the Y.
Two types of light chain, termed lambda (λ) and kappa (κ), are found in antibodies. A given immunoglobulin either has κ chains or λ chains, never one of each. No functional difference has been found between antibodies having λ or κ light chains.
Each domain in an antibody molecule has a similar structure of two beta sheets packed tightly against each other in a compressed antiparallel beta barrel. This conserved structure is termed the immunoglobulin fold. The immunoglobulin fold of constant domains contains a 3-stranded sheet packed against a 4-stranded sheet. The fold is stabilized by hydrogen bonding between the beta strands of each sheet, by hydrophobic bonding between residues of opposite sheets in the interior, and by a disulfide bond between the sheets. The 3-stranded sheet comprises strands C, F, and G, and the 4-stranded sheet has strands A, B, E, and D. The letters A through G denote the sequential positions of the beta strands along the amino acid sequence of the immunoglobulin fold.
The fold of variable domains has 9 beta strands arranged in two sheets of 4 and 5 strands. The 5-stranded sheet is structurally homologous to the 3-stranded sheet of constant domains, but contains the extra strands C′ and C″. The remainder of the strands (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) have the same topology and similar structure as their counterparts in constant domain immunoglobulin folds. A disulfide bond links strands B and F in opposite sheets, as in constant domains.
The variable domains of both light and heavy immunoglobulin chains contain three hypervariable loops, or complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). The three CDRs of a V domain (CDR1, CDR2, CDR3) cluster at one end of the beta barrel. The CDRs are loops that connect beta strands B-C, C′-C″, and F-G of the immunoglobulin fold. The residues in the CDRs vary from one immunoglobulin molecule to the next, imparting antigen specificity to each antibody.
The VL and VH domains at the tips of antibody molecules are closely packed such that the 6 CDRs (3 on each domain) cooperate in constructing a surface (or cavity) for antigen-specific binding. The natural antigen binding site of an antibody thus is composed of the loops which connect strands B-C, C′-C″, and F-G of the light chain variable domain and strands B-C, C′-C″, and F-G of the heavy chain variable domain.
The loops which are not CDR-loops in a native immunoglobulin, or not part of the antigen-binding pocket as determined by the CDR loops and optionally adjacent loops within the CDR loop region, do not have antigen binding or epitope binding specificity, but contribute to the correct folding of the entire immunoglobulin molecule and/or its effector or other functions and are therefore called structural loops.
Prior art documents show that the immunoglobulin-like scaffold has been employed so far for the purpose of manipulating the existing antigen binding site, thereby introducing novel binding properties. In most cases the CDR regions have been engineered for antigen binding, in other words, in the case of the immunoglobulin fold, only the natural antigen binding site has been modified in order to change its binding affinity or specificity. A vast body of literature exists which describes different formats of such manipulated immunoglobulins, frequently expressed in the form of single-chain Fv fragments (scFv) or Fab fragments, either displayed on the surface of phage particles or solubly expressed in various prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression systems.
WO2006/072620A1 describes a method of engineering an immunoglobulin which comprises a modification in a structural loop region to obtain new antigen binding sites. This method is broadly applicable to immunoglobulins and may be used to produce a library of immunoglobulins targeting a variety of antigens. A CH3 library has been shown to be useful for selecting specific library members which are capable of binding an antigen through the structural loops. Such structural loop binders are herein also referred to as "immune" CH3. According to an example, a Fab-like structure has been engineered which includes immune CH3 domains to substitute for the CH1 and CL domains.
Specific bispecific antibodies antibody constructs are currently in development for improved therapeutics. Bivalent IgG depends upon dimerization of its heavy chains, mediated by homodimeric association of its CH3 domains.
Davis et al (Protein Engineering, Design & Selection 2010, 23(4) 195-202) describe a heterodimeric Fc platform that supports the design of bispecific and asymmetric fusion proteins by using strand-exchange engineered domain (SEED) CH3 heterodiomers. These derivatives of human IgG and IgA CH3 domains create complementary human SEED CH3 heterodimers that are composed of alternating segments of human IgA and IgG sequences. The SEED engineering is further described in EP1999154B1. WO 2010/136172 A1 discloses tri- or tetra specific antibodies that comprise one or two single-chain Fac connected to the C-terminus of the Fc part of the antibody.
Peipp et al. (1 Jan. 2007, Handbook of Therapeutic Antibodies, pp 171-196) provides an overview on Fc engineering.
Beck et al, (Nature Reviews Immunology, vol. 10, no. 5, 1 May 2010, pp 345-352) describes next generation therapeutic antibodies, and particularly refers to different types of bispecific antibodies.
Ridgway et al. (Protein Engineering, vol. 9, no. 7, 1996, pp 617-621) describes "knobs into-holes" engineering of antibody CH3 domains for heavy chain heterodimerization.
Atwell et al. (Journal Of Molecular Biology, vol. 270, no. 1, 1997, pp 26-35) describes combination of interface residues for antibody CH3 domains that promote the formation of stable CH3 heterodimers, including "knob" and "hole" mutants.
Davis et al. (Protein Engineering Design And Selection, vol. 23, no. 4, 2010, pp 195-202) and WO 2007/110205 A2 describe SEEDbodies which are fusion proteins based on strand-exchange engineered domain (SEED) CH3 heterodimers and bispecific antibodies.
Gunasekaran et al. (Journal Of Biological Chemistry, vol. 285, no. 25, 2010, pp 19637-19646) describe enhancing antibody Fc heterodimer formation through electrostatic steering effects and novel Fc mutations to charge polyrity across the Fc dimer interface.
Von Kreudenstein et al. (Landes Bioscience, vol. 5, no. 5, 2013, pp 646-654) describe a bispecific antibody scaffold based on a heterodimeric Fc engineered for stability.


A system, method and computer program that enables an application designer to automate the process of development of computational logic based applications. The designer develops the computational logic based applications by modeling. The process of development of applications by modeling does not require any coding. The modeling activity is accomplished by using the visual modeling environment, which among other tools comprises a set of pre-built reusable components. Each component represents a dimension of functionality that is commonly required in software applications. The designer specifies application-specific context for the components. Components when provided with application specific context become tasks. The tasks are then connected together in a logical order to develop an application. The applications thus developed are then visually verified. These applications are then executed by a Model Network Engine.

The present invention relates to the field of developing software applications that involve mathematical computations.
Many industries such as financial services, insurance, utilities, energy, research, industrials, etc. involve the use of mathematical computations in their operational activities. Applications that support these activities, therefore, need to support computational logic to perform these functions. Computational logic can be defined as a network of computational models linked in a logical manner. Here, a computational model signifies a mathematical expression.
In many instances, these computations need to be performed real-time to respond to a request from a prospect, for example, when a prospect requests a quote for insurance and thus requires that the computations be performed in a quick and efficient manner. Another example is when a potential customer applies for a credit card on a web site. Real time execution of requests of a large number of users (from a large number of access locations) is a challenging task. Simulation and solution of these real world problems require highly complex coding. Typically these applications are developed to cater to the specific needs like—credit assessment, insurance premiums, investment rating, market research, sales and operations. In some cases, these computational models represent the core of the company's offering. Therefore the speed with which new products can be introduced is largely dependent on the speed with which the required computational models can be implemented. This implies the need for flexibility in the way these models are implemented.
The conventional way to incorporate these computational models in applications comprises two stages. The first stage involves generation of a model and the second stage involves implementation of the generated model to carry out computations. The generation of models involves using a statistical or judgmental methodology to discern a pattern that best explains and predicts a phenomenon. For example, parametric statistical models like regression models are developed using statistical applications such as SAS based on a set of sample data. After the model is developed, the regression model is implemented to carry out the planned computations. The implementation stage involves implementing the regression model created in the generation stage. Implementation of the regression model includes creating a software application that is used in day-to-day operations to perform the computations.
A typical way of implementing these computational model based applications is to code the regression models. A conventional way to code the regression models is to go through a conventional software development lifecycle (SDLC) whether through a code generator or otherwise. The SDLC is illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the Software Development life Cycle (SDLC) consists of various stages as an idea gets converted into a software application. At each stage, output from the previous stage is translated to serve the purpose of the current stage. In such a cycle, in most cases, unless one stage of the cycle is complete, next stage cannot be started. Also, with each translation, substantial effort is required to preserve full information and knowledge from the previous stage. Thus, a significant amount of overhead is created at each stage. As a result, traditional SDLC based development of software applications is cumbersome and time consuming.
Yet another problem faced with the code developed in the traditional manner is debugging. It is very expensive and time consuming to trace errors in a code that implements complex logic applications. Also, testing the code on the system incrementally is not possible in some cases. Testing the code is possible only when the entire code has been written. Such a limitation could make the code worthless after it is completely developed.
To overcome the abovementioned drawbacks, substantial efforts have been directed in making the SDLC effective, fast and predictable. These efforts can be classified in two broad categories—methodological approaches and automation approaches. The methodological approaches are aimed at improving the communication and translation between various stages of the lifecycle by standardizing them and reducing the redundancies across application development efforts. The automation approaches are aimed at automating one or more stages of the cycle.
The automation approaches are directed towards automating code generation and testing. Testing tools can reduce the physical testing efforts significantly. However, these tools are based on the creation of test cases. Thus, testing by these tools is a tedious and time-consuming task. Also, these testing tools are focused on reducing the effort in testing instead of eliminating the need for testing.
In the 1980s, efforts directed towards automated code generation and testing tools resulted in the emergence of Computer Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) tools. However, these tools were not successful as they were based on weak conceptual models.
Though application development technology has advanced considerably in terms of methodological approaches and automation approaches, it still faces a number of fundamental issues. These issues are related to time to market, availability of skilled resources, rapid changes in technology environments and heterogeneity.
Time to market is one of the most important issues. Earlier, it was common to put years in developing applications. However, such durations have now become unacceptable and put organizations at a serious disadvantage. The second issue with application development is the unavailability of trained resources (people). There is a general shortage of adequately trained resources and this greatly contributes to the delays and failures in application development. Moreover, development of computational model based applications requires special skill sets. In addition to knowledge of software programming, programmers are required to have skills related to mathematical models. Compounding this issue is the rapid obsolescence of skill sets with newer technologies. For example, a few years ago, C++ programmers were sought after and now they have to retool to be Java programmers. The third issue with application development relates to the heterogeneity of technologies. In the last two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the rate at which new products and technologies have been introduced. This dramatic increase in new technologies has led to an increased heterogeneity. The heterogeneity in technology infrastructure is often a major issue in most corporations and often influences their purchasing decision in favor of one technology over another. Organizations have to balance a unified infrastructure with availability of the desired functionality on that infrastructure. The fourth issue with application development relates to modifying and scaling an installed computational model based application. Once an application is developed and installed, modifying the application is a complex task that requires a considerable amount of trained resources.
In addition to the abovementioned issues, there is another major issue that application development technologies have not addressed. Most approaches to application development are functionally oriented. Process, often thought of as workflow, is mistakenly viewed as distinct and separate from functions or tasks. For example, a computational model based application is viewed as a collection of distinct mathematical functions.
The abovementioned issues make the development of computational model based applications a tedious, expensive and time-consuming task.
The prior art products and patents mentioned below attempt to solve some of the problems, encountered in the traditional way of developing applications that implement computational logic.
One such product line is G_MATH and G_FFT for Delphi by Sigma Softwares located in Maryland, United States. G_MATH helps in creating interactive mathematical, financial, and scientific applications using pre-designed and crafted functions. G_FFT allows one to perform Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). The user provides a problem description for a mathematical expression to the system in detail. The system includes an expression evaluator that supports variables and parameters. The expression evaluator assists in the execution of expressions.
Another product is Tau Generation2 Tools by Telelogic located in California, United States. Telelogic Tau Generation2 is a family of software development and testing tools. These tools support the software development lifecycle that includes system analysis, specification to real-time software design, implementation and testing. A model-driven software development is used in these tools. Tau Generation2 provides a visual modeling environment that allows engineers to specify system architecture, design and behavior using the industry standard visual development language, UML 2.0. System specifications and designs to be modeled are analyzed and verified at early stages of the SDLC.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,276, titled, "System And Method For Financial Instrument Modeling And Valuation" deals with similar issues. This patent is assigned to Scicomp, Inc. located in Texas, United States. This patent discloses a system and a method for application development for mathematical computations. The user provides a concise mathematical description of the problem to be solved in a problem specification language. The mathematical problem could involve a single mathematical expression or a complex combination of many mathematical expressions. Once the problem has been defined, a pseudo code is automatically generated by the system. Further, from the pseudo code a source code is automatically generated. This source code forms the entire software application for a mathematical problem.
All the patents and products mentioned above require the software developer to do some coding or involve the generation of code. They either require the application developer to write the code or they generate the code in specific language(s) using models that are created by the application developer. Models are created by the application developer in a specific language. None of these patents or products incorporates support for computational logic in applications without any code generation. Since, the end product is a code in a programming language, these environments still require substantial amount of programming skills and ongoing maintenance. In addition, any modification in a developed application requires a significant amount of time. Moreover, these solutions do not provide an easy means to visualize the logic and avoid the time and effort needed to internalize computational logic from the code. Also, these patents and products trace through the SDLC step by step to develop an application. As a result, these patents and products take a long time to develop applications.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method that addresses all the abovementioned issues.

System and method for device developing model networks purely by modelling as meta-data in a software application


A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for validating electronic distribution transactions and reducing non-compliant electronic distribution transactions. A distribution application enables users to enter details relating to a retirement account distribution. A tax service integrated with the distribution application provides scenario-specific tax withholding information, and enforces relevant tax withholding rules. A user provides withholding information and the system ensures compliance by validating the transaction against the withholding rules. The system displays to the user any errors that need to be corrected, and a breakdown of the proceeds from the transaction. The tax service is implemented remotely from the distribution application so that changing tax regulations may be implemented into the tax service without impacting the distribution application. The tax service may utilize a customer's state of residence, age (and/or date of birth), and citizenship status to calculate and validate tax withholding information and required minimum distribution rules.

Custodians, financial institutions, and related service providers may provide a self-service website or application to enable customers to electronically withdraw money from their investment accounts. Similar applications may be used to withdraw funds from individual retirement accounts (IRAs). However, complicated federal and state laws relating to IRAs place many custodians and transaction facilitators at risk of violating such laws. Because conventional online systems are unable to incorporate those laws or factor their effects into those systems, conventional online systems block such transactions from occurring online, and instead prompt customers (e.g., users), to abandon their online transaction and instead call customer service in order to complete their transaction.
During a phone call with a customer requesting a distribution, customer service representatives may reference the various federal and state laws, depending on the state of residence of the account owner, requiring a lengthy process and/or extensive knowledge on the part of the customer service representative to enforce the relevant regulations. Additionally, the customer service representatives may introduce human error such that the custodian or provider fails to comply with the applicable tax laws.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for validating electronic distribution transactions and reducing non-compliant electronic distribution transactions


A method and apparatus for applying tape tabs to a traveling web of material, for example, placement of tape tabs on a running web of disposable undergarments. A pair of wheels each has a protuberance come in contact with the running web of material, which comes in contact with an infeeding tape web. The invention allows placement of tape tabs at asymmetrical spacings, where placement of the tape from contact of the first wheel and protuberance may not be equally or centrally spaced from placement of the tape by the second wheel and protuberance.

The present invention relates to processes and apparatus for applying tabs to traveling webs, and more specifically to application of multiple tabs to a traveling web. The invention has particular applicability to the manufacture of disposable diapers.
The history of cutting and applying tape tabs to disposable diaper webs is now in its fourth decade. Over the course of that time, various types of automatic manufacturing equipment have been developed which produce the desired results with a variety of materials and configurations. This equipment generally included window-knife and slip-and-cut applicators, each having their own advantages and limitations.
Window-knife applicators are comprised of: one or more rotating heads, each made up of a knife edge and a vacuum plate; a more or less stationary knife, which is configured with a hole (window); and a tape transfer mechanism. Typically, the rotating heads are mechanically configured so as to eliminate head rotation relative to the stationary knife. Each head is passed, once per cycle, across the face of the stationary window knife, through which the infeeding tape is passed. The rotating knife shears the extended length of tape against the sharp inner edge of the hole (window), after which the severed segment is held by the vacuum plate. The rotating head, with the segment of tape held in place by the vacuum plate, continues through its rotation to a point, usually 90 degrees later, where it contacts the traveling web, which is pressed against the exposed adhesive of the tape segment. This contact, usually against some backing device, effects a transfer of the tape tab from the vacuum plate to the traveling web, which then carries the tape tab downstream.
Window-knife applicators have a few shortcomings, among which are: the difficulty in feeding tape webs with little axial stiffness; the tendency of the infeeding tape to adhere to the window knife-edge; and for exposed adhesive to contaminate the surfaces of the window knife. For effective cutting, some degree of interference between the cutting edges is necessary between the moving and stationary knife faces, so to minimize impact, precision in manufacturing must be maintained and provision must be made for a degree of resiliency. While applicators of this type have been tested to speeds of 1000 cuts per minute, the maximum practical speed capability of current designs is approximately 750 cuts per minute.
Slip-and-cut applicators are typically comprised of (a) a cylindrical rotating vacuum anvil (b) a rotating knife roll and (c) a transfer device. In typical applications, a tape web is fed at a relatively low speed along the vacuum face of the rotating anvil, which is moving at a relatively higher surface speed and upon which the tape web is allowed to "slip". A knife-edge, mounted on the rotating knife roll, cuts a segment of tape from the tape web against the anvil face. This knife-edge is preferably moving at a surface velocity similar to that of the anvil's circumference. Once cut, the tape tab is held by vacuum drawn through holes on the anvil's face as it is carried at the anvil's speed downstream to the transfer point where the tape segment is transferred to the traveling web.
A common problem with slip-and-cut applicators lies in the tendency to accumulate various contaminants on their anvil surfaces. This is most frequently seen in the form of the release compounds found on the non-adhesive side of tape, which is shipped on pre-wound rolls. Where die-cut tapes are fed onto the surfaces of slip-and-cut applicators, it is common to also see an accumulation of adhesive contamination, as the adhesive has been exposed at the tape edges by the die-cutting process. The difference in speed between the tape web and the anvil tends to "wipe" adhesive from the tape web. Contamination of the anvil, whether by release compounds or by fugitive adhesive, interferes with the regularity of slip occurring between the tape and the anvil, causing registration and cut accuracy problems. Frequent cleaning is necessary to maintain any level of productivity.
Another problem associated with slip-and-cut applicators occurs at the point of cut. Since the web being cut is traveling at a very low velocity compared to the anvil and knife velocity (perhaps 1/20th), the engagement of the knife with the tape web tends to induce a high tensile strain in the tape web. Having been placed under such a high level of stress, the tape web can recoil violently when the cut is finally completed, causing loss of control of the tape web. This "snap-back" effect increases with the thickness of the tape web. Thicker webs tend to prolong the duration of engagement with the knife before completion of the cut, thereby increasing the build-up of strain. This is a common process problem that is usually addressed by the provision of various shock-absorbing devices. One possible solution might have been to reduce the surface velocity of the knife, but substantially different velocities between the knife and anvil result in rapid wear of the knife edge and/or anvil face, depending on relative hardness.
Continual improvements and competitive pressures have incrementally increased the operational speeds of disposable diaper converters. As speeds increased, the mechanical integrity and operational capabilities of the applicators had to be improved accordingly. As a further complication, the complexity of the tape tabs being attached has also increased. Consumer product manufacturers are offering tapes which are die-cut to complex profiles and which may be constructed of materials incompatible with existing applicators. For instance, a proposed tape tab may be a die-profiled elastic textile, instead of a typical straight-cut stiff-paper and plastic type used in the past. Consequently, a manufacturer may find itself with a window-knife applicator, which cannot feed a tape web with too little axial stiffness. It could also find itself with a slip-and-cut applicator, which cannot successfully apply die-cut tape segments. Furthermore, existing applicators cannot successfully apply tapes whose boundaries are fully profiled, as may be desired to eliminate sharp corners, which might irritate a baby's delicate skin. This demonstrates a clear need for an improved applicator capable of applying new tape configurations and overcoming other shortcomings of some prior art applicators.
To overcome these shortcomings, Parish et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,325), which has been assigned to the same assignee as the present application, discloses an applicator and method that allows tape tabs to be applied to a running web of material, even when the web of tape tab material is moving at a different speed than the web of material. A protuberance acting against the web of material brings the web into contact with the tape tabs and adheres the tape tabs to the web. While this invention adequately solved many of the problems of the prior art, it did not address the placement of non-uniformly distributed tape tabs on the web of material.

Multiple tape application method and apparatus


Disclosed is a slide pen. The slide pen includes (a) a pen core having a nib, (b) a tubular pen core slider having an open lower end, a pen core coupler, and guide ridges formed at an upper portion thereof, so as to allow the nib of the pen core to protrude through the lower end thereof and to allow the pen core to be held and coupled therein, and (c) a body casing having a tubular upper portion formed with a guide slot so as to allow the guide ridges of the pen core slider to vertically move and be fixed, a tubular intermediate portion being partially open such that the pen core slider is held inside so as to allow the outer circumference of the pen core slider to be exposed outside, and a conical lower portion having an open lower end so as to allow the nib of the pen core to be moved in and out. Thereby, when the guide ridges of the pen core slider vertically move in the guide slot of the upper portion of the body casing, the pen core slider slides in the body casing, and the nib of the pen core coupled to the pen core coupler of the pen core slider comes in and out through the lower end of the body casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a slide pen having a pen core, a pen core slider, and a body casing, in which the pen core is moved in and out by means of the movement of a pen core slider coupled with a pen core held in the body casing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a writing implement comprises a pen core and spring, a pen core case, an operating button, and upper and lower cases.
In order to use the writing implement having this operating button, the operating button, located at an upper portion of the writing implement, is pressed to protrude the pen core. When use of the writing implement is complete, the operating button is again pressed to retract the pen core. Thereby, the writing implement enters a portable state.
This operating button is usually adapted to operate a lock and gear to protrude or retract the pen core.
More specifically, in a state where the lock and gear, which are interlocked with each other, are seated in a hooking recess in the upper case, when a user applies a predetermined force to the operating button, the lock and gear are detached from the locking recess, and thus rotate and move forward in the direction in which the operating button is pressed.
Then, when no force is applied to the operating button, the lock and gear rotate, and a protrusion of the gear is hooked on a hooked step of the upper case. This operation causes the pen core to be pushed downward by the force applied to the lock, and thereby the pen core protrudes outside the lower case.
In the opposite case, upon completion of use of the writing implement, when the user applies a predetermined force to the operating button again, the lock and gear are detached from the hooked step, and rotate and move forward in the direction in which the operating button is pressed.
Then, when no force is applied to the operating button, the lock and gear rotate, and are seated in the hooking recess of the upper case. This operation causes a resilient portion to be recovered from elastic deformation, and thereby the pen core is retracted into the lower case.
However, most of these lock-type writing implements include four or five constituent pieces, such as the pen core case, the operating button, the upper and lower cases, and so on, that is, they have many parts and a complicated structure, so that the production cost thereof is high, and assembly is difficult.


Palladum-phosphine complexes obtained by reacting a 5 compound of formula (1) below with a palladium compound: F(I) (wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or a phenyl group which may be substituted; R2 and R3 are each, the same or different, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or a phenyl group which may be substituted; R4 and R5 are each, the same or different, a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group or a phenyl group which may be substituted; R6, R7, R8 and R9 are each, the same or different, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a phenyl group which may be substituted, an alkoxyl group, a dialkylamino group, a halogen atom, a phenyl group, a benzyl group, a naphthyl group or a halogenated alkyl group; R6 and R7, R8 and R9 may be combined to form, each, a fused ring, a trimethylene group, a tetramethylene group or a 20 methylenedioxy group; p, q, r and s are each an integer of 0 to 5; and p+q, and r+s are each in the range of 0 to 5.), which is a novel and efficient catalyst for manufacturing various useful compounds

At present many transition metal complexes have been used as catalysts for organic synthetic reactions. It is well known that the ligand plays a very important role, together with the transition metals as the central metals, as a factor to make full use of the performance or activity of those catalysts. Many phosphine compounds, for example, have been developed as the ligands and have had a key role as such.
The most important thing is to constitute an optimal catalyst for each of the various kinds of reactions and substrates. However, the combination of the central metal and the phosphine ligand, constituting the catalyst, is so complex that the known phosphine ligands may, in some cases, be insufficient without, for example, yielding enough catalytic activity for use in the practical industrial production. Thus, development of excellent novel phosphine ligands is still eagerly desired.

Phosphine compound, its intermediate, its complex with palladium and a manufacturing method of unsaturated compounds by using the palladium complex


To combat the formation of ice on an aerofoil, several resistive elements each consisting of electrically conducting fibers parallel to the leading edge and through which an electric current is made to flow to dissipate heat by a Joule effect are incorporated into this aerofoil close to its leading edge. In order to obtain a thermal power which can vary along the leading edge, the resistive elements are produced by superposing several layers of conducting fibers, at least one of which layers has a constant width, and at least one other of which has a width which varies continuously along the leading edge, but remains smaller than said constant width.

The problem of icing on aerofoils is well known in the aeronautics industry. The shape of the aerofoils may be altered on account of the formation of ice that occurs because during flight, the aerofoil encounters droplets of supercooled water contained in the atmosphere.
This problem is often dealt with by equipping the aerofoil with a Joule-effect heating structure. A distinction is made between "deicers", in which the resistive elements that dissipate heat are powered intermittently to remove the ice that regularly forms, and "anti-icing devices", in which the resistive elements are powered continuously to prevent ice from forming. Although the present invention is explained hereafter in its application to anti-icing devices, by way of an illustration, it will be understood that it is also applicable to deicers.
Usually, the heating structure consists of metal resistors. These metal resistors pose problems of mechanical integrity, particularly for aerofoils that are made of composite material, of tolerance to damage (multiple redundancy is needed to ensure that the breakage of one metal resistor does not prevent the entire device from functioning), of uniform heating per unit area, and of corrosion.
In order to limit the occurrence of these problems, it has been proposed that use be made of a composite deicer in which the resistive elements are composed of carbon fibers (see French Patent 2 578 377). These resistive elements form strips of carbon fibers which preferably run along the leading edge of the aerofoil.
The invention finds a particular application in the field of helicopter blades.
A number of complex physical phenomena are involved, often in conflicting ways, in the thermal behavior, the accumulation and the deicing of a blade. To make the explanations clear, these will be limited here to describing the simplest phenomena, and they will be considered independent of one another:
a) there is more kinetic heating caused by the rotation of a blade in the air at its tip than there is at the root of the blade. This means that the power to be provided per unit area to give thermal protection tends to decrease toward the blade tip; PA1 b) the convective heat exchange coefficients are higher at the blade tip because of the higher rotational speed. With all else being equal, furthermore, this phenomenon means that the power to be provided per unit area for thermal protection is higher at the tip; PA1 c) the accumulation volume is greater at the blade tip because the particles of supercooled water have less tendency to be deflected by the aerodynamic flow around the aerofoil when the relative speeds increase. Taken in isolation, this phenomenon requires a higher thermal power per unit area at the blade tip; PA1 d) simulations (codes and testing) of the thermal behavior of an anti-iced blade section show that under certain flight conditions (flying in dry air with the anti-icer running), the temperatures reached within the blade exceed the permissible limits for the resins of which this blade is made. These codes are then used to solve the opposite problem and calculate the thermal power per unit area that is permissible in order not to exceed these "critical" temperatures for the resins. The change obtained in the thermal power per unit area is the opposite to case "a" above because the phenomenon in dry air is governed by convective exchanges, which leads to a reduction in the heating power per unit area which is greater at the blade root than at the tip.
It should be noted that in general, the pilot does not have a sufficiently reliable detector of ice formation available to him. Thus, when he finds himself in conditions that may cause icing (finds himself approaching icing clouds, etc.), he switches on the anti-icing device in anticipation: the air may still be dry though. Under these conditions, there is the risk that the anti-icing device will be too effective and will give rise to excessive blade temperatures. These conditions therefore need to be taken into consideration when designing the anti-icing device.
Taking the various relevant phenomena into account, the aerodynamicists and the thermodynamicists are laying down specifications regarding the change in thermal power per unit area to be provided over the surface of the aerofoil. In order to obtain a variation in thermal power per unit area perpendicular to the direction of the strips, it is possible to envisage thicknesses of carbon that differ from one strip to another. To obtain a variation parallel to a strip, common practice is to interrupt some of the layers of fibers of which the strip is formed at certain positions along the strip, which leads to thicknesses and electrical resistances that differ in successive portions. This approach causes sharp variations in power per unit area and does not readily allow the thermal specifications to be met.

Resistive elements for heating an aerofoil, and device for heating an aerofoil incorporating such elements


A management apparatus which manages a parameter for an industrial device acquires AGA measurement results obtained by operating the industrial device with an operation job parameter value and non-operation job parameter value. An inspection apparatus acquires an “inspection result” obtained by inspecting the result of operating the industrial device in the operation job. A change in inspection result upon a change in parameter value is estimated on the basis of the AGA measurement result and inspection result. A variable which minimizes (extreme) both or at least one of the sensitivity (slope) of the inspection result upon a change in parameter value and variations (3σ) in inspection result between objects to be processed (e.g., wafers) is set as an optimal parameter.

Circuit micropatterning and an increase in density require a projection exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device to project a circuit pattern formed on a reticle surface onto a wafer surface at a higher resolving power. The circuit pattern projection resolving power depends on the NA (Numerical Aperture) of a projection optical system and the exposure wavelength. The resolving power is increased by increasing the NA of the projection optical system or shortening the exposure wavelength. As for the latter method, the exposure light source is shifting from g-line to i-line, and further from i-line to an excimer laser. With the excimer laser, exposure apparatuses having oscillation wavelengths of 248 nm and 193 nm are available.
At present, a VUV (Vacuum Ultra Violet) exposure method with a shorter oscillation wavelength of 157 nm and an EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) exposure method with a wavelength around 13 nm are examined as candidates for next-generation exposure systems.
Along with circuit micropatterning, demands have also arisen for aligning at a high precision a reticle on which a circuit pattern is formed and a wafer onto which the circuit pattern is projected. The necessary precision is ⅓ the circuit line width. For example, the necessary precision in a current 180-nm design rule is ⅓, i.e., 60 nm.
Various device structures have been proposed and examined for commercial use. With the spread of personal computers and the like, micropatterning has shifted from memories such as a DRAM to CPU chips. For further IT revolution, circuits will be further micropatterned by the development of MMIC (Millimeter-wave Monolithic Integrated Circuits) and the like used in communication system devices called a home wireless LAN and Bluetooth, highway traffic systems (ITS: Intelligent Transport Systems) represented by a car radar using a frequency of 77 GHz, and wireless access system LMDSs (Local Multipoint Distribution Services) using a frequency of 24 to 38 GHz.
There are also proposed various semiconductor device manufacturing processes. As a planarization technique which solves an insufficient depth of the exposure apparatus, the W-CMP (Tungsten Chemical Mechanical Polishing) process has already been known as a past technique. Instead, a Cu dual damascene process has received a great deal of attention.
Various semiconductor device structures and materials are used. For example, there are proposed a P-HEMT (Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor) and M-HEMT (Metamorphe-HEMT) which are formed by combining compounds such as GaAs and InP, and an HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) using SiGe, SiGeC, and the like.
Under the present circumstance of the semiconductor industry, many apparatus variables (=parameters) must be set in correspondence with each exposure method and each product in the use of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus such as an exposure apparatus. The number of parameters to be optimized is very large, and these parameters are not independent of each other but are closely related to each other.
These parameter values have conventionally been decided by trial and error by the person in charge of a device manufacturer. A long time is taken to decide optimal parameters. If, e.g., a process error occurs after the parameter values are decided, the parameter values of the manufacturing apparatus must be changed again along with a corresponding change in the manufacturing process. Also in this case, a long time is taken to set parameters.
Parameter values are decided as offsets from the results of an overlay inspection apparatus that are obtained by exposing several send-ahead wafers. Parameter values are optimized without considering the sensitivity to process variations.
In the semiconductor device production, the time which can be taken until the start of volume production after the activation of a manufacturing apparatus is limited. The time which can be taken to decide each parameter value is also limited. In terms of CoO (Cost of Ownership), the operating time of the manufacturing apparatus must be prolonged. To change a parameter value which has already been decided, it must be quickly changed.
In this situation, it is very difficult to manufacture various semiconductor devices with optimal parameter values. Even a manufacturing apparatus which can originally achieve a high yield can only exhibit a low yield because the apparatus is used without optimizing parameter values, resulting in a potential decrease in yield. Such a decrease in yield leads to a high manufacturing cost, a small shipping amount, and weak competitiveness.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Management system and apparatus, method therefor, and device manufacturing method


In its simplest sense, the present invention provides a uniquely shaped conduit between the primary and secondary cyclones or, in the alternative, between the riser and the primary cyclone, which creates an increase in the suction of the dilute phase vapor beyond that normally available in the reactor vessel, thereby reducing the dilute phase residence time in the vessel, reducing post-riser thermal cracking, hydrogen transfer reactions, and coking tendency of mixture in dilute phase.

The trend in the field of catalytic cracking, and particularly in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), has been to employ high activity catalysts and operate the catalytic cracking process at increasing temperature regimes; for example, at temperatures in the range of about 525.degree. C. to about 555.degree. C. This has necessitated the rapid separation of catalyst from hydrocarbons being converted in the fluid catalytic cracking reactor in order to reduce the contact time of the catalyst with the hydrocarbon products, thereby preventing undesirable excessive cracking of the products in the contacting zone with the concomitant deposition of carbon on the catalyst particles. One method employed in reducing the contact time of the catalyst with the hydrocarbon products involves transferring suspended catalyst and hydrocarbon upwardly through a riser conversion zone (FCC cracking zones) and feeding the catalyst particles suspended in the gaseous phase into a cyclone system attached to the riser. Examples of such systems can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,660, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,814, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,993, U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,060, U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,947, U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,346 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,446.
Alternatively, systems have been proposed in which the riser and cyclone are open to a dilute phase zone in the FCC vessel. Examples of this type of system include U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,066, U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,349, U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,107 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,656.
Notwithstanding the many techniques employed for separating FCC products from catalyst, a need continues to exist for developing new and more efficient systems for decreasing the contact time of hydrocarbon vapor products and catalyst in fluid catalytic cracking vessels. This need is particularly important as the industry shifts toward using heavier feedstocks in process units running at higher temperatures and employing more active catalysts.
An object of the present invention is to provide a process and apparatus to reduce residence time of hydrocarbon conversion products in a fluid catalytic cracking reactor vessel.
It is a further object of the present invention to use the energy of the riser discharge or, in the alternative, the riser cyclone discharge, to actively assist in removing the vapor from the dilute phase in the reactor vessel.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the "Detailed Description of the Invention".

Positive evacuation of FCCU reactor dilute phase volume


A new and distinct Malus domestica apple tree variety named ‘New York 1,’ particularly characterized by having attractive red fruits that are sweet, juicy and have a crisp texture and ripen early mid-season. The fruit of ‘New York 1’ has excellent quality at harvest that it maintains during long storage (100-150 days). Trees are annually productive. ‘New York 1’ was tested as NY 98804-001.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree botanically known as Malus domestica 'New York 1' and hereinafter referred to by the variety denomination of 'New York 1'.
'New York 1' was selected for its precocious fruiting, attractive fruits and excellent fruit quality at harvest and after cold storage. 'New York 1' fruit are very crisp, juicy and sweet.
The new variety was derived from a controlled pollination in 1998 between the apple variety 'Honeycrisp' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,197) and the apple breeding selection NY 752. NY 752 is a hybrid of 'Starkspur Golden Delicious'×NY 88 ('Monroe'בMelrose'). One seedling, designated NY 98804-001, was selected from a population of 381 seedlings on the basis of its attractive fruits, precocity and excellent fruit quality. Pollination, cultivation and selection were conducted in Geneva, N.Y. Additional trees of this seedling were produced by clonal propagation in 2002 and subsequent years afterward in Geneva, N.Y.
NY 98804-001 is being named and released as 'New York 1' and is the subject of this invention.
Asexual reproduction at Geneva, N.Y. by budding of the new cultivar 'New York 1' by the inventors shows that the unique combination of characteristics of asexually propagated trees is true to form and transmitted through succeeding propagations.


The present invention comprises articles of manufacture including a disposable condom and personal container 10 comprising a condom compartment 20 enclosing one or more condoms immersed in either a personal lubricant or sexually stimulating lubricant removably adjoined to at least one lubricant compartment 30. The compartments are constructed of a packaging material comprising properties that conduct heat and hermetically sealed. The condom compartment 20 comprises a seal 25, 28, 29 positioned on the top wall 21 that is removed or opened for the purpose of gaining access to the contents. The seal 28, 29 may be reattached or closed. The personal lubricant compartment 30 comprises a discharge element 43 through which the contents of the compartment are discharged by activating a removable dispenser that fits within the element 43. Prior to discharging the contents, a protective seal 45 enclosed within the element 43 is ruptured. The contents of the compartments 20, 30 may be heated by a device in which the compartments are seated. The temperature of the contents may be monitored with the aid of a temperature sensing aid 14. The container 10 comprises perforations 12 used to detach the compartments. The primary object of the invention is to encourage the use of condoms in sexual activities thereby reducing the spread of disease, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which may result in AIDS, and reducing the risk of pregnancy.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a disposable container comprising a first compartment enclosing one or more condoms and a personal lubricant in which said one or more condoms are immersed, hereinafter referred to as a condom compartment, and at least one other compartment enclosing personal lubricant, hereinafter referred to as a personal lubricant compartment, and a kit comprising at least one condom compartment and at least one associated personal lubricant compartment. In the case of the disposable container the condom compartment is removably adjoined to at least one personal lubricant compartment. The compartments are constructed of a packaging material comprising properties that conduct heat such as aluminum. Each compartment comprises multiple walls hermetically sealed forming an airtight enclosure in which the contents reside. Each compartment comprises an element that aids in the removal of its contents preferably after being heated to a desired temperature by a device in which at least one compartment or the container is seated. In lieu of personal lubricant, the compartments may enclose a sexually stimulating lubricant.
2. Description of Prior Art and Related Art
Containers or kits have been configured to house a condom and liquid material used prior to, in, or after sexual activities. A device has been developed to house a condom and liquid material said device comprising a means to dispense the liquid material. Devices have been developed comprised of an element that heats liquid material contained therein prior to extraction using an exothermic or electric heat source. A device has been developed comprised of an element that heats a liquid material contained therein but only after the liquid material is dispensed on a target area. A device has been developed to house articles to be dispensed but only after a liquid material contained within the device is applied to an article and heated prior to dispensing the moistened, heated article. The prior art hereinafter discussed is limited to articles of manufacture that house one or more condoms, a liquid material used in sexual activities or a condom and a liquid material used in sexual activities and devices that heat a liquid material contained therein either prior to or after removal of the liquid material or heat a pre-moistened article contained within the device prior to removal of the article from the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,521 B2 issued in June of 2004 to McCleskey et al., titled "Combination Prophylactic and Sanitizer," principally describes an invention combining a packaged prophylactic with a packaged sanitizer. The McCleskey invention claims a combination prophylactic and sanitizer comprising at least one disposable package containing at least one prophylactic and at least one disposable package containing at least one sanitizer said packages may be removably secured to each other. An alternative embodiment of the McCleskey invention claims a separate package used as a receptacle into which used/contaminated prophylactics or sanitizers are placed.
The McCleskey invention combines at least one disposable package containing at least one prophylactic and at least one disposable package containing at least one sanitizer. The term "sanitizer" is defined in the McCleskey specification. A sanitizer is a disposable towelette, napkin, wipe, and/or swab pre-moistened with a sterilizing agent, lubricant, or spermicidal. The specification further provides that although a sanitizer is preferably a pre-moistened towelette, it is contemplated in an alternate embodiment that a sanitizer may be a self-contained liquid/gel sterilizing agent (without towelette). However, the specification does not provide that a sanitizer may be a self-contained liquid used in sexual activities (without towelette) other than a self-contained liquid/gel antiseptic or sterilizing agent The present invention discloses multiple disposable compartments each compartment enclosing a liquid material, such as personal lubricant. The liquid material residing in either compartment is self-contained, that is, without towelette. An element of the McCleskey invention, a packaged sanitizer, as defined in the specification, is not an element of the present invention.
The McCleskey specification provides that a prophylactic or sanitizer within a package is manually removed after tearing open the package. The present invention provides that the contents of the condom compartment are manually removed after removing or opening a seal comprising the compartment while the contents of the personal lubricant are mechanically removed with the aid of a removable dispenser positioned within a discharge element of the compartment. In an alternate embodiment the contents of the personal lubricant are removed with the aid of a permanently attached dispenser. An element of the McCleskey invention, manual removal of the contents contained within both packages, is not an element of the present invention.
The McCleskey invention discloses a means to manually reseal a package that contains or contained at least one sanitizer or a receptacle designed to hold used/contaminated prophylactics or sanitizers/towelettes. The McCleskey invention does not provide a means to reseal a package containing at least one prophylactic. The present invention discloses a means to reseal each compartment. If the seal comprising the condom compartment is removed or opened, the seal may be manually reattached or closed. If the seal within the discharge element comprising the personal lubricant compartment is ruptured, the open end of the discharge element may be resealed mechanically with the aid of a dispenser or manually with a cap. Thus, the present invention comprises an element that is not an element of the McCleskey invention, i.e., the condom compartment may be resealed manually whereas the package containing at least one prophylactic is not resealed. Also, an element of the McCleskey invention is not an element of the present invention, i.e., a package containing a sanitizer may be manually resealed whereas the personal lubricant compartment is resealed mechanically or manually.
The McCleskey specification provides that a package containing a prophylactic or sanitizer may be formed from any suitable packaging material including aluminum, plastic, or paper. The present invention comprises a multiple compartments that are formed from a packaging material comprised of properties that conduct heat such as aluminum. The contents of the compartments are heated prior to removal or discharge. An element of the McCleskey invention, packages containing prophylactics or sanitizers may be constructed from material that does not conduct heat, is not an element of the present invention.
The McCleskey invention comprises multiple two-sided packages. The drawings do not support an embodiment of the invention comprising packages with more than two walls. The present invention comprises compartments with at least three walls. An element of the McCleskey invention, multiple two-sided packages, is not an element of the present invention.
The McCleskey invention comprises a package containing at least one prophylactic. The specification makes no mention of a liquid material enclosed within the package other than that contained in a conventional package. The present invention discloses a container or kit comprising a condom compartment enclosing one or more condoms and a liquid material such as personal lubricant, in which the one or more condoms are immersed. An element of the McCleskey invention, a package containing only one or more prophylactics, as defined in the specification, is not an element of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,775 B1 issued in June of 2003 to Hagoplan, titled "Method of External Genital Cleansing and Prophylactic Kit," describes a kit comprised of a sealed container housing one or more packaged condoms and one or more packaged wipes having topical microbicides, personal lubricants, sterile water, or sterile water-based solution disposed on or impregnated therein. The articles comprising the kit are principally used to avoid the transmission of disease during sexual intercourse, to provide a lubricating aid during sexual intercourse, and to externally cleanse the genitals prior to or after sexual intercourse. The articles comprising the kit are available over the counter. The present invention does not include each element of the Hagoplan invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,427 B2 issued in September of 2003 to Woodhouse, titled "Method and Apparatus for Containing Prophylactic Articles," describes a sanitary non-disposable container for storing one or more prophylactics. The container is comprised of a convex compartment, a recessed compartment, and a hinge that permits the compartment to mate forming an airtight seal. An unpackaged prophylactic is situated between the two compartments when the container is in a closed position. Although not claimed, the specification provides that a sanitary compartment may be added that houses a personal lubricant. The present invention does not include each element of the Woodhouse invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,980 B2 issued in February of 2004 to Anderson, titled, "Prophylactic Garment System for Safer Sex," describes an undergarment worn while performing sexual activities comprising an opening in the crouch area facilitating intercourse and one or more pockets used to store sexual aids, including a packaged condom or packaged personal lubricant. The sexual aids are intended to be individually purchased over the counter. The present invention does not include each element of the Anderson invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,022 issued in March of 2000 to Young, titled "Combination Condom Case and Fragrance Dispenser," describes a combination condom case and fragrance dispenser. The Young invention comprises a portable non-disposable container comprising a compartment that contains a condom or condoms and a compartment that contains a fragrance or perfume tube. The fragrance or perfume contained in the tube is dispensed through an opening in the front wall by means of depressing a plunger located on the top wall. The condom or condoms housed in the device are individually purchased over the counter. The present invention does not include each element of the Young invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,448 issued in November of 1992 to Foldesy, titled "Condom Comprising Dispensing Structure and Method of Making and Using the Same," describes a condom comprising openings on its proximal portion said condom rolled onto a roll ring containing a liquid material and as the roll ring is squeezed the liquid material exudes out through the openings of the condom. The present invention does not include each element of the Foldsey invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,514 B1 issued in November of 2002 to Joseph et al., titled "Product Dispenser Having Internal Temperature Changing Element," describes a temperature modifying system for heating a product within a flexible container using an exothermic element also contained within the flexible holder. The heat from the exothermic element is released when pressure is applied to the outside of the flexible container causing the internal element to rupture. The product dispensed is heated as a result. The present invention comprises compartments that are not exothermically heated. The present invention does not include each element of the Joseph invention.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2004/0194472 A1 published in October 2004 by Wohland et al., titled "Multi-Compartment Pack for Cooling or Heating of Products," describes a multi-compartment pack comprising a product contained within a compartment that is exothermically heated before being removed and two other compartments containing the components that create the chemical reaction resulting in exothermic heat. The present invention comprises compartments that are not exothermically heated. The present invention does not include each element of the Wohland patent application.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,868 B1 issued in November of 2001 to Krietemeier et al., titled "Dispenser Which Incrementally Heats Fluids with Substantial Non-Volatile Constituent Parts," describes a device that houses a large quantity of liquid material then transfers a portion of the liquid material to a pre-delivery chamber where it is heated to a desired temperature finally dispensing the liquid material by means of a dispensing spout. The device is AC or DC powered. The present invention does not include each element of the Krietemeier invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,010 B2 issued in June of 2005 to Dirks et al., titled "Heated Massager with Massaging Liquid Dispenser," describes a hand-held battery powered vibrating massager comprising a heated vibrating body contacting element, and a sealed container of massaging liquid. The dispensed massaging liquid is heated on the target surface by means of the body contacting element. The present invention does not include each element of the Dirks invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,424 B1 issued in April of 2001 to Helfer-Grand," titled "Towelette Dispenser Apparatus," describes a portable device that dispenses pre-moistened heated towelettes. The towelettes may be housed originally in the dispenser dry and moistened as dispensed or originally housed in the dispenser in a pre-moistened state. In either case the towelette is heated as dispensed. The portable dispenser if AC or DC powered. The present invention does not include each element of the Helfer-Grand invention.

Combination condom and personal lubricant container


One aspect of the present invention relates to a cleaning wipe for picking up diverse debris, such as sand, dust, hair, and food particles. In one aspect, the cleaning wipe comprises a web defining a working surface opposite a second surface, the working surface defining at least a first region having a first degree of loftiness and a first height, a second region having a second degree of loftiness and a second height, and a third region having a third degree of loftiness and a third height. The third region includes an adhesive. The first degree of loftiness is greater than the second degree of loftiness, which is greater than the third degree of loftiness. The first height is greater than the second height, which is greater than the third height.

The present invention relates to cleaning wipes for removing debris from surfaces. More particularly, it relates to cleaning wipe constructions for removing diverse debris such as hair, dirt, dust, and the like, from hard surfaces.
Cloths and other wiping products are used in cleaning. Most wiping products, or wipes, are made from either a woven or nonwoven sheet, and are used either by hand or attached to a tool like a mop handle to move dirt and dust in a desired direction. Typically, most wiping products do not have the ability to effectively capture and retain small and large particles of dirt and debris. During cleaning, when the dirt or dust has been collected, the wipe may be scrunched up by the user to try to capture the dirt or sand that has been collected so that it can be shaken out in the trash. This process is repeated during cleaning and often requires a user who is attempting to pick up larger particles such as sand to repeat the process several times to pick up all the sand or heavier particles that have been collected. Many times a user will pickup the debris with a broom and dust pan once it has been gathered into a pile with the wipe.
An adhesive sheet may be used to clean a surface. Additionally, adhesive may be incorporated into a wipe to assist with retaining both small and large particle of dirt and debris within the wipe. However, adhesive may adhere to the surface being cleaned. Therefore, sufficient spacing between the surface being cleaned and the adhesive layer is necessary to provide sufficient glide of the wipe while still providing sufficient pick-up of the dirt and debris.

Cleaning wipe with variable loft working surface


A fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines, having a valve body and at least one injection opening embodied in it, through which opening, controlled by a valve needle that cooperates with a valve seat embodied in the valve body, fuel can be injected into the combustion chamber of the engine. The valve body comprises a high-alloy hot-work steel, which has been hardened by a case-hardening process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved fuel injection valve and to a method of producing the valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From the prior art, various methods for hardening steel are known. The intent is to vary the wear resistance and durability of the material as well as its workability. One example is known as case-hardening or carburization, in which carbon is incorporated into the layers near the surface of the workpiece. One method in this respect is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,864, for instance. Other possibilities are nitriding of steels, in which nitrogen is incorporated into the layers near the surface of the workpiece. In fuel injection valves as well, of the kind used preferably for self-igniting internal combustion engines and described for instance in German Patent Disclosure DE 196 18 650 A1, the use of such hardened and treated steels for lengthening the service life of the steels is also known. In the course of further development in engines, the temperature stress on the fuel injection valve and thus on the needle seat in the valve body will continue to increase because of an increase in performance or an enhancement in the braking power, especially in utility vehicles. The carburized steels used until now, and the hardening methods employed for them, are no longer sufficient for these applications.

Fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines and a method for hardening the said valve


A computer-implemented method, in a given computer, of identifying at least one current speaker among at least three participants of a network-based collaborating system. The participants collaborate using a plurality of computers. The method includes receiving a first speech event signal at the given computer, the first speech event signal being generated by a first computer of the plurality of computers, the first speech event signal being generated responsive to voice input by a user of the first computer. The method further includes identifying, using the given computer and responsive to the receiving the first speech event signal from the first computer, to a user of the given computer an identity of a user of the first computer as a first current speaker.

Network-based collaboration tools (NCTs) have been employed to increase collaboration effectiveness among geographically dispersed team members. Netmeeting® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. (www.microsoft.com) and WebEx® by the WebEx Communications, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. (www.webex.com) are examples of such network-based collaboration tools.
While NCTs allow collaborators to conduct a teleconference and share software applications via their computers, certain aspects of current NCT products can be improved. For one, many users find the current NCT products lacking in user-friendliness. For example, it is sometimes impossible to identify during a teleconference who is speaking at any particular time. While some participants may be able to identify the identity of a speaker from the sound of his or her voice, participants who are new to the group may not be able to do so. If a participant is unable to identify the current speaker, the context of what is said is often lost to the listener. The problem is often exacerbated when multiple participants speak simultaneously. In this case, it is often impossible, even for those familiar with the participants, to ascertain who is speaking.
The same issue exists with respect to shared software applications. Some NCTs allow a participant to share multiple software applications and/or documents with other participants. For example, a participant A can share documents M and N (via two separate windows on his computer screen) with a participant B. That same participant A may also share a document X (via another window) with a participant C, and a document Y (via yet another window) with a participant D.
If participant A cannot ascertain whether participant B or participant D is currently speaking, participant A may not know which window among multiple windows present on his display terminal to focus on in order to follow along with the discussion. While participant A can always interrupt to clarify the identity of the speaker, such interruption is often unwelcome, disrupts the flow of the discussion, often to the annoyance of the current speaker and other participants.

Techniques for improving collaboration effectiveness

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: input data from the source environment, including application hosting data of each server in the source environment and one or more cloud type of the source environment. Candidate cloud types for target platform are listed and servers of the source environment are screened for eligibility for the migration. The target platform is selected by applying preconfigured selection rules on the application hosting data of each eligible server in the source environment. Migration recommendations for each eligible server in the source environment, including selected cloud type corresponding to the target platform, are produced.

Conventionally, data centers are often and periodically migrated in order to meet a certain business and/or technological needs. Such migrations are primarily planned based on manual analysis of cloud inventory data provided by client. Also due to the individual nature of each migration and manual development of individual migration plans, each data center migration plan is to be developed from the scratch.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION