A planar membrane cartridge includes a support and a semi-permeable membrane layer. The support includes a first layer attached to a second layer and defining a front face and a back face of the support. At least one of the first layer and the second layer form a first embossment and a second embossment. Respective back faces of the first layer and the second layer are attached to each other along edges of the first embossment and of the second embossment, such that the first embossment defines a fluid compartment between the first layer and the second layer and the second embossment defines an internal channel between the first layer and the second layer which is isolated from the fluid compartment. An area of the first layer corresponding to the first embossment is covered by the semi-permeable membrane layer.

The present invention is related to membrane cartridges comprising a support for attachment of (a) semi-permeable membrane(s) thereto, in which the support is made from polymer sheets. Particularly, the sheets are shaped prior to assembling the support.
Membrane cartridges comprising a support made from plastic sheets is known from US 2008/0000827, Bruss Ulrich, 3 Jan. 2008. The support comprises an inner layer that has nubs as bumps on both faces and outer layers flanking the inner layer. The outer layers have holes for conducting filtrate into the inner layer. The layers are pressed, welded or glued in a fluid tight manner in edge regions. The outer layers are in turn covered by a layer of prefabricated membrane material.
Membrane cartridges of the above kind are e.g. used in filtration modules, in which a large number of cartridges are stacked. Typically, such as in wastewater purification and bioreactors, the filtration modules are completely submerged in the waste water. Air bubbling is provided underneath the stack of filtration cartridges in order to create an upward flow of waste water along the membranes. The air bubbles are also effective in scrubbing the membrane surface thereby removing solids which would tend to adhere to the membrane. Filtration modules of the above kind are described in e.g. WO 03/037489 and EP 0662341.
It has been observed that air bubbling is of critical importance for a correct functioning of the filtration module. It should be ensured that air bubbling is applied as uniformly as possible along all the membrane surfaces of each cartridge, so that each cartridge within the module can function optimally. It is to be further noted that aeration counts for a significant part of the operational cost of filtration apparatuses.
In addition, there is a tendency towards constructing larger bioreactors and filtration apparatuses, and in these large systems it is key to make optimal use of the available volume. Therefore there is a tendency towards increasing the membrane (filtration) surface area per unit volume as much as possible. In this regard, the aerators used underneath the stacks of filtration cartridges take up a fairly large volume which cannot be used for filtration.

Membrane support made with preformed sheets

VITO NV (VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK NV)


A system and method for ensuring the security and integrity of applications and databases. The present invention provides a user management system which allows permissive access to applications and stored procedures using a directed acyclic graph structure which allows users or groups of users to have the capability to access the desired applications and stored procedures. Also provided is a version control management system which ensures a user is using the desired or current version of an application and also provides a framework for a developer to develop an application and install it on the system.

In the past, a user's access to applications has been controlled by the use of passwords. Generally, the password provides a user with access to all applications, with certain files, e.g., personal files, financial files, etc. being protected by a second password. More elaborate access control schemes have used access control lists for applications, databases, and systems. These access control schemes or systems have significant shortcomings, including that they are not very flexible for large user systems, users are provided access to applications and/or databases which are outside the scope of their work, and thus a user may disturb these applications or databases, and with password protection, the security may relatively easily be breached.
With known systems and applications, there exist problems with identifying and controlling which version of a particular application a user has access to and/or is using. In some systems, when a user is interfacing with another user, support personnel, etc., often it is required that the user verbally ask what version the other is using. Also in many cases, a new version is simply installed over the top of an old version, and new users access the new version automatically. This presents problems in that, if the new version has a significant bug, then the old version needs to be reinstalled, which is confusing and time consuming. Also, this does not allow the testing of the new version before it is installed to all users.
With known systems and applications, problems exist in moving a particular application from a developer to the system. Typically developers customize their systems. This presents problems in moving the developed application from the developer to the system, particularly in relation to troubleshooting the application after it has been installed on the system. Also, problems exist with regard to transferring the files that are necessary for the application to run. Frequently, not all of the desired files are transferred, or the files are transferred in an undesired format.

Application and database security and integrity system and method


A micromechanical field asymmetric ion mobility filter for a detection system includes a pair of spaced substrates defining between them a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet; an ion filter disposed in the path and including a pair of spaced filter electrodes, one electrode associated with each substrate; and an electrical controller for applying a bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across the ion filter electrodes for controlling the paths of ions through the filter.

This invention relates to a Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility (FAIM) filter, and more particularly, to a micromachined FAIM filter and spectrometer.
The ability to detect and identify explosives, drugs, chemical and biological agents as well as air quality has become increasingly more critical given increasing terrorist and military activities and environmental concerns. Previous detection of such agents was accomplished with conventional mass spectrometers, time of flight ion mobility spectrometers and conventionally machined FAIM spectrometers.
Mass spectrometers are very sensitive, highly selective and provide a fast response time. Mass spectrometers, however, are large and require significant amounts of power to operate. They also require a powerful vacuum pump to maintain a high vacuum in order to isolate the ions from neutral molecules and permit detection of the selected ions, and are also very expensive.
Another spectrometric technique which is less complex is time of flight ion mobility spectrometry which is the method currently implemented in most portable chemical weapons and explosives detectors. The detection is based not solely on mass, but on charge and cross-section of the molecule as well. However, because of these different characteristics, molecular species identification is not as conclusive and accurate as the mass spectrometer. Time of flight ion mobility spectrometers typically have unacceptable resolution and sensitivity limitations when attempting to reduce their size, that is a drift tube length less than 2 inches. In time of flight ion mobility, the resolution is proportional to the length of the drift tube. The longer the tube the better the resolution, provided the drift tube is also wide enough to prevent all ions from being lost to the side walls due to diffusion. Thus, fundamentally, miniaturization of time of flight ion mobility systems leads to a degradation in system performance. While these devices are relatively inexpensive and reliable, they suffer from several limitations. First, the sample volume through the detector is small, so to increase spectrometer sensitivity either the detector electronics must have extremely high sensitivity, requiring expensive electronics, or a concentrator is required, adding to system complexity. In addition, a gate and gating electronics are usually needed to control the injection of ions into the drift tube.
FAIM spectrometry was developed in the former Soviet Union in the 1980""s. FAIM spectrometry allows a selected ion to pass through a filter while blocking the passage of undesirable ions. Conventional FAIM spectrometers are large and expensive, e.g., the entire device is nearly a cubic foot in size and costs over $25,000. These systems are not suitable for use in applications requiring small detectors. They are also relatively slow, taking as much as one minute to produce a complete spectrum of the sample gas, are difficult to manufacture and are not mass producible.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a FAIM filter and detection system which can more quickly and accurately control the flow of selected ions to produce a sample spectrum than conventional FAIM devices.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which can detect multiple pre-selected ions without having to sweep the bias voltage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which can even detect selected ions without a bias voltage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which can detect ions spatially based on the ions"" trajectories.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which has a very high resolution.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which can detect selected ions faster than conventional detection devices.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which has a sensitivity of parts per billion to parts per trillion.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a filter and detection system which may be packaged in a single chip.
It is further object of this invention to provide such filter and detection system which is cost effective to implement and produce.
The invention results from the realization that an extremely small, accurate and fast FAIM filter and detection system can be achieved by defining a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet using a pair of spaced substrates and disposing an ion filter within the flow path, the filter including a pair of spaced electrodes, one electrode associated with each substrate and a controller for selectively applying a bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across the electrodes to control the path of ions through the filter.
The invention results from the further realization that by providing an array of filters, each filter associated with a different bias voltage, the filter may be used to detect multiple selected ions without sweeping the bias voltage.
The invention results from the further realization that by varying the duty cycle of the periodic voltage, no bias voltage is required.
The invention results from the further realization that by segmenting the detector, ion detection may be achieved with greater accuracy and resolution by detecting ions spatially according to the ions"" trajectories as the ions exit the filter.
This invention features a micromechanical field asymmetric ion mobility filter for a detection system. There is a pair of spaced substrates defining between them a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet, an ion filter disposed in the path and including a pair of spaced filter electrodes, one electrode associated with each substrate and an electrical controller for applying a bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across the ion filter electrodes for controlling the paths of ions through the filter.
In a preferred embodiment there may be a detector, downstream from the ion filter, for detecting ions that exit the filter. The detector may include a plurality of segments, the segments separated along the flow path to spatially separate the ions according to their trajectories. There may be confining electrodes, responsive to the electrical controller, for concentrating selected ions as they pass through the filter. The confining electrodes may be silicon. The silicon electrodes may act as spaces for spacing the substrates. There may be a heater for heating the flow path. The heater may include the ion filter electrodes. The electrical controller may include means for selectively applying a current through the filter electrodes to heat the filter electrodes. The substrate may be glass. The glass may be Pyrex(copyright). There may be an ionization source, upstream from the filter, for ionizing a fluid flow from the sample inlet. The ionization source may include a radioactive source. The ionization source may include an ultraviolet lamp. The ionization source may include a corona discharge device. There may be a clean air inlet for introducing purified air into the flow path. There may be a pump in communication with the flow path, for regulating a fluid flow through the flow path.
The invention also features a field asymmetric ion mobility filter and detection system. There is a housing having a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet, an ion filter disposed in the flow path and including a pair of spaced filter electrodes, an electrical controller for applying a bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across the ion filter electrodes for controlling the path of ions through the filter, and a segmented detector, downstream from the ion filter, its segments separated along the flow path to spatially separate the ions according to their trajectories.
In a preferred embodiment there may be confining electrodes, responsive to the electrical controller, for concentrating the ions as they pass through the filter. The confining electrode may be silicon. The silicon electrodes may act as a spacer for spacing the filter electrodes. There may be a heater for heating the flow path. The heater may include the ion filter electrodes. The electrical controller may includes means for selectively applying current through the filter electrodes to heat the filter electrodes. There may be an ionization source upstream from the filter for ionizing fluid flow from the sample inlet. The ionization source may include a radioactive source. The ionization source may include an ultraviolet lamp. The ionization source may include a corona discharge device. There may be a clean air inlet for introducing purified air into the flow path. There may be a pump in communication with the flow path for regulating a fluid flow through the flow path.
The invention also features a field asymmetric ion mobility filter array. There is a housing defining at least one flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet, a plurality of ion filters disposed within the housing, each ion filter including a pair spaced filter electrodes, and an electrical controller for applying a bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across each pair of ion filter electrodes for controlling the path of ions through each filter.
In a preferred embodiment each ion filter may be associated with one of the flow paths. There may be a detector downstream from each ion filter for detecting ions that exit each said filter. Each detector may include a plurality of segments, the segments separated along the flow path to spatially separate the ions according to their trajectories. There may be a plurality of confining electrodes, responsive to the electrical controller, for concentrating the ions as they pass through each filter. Each confining electrode may be silicon. The silicon electrode may act as a spacer for spacing the filter electrodes. There may be a heater for heating the at least one flow path. The heater may include each pair of ion filter electrodes. The electrical controller may include means for selectively applying a current through each pair of filter electrodes to heat the filter electrodes. There may be an ionization source upstream from each filter for ionizing a fluid flow from the sample inlet. The ionization source may be a radioactive source. The ionization source may be an ultraviolet lamp. The ionization source may be a corona discharge device. There may be a clean air inlet for introducing purified air into the at least one flow path. There may be a pump in communication with each flow path for regulating a fluid flow through each flow path.
The invention also features an uncompensated field asymmetric ion mobility filter for a detection system. There is a housing having a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet, an ion filter disposed in the path and including a pair of spaced filter electrodes, an electrical controller for applying an uncompensated asymmetric periodic voltage across the ion filter for controlling the path of ions through the ion filter, and a selection circuit for selectively adjusting the duty cycle of the periodic voltage to target a selected specie or species of ion to be detected.
In a preferred embodiment there may be a detector downstream from the ion filter for detecting ions that exit the filter. The detector may include a plurality of segments, the segments separated along the flow path to spatially separate the ions according to their trajectories. There may be a confining electrode, responsive to the electrical controller, for concentrating the ions as they pass through the filter. The confining electrode may be silicon. The silicon electrode may act as a spacer for spacing the filter electrodes. There may be a heater for heating the flow path. The heater may include the ion filter electrodes. The electrical controller may include means for selectively applying a current through the filter electrodes to heat the filter electrodes. There may be an ionization source, upstream from the filter, for ionizing a fluid flow from sample inlet. The ionization source may include a radioactive source. The ionization source may include an ultraviolet lamp. The ionization source may include a corona discharge device. There may be a clean air inlet for introducing purified air into the flow path. There may be a pump in communication with the flow path for regulating a fluid flow through the flow path.
The invention also features a field asymmetric ion mobility filter. There is a housing having a flow path between a sample inlet and an outlet, an ion filter disposed in the flow path and including a pair of spaced filter electrodes, a pair of confining electrodes transverse to the flow path, and an electrical controller for applying a first bias voltage and an asymmetric periodic voltage across the ion filter electrodes and for applying a second bias voltage across the confining electrodes for controlling the path of ions through the filter.
In a preferred embodiment there may be a detector downstream from the ion filter for detecting ions that exit the filter. The detector may include a plurality of segments, the segments separated along the flow path to spatially separate the ions according to their trajectories. The confining electrodes may be silicon. The silicon electrodes may act as a spacer for spacing the filter electrodes. There may be a heater for heating the flow path. The heater may include the ion filter electrodes. The heater may include the confining electrodes. The electrical controller may include means for selectively applying a current through the filter electrodes to heat the filter electrodes. The electrical controller may include means for selectively applying a current through the confining electrodes to heat the confining electrodes. There may be an ionization source upstream from the filter for ionizing fluid flow from the sample inlet. The ionization source may include a radiation source. The ionization source may include an ultraviolet lamp. The ionization source may be a corona discharge device. There may be a clean air inlet for introducing purified air into the flow path. There may be a pump in communication with the flow path for regulating a fluid flow through the flow path.

Micromachined field asymmetric ion mobility filter and detection system

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.


Provided is a method for treating hair damage by contacting the hair with an effective amount of an epoxysilicone. The method may be used for treating hair damage caused by a hair altering process that is capable of damaging hair, for example, hair lightening/bleaching procedures, hair relaxing procedures, hair dyeing procedures, hair permanent waving, and hair smoothing. Also provided is a composition and a product, which include a hair damage treating effective amount of the epoxysilicone.

Human hair is regularly exposed to conditions that are damaging to the structure and integrity of hair fibers. Notably, many widely used cosmetic processes that are intended to alter the hair such as, for example, bleaching/lightening, relaxing, permanent coloring, permanent waving, and keratin smoothing procedures, involve treating the hair with strong oxidants, alkaline reagents, reducing agents and/or aldehyde compounds, in conjunction with heat, which can be damaging to hair fibers. Regular exposure to surfactants and detergents, such as those found in commercial shampoos, also can damage hair fibers. Human hair is also subjected to mechanical stresses such as, e.g., combing, brushing, and heat styling, which can damage hair fibers over time. Certain environmental conditions such as, for example, exposure to sunlight and oxygen, also can be damaging to hair fibers.
Hair altering procedures that damage hair have been in use for quite some time. For example, the bleaching or lightening of human hair has been widely practiced for centuries. The ancient Romans used to bleach their hair from beech ashes and tallow derived from goat fat, and Europeans of the medieval era used caustic soda solution and sunlight for the same purpose. Such processes involved exposing the hair to alkaline oxidative conditions, which are damaging to hair. Modern bleaching or lightening processes decolorize hair by an oxidation process carried out at an alkaline pH such as 9.5 to 11. Modern bleaching or lightening processes are employed either to lighten hair or to prepare the hair for a coloring process when a lighter shade is preferred over than the natural shade. A very common procedure involves lightening fibers in small bunches throughout the head to give a special affect. The result is hair with a higher tonal level relative to the natural tonal level. The extent of hair lightening may be evaluated on a tonal scale, e.g., from level 1, which is black hair, to level 12, which is lightest blond hair.
Virtually all conventional bleaching processes involve oxidation. Such processes give lighter shades, resulting in white or blond hair, depending on the time of application and the strength/amount of oxidant used (e.g., hydrogen peroxide). Such processes are very damaging to hair by causing a loss of strength/elasticity and an increase in fiber porosity, which is associated with hair damage. In some cases, the hair must be bleached twice in order to decolorize dark hair to a blonde shade. This bleaching process is regarded as a double process, and is extremely damaging to hair in terms of its elasticity and tensile strength, its moisture content, porosity, and split ends.
Bleaching/lightening processes typically involve applying a mixture of powder lightener and hydrogen peroxide developer. Modern hair straightening (sometimes referred to as relaxing) processes typically involve applying an alkali metal hydroxide or guanidine to the hair. Modern hair coloring processes typically involve applying oxidative dyes mixed with hydrogen peroxide (chemically altering the hair fibers permanently). Each of these procedures are reactive, and damage the hair significantly with respect to hair elasticity/tensile strength, porosity, susceptibility to damage caused by combing/brushing, and moisture content. The effect of repeated use of these products on the hair and scalp can be especially damaging to hair fibers. Even a single hair lightening procedure may, for example, reduce hair elasticity by 15-25%, and increase fiber porosity from, e.g., 31% (untreated hair) to 55% (treated) for bleached hair. If dark hair is double processed to make it blonde, the damage is even more severe.
Straightening (relaxing) processes are typically permanent processes in which hair is treated with a cream containing alkali metal hydroxides or guanidine for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. This process typically changes about one-third of cystine bonds of the treated hair fibers to lanthionine bonds. As a result, curly hair becomes permanently straight. When hair is subjected to such a straightening process, the hair can lose, for example, 30-60% of its tensile strength, and experience a significant loss of moisture content as well as a significant increase in porosity.
Permanent hair coloring processes are also reactive processes, and typically involve applying a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and one or more oxidative dyes to hair for a period of 45 minutes in order to alter the original color of the hair significantly. Such oxidative dyes typically include reducing agents such as sodium sulfite or sodium metabisulfite to stabilize dyeing creams from air oxidation. Such mixtures of oxidative dyes and hydrogen peroxide can reduce the tensile strength of hair fibers, for example, by 5-15% depending upon the dye and the amount of hydrogen peroxide used.
Permanent waving (or "perming") can involve treating hair fibers with alkaline solutions thioglycolic acid at a pH of 9.0 to 9.50. The cystine bonds of the hair fibers reduce to cysteine during the treatment, and the fibers are then wound onto a curler of choice to lock in the shape of the desired curls. After about 20 minutes the fibers are rinsed and treated with an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate. The hair is then treated with a neutralizing agent such as a 2.0% solution of hydrogen peroxide at a pH of 3.5. During this process, hair fibers can swell and undergo a significant loss of fiber elasticity. The loss of elasticity during the perming process can be 20 to 25%, and the increase in porosity also can be significant. Although most of the cysteine bonds are reconverted to cystine during neutralizing (oxidation) with hydrogen peroxide, the reconversion is not complete, leaving behind unconverted cysteine bonds.
Keratin smoothing/straightening treatments involve modifying wavy, curly and super curly hair found among many races in the world. Such treatments can involve straightening the hair with heat appliances such as blow driers and flat irons, or permanently straightening the hair with chemically reactive products, such as hair relaxers based upon sodium/lithium hydroxide, guanidine hydroxide, or ammonium thioglycolate. Wavy or curly hair, when straightened with relaxers, readily becomes frizzy upon exposure to humidity. Permanent straightening treatments that involve the use of formaldehyde or glycolic acid involve subjecting the hair to high temperatures, e.g., 450° F. or 230° C., which can impart a significant degree of damage to hair, resulting in loses of 20-25% of its tensile strength. In addition, the use of formaldehyde in such treatments raises safety concerns.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods, compositions and products for treating hair damage associated with exposure to conditions or treatments that are damaging to hair, especially hair altering procedures such as, e.g., lightening/bleaching, relaxing, permanent coloring procedures, permanent waving, and keratin smoothing treatments. The present invention provides such methods, compositions and products.

Methods and compositions for treating damaged hair


An engine (internal combustion engine), in accordance with an embodiment, includes: a cylinder head disposed above a crankcase; a cylinder head cover attached to cover an upper side of the cylinder head; and an ignition plug provided with a plug part inserted into the cylinder head and a plug cap disposed outside the cylinder head cover. The cylinder head cover includes a gas passage formed in such a U-shape as to surround the plug cap of the ignition plug as viewed from an insertion side of the ignition plug, the gas passage allowing fuel gas (blow-by gas) containing oil to flow in from the crankcase.

Conventionally, internal combustion engines having a cylinder head cover are known. For example, Japanese Patent Document JP-B-Hei 7-99087 discloses an internal combustion engine provided with a cylinder head cover formed with: a plurality of ignition plug insertion holes disposed in a straight line in a predetermined direction; a chain case extending in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in which the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are arranged and spaced a predetermined distance apart from the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes; and an L-shaped gas passage disposed along one longitudinal side and one lateral side of a rectangular region where the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are disposed. In this internal combustion engine, the L-shaped gas passage is provided to separate oil from blow-by gas (fuel gas containing oil) when blow-by gas with oil mixed therein flows therethrough. For this internal combustion engine example, a fresh air passage for taking in fresh air from the outside of the internal combustion engine and allowing the fresh air to flow therethrough is provided, besides the L-shaped gas passage, on the other longitudinal side of the rectangular region where the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are disposed.
In the internal combustion engine disclosed in the above example, blow-by gas (fuel gas containing oil) flows through the L-shaped gas passage disposed along one longitudinal side and one lateral side of the rectangular region where the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are disposed, while the fresh air passage is formed on the other longitudinal side of the rectangular region where the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are disposed. In other words, only one longitudinal side, but not the other longitudinal side, of the rectangular region of the cylinder head cover where the plurality of ignition plug insertion holes are disposed is used for blow-by gas to flow through, and it is therefore difficult to provide this internal combustion engine with a sufficiently long passage for separating oil from blow-by gas.

Internal combustion engine and vehicle having the internal combustion engine


A printer includes a lid part, a body part, a control part provided in the body part, a mark detecting part provided on the lid part and configured to output a mark detection signal in response to detecting a mark added to paper, a transmission part configured to transmit the mark detection signal from the mark detecting part to the control part and having a slack part configured to extend and contract, and a housing part configured to house the slack part of the transmission part and to extend and contract in directions in which the slack part is configured to extend and contract. The slack part is housed in the housing part, and a length of the slack part is greater than or equal to a length of the housing part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable printers.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional portable printer (hereinafter simply referred to as "printer"). As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printer includes a lid part 2 and a body part 4. FIG. 1 illustrates a state where the lid part 2 is closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer with the lid part 2 being open.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the printer with the lid part 2 being closed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the printer with the lid part 2 being open. The lid part 2 is opened or closed about a support shaft 5. The support shaft 5 is rotatably received by a bearing member 7.
Further, a mark detecting part 6 is provided on the lid part 2. A control part (not graphically illustrated) recognizes a printing position on paper 8 by the mark detecting part 6 detecting a mark added to the paper 8 from a paper roll 82. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the mark detecting part 6 is disposed at an end of the lid part 2, and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 10 is provided along the lid part 4. The mark detecting part 6 outputs a mark detecting signal in response to detection of the mark, and the mark detection signal is transmitted to the control part via the FPC 10.


An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including at least a pair of rollers which thermally fix a toner image formed on a surface of a recording medium by pressing against the recording medium, and a separating and contacting mechanism supporting the pair of rollers so that the rollers can separate from and make contact with the recording medium, where the separating and contacting mechanism controls the rollers when contacting the rollers to the recording medium, by contacting each of the rollers approximately perpendicularly to the surface of the recording medium and so that the recording medium thereafter makes contact with a surface of each of the rollers for a wrap-around angle greater than 0.degree..

The present invention generally relates to image forming apparatuses, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus which is provided with a a fixing unit which fixes a toner image which is transferred onto a recording medium such as a continuous recording paper using the electrophotography technique.
Conventionally, in a printer which uses the electrophotography technique and records the image on a continuous recording paper, if one print operation (job) ends and a next job does not occur for a predetermined time, a portion of the paper printed with the last line remains within a paper transport path within the printer. Accordingly, the recording paper is fed forward manually or automatically so as to eject the portion of the paper printed with the last line outside the printer, so that the recording paper can be cut along a perforation provided subsequent to the portion of the paper printed with the last line.
However, when the next job is started in this state, the printing is started in a state where the amount of recording paper which is fed forward to remove the print result of the previous job precedes the first line of this next job. As a result, the amount of the recording paper which is fed forward is wasted, and the utilization efficiency of the recording paper is poor.
Accordingly, a so-called back-feed is conventionally carried out if one job ends and the next job does not occur for a predetermined time. This back-feed feeds the recording paper forward if one job ends but the next job does not occur for the predetermined time, and returns the recording paper by a predetermined amount before the next job starts. As a result, the utilization efficiency of the recording paper is improved. A photoconductive body of a process unit and the recording paper are separated from each other and rollers of a fixing unit and the recording paper are separated from each other when carrying out the back-feed.
Similarly, in the case of the printer which successively records images by the first and second process units, for example, the last line that is recorded is located on a downstream side of the second process unit in a transport direction of the recording paper at a point in time when one job ends. Hence, if the next job starts in this state, the portion of the paper between the first and second process units is wasted. For this reason, a method has been proposed to also carry out the back-feed described above in such a case.
However, in the case of the printer which successively records the images by the first and second process units, if a single fixing unit is used to simplify the printer construction, this fixing unit is provided on the downstream side of the second process unit which is provided on the most downstream side along the transport direction of the recording paper. Consequently, when the above described back-feed is carried out, the image recorded on the recording paper by the previous job is not yet fixed. Therefore, when the rollers of the fixing unit and the recording paper make contact at the start of the next job, there was a problem in that the image which is not yet fixed may be disturbed by the shock of the contact between the rollers of the fixing unit and the recording paper. If the image which is not yet fixed is disturbed, the image recording quality greatly deteriorates and it becomes necessary to carry out the two jobs over again, thereby introducing another problem in that the performance of the printer greatly deteriorates. Furthermore, the disturbance of the image which is not yet fixed caused by the shock upon contact between the rollers of the fixing unit and the recording paper is particularly conspicuous when the recording medium is wrapped around the rollers of the fixing unit for a certain wrap-around angle.


A device for applying a liquid to a print carrier sheet in a sheet-fed rotary printing machine. The device has an applicator cylinder, an impression cylinder assigned to the latter and at least one gripper. The applicator cylinder carries a cylinder sleeve which applies the liquid to the print carrier and which has at least one recess, into which the gripper penetrates when the applicator cylinder and the impression cylinder roll one on the other.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for applying a liquid to a print carrier sheet, in particular a printing or varnishing unit in a sheet-fed rotary printing machine. The printing or varnishing unit includes an applicator cylinder and an impression cylinder assigned to the applicator cylinder.
In the field of web-fed rotary printing, in particular in the flexographic and offset printing, printing form and rubber blanket sleeves are used in order to avoid vibrations and the spoilage which is caused by a clamping channel in the case of conventionally clamped printing plates and rubber blankets and occurring as a result of wide regions free of any printing image on the print carrier web.
Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application DE 36 33 155 A1 describes a flexographic printing form cylinder having a sleeve which carries a printing block. Although the sleeve is simple to produce, the printing form cylinder can be used only in web-fed rotary printing, since the grippers, necessary in sheet-fed rotary printing for conveying the print carrier sheets on the impression cylinder, would collide with the printing block and destroy it.
Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application DE 31 17 855 A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,767, describes a varnishing unit in a sheet-fed rotary printing machine, the applicator roller of which has a recess on the circumference in the axial direction. The recess allows the passage of the gripper units of the chain conveyor. The applicator roller is equipped with a plate clamping device, by which plates having either a smooth or an engraved surface can optionally be clamped. Furthermore, the block roller and the impression roller are disposed in such a way that their gaps coincide with the recess in the applicator roller during rotation. Although this varnishing unit can be used in sheet-fed rotary machines, clamping of the plates is complicated.
Furthermore, German Patent DE 43 07 320 C1 describes a printing machine for indirect printing methods, in which the rubber blanket sleeve can be pushed through an orifice in the machine side wall. Although it is possible to exchange the sleeve in a simple way in the printing machine, it is not possible for the rubber blanket sleeve, which has a closed circumferential surface without any gap(s), to be used in sheet-fed rotary printing machines.
Moreover, varnishing units configured for flexographic printing units are known in sheet-fed offset machines. In contrast to web-fed rotary printing, instead of sleeve systems, varnishing plates and varnishing blankets are clamped onto a cylinder in a similar way to sheet-fed printing units. These plates are difficult to produce and present handling problems. In order to clamp the plates and blankets so as to have an accurate fit, complicated plate supply devices and clamping devices are required. On account of the warping of conventional flexographic plates, varnishing plates with an aluminum carrier are employed. For drawing them onto the cylinder, a pressure roller is used, which may damage the relief of the polymer plate if an excessive pressing force is exerted. In the case of a relatively large sheet format, it is necessary to have two operators. Therefore, in-register fitting of the plates requires a high outlay.

Applicator cylinder with sleeve having recesses therein to receive grippers in a sheet-fed press


Embodiments of the invention provide a transflective liquid crystal display and a method for manufacturing the same. The transflective liquid crystal display comprises: an array substrate; a color filter substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate; a plurality of pixels formed on the array substrate, wherein each pixel comprises a transmissive region and a reflective region, and the liquid crystal layer has the same thickness at the transmissive region and the reflective region; a first transparent electrode formed on the array substrate; a second transparent electrode formed on the color filter substrate at the transmissive region, wherein an initial optical delay of the liquid crystal layer at the transmissive region is different from that of the liquid crystal layer at the reflective region.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a transflective liquid crystal display and a method for manufacturing the same.
A liquid crystal display may comprise components such as a display screen, a backlight and a driving circuit and so on. The display screen may comprise an array substrate and a color filter substrate bonded to each other and a liquid crystal layer filled in a gap between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. A principle for displaying an image by the liquid crystal display is based on the following characteristic: a liquid crystal molecule in the liquid crystal layer rotates by different angles according to a level of a voltage applied by the driving circuit, and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecule also varies, which causes variation on the amount of irradiation light transmitted through the liquid crystal molecule. When the backlight at a back side or a lateral side of the array substrate irradiates light to the display screen, the irradiation light transmits through the display screen and irradiates to eyes of a viewer, and thereby the viewer may see images displayed on the display screen.
In order to reduce energy consumption of the backlight, a transflective liquid crystal display structure is developed from the liquid crystal display, each pixel in a display screen of this transflective liquid crystal display is divided into two regions: one is a transmissive region, in which irradiation light from the backlight may be transmitted through the display screen, the other is a reflective region, in which light irradiated from the outside to the display screen is reflected to the liquid crystal and then to the viewer by a diffuse reflection plate. Since the external light may be used alone or with the backlight, the transflective liquid crystal display can reduce the energy consumption of the backlight.
Since light emitted outward from the transmissive region is generated by the backlight and light emitted outward from the reflective region is generated by reflecting light incident into the display screen from the outside, there are a certain optical delay between the light emitted outward from these two regions.
In order to eliminate such an optical delay between the light emitted outward from the transmissive region and the reflective region, in the prior art, the liquid crystal layer is usually designed to have different thicknesses in the transmissive region and the reflective region, or a compensation film is added so as to eliminate the optical delay between the light emitted outward from the transmissive region and the reflective region.
However, the technical solution of the aforesaid prior art is difficult to be implemented, which increases the difficulty for manufacturing the transflective liquid crystal display and increases the production cost of the transflective liquid crystal display.

Transflective display and manufacturing method thereof


To obtain an image with good visibility by identifying an original document as being a color original document or a monochrome original document for every original document and using processing suitable for each for an image read by the image reading device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method used for a scanner, a digital copying machine, and the like that read image information by scanning an original document with a CCD line sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As typical examples of a CCD line sensor used in a reducing optical system, there are a line sensor comprising a 1-line line sensor, and a sensor comprising a 3-line line sensor formed of three line sensors on the surfaces of which are respectively disposed color filters in red (hereinafter, occasionally abbreviated to R), green (hereinafter, occasionally abbreviated to G), and blue (hereinafter, occasionally abbreviated to B).
The 3-line CCD line sensor is basically used to read a color original document. In this case, a light source having oscillation wavelengths of 400 nm to 700 nm and thereby having spectral characteristics that sufficiently cover a visible light region is used, and separation of color information of R, G, and B is performed using the color filters disposed on the surfaces of the respective line sensors.
In addition, in a case where a monochrome original document is read using the 3-line CCD line sensor, there are a method by which one output from the 3-line CCD line sensor, that is, an output of the CCD line sensor for G in general, is used with the purpose of reading a seal in vermillion in a reliable manner, and a method by which black and white information is generated using all the outputs of the 3-line CCD line sensor.
According to these methods, whether an input original document is a color original document or a monochrome original document is determined using the 3-line line sensor comprising three line sensors on the surfaces of which are respectively disposed color filters, for example, in red, green and blue, and a color output is performed for a color original document and a monochrome output is performed for a monochrome original document at the time of output to the printer.
However, for an original document whose background alone is made of colors, a color output is performed because of the presence of a large number of color pixels regardless of the fact that they are not useful information as colors, which results in unnecessary consumption of toner particles.
Meanwhile, in a case where a monochrome output is performed for such an original document, the monochrome information can be calculated as:(red information+blue information+green information)/3.However, when this processing is used, for example, in a case where information is made of black characters on the base in blue, given that the outputs of the respective line sensors when reading the blue information of the base are (red:blue:green)=(40:60:120), and the outputs of the respective line sensors when reading the black character information are (red:blue:green)=(40:40:40), then,
(40+60+120)/3=73 when the blue base information is converted to monochrome, and
(40+40+40)/3=40 when the black character information is converted to monochrome.
It is therefore understood that when such a color original document is copied in monochrome, the densities are almost the same. Hence, in the case of the related art where whether an original document is a color original document or a monochrome original document is determined and an output is performed using the two methods, toner particles are consumed unnecessarily and smearing or fading occurs in the case of a monochrome output.
Similar techniques are disclosed in Official Gazette (A) JP-A-2003-274115 and Official Gazette (B) JP-A-11-187266. Official Gazette (A) describes a reading device using a 4-line line sensor but is silent about a correction of a monochrome signal using a color signal. Official Gazette (B) discloses a base removing method. However, it is configured so as to perform a density correction for RGB signals, and is different from the technique of the invention.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method

Abstract: To achieve the object, the invention includes: a color processing portion 77 that performs color image forming processing for a multi-color color original document made of more than one color; a color original document monochrome processing portion 74 that performs monochrome image forming processing for a monochromatic color original document made of a single color; a monochrome original document processing portion 73 that performs monochrome image forming processing different from the monochrome image forming processing by the color original document monochrome processing portion 74 for a monochrome original document; and a CPU 75 that enables appropriate selective use of the color processing portion 77, the color original document monochrome processing portion 74, and the monochrome original document processing portion 73 for each original document.


An all-dielectric metamaterial cladding is provided that can strongly confine light inside conventional low-index dielectric waveguides for use with photonic integrated circuits and nano-photonic devices. A class of metamaterials with dual electric and magnetic anisotropy along with giant birefringence can provide the ideal quasi-transverse electromagnetic mode propagation inside a glass core. A Transformed Cladding Waveguide can show an order of magnitude decreased cross-talk as compared to conventional waveguides.

Light has a characteristic size, the wavelength, which sets a limit to all conventional optical device sizes, especially waveguides and resonators. This limit called the diffraction limit is a fundamental obstacle and is defined as the size of the optical mode in a resonator or waveguide. The value is given by (λ/2ncore)^3 in a 3D geometry, (λ/2ncore)^2 in a 2D geometry and (λ/2ncore)^1 in a 1D geometry. Here, λ/2ncore is the wavelength in free space divided by twice the value of the refractive index of the core of the waveguide or resonator. The ability to overcome this limit is key to future photonic integrated circuits combining nano-scale electrical and micron-scale optical signals. It is also key to future active devices and lasers with a size the fraction of the wavelength. Coupling light to free electrons of metals leads to plasmonic waveguides that can overcome this limitation, but their high optical losses cause a reduced propagation length and high power consumption, a major impediment for integrated photonic circuits.
Modern communication and computation systems rely on the ability to route and transfer information using electronic and electromagnetic signals. Massive efforts over the last decade have been driven by miniaturization and integration of electronics and photonics on the same platform. Relying on optical waveguides as interconnects can increase the speed as well as functionality of integrated circuits, however, the diffraction limit of light is a fundamental barrier to interface micron scale waveguides to nanoscale electronic circuitry. Furthermore, dense photonic integration is hampered because crosstalk between waveguides increases as the separation between them is reduced.
At low frequencies metals, due to their high reflectivity, can be used for confining light at the subwavelength scale. At optical frequencies, metals can achieve the same task by coupling light to free electrons. This leads to a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) which shows properties of nanoscale waveguiding. A number of architectures have recently emerged to effectively utilize the SPP for waveguiding. These include the long range SPP on metal strip (IMI; wherein I≡insulator, M≡metal) waveguides which are useful for sensing applications but not for sub-diffraction confinement. The inverse design, MIM waveguides, confines light to subwavelength scales but leads to a low propagation length. V-groove and wedge plasmon are an excellent candidates for relatively long range propagation and sub-diffraction confinement, however excitation and detection of these modes as well as interfacing with existing silicon waveguide technology are a major challenge.
Recently, hybrid dielectric-plasmonic waveguides have emerged that confine light in a high index gap above metals reducing the field penetration in the metal thus allowing for increased propagation length. Another alternative is an epsilon-near-zero metamaterial waveguide which allows modes to tunnel through subwavelength size structures. However, due to absorption in metals, the above mentioned sub-diffraction plasmonic structures cannot guide light more than a few microns. Furthermore, the dissipated energy leads to thermal issues which are especially significant in miniaturized circuits hindering dense photonic integration.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide light confinement especially in an optical waveguide, and a cladding therefor, that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.

Light confining devices using all-dielectric metamaterial cladding

THE GOVERNORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA


The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging system having an automatic bag cutter. The vacuum packaging system includes a housing constructed to sealingly engage a platen. A vacuum system is constructed to remove the gas from a container, or bag, placed between the housing and the platen. A blade is operable to sever excess material of the bag whereupon the bag is evacuated by the vacuum system, and a seal bar seals the severed end area of the bag.

The present invention relates generally to vacuum packaging systems and, more particularly, to a vacuum packager constructed to secure, sever, evacuate and seal an open edge of a container, such as a flexible vacuum packaging bag.
Foodstuffs and other products are commonly packaged in vacuum sealed bags and similar containers to prevent premature spoilage. During the vacuum packaging process, the excess fluid, typically air, within the container or bag is evacuated and the open end of the bag is then sealed. The sealing of the bag prevents contamination of the goods or materials contained within the bag. In order to ensure a hermetic seal of the bag, the bag must be securely and relatively uniformly engaged by the sealing system. Furthermore, the vacuum packager must be constructed to allow uninterrupted removal of the sealed bag from the vacuum packager in order to ensure that the sealed bag is not perforated after being sealed. The process of sealing the bag often results in an unsealed end area which must then be severed in order to produce an aesthetic product. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved vacuum sealing process that efficiently and effectively trims the unsealed end area of the bag. There is also a need for an improved vacuum packaging system that enables evacuation without requiring retraction of the knife that severs the end area of the bag, in order to reduce cycle time.


A shifting device for a vehicle includes a shift lever, a limiting element, and an actuator. The lever is movable in opposite first and second directions along an actuating path between neutral and end positions. The limiting element is movable into and out of the path. When the limiting element is in the path, the limiting element impacts the lever while the lever is in the neutral position to prevent the lever from moving from the neutral position in the first direction such that the limiting element acts as a shift lock blocking the lever from the end position. When the limiting element is out of the path, the limiting element allows the lever to move into the end position. The actuator is operable for moving the limiting element into and out of the path such that the actuator is operable for activating and deactivating the lock for the lever.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical shifting device for a vehicle in which the shifting device includes a shift lever and an actuator which activates and deactivates a shift lock for the shift lever.
2. Background Art
An electrical shifting device having a shift lever is used in a vehicle having an automatic transmission. A motor or the like carries out the actual shifting procedure of the shifting device whereas the particular shifting intention (i.e., shifting state) of the shifting device by an operator (such as the driver of the vehicle) is electrically detected based on the position of the shift lever. In an automatic transmission, the shifting device together with the shift lever and possibly also rocker switches on the steering wheel for gearing up and down are provided in the vehicle for the operator.
A shift lever may have either a multi-stable or mono-stable design. A shift lever having a multi-stable design is movable between multiple fixed positions. A shift lever having a mono-stable design functions like a joystick having a single neutral position to which the shift lever returns from each of a number of unstable positions.
In either case it may be desirable, depending on the currently selected shifting state, to exclude certain shifting states from the next selection. With a linear chain of possible shifting states, for example, it is advantageous to indicate when the selection options in a shifting direction have been used up. As the detection and processing of particular shifting states are performed electronically, certain shifting states can be excluded by the underlying shifting logic.
For ergonomics it is advantageous for the operator of the shifting device to directly receive haptic feedback indicative of shifting states (i. e., shifting functions) which are not selectable at a given time. Typically, locks or stops which cooperate with the shift lever provide such feedback.
EP 1 464 875 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0194567) describes a shifting device having a shift lever and an actuating device. The actuating device is able to deactivate a shift lock for the shift lever such that the shift lever is pivotable over the shift position defined by the shift lock. The actuating device has a relatively complex design and includes a toggle switch and an actuator for actuating the toggle switch.

Electrical shifting device for a motor vehicle


A multi-function lighting system is provided. A design of multiplex configuration of a multi-diode lighting module and a design of optical time domain modulation of an electric controlling system are applied to a lighting system which senses environmental conditions to automatically or artificially change a color, a light intensity and a color-temperature of a light to influence people's feelings and moods. At the same time, the environmental sensing device further feedbacks an information of humidity or temperature so that parameter of optimum light environment can be set accordingly. The multi-diode lighting module is applied to the design of the lighting system, such that the lighting system can be manufactured in a customization way to meet varied requirements in the landscaping and optical designs, not only reducing the cost and increasing mass production rate but also providing multi-functions including landscaping lighting, ergonomic lighting, plant lighting and air purifying.

Technical Field
The disclosure relates in general to a multi-function lighting system, and more particularly to a lighting system with the functions of landscaping lighting, ergonomic lighting, plant lighting and air purifying.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, people's requirements of living environment are getting higher and higher, and it is popular that people match the light colors with the decorative or artistic shapes of the lighting lamps, so that the surrounding space emanates certain atmospheres and moods, user's stylistic features can manifested, and environmental aesthetics is enhanced. Eventually, the living space further satisfies user's needs both physiological and psychological, and provides the user with enjoyable aesthetics and balance between the body and the mind.
Modern landscaping and space design places particular focus in the study of ergonomic engineering, environmental psychology, and aesthetic psychology with an aim to resolving people's requirements of their living environment in the aspects of physiological characteristics, behavior psychology and visual experience through scientific methods. The matching between light environment and colors is an important element in the design of landscaping and living environment, which affect people's physical and mental state by modulating the spectrum of the lighting lamp, and optical parameters such as light intensity and color temperature. To harmonize the color of the space with the atmosphere through plants is a common practice in environmental design.
Research literatures show that through the use of illumination light, an environment with different scenarios which give people different feelings can be created. For example, as the spectrum energy of orange waveband (595 nm to 620 nm) increases, people will feel more comfortable, relaxed and spirited. Under the illumination environment with the color temperature being equal to 6500 K, as the spectrum energy of the blue waveband (435 nm to 490 nm) increases, people's internal organs related to respiratory and circulatory system, urinary system and biliary tract system will be significantly affected. High color temperature and high illumination (such as 6500 K and 450 lux) makes people feel excited. Low color temperature and middle illumination (such as 3200 K and 300 lux) makes people calm and peaceful. High color temperature and low illumination (such as 6500 K and 150 lux) makes people feel upset and depressed. Low color temperature and high illumination (such as 3200 K and 450 lux) feel unpleasant. In short, various combinations of illumination and color temperature affect people's moods and make them generate corresponding behaviors.
For example, red color helps to stimulate and excite people's nerve system, increase the secretion of epinephrine and enhance blood circulation. Green color has sedative effect, benefits those who are hyperactive or suppressed either physiological or psychological and helps the body to achieve balance and relieve dizziness, fatigue or negative emotion. Blue color environment provides a feeling of serenity and grace, and helps people to achieve internal balance. Blue color when used in a bedroom helps to relieve people of nervousness, headache, fever, dizziness, and insomnia. Yellow color stimulates people's nerve system and digestive system and enhances logic thinking. Orange color generates vitality, stimulates people's appetite and helps to maintain health, and is ideal for the places such as rumpus and kitchen.
In addition, light therapy has been widely used to improve the sleep and emotions of the sick or the seniors. Based on the response of the eyes when receiving the light, the light with special wavelengths and different light intensity levels is used for adjusting the timing at which melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, so as to regulate people's biological clock to achieve a balanced rhythm and improve people's body temperature, sleep/wake cycle and action/rest rhythm.
A study of the environmental influence of plants on the indoor pathogen content and indoor humidity shows that when a substance volatilized from the leaves is mixed with the water vapor, the substances will suppress the growth of the pathogens in the air. Plants with high transpiration rate and large total foliar surface area help to increase indoor humidity and the dust in the air, so that the indoor air is effectively purified and the indoor air light quality is improved. Some plants help to absorb chemical substances that are hazardous to human body, and the disposition of indoor foliage plants helps to alleviate people of the symptoms of infection in the nose, throat, and respiratory system. Also, research literatures show that people's anxiety and nervousness can be alleviated when household landscaping includes natural view or indoor plants. In comparison to the urban landscaping, sports or other entertainments, viewing landscaping plants or natural environment does better in alleviating people's fatigue or restoring people's concentration. In addition, a workplace with green landscaping not only benefits people's physiology and psychology but also helps to reduce people's pressure and anxiety and further increases people's morale and efficiency in their work. A hospital ward with green plants is beneficial to patients' recovery, and at the same time help to reduce patients' feeling of pain, negative emotions and hospital stay.
The disposition of plants in an indoor space is indeed beneficial to people's health both physiologically and psychologically. However, plants lacking sunlight cannot conduct photosynthesis, and will wither soon or end up with poor growth. Research literatures show that, suitable amount of light intensity of red light (610 nm to 720 nm) or blue light (400 nm to 520 nm) or a combination thereof is conducive to the growth of the plants.
There are only a few number of related patents are provided. According to the Taiwanese Patent Publication No. TW 200952034 A1, a lamp, which is discharged by a low-pressure gas affecting the balance of endogenous melatonin is disclosed. The light in the region of red color spectrum is used for regulating the biological clock by controlling the secretion of melatonin.
In addition, a lamp with led chip for biological growth is disclosed in the Taiwanese Patent Publication No. TW M381999 U1. According to the said disclosure, a first LED and a second LED respectively emit a first waveband light source and a second waveband light source to assist biological growth.
A night light device, which assists baby's sleep with three different lighting modes is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,296. The night light device further comprises a biological sensor which detects user's temperature, blood pressure and blood concentration and then switches to a suitable light mode automatically.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A sulfur-containing palladium-carbon catalyst prepared by loading palladium on an active carbon, mixing the palladium-carbon catalyst with a solvent to form a slurry, adding a sulfide to the slurry to treat the loaded palladium under a predetermined temperature, and removing liquid and drying to obtain the catalyst. The sulfur-containing palladium-carbon catalyst is suitable for making phenylene diamine rubber antioxidant with improved productivity and selectivity.

Para-phenylenediamines (PPDs) are known as rubber antioxidants with good performance and widely used in the industry. PPDs are produced by various methods, among which the commonly used are the reductive alkylation method, the phenol-amine condensation method, the hydroxylamine reductive alkylation method, and the quinonimine condensation method. Reductive alkylation of 4-aminodiphenylamine (4-ADPA) and an aliphatic ketone is one of the most important synthetic methods currently used in the industry. For example, N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-para-phenylenediamine (6PPD) is an important antidegradant for rubbers and functions as an antiozonant, antioxidant, thermoresisting reagent, and flex cracking resisting reagent for rubbers. 6PPD has been widely used as the popularity of the meridian tire arises. 6PPD may be prepared by hydrogenation dehydration of 4-ADPA and methylisobutyl ketone (MIBK) in the presence of a catalyst in a one-step process as follows:

The reductive alkylation may also be a two-step process, during which 4-ADPA and MIBK react through dehydration condensation to form an imine, and the imine is subsequently reduced by hydrogen to 6PPD:

The first step of the reaction may be conducted in the presence of a proton acid catalyst or without a catalyst. The second step must be carried out in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst with good selectivity.
In the hydrogenation reductive alkylation for preparing the PPD rubber antioxidant, major side reactions include hydrogenation of the raw materials to form the corresponding alcohols, hydrogenolysis of the raw materials or products, hydrogenation of the benzene ring, and tar generated by overheating, etc. The key to obtaining PPD rubber antidegradants with good quality and low cost is to use a catalyst with good activity and selectivity, and can be recycled and reused.
Currently, catalysts for making PPD rubber antioxidants in the industry include copper-based catalyst and the platinum-carbon catalyst. Chinese Patent No. 200610161327.2 discloses a method for preparing a Cu—Zn/Al2O3 catalyst for the reductive alkylation for making 6PPD. The copper-based catalyst costs less, however, the selectivity is not optimal. In the presence of the copper-based catalyst, a large amount of MIBK is hydrogenated and reduced to the corresponding alcohol (MIBA), and the percentage of MIBA at the end of the reaction can reach between 9.3 to 97.4% of the total amount of the MIBK and MIBA. As a result, the raw material is wasted, and the cost is increased. On the other hand, the metal platinum in the conventional platinum-carbon catalyst is very expensive, and the production cost is greatly increased by the bulk use of the catalyst during the industrial production.
Palladium (Pd) has been commonly used as a hydrogenation catalyst in the hydrogenation reduction of the nitro group, carbonyl group, carbon double bond, and carbon-to-nitrogen double bond. However, when palladium-carbon containing catalyst is used as the hydrogenation catalyst in the reductive alkylation for making 6PPD, the raw material and the product have side reactions of hydrogenolysis of their respective C—N bonds so that the selectivity for 6PPD is very low.
To this date, palladium has not been successfully used as an active component in the catalyst for making PPD rubber antioxidants with high conversion rate and high selectivity, because it is still difficult to control the side reactions of C—N bond hydrogenolysis caused by palladium-containing catalysts.

Sulfur-containing palladium-carbon catalyst and method for preparing and using the same


A distributed database management computer system includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of database pages. When a first node in the computer system updates a first database page, the first node generates a log record. The first node determines whether it manages the first database page. If the first node determines that it manages the first database page, the first node writes the log record to a log storage local to the first node. However, if the first node determines that it does not manage the first database page, the first node then determines whether it includes a local log storage. If the first node includes a local log storage, the first node writes the log record to the local log storage, even if the first node does not manage the first database page. If the first node does not include a local log storage, the first node sends the log record to a second node managing the first database page.

The proliferation of inexpensive workstations and networks has created a new era in distributed computing. At the same time, non-traditional applications such as computer aided design (CAD), computer aided software engineering (CASE), geographic information systems (GIS), and office information systems (OIS) have placed increased demands for high-performance transaction processing on database systems. The combination of these factors gives rise to significant performance opportunities in the area of distributed transaction processing.
Today, the major distributed database management computer systems are "client-server", "shared nothing" and "shared disks" architectures. Most of these architectures use logging for recovery. In a client-server system, both the database and the log are stored with the server and all log records generated by the clients are sent to the server. In a shared nothing system, the database is partitioned among several nodes and each node has its own log file. Each database partition is accessed only by the owning node and a distributed commit protocol is required for committing transactions that access multiple partitions. In a shared disks system, the database is shared among the different nodes. Some shared disks systems use only one log file and require system wide synchronization for appending log records to the log. An example of this known type of system is disclosed in T. Rengarajan et al., High Availability Mechanisms of VAX DBMS Software, Digital Technical Journal 8, pages 88-98, February 1989. Some other shared disks systems use a log file per node. An example of this known type of system is disclosed in D. Lomet, Recovery for Shared Disk Systems Using Multiple Redo Logs, Technical Report CLR 90/4, Digital Equipment Corp., Cambridge Research Lab, Cambridge, Mass., October 1990. However, these systems either force pages to disks when these pages are exchanged between two nodes or they merge the log files during a node crash.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the steps performed by most known systems when a database page "P" is updated by an application running on a node "N." These steps are performed in most known client-server database systems that implement logging, as well as in any other known distributed database management computer systems with multiple nodes N.
In step 50 of FIG. 1, the database page P is updated by node N and stored in N's cache. In step 52, a log record of the update is generated by node N. In step 54, node N determines if page P is managed by node N. If it is, then in step 56, node N writes the log record to a local log disk. However, if at step 54 node N determines that page P is managed by another node, then at step 58 node N sends the log record to the node or server that manages page P.
As shown in the FIG. 1, in most known distributed database management computer systems, log records are always stored local to the node that is managing the database page that created the log record.
Further, in existing client-server database systems, transaction management is carried out exclusively by the server. The main argument for not allowing clients to offer transactional facilities is twofold. First, client machines may not be powerful enough to handle such tasks; the high cost of main memory and disks in the past made it more cost effective to increase the resources of the server rather than the resources of each client. The second, and more important argument, is data availability and client reliability--client machines could be connected to or disconnected from the network or simply turned off at arbitrary times.
Today, advances in hardware and software have resulted in both reliable network connections and reliable workstations that approach server machines regarding of resources. Thus, client reliability concerns become less and less important. Concerns related to availability are more a function of the computing environment rather than of the technology. In many computing environments, such as corporate, engineering, and software development, client workstations are connected to the server(s) all the time. Of course, disconnection of these machines from the network for some reason does happen but it is a rare event (say, once a month) and can be handled in an orderly fashion. In such environments, additional performance and scalability gains are realized when clients offer transactional facilities, because dependencies on server resources are reduced considerably.
The following sections (sections A-C) discuss known client-server, shared disks, and distributed file systems and shortfalls present in each system.

Local logging in a distributed database management computer system


A medallion ball comprising a bladder fabricated of an air impervious elastomeric material in a spherical configuration; a carcass coupled to the exterior surface of the bladder with a recess formed in the carcass; and a medallion positionable in a central region of the recess with the medallion having an exterior surface with indicia formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medallion gameball and more particularly pertains to providing distinctive indicia in the form of a medallion on the surface of a basketball.
2.
Description of the Prior Art
The use of balls with indicia of various designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, balls with indicia of various designs and configurations heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of marking balls and other objects with indicia through various methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, note U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,345 to Lai et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,552 to Meyer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,372 to Ratner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,699 to Mather, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,234 to Palmquist and U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,562 to J. C. Berlepsch, Jr., et al.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe medallion gameball that allows providing distinctive indicia in the form of a medallion to the surface of a basketball or other objects.
In this respect, the medallion gameball according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing distinctive indicia in the form of a medallion to the surface of basketballs.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved medallion gameball which can be used for providing distinctive indicia in the form of a medallion to the surface of basketballs. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a diol sulfone derivative comprising reaction of a halomethyl substrate with a thio-aryl compound to obtain a thio-ether compound, and oxidizing the thio-ether compound to the corresponding sulfone. In case of a chiral halomethyl substrate, the resulting chiral diol sulfone derivative is suitable as a building block for statin type compounds.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a process for preparing chiral diol sulfones, which are advanced intermediates used in preparing statins, a class of compounds useful as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors.
A method for preparing chiral diol sulfones is described in WO 2002/098854 and WO 2001/096311 wherein a sulfone is prepared from an alcohol, more in particular tert-butyl 2-(4R,6S)-6-(hydroxymethyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-4-yl)acetate known as "Kaneka alcohol". The preparation of such an alcohol is described in EP 1024139.
The synthesis of the sulfone in the prior art has a disadvantage, in that trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride or another sulfonic acid derived activating agent is used to activate the alcohol function to an extent that a nucleophilic attack with a thiol is possible. Trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride is an extremely hazardous and expensive component, which causes costly work-up procedures due to environmentally problematic waste streams. In WO 2010/140765 this problem has been addressed by direct reaction of a halomethyl derivative of a very specific and highly sterically hindered 2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-yl ester. Although this represents a first example of a direct nucleophilic attack by a thiol compound on a halide, the bulkiness of the ester group inherently also prevents the side reaction of unwanted substitution of the ester moiety leading to unwanted thio-ester.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process, in which not only the use of an activating agent like trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride is omitted but which is also applicable to esters of sterically unhindered and/or small alcohols such as butyl esters, ethyl esters, methyl esters and propyl esters.

Process for the preparation of diol sulfones

DSM SINOCHEM PHARMACEUTICALS NETHERLANDS B.V.


An integrated circuit card includes a microprocessor, an integral memory element, and a pseudo-random number sequence file stored therein. The pseudo-random number sequence file includes a pseudo-random number sequence generator operable to generate an instance of a sequence of apparently random numbers when executed, values for the parameters of the pseudo-random number sequence generator, and an Initial Value for the sequence of random numbers. The microprocessor is operable to execute an operation on the pseudo-random number sequence file in response to a predetermined input from an external source.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit cards ("ICCs") or "smart cards", and more particularly to a pseudo-random number sequence file for an integrated circuit/smart card that has a standard-compliant interface and that is operative to generate pseudo-random numbers within the integrated circuit/smart card for use in a variety of applications external and internal to the integrated circuit/smart card. The hardware and software features of the integrated circuit/smart card ensure the security of the functional characteristics and output of the pseudo-random number generator stored within the pseudo-random number sequence file of the integrated circuit/smart card while the standard-compliant interface facilitates the integration of the output of pseudo-random number sequence file into application programs and other security systems.
(2) Description of Related Art
Smart Cards:
Conventional integrated circuit cards ("ICCs") or smart cards (the terminology ICC(s) and/or smart card(s) is used interchangeably herein to identify a plastic card with an embedded microchip) are typically credit card-sized, programmable computer devices having operatively coupled logic and memory circuitry. Smart cards can be configured to provide identification and cryptographic capabilities that support secure operation of or access to applications, other devices, files, services, and the like.
The smart card can include electrical interface contacts ("smart card with contacts"), which are exposed on an external surface of the card and configured to enable a smart card reader or other device to interact with the applications, features, files or other contents of the smart card. Alternatively, the smart card can communicate with the smart card reader using radio frequency transmissions ("contactless smart card"). The smart card reader may be further operatively coupled to a computer or other device that is programmed to interact with the smart card in some manner. The smart card reader can be part of a separate peripheral device or integrated into such a peripheral device. For example, a mobile telephone may include an integral smart card interface. In addition, the smart card can be either fixed in place or removable.
Smart cards are increasingly used in financial and commercial transactions in the place of magnetic stripe credit/debit cards. They are also employed in digital rights management applications such as in set top boxes (STBs) to authorize the reception and consumption of digital media. They are also used in identity and authentication applications where they store personal identification numbers (PIN) and biometric templates.
Rather than employing information encoded on a magnetic stripe, smart cards include a microprocessor and a memory element in a tamper-resistant and tamper-evident enclosure typically fabricated from a relatively-rigid plastic material. Using their microprocessor capabilities, smart cards can interact directly with computer applications and are able to securely communicate a broad and detailed range of information regarding cardholder identity, cardholder authorizations, transaction formation, or other information.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) shows an exemplary smart card 10 with contacts. Substantially the size of a credit card, the smart card 10 includes a microprocessor 12 with an integral memory element and conductive contacts 13. Microprocessor 12 is typically a single wafer integrated circuit (IC) mounted on, or embedded within the body of the plastic card. The integral memory element provides storage capacity for, inter alia, the files and instruction sets (programs) of the smart card 10. Conductive contacts 13 provide an interface mechanism with a terminal (e.g., a card reader) to electrically transfer data between the terminal and the smart card. As noted above, some smart cards do not include conductive contacts 13, but instead transmit and receive information via electromagnetic mechanisms such magnetic or electrical fields or other proximate coupling means, or via radio or infrared transmissions or other remote coupling means.
FIG. 2 (Prior Art) shows an exemplary smart card 10 with contacts 13 that is used in a mobile telephone. The functional components of the smart card, a microprocessor 12 with an integral memory element and the contacts 13, are identical to the functional components shown in FIG. 1 and described above. Most of the plastic of the credit card has been removed to facilitate its placement inside the mobile telephone handset.
FIG. 3 (Prior Art) shows an exemplary "contactless" smart card 10 that might be used in a public transport system to hold tickets or other system use rights that includes a microprocessor 12 with an integral memory element, an embedded antenna 11, and contactless receptors 13 as described above.
Typical smart card operating systems support a modest file system. Because a smart card typically has no storage peripherals (such as the storage peripherals of a personal computer), a smart card file is typically just a contiguous block of smart card memory. Typical smart card operating systems support conventional file operations such as create, delete, read, write, and update on all files. In conventional smart card systems, associated with each file on a smart card is an access control list. This access control list records what operations, if any, each card identity or group of card identities is authorized to perform on any particular file. For example, identity A may be able to read a particular file but not update it, whereas identity B may be able to read, write, and even alter the access control list of the file.
ICCs or smart cards provide low-cost, portable, tamper-resistant and tamper-evident storage devices for data. They also contain a computational means to both control access to this data and to apply this data in information processing algorithms and applications. Given these capabilities, ICCs or smart cards can be used to store and apply electronic cash, cryptographic keys, sensitive personal information and cardholder authorizations. Such applications naturally require that this information cannot be read or altered without proper authorization, in particular by an unauthorized person in possession of the smart card.
Pseudo-Random Number Sequences:
A tamper-resistant source of pseudo-random numbers is of great utility in many data processing and information technology applications, particularly those that involve security, such as digital rights management, user and machine authentication, and cryptography. For example, a pseudo-random number sequence can be used to scramble an audio or video signal (digital rights management), provide unique passwords (authentication), or as a source of one-time encryption keys (cryptography).
A pseudo-random number sequence has the property that it is difficult to determine the nth number in the sequence even when all previous n−1 numbers are known. In other words, the sequence appears to be a random sequence of numbers even though it is actually produced by a formula/algorithm called a pseudo-random number generator. Since the nth number in the sequence can be determined if the generator formula is known, in security applications using pseudo-random number sequences it is important to ensure that the formula cannot be discovered.
It would be desirable to provide, in a smart card, a convenient and efficient method to produce pseudo-random number sequences, to implement pseudo-random number generators within the smart card and to provide a convenient and standard-based interface to pseudo-random number sequences and pseudo-random number generators as stored in a smart card.

Pseudo-random number sequence file for an integrated circuit card