A novel card game wherein each player forms a front hand and a back hand with wagers made on the front hand and back hand with a wager made for a sweep pool bet. The front hands of all players are compared to each other using the ranking rules of regular poker to determine the front hand winner. The back hands of all players are compared to each other also using the ranking rules of regular poker to determine the back hand winner. Any player who makes a sweep pool wager and also wins both the front hand and the back hand on any one distribution of cards wins the total amount in the sweep pool or if there is no sweep pool winner then all sweep pool wagers are added to the prior amount of the sweep pool.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to card games of chance and more particularly to a new method of playing a card game using the general rules of poker to evaluate each hand in the game.
2) Description of the Prior Art
The game of poker has many variations at present such as five card stud poker, seven card stud poker, Texas hold-em poker, and the like. The rules of poker are applied to each variation of the basic game of poker to evaluate each hand in each of the poker game variations. Most variations of poker consist of five cards or selection of five cards from seven cards that are dealt to each player and available to each player at each hand. Variations of poker also include the game of Pai Gow poker with many variations on the way basic Pai Gow poker can be played.
Poker games are not only popular among social groups or even among family members but are also played at casinos throughout the world. Casino card game play usually involves the game known as 21 or blackjack. Many recent variations of this game have recently been patented and many of these variations of the basic game of 21 are now being played in casinos. For a card game to be played at a casino the game must be simple and yet challenging to the player. One objective of card games played at a casino is that the card game be played quickly so as to tend to maximize the income derived from the playing of the game by the casino or what is called in game vernacular the house.
The game of 21 is relatively well suited for general play at gambling casinos in that it usually involves each player being dealt five cards or less by a house dealer with each player making wagers against the house player or dealer. The basic rules for the playing of the game of 21 are simple and each hand of the game can be quickly played at a casino. If the player in the game of 21 is dealt cards that total in point count that is closer in point count to 21 than the card point count of the dealer then the player wins the hand. If the dealer has a card point count in a hand closer to 21 than that of any player then the dealer wins that hand. There are other relatively simple rules that also govern play of this game but the important goal of each hand is for the player to have a card hand that is closer to 21 than the card hand of the dealer.
In some states such as California casino card play is legal for wagers made by players. However, some identified card games are illegal in California and other states for play in casinos. The game of 21, for example, is illegal for play in casinos in the State Of California. Card playing for money at casinos is legal for the simple reason that individuals will play certain card games for money at card rooms or the like even if made illegal by statute. Statutory law simply cannot legislate morality or cannot prohibit certain activities of persons that appear to be ingrained into the human psyche and the playing of card games for money appears to be such an activity.
Because the game of 21 is illegal for casino play in California similar games have been invented and are being played at casinos in California. Variations of the basic game of 21 include each player being dealt multiple hands such as two hands for the basic game of 21 or enough cards to form two hand each time the dealer distributes cards to all players at a wagering table. Another popular version of the basic game of 21 is the game of 22 now being played in many casinos in California where each player attempts to combine cards so that the point count total of each hand is as close to 22 as possible.
Casinos obtain their revenue from the playing of cards by taking a set amount or percentage from each pot on each hand in many poker type games. Casinos can also obtain revenue by requiring each player to pay a certain amount of seat rental in a game. In point count games such as in the game of 21 the casino usually has a dealer who plays for the house against each other player according to the rules of 21 and the house odds are slightly better than the odds for an individual player so the casino obtains revenue in this manner as well.
Most card games at casinos are similar to the basic game of 21 in that these games involve a point count on each hand in order to determine which player is the winner and which players are the losers on each hand played. In a point count game the number cards in a regular card deck have their number count and face cards each count 10 for arriving at the total point count for each hand. This kind of game is played relatively quickly at a casino which permits the casino to maximize its revenue from each hand or each game, whereas poker hands such as seven card stud poker are played relatively slowly at the casino and are less popular for that reason among persons who patronize card rooms and casinos where card games are played.
The basic rules of regular poker assign rank values to each hand based on the odds of achieving such a hand. For example a straight flush is the best hand unless a joker is used in which case five of a kind would be the best hand. Next four of a kind beats a full house hand consisting of a five card hand with three of a kind and also two or a kind or a pair. Then a five card flush beats a five card straight which beats three of a kind which beats two pairs in one hand which beats one pair. If there are ties such as if there are two five card straits between two players of any one hand then the higher in rank straight beats the lower in rank straight.
A method of playing a card game between the house and players using both the point count rules of the game of 21 and the basic rules of poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,821 by Hedman. This game also has an optional progressive jackpot bet. This is a three handed game and is relatively complex especially since the players must use the point count method of identifying the winning hand and the card ranking method of regular poker.
A variation of the basic game of 21 is described by Marquez in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,082 in which game each player has two distinct hands for evaluation using the basic card point count method. Each player is dealt a front hand and a back hand compared to the front hand and the back hand of a dealer or house player.
Wolf in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,194 describes a game wherein each player has a first and a second hand ranked by the rules of ordinary poker with a complex wagering process. The winner in this game is determined by whomever wins both the first hand and the second hand.
Cabot in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,295 describes a multiple hand card game in which wagers are made on each card dealt as opposed to a wager on each hand dealt. Hands are evaluated using the basic point card count method in order to determine the winning hand.
Franklin in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,486 describes a complex game wherein each player is dealt seven cards and from the seven cards forms a high hand and a low hand using the rules of regular poker to rank the hands. When the player forms a low hand that is lower than the low hand of the dealer or house player and a high hand that is higher in rank that the high hand of the dealer then that player wins the hand. Another feature of this game is that if any player makes an optional jackpot wager on any hand and is also dealt a predetermined seven card jackpot holding.


The adhB gene encoding Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E secondary-alcohol dehydrogenase (2.degree. Adh) was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The 1056 bp gene encodes a homotetrameric recombinant enzyme consisting of 37.7 kDa subunits. The purified recombinant enzyme is optimally active above 90.degree. C. with a half-life of approximately 1.7 h at 90.degree. C. An NADP(H)-dependent enzyme, the recombinant 2.degree. Adh has 1400-fold greater catalytic efficiency in propan-2-ol versus ethanol oxidation. The enzyme was inactivated by chemical modification using dithionitrobenzoate (DTNB) and diethylpyrocarbonate, indicating that Cys and His residues are involved in catalysis. Zinc was the only metal enhancing 2.degree. Adh reactivation after DTNB modification, implicating the involvement of a strongly bound zinc in catalysis. Arrhenius plots for the oxidation of propan-2-ol by the native and recombinant 2.degree. Adhs were linear from 25.degree. C. to 90.degree. C. when the enzymes were incubated at 55.degree. C. prior to assay. Discontinuities in the Arrhenius plots for propan-2-ol and ethanol oxidations were observed, however, when the enzymes were preincubated at 0.degree. C. or 25.degree. C. The observed Arrhenius discontinuity, therefore, resulted from a temperature dependent, catalytically significant 2.degree. Adh structural change. Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis comparisons of both mesophilic versus thermophilic 2.degree. Adh and 1.degree. versus 2.degree. Adh amino acid sequences were performed. These comparisons predicted that specific proline residues may contribute to 2.degree. Adh thermostability and thermophilicity, and that the catalytic Zn ligands are different in 1.degree. Adhs (two Cys and a His) and 2.degree. Adhs (Cys, His, and Asp).

The present invention relates to the cloning and expression of a gene encoding an enzyme. More particularly, it relates to the cloning and expression of a gene encoding an alcohol dehydrogenase.
Alcohol dehydrogenases (Adhs) (EC 188.8.131.52 NADH! or EC 18.104.22.168 NADPH!) are well studied as a structurally conserved class of enzyme 1!. The X-ray structure of the horse liver primary-alcohol dehydrogenase (1.degree. Adh) is known, and the properties of this enzyme have been extensively detailed 1,2!. Adhs are typically dimeric or tetrameric pyridine dinucleotide-dependent metalloenzymes with a zinc atom involved in catalysis. Adh proteins have been classified as 1.degree. or 2.degree. Adhs based on their relative activities toward 1.degree. and 2.degree. alcohols. It generally has been assumed that 1.degree. and 2.degree. Adhs are structurally similar, and that their substrate differences are due to relatively small changes in their active site architecture. Tetrameric 2.degree. Adhs have been reported from a number of microorganisms 3-7!. The Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E 2.degree. Adh is a bifunctional Adh/acetylCoA reductive thioesterase 7!. It has been proposed to function physiologically by oxidizing nicotinamide cofactor during ethanol formation, indirectly preventing glycolytic inhibition at the glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase step 8!.
2.degree. Adhs are attractive subjects for use as catalysts of chiral chemical production because of their broad specificities and their highly enantiospecific conversion of prochiral ketones to alcohols 9-12!. Two issues facing the commercial scale application of 2.degree. Adhs in chiral syntheses are the difficulty of regenerating and retaining expensive nicotinamide cofactor and the lack of inexpensive, highly stable enzymes. Cofactor regeneration and retention have been overcome by numerous strategies 13,14!. While thermophilic enzymes are generally much more stable than their mesophilic counterparts, the organisms that produce thermophilic 2.degree. Adhs grow slowly and to low cell densities, making an alternative expression system for these enzymes crucial for both their commercial application and detailed protein structure-function studies.
The discovery of thermophilic bacteria has provided the opportunity to isolate thermostable enzymes directly. The thermophilic anaerobes T. ethanolicus and Thermoanaerobacter brockii 15! express extremely enantiospecific 2.degree. Adhs that are stable above 70.degree. C. These two 2.degree. Adhs have been proposed to be extremely structurally similar based on similar molecular weight and kinetic characteristics 16!. While the Clostridium beijerinckii gene (adhB) encoding a mesophilic NADP(H)-dependent 2.degree. Adh has been cloned and sequenced (Genbank, Acc. no. M84723), and while the amino acid sequence of the T. brockii 2.degree. Adh has been determined by Edman degradation 17!, no cloned thermophilic 2.degree. Adh is available for detailed biochemical studies. The amino acid sequence of the T. ethanolicus 39E 2.degree. Adh was not publically available before the priority date of this patent application.

Cloning and expression of the gene encoding thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E secondary-alcohol dehydrogenase and enzyme biochemical characterization


A structure of a line lighting device permits a rod-like light guide to be attached to a case without rubbing against the case. An end portion of the rod-like light guide provided with a pin is inserted into an opening in a case main body and pushed down, thus making the pin engage with a recess in the case main body. At this time, a distal end of the rod-like light guide is inserted, to some extent, into an opening in a light emitting unit fixing portion. Subsequently, the rod-like light guide is pushed down and pivoted around the pin so as to be completely contained within the case main body. In this state, the distal end of the rod-like light guide is fitted into the opening and the end face of the rod-like light guide is flush with the outer side face of the light emitting unit fixing portion.

Image reading devices such as facsimiles, copiers and image scanners include a line lighting device for lighting lines over a main scanning range of a paper surface. The line lighting device is a rod-like light guide contained within a case that has a light emitting unit (LED) fixed at one end, and is arranged so that light incident on an end face of the light guide is reflected within the light guide and emitted towards the paper from an exposed emitting face not covered by the case.
The light guide has to be fitted into the case in such a way that a gap between the light emitting unit and a light guide end face which opposes the light emitting unit is accurately maintained. To this end, Patent Document 1 records an arrangement in which a recess 102 is formed in an opening 101 at one end of a case 100 and a protrusion 104 is formed at one end of the a rod-like light guide 103 to engage with the recess 102 so that the distance between the light guide end face and an LED 106 of the light emitting unit is constant, as shown in FIG. 16.
The rod-like light guide 103 is easily fitted into the case 100 by firstly inserting the tip of the protrusion 104 into the opening 101 of the case 100. However, the presence of the protrusion 104 requires that the rod-like light guide 103 is inserted with the end not having the protrusion going first as shown in FIG. 17(a). Lastly, the protrusion 104 is engaged with the recess 102 as shown in FIG 17(b).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2999431
With the above-described conventional insertion method, surfaces over the entire length of the rod-like light guide may rub against the opening portion of the case, and be scratched. At scratched portions, light reflects in an irregular manner, adversely affecting the performance of the lighting device.
Also, great care must be taken when sliding the rod-like light guide, distal end first, into the case. Thus, the operation to fit the light guide requires both time and practice.

Line lighting device and image reading device


An encased-pellet tablet for an active pharmaceutical ingredient comprises an excipient layer on the outside and an inner core that is surrounded by the excipient layer. The inner core contains a plurality of coated pellets, and the coated pellets comprise pellets of the active pharmaceutical ingredient coated with a pellet coating. The excipient layer contains from about 1 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of at least one cushioning agent selected from polyhydroxyl compounds. A method for manufacturing the encased-pellet tablets involves compressing an excipient material to form a first layer; compressing a plurality of coated pellets containing an API on said first layer to form an inner core thereon and compressing additional excipient material around an exposed portion of said inner core thereby surrounding said inner core with excipient material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to encased-pellet tablets. In particular, the invention is directed to encased-pellet tablets with an outer layer that encompasses an inner core comprising plurality of coated pellets, and a method for making such encased-pellet tablets.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Interest in controlled release pharmaceutical dosage formulations has brought about increasing attention to delivery systems which employ multiple coated particles, like pellets, coated microgranules and microcapsules, where the coating on the particles can be used to control release of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Controlled release may include delayed release, extended release, or repeated release. Capsules may be employed as a delivery platform for oral administration of these coated pellets or microcapsules. More recently, there is interest in finding ways to incorporate such coated pellets into a tablet. The advantages of encased-pellet oral tablets may include: (i) reduced cost and faster production; (ii) reduced vulnerability to tampering, (iii) less difficulties in esophageal transport than for capsules, and (iv) ease of swallowing.
Such a tablet may include pellets containing at least one API. Each of the pellets is individually coated with a polymer film that modifies the release profile and/or release rate of the API. The coated pellets are then formed into tablets by compression of a plurality of the coated pellets with excipients. In one method, the coated pellets are mixed with the excipients and this mixture is then compressed into tablets to provide an encased-pellet tablet where the coated pellets substantially homogenously distributed throughout the excipient matrix.
One problem that is encountered is that the compression step used to form the tablets will subject the coated pellets to a relatively large compression force. The pellet coating thus experiences large stresses, which often causes cracks or breaks in the pellet coating, which will alter the release profile and/or release rate of the API. Such tablets may thus lose at least some of the benefits of the controlled release properties of the coated pellets. Therefore, there is a need to preserve the pellet coating during tablet compression when making encased-pellet tablets.
One option for helping the pellet coating withstand the large force of tablet compression without being damaged is to strengthen the pellet coating. For example, GB 1 598 458 discloses a tablet comprising a micro-capsulated substance or a substance with a brittle coating, and a carrier that is a water-soluble, natural or synthetic wax having a melting temperature of at least 30° C. in an amount of more than 2% w/w and not more than 20% w/w, calculated based on the weight of the microcapsules or substance having a brittle coating. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is mentioned as an example of a water soluble wax. Other carriers include microcrystalline cellulose and lactose. Example 2 of the patent produced tablets by mixing 940 mg of KCl microcapsules, 94 mg of microcrystalline cellulose, and 94 mg PEG 1000, among other components; and compressing the mixture to tablets. The KCl is encapsulated and then the KCl microcapsules are dispersed in a matrix of the carrier in the tablets. The weight ratio of microcrystalline cellulose and PEG in the tablets is 1:1.
WO 2000/50010 discloses a controlled release dosage form of the drug bupropion hydrochloride. The dosage form comprises: (a) a first pellet having a core of bupropion hydrochloride and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, where the core is coated with a mixture of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and PEG, which coated core is further coated with a mixture of an acrylic resin and a water soluble polymer; and (b) a second pellet which is formed by further coating the first pellet with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, followed by an enteric coating. The enteric coating may include a polymer such as cellulose acetate phthalate or methacrylic acid copolymer. The first pellet and the second pellet may then be mixed with excipients such as crospovidone XL-10 and microcrystalline cellulose PH102 and then the mixture can be compressed into tablets.
EP 0 620 002 A1 discloses a solid pharmaceutical dosage form having an API core coated with a pharmaceutically acceptable polyalkylene glycol to reduce abrasion. The disclosed polyalkylenes include polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutylene. The API core may be a tablet having an abrasive type nature such that the tablet surface roughens and erodes during coating. Coating such tablets with a coating material comprising PEG is said to reduce abrasion during the coating process.
US 2005/0152976 A1 discloses a sustained-release formulation particle, which comprises an API and binder core coated with a coating film containing at least one cellulose based polymer and a plasticizer. The plasticizer may be polyethylene glycol, among a long list of plasticizers. The sustained-release formulation particles may be mixed with a combination of excipients such as a disintegrant and/or a swelling agent; at least one diluent; a lubricant; and optionally an antistatic agent, a permeabilizer, sweeteners, flavorings and colorants. The mixture may then be compressed to form tablets.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,984 discloses biologically inactive cushioning beads comprising at least one compressible cushioning component consisting essentially of a microcrystalline hydrocarbon wax or a natural wax, with the wax being at least 30% by weight of the biologically inactive cushioning beads. The biologically inactive cushioning beads may be used for making solid shaped articles (e.g. tablets) by mixing with biologically active ingredient-loaded beads and compressing the mixture to form solid shaped articles. The biologically active ingredient-loaded beads may be coated with a polymer and a plasticizer, among which plasticizers is PEG.
EP 2 510 950 A1 discloses a press-coated orally-disintegrating tablet with an outer layer surrounding an inner core. The inner core includes a powder or granular material with poor formability and contains an active ingredient. The outer layer comprises (a) microcrystalline cellulose, (b) a sugar or a sugar alcohol, and (c) one or more ingredients selected from crospovidone, starches, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose and carmellose. The inner core has a thickness in the range of 30 to 80% of the entire tablet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,581,941 B2 discloses an apparatus for manufacturing a tablet with an inner core and an outer layer surrounding the inner core. The apparatus comprises a center punch and an outer punch surrounding the outer periphery of the center punch, both of which are slidable and capable of compressing. The apparatus also includes a relative position restriction means for restricting a relative position of the center and outer punches. The relative position restriction means is configured to restrict a first position in which a punch tip of the center punch is protruded from a punch tip of the outer punch and a second position in which the punch tip of the center punch is substantially coincident with the punch tip of the outer punch, and may be further configured to fail to restrict a third position in which the punch tip of the center punch is retracted within the punch tip of the outer punch.
Nicklasson et al. ("Modulation of the tabletting behaviour of microcrystalline cellulose pellets by the incorporation of polyethylene glycol," European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 9, pages 57-65, 1999) teaches pellets made by wet agglomeration of microcrystalline cellulose and PEG at a 50:50 weight ratio, followed by spheronisation. The pellets are then compressed to form tablets.
The present invention provides encased-pellet tablets that can reduce the impact of tablet compression on the pellet coating while at the same time providing desirable API release characteristics that can be tailored to particular applications. Such encased-pellet tablets may significantly reduce cracking of the pellet coating during tablet compression when compared to conventional encased-pellet tablets. Therefore, the encased-pellet tablets can be fabricated to have a drug release profile that is similar to that of the coated pellets themselves.


A disengageable downhole tool (10) for use in the oil and gas industry. The tool can be decoupled from a work string to allow further tools to be operated from the work string on being run deeper into a well. The tool is then picked-up by the work string on retrieval from the well. In one embodiment a milling tool (28, 32) is described having a hex-drive system for operation of the tool from the work string with coupling and decoupling being achieved via shear pins (40) and a mating ledge and shoulder.

The present invention relates to downhole tools for use in the oil and gas industry and in particular although not exclusively to a disengagable downhole tool which allows a tool to be disengaged from a work string in a well bore and later retrieved on the work string when the work string is removed from the well bore.
In drilling or completing a well, each stage requires a work string to be made-up which includes any tools required within the well bore. Typically once made-up the work string is inserted in to the well until the tool reaches the desired location, the job is undertaken and then the work string including the tool is returned to the surface. As a number of jobs are required in a well in order to drill and complete the well, this can require a great number of trips into the well by a work string. Each time the string is retrieved, made up and reinserted time is lost which increases the cost involved in drilling and completing the well.
It has long been known to combine tools on a single work string. However, some tools such as the drill bit can only be located at a single position on the work string e.g. at the base.
An example where a single tool is required to be placed on a work string is in the milling of a polished bore receptacle. A polished bore receptacle is typically positioned at the top of a production liner in conjunction with the liner hanger disposed in a well bore. The polished bore receptacle typically has a long polished bore, which slideably and sealingly receives a sealing assembly on the end of a tubing string. Due to its function of requiring a surface against which a seal can be made, the polished bore receptacle which is inserted into the well is generally milled and dressed to provide an ideal surface finish. Such milling and dressing of the receptacle and in particular the top portion of the liner requires a single trip into the well with a suitable milling assembly.
Where multiple tools can be mounted on a single work string, difficulties can arise in the need to co-ordinate the activities of each of the tools independently from each other, particularly, if one tool is required to work before or after the operation of another tool.
Further difficulty arises when a tool, in order to operate, must come into contact with a portion of the well bore lining or casing. In these circumstances, the tool must be capable of being retracted or moved away from the well bore lining or casing so that the work string can be repositioned without the tool making unwanted contact to other parts of the well bore.
An example of a retractable tool is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,629. This tool is mounted on a work string and operates by the application of fluid through the work string. Fluid pressure causes cleaning members in the form of brushes or scrapers to be expanded radially outwards to contact the walls of the well casing or liner. The work string can be rotated so that the brushes or scrapers clean the walls of the casing or liner. When cleaning is complete a change in fluid pressure causes the cleaning members to be retracted back into the work string so that the work string may be lowered further into the well or be retrieved from the well without the cleaning members making any further contact with the casing or liner. A disadvantage of such systems is that they require changes in fluid pressure from the surface and due to the mechanical components used to assist in the expansion and retraction of the cleaning members they can be prone to failure in hostile environments.
It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a tool located on a work string, which when it has completed its function in a well bore can be disengaged from the work string such that the work string be run further into the well bore and when retrieved 'pick-up' the tool and remove it from the well bore.
It is a further object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a tool for insertion in a work string including at least one further tool, which when the string is inserted into the well bore can mill a polished bore receptacle, remain at the polished bore receptacle while the one or more further tools perform their function(s) below the polished bore receptacle and is retrieved when the work string is retrieved from the well.
It is a yet further object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a tool for insertion in a work string which includes a safety feature such that a portion of the tool will disengage only when the tool has reached a desired location in the well bore.

Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited


The invention provides an optical disc apparatus which restricts an operation sound generated from an objective lens driving portion of an optical pickup and has a reduce sound, in an optical disc apparatus, in particular, an optical disc apparatus installing a microphone for recording an external voice therein. Coils (107, 108), a magnet (109) and opposing surfaces of a yoke (110) are respectively arranged at substantially point symmetrical positions with respect to an optical axis (111) of an objective lens (103) in a state in which no electric current is applied, the yoke (110) and a unit base (117) are connected via a spring member (118), and the unit base (117) is mounted to a casing (120). In this case, the spring member (118) is connected at a position (121) forward apart from the objective lens (103) with respect to the yoke (110), and is formed so as to have at least a deformation freedom in a direction of the optical axis of the objective lens (103). The casing (120) is made in a closed structure surrounding a space in which the unit base (117), a lens holder (106), the yoke (110) and the magnet (109) are arranged, except a surface opposing to a disc-like recording medium (104).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for recording or reproducing information by irradiating a laser beam onto a disc medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, an apparatus using an optical disc corresponding to a large capacity removable medium is commercially manufactured as an external information storing apparatus for a personal computer or the like. The apparatus is structured such that a disc medium is mounted to a spindle motor by a loading mechanism provided in an inner portion, an optical pickup for irradiating an optical spot on an information recording surface is provided so as to oppose to the disc medium, and the optical spot is irradiated onto the disc medium so as to record or reproduce a signal. A laser light source, a prism for irradiating a laser beam outgoing from the laser light source onto the disc medium, an optical element such as an objective lens or the like, a light detecting portion for detecting a reflected light from the optical disc so as to convert into an electric signal, an objective lens driving portion for controlling a focal point of a light spot to a target position on the disc recording medium surface, and the like are mounted in the optical pickup mentioned above. The objective lens driving portion is structured such as to finely move the objective lens in a direction of an optical axis in correspondence to a surface deflection amount of the rotating disc medium, and finely move the objective lens in a track direction of the disc medium in correspondence to a track displacement amount. An embodiment of structure of the objective lens driving portion for the optical pickup mentioned above is disclosed in JP-A-6-89448 and the like. In this case, a description will be given below of the objective lens driving portion of the optical pickup which has been conventionally employed, with reference to FIG. 32. In FIG. 32, reference numeral 3201 denotes an objective lens, which is mounted to a front end portion of a lens holder 3202. A focus coil 3203 to which a coil is applied by a copper wire or the like is mounted to an inner portion of the lens holder 3202, and two tracking coils 3204 to which a coil is applied by a copper wire or the like are mounted to an outer side of the focus coil 3203. Two magnets 3205 are provided in the focus coil 3203 and the tracking coil 3204 so as to oppose to each other with a predetermined gap, and the magnets 3205 are mounted to a yoke 3206 made of a magnetic material such as an iron or the like. One ends of four suspensions 3207 are mounted to right and left side surfaces of the lens holder 3202, and the focus coil 3203 and the tracking coil 3204 are electrically connected. Further, the other ends of the suspensions 3207 are mounted to a connection base plate 3209 attached to a suspension holder 3208 in accordance with a soldering or the other means, and right and left side surfaces of the suspension holder 3208 are fixed to a unit base 3211 by an adhesive portion 3210. The yoke 3206 and the unit base 3211 are integrally formed in accordance with a press molding or the other means, and a side surface and a bottom surface in the unit base 3211 are fixed to a casing 3212 by an adhesive portion 3213 after predetermined position and attitude are determined with respect to an optical system (not shown) provided in a casing 3212 of the optical pickup. In this state, the lens holder 3202 including the objective lens 3201 is supported so as to freely move in parallel in a surface deflecting direction (Z direction in this drawing) of the optical disc and a radial direction (Y direction in this drawing), and the structure is made such that a thrust due to an electromagnetic force is applied by controlling so as to apply an electric current to the focus coil 3203 and the tracking coil 3204, whereby the lens holder 3202 is driven in a focus direction (Z direction in this drawing) or a tracking direction (Y direction in this drawing).
The optical disc apparatus described above is, at the present time, mainly used in an aspect of being connected to an information equipment such as a personal computer or the like via a cable, or being installed in the information equipment such as a notebook computer or the like, or the like.
At present, the optical disc apparatus is structured such as to be mainly used in the aspect described in the prior art mentioned above, however, there has been proposed, for example, a portable optical disc camera apparatus (the disc medium employs, for example, a digital versatile disc-random access memory (DVD-RAM)) capable of photographing a digital moving image and static image, as a new type optical disc apparatus in which a microphone for recording an external voice is installed. In the optical disc camera apparatus mentioned above, components such as an imaging system, a recording microphone, an optical disc drive, a signal processing circuit and the like are mounted within a casing, and the recording microphone is arranged close to the optical disc drive for the purpose of making a whole of the apparatus compact. Accordingly, in an operation of the optical disc drive, (1) there is a case that an operation sound having a peak in a frequency band range between some KHz and 10 KHz jumps into the recording microphone, whereby a reproduction sound quality is deteriorated, and (2) there is a case that the operation sound having the peak in the frequency band range between some KHz and 10 KHz leaks from the casing of the apparatus, thereby striking harshly upon the ear.
As a result of considering a reason by which the operation sound is generated, it has been known that one of main reasons by which the operation sound in the band range between some KHz and 10 KHz is generated, exists a matter that in the objective lens driving portion (FIG. 32) of the conventional optical pickup arranged in opposite to the disc surface at a time of a focusing operation mode and a tracking operation mode, the yoke corresponding to the constituting element finely vibrates, the fine vibration is input to the objective lens driving unit via a loop of a focus and tracking servo control system so as to constitute a disturbance, and this state is repeated, whereby the fine vibration is amplified and appears on the operation sound. Further, it has been known that together with dispersion on manufacturing, a rotational vibration which is fined in the lens holder for holding the objective lens is easily generated in the objective lens driving portion (FIG. 32) of the conventional optical pickup, the fine rotational vibration vibrates the yoke and is amplified via the loop of the focus and tracking servo control system so as to appear on the operation sound. At this time, in a frequency characteristic (a response displacement and a phase characteristic) of the focus and tracking servo control system, there is not generated a response turbulence which generates a problem in view of the servo control, and a recording and reproducing operation on the disc is normally executed. As a result of the above, it can be said that no deterioration is generated in the response of the objective lens with respect to the disc, that is, the light spot on the disc surface. In the conventional optical disc apparatus, the turbulence which will generate the problem in view of executing the servo control is not produced in the frequency characteristic (the gain and phase characteristics) of the focus and tracking servo control system, as mentioned above, and the operation sound in the band range between some KHz and 10 KHz which is generated due to the operation of the objective lens driving portion generates a problem hardly produces the problem, in a state in which the recording and reproducing operation on the disc is normally executed.
As mentioned above, in the case that the objective lens driving portion of the optical pickup is operated, the operation sound in the band range between some KHz and 10 KHz which is caused by the fine vibration generated from the yoke corresponding to the constituting element even in the state in which the objective lens and by extension the optical spot normally responds, and the fine rotational vibration generated by the lens holder holding the objective lens due to the dispersion on manufacturing becomes a new problem which is hardly considered in the conventional optical disc apparatus in view of achieving the optical disc camera installing the recording microphone therein. Accordingly, in order to reduce the operation sound in the band range between some KHz and 10 KHz, it is necessary to reduce the operation sound generated from the yoke corresponding to the constituting element of the objective lens driving portion and the rotational vibration of the lens holder holding the objective lens in spite of the dispersion on manufacturing.

Optical pickup and optical disc apparatus provided with the same


A disposable respiratory protective gas and toxic fume mask is described which comprises a transparent hood of thin film chemical resistant material sealable at the neck or to the face of a subject and covering the eyes, nose and mouth, a filter in the hood for filtering and conducting air into the hood, a tube interconnecting the filter and a mouthpiece and including a first one-way valve for conducting filtered air to the subject, a second one-way valve in the mouthpiece for conducting exhaled air air into the interior of the hood and thereby generating an overpressure condition within the hood.

The present invention relates generally to devices for respiratory protection in contaminated environments, and more particularly to a protective mask having a transparent hood with filter 10 and one-way valving structure which provides a positive pressure inside the mask and prevents the ingestion of contaminants.
Prior art protective masks generally require external air sources for delivering air under pressure into the masks. In the valving structure of the invention, the user ingests air through a filter and first one-way valve and exhales through a second one-way valve which maintains positive pressure inside the mask. Excess pressure escapes around the peripheral seal or through a low resistance one-way valve. The valving arrangement of the invention minimizes the dead space volume of air which may be rebreathed with negative physiological impact.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a chemical and toxic fume mask for personal respiratory protection against noxious and contaminated environments.
It is another object of the invention to provide a protective respiratory mask effective against substantially all known nerve and blister agents.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an inexpensive, disposable respiratory protection mask.
It is another object of the invention to provide a respiratory protective mask sized for substantially universal personnel fit.
It is another object of the invention to provide a respiratory Protective mask having substantial (high) protection factor.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a respiratory protective mask which is easily and quickly donned.
It is another object of the invention to provide a respiratory protective mask having a long shelf storage life and which is sufficiently compact and portable to be carried on the person.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as a detailed description of representative embodiments proceeds.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


The present invention relates generally to a method and means of collecting oil from a reservoir overlying a water aquifer or basement rock using a manned tunnel. A manned tunnel is used as a physical barrier to intercept oil and water flowing downward along a formation dip and to preferentially collect the oil or the water through a series of collector stations. This method can be used for oil spill clean-ups or for hydrocarbon recovery in appropriate reservoirs.

There are situations where oil in the ground overlies water or a basement rock and can be recovered by unconventional means.
An example of such a situation is a layer of light oil overlying water in a shallow loose or lightly cemented sand deposit. For example, if the sand is a sand dune area adjacent to a large body of water such as a lake or an ocean, the layer of oil can be formed by an oil spill which collects and floats on the water table but under the surface of the sand dune. The oil spill can result, for example, from a breach or leak in an underground pipeline that goes undetected for a period of time.
Another example of such a situation is a layer of heavy oil or bitumen in a shallow lightly cemented oil sand deposit overlying either a layer of water or lying directly on a basement rock. Such situations occur in many shallow heavy oil or bitumen deposits (that is, oil sands deposits under no more than a few hundred meters of overburden). In some cases, production of heavy oil by cold flow may be feasible. In other cases, the heavy oil or bitumen may have to be mobilized by injection of steam or diluent.
While it may be possible to drill wells from the surface or to strip off the overburden to recover the hydrocarbon of interest, there may be surface restrictions preventing these approaches. For example, the hydrocarbon deposit may be under a lake, a river valley, a town, a protected wildlife habitat, a national park or the like.
There remains, therefore, a need for a method and means to recover the oil from above the underlying aquifer or basement rock by methods that minimize surface disturbance.

Method of collecting hydrocarbons using a barrier tunnel


A device (10) for use in combination with a hole saw (12) of the type including a cylindrical hollow body (14) having a circular lower cutting edge (16), a top mandrel (18) with a shank (20) in engagement with a chuck (22) of a drill (24) and a pilot bit (26) for guiding the hole saw (12) when cutting a new opening in a workpiece (28) having a predrilled opening (30), in which the center of the new opening lies within the predrilled opening (30). The device (10) comprises a dowel plug (32) having a plurality of holes (34) therethrough. The dowel plug (32) is inserted into the predrilled opening (30), so that the pilot bit (26) of the hole saw (12) can be positioned in a rotatable manner into one of the holes (34) in the dowel plug (32) on center or off center with the predrilled opening (30) in the workpiece (28).

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to hole boring tools and more specifically it relates to a device for and method of enlarging and center displacing a predrilled opening in a workpiece. The device for and method of precision enlarging and center displacing a predrilled opening in a workpiece can guide a hole saw to enlarge the predrilled opening in a work piece, either on center or off center with the predrilled opening. The device for and method of enlarging and center displacing a predrilled opening in a workpiece consists of a tapered knurled dowel plug having a concave cutout side less than a one hundred and twenty degree angle, to be snugly inserted quickly and safely into the predrilled opening in the work piece. A central hole and a plurality of spiral radiating repositioning center holes each act as a guide hole for the pilot drill bit of the hole saw. The concave (optionally straight or convex) cutout side will prevent the hole saw, when off center from the predrilled opening, from causing damage to the tapered knurled dowel plug.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous hole boring tools have been provided in prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,486 to Damico; U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,722 to Cochran; U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,326 to Converse and U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,102 to Gale all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Device for and method of enlarging and center displacing an opening in a work piece


The present invention relates to a medical device for treating papilloma virus (HPV) cutaneous infections, in particular for the treatment of warts and related pathologies. In particular, the present invention relates to a collodion-based composition, particularly elastic collodion, containing acetylsalicylic acid and a composition containing acetylsalicylic acid and a glycol. Such compositions can be used in the treatment of HPV cutaneous infections, in particular benign infections such as warts, papillomas and condylomas.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small DNA viruses of the papovavirus family. Although not capsulated, HPVs are very resistant viruses, with a diameter of about 55 nm. Their genome consists of a circular double chain DNA containing about 8000 pairs of nucleotide bases, associated with histones to form structures similar to small chromosomal entities.
According to their trophism, HPVs can be classified into cutaneous and mucosal. Among the cutaneous types, there are those commonly found in the population (HPV 1, and 4) and those associated with verruciform epidermodysplasia, among which the most important are HPV 5 and HPV 8 due to the high tendency to malignant transformation. Mucosal types are generally divided into high- and low-risk types. Low-risk types (HPV 6 and 11) are almost always absent in invasive squamous cell carcinomas, where high-risk types are always present (HPV 16 and 18).
Benign HPV cutaneous infections are generally classified as warts, papillomas, and condylomas. Papillomas affect the oral cavity, while condylomas affect the genital organs of both men and women.
The wart is a cutaneous formation induced by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and is a benign manifestation consisting of a core of internal tissue fed by blood vessels and lined with layers of epithelial tissue. The virus penetrates the epidermis, infecting it.
The appearance of the wart varies depending on the site where it occurs and on the viral strain causing it. Warts are divided into:
1. Common warts: the cutaneous lesions triggered by the Papilloma virus generally have an irregular shape and develop often (but not always) in an asymptomatic way.
2. Plantar warts: typical of the foot sole, these HPV virus-caused warty lesions are easily transmitted in swimming pools and gyms.
3. Flat warts: raised wart lesions; Papilloma virus, infecting hands, feet, face and legs can cause these cutaneous damages, fading in a short time.
Common warts have a typical rough surface, often creped and unsightly, and normally appear on hands, elbows and knees.
Warts are a fairly common problem: it is estimated that they affect about 10% of the global population, with a tendency to increase. The most affected population group includes school-age children, young people and young adults. The peak is reached in the group aged between 10 and 15 years.
Warts are often asymptomatic and tend to disappear even if not treated, but the healing times are very long, even several years. Given the unsightly appearance of such cutaneous manifestations, affected individuals often resort to treatments for their elimination.
The currently used treatments include:                surgical removal: it consists of total removal of the infected skin area. Although this method is effective, it is very invasive and, in any case, does not eliminate the problem of wart recurrence;        cryotherapy: it consists in freezing the affected area with liquid nitrogen;        keratolytic preparations: they accelerate the wart maturation cycle, making it rise to the surface and allowing spontaneous detachment;        intralesional injections: injections of interferon into the wart itself, in order to induce apoptosis of virus-infected cells;        laser therapy: it consists of burning the wart by laser;        vitamin E application: locally applied vitamin E, in oil preparations also used as a skin anti-irritation lotion, leads to the elimination of the wart, probably improving the healing capacity.
These treatments are mostly invasive and have a probability of success of no more than 70%.
There is therefore a need for a treatment of HPV cutaneous infections, in particular benign cutaneous infections such as warts and related manifestations, which is effective and minimally invasive.
Recently, the use of acetylsalicylic acid for the treatment of warts and papillomas has been proposed by the same inventor of the present patent application. The international application no. PCT/IB2016/055300 describes pharmaceutical compositions, in particular patches or plasters, containing ASA in solid form or incorporated in hydrophilic and hydrophobic gels or in cyclodextrins.
Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) belongs to the class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). ASA is a salicylic acid derivative, distinguished by the presence of an acetyl group in position 2, responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of the molecule. ASA exerts an inflammatory action by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins by serine acetylation at the active site of the cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX). At low doses (75-81 mg/day) the action of ASA is selective at platelet level, where it irreversibly inhibits the serine 530 of COX1, exerting an antithrombotic effect. At higher doses (650-4000 mg/day), ASA inhibits COX1 and COX2, blocking prostaglandin synthesis and providing an antipyretic and analgesic effect. Other mechanisms of action of the molecule have been studied or proposed to explain the many pharmacological properties thereof, but little is known about a possible antiviral activity of ASA.
Although the formulations described in the international application no. PCT/IB2016/055300, in particular plasters or patches, have proved to be effective in the treatment of warts, papillomas and warts, they do not solve all the problems related to this type of application. In particular, a patch has the disadvantage of being unaesthetic, troubling and easily detachable when the part on which it is applied is in contact with water.
Moreover, the ASA contained in said patches showed a non-optimal stability, giving rise, after some months of storage at room temperature, to a non-negligible percentage of salicylic acid as a product of the hydrolysis of ASA.
There are various technical problems that an ideal formulation should solve. In particular, the formulations should:                Contain effective but non-toxic concentrations of the active ingredient, i.e. the minimum concentration sufficient to effectively remove the lesion without damaging the deeper cutaneous layers;        Contain active ingredient concentrations such as not to enter the bloodstream and not to exert systemic effects, in particular, ASA should be included in concentrations having only local effects, without the risk to entry the bloodstream with consequent undesirable systemic effects;        Be preferably water resistant, so that they are not detached or washed away during daily hygiene operations, or they can be applied even when the subject frequents pools, beaches, etc. In the latter case, in fact, the formulation would help to protect the lesion against further contamination by pathogens and to limit the contagion of other subjects as it would block the release of micro-infected skin into the environment;        Maximize the stability of ASA against hydrolysis;        Remove the lesion quickly, increasing the subject's compliance;        Allow the subject to self-apply, at home, without turning to the doctor;        Be easy to use, understood as ease of application on the lesion, also for use in subjects such as children, and only on the lesion, without being distributed on surrounding healthy tissues;        Be comfortable and discreet once applied, without creating discomfort to the subject;        Resist friction and rubbing, so that the medication does not go away doing daily activities, such as rubbing against clothes, fabrics, linens, footwear and everyday objects, in view of the fact that very often these lesions affect the skin of hands, feet and genital organs;        Have a low cost.

Medical device for the treatment of HPV cutaneous infections


A folded airbag includes an outer circumferential wall which has a passenger side panel section disposed at a passenger side when inflation of the folded airbag is completed and a vehicle body side panel section extending forward from the passenger side panel section when the inflation of the folded airbag is completed, and an inlet opening which is positioned at a front lower side of the vehicle body side panel section when the inflation of the folded airbag is completed. The folded airbag is formed by folding an unfolded airbag body through front-to-back reduction folding that reduces a size of the unfolded folded body in a front-to-back direction so that a length of the folded airbag in a lateral direction is greater than a length of the folded airbag in a front-to-back direction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a passenger seat airbag apparatus which deploys and inflates an airbag from an upper side of an instrument panel that is in front of the passenger seat next to the driver's seat and provides cushion protection to a passenger in the passenger seat using the inflated airbag. The present invention also relates to a folded airbag used in the passenger seat airbag apparatus.
2. Background Art
In the related art, a passenger seat airbag apparatus is mounted on an upper side of an instrument panel that is in front of the passenger seat next to the driver's seat (hereinafter referred to as the "passenger seat"), and includes a folded airbag, an inflator which supplies inflation gas to the airbag, and a housing-forming member which surrounds and accommodates the folded airbag (e.g. see JP-A-2000-190798). The housing-forming member includes a case which accommodates the folded airbag and the inflator and an airbag cover which is to be pushed and opened by the airbag that is being inflated. The case is made of a sheet metal having the shape of a substantially rectangular body, and includes a bottom wall section which couples the airbag to the inflator and a cylindrical sidewall section which extends upward from the front, rear, right and left portions of the bottom wall section. The airbag cover is disposed at the circumference of the opening formed in the instrument panel to engage with the circumference of the opening in order to close the opening, and is also coupled to the case using engagement protrusions provided on the sidewall section of the case, in particular, front and rear regions of the sidewall section, or bolt members.
In addition, the airbag is folded so as to be accommodated in the case having substantially the shape of a rectangular case. The airbag is also folded such that a passenger side panel section which forms the outer circumferential wall of the airbag is placed on a vehicle side panel section, the airbag is deployed flat, and both the lateral size and the front-to-back size of the airbag are reduced.
However, in the passenger seat airbag apparatus of the related art, the airbag is folded to a central side in the lateral direction such that the front-to-back size as well as the lateral size of the airbag is reduced from the state in which the airbag is deployed flat. Therefore, the height in the upward-downward direction of the airbag, i.e., the thickness of a folding completed body, is increased. The thickness in the upward-downward direction of the housing-forming member is also increased depending on the thickness of the folding completed body of the airbag.
Accordingly, it is difficult to mount the airbag apparatus in a region of the instrument panel where a upward-downward space is small, for example, a rear edge or a surrounding region of the instrument panel that forms an intersecting region of an upper wall section and a rear wall section of the instrument panel intersect.
Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a passenger seat airbag apparatus which is easily mounted even if a upward-downward space is small.

Passenger seat airbag apparatus and a folded airbag used therein


A rotary variable resistor includes a variable resistor body mounted to a console panel, a rotor shaft protruding outward from the variable resistor body, and a control knob coupled to an outer end of the rotor shaft. A single plate-shaped stopper is projectingly provided, along a rotational direction of the rotor shaft, on a front face of the variable resistor body from which the rotor shaft protrudes. First and second restricting portions are provided on the control knob side-by-side along the rotational direction of the rotor shaft to alternately abut against the stopper in defining an actual rotational angle of the rotor shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary variable resistor having a variable resistor body mounted to a support member, a rotor shaft rotatably supported on the variable resistor body and protruding outward, and a control knob coupled to an outer end of the rotor shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rotary variable resistor is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-270218. In the disclosed rotary variable resistor, a single stopper is provided on a control knob, and a pair of restricting portions are provided on a variable resistor body and alternately receive the stopper to define a rotational angle of a rotor shaft. In some cases, the actual rotational angle of the rotor shaft is changed depending on the application of the variable resistor. However, in the above-identified rotary variable resistor wherein the pair of restricting portions are provided on the variable resistor body and alternately receive the stopper to define the actual rotational angle of the rotor shaft, a plurality of variable resistor bodies having different distances between the pair of restricting portions in correspondence to the required rotational angles of the rotor shaft must be prepared in advance which makes it rather difficult to reduce the cost.


A scissor-action screwdriver and screwdriver attachment comprises a plurality of arms pivotally attached to one another; a bias element mounted in at least one of the plurality of arms; and a sleeve slidably mounted around at least one of the plurality of arms, wherein the plurality of arms comprise a first arm and a second arm, and wherein each of the plurality of arms preferably comprise a prong end. The screwdriver attachment further comprises a stop component adapted to limit a distance of separation between the first arm and the second arm. Additionally, the bias element may comprise a spring. Moreover, each of the plurality of arms preferably comprises a tapered section, wherein the sleeve comprises an inner tapered wall adapted to engage the tapered section of each of the plurality of arms. The screwdriver further includes a handle connected to the second arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the invention generally relate to tools, and more particularly to a tool used to drive a bone screw implant assembly used in the field of surgical lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical procedures treating spinal injuries are one of the most complex and challenging surgeries for both the patient and the surgeon. When there are various deformities, trauma, or fractures of the vertebra, surgeons may attempt to "fuse" them together by attaching screw-like assemblies into the pedicles of the spine and thereby connecting several vertebrae (typically two or more) using a semi-rigid rod. These screw-like assemblies may include the type of assemblies described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/045,908, filed Jan. 28, 2005 and entitled, "Polyaxial Pedicle Screw Assembly," the complete disclosure of which in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference. Generally, assemblies such as these include a bone screw and a screw head attached to the bone screw.
Those in the industry, as well as orthopedic surgeons, have acknowledged that having a bone screw pre-attached to the screw head prior to the time of the surgical operation, and preferably being attached by the manufacturer, is advantageous as it reduces the overall time associated with performing the operation. However, once a pre-attached pedicle screw assembly (combined bone screw and screw head) is received by the surgeon, he/she still has to screw (drive) the bone screw into the bone. Unfortunately, most conventional tools cannot drive the bone screw into the bone with the screw head attached due to the spatial limitations inside of the patient and the overall complex geometry resulting from the pedicle screw assembly (combined bone screw and screw head). Thus, there remains a need for a new tool to drive these pedicle screw assemblies (combined bone screw and screw head) into the bone, thereby reducing the overall surgical time and providing the surgeon with improved intra-operative flexibility.


To enable an image with no blind spot area to be obtained while ensuring a wide field of view, an omnidirectional imaging system includes: a primary mirror (101) including a hyperbolic mirror; a plurality of secondary mirrors (102) arranged around the primary mirror and each including a hyperbolic mirror; and a camera (104) that captures an image reflected by the primary mirror and images reflected by the plurality of secondary mirrors. A hyperboloid of the primary mirror and hyperboloids of the plurality of secondary mirrors have a substantially coincident outer focal point, and the camera (104) is placed so that a viewpoint of the camera substantially coincides with the outer focal point of the hyperboloid of the primary mirror (101) and the hyperboloids of the plurality of secondary mirrors (102), the viewpoint of the camera being an entrance pupil position of a lens attached to the camera (104).

There is a conventional omnidirectional imaging system that performs full-circumference imaging through the use of two reflections between a plurality of rotator mirrors whose rotation axes coincide with each other (for example, see Patent Literature (PTL) 1). FIG. 29 shows a conventional omnidirectional imaging system described in PTL 1.
In FIG. 29, a primary mirror 301 reflects light incident in directions of horizontal 360 degrees of surroundings. A secondary mirror 302 further reflects the light reflected by the primary mirror 301. The light reflected by the secondary mirror 302 passes through a principal point of a photoreceiving lens system 303, and forms an image on an image plane 304. Note that the primary mirror 301 and the secondary mirror 302 are covered with a transparent tube 305. Thus, the optical system in FIG. 29 can image a subject in directions of horizontal 360 degrees of surroundings, by one photoreceiving lens system.
As another example, there is an omnidirectional imaging system that obtains distance information using a plurality of mirrors (for example, see PTL 2). FIG. 30 shows a conventional omnidirectional imaging system described in PTL 2.
In FIG. 30, an omnidirectional mirror 401 includes a hemispherical mirror 402a and a plurality of spherical mirrors 402b. The hemispherical mirror 402a reflects light incident in directions of horizontal 360 degrees of surroundings, and the plurality of spherical mirrors 402b also reflect light incident in directions of horizontal 360 degrees of surroundings. The light reflected by the hemispherical mirror 402a and the plurality of spherical mirrors 402b is imaged by an imaging device 403. Thus, the optical system in FIG. 30 can capture an image of one subject reflected by the hemispherical mirror and the plurality of spherical mirrors and measure a distance to the subject based on the image.
As another example, there is an omnidirectional imaging system that obtains distance information using a fisheye lens and a rotator mirror (for example, see PTL 3). FIG. 31 shows a conventional omnidirectional imaging system described in PTL 3.
In FIG. 31, a camera 510 includes a fisheye lens al and a rotator mirror δ. The camera 510 has a section that directly forms an image in a part of an imaging device 514 through the fisheye lens al and a lens optical system 512, and a section that forms an image in a part of the imaging device 514 through the fisheye lens al and the lens optical system 512 after reflection by the rotator mirror δ. The omnidirectional imaging system in FIG. 31 obtains distance information to a subject, from the section that directly forms an image through the fisheye lens α1 and the section that forms an image through the fisheye lens α1 after reflection by the rotator mirror δ.


In a lawnmower engine speed control system having an actuator moving a throttle valve and a controller controlling operation of the actuator such that the engine speed becomes equal to a predefined desired engine speed, it is determined whether the lawnmower is under a mowing operation based on a value indicative of a load of the engine including an operation rate or output of the engine, the desired engine speed is changed based on a result of determination, thereby enabling to lower noise, to boost fuel efficiency, and to simplify operation by making manual regulation of engine speed unnecessary, while ensuring stable operation free from engine speed variance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lawnmower engine speed control system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lawnmowers equipped with an engine for powering one or more cutter blades disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2003-111508, are in wide use. In this type of lawnmower, the engine speed is generally controlled to the desired speed by a mechanical governor that mechanically regulates the degree of opening of the throttle valve in response to the engine load.
The mechanical governor operates to maintain the engine speed constant (at the desired speed) utilizing a state of equilibrium between the centrifugal force of revolving fly weights and the force of a spring. With this arrangement, it is impossible to set the desired engine speed during mowing operation (when grass is actually being cut and the engine load is higher than during idling) higher than the desired speed (idling speed) during non-mowing operation (when grass is not being cut and the engine load is low). This means that the desired speed during non-mowing has to be set at least as high as the desired speed during mowing. The lawnmower engine is therefore noisy and low in fuel efficiency during non-mowing operation.
Moreover, in cases where the engine speed is too high during non-mowing operation or too low during mowing operation, the operator has to manually regulate the engine speed. This complicates lawnmower operation and is liable to make stable operation impossible owing to variance of the engine speed.

Speed control system for lawnmower engine


A technique is provided for verifying network connectivity between a medical diagnostic system and a remote service facility. The remote service facility is contactable at will by the subscribing system to request service, information, technical assistance, and so forth, while the service facility may also contact the subscribing system for acquisition of data, transmission of service messages, protocols, and so forth. In the connectivity verification sequence, a subscribing system is selected by the service facility and a network connection is established. A message is transmitted to the system provoking software at the system to re-establish the network connection from the system side. Two-way connectivity is thereby verified. Mobile systems may be configured to contact the service facility at their own initiation, and exchange data for permitting the service facility to re-contact the mobile system. Failure modes may be identified at various locations in the connectivity network by identification of steps in the connectivity verification process where the process failed. Alerts or other action items may be generated as a result of detected connectivity problems.

The present invention relates generally to systems and techniques for providing remote service to medical diagnostic equipment and facilities. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for verifying continued connectivity between a remote service facility and a subscribing medical diagnostic facility or system.
In recent years, considerable advances have been made in medical diagnostic equipment and systems, particularly imaging systems. Such imaging systems encompass a range of modalities, each characterized by the physics involved in acquiring and processing image data. At present, medical diagnostic imaging modalities include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, x-ray systems, both digital and conventional film-based, computed tomography (CT) systems, ultrasound systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, and so forth. Medical facilities, hospitals and clinics make use of a wide range of such equipment, including more than one of the modalities, and in certain cases, more than one system within each modality. In larger facilities, these systems may be networked in a radiology department to permit common management or control. Such systems are increasingly associated with picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) for storing digitized image data for subsequent retrieval and reconstruction of useful images. Moreover, teleradiology applications are on the rise, in which such digitized data may be transmitted to remote locations, such as for review and diagnosis by specialized physicians and radiologists.
Regardless of the particular modality, medical diagnostic systems are often a key element in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and ailments. While certain facilities may offer their services during specific periods during the day, others require continued access to the diagnostic equipment in very demanding schedules. In both cases, the facility has a critical interest in maintaining the diagnostic equipment in good operational condition. However, due to the complexity of the systems, personnel required to review and evaluate potential problems as they arise are not often present at the location where the systems are found. Consequently, remote servicing of medical diagnostic equipment has become an important tool in maintaining the systems.
Traditionally, remote servicing of medical diagnostic equipment was performed via telephone. Operations personnel would call a remote service facility to report malfunctions and to ask questions regarding the proper operation and settings for the equipment. Where such queries could not be sufficiently handled by telephone, a service engineer was dispatched to troubleshoot the system or to provide the needed assistance.
Improvements in computer networks have greatly facilitated the task of offering assistance to medical diagnostic equipment and facilities. In particular, rather than simply calling a remote service facility and either talking directly to a technician or engineer, or awaiting a return call from a service center, network technologies have facilitated proactive techniques wherein the service center may contact the medical diagnostic equipment or facility to check the status of subscribing equipment.
Further advancements have been proposed to providing remote service to medical diagnostic systems in an effort to provide the level of service on a continual and interactive basis needed by many facilities. In one system, a remote service facility can interactively receive messages via a network, and can respond automatically to the messages either in a single connection session or in a subsequent session. Data required to analyze the state of operation of the medical diagnostic equipment can be transferred during the initial or subsequent sessions. The technique greatly facilitates identification of system problems, allows questions to be posed to the subscribing service provider, facilitates transfer of updates and imaging protocols, and permits standard and customized reports to be transmitted to subscribing systems. The interactive aspect of the technique allows the medical diagnostic facility to remain current on services provided by the remote service facility and to communicate at will with the service facility.
While these advancements in the provision of remote services to medical diagnostic equipment have greatly enhanced the level of service and information exchange, they may be subject to difficulties, particularly those arising from unanticipated connectivity problems. In particular, exchange of service information and requests on an interactive basis assumes that the remote service facility can contact the subscribing systems at will, and, conversely, that the subscribing systems can freely contact the remote service provider. Where systems operate well and no service is needed, extended periods may transpire without a contact of the service facility. If the required connection between the diagnostic equipment and the service facility is inoperative, however, service requests may not be reliably submitted to the service facility, and information from the service facility to the diagnostic system may not arrive properly or in a timely manner. Operator intervention may sometimes detect such problems, but typically only after a needed response has not been received for some time. Such delays would advantageously be avoided to insure that service problems and questions can be addressed in a timely manner.
There is a need, therefore, for a technique adapted to monitor proper connectivity of medical diagnostic equipment and facilities with a remote service provider. There is, at present, a particular need for a system which can verify two-way connectivity in which a service facility can freely contact a subscribing diagnostic system, and a diagnostic system can contact the service facility.
The present invention provides a connectivity verification technique designed to respond to these needs. The technique may be employed with any of a variety of diagnostic equipment, including specific systems of various modalities and centralized management systems, such as those typically found in large radiology departments. Where the diagnostic system is connectable to a remote service facility, the technique pennits the service facility to verify that the connection can be established, both originating from the service facility and from the diagnostic equipment. Such connections may be made with specific systems, with management systems networked to the diagnostic systems at a specific facility, or both. Moreover, the connectivity verification may be timed or scheduled for automatic implementation, or could be performed manually. The system may be designed to provide at least some degree of diagnostic capabilities in which the type or location of connectivity problem is detected and recorded. Results of connectivity verifications can be stored and used to evaluate the operability of the overall system, and to improve the system where needed. Upon failure of the connectivity test, or when inconsistent or unreliable connectivity is identified, the system may permit notification via an operator, or via automated schemes, including electronic messaging, paging, and so forth. The system may be adapted both for stationary diagnostic systems, as well as for mobile systems. In the case of mobile systems, the system may be adapted to await contact of the service facility by the mobile equipment.
The technique is particularly well suited to interactive service systems in which a diagnostic facility may contact a remote service provider and a remote service provider may contact the diagnostic facility. In addition, the system is especially adaptable to service arrangements in which subscriptions or licenses are established between the service facility and the diagnostic equipment. Based upon such subscriptions, the service facility insures the connectivity between the diagnostic equipment and the service provider to allow the service provider to be contacted by the equipment managers, or automatically by the system without operator intervention.

Medical diagnostic system service connectivity method and apparatus


A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing calendar conflicts. A plurality of calendar invitations waiting to be processed is identified to form a plurality of unprocessed calendar invitations. Calendar invitations are grouped within the plurality of unprocessed calendar invitations together that conflict with each other to form a group of conflicting calendar invitations. Each conflicting calendar invitation in the group of conflicting calendar invitations is presented in association with other calendar invitations in the group for resolution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for managing events or appointments in a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing conflicts in a calendar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic calendars are commonly used to record events and appointments. Electronic calendars act like date books and provide features, such as automatic entries for regular events and signaling of upcoming events. Further, electronic calendars also allow user's to send calendar invitations to events or appointments to other users. If other users accept the calendar invitations, the particular appointment is scheduled in both of the users' calendars. Electronic calendar usage has become quite sophisticated. Calendars may be provided as stand-alone programs or applications. Calendars often are provided as part of a personal productivity application, such as Lotus Notes® and Microsoft Outlook. Lotus Notes® is a product of International Business Machines Corporation. Additionally, Lotus Notes® is a registered trademark. Microsoft Outlook is a product from Microsoft Corporation.
With the scheduling of events, conflicts may occur when a user attempts to accept a calendar invitation to a new event, which has a conflicting time with an event that has already been scheduled and placed in the user's calendar. These and other calendar programs provide an ability to handle or resolve these types of meeting conflicts.
These types of tools, however, do not provide the user an ability to easily handle and resolve conflicts between multiple calendar invitations. Currently, a user may receive multiple calendar invitations for different events scheduled at the same time. These events are displayed to the user for processing. The user may accept one calendar invitation with that calendar invitation becoming scheduled in a calendar. Then, the user may desire to accept another calendar invitation, which overlaps or conflicts with the time for the first event that has already been scheduled. In such situation, the acceptance of the first calendar invitation has resulted in a reply already being sent to the sender of the first calendar invitation. In this case, the user must then request a change in the meeting time if the user decides that the second calendar invitation has a higher priority than the first one that has already been accepted.
For example, the first calendar invitation may be for a social event, while the second calendar invitation is for a required company meeting. In this case, the user has to send a request to the sender of the first calendar invitation to decline or suggest a different meeting time. When only a few calendar invitations, such as three or four, are present, the user may look at all of the calendar invitations and identify conflicts between the calendar invitations before accepting any of them. This solution becomes more difficult to use when numerous calendar invitations are present. As an example, if the user has 25 calendar invitations that have not been processed, the user has to review and identify conflicts between different events for all of the calendar invitations that have not yet been processed by the user.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing conflicts between calendar invitations for events in an electronic calendar.


An improved gauge for measuring the thickness and construction of a compressible material, such as gasket material, is disclosed. The gauge includes a pneumatic cylinder maintaining an upper probe at a first vertical position. The cylinder is selectively opened such that the upper probe may fall vertically against a compressible material to be tested. A predetermined weight is attached to the upper probe such that the upper probe is biased vertically downwardly by the weight. An electronic gauge measures the amount of deformation of the compressible material due to the predetermined weight, and an indication of the thickness and quality of the compressible material is made based on the amount of measured deformation.

This invention relates to testing compressible material.
Various gauges are known in the prior art for measuring the thickness of a compressible material, such as a gasket material. One prior art gauge utilizes a weight that forces a probe into the compressible material. A sensor measures the amount of deformation of the compressible material due to the weight. The measured deformation is compared to an expected deformation to provide an indication whether the compressible material is of the proper thickness and construction. While the prior art gauge has proven relatively promising in accurately testing a compressible medium, it would be desirable to improve its construction.
In particular, use of the known gauge involves placing a weight at a location in the center of the gauge, but the structure of the known gauge does not ensure that the weight is accurately centered on the gauge. This may result in the weight not producing proper amount of deformation and the test giving inaccurate results. Further, the prior art gauge is allowed to fall freely under the influence of the weight. If the gauge falls at a rate outside of a predetermined range, it may not cause the proper amount of deformation.


A process and system for managing business, technical and operational data uses a single interface in a shared space environment over the Internet, including a common authentication and environment. A supplier portal creates a central repository for registration process information, company information, and user information, making this information available to all applications that open into the supplier portal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a supplier portal to assist in global procurement in an electronic business (e-business) environment and, more particularly, to a single point of contact for all electronic procurement (e-procurement) applications using a database to entitle users to access restricted applications available from the portal. The portal provides establishing a very flexible registration process customizable for each application; e.g., defining 1 to n level approval cycles, defining application specific registration fields, authorizing new tasks to a role, etc.
2. Background Description
In the past, global procurement users had to keep track of a different user identification (userid), password and universal resource locator (URL) for each of the global procurement applications they used. The process of managing business, technical and operational data became burdensome because of the many redundancies and different user interfaces required in accessing procurement applications.

Supplier portal for global procurement e-business applications


A reagent for measuring reticulocytes which has at least one dye which specifically stains reticulocytes and at least one dye which specifically stains leukocytes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reagent for measuring reticulocytes and also to a method of measuring them. More particularly, it relates to a reagent for measuring reticulocytes and a reticulocyte maturation index in blood in the field of clinical tests and also to a method of measuring them.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Reticulocytes are young erythrocytes immediately after a release of denucleated erythroblastic cells in bone marrow into peripheral blood. Characteristics of reticulocytes are that, as traces of maturing steps of erythrocytes, they retain, as residual substances in their cells, cell organelles such as ribosome and mitochondria and a small amount of RNA, which are not contained in matured erythrocytes.
In the field of clinical tests, it is very important to classify and count reticulocytes for grasping hematopoietic state in bone marrow of patients. In a normal and healthy person where hematopoiesis in bone marrow is normal, the number of reticulocytes occupies 0.5-3.0% of total numbers of erythrocytes. However, in the case where the hematopoiesis in bone marrow is abnormal, for example, where the hematopoiesis in bone marrow is inhibited, the number of reticulocytes decreases, while where the hematopoiesis in bone marrow is promoted, the number of reticulocytes increases. To be more specific, it decreases during the course of chemotherapy for a plastic anemia and malignant tumor while they increase in the case of hemolytic anemia and the like.
One of conventional methods for counting reticulocytes is a manual method in which a blood sample is mixed with a staining solution containing a basic dye such as New Methylene Blue (NMB) or Brilliant Cresyl Blue (BCB) to precipitate and to stain the above-mentioned residual substances contained in reticulocytes and each cell is observed under a microscope to discriminate reticulocytes from matured erythrocytes.
However, there are problems in such a manual method that an operation of preparing the sample is troublesome, individual difference for the discrimination of the cells takes place among medical technician and the statistic error is big due to the fact that the number of counted cells is small.
In order to solve these problems, a method (flow cytometry) has been conducted. In said method, reticulocytes are subjected to fluorescence staining using a fluorescent basic dye instead of the above-mentioned basic dye, the forward scattered light intensity and fluorescence intensity of cells are measured by a flow cytometer and matured erythrocytes and reticulocytes are discriminated, classified and counted mostly by means of the difference in the fluorescence intensities between them. As the dye used for this method, Acridine Orange, Thiazole Orange, Auramine O, etc. are well known.
In addition, in this method, it is also possible to classify and count reticulocytes depending upon the degree of maturation by means of the fluorescence intensity of reticulocytes whereby the maturation index of reticulocytes can be calculated. Since it has been known that the proportion of reticulocytes having a high fluorescence intensity or the proportion of youngest reticulocytes is useful as an index for the recovery of hematopoietic ability of bone marrow, utilization of said method has been expected.
However, an argon laser which is very expensive and is large in size is required as a light source for exciting the fluorescent dye and, therefore, there is a problem that the apparatus itself becomes expensive and large too. In addition, the above-mentioned dyes which can be used for the flow cytometry except Auramine 0 require a staining time of five minutes or more for staining reticulocytes. Especially, it has been reported by Lee, L. G. et al: Cytometry; 7:508-517(1986) that Thiazole Orange requires a staining time of 60 minutes or more and, therefore, it is difficult to fully automate the preparation of the sample whereby there is a problem in view of economy of manpower. Thus, the preparation of the sample is carried out by hands and, therefore, there is a problem that the data will vary depending upon technique of a person who prepares the sample and that, especially in the case of the maturation index of reticulocytes, large difference in the data may occur.
In the U. S. Pat. No. 5,360,739, there is a disclosure on a flow cytometric method in which reticulocytes are determined by measuring scatter light intensity and absorbance or fluorescence intensity using a He/Ne laser which is a relatively cheap light source and Oxazin 750 as a dye. However, the problem of abnormal lymphocytes which will be mentioned later is not described there.
In the meanwhile, the present inventor has also conducted an intensive study on reagents and methods for accurate and quick measurement of reticulocytes and reticulocyte maturation index by use of a flow cytometric method with a less expensive and small light source but there is still a problem that, especially in samples from patients where leukocytes are abnormal in number or type, for example, abnormal lymphocytes appear, the fluorescence intensity of lymphocytes is nearly the same as that of reticulocytes and, therefore, discrimination between them is difficult. Accordingly, neither reagent nor method for accurate and quick measurement has been established so far for the case where the discrimination between leukocytes and reticulocytes is difficult. Incidentally, this fact is already suggested in an instruction manual for a Retic-Count.TM. which is a kit for measuring of erythrocytes by a flow cytometry using an argon laser as a light source and is available in the market already. In this manual, it is mentioned that, when a sample containing an abnormal increase in leukocyte number is measured, confirmation by another method is necessary.

Reagent for measuring reticulocytes and a method of measuring them


An inverter includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth transistors, and first and second capacitors. The transistors and capacitors are connected in such way that the reverse conduction of the second transistor is prevented through controlling the gate electrode of the second transistor and maintaining the electrical potential at the gate electrode of the fifth transistor by the second capacitor. The electrical potential at the gate electrode of the fifth transistor is maintained stable when a first clock signal changes from high to low (when the first to fifth transistors are NMOS transistors) or from low to high (when the first to fifth transistors are PMOS transistors), so that the output signal of the inverter may not be affected by a change of the first clock signal, thus enabling the inverter to generate a stable output signal and a display panel comprising the inverter to obtain a better display effect.

An inverter operates in response to an input signal to provide an output signal that is the inverse of the input signal. With the development of electronic technology, inverters are widely employed. For example, an inverter may be employed in a transmission driving circuit of an organic light-emitting display device to provide a corresponding electric potential for a pixel compensation circuit electrically connected with the transmission driving circuit, so that the pixel compensation circuit can accomplish node initialization, threshold value compensation, data writing and the like.
FIG. 1A is a circuit diagram of an inverter in the related art. As shown in FIG. 1A, the inverter includes a first transistor P1, a second transistor P2, a third transistor P3, a fourth transistor P4 and a capacitor C0, where the first to fourth transistors P1 to P4 are all P-Channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (PMOS) transistors. A gate electrode of the first transistor P1 is electrically connected with an initial signal input terminal IN0 for receiving an initial signal, a source electrode of the first transistor P1 is electrically connected with a first electrical level signal input terminal VG1 for receiving a first electrical level signal, and a drain electrode of the first transistor P1 is electrically connected, via the capacitor C0, with a first clock signal input terminal CK1 for receiving a first clock signal; a gate electrode of the second transistor P2 is electrically connected with a second clock signal input terminal CK2 for receiving a second clock signal, a source electrode of the second transistor P2 is electrically connected with both the drain electrode of the first transistor P1 and a gate electrode of the fourth transistor P4, and a drain electrode of the second transistor P2 is electrically connected with a second electrical level signal input terminal VG2 for receiving a second electrical level signal; a gate electrode of the third transistor P3 is electrically connected with the initial signal input terminal IN0, a source electrode of the third transistor P3 is electrically connected with the first electrical level signal input terminal VG1, and a drain electrode of the third transistor P3 is electrically connected with an output terminal OUT0 for outputting an output signal; a source electrode of the fourth transistor P4 is electrically connected with the output terminal OUT0, and a drain electrode of the fourth transistor P4 is electrically connected with the second electrical level signal input terminal VG2. Here, the first electrical level signal is a constant high level signal, and the second electrical level signal is a constant low level signal.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing waveforms of various signals of the inverter shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 1B, SIN0 represents the initial signal, SCK1 represents the first clock signal, SCK2 represents the second clock signal, and SOUT0 represents the output signal. When the first clock signal SCK1 changes from a low level to a high level, an electric potential of the gate electrode of the fourth transistor P4 is affected and hence the turning-on of the fourth transistor P4 is affected because of an Bootstrap effect of the capacitor C0 (i.e. electric charge of the capacitor C0 is conserved), so that transmission of the second electrical level signal to the output terminal OUT via the fourth transistor P4 is affected, and the value of a low level of the output signal SOUT0 is affected, thus resulting in instability of the output signal.

Inverter, driving circuit and display panel