A system and method for providing two modes of operation for a program guide and a video display depending on the position of a highlight or cursor. When the cursor or highlight is moved to a channel name/number grid, the video display will display program content of the program currently being received by the highlighted channel. On the other hand, when the cursor or highlight is moved to a program grid, the content of the video window does not change.

Electronic devices such as televisions and personal computers (PCs) require a control system that includes a user interface system. Typically, a user interface provides information to a user and simplifies use of the device. One example of a user interface is an electronic program guide (EPG) in a television system.
An EPG is an interactive, on-screen display feature that displays information analogous to TV listings found in local newspapers or other print media. In addition, an EPG also includes information necessary for collating and decoding programs. An EPG provides information about each program within the time frames covered by the EPG that typically ranges from the next hour up to several days. The information contained in an EPG includes programming characteristics such as channel number, program title, start time, end time, elapsed time, time remaining, rating (if available), topic, theme, and a brief description of the program's content. EPGs are usually arranged in a two-dimensional table or grid format with time information on one axis and channel information on the other axis.
Unlike non-interactive guides that reside on a dedicated channel and merely scroll through the current programming on the other channels for the next 2 to 3 hours, EPGs allow viewers to interactively select any channel at any time during some period into the future, e.g., up to seven days forward. Further EPG features include the ability to highlight individual cells of the grid containing program information. Once highlighted, the viewer can perform functions pertaining to that selected program. For instance, the viewer may be able to instantly switch to that program if it is currently being aired. Viewers could also program one touch video cassette recording (VCR) or the like if the television is properly configured and connected to a recording device. Such EPGs are known in the art and used for example, in direct satellite system (DSS) receiver made by Thomson Consumer Electronics of Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.A.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,106, issued to Chaney et. al., and assigned to the same assignee of the present invention, describes in detail an exemplary embodiment including data packet structure necessary to implement an exemplary program guide system. The exemplary data packet structure is designed so that both the channel information (e.g., channel name, call letters, channel number, type, etc.) and the program description information (e.g., title, rating, star, etc.) relating to a program may be transmitted from a program guide database provider to a receiving apparatus efficiently.
User interfaces such as EPGs are applicable to analog and digital television systems or the like, including VCRs, set top boxes, personal viewing device containing a hard disk for storage and replay of programs, and to other electronic devices such as personal computers. As electronic devices become increasingly complex with a multitude of features, the need for a robust and easy-to-use user interface becomes ever more important. For example, separate electronic systems having respective interfaces for controlling features of each system are now being combined into a single system requiring a single user interface. One specific example is the so-called PC/TV (e.g., a PC and TV convergence product) which includes features of both a personal computer and a television. The user interface system for such a device must provide both clear communication of computer and television related information and provide for simple control of both computer and television related features.


A channel encoding/decoding method and a multiple-antenna wireless communication transmitting/receiving system performing the same are disclosed. A transmitter of the multiple-antenna wireless communication system comprises a space-time encoder, interleavers, a P/S converter, a RSC encoder, a S/P converter, and a modulator. A receiver of the multiple-antenna wireless communication system comprises a RSC decoder, deinterleavers, a space-time decoder, and interleavers. The frame error rates from the information transmission and reception by the present invention are found to be significantly lower than those by the multiple encoding/separated decoding method. Compared with the multiple encoding/joint decoding method, the present invention maintains comparable or better performance, while simplifying the decoding procedure considerably thereby it reduces the complexity in the hardware implementation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a channel encoding/decoding method in wireless communication systems, more particularly, to a serial concatenation of space-time codes applicable to communication systems with multiple antennas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The serial-concatenation of space-time codes uses a space-time code as the outer code and uses a recursive systematic convolutional (RSC) code as the inner code. For wireless communication systems using several transmission and reception antennas at the transmitter and receiver, respectively, a method of corresponding a recursive systematic convolutional code to the respective transmit antenna as the inner code was proposed. This method was designed to increase the coding gain of the overall space-time code, and decoding is performed separately for the respective RSC code at the receiver. In the paper entitled "Improved space-time codes using serial concatenation" in "IEEE Communications Letters", June, 2000, the same number of RSC codes as that of the transmission antennas are used as the inner code, and the decoding for the inner code is performed separately for the individual codes by using an inner decoder corresponding to the respective RSC code. In the case of using the multiple codes as the inner code and decoding them individually, each decoder for decoding the inner code has 2nq trellis branches per state and the total number of the trellis branches that must be computed so as to perform the decoding for Nnq bits in one iteration becomes (the state number)×N×2nq. Although such individual decoding method has a simple decoding procedure and low complexity, it has low decoding efficiency, that is, low performance.
On the other hand, a relatively complex decoding method has the same encoding procedure as that of the above-mentioned method, but a combined decoding is performed for all the RSC codes. In the paper entitled "MIMO iterative decoding of serial concatenation using space-time trellis codes" in "Electronics Letters", February, 2002, the same number of RSC codes as that of the transmit antennas are used as the inner code, and the decoding is performed by combining the RSC codes into a single code and decoding the combined code. In the case of using the multiple codes as the inner code and jointly decoding the combined code, the total number of trellis states for the combined code increases to (the state number of a single encoder)N, and each trellis state has 2Nnq trellis branches, thereby the total number of the branches that must be computed so as to perform the decoding of Nnq bits in one iteration becomes (the state number)N×2Nnq. This joint decoding method is highly efficient, but has a severe disadvantage in terms of hardware implementation because the complexity thereof increases exponentially with increasing the number of transmit antennas N.

Channel encoding/decoding method and multiple-antenna communication transmitting/receiving system performing the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A semiconductor integrated circuit and its operating method are provided. The present circuit has first and second supply terminals capable of supplying first and second power supply voltages respectively, an input voltage selection circuit coupled to the first and second supply terminals, and first and second power supply switches. The input voltage selection circuit includes a power-on reset circuit, an input voltage detection circuit and a control circuit. When the supply of the first or second power supply voltage to one of both supply terminals is detected upon completion of a power on reset operation, one of both power supply switches and the other thereof are controlled to on and off respectively. When the supply of both power supply voltages to both supply terminals is detected, the one thereof and the other thereof are respectively controlled to on and off according to the preset order of precedence.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit and an operating method thereof and particularly to a technology effective in implementing an electronic circuit for automatically selecting a power supply to be used out of a plurality of power supplies.
As has been described in, for example, each of the following Patent Documents 1 and 2, an IC card is equipped with a semiconductor integrated circuit and an antennal coil, and the supply of power to the IC card is performed by receiving an RF signal outputted from a reading/writing device called a card reader/card writer by the antenna coil and rectifying the same by a rectifier circuit. Thus, the IC card having no power supply on its card side is becoming pervasive in an automatic ticket system, e-cash, logistics management, etc. Thus, since the IC card is RF-power supplied and on the other hand, unique identification information (ID information) has been stored in a built-in non-volatile memory, it is called an RFID card.
On the other hand, a wireless power delivery system has been in widespread use which is called "just-to-place charging" in which a portable device such as a smart phone is simply placed in a dedicated charging table without coupling the portable device to a power supply cable to thereby enable the charging of the portable device. This type of wireless power delivery system intends to cope with the fact that the battery drain of the cellular phone called "smart phone" is large. That is, the smart phone is a multifunction cellular phone having a high affinity to Internet and based on the functions of a personal computer, or a multifunction cellular phone with a PDA function added to a phone/mail, which may be abbreviated as "smapho" or "smaho". The wireless power delivery system is based on the international standard called Qi (chi) established by Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) of the industry group. Both of a transmission side device and a reception side device are respectively provided with coils to thereby enable the supply of power from the transmission side device to the reception side device by an electromagnetic induction system. The advantages of the wireless power delivery system are that there is no need to plug or unplug a power connector for charging and the operation of opening and closing a connector cover for a power connector of a portable device in particular can be omitted.
Further, it has been described in the following Patent Document 3 that in an electronic device selectively coupled to two or more types of power supplies to charge a battery, a controller is used to couple the electronic device to another power supply soon when the coupling to the power supply subjected to the supply of power is released, to thereby start the charging of the battery. That is, the control provided by the controller resides in that the battery is charged by an AC power supply while current is being supplied from the AC power supply to an AC coupling part, whereas while current is being supplied from an external device to an external device coupling part without the supply of current from the AC power supply to the AC coupling part, the battery is charged by the power supply of the external device. When the external device coupling part is coupled to the external device while the battery is being charged by the AC power supply, the controller particularly performs an initial communication with the external device to thereby conduct charge settings necessary to charge the battery through the external device. Specifically, the external device coupling part is a USB coupling part, and an interface of another standard such as IEEE1394 or the like can also be adopted. Since the current from the AC power supply is larger than that from the external device when the electronic device is coupled to both of the AC power supply and the external device, the controller serves to charge the battery through the AC power supply.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and operating method thereof


A method for forming a MEMS device is provided. The method includes the following steps of providing a substrate having a first portion and a second portion; fabricating a membrane type sensor on the first portion of the substrate; and fabricating a bulk silicon sensor on the second portion of the substrate.

MEMS devices are widely used and may include membrane type sensors and bulk silicon sensors. Bulk silicon sensors with a large proof-mass may provide motion sensors with high mechanical sensitivity. However, fabrication of membrane type sensors using a bulk silicon structure is difficult because the high stiffness of the bulk silicon structure does not provide sensitivity needed by membrane type sensors. Furthermore, combinations of CMOS wafers and MEMS wafers may cause an out-gassing issue that diffuses hydrogen (H2) from the PECVD oxide. The subsequent pressure level shift within the MEMS device induced by the hydrogen may degrade the performance of the devices.

MEMS device and method of forming the same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited


DNA isolates coding for insulin-like growth factor binding protein may be used to produce the protein via recombinant expression systems. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein, which generally has a molecular weight of about 53 kD on non-reducing SDS-PAGE, is useful as a binder to insulin-like growth factor and as a metabolic regulator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an insulin-like growth factor binding protein and to the means and methods for its production in therapeutically significant quantities.
2. Description of the Background Art
Peptides of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family, the recombinant production of which is described, e.g., in EP 128,733 published Dec. 19, 1984, to Lee et al., are found associated with binding proteins in the circulation, in other body fluids, and in media conditioned by cultured cells. Two IGF binding proteins, found in different fluids, have been identified and characterized. Hintz R. L. (1984) Clinics in Endo. and Metabol., 13: 31-42; Martin, J. L. and Baxter, R. C. (1986), J. Biol. Chem., 261: 8754-8760; Povoa et al. (1984) Eur. J. Biochem., 144: 199-204. One predominates in adult serum, while the other is found in highest concentrations in amniotic fluid. Baxter et al. (1987) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 65: 423-431.
The levels of the binding protein in adult serum have been found to reflect the growth hormone (GH) status of individuals who are either GH-deficient or acromegalic. Thus, high levels of binding protein correlate with high levels of GH. Martin and Baxter (1985) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 61: 799-801. Thus, this binding protein has been referred to as the GH-dependent IGF binding protein. For convenience, the designations BP53 for the GH-dependent binding protein from human plasma and BP28 for the binding protein first isolated from amniotic fluid are used herein. The designations indicate the size of the purified proteins on non-reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).
BP53 is found as an acid-stable component of a 125-150 kD glycoprotein complex contained in human plasma that carries most of the endogenous IGFs and is also regulated by GH. White et al. (1981) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 53: 49ff; Hintz et al., J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 53: 100ff; and Daughaday et al. (1982) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 55: 916ff. The binding component of this complex, purified after acidification, has a molecular weight on SDS-PAGE of 43 kD (reduced) and 53 kD (non-reduced). The purified protein has a high affinity for IGF-I and IGF-II (K.sub.a =20-40 nM.sup.-1). Martin and Baxter, J. Biol. Chem.. op cit. The concentration of BP53 in normal adult plasma is 6.1 mg/l . The levels of BP53 are increased in acromegalic subjects to 13.5 mg/l and decreased in GH-deficient subjects to 2-3 mg/l. Baxter and Martin, J. Clin. Invest., 78: 1504-1542 (1986). While BP 28 predominates in amniotic fluid, BP53 is also found in amniotic fluid at about 4.6 mg/l. The rat homolog of BP53 has been purified, and it has considerable N-terminal amino acid sequence homology with the human protein. Baxter and Martin (1987) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 147: 408-415.
BP28 has a molecular weight of 35-40 kD as determined by gel filtration chromatography (Drop et al. (1984) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 59: 899ff), similar to the 32 kD (reduced) or 28 kD (non-reduced) molecular weight found on SDS-PAGE. The purified protein binds both IGF-I and IGF-II, but with a lower affinity than BP53 (Ka=3-7 nM.sup.-1). Concentrations from 37 to 148 mg/l have been reported by Baxter et al., supra, for BP28 in amniotic fluid. While BP53 predominates in adult serum, BP28 is present in serum where its concentrations range from 0.02 to 0.35 mg/l with a marked diurnal cycle peaking at 0600 to 0800 hours. Baxter and Cowell (1987) J. Clin. Endo. and Metabol., 65: 432-440. No such diurnal variation has been found for BP53. N-terminal amino acid sequence data show that two other human proteins, PP12 isolated from placenta (Koistinen et al. (1986) Endocrin., 118: 1375ff) and an IGF binding protein isolated from the culture medium of a hepatoma cell line (HEP-G2) (Povoa et al. (1985 ) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 128: 1071ff), are the same or closely related to BP28. An IGF binding protein has also been isolated from the culture medium of the rat cell line, BRL-3A. Lyons and Smith (1986) Mol. Cell. Endo., 45: 263-270; Mottola et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. , 261: 11180-11188. Based on similar size properties, high fetal serum concentration, and some protein sequence similarity, it is likely that this IGF binding protein is the rat homolog of BP28.
Although the isolation and purification of BP53 has been described in the literature as shown above, the relatively low concentration of the protein in human plasma and the high cost, both in terms of effort and expense, of recovering in commercial quantities purified protein from the plasma hinder its broad-scale use, either alone or in combination with IGF.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to isolate DNA encoding BP53 and to produce commercially useful quantities of the protein from a therapeutically acceptable source.
It is a further object to obtain BP53 in a form unaccompanied by the glycosylation associated with the native BP53.
It is an additional object to prepare amino acid sequence and other variants of BP53 that do not substantially adversely affect the biological activity of the protein.
It is yet another object to produce BP53 completely free of other naturally occurring (source) proteins.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the specification as a whole.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein and pharmaceutical compositions


A workpiece 70 is set to holding rotating means and then liquid-state photosensitive resin 10 is supplied to a resin applying smoothing unit 150 to mold the workpiece 70 into a uniform thickness while rotating the workpiece 70 and applying the liquid-state photosensitive resin 10 to the outer periphery of the workpiece 70 by the resin applying smoothing unit 150. Moreover, while rotating the workpiece 70, liquid-state photosensitive resin, it is exposed by high-intensity ultraviolet light 30 and thereby, the surface of the photo-cured photosensitive resin is shaped to remove an unnecessary resin layer. Then, laser carving is performed by an infrared laser beam 40 to perform post-treatment.

Flexo printing used for printing a packaging material such as cardboard, paper container, paper bag, or film for flexible packaging, wall paper, construction interior material such as wall paper or decorative plate, or label particularly raises its ratio among various printing methods in recent years.
A printing form plate used for the flexo printing frequently uses a photosensitive resin in general. The photosensitive resin includes a liquid-state resin and solid-state resin form plate formed like a sheet. A photosensitive-resin relief printing form plate on which a relief image is formed through a negative film is obtained by using a process unit dedicated to liquid-state or solid-state form plate and printing is performed by directly attaching the relief printing form plate to a plate cylinder of a printing machine or once attaching the relief printing form plate to a carrier sheet or sleeve for printing and setting the carrier sheet or sleeve for printing to the plate cylinder.
Moreover, for a photosensitive solid-state form plate, a formation (referred to as flexo CTP form plate) (Patent Document 1) for performing exposure through a mask image after forming the mask image by laser drawing by setting a thin removable infrared photosensitive layer (black layer) formed by an infrared laser beam on the photosensitive resin surface instead of using a negative film correspondingly to progress of a recent digital image technique and an external-surface-drum-type drawing apparatus (Patent Document 2) for forming a mask by selectively removing an infrared photosensitive layer of a flexo CTP form plate by an infrared laser beam in accordance with digital image information are disclosed.
In the case of the flexo CTP form plate, relief exposure is performed through the above infrared photosensitive layer mask and exposed photosensitive resin is optically cured. Thereafter, a relief image is formed by washing out unexposed resin by perchloroethylene (1,1,1-trichloroethylene) alone or combining it with alcohol such as n-butanol or carbon-hydride solvent developer such as sorbit (trade mark: produced by McDiarmid) which is a non-chlorine substitute solvent and passes through a drying step and finishing step (photochemical treatment and chemical treatment) to obtain a flexo printing form plate. When winding even this flexo CTP form plate on a plate cylinder, a slight gap is left between the front end and the rear end of the CTP form plate similarly to the case of a normal form plate. Therefore, the flexo CTP form plate is unsuitable for seamless printing.
Therefore, printing of a conventional seamless endless pattern has depended on printing by a gravure form plate or printing by a relief in which an image is formed on a vulcanized rubber roller by manual carving.
In the case of plate making of a gravure form plate, a series of complex steps such as application of a developer to a copper cylinder, exposure, etching, film removal, and chromium plating is performed by using a lot of time. Therefore, the plate making cost is very high. Moreover, to adjust a cell depth, very delicate control is requested for an etching condition. Therefore, operations such as etching and plating are used in a plate making step in addition to an operation depending on the perception of an expert. Therefore, the operations may become a generation source of waste water pollution.
Furthermore, the rubber roller relief by manual carving described above has critical defects that a high level of skill is requested for the plate making technique, a fine design cannot be made because of manual carving, and it is impossible to reproduce a half tone dot.
However, the vulcanized rubber can be used together with a solvent having a strong corrosion characteristic and has a preferable ink transfer characteristic, high elasticity, and high compressibility. Recently, it is possible to obtain a relief printing form plate by directly carving a rubber roller by an infrared laser beam in accordance with a digital image signal instead of manual carving because a digital image processing technique and laser carving technique are advanced.
Commercially-used rubber includes natural rubber and synthetic rubber. As an example of synthetic rubber, there is ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer-elastomer (EPDM). It is possible to provide a flexo printing form plate material which can be carved by a laser beam by using the EPDM. A flexo printing form plate material manufactured from natural rubber or synthetic rubber requires vulcanization by sulfur, sulfur-contained compound, or peroxide in order to perform bridging. Moreover, after the flexo printing form plate material is thus vulcanized, the material requires polishing in order to obtain a uniform thickness and smooth surface suitable for printing. This requires an extreme lot of time and the operability is bad.
Therefore, to solve the above problems, many methods and apparatuses for manufacturing a lot of relief materials for seamless printing to which a photosensitive polymer (liquid-state or sheet-like solid-state resin form plate) widely used in the relief printing field and advantageous for a manufacturing method is applied are proposed.
As a method for setting a printing form plate on a sleeve, a method (Patent Document 3) is known which manufactures a form plate material on which a seamless continuous printing pattern using liquid-state photosensitive resin diluted by a solvent. Patent Document 3 discloses a manufacturing method for rotating an endless raw material, supplying liquid-state photosensitive resin to the rotating surface and smoothing the resin by a doctor.
Moreover, Patent Document 4 discloses a spraying, dipping, and applying roller method or an extruding machine method.
Furthermore, many seamless printing relief manufacturing methods and apparatuses respectively using a photosensitive resin solid-state form plate instead of a liquid-state photosensitive resin are disclosed.
For example, Patent Document 5 discloses a manufacturing method for superimposing a plurality of thermoplastic photosensitive films and winding them on a cylinder, bringing an integrated photosensitive film obtained through pressurizing and heating into accurate dimensions, and then applying the shaping treatment to the film by mechanical compression, grinding, or polishing, and calendar-finishing the film.
Moreover, Patent Document 6 discloses a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a seamless sleeve through rolling and glazing in accordance with a calendar roller method by heating and melting thermoplastic photosensitive resin on the outer periphery of a sleeve supported by a mandrel.
Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a form plate material on which a seamless continuous printing pattern using liquid-state photosensitive resin can be printed is known by the application of the present applicant (Patent Document 7).
In the case of the Patent Document 7, an original form plate for seamless printing is manufactured in accordance with an applying step of supplying liquid-state photosensitive resin to the outer periphery of a cylinder while rotating the cylinder and an exposing step of applying active rays to the applied liquid-state resin layer and forming a resin cured layer. Thereafter, manufacturing method and apparatus for forming a relief image on a resin cured layer of the original form plate for seamless printing by laser carving in accordance with a digital recording signal are disclosed.
Patent Document 8 relates to a blanket for offset printing and discloses a configuration and a structure capable of performing a corresponding step by linearly moving a base sleeve while rotating the base sleeve though a technical field different from the present invention and thereby using individual mechanism set to a fixed position.
That is, manufacturing apparatus and method are disclosed which cut a base sleeve at a desired length by first applying a radioactive polymer by a liquid applicator, smooth the resin liquid surface by an optional surface finisher, then form a polymer cured layer through radiation (preferably, ultraviolet light) exposure, use any one of a scraper, planer, and polisher and thereby smooth the polymer cured layer.
As a liquid applicator, a blade, roller, nozzle, spray, and anilox roll are listed which are generally-used publicly-known techniques and a surface finisher only lists a doctor blade, scraper, planning machine, and polisher which are also general publicly-known techniques. Therefore, portions in which the invention of Patent Document 8 seems to have novelty compared to an preceding invention or conventional publicly-known technique are the following two points (1) and (2).
(1) Continuous treatment is performed by rotating and linearly moving a base sleeve by setting a treatment mechanism to a fixed position.
(2) A mechanism for cutting a base sleeve at a desired length is included.
In the case of the embodiment of the Patent Document 8, the following steps are illustrated: a step of rotating and linearly moving abase sleeve, a step of applying a radioactive curing polymer to the base sleeve in a spiral mode by a spray mechanism, ten smoothing the base sleeve by a first-stage circular smoothing station, a step of forming a polymer cured layer through the exposure by an ultraviolet light source, a step of smoothing the polymer cured layer at a second-stage circular smoothing station same as the first stage, and a step of forming a second polymer layer on the polymer cured layer by a second spray mechanism.
Details of steps after the second poly layer are unknown because a corresponding mechanism is not illustrated. However, judging from the context of this embodiment, a method and an apparatus are illustrated which are estimated as the fact that a first-stage smoothing step, an ultraviolet exposing step, and second smoothing step are continued similarly to the case of the first polymer layer.
Patent Document 1: JP11-153865A
Patent Document 2: JP8-300600A
Patent Document 3: JP52-62503A
Patent Document 4: West Germany Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2640105 (Specification)
Patent Document 5: JP63-202751A
Patent Document 6: Japan Patent No. 3209928
Patent Document 7: JP2002-079645A
Patent Document 8: JP2003-29848A
However, there are the following problems in the above-described conventional method and apparatus for manufacturing a relief material for seamless printing.
To obtain a seamless relief printing form plate material from a photosensitive resin solid-state form plate, grinding and polishing for uniforming a form plate thickness and smoothing surface are generally performed similarly to the case of the above rubber after winding a photosensitive resin solid-stage form plate on the surface of a cylinder as shown in the above Patent Documents 5 and 6, pressurizing, heating, and fusion-bonding the matching joint of an edge by a calendar roller or the like and thereafter a grinding or polishing step for uniforming a form plate thickness and smoothing surface are performed similarly to the case of the above rubber. Moreover, a uniform carbon black layer having no pin hole on the surface as shown in the above Patent Document 1 is formed as a substitute for a negative film, selectively ablation-removed by a digital-controlled laser-drawing apparatus as shown in the above Patent Document 2 to manufacture a mask and a seamless relief printing form plate is obtained by passing through a publicly-known exposure, solvent-phenomenon, drying, and post-exposure steps.
However, as pointed out in the above description, it is difficult to say that seams are completely absent and discontinuity of a printed matter at a seam frequently becomes a problem.
In the above Patent Documents 3 and 4, photosensitive resin is not practically used due to problems of odor and pollution because of diluting the resin by a solvent before it is applied and evaporating it after it is applied to cure a photosensitive resin layer, a problem of reproduction by expansion of an image caused by imperfect adhesion between a negative film and a photosensitive resin layer because of simply pressure-welding the negative film without using vacuum attraction, a problem of involvement of bubbles which is the fate of liquid-state resin, or a problem of liquid-state resin molding that the total accuracy as a seamless printing form plate is not kept in a practical use area.
In the above Patent Document 7, a resin supply mechanism (bucket) is closed and supply of liquid-state photosensitive resin to a cylinder is stopped, the liquid-state resin held by the doctor blade side is transferred to a part of the liquid-state resin layer whose applied thickness is already uniformed at the moment when the doctor blade at the front end of the bucket is separated from the resin applied to the outer periphery of the cylinder and becomes an irregular thickness or a defect of a convex portion and smoothness is lost. Therefore, the accuracy of a printing form plate is out of a printing applying range to cause a printing trouble. Moreover, the following problems are included for practical use: a problem of involving bubbles when the bucket is opened or closed or in the smoothing step by the doctor blade and a deficit portion is formed nearby the resin layer surface and a problem that a resin applied width is fixed because of the bucket structure and it is impossible to easily correspond to a size change of a cylinder width.
In the above Patent Document 8,when applying liquid to a rotating cylindrical object at a uniform thickness, the liquid is easily flown due to gravity or rotational centrifugal force unless the liquid has a viscosity to a certain extent and the shape of the liquid is not easily held. Because the thickness of a resin layer of a relief printing form plate ranges between 0.5 and 7.5 mm (between 1.14 and 2.84 mm for laser carving), the layer cannot be applied at a uniform thickness and there is a hazard that the liquid is separated from the cylindrical object and dripped. The hazard that the liquid is dripped most frequently occurs when the applied liquid reaches the lowest position.
Moreover, When directly using the liquid-state photosensitive resin used in accordance with the planar exposure method of the flexo-printing relief plate making system for laser carving, a lot of foreign matter (including viscous liquid) is produced on a resin cured layer to be laser carved. Therefore, occurrence of the foreign matter is restrained by adding an inorganic porous material. However, it is a current situation that the viscosity of the liquid-state photosensitive resin is extremely increased by adding the inorganic porous material.
Thus, the liquid-state photosensitive resin for relief printing having a high laser carving characteristic is very viscous compared to a general liquid-state photosensitive resin. When applying the high-viscous liquid-state resin by a spray mechanism in a spiral mode, there is a problem that bubbles are generated on the boundary between the resin applied through the previous rotation and the newly applied resin. Moreover, a specific embodiment showing that by what means it possible to spray-apply the high-viscous liquid-state photosensitive resin is not described.
Moreover, at the first-stage smoothing station, extra liquid-state resin is diffused from the both ends of the station contact face to the circumference when the applied liquid-state resin passes through the narrow area of the station. Therefore, it affects the liquid-state resin smoothed by the previous rotation and rather causes the thickness of the applied liquid-state resin to deteriorate than smoothing.
Moreover, a problem of involving bubbles when the front end of the applied liquid-state resin contacts with the above station is included. Therefore, it is possible to estimate that practical use is not realized. Furthermore, about exposure, there is no specific description that a resin layer optically-cured by a high-intensity ultraviolet light contributes to improvement of printing reasonableness as relief printing. Thus, liquid-state photosensitive resin to be used is different depending on purposes of a laser-carving seamless printing original form plate and an offset printing blanket, it is clear that manufacturing method and apparatus are different.
The present invention is made to solve the problems and its object is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a relief material for seamless printing capable of manufacturing a relief material for seamless printing having a high-accuracy thickness and high printing reasonableness by preferable surface smoothing characteristic and completely free from seams, improving the operability by making conventional negative-film manufacturing step and solution developer step unnecessary, and realizing resource saving and environment maintenance.

Method and device for manufacturing relief printing plate terminal for seamless printing


A headlight for a vehicle has a bowl shaped light-transmissive shield and a housing of resinous plastic. The housing has at its outer peripheral edge a receiving surface for receiving a foot of the light-transmissive shield. Protrusions on the receiving surface serve as a seating for the light-transmissive shield and, upon mounting the light-transmissive shield on the housing, these protrusions are deformed by pressure of the foot of the light-transmissive shield against them so that they form a narrow, surrounding, bed on at least one side of the foot of the light-transmissive shield. The foot of the light-transmissive shield is held in this bed by a mechanical device which extends between the light-transmissive shield and the housing.

This invention concerns a headlight for vehicles of a type having a bowl-shaped light-transmissive shield and a housing of resinous plastic which is closed by the light-transmissive shield, with the housing having a receiving surface extending about a free peripheral edge thereof, which is arranged perpendicular to a mounting direction of the light-transmissive shield on the housing, on which a foot of the light-transmissive shield is mounted so as to have a large side clearance, perpendicular to the mounting direction, and with an attachment of the light-transmissive shield to the housing resulting from a pressure-applying, mechanical, device acting on the foot of the light-transmissive shield in the direction of the receiving surface.
Headlights are known from German Patent No. DE 35 40 130 Cl (commonly owned with the instant application) in which a foot of a bowl-shaped light-transmissive shield is placed in a U-shaped (in cross section) receiving channel of a housing. An adhesive is placed in the receiving channel before the light-transmissive shield is mounted therein which encloses the foot of the light-transmissive shield after the light-transmissive shield has been placed therein. After the adhesive has hardened, it provides a very strong coupling of the housing and the light-transmissive shield without additional mechanical elements and, further, the adhesive serves as a good sealing medium. However, it is disadvantageous that with a housing manufactured of resinous plastic the choice of the plastics is quite limited because not all resinous plastics, for example the thermoplastic polypropylene, can be adhered with an inexpensive adhesives. This disadvantage can be overcome with a mounting technology employed for a known headlight of German Patent DE 28 46 990 Al which is generally of a type as that of this application. A binding, or coupling, mass placed between a light-transmissive shield and a housing edge in the headlight of German Patent DE 28 46 990 Al is semi-fluid, or viscous, so that the adhering effect of this binding mass is quite small and the coupling mass serves mainly as a sealing medium. With this coupling technique it has been found that the light-transmissive shield, in its mount on the headlight, because of the fluidity of the sealing medium, wanders in the direction of a force applied thereto by gravity until an upper side of its foot contacts an inner leg, and/or a lower side contacts an outer leg, of a receiving channel. The danger of such a "wandering" of the light-transmissive shield is particularly great at high temperatures because the degree of firmness of the binding mass is than reduced. Also, a mechanical device formed by a locking nose on an outer leg of the receiving channel, which engages a step or shoulder in the light-transmissive shield and which locks the light-transmissive shield against movement in the mounting direction, does not prevent the light-transmissive shield from wandering downwardly.
A clearance between two legs of a U-shaped receiving channel is larger than a thickness of a foot of a light-transmissive shield and this increases with the size of a resinous plastic housing, and the clearance is particularly large if a particularly inexpensive plastic is used in the manufacture of the housing, where large tolerances arise for the housing. The large manufacturing tolerances of light-transmissive shields of pressed or molded glass also contribute to enlarging the receiver channel. In the known headlights of German Patent DE 28 46 990 Al the mechanical devices which lock the light-transmissive shield to the housing are spring loaded noses which are formed on the outer leg of the receiver channel and which engage in a step in the outer surface of the light-transmissive shield. In this manner the light-transmissive shield is only held to the housing against movement in a mounting direction.
German Gebrauchsmuster DE GM 76 26 043 discloses a headlight in which a rubber-like seal is placed in a U-shaped (in cross section) receiver channel. A foot of a light-transmissive channel is pressed on the rubber seal by a mechanical device. It is disadvantageous in this arrangement that the seal of rubber is a separate part, thereby cost intensifying the manufacturing thereof because it is either a molded seal or a extruded seal. Such on extruded seal must be cut to exactly correct lengths so that no unsealed portions are created along contact points. Additionally, the position of a light-transmissive shield must be accurately maintained thereon by a manufacturing apparatus until the mechanical device is mounted. The mechanical device is of a spring-steel manufactured, C-shaped, holding spring, one leg of which engages a step on the light-transmissive shield and the other leg of which engages a step on the housing. Further, this clamp must be constructed to be quite stable so that a pressure applied by the light-transmissive shield to the rubber seal is sufficiently high that the bulky seal is deformed by the foot of the light-transmissive shield to prevent the foot of the light-transmissive shield from wandering downwardly.
It is an object of this invention to provide a headlight of the general type set forth above to have a foot of a light-transmissive shield centered on a larger receiving surface, which is especially wider than is necessary for the thickness of the light-transmissive shield because of manufacturing tolerances, without the need of additional manufacturing parts or work operations, but yet the light-transmissive shield is maintained centered, or positioned, on the housing in a direction perpendicular to a mounting direction.


The present disclosure describes an optical displacement sensor having a dense multi-axis array of photosensitive elements. Generally, the sensor includes a two dimensional array of multiple photosensitive elements. In one embodiment, the array includes multiple linear arrays of photosensitive elements arranged along three or more axes in a space-filling, close-packed multi-axis array. The photosensitive elements are connected to each other in such a way that motion is determinable along each of the axes by measuring differential photocurrents between photosensitive elements along each of the axes. The inventive architecture advantageously increases signal redundancy, and reduces signal drop-out or low signals due to random fluctuations in the incident or absorbed light or in the signals from the photosensitive elements.

Pointing devices, such as computer mice or trackballs, are well known for inputting data into and interfacing with personal computers and workstations. Such devices allow rapid relocation of a cursor on a monitor, and are useful in many text, database and graphical programs. A user controls the cursor, for example, by moving the mouse over a surface to move the cursor in a direction and over distance proportional to the movement of the mouse. Alternatively, movement of the hand over a stationary device may be used for the same purpose.
Computer mice come in both optical and mechanical versions. Mechanical mice typically use a rotating ball to detect motion, and a pair of shaft encoders in contact with the ball to produce a digital signal used by the computer to move the cursor. One problem with mechanical mice is that they are prone to inaccuracy and malfunction after sustained use due to dirt accumulation, etc. In addition, the movement and resultant wear of the mechanical elements, particularly the shaft encoders, necessarily limit the useful life of the device.
One solution to the above problems has been the development of optical mice. Optical mice have become very popular, because they provide better pointing accuracy. One approach for measuring linear displacements uses an array of photo-sensors or detectors, such as photodiodes, in which the output of the individual detectors in the array are wired together in a repeating pattern spanning two or more detectors, referred to here as the M value of the array. Generally, the distribution of spatial frequencies in an image on the array is roughly centered around the spatial frequencies of the detectors, and signal processing techniques are used to track the movement of this image back and forth across the array.
The dominant architecture used in previous embodiments used two or more one dimensional (1D) arrays at substantially orthogonal angles to one another to track motion in two directions or dimensions. The drawback of this approach includes limited accuracy along directions that deviate significantly from the detector-array orientations. This is due to the fact that an off-axis image enters and leaves the array too quickly before the image has a chance to build-up an unambiguous signal. Thus, this approach does not provide sufficient redundancy for low-noise operation. In particular, for linear comb arrays having axes oriented orthogonally, motion primarily along one axis leads to a small signal in the orthogonal axis, and hence a small signal to noise ratio along the orthogonal axis.
An alternative implementation uses correlation uses a square two dimensional (2D) array consisting of pixel architectures that take differences along orthogonal axes, and therefore also do not provide needed redundancy in the outputs.
Accordingly, there is a need for an optical pointing device that is capable of detecting movement with an acceptable path error in both on-axis and off-axis directions. It is further desirable that the array have an architecture that simplifies data processing requirements.

Dense multi-axis array for motion sensing


The present invention provides a highly-filled thermoplastic composition comprising a linear low density polyethylene and an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. The thermoplastic composition exhibits high tensile strength, high flex modulus, high temperature resistance and high tear strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of thermoplastic polymeric compositions, and specifically to filled blends of the copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate.
2. Description of the Related Art
One or more patents and publications are cited in this description in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. The entire disclosure of each of these patents and publications is incorporated by reference herein.
The practical applications of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers are diverse. For example, EVA copolymers are used in flexible shrink wrap, footwear soles, hot melt and heat seal adhesives, flexible toys, tubing, wire coatings, medical gloves, masks, automotive carpet, foam, fabric or scrim material, sound-dampening and the like.
Two parameters of EVA copolymers that affect their intended utility are the level of vinyl acetate comonomer and the melt index. At low comonomer levels, the EVA copolymer has a high degree of polyethylene crystallinity. As the percent of vinyl acetate increases, the vinyl acetate disrupts the polyethylene crystallinity and, accordingly, melting and freezing points decrease. A copolymer having a high melt index, which is correlated with a low molecular weight, is expected to be softer and have a lower melting temperature, for example. As the melt index decreases, the copolymer's properties also change, as expected for higher molecular weight polymers.
EVA copolymers have been blended with other polymers. For example, Cser et al. ((2002) J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 70:651-662) describes the miscibility of a cross-linked ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blended with virgin LLDPE.
In addition, Wang et al. ((2002) J. Appl. Polymer Sci. 85:2485-2490) discloses that while EVA copolymer improves the processing and ductile properties of LLDPE highly loaded with aluminum hydroxide, there was a concomitant deterioration of the tensile strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,793 describes a foam blend comprising A) a heterogenous or homogeneous linear ethylene homopolymer or interpolymer; and B) a branched homopolymer or interpolymer.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/003,639 describes a rotational molding composition comprising A) a majority component of one or more homopolymers or interpolymers such as a LLDPE, wherein the homopolymer or interpolymer is 70 percent or greater by weight of the composition; and B) one or more impact additives such as an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA) having a vinyl acetate content of about 2 to about 50 weight percent, wherein the impact additive is about 2 to about 50 percent of the molding composition; and wherein the impact strength of the composition at a fixed temperature is increased by at least 0.1 ft-lb/in from that of the majority component in the absence of the impact additive. The composition can also contain less than about 10 weight percent of filler.

LLDPE and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer thermoplastic blend


An improved method of manually advancing through Steps in a Sequence using an electromechanical momentary switch, an electronic device capable of detecting changes in the state of said electromechanical momentary switch, and a Sequencer, whereby said electronic device will, upon detecting each change of state in said electromechanical momentary switch, trigger said Sequencer to advance to a next Step in a Sequence and recall a Data Set associated with said Step.

This application relates to manually advanced Sequencers, and an improved method of advancing through Steps in a Sequence.
Sequencers are most commonly under the control of an automated external timing source, such that the Sequence continually loops through the Steps at a rate determined by the timing source.
Automatic control of a Sequence is, however, not always desirable, and there exist methods of manually advancing through Sequencer Steps.
Current manual Sequencer Step advancement commonly takes the form of a triggering event via the pressing or releasing of an electromechanical momentary switch.
The present invention takes advantage of both discrete states of an electromechanical momentary switch and advances a Sequencer to a next Step in a Sequence upon each change of state (upon a press and again upon release).
The improvements provided by the -present invention are that it allows a far more efficient, intuitive, natural, and rhythmically flexible method of advancing a Sequencer, and requires 50% less motion while providing twice the speed of existing methods of manually advancing Sequencers using electromechanical momentary switches.
Musicians often use Sequencers to play a pre-programmed series of musical notes and/or to sequentially apply special effects to an audio signal. The present invention is particularly helpful in the context of a musical performance where the music is being played live and a musician wishes to synchronize his or her Sequencer with the sounds created by the other human accompanists whose timing is inherently variable. The ability to manually advance a Sequence in such an efficient and natural manner makes it simple for said musician to adjust to a shifting and dynamic tempo.


A cover includes a plurality of sections and can be attached to a land vehicle using anchor straps. The sections of the cover are attached to each other using connecting straps. The cover can be used when the land vehicle is in use.

The present invention relates to the general art of land vehicles, and to the particular field of mats and covers for land vehicles.
Many people take great pride in their automobile. These people often go to great lengths to maintain their vehicle in top operating condition. These people also often go to great lengths to keep their vehicle looking good.
A vehicle's finish can be damaged by many factors. The environment can be quite punishing to the finish of any vehicle that is left uncovered for any significant periods of time. Sun, wind, rain, snow, sleet and, of course, hail, can damage the finish of an automobile. Not everyone can store their vehicle inside. Accordingly, the art includes many examples of portable covers for automobiles.
However, the finish of an automobile can also be damaged while the vehicle is in operation. Rocks, grit, and the like, can impinge on the finish of an automobile and mar that finish. However, the inventor is not aware of any cover that can be used to protect the finish of an automobile both while the vehicle is being stored and while the vehicle is being operated.
Therefore, there is a need for a cover for a land vehicle that can be used for either storing the vehicle or protecting the vehicle while it is being operated.
Off roading has become a very popular activity. In this activity, the vehicle is driven in areas that generally do not have roads. While this is an attractive pastime, a vehicle operated in this manner is subjected to extreme conditions. In addition to the above-mentioned hazzards, the vehicle often becomes covered with mud and grime during this activity. This mud and grime must be removed if the finish of the vehicle is to be protected. However, the inventor is not aware of any cover that can be used to protect a vehicle during operation of the vehicle in a manner that might expose the vehicle to extreme conditions, as might be found during an off road experience. Since some of the attraction of such activity is the high speed nature of the operation, any cover that is used must be securely fastened to the vehicle to withstand the conditions to which the vehicle and the cover will be exposed. However, in order to be efficient, the cover must be easily removed for cleaning, or the advantages associated with the cover may be vitiated.
Therefore, there is a need for a cover for a land vehicle that can be used to protect the vehicle while the vehicle is being operated in an environment that may include dirt, grit or other objects that may damage the finish of the vehicle. There is a further need for a cover for a land vehicle that can be used to protect the vehicle while the vehicle is being operated at high speeds and will remain in place during such operation, yet will be easy to remove.
Still further, since not all vehicles are the same, and not all uses of the same vehicle are the same, the most efficient use of a cover will be realized if the cover can be modified to fit a large variety of vehicles, or to change for different uses of the same vehicle.
Therefore, is a need for a cover for a land vehicle that can be used to protect the vehicle while the vehicle is being operated at high speeds and will remain in place during such operation, yet will be easy to modify.
Still further, a vehicle owner may want access to various portions of the vehicle, such as the trunk or the engine. With presently-available covers, the entire cover must be removed to obtain access to some parts of the vehicle. The cover must then be replaced for use. This can be cumbersome and time consuming.
Therefore, there is a need for a cover for a vehicle that can be adapted and modified as necessary to provide efficient access to certain portions of the vehicle while still protecting the finish of the vehicle.


A search that is efficient and lightens the load on servers is conducted. An original program list containing IP addresses of a number of servers is stored in a center server. The center server supplies the original server list to a client computer, which proceeds to divide the list into a plurality of divided server lists. The divided server lists, together with a search command, are applied to respective ones of master servers. The master servers further divide the divided server lists into subdivided server lists, and each master server transmits the subdivided server lists, together with the search command, to respective ones of slave servers. These operations of dividing the server list and transmitting the divided server lists to subsequent servers are repeated. A search is conducted by the master and slave servers in accordance with the search command, data representing the search results are sent back to a transmit-source server and this server supplies the data to the client computer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer apparatus and to a program for controlling the computer apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an image search is conducted, an image search command is transmitted from a client computer to a server computer in a client-server model. The server computer executes processing in accordance with the command and transmits data indicative of the result of processing to the client computer. In order to execute processing in accordance with the image search command in a plurality of server computers, the client computer must transmit the command to all of these server computers. This subjects the client computer to a heavy load.
There are systems in which a center server is provided and a list of all image data that has been stored in all content servers connectable to the center server is stored in the center server. By transmitting an image search command from a client computer to the center server, a search of images that have been stored in the content servers is conducted by the center server. However, since the entirety of the search is conducted by the center server, the center server is subjected to a heavy load.
Furthermore, in a peer-to-peer model, an image search command transmitted from a client computer is received by a content server, which proceeds to conduct the image search. The image search command is transferred from the content server that received the command to another content server, where the image search is conducted again. However, since there are instances where the command will not be distributed to a large number of content servers, an efficient search may not be conducted.

Computer apparatus and program for controlling same


A separation zone for separating platelets from a platelet-rich suspension establishes a relationship between its radial thickness (h) and axial height (Z) that, taking into account the given angular velocity of rotation and the given kinematic viscosity of the platelet-rich suspension introduced through the inlet, represents a (.lambda.) value that is less than 700,. where ##EQU1## where: .OMEGA. is the angular velocity (in rad/sec);. h is the radial depth (or thickness) of the chamber (in cm); PA2 .upsilon. is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid being separated (in cm.sup.2 /sec); and PA2 Z is the axial height of the chamber (in cm).

Today blood collection organizations routinely separate whole blood by centrifugation into its various therapeutic components, such as red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
Conventional blood processing systems and methods use durable centrifuge equipment in association with single use, sterile processing chambers, typically made of plastic. The centrifuge equipment introduces whole blood into these chambers while rotating them to create a centrifugal field.
Whole blood separates within the rotating chamber under the influence of the centrifugal field into higher density red blood cells and platelet-rich plasma. The platelet-rich plasma is then further separated in a second stage into platelet concentrate and platelet-poor plasma.
Conventional wisdom believes that the processing volume for the second stage of separation should exceed the processing volume for the first stage. The larger processing volume is thought to give the platelets more time to separate, or sediment, from the platelet-rich plasma. The larger processing volume is also thought to protect the platelets from damage and activation due to shear stress during processing.

Enhanced yield collection systems and methods for obtaining concentrated platelets from platelet-rich plasma


A zoom lens suitable for imaging an object on a photosensitive device is provided. The zoom lens includes a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group, which are arranged in series. The fourth lens group is disposed near the photosensitive device. The second lens group and the third lens group are suitable for moving between the first lens group and the fourth lens group. The first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group and the fourth lens group include at least a glass lens and a plurality of plastic lenses. The number of the plastic lenses is more than the number of glass lenses. Thus, overall cost of producing the zoom lens is lower.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens, and more particularly, to a low cost zoom lens.
2. Description of Related Art
With the rapid development of video technologies, imaging devices such as digital video cameras (DVC) and digital cameras (DC) have found widespread applications. The core element of these imaging devices is a zoom lens. By varying the optical focus of the zoom lens, a clean image can be focused on a charge-coupled device (CCD). The optical quality of the zoom lens is closely related to the imaging quality, manufacturers are now trying to improve the quality of the zoom lens while lowering the production cost in order to provide a competitive edge of their imaging device in the market.
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional zoom lens. The conventional zoom lens 100a in FIG. 1A has been disclosed in the U.S. Patent application 2004/0189834 A1. The zoom lens 110a includes four lens groups 110a, 120a, 130a and 140a. The lens group 110a comprises a single lens 112a; the lens group 120a comprises two lenses 122a; the lens group 130a comprises a single lens 132a; and, the lens group 140a comprises two lenses 142a.
The conventional zoom lens 100a uses the relative motion between the lens group 110a, the lens group 120a and the lens group 130a to increase the magnification or decrease the magnification. Thus, the zoom lens 110a must have a linkage designed to move the lens groups 110a, 120a and 130a simultaneously. This mechanical linkage not only increases the complexity of the zoom lens, but also increases the production cost and the bulk of the zoom lens.
Furthermore, because a total of 6 lenses are required in the zoom lens 100a, sufficient space must be allowed for accommodating the relative movement between the lens groups 110a, 120a and 130a. As a result, the overall length of the zoom lens 100a is often too large. Aside from the difficulty of miniaturizing the zoom lens, it is also difficult to lower the production cost.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the structure of another conventional zoom lens. The conventional zoom lens 100b in FIG. 1B has been disclosed in the Taiwan Patent No. 299039. The zoom lens 100b includes four lens groups 110b, 120b, 130b and 140b whose refractive powers are negative, positive, negative and negative respectively. The lens group 110b comprises three lenses 112b; the lens group 120b comprises three lenses 122b; the lens group 130b comprises three lenses 132b; and the lens group 140b comprises a single lens 142b.
The zoom lens 100b requires a series of 10 lenses, overall length of the zoom lens is often too large. Thus, not only is miniaturizing the zoom lens difficult, but lowering the production cost of the zoom lens is also difficult as well.


A distributed light-guided processing method includes obtaining an order from a requester, for at least one completed product. Raw components are provided to at least one selected remote processing location. The selected remote processing location includes a light guided system. Work instructions are provided to the selected remote processing location, wherein the work instructions enable the light guided system to guide construction of the completed product. The completed product is processed, using at least the raw components, the work instructions, and the light guided system. The completed product is shipped from the selected remote processing location upon completion of the processing.

Light guided systems make use of augmented reality in order to visually and audibly guide users through the assembly, inspection, kitting, or training involved in manual processes while also recording and transmitting a wide variety of analytics. Employees of factories, hospitals, and many other work environments typically travel to a physical employment location to perform their work. Such a practice increases expenses and time spent for users and increases traffic congestion and emissions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A first pressure chamber and a second pressure chamber are provided with means for continuously exerting a constant inward pressure on a first diaphragm part and a third diaphragm part respectively. A valve chamber having a flow control portion wherein a flow rate of the controlled fluid flowing from an inflow chamber to an outflow chamber is controlled by changing a size of the opening defined between a valve part and a valve seat, caused by a displacement of the valve part of a valve mechanism. A differential pressure chamber connects with the outflow chamber and has a bypass opening of a bypass passage connecting to the outflow passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control valve for controlling a flow rate of fluid (liquid or gas) to be constant, and especially relates to a flow control valve for controlling a constant flow rate by absorbing not only pressure fluctuations on the primary side (inflow side) but also load fluctuations on the secondary side (outflow side).
2. Description of the Related Art
The inventor of the present invention has proposed a fluid control valve using diaphragms, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-295209, in which the flow rate on the secondary side (outflow side) can be kept constant in response to the pressure fluctuation on the primary side (inflow side). The invention was patented as Japanese Patent No. 2671183.
The fluid control valve 100 of the prior invention, shown in FIG. 3, is comprised of a body 110 having an inflow part 111 and an outflow part 112, and a valve body 120 having a valve part 121, a first diaphragm part 122 and a second diaphragm part 123. The chamber of the body 110 is divided, by the first diaphragm part 122 and the second diaphragm part 123, into a first pressure chamber 131, a valve chamber 130, and a second pressure chamber 132. The first pressure chamber 131 and the second pressure chamber 132 are always under constant pressure so as to exert inward pressure on the first diaphragm part 122 and the second diaphragm part 123 from the outside. Numbers 136 and 137 designate passages of pressurized gas.
According to the fluid control valve 100 of the prior invention, the pressure fluctuation on the inflow part 111 side (primary side) produces a fluctuation of the outward pressure which acts on the first and the second diaphragm parts 122 and 123 that are continuously subject to constant inward pressure. Consequently a displacement of the valve body 120 occurs to keep a balance between the constant inward force and the fluctuating outward pressure on the primary side. The displacement of the valve body 120 causes the valve part 121 to move, so that the valve opening changes to thereby control the flow rate.
The prior invention has a great advantage that a quick response to an instant pressure variation or pulsation to which conventional mechanical or electrical means could not quickly respond can be provided, using a valve body having two diaphragm parts. Also, since the structure is simple, installation and maintenance thereof can be advantageously facilitated.
However, the prior invention does not have a function to respond to the load fluctuation on the outflow side, i. e., the secondary side. Accordingly, it is not responsive, for example, to an influence by mixing with another fluid on the secondary side, or a load fluctuation caused by a change in the viscosity of the fluid, due to a temperature change.


A method of producing monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons includes bringing a feedstock oil having a 10 vol % distillation temperature of 140° C. or higher and a 90 vol % distillation temperature of 380° C. or lower, into contact with a catalyst for monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon production containing a crystalline aluminosilicate, in which a content ratio of monocyclic naphthenobenzenes in the feedstock oil is adjusted to 10 mass % to 90 mass %, by mixing a hydrocarbon oil A having a 10 vol % distillation temperature of 140° C. or higher and a 90 vol % distillation temperature of 380° C. or lower with a hydrocarbon oil B containing more monocyclic naphthenobenzenes than the hydrocarbon oil A.

In recent years, techniques have been sought that can efficiently produce monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons having 6 to 8 carbon atoms (such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, hereinafter, which are collectively referred to as a "BTX fraction" or "BTX"), which can be used as high-octane gasoline base stocks or petrochemical feedstocks and offer high added value, from feedstocks containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction such as a light cycle oil (hereinafter, also referred to as "LCO"), which is a cracked light oil produced by a fluid catalytic cracking (hereinafter, also referred to as "FCC") apparatus, and has been mainly used as light oil or heavy oil fraction.
Examples of known methods for producing a BTX fraction from a polycyclic aromatic fraction include the following methods.
(1) Methods of hydrocracking hydrocarbons containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction in a single stage (see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
(2) Methods of subjecting hydrocarbons containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction to a hydrotreatment in a preliminary stage and then hydrocracking in a subsequent stage (see Patent Literatures 3 to 5).
(3) A method of converting hydrocarbons containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction directly into a BTX fraction using a zeolite catalyst (see Patent Literature 6).
(4) Methods of converting a mixture of hydrocarbons containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction and light hydrocarbons having 2 to 8 carbon atoms into a BTX fraction using a zeolite catalyst (see Patent Literatures 7 and 8).
However, the methods of (1) and (2) require the addition of high-pressure molecular hydrogen, and there is a problem of a high level of hydrogen consumption. Further, under the hydrogenation conditions, an unnecessary LPG fraction is by-produced in a large amount during production of the target BTX fraction, and not only is energy required to separate the LPG fraction, but also the feedstock efficiency deteriorates.
The method of (3) is not sufficient in terms of conversion of the polycyclic aromatic fraction.
The methods of (4) is designed to improve the thermal balance by combining a production technique for BTX which uses light hydrocarbons as a feedstock and a production technique for BTX which uses hydrocarbons containing a polycyclic aromatic fraction as a feedstock, but is not designed to improve the yield of BTX from the polycyclic aromatic fraction.

Method of producing monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons


Provided herein are recombinant cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell lines expressing human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene (hERG) potassium ion channel, including, for example, stable cell lines, that comprise a transfected or transduced nucleic acid sequence encoding hERG. Also provided herein are methods of using the recombinant cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell lines expressing hERG for screening compounds for cardiotoxicity, including methods for determining the activity of compounds to inhibit hERG.

Cardiotoxicity is a leading cause of attrition in clinical studies and post-marketing withdrawal. The human Ether-a-go-go Related Gene 1 (hERG1) K+ ion channel is implicated in cardiotoxicity. Therefore, screening of candidate drugs for activity against cardiac ion channels, including hERG1, is recommended.
The hERG1 ion channel (also referred to as KCNH2 or Kv11.1) is a key element for the rapid component of the delayed rectified potassium currents (IKr) in cardiac myocytes, required for the normal repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential (Curran et al. (1995) Cell 80: 795-803; Tseng (2001) J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 33: 835-49; Vandenberg et al. (2001) Trends. Pharm. Sci. 22: 240-246). Loss of function mutations in hERG1 cause increased duration of ventricular repolarization, which leads to prolongation of the time interval between Q and T waves of the body surface electrocardiogram (long QT syndrome-LQTS) (Splawski et al. (2000) Circulation 102: 1178-1185; Witchel et al. (2000) Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. 27: 753-766). LQTS leads to serious cardiovascular disorders, such as tachyarrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.
In vitro screening of candidate drugs for activity against the hERG cardiac ion channel have generally involved the use of non-cardiac cell lines (e.g., human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells; see, e.g., Haraguchi et al. (2015) BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 16: 39) for the prediction of drug-induced ECG abnormalities. There remains a need for suitable cell lines derived from cardiac cells, for improved in vitro screening of compounds for drug discovery and/or drug development.

Recombinant cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell lines expressing hERG

The Governors of the University of Alberta


A cup 1 and a container assembly including the cup 1 are predominantly moulded in plastics. The cup has a bowl 2 with a cylindrical portion 4 having a rim 5 and from which extends a conical portion 6. External flanges 20B and 21B are provided on the conical portion 6 and internal flanges 10 and 11 are provided on the portion 4 so that two cups 1 and 1A can be bayonet fitted together by engagement of the internal flanges 10, 11 of one cup with the external flanges 20B and 21B respectively of the other cup. Co-operation between an abutment face of the internal flange 11 and an external projection 30 provides stop means which reacts between the two cups to predetermine a rotational condition of the two cups. Securing means provided by co-operation of a stud 35 and dimple 36 between the two cups maintains the cups at said predetermined condition of rotation. The cup may have a handle 28 and when the stop means and securing means is effective the handles 8 of the two cups are in alignment.. A cup 1 engages as a bayonet fit on the container body 41 in an identical manner to the bayonet fit provided between the two cups 1 and 1A. The container 40 may have a handle 47 and securing means and stop means provided between the container and the cup fitted thereto (similarly to between the cups 1 and 1A) preferably locates the cup handles 8 and container handle 47 in alignment.

The present invention relates to a cup for a container and to an assembly of such a cup with a container.
It is well known for vacuum flasks and other containers to be provided with a drinking cup. Generally the container has an external shoulder forming a mouth which provides access to a storage cavity in the container and which shoulder is provided with an external screw thread to which can be fitted an inverted cup having a corresponding internal screw thread. The fitted cup provides a convenient cover for the mouth of the container (although the latter will usually be closed by a bung or stopper) thereby shielding the mouth and the interior of the cup from contamination and ensuring that the cup is conveniently and readily available for use. Furthermore, the screw threaded connection between the cup and container desirably provides a firm engagement in the event that a filled container is lifted or carried by its cup. This firm engagement is most desirable, especially with vacuum flasks having double walled glass insulating fillers which may be broken in the event that the flask is lifted by its cup and subsequently dis-engages from the cup to smash on the floor! A cup fitted to a container can also add considerably to the overall aesthetic design and marketing appeal which is of considerable importance for a commercially successful product. It has also been proposed to provide vacuum or other insulated containers for so-called leisure ware (especially containers having a relatively large capacity), with two cups where a relatively small cup is press fitted over the mouth of the container and a relatively larger cup is subsequently fitted over the small cup to accommodate it and to screw threadedly engage with the container. Naturally this arrangement is convenient for simultaneous consumption of the container contents by two people but it has the disadvantage that the different sized cups is somewhat discriminative and that the press-on inner cup may easily be mislaid or become loose within the screw fitted larger cup to provide an annoying rattle. Furthermore, when the small and larger cups are fitted to the container the presence of the inner cup is not readily apparent. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cup for a container and a container assembled with such a cup by which the disadvantages as indicated above of the prior proposals can be alleviated.

Cup for a container and an assembly of cup and container


A ceramic green sheet is irradiated with a laser beam of a high-peak short-pulse type to form a hole in the sheet. With the laser beam, a minimum oscillation output is more than 60% of a maximum oscillation output. This prevents material of the ceramic green sheet from melting partially and remaining around the hole. Therefore, a multi-layer assembly of ceramic green sheets built by joining the sheets in layers and baking these joined sheets hardly has a structural defect around a via-electrode provided in the hole.

A ceramic multi-layer device, such as a small filter or a module component, is often manufactured by stacking ceramic green sheets one over another. During this manufacturing, the ceramic green sheets are provided at their surfaces with patterns of wiring by screen printing the patterns, the sheets are assembled in layers, the sheets are baked, and the sheets are divided into pieces of ceramic multi-layer devices. The ceramic green sheets are ceramic layers to construct a ceramic multi-layer device.
Patterns of wiring provided on both sides of a ceramic layer are connected to each other by a via-electrode extending across the ceramic layer. The via-electrode is fabricated by filling a via-hole in a ceramic green sheet with paste of electrically conductive material and then by baking the paste. The ceramic green sheets may be doped with additive, such as glass, for baking the sheets at a low temperature.
As required to have a small overall size and an improved performance, the ceramic multi-layer devices are demanded to have larger number of these via-holes, made in the ceramic green sheets, having small diameters, in a shorter time.
The via-holes are made by punching the ceramic green sheets with a die. The smaller the diameters of the via holes, the shorter an operating life of the die, and pins of the die, are. This punching does not provide via-holes having diameters smaller than 100 μmφ easily, and provides via-holes at a small processing speed.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.01-9691, via-holes may favorably be made by utilizing a laser beam of CO2, YAG, or excimer. This method can provide via-holes having diameters smaller than 100 μmφ easily while not requiring particular maintenance operations, such as a change of a die.
The laser beam can make the via-holes fast by repetitively irradiating a ceramic green sheet with the laser beam with a galvano-scan mirror having a reflecting angle controlled by electronic control without movement of the ceramic green sheet. This allows the via-holes to be provided at a speed substantially 100 times larger than that of the punching.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a baked ceramic assembly in a conventional method. FIG. 9 illustrates a conventional via-hole.
In this technique using a laser beam, a ceramic green sheet containing particularly glass material may include a melting portion of the glass material while being irradiated with the laser beam to provide via holes. The melting portion of the glass material appears as a melting substance 17 remaining at an edge of via-hole 16, as shown in FIG. 9.
The melting substance 17 prevents the via-hole 16 from being filled with paste of electrically conductive material at a succeeding process for fabricating via-electrode 12. Portions around the via-hole 16 in the ceramic green sheet may deteriorate by heat of the laser beam, hence significantly deteriorating a joining tightness and wet property between the electrically conductive material paste and the ceramic green sheet.
A baked ceramic assembly 10 is provided by forming the via-holes 16 in the ceramic green sheets by utilizing the laser beam, filling the via-holes 16 with the electrically conductive material paste, assembling the sheets in layers, and baking the sheets. As shown in FIG. 8, the baked ceramic assembly 10 may have a structural defect 13, such as a cavity, around via-electrode 12. This defect reduces a connecting property as well as resistance to moisture, thus reducing long-term operational reliability of a manufactured ceramic multi-layer device.

Method of making hole in ceramic green sheet

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The Electric Power Converter functions as an uninterruptable power supply, battery management, energy conversion, micro-grid formation, and Power Factor Correction including Total Harmonic Distortion correction in real time. Uninterruptable power supply's use is for always-on, real-time, reduced distortion with functions of load reduction and management during peak load events. The Electric Power Converter is able to establish and sustain a micro-grid with multiple and varying sources of power generation and load conditions. The Electric Power Converter achieves dynamic, real-time, interactive Power Factor Correction (PFC) and advanced voltage harmonic distortion correction with a high efficiency ratio. The Electric Power converter is designed to function with the emerging Smart Grid technologies and provide an overall higher level of operating efficiency and higher quality of electrical power.

A variety of generally accepted methods and related equipment currently exist for electric power conversion methods, however they can be incompatible with the electrical grid a and/or the exact power supply input requirements. Available and widely used AC/DC to DC converters, or AC/DC to AC converters have a dependency on the load type. Converters that incorporate battery storage are generally defined as an uninterruptible power supply, thus storing power and returning it when peak load or a demand for a load exists or is created.
The modern method for power conversion utilizes an electronic circuit capable of a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique. This technique implements time-advanced feedback where a required output voltage waveform and a low harmonic content can be obtained. These methods utilized in power converters can be used for any kind of distortion and power factor correction in any electrical grid application.
The existing AC grid and future development of the AC grid are plagued by extremely low values of Power Factor (PF), resulting from reactive loads as implemented over the past decades of development. It is not only necessary to provide an optimal PF for a limited number of loads and power supplies, but also a corrected PF. The most promising technologies currently do it in bulk, on an area or block basis. For this reason, PF is mostly never equal to 1, causing energy consumption inefficiency for the US as a whole of over 30% of the consumed energy due to heating dissipation or other dissipative processes.

Multipurpose, universal converter with battery control and real-time power factor correction


The present invention comprises a novel hammer and biasing system in a paintball pistol to achieve automatic re-cocking with closed bolt results in a marker pistol configuration typically associated with open bolt systems. The trigger releases a compressions hammer that nests in a hammer sleeve, but an aperture in the hammer sleeve permits a protrusion on the compression hammer to strike a poppet valve which releases a burst of gas. The gas pressure forced into the barrel causes the paint ball to be expelled from the barrel, and forces the hammer and bolt assembly aft due to increased pressure in the lower bore. The pressure against the front wall of a hammer sleeve pushes the hammer sleeve aft, along with the compression hammer. Also, because the bolt is interconnected to the hammer sleeve it is forced back in the upper barrel as well. When forced back, the bolt allows the breach to open and a paintball to drop into the chamber. Also, the sear catches the compression hammer in the cocked position. The interconnected combination of the hammer sleeve, bolt and slide cover causes the slide cover to move back as well. Springs interconnected between the slide cover and the housing are stretched when the slide cover moves back, but biases the slide cover to return to its forward position. Because the slide cover is interconnected to the bolt and hammer sleeve, the return of the slide cover forward by the springs, also resets the bolt and hammer sleeve to their forward ready to fire position.

The present invention relates generally to a paintball marker pistol having an automatic re-cocking system. More particularly, the present invention comprises a novel hammer and biasing system in a paintball pistol to achieve automatic re-cocking with closed bolt results in a marker pistol configuration typically associated with open bolt systems. The invention provides a user with slide action recoil and re-cocking that is efficient, effective and provides a user with the simulated feel of the action of a conventional firearm pistol.
The recreational sport of "Paintball" is currently popular and is growing in popularity. In the sport, players simulate armed conflict using paintball marker guns that have the look and feel of conventional firearms. The marker guns propel encapsulated paint pellets, generally referred to as paintballs, which rupture upon impact. In the sport, an opponent or player that is hit with a paintball will be marked, and thus is considered ineligible from further participation in the game. A variety of types of games, scenarios and team play may be implemented, but each player requires the use of a paintball marker gun. Players thus desire paintball marker guns that are efficient, accurate and easy to use to aid their chances in succeeding in the paintball sport.
Several types of paintball guns are available on the market and vary widely in price and complexity. Conventional designs include, but are not limited to, open bolt and closed bolt. A discussion of the differences between open bolt design and closed bolt design can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,420 entitled "Closed Bolt Assembly for a Paintball Marker Gun," issued Oct. 28, 2003. The substance of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Open bolt paintball markers are typically less expensive due to their simplicity in design and lower cost of manufacture. In an open bolt design, the gun housing includes an upper barrel chamber and a lower gas pressure chamber. The gun includes a bolt and hammer assembly, wherein, the bolt is located in the barrel while an interconnected hammer is located in the lower pressure chamber. In the cocked position, a sear, mechanically connected to a trigger, holds the hammer and bolt assembly in a cocked position. When the assembly is cocked, a paintball is fed into the barrel and into firing position next to the bolt. Upon actuation of the trigger, the sear clears the lower chamber to a position that allows the hammer and interconnected bolt to be pushed forward by an internal spring. The hammer impacts a poppet valve which forces compressed gas into the barrel. The force of the bolt striking the paintball, along with the pressurized gas, propels the paintball out of the gun barrel. In addition, the release of gas pressure in the lower chamber causes the hammer and interconnected bolt assembly to be pushed backwards, to be caught by the sear and thus re-cocked.
Certain disadvantages have been associated with the open bolt design. The action of the bolt and hammer moving together many times catches a paintball that has not fully loaded into the barrel, and can cause deformation or breakage of the paintball in the barrel. A paintball breaking within the barrel may compromise further use of the gun before it is cleaned. The internal paint can cause inaccurate firing or a jammed gun, thus rendering it unusable for a period of time. Additionally, deformation to the paintball can cause inaccurate trajectories.
Closed bolt design guns address some deficiencies of the open bolt design guns, but are typically more expensive and are more complex in design. The primary difference between the closed bolt design and the open bolt design is that the hammer and bolt are not interconnected, thus only the compressed air forces the paintball from the barrel. Further, the closed bolt configuration allows the paintball to be in place for firing prior to the hammer being initiated. The pre-placement of the paintball minimizes the deformation or breakage of the paintball. In this configuration, the gas in the lower chamber re-cocks the hammer, however, because the bolt is not interconnected to the hammer a secondary system is required to reset the bolt. Resetting the bolt automatically is necessary to have pre-placement of the paintball. Additional systems include, but are not limited to, a secondary lumen or gas source that operates the bolt. The secondary system adds complexity, weight and expense to the closed bolt design. Previous devices have attempted to convert existing open bolt designs to create closed bolt action. In such designs, however, the bolts are separated from the hammers, are complex and secondary system are required to reset the bolt.
Thus, there is a great need in the art for the manufacture of a paintball marker gun that is based upon an inexpensive open bolt design, yet provides closed bolt accuracy and efficiency when firing the marker. In addition, there is a great need in the art for a simplified secondary system that will reset the bolt in closed bolt designs when firing. Finally, it would be advantageous and desirable to create a paintball pistol that simulates the slide action re-coil and re-cocking of conventional firearms.

Paintball marker pistol with slide action automatic re-cocking