A system and method for detecting and displaying the amount of chemical in a vessel. The system includes a vessel with a variable quantity of gas supported upon a moveable platform. A hydraulic load cell is positioned under the platform, and generates a hydraulic pressure signal, which is a function of the variable quantity of gas in the vessel. An electrical signal transducer converts the pressure signal to an electrical signal which is transmitted to a battery powered microprocessor/display capable of converting the electrical signal into a displayable signal indicative of an amount of gas remaining in the vessel.

The treatment of water and wastewater traditionally includes treatment with various chemicals such as chlorine and sodium hypochlorite for disinfection, sulfur dioxide and sodium bisulphate for dechlorination, hydrofluosilicic acid for fluoridation and many others for coagulation, ph control etc. Many state regulations require that municipal water agencies document their chemical usage in order verify proper dosages. A common way of tracking chemical usages is to simply place a chemical cylinder or drum on a weighing scale and track the weight loss on a daily basis.
However, the use of a typical weight scale for weighing cylinders or vessels of chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals can present several complications. Disinfection and fluoridation commonly occurs at remote locations such as well sites that often are not easily accessible, do not have electrical power on site, or simply have dirty power that is damaging to many electronic/digital type instruments. Accordingly, what is needed is a battery powered digital weight scale, which has a remotely located pressure to electrical signal transducer, which is capable of producing an electrical signal related to the pressure signal, which is then converted into a displayable signal indicative of the amount of gas or chemical remaining in the vessel.

System and method for detecting and displaying an amount of chemical in a cylinder or vessel


An electronic cigarette includes a shell and a mouthpiece. The external wall of the shell has an air inlet. An atomizer and a liquid-supply are in contact with each other. The air inlet, atomizer, and an aerosol passage are interconnected.

Although it is commonly known that "smoking is harmful to your health", the number of smokers worldwide is up to 1 billion, and the number is increasing every year. According to the statistical data from the World Health Organization, about 4.9 million people die of smoking diseases each year. Although smoking may cause serious respiratory diseases and cancer, it remains extremely difficult for smokers to quit smoking completely.
The active ingredient in a cigarette is nicotine. During smoking, nicotine, along with tar aerosol droplets, enter the smoker's alveolus and are rapidly absorbed. The nicotine then affects the receptors of the smoker's central nervous system.
Nicotine is a kind of alkaloid with low molecular weight. A small dose of nicotine is essentially harmless to human body and its half-life in blood is quite short. The major harmful substance in tobacco is tar. Tar in tobacco is composed of thousands of ingredients. Several of these are cancerogenic.
Some cigarette substitutes that contain only nicotine without tar have been proposed. Many of them, such as "nicotine patch", "nicotine mouthwash", "nicotine chewing gum", "nicotine drink" etc., are made of pure nicotine. Although these cigarette substitutes are free from tar, their major disadvantage is that an effective peak concentration cannot be reached in the blood of a smoker due to slow absorption of nicotine. In addition, these cigarette substitutes cannot satisfy habitual smoking actions of a smoker, for example, inhaling action, and thus are not likely to be widely accepted as effective substitutes for smoking.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


In a TV system which includes an autopix feedback loop limiting the range over which the contrast can be controlled, there is included means for generating a non-linear contrast control voltage as a function of customer control settings in order to extend the range over which the customer can control the contrast.

In modern television systems it is known to automatically control the contrast and brightness of a reproduced image. For example, a TV system with automatic contrast control to inhibit "white spot blooming" is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,394 entitled DYNAMIC VIDEO SYSTEM INCLUDING AUTOMATIC CONTRAST AND "WHITE STRETCH" PROCESSING SECTIONS issued to William A. Lagoni and assigned to the assignee of this application. Other TV systems which include automatic contrast control are described in the following patents pending applications: (a) U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,748 titled BEAM CURRENT LIMITING ARRANGEMENT FOR TELEVISION SYSTEM WITH PICTURE-IN-PICTURE PROVISIONS filed for William A. Lagoni; (b) Ser. No. 751,810 titled VIDEO SYSTEM INCLUDING APPARATUS FOR DEACTIVATING AN AUTOMATIC CONTROL ARRANGEMENT filed for W. A. Lagoni and R. L. O'Brien; and (c) U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,434 titled AUTOPIX CIRCUIT WITH INSERTED VERTICAL BLANKING filed for Thomas D. Gurley. The above identified applications are assigned to the assignee of this application, and their teachings as well as those of the above identified patent are incorporated herein by reference.
Automatic contrast control (which is also referred to as "autopix" where "pix" is an abbreviation for "picture") prevents loss of detail sharpness in highlight (white) areas due to blooming, while permitting high contrast (and therefore subjectively bright) images when the signal peaks remain below the blooming threshold.
Automatic contrast control circuitry used in modern TV systems is shown in FIG. 1. [For ease of illustration, only those portions of a TV system deemed pertinent to a discussion of the invention are shown in FIG. 1. A more detailed description of the TV systems is presented in the references cited above.]
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown main and auxiliary video inputs 1 and 3, respectively, coupled to a picture-in-picture (PIP) processor 5 which is also controlled by a receiver control 7. PIP processor 5 provides signals (C and Y) to luminance circuit 9 and to chrominance circuit 11. The outputs of luminance and chrominance circuits 9 and 11, respectively, are applied to a matrix 10 whose outputs are red(r), blue(b), and green(g) color signals which are applied to respective inputs of a contrast control section 13r, 13b, and 13g. The contrast control section (e.g., 13r, 13b and 13g) is responsive to the red (r), blue (b) and green (g) color signals and its outputs are applied to a brightness control section (e.g. 15r, 15b and 15g) whose outputs are coupled via drivers (e.g. 17r, 17b and 17g) to a picture tube (e.g. 19).
The automatic contrast control arrangement includes a combiner circuit 47 for deriving a "combined" signal (e.g., SUMY) from the ouputs of the brightness section. The combined signal (i.e., SUMY) as used herein and in the claims appended hereto is representative of the luminance component of the displayed image. The combined signal (SUMY) is then processed via an autopix circuit 41 comprised of a peak detector 49 and a comparator 50 whose output is fed back via a buffer 51 to the control input terminal 13 of the contrast control section (13r, 13b, 13g) of the TV system. The autopix loop 41 comprising peak detector 49, comparator 50, and buffer 51 defines a feedback loop coupled between the output (terminal 14) of the combiner circuit 47 and the input control (terminal 13) of the contrast control section which determines the closed loop gain of the contrast control section. The open loop gain of the contrast control section (13r, 13g, 13b) is determined, in part, by a customer contrast control unit 60 which is driven by receiver control 7.
Contrast control unit 60 includes a common control microprocessor 63, a buffer amplifier 65 and a low pass filter 67. The microprocessor 63 is used to control various functions such as peaking, contrast and brightness. Under the control of microprocessor 63 and a switching element represented by N63, a pulse signal (PS) and its logical complement PSN are generated. The pulse signals PS and PSN include pulses which are pulse width modulated (PWM) to represent the customer's contrast control settings, also defined and referred to herein as customer control steps. The signal PSN (which is the logical complement of PS) is produced at node 29 of microprocessor 63 and is applied to the input of the buffer amplifier 65.
Amplifier 65 is responsive to the pulse width modulated pulse signal (PSN) and produces at its output node 75 amplified and buffered pulse width modulated output pulses (in phase with the PS signal) which are then applied to the input of a low pass filter 67. Filter 67 represented by a series-connected resistor R7 and a shunt-connected capacitor C1, filters the pulse width modulated signals produced by amplifier 65 to produce a DC user contrast control voltage (Vc) at node 670 which is applied to terminal 13.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, an automatic beam current limiter 52 is also coupled to terminal 13. Consequently, capacitor C1 of low pass filter 67 is shared by circuits 60, 52 and 41 to filter and store the respective control voltages generated by user contrast control unit 60, automatic beam current limiter 52 and automatic contrast control unit 41. The control voltage (Vc) developed across capacitor C1 is thus a combination of the individual control voltages generated by control units 60, 52 and 41.
For the embodiment shown, it is assumed that increasing the direct current (DC) contrast control voltage (Vc) corresponds to increasing gain, and therefore increasing contrast, and that decreasing the DC contrast control voltage (Vc) corresponds to decreasing gain and contrast. [This corresponds to the further assumption that white-going portions of the processed luminance output signal (SUMY) are positive going.]
As shown in FIG. 1, automatic contrast control unit (autopix) 41 includes a peak detector 49 which detects the peaks of the white-going portion of the processed luminance output signal SUMY. The output voltage of white peak detector 49 is coupled to comparator 50. Peak detector 49 and comparator 50 are arranged to decrease the contrast control voltage as a function of the peak amplitude of the luminance output signal when the peak exceeds a predetermined reference voltage.
A problem with the TV system of FIG. 1 is that, for some signals, the autopix feedback loop limits the range over which the contrast control may vary. A drawback of this limitation is that since autopix is a relatively new feature, a customer/user trying to adjust the contrast may believe the TV set is defective because the contrast can not be made to vary in the accustomed manner.
The extent of the limitation may be better appreciated by reference to curve A of FIG. 2, which shows the SUMY output at terminal 14. In FIG. 2, the ordinate (y axis) represents the amplitude (in volts) of the video output voltage (SUMY) produced at terminal 14 of FIG. 1, and the abscissa (x axis) represents the 63 control steps (or settings) available to the customer/user to increase (going from step zero to step 63) the contrast. Curve A shows the VIDEO or SUMY output for the condition when the autopix loop 41 is closed; i.e., there is feedback via the feedback loop 41 from terminal 14 to contrast terminal 13.
It is seen that the VIDEO output varies linearly in response to the customer's control steps in the range from zero to 21. However, for customer control steps above 21, the response is flat. That is, the operation of the autopix feedback loop limits the user's ability to alter the contrast above control step 21 with the video output voltage being held at approximately 3.5 volts. Thus, in a system which theoretically provides for 63 control steps, only the first 21 may be effectively used.

Non-linear customer contrast control for a color television with autopix


Disclosed are a method, device, and system for reporting a channel quality indicator (CQI), applicable in solving the problem in coordinated multipoint transmission technology of the incapability of a network side to execute accurately resource distribution and scheduling due to the incapability of the network side to have accurate knowledge of the interference that a terminal is being subjected to. The method is: on the basis of measurement reference signals transmitted by each device in a measurement collection, the terminal feeding back to a network side device an initial CQI of each device in the measurement collection; on the basis of the initial CQI of each device fed back by the terminal, and of channel matrix reference information fed back by the terminal, the network side device calculating a target CQI of the terminal. This allows the network side to learn accurately the interference that the terminal is being subjected to, thus allowing for accurate execution of terminal scheduling, resource distribution, and MCS selection, for effectively improved system throughput in coordinated multipoint transmission, and for improved system performance.

In a wireless cellular network system, there is typically a base station in communication with a User Equipment (UE) in each cell. Various user equipments include a mobile phone, a notebook, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), etc. Prior to commence of a data transmission process, the base station may transmit a reference signal (e.g., a pilot signal) to the user equipment, and the user equipment may derive a channel estimation value from the reference signal. The reference signal is a known signal sequence transmitted at a specific time and a specific frequency as prescribed, and the quality of channel estimation may be influenced by interference, noise and other factors.
Typically user equipments are located at different geographic positions and are subjected to different received signal strength and different noise and interference strength. Thus some user equipments may communicate at a higher rate, for example, a user equipment located at the center of the cell, and some other user equipments can only communicate at a lower rate, for example, a user equipment located at the edge of the cell. In order to make full use of a transmission bandwidth of a user equipment, data is transmitted to the user equipment preferably in a format matching a channel condition of the user equipment, and a technology to match the format, in which data is transmitted to the user equipment, with a channel condition of the user equipment is referred to link adaptation.
In order to assist the base station in link adaptation, the user equipment needs to report a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) according to a channel condition of the user equipment. The CQI reported by the user equipment corresponds to a specific time-frequency resource, that is, the CQI reported by the user equipment represents a transmission capacity on the time-frequency resource. In order to calculate the CQI, the user equipment needs to measure interference I and noise power N0 to which it is subjected. For example, a straightforward CQI calculation formula is:
      CQI    =          Q                    (                  P                      I            +                          N              0                                      )              ,
Where P is received signal power of the user equipment, and Q(•) is a quantization function; and in practice, the user equipment may measure the sum of I and N0, i.e., I+N0.
In the prior art, the technology of Coordinated Multipoint Transmission/Reception (CoMP) refers to coordinated scheduling or joint transmission of multiple geographically separated transmission points for the purpose of lowering mutual interference and improving the quality of a signal received by a user to thereby effectively improve the capacity of a system and the spectral efficiency of an edge user. The multiple separated transmission points typically refer to base station devices of multiple cells or possibly different base station devices in the same cell.
Coordinated scheduling refers to that the respective base stations coordinate time, frequency and space resources between the cells to allocate mutually orthogonal resources for different UEs to thereby avoid mutual interference. Inter-cell interference is a predominant factor restricting the performance of a cell edge UE, and inter-cell interference can be lowered through coordinated scheduling to thereby improve the performance of the cell edge UE. Referring to FIG. 1, for example, coordinated scheduling of three cells can schedule three UEs possibly interfering with each other onto mutually orthogonal resources to thereby effectively avoid interference between the cells.
Joint transmission refers to concurrent transmission of data from multiple cells to a UE to thereby enhance a received signal of the UE. Referring to FIG. 2, for example, data is transmitted from three cells to the same UE on the same resource, and the UE receives signals from the multiple cells concurrently. On one hand, superposition of the useful signals from the multiple cells can improve the quality of the signals received by the UE. On the other hand, interference to which the UE is subjected can be lowered to thereby improve the performance of a system.
In Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, a UE estimates channel information of a base station to the UE (e.g., a signal matrix, interference, noise, etc.) according to a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS) or a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) of a serving cell, calculates a CQI, and feeds the CQI back to the base station, possibly together with a Pre-coding Matrix Index (PMI) and an Rank Indicator (RI). The base station can perform scheduling, resource allocation, Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) selection and other operations using the feedback of the CQI to thereby improve the spectral efficiency. In order to support multipoint coordinated transmission, a report of channel information needs to be further enhanced. The UE estimates channel information of cells included in a preconfigured measurement set to the UE according to CRSs or CSI-RSs transmitted from the respective cells, and next the UE directly scalar-quantizes or vector-quantizes the channel information and then feeds it back to the base stations, and the base stations perform pre-coding matrix calculation, multi-user pairing, MCS selection and other operations according to the channel information fed back from the UE.
In the CoMP technology of a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a base station can derive uplink channel information from a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmitted from a UE and derive downlink channel information by the reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels. In the existing TDD system, the base station can not accurately select an MCS and perform frequency-domain scheduling for the UE simply according to the channel information derived from the SRS because the uplink and the downlink are subjected to typically different interference and the base station can not accurately predicate interference to which the UE is subjected; and on the other hand, in the existing TDD system, the base station can not accurately select an MCS and perform frequency-domain scheduling for the UE even according to the channel information fed back from the UE because an interference level of an adjacent cell before scheduling is different from that after scheduling due to the use of the CoMP technology as well as beam shaping and other schemes so that the UE can not predicate a changed interference level after scheduling upon feeding back the channel information.
In view of this, it is desirable to redesign a corresponding CoMP-based channel information calculation and report solution.

Method, device, and system for reporting channel quality indicator

CHINA ACADEMY OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY


Reprocessable medical devices that have been disposed of in a sharps container are recovered, disinfected or sterilized, sorted, and packed for reprocessing in a generally continuous process. In one embodiment, either a sharps container or at least a portion of its contents is successively and controllably conveyed, either manually or automatically, through a plurality of processing stations that are configured to perform different operations. The operations performed by the processing stations can include, for example, detecting and identifying contents, cleaning and disinfecting, opening the sharps containers, separating and sorting their contents, and disposal of contents that are non-reprocessable. Reprocessable medical devices can be sorted by type as they move along on a conveyor.

Health care organizations are continually under pressure to find ways to lower or limit health care costs. One such opportunity for health care organizations to reduce costs is by recycling materials and supplies, in particular, by recovering single use medical devices (SUDs) that can be cleaned and sterilized for reuse, consistent with FDA regulations. Chapter 9 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act defines a medical device as an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including any component, part, or accessory, which is (1) recognized in the official National Formulary, or the United States Pharmacopeia, or any supplement to them, (2) intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, in man or other animals, or (3) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals, and which does not achieve its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body of man or other animals and which is not dependent upon being metabolized for the achievement of its primary intended purposes.
For purposes of this patent application, medical devices fall into two categories. The first category is reusable devices, which are sold as reusable and can be cleaned and sterilized for reuse by a health care organization, such as a hospital, without regulatory approval. Reusable, manufacturer designated multiple-use medical devices are sold with the expectation the medical devices can and will be processed for reuse by hospitals or surgery centers within their own walls. Such medical devices are sold once and are typically cleaned and resterilized many times by the purchaser for use on multiple patients. These medical devices are collected after use by hospital or surgery center personnel and are cleaned, resterilized in an autoclave or by exposure to ethylene oxide or other appropriate sterilant, repackaged as necessary, and then reused in the same facility.
The second category is reprocessable devices, which are designated by the manufacturer for single use only or as disposable; these medical devices can legally be reused only if reprocessed consistent with FDA regulations. These SUDs are designated for only a single use, but many can, if properly cleaned and sterilized by a regulated process, be recycled for additional patient use. The FDA closely regulates the third party reprocessing industry that provides this service by requiring separate regulatory approvals for each device-type SUD to be reprocessed. An FDA approval (which is obtained through an FDA 510k application) for such devices is a premarket notification by the FDA that is issued in response to a party demonstrating that a medical device the party wants to sell/reprocess is as safe and effective as or substantially equivalent to an existing approved medical device that was or is currently on the United States market. Because hospitals do not have FDA 510k authorizations to reprocess SUDs, and because it does not appear that any hospital has applied for and received any FDA 510k authorizations to reprocess SUDs, a third party reprocessor industry has evolved with the engineering/regulatory infrastructure necessary to submit and receive multiple FDA 510k approvals, enabling these third parties to reprocess SUDs devices for the benefit of the medical industry.
Because medical devices are often "sharp" and used on patients in invasive procedures, strict requirements exist for their disposal after use. After use, such medical devices are unclean, often having been in contact with blood or other bodily fluids of a patient, but are still sharp. Indeed, many of these medical devices have a point or edge sharp enough to penetrate typical waste collection containers. Accordingly, hospital procedures require that a large proportion of such SUDs be disposed after use in a "sharps" container. Sharps containers are well known to those who work in medical care facilities and are intended to be used to collect potentially dangerous, used sharp medical devices that are capable of cutting or penetrating skin or penetrating a conventional waste package container. Typically, sharps containers contain a large volume of used syringes, needles, and broken glass. They also often contain used SUDs. These containers are periodically picked up from the facility by a regulated waste collector and transported to a central site for permanent destruction.
Traditionally, there are two ways medical care facilities contract for waste collection and management of sharps containers. Medical care facilities can purchase sharps containers intended for disposal in a variety of sizes, as needed, and appropriately provide the sharps containers inside patient rooms, laboratories, operating rooms, emergency rooms, etc. Medical care facilities personnel regularly monitor the status of individual sharps containers and collect them after they are full or after a predefined time period has elapsed. These containers are permanently "locked" at the point of collection, and a replacement empty sharps container is substituted for the full sharps container. Full sharps containers, which are permanently sealed and intended for disposal, are aggregated in a designated area for collection by a regulated medical waste hauler, who picks up the full sharps containers and transports them to a disposal plant. At the disposal plant, the sharps containers and their contents are then incinerated or otherwise completely destroyed without the containers ever being opened.
Alternatively, medical care facilities may choose to rent reusable sharps containers, rather than purchase sharps containers that are intended for disposal. At the disposal site, the lids of the reusable sharps containers are removed with a specially designed mechanical apparatus, and all of the contents are dumped directly into a waste disposal stream for immediate or near-immediate permanent disposal. The reusable sharps containers are then cleaned and disinfected and returned to a hospital or other medical care facility for reuse.
Although the reprocessing of SUDs is certainly more cost effective than the alternative of destruction, a study conducted in coordination with New York State environmental regulators determined that a very large number of potentially reprocessable SUDs were being disposed of in sharps containers and thus never reclaimed for reuse. In this study, sharps containers were accumulated from ten New York City hospitals for one week. Next, the sharps containers were forcibly opened, and the contents spread out on a stainless steel tray and sorted into two piles, including a pile of reprocessable SUDs, and a pile of all the other contents. Approximately twenty percent by volume of the contents of these containers were SUDs that, if properly reprocessed, could save the hospital approximately $1000 per sharps container. This figure equates to a savings of approximately $1,500 per hospital bed per year, or a $300,000 savings for a typical 200 bed hospital.
The foregoing examples of related art and limitations arising therein are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosure that follows below.

Recovery of reprocessable medical devices in a sharps container


A method and device for adjusting user-dependent parameter values in or on at least one automotive device in a motor vehicle and for saving the settings in at least one data memory inside the vehicle and/or outside the vehicle are provided. To improve the convenience of the known method with one or more main users and one more temporary users, there is a query in a first step to ascertain whether the user-dependent parameter values currently set are to be saved as temporary parameter values or as quasi-permanent parameter values in the at least one data memory inside the vehicle and/or outside the vehicle. In a second step, the user-dependent parameter values currently set are saved in accordance with the response to the inquiry, and in a third step, regardless of the result of the inquiry, the quasi-permanent parameter values are always set.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for adjusting user-dependent parameter values of a motor vehicle on at least one automotive device for saving settings in at least one data memory inside or outside the motor vehicle.
German Patent DE 100 42 055 C2 describes a personalizing device for user-dependent adjustment of parameter values of at least one controller of a motor vehicle. The personalizing device has a recognition element by which at least one biometric feature of the user is detected and by which at least one corresponding user-based code of a comparator unit is transmitted, so that the user-based code can be compared to codes stored in the comparator unit. If the codes match, the assigned parameter values of the at least one controller of the motor vehicle are adjusted. If the user alters the parameter values assigned to him on the basis of his biometric feature, this change is detected, and the current parameter values are stored and assigned to the user-dependent code.
Such a device and/or a corresponding method require a relatively expensive biometric recognition, but nevertheless a vehicle key and a respective locking system can be omitted, if the vehicle is to be made available to a user previously not recognized by the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for adjusting user-dependent parameter values of a motor vehicle that is convenient for one or more main users or one or more temporary users.
Other objects advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered with the accompanying drawings.

Method and device for adjusting user-dependent parameter values

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


The present invention herein provides a combination of stable isotope-labeled aliphatic amino acids, which permits the structural analysis of a high molecular weight protein, in particular, a high molecular weight protein whose molecular weight exceeds 60 kDa. This is a combination of stable isotope-labeled amino acids which is characterized in that arginine (Arg), glutamine (Gln), glutamic acid (Glu), lysine (Lys), methionine (Met) and proline (Pro) satisfy the following requirements concerning the labelling pattern:    (b) one of the methylene hydrogen atoms of at least one of the methylene groups is deuterated and the both of the two methylene hydrogen atoms of at least one of the methylene groups are likewise deuterated; and    (d) when they each have a methyl group, the hydrogen atoms of the methyl group except for one of the same are deuterated, or the methyl group is completely deuterated.

The NMR technique is presently the only technique which permits the observation of the three-dimensional structure of a protein present in a solution and of the movement or activity thereof at a resolution of atomic level. The studies based on the three-dimensional structures of proteins have recently widely been made not only in the fields of the basic research institutions such as those belonging to various universities, but also in the industrial fields including the recent drug-preparation industries. However, the NMR spectrometry is a novel technique developed only about 20 years ago and therefore, it would involve a number of obstructions (problems) to be overcome in the near future. One of such problems is that the NMR spectrometry is limited in the molecular weight of a subject to be analyzed (Non-Patent Document 1).
In the NMR analysis, the increase in the molecular weight of a protein whose structure should be elucidated results in any possible overlapping between NMR signals caused by an increase in the number of signals and any reduction of signal intensities due to the rapid relaxation phenomenon. In particular, if the molecular weight of a target protein exceeds about 20,000, it would be essential to the elimination of any error accompanied by this technique to develop a more precise and advanced NMR technique.
The structural analysis technique which makes use of a highly stable isotope-labeled protein "Stereo-Array Isotope-Labeling technique (SAIL Technique)" is a method wherein any unnecessary structural information obtained in the 1H-NMR analysis is eliminated except for that needed and sufficient for the NMR structural analysis through the exhaustive and selective deuteration of a target protein (SAIL protein) to thus permit the considerable reduction of the time required for the NMR measurement and/or analysis. The methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are techniques which not only allow the highly precise structural elucidation of a target protein, but also permit the automatic structural analysis, with high precision, of even a protein having a molecular weight of about 40,000 higher than the aforementioned upper limit thereof. Thus, there has hereafter been desired for the development of a novel technique which may allow the automatic analysis of fine and precise structure of a high molecular weight protein or a membrane protein, which has a molecular weight of not less than 60 kDa.
In the SAIL technique, the sensitivity of residual signal of a protein is further improved and the limit in the molecular weight of a protein to be analyzed is expanded from the conventional level on the order of 30 kDa to not less than 40 kDa through the efficient increase in the deuteration density of such protein (Non-Patent Document 2). However, the structural analysis of a protein whose molecular weight exceeds 60 kDa cannot easily be analyzed by any simple application of the conventional SAIL amino acids, because of an increase in the signal line width caused by the reduction in the mobility of the protein molecule and of any possible overlapping between NMR signals due to an increase in the number of signals. Moreover, the membrane protein is dissolved in an appropriate medium in the presence of lipids or a detergent, although the molecular weight of the protein per se is not high and therefore, the substantial molecular weight of the membrane protein becomes high and this in turn results in the reduction of the mobility of the protein molecule. Accordingly, the analysis of such a membrane protein through the use of the NMR is not easy like the NMR analysis of the high molecular weight protein. From the aforementioned reasons, there has been desired for the development of any means for obtaining structural information of membrane proteins and high molecular weight proteins, which may presently become subjects for the development of pharmaceutical agents.
Patent Document 1: International Patent Publication WO 03/053910A1;
Patent Document 2: International Patent Publication WO 2005/042469A1;
Non-Patent Document 1: Wuthrich K (1986), NMR of proteins and nucleic acids, Wiley, New York, Wuthrich K (1991); Structural Analysis of Proteins and Nucleic Acid According to the NMR-Two-Dimensional NMR Spectroscopy, Tokyo Kagaku-Dojin Publishing Co., Ltd.;
Non-Patent Document 2: Kainosho M, Torizawa T, Iwashita Y, Terauchi T, Ono M, Guntert P. Nature 2006; in press.

Stable isotope-labeled aliphatic amino acids, method for incorporating the same in target protein and method for NMR-structural analysis of proteins


In a VCT system having a feedback loop including a sensed signal and a set point, a method is provided, which includes the steps of: determining a switch variable which is related to the sensed signal and the set point; computing the switch variable; and according to the value of the switch variable, controlling the operation of an on/off two position solenoid that controls the flow of a control fluid flowing within a VCT phaser. Thereby the control fluid either flows in one direction or another direction by means of using a two-position ON/OFF solenoid for actuating a spool valve which controls the flow direction with the VCT phaser.

U.S. published patent application No. 20030230266A1 entitled VCT SOLENOID DITHER FREQUENCY CONTROL by Ekdahl, Earl et al discloses a method that uses a dither signal for reducing hysteresis effect in a variable cam timing system is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a dither signal having at least two switchable frequencies; b) determining the frequency characteristics of an engine speed; c) determining at least one frequency beating point in relation to a neighborhood of an engine crank RPM values; and d) changing the dither signal frequency when the engine is operating within the neighborhood of the engine crank RPM values. Thereby frequency beating effect is reduced.
U.S. published patent application No. 20040003788A1 entitled CONTROL METHOD FOR ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC CONTROL VALVES OVER TEMPERATURE RANGE by Taylor, Danny et al discloses a variable cam timing (VCT) system which has a feedback control loop wherein an error signal relating to at least one sensed position signal of either a crank shaft position or at least one cam shaft position is fed back for correcting a predetermined command signal. The system further includes a valve for controlling a relative angular relationship of a phaser; and includes a variable force solenoid for controlling a translational movement of the valve. An improved control method comprising the steps of: providing a dither signal sufficiently smaller than the error signal; as temperature varies, changing at least one parameter relating to the dither signal; and applying the dither signal upon the variable force solenoid, thereby using the dither signal for overcoming a system hysteresis without causing excessive movement of valve.
European Patent No. 1375838A2 entitled CONTROL METHOD FOR TRANSITIONS BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED LOOP OPERATION IN ELECTRONIC VCT CONTROL by Quinn, Jr., Stanley B et al discloses a Variable Cam Timing (VCT) control system, there are conditions when the system must operate in an open-loop mode, and other situations where closed-loop operation is desired. A number of operating states is provided for VCT control system to switch between the states. A control methodology for switching between these two modes of operation, with minimal disturbances, is described. Further, during switching from open loop to closed loop, a scheme that impedes the impact upon the VCT system is provided.
U.S. published patent application No. 20040040525A1 entitled Method to reduce noise of a cam phaser by controlling the position of center mounted spool valve by Simpson, Roger discloses a method to reduce the noise caused by torsional reversals of a rotor hitting the phaser housing in a VCT cam timing system. A cam torque actuated phaser (phaser with check valves) the control loop is opened and rather then moving the spool valve to one end or the other end, the spool valve is moved just slightly off null. By doing this the oil ports in the spool passageways that control the motion of the phaser are restricted and the motion of the phaser is reduced. Therefore the noise of the phaser is reduced.
U.S. published patent application No. 20030230263A1 entitled VCT cam timing system utilizing calculation of intake phase for dual dependent cams by Ekdahl, Earl et al discloses an engine with dependent intake cams requires a different method and formula to determine the phase of the intake cams. The exhaust camshaft drives the intake camshaft and so the intake cam position is dependent upon the exhaust cam position. The present invention provides a VCT cam timing system utilizing calculation of intake phase for dual dependent cams.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,181 entitled Hydraulic detent for a variable camshaft timing device by Smith, Franklin R.; et al discloses a phaser which includes a housing and a rotor disposed to rotate relative to each other is provided. The housing has at least one cavity disposed to be divided by a vane rigidly attached to the rotor. The vane divides the cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber. The phaser further includes passages connecting the first and the second chamber, thereby facilitating the oscillation of the vane within the cavity. The phaser includes: a) a valve disposed to form at least two openings for fluid flowing between the first chamber and the second chamber and being disposed to keep at least one opening closed; and b) at least one by-pass disposed to stop or slow down the rotation between the housing and the rotor, thereby allowing a locking mechanism to lock the housing and the rotor together independent of fluid flow.
U.S. published patent application No. 20030230262A1 entitled Control method for achieving expected VCT actuation rate using set point rate limiter by Quinn, Jr., Stanley B teaches in a VCT system having a feedback loop for controlling a phaser angular relationship, a control law disposed to receive a plurality of set point values and a plurality of feed back values is provided to include: a computation block for receiving the plurality of set point values as inputs, the computation block outputting a first output and a second output; a first summer for summing the first output and the plurality of feed back values to produce a first sum (e0); a phase integrator and a phase compensator receiving the first sum (e0) and derivatives (e1) thereof outputting a processed value (e2); a amplifier amplifying the second output by a predetermined scale (Kff); and e) a second summer for summing the processed value (e2) and the amplified second output to produce a second sum (e3).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,778 entitled Using differential pressure control system for VCT lock by Smith, Franklin R. discloses a variable cam timing system comprising a VCT locking pin in hydraulic communication with the control circuit of the differential pressure control system (DPCS) is provided. When the control pressure is less than 50% duty cycle the same control signal commands the locking pin to engage and the VCT to move toward the mechanical stop. When the control pressure is greater than 50% duty cycle the locking pin disengages and the VCT moves away from the mechanical stop.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,846 entitled Control valve strategy for vane-type variable camshaft timing system by Simpson, Roger et al discloses an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft and hub secured to the camshaft for rotation therewith, where a housing circumscribes the hub and is rotatable with the hub and the camshaft, and is further oscillatable with respect to the hub and camshaft. Driving vanes are radially inwardly disposed in the housing and cooperate with the hub, while driven vanes are radially outwardly disposed in the hub to cooperate with the housing and also circumferentially alternate with the driving vanes (to define circumferentially alternating advance and retard chambers. A configuration for controlling the oscillation of the housing relative to the hub includes an electronic engine control unit, and an advancing control valve that is responsive to the electronic engine control unit and that regulates engine oil pressure to and from the advance chambers. A retarding control valve responsive to the electronic engine control unit regulates engine oil pressure to and from the retard chambers. An advancing passage communicates engine oil pressure between the advancing control valve and the advance chambers, while a retarding passage communicates engine oil pressure between the retarding control valve and the retard chambers.
U.S. published patent application No. 20030196625A1 entitled Air venting mechanism for variable camshaft timing devices by Smith, Franklin R.; discloses a device includes: a locking member substantially disposed within a closure in the housing, the locking member locking the housing and the rotor free from relative rotation and independent of fluid flow; and at least one vent passage disposed between either the first or the second chamber and the closure in the housing; thereby air within the chamber is purged and noise stopped.
Furthermore, U.S. published patent application No. 20030192518A1 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION CONTROL by Gopp, Alexander Yuri et al discloses a system and method for controlling a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having at least one automatically controllable airflow actuator and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system including an EGR valve include determining a desired manifold pressure based at least in part on position of the automatically controllable airflow actuator and controlling the EGR valve such that a measured manifold pressure approaches the desired manifold pressure. In one embodiment, the automatically controllable airflow actuators include a charge motion control valve and a variable cam timing device. In other embodiments, the automatically controllable airflow actuators may include variable valve lift devices, variable valve timing devices, or any other device that affects the residual exhaust gases within the cylinders.
However, no prior art patents or publications using on/off solenoid use a predefined entity having a level being preset is disclosed or taught. Therefore, it is desirous to have an on/off solenoid in a feedback control loop, wherein a switching variable is provided, and a calculation based on the sign of the switch's numerical value is also provided for turning on or off the two-position ON/OFF solenoid.

VCT closed-loop control using a two-position on/off solenoid


Water-soluble films are prepared from polymer blends of polyvinyl alcohol and sulfonate polymers. The sulfo group can be acid form, SO3H, as well as salt form of potassium, sodium, ammonium, i.e. —SO3K, —SO3Na, and —SO3NH4. Conventional film-forming processes can be used to produce the films. Polymeric films prepared from the blend compositions have unique characteristics. Their water solubility rate can be controlled by varying the composition ratio of the polymer blend. Their water solubility rate is increased even at a temperature of 0° C. The water-soluble polymeric films can be used as packaging materials and immersion transfer printing film.

Considerable interest has been shown recently in the use of polyvinyl alcohol water-soluble films for packaging and bags. Such products have a number of uses. Packaging materials contaminated by toxic or harmful materials such as biocides, preservatives, bleach, fertilizers and detergents, must be disposed in an environmentally safe way. Under increasing pressure of environmental regulation, it is often difficult and expensive to dispose of empty packages or bags which contain residues of toxic or harmful materials. It is highly desirable for the safety of the user of such toxic or harmful materials to use water-soluble polymer films as packaging films. Most of these chemicals are in powder or dust form and a user may breathe or be exposed to them. To protect a user from these chemicals, water-soluble bags can be used. When the chemical product is needed, the package is immersed in water and the package dissolves in water with its content. Airborne contamination is therefore eliminated.
For convenience of use and to reduce handling, many chemical products are packaged in unit containers or bags having a pre-determined quantity. For example, products such as dyes, detergents and cement are packaged in unit containers or bags. The use of such containers or bags permits measured amounts of the packaged chemicals to be used without handling the chemicals directly, protecting users from being exposed to the chemicals. Water-soluble films are suitable materials to prepare such unit containers or bags. When the chemical product is needed, the container or bag is immersed in water and the bag and its content dissolves in water.
In the healthcare field, articles such as bedclothes from hospitals, particularly from infectious disease hospitals, have to be sterilized for reuse. It is important to protect workers from contact and exposure to the used articles. Bags prepared from water-soluble films can be used as a container and put into a sterilizer directly without opening, to eliminate contact with infectious disease bacteria.
Water-soluble bags prepared from polymeric films are particularly useful where the contents are toxic or should for other reasons not be touched.
Water-soluble films are also widely used in immersion printing processes. These are processes for decorating products with complex curving surfaces. Water-soluble films can suitably be used as carriers of immersion printing plates. In immersion printing processes, controlled water-solubility rate and stiffness are both very important to the films floated on the water surface.
Many techniques have been investigated to modify polyvinyl alcohol to increase the water-solubility rate of films prepared therefrom. They can be summarized as following: (1) degradation of the polymer; (2) design of film structure; (3) new copolymers of polyvinyl alcohol; and (4) modifications of polyvinyl alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,618 (Cook, Jr. et al.) discloses a process for increasing the solubility rate of a water soluble polyvinyl alcohol film. A polymeric film comprises at least one irradiated water soluble layer. In the irradiation process, the film is subjected to an energetic radiation treatment, such as corona discharge, plasma, flame, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma ray, beta ray, and high energy electron treatment. The molecular weight of the polymer is decreased by the degradation of the polymer through the irradiation process to increase the solubility rate of the polymer. The molecular weight of the polymer is increased by crosslinking of the polymer through the irradiation process to decrease the solubility rate of the polymer. The irradiation equipment and process are very expensive. The patent indicates that the water-solubility rate of the films at 0° C. can be increased.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,405 (Iwasyk et al.) discloses a foam structure film of polyvinyl alcohol. A polyvinyl alcohol solution containing gelling agents is mixed with bubbles of air under pressure. The foam is dried to a cellular film to improve the water solubility rate. It is a slow process and difficult to control the gelling conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,611 (Lindemann) discloses a polyvinyl alcohol film plasticized by phosphate ester to improve the cold water solubility rate. It also indicates that many plasticizers such as glycerin, ethylene glycol, ethanol acetamide and ethanol formamide have been suggested for polyvinyl alcohol in order to produce a material readily dissolved in water but that they are not effective in producing polymeric materials with improved cold water solubility. The plasticizers disclosed in this patent have the following disadvantages: they are humectants which absorb moisture in high humidity conditions to make them become tacky and weak; or they are volatile so that they are easy to migrate to their surface. All these disadvantages will affect the water solubility rate and other physical properties of the film. The fact that phosphate esters are not highly compatible with polyvinyl alcohol results in the former tending to migrate to the surface of the latter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,697 (Robertson) discloses that polyvinyl alcohol films plasticized by combination of polypropylene glycol and phosphate esters are improved in their water solubility rates both at high and low temperatures. But they still suffer two problems, namely poor compatibility between polyvinyl alcohol and plasticizers, and the migration of plasticizers to the surface of the films.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,543 (Milne) discloses a polyvinyl alcohol modification method: an ethylene oxide is reacted with aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution to obtain a hydroxyethylated polyvinyl alcohol. The films prepared from the modified polyvinyl alcohol do not contain any plasticizers. Because the process must be carried out in extremely dilute aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution in an autoclave, it is expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,303 (Lindemann) discloses a film made of modified polyvinyl alcohols, which is clear, colorless and readily soluble in cold water. The patent indicates that the solubility of a film can be raised by modifying polyvinyl alcohol through copolymerization, but the solubility of a film in cold water is not increased. The films disclosed have high solubility in cold water. Under alkaline condition, acryl amide is added to some of the hydroxyl groups of the polyvinyl alcohol molecules by an alkene addition reaction. Because the concentration of the polyvinyl alcohol solution is 10-20%, the process is expensive. In addition, the acryl amides must be recovered.
It would be desirable to provide water-soluble films' having the characteristics of controllable solubility rate and rapid cold water solubility, even at 0° C.

Controllable and rapid solubility rate of water-soluble polymeric films


A system and method for synchronizing database changes in an enterprise portal application. The system has a cache storing cache data having table data and index data of one or more databases. A schema layer generates schema objects representing the schema of the databases of the cache data. A change management system and a schema layer validates a cache of one or more databases and synchronizes the cache data to the databases by receiving a changeset, comparing the changeset to the schema data, verifying that the changeset is compatible with the cache data and the schema data, and passing the changeset to the cache for updating the cache data or for refreshing the schema data by the schema layer.

In many applications, robots are used to perform functions in place of humans or to assist humans in order to increase productivity and efficiency. One such application is order fulfillment which is typically performed in a large warehouse filled with products to be shipped to customers who have placed their orders over the internet for home delivery.
Automated order fulfillment processes increasingly employ autonomous robots to pick products and assemble orders for shipping. Continuous monitoring of an automated order fulfillment process in warehouses served by autonomous robots is critical to maintaining efficiency and throughput. Remote monitoring of such warehouse management systems (WMS) by enterprise portals, each processing tens of thousands of orders simultaneously, creates high processing demands on the database servers of the enterprise portal application.
Order fulfillment by automated, robotic warehouses often requires customized business logic. Maintaining efficient information flows for customized business logic for enterprise portal applications using traditional methods is time consuming for programmers. Programming for high performance in the business logic layer requires specialized programming with knowledge of the underlying database architecture. As a result, the underlying business logic code is often disconnected from the real business logic requirements of the application, resulting in more lines of code and a higher potential for introducing errors during maintenance of the code. The reality of day-to-day programming of any complex enterprise application is that all the programming is tuned towards the most efficient way of reading and writing data from a traditional, relational database system. This results in code which obscures the real business logic and rules of the system and makes the program convoluted and twisted around the single goal of efficient database read/write, whereas the actual business application may have very different priorities on which the program should really focus upon.
Because of this focus shift, companies spend millions of dollars on such programs but get substantially limited return on their investment because of the inherent weaknesses of the database driven programming approach. Current computer program architecture focuses on attempting to solve this problem by adding more abstraction into the different layers of an enterprise application, thereby attempting to disconnect the business logic layer from the database. However, this substantially adds cost to the program development because of the need to add specialized programmers who have the skills to write such highly specialized code. Also, when the stream of data increases to hundreds of thousands or records going onto millions of records, even highly sophisticated systems regress to a database driven approach.
Ideally, the program should focus on the actual business logic and be domain driven, rather than database driven. Also, the system should be able to retain its simplicity and natural program flow while scaling from hundreds to thousands and to millions of records. Such a system, will be easy to understand, maintain and improve. Without this ability, systems tend to get more and more complex over time, and eventually get replaced with other systems programmed from scratch which also tend to eventually get into the same kind of issues. This is a cyclical process (adoption of newer technologies), which does not really solve the underlying root cause of the problem.

Change management system for data synchronization within an enterprise portal application


To improve the color performance, disclosed herein are advanced methods for improving chroma accuracy, by reducing the color difference between reproduced colors and human perceptual responses, as well as enhancing preferred colors. Chroma enhancement may be performed by selecting one of a plurality of chroma enhancement matrices (CEM), and converting a received color by multiplying it with the chroma enhancement matrix (or a matrix comprising the CEM). The matrix may be selected by mapping a received color value into a region and selecting the corresponding chroma enhancement matrix (or alternately, the corresponding parameters, from which color conversion may be performed). Additionally, enhancement may be adjusted for a variety of environments or preferences. For example, one of a plurality of sets of matrices may be selected in accordance with a desired mode. Optimization techniques for determining the desired chroma enhancement matrices for one or more modes are disclosed. Various alternate embodiments and aspects are also disclosed.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to communications, and more specifically to advanced chroma enhancement.
2. Background
Digital cameras are widely deployed and well known in the art. Because of differences between the spectral responses of human eyes and those of camera sensors and/or displays, colors obtained by a camera may differ from those perceived by humans. Image processing techniques are also known for converting image data between various color formats, and for performing various enhancements and modifications to the originally captured image. Color conversion techniques are known for normalizing image data to better represent the original source image when output to various displays. Color conversion matrices for converting the Red, Blue, Green (RGB) color space to component color space (YCbCr) are known. However, known techniques are limited in their flexibility for color conversion. Furthermore, it is desirable to modify color conversion to compensate for differing environments (such as lighting conditions) as well as user preferences. There is therefore a need in the art for advanced chroma enhancement for more flexible color conversion for enhanced color conversion and adapting to environment conditions and user preferences.


A compact fluid dispenser for use in controllably dispensing fluid medicaments, such as, antibiotics, oncolytics, hormones, steroids, blood clotting agents, analgesics, and like medicinal agents from prefilled containers at a uniform rate. The dispenser uniquely includes a stored energy source that is provided in the form of a substantially constant-force, compressible-expandable wave spring that provides the force necessary to continuously and uniformly expel fluid from the device reservoir. The device further includes a fluid flow control assembly that precisely controls the flow of medicament solution to the patient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medicament infusion devices. More particularly, the invention concerns an improved apparatus for infusing medicinal agents into an ambulatory patient at specific rates over extended periods of time, which apparatus includes a novel compressible spring energy source, and a novel flow rate control means for precisely controlling the rate of fluid flow from the reservoir of the device.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A number of different types of medicament dispensers for dispensing medicaments to ambulatory patients have been suggested. Many of the devices seek either to improve or to replace the traditional gravity flow and hypodermic syringe methods, which have been the standard for delivery of liquid medicaments for many years.
The prior art gravity flow methods typically involve the use of intravenous administration sets and the familiar flexible solution bag suspended above the patient. Such gravametric methods are cumbersome, imprecise and require bed confinement of the patient. Periodic monitoring of the apparatus by the nurse or doctor is required to detect malfunctions of the infusion apparatus.
Many medicinal agents require an intravenous route for administration thus bypassing the digestive system and precluding degradation by the catalytic enzymes in the digestive tract and the liver. The use of more potent medications at elevated concentrations has also increased the need for accuracy in controlling the delivery of such drugs. The delivery device, while not an active pharmacologic agent, may enhance the activity of the drug by mediating its therapeutic effectiveness. Certain classes of new pharmacologic agents possess a very narrow range of therapeutic effectiveness, for instance, too small a dose results in no effect, while too great a dose can result in a toxic reaction.
For those patients that require frequent injections of the same or different amounts of medicament, the use of the hypodermic syringe method of delivery is common. However for each injection, it is necessary to first draw the injection dose into the syringe, then check the dose and, after making certain that all air has been expelled from the syringe, finally, inject the dose either under bolus or slow push protocol. This cumbersome and tedious procedure creates an unacceptable probability of debilitating complications, particularly for the elderly and the infirm.
As will be appreciated from the discussion, which follows, the apparatus of the present invention is uniquely suited to provide precise, continuous fluid delivery management at a low cost in those cases where a variety of precise dosage schemes are of utmost importance. An important aspect of the apparatus of the present invention is the provision of novel fill means for filling the reservoir of the device using a conventional medicament vials or cartridge containers of various types having a pierceable septum. Another unique feature of the apparatus of the present invention is the provision of various fluid flow rate control means, including an embedded microcapillary multichannel flow rate control means which enables precise control of the rate of fluid flow of the medicament to the patient. More particularly, the apparatus of the present invention includes a unique, adjustable fluid flow rate mechanism which enables the fluid contained within the reservoir of the device to be precisely dispensed at various selected rates.
The apparatus of the present invention can be used with minimal professional assistance in an alternate health care environment, such as the home. By way of example, devices of the invention can be comfortably and conveniently removably affixed to the patient's body or clothing and can be used for the continuous infusion of injectable anti-infectives, hormones, steroids, blood clotting agents, analgesics, and like medicinal agents. Similarly, the devices of the invention can be used for most I-V chemotherapy and can accurately deliver fluids to the patient in precisely the correct quantities and at extended microfusion rates over time.
By way of summary, the apparatus of the present invention uniquely overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a novel, disposable dispenser of simple but highly reliable construction. A particularly important aspect of the apparatus of the present invention resides in the provision of a novel, self-contained energy source in the form of a compressible-expandable spring member that provides the force necessary to substantially, uniformly dispense various solutions from standard prefilled vial containers that can be conveniently loaded into the apparatus. Because of the simplicity of construction of the apparatus of the invention, and the straightforward nature of the energy source, the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost without in any way sacrificing accuracy and reliability.
With regard to the prior art, one of the most versatile and unique fluid delivery apparatus developed in recent years is that developed by the present inventor and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,820. The components of this novel fluid delivery apparatus generally include: a base assembly, an elastomeric membrane serving as a stored energy means, fluid flow channels for filling and delivery, flow control means, a cover, and an ullage which comprises a part of the base assembly.
Another prior art patent issued to the present applicant, namely U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,879, discloses an injectable medicament dispenser for use in controllably dispensing fluid medicaments such as insulin, anti-infectives, analgesics, oncolylotics, cardiac drugs biopharmaceuticals, and the like from a prefilled container at a uniform rate. The dispenser, which is quite dissimilar in construction and operation from that of the present invention, includes a stored energy source in the form of a compressively deformable, polymeric elastomeric member that provides the force necessary to controllably discharge the medicament from a prefilled container which is housed within the body of the device. After having been deformed, the polymeric, elastomeric member will return to its starting configuration in a highly predictable manner.
Another important prior art fluid delivery device is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,059 also issued to the present inventor. This device, while being of a completely different construction embodies a compressible-expandable stored energy source somewhat similar to that used in the apparatus of the present invention.
Still another prior art fluid delivery device, in which the present inventor is also named as an inventor, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,561. This latter patent incorporates a fill system that makes use of conventional vials and cartridge medicament containers.


An easy-open encasement formed of a soft encasement member in the form of a film. An opening or an openable portion is formed in the soft encasement member, which allows a user to extract contents from the encasement. Furthermore, a lid member, which can be peelably adhered to the soft encasement member, is adhered to the surface of the soft encasement member such that it covers the opening or openable portion. With such a structure, a tab is provided at a part of the perimeter of the lid member, which serves as a starting point that allows the user to peel off the lid member. Furthermore, the tab includes a hinge portion, which allows the user to raise the tab, or a flap elevated from the surface of the encasement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encasement for storing various kinds of contents such as wet tissues, and more specifically, relates to a resealable opening mechanism of a lid member for openably sealing an opening of an encasement.
2. Related Art
Regarding soft encasements for storing contents containing moisture such as wet tissues, soft encasements are being studied. Such soft encasements are easy to carry, it is easy to extract the contents therefrom, and they are resealable so as to prevent drying of the wet tissues remaining therein for reuse.
Examples of such soft encasements commercially available include a soft encasement having a structure in which an adhesive label is adhered over a slit tear line formed on the soft encasement. Such an arrangement allows the user to peel the label so as to tear open a part of the soft encasement member with the end of the slit tear line as a starting point, thereby allowing an opening to be formed at the time of use. The soft encasement may be used in combination with an airtight outer container formed of polypropylene resin or the like, for example. Such an arrangement further improves the capability of preventing drying of the contents stored in the soft encasement.
Specifically, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 59-99974 (herein after Patent document 1) discloses a sealing bag for storing contents such as wet tissues, which is formed of a fiber material for cosmetics, and which has a structure that allows the opening of the sealing bag to be repeatedly opened and sealed. More specifically, the sealing bag has a structure in which a slit is formed in a main bag member so as to form an opening, and a lid is peelably provided on the main bag member by an adhesive agent, thereby providing a film soft encasement having an opening which allows the user to reseal the film soft encasement.
Also, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2001-525300 (herein after Patent document 2) discloses a casing for wet tissues or the like, which has the same advantage of allowing the user to repeatedly adhere/peel a lid to/from the casing over multiple cycles without deterioration in the airtightness of the casing. Specifically, the casing has a structure in which a slit is formed in an encasement member such that it allows an opening to be formed by peeling off a single label. With such an arrangement, the single label is provided so as to cover the entire area of the opening. The encasements disclosed in the aforementioned Patent documents 1 and 2 each allow the user to reseal the encasement with the label. Such arrangements allow the user to seal the encasement with high airtightness after use by properly applying the label to the encasement.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-310281 (hereinafter the Patent document 3) discloses an encasement having a structure in which a lid member is provided such that it covers an opening for extraction of the contents of the encasement in a manner that allows the user to open/close the opening. The lid member of the encasement has a portion at one of its ends, which serves as a tab that can be pulled by the user using the fingers. Such an arrangement greatly improves the ease-of-use, which allows the user to easily open the opening at the time of use.


A CPAP enclosure used in the treatment of breathing disorder comprises a base connected to a bed, a canopy connected to the base, and a sealing member that connects the canopy to the base. The sealing member forms a substantially airtight seal such that the canopy and the base form a substantially airtight enclosure around at least a portion of the bed. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) compressor connects to the enclosure via flexible tubing, and generates a continuous positive airway pressure within the enclosure to treat a patient. A blender blends one or more compressed gasses with the compressed air from the CPAP compressor for delivery to the enclosure.

The present invention relates generally to medical devices, and in particular, to medical devices used in the treatment of breathing disorders.
Breathing disorders affect a large number of people. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), for example, is a type of sleep disorder that produces altered breathing functions during sleep. Patients who suffer from OSA experience a partial or complete airway obstruction during sleep, resulting in decreased airflow and sleep fragmentation. This adversely affects respiratory, cardiac, and neurological functions, and often causes patients to experience excessive daytime drowsiness. When left untreated, OSA may result in long-term health problems such as hypertension, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, and myocardial infarction.
One way to treat patients suffering from breathing disorders is to apply a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) to the patient. The positive pressure functions as a pneumatic stent that prevents the collapse of the upper airway. Current devices typically apply CPAP by way of a mask secured to the patient's head. While effective, such treatment is not without problems. For example, masks may result in irritation, nasal congestion, and nosebleeds. Other side effects may include a loss of positive pressure from displaced or poorly fitted masks. These side effects, and others like them, may be factors that contribute to the relatively low percentage of patient compliance with current CPAP treatments. Therefore, there is a need for an improved system and method of administering CPAP to patients suffering from breathing disorders.

CPAP enclosure for the treatment of breathing disorders


Devices, guards and shields and methods for both protecting sprinkler heads and preventing unwanted vegetation from growing adjacent to the sprinkler heads, which can be applied to most if not all sprinklers on the market. The novel devices, guards and shields can be formed from a two part (upper and bottom part sections) forming a housing with ring shape housing dry and/or liquid herbicides. The ring shape can have a large center hole for allowing the ring shape to be positioned over and about the sprinkler head. The ring shaped housing includes drainage openings through the top and bottom half sections for allowing water from the sprinkler or rain water to pass therethrough and onto a replaceable herbicide which can kill unwanted vegetation such as grass, weeds, roots, trees, from growing adjacent to the sprinkler head.

Inground sprinkler heads are prone to becoming damaged from lawn mowers, walking traffic and vehicles. The undesirable impacts on the plastic head parts will often result in broken sprinkler heads that require repairs and often must be replaced. Such repairs and replacement of the sprinkler heads can be quite expensive on residential lawns that that have dozens of installed sprinkler heads. The problem is further compounded in commercial lawns and golf courses.
Another problem with sprinkler heads is that it can be expensive and time consuming to constantly trim unwanted vegetation such as grass and weeds from growing up around the sprinkler heads. The undesirable vegetation can result in obstructing the side spray from being emitted from the heads which limits the amount of ground cover to be sprayed from the sprinkler heads.
Often lawn maintenance workers will use mowers to try to cut the unwanted vegetation around the heads. However, the mowers can damage and destroy the sprinkler heads if they get too close. More often than not the mowers will not effectively cut the unwanted vegetation immediately around the sprinkler heads. Other types of popular tools have included edge trimmers and gas or electric power line trimmers. However, these tools can also easily damage or destroy the plastic parts on sprinkler heads. Another alternative is to have the lawn maintenance worker to physically pull the unwanted vegetation by hand. However, this technique can become quite expensive and time consuming per job.
Over the years various types of sprinkler head shields and guards have been proposed. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,118 to Fabiano describes a sprinkler head shield that requires the shield to be screwed to the base of the sprinkler head, which would be time consuming to attach as well as not be able to be used with all the different types of the sprinkler heads on the market. Also, this shield does not deter or prevent unwanted vegetation from growing up adjacent to the sprinkler heads.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,341 to Schumacher; Des. 256,386 to Bergland; U.S. Pat. No. 7,216,819 to Bernards and U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,507 to Gauthier, III each show shields having generally disc shaped configurations with central holes for fitting about a sprinkler head. However, these shields do not deter or prevent unwanted vegetation from growing up adjacent to the sprinkler heads.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,448 to Hurless and the product SPRINKLER SAVER® each show devices having portions that must be inserted into the ground or snap about the neck portions around the sprinkler heads. However, these types of guards can require extra labor to have portions inserted into the ground, and cannot universally work with all the different types of sprinkler heads on the marks. Also, these guards do not deter or prevent unwanted vegetation from growing up adjacent to the sprinkler heads.
Other types of prior art guards and shields use donuts that can be made of plastic and/or concrete. However, these guards and shields cannot universally work with all the different types of sprinkler heads on the market. Also, these guards do not deter or prevent unwanted vegetation from growing up adjacent to the sprinkler heads.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.


A trimmer wheeled accessory for a gas or electric powered line trimmer used to support the distal end of the trimmer pole during operation. The accessory includes an extension arm that is longitudinally aligned with the trimmer's main pole and selectively attached thereto via a first clamp. The distal end of the extension arm extends from the trimmer head. Attached to the distal end of the extension arm is a wheel assembly that supports the trimmer head at a constant elevation when cutting grass or weeds. The extension arm is sufficient in length so that the wheel accessory is located in front of the trimmer head. The extension arm may be rotated around the trimmer's main pole so that the wheel assembly may be used to support the trimmer head in both a horizontal or vertical alignment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of accessories that attach to string or line trimmers and, more particularly, to wheeled extensions that support line trimmers during use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several wheeled accessories that attach to a handheld electric or gas-powered line trimmers have been developed in the past (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,531,350; 4,704,849; 4,829,755; 4,879,869; 4,891,931; 4,922,694; 5,092,112; and 5,228,276). All of these devices were developed to support a trimmer on wheels for easy mobility and to cut grass or weeds evenly during use.
Line trimmers are used for a variety of applications in the yard. For example, they can be used as mowing devices for cutting weeds and grass growing along fences or plants beds where a lawnmower cannot reach. For these applications, the head of the trimmer must be maintained horizontally so that the grass is cut evenly. Most of the trimmer wheeled accessories include two wheels that extend laterally from the trimmer's main pole. The wheels are located between the trimmer head and the user thereby creating a fulcrum between the trimmer head and the handle. During use, the fulcrum requires the user to move the handle up and down in an opposite directions relative to the trimmer head.
The use of line trimmers to make a vertical cut around a lawn or hedge is also known. Typically, this requires the user to manually hold the head of the trimmer so that the cutting line or string cuts along a vertical path. When cutting a vertical edge around a lawn, it is important to keep the cutting line or string on a vertical path and to position the distal end of the line or string slightly above the soil line so that dirt and rocks are not thrown into the air. Unfortunately, with prior art wheeled accessories that place two wheels behind the trimmer, it is difficult to precisely control the trimmer head and practical use of a line-feed feature is prohibited.
Another drawback of a trimmer wheeled accessory with two wheels located behind and on opposite sides of the trimmer head is that the wheels extend laterally, preventing the trimmer head from being positioned near or adjacent to another object or plant.
What is needed is one trimmer wheeled support accessory that addresses the need to support the trimmer as it trims both horizontally and vertically, that is height adjustable, and that enables the trimmer head to be placed close to plants or other objects.


A method for forming a pattern, comprises: forming a bank film on a substrate; performing a lyophobic treatment on a surface of the bank film; patterning the bank film on which the lyophobic treatment has been performed to form a bank; performing a surface modification treatment in which a hydroxyl group on a surface of a pattern forming region partitioned by the bank is alkylated; disposing a functional liquid in the pattern forming region; and firing the functional liquid to form a pattern.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for forming a pattern and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display.
2. Related Art
Photolithography, for example, is used for manufacturing devices having wiring lines, such as electronic circuits and integrated circuits. In photolithography, a photosensitive material called a resist is coated on a substrate on which a conductive film has been coated so that a circuit pattern is exposed and developed, and then the conductive film is etched corresponding to a resist pattern to form a thin film wiring pattern. However, photolithography needs large-scale equipment such as vacuum apparatuses and cumbersome processes. In addition, almost all of materials are wasted due to a low efficiency of about several percent in using the materials, resulting in high manufacturing costs.
Alternatively, a method is proposed in which a wiring pattern is formed on a substrate using a droplet discharge method (called an inkjet method) in which a liquid material is discharged from a liquid discharge head as a droplet. For example, the method is disclosed in JP-A-2002-72502.
In the method, an ink for forming a wiring pattern is directly coated on the substrate as a pattern. The ink is a functional liquid in which a conductive fine particle such as a metal fine particle or the like is dispersed. Then, heat treatment and laser irradiation are carried out so that the ink is converted into a conductive thin film pattern. This method has a merit that no photolithography is needed, drastically simplifying processes and reducing the amount of raw materials.
When film patterns are formed on a substrate by using an inkjet method, a bank structure called a bank is typically formed in order to prevent ink from spreading. The surface of the bank is subjected to a lyophobic treatment to prevent the bank from ink adhering. In this case, a problem arises in that ink does not smoothly flows in an area surrounded by the bank due to lyophobicity given to the whole bank, lowering the wettability of the ink with respect to the side surface of the bank. In addition, ink is repelled on the side surface of the bank, resulting in a formed film being uneven. Therefore, it is in great demand that wettability is improved in an area that ink is discharged to and is partitioned by the bank.

Method for forming pattern, and method for manufacturing liquid crystal display


The temperature of a biological material is changed from a first temperature to a second temperature within a time period, one of the said first or second temperature being above freezing temperature and the other being below freezing temperature, by placing the biological material in tight contact with at least one, preferably between two heat exchangers, and controlling the temperature in at least one of said heat exchangers such that a freezing temperature front propagates in said material away from at least one of the two heat exchangers.

In freezing of biological material, two freezing stages are recognized: nucleation and crystallization. In the first stage ice nucleation occurs in the solution outside the cells. In order to minimize cellular damage, it is critical to control during this stage (nucleation) both the interface velocity of the cold front and the direction of thermal gradient within the object. Normally, in some biological materials (e.g. blood, cell suspensions, plasma, semen and other liquid samples) the best survival is obtained when the freezing rate at this stage is relatively rapid (10° C./min or more). In other cases (e.g. organs or organ fragments), it is accepted that a slow freezing rate at this stage (0.5° C./min or less) would improve freezing.
The next stage is that of crystallization, an exothermic process that produces latent heat within the frozen material, causing a period of time when the biological material remains isothermal, or even experiences an increase in temperature: latent heat exudes from the biological material and thus, although the material is being cooled no temperature change is observed or the temperature may even rise. This in turn causes spontaneous freezing and thawing cycles which are hazardous to the biological material.
Permitting osmosis of water out of the cells at this stage would reduce damage to the cells, and the increase of intracellular concentration would cause the cells to vitrify rather than freeze. This is affected by the rate of freezing, and thus, in order to optimize the biological material's survival of this stage control of the rate of freezing is important. The optimal rate depends on the type and composition of the biological material being frozen.
In addition to the above, cryopreservation of material having a large volume (e.g. tissues, organs or portions thereof) is associated with heat transfer and mass problems that are not associated to the same extent with cryopreservation of isolated cells. For example, in conventional freezing methods, ice grows at an uncontrolled velocity and morphology and may disrupt and kill cells by mechanical destruction of the tissue architecture. Due to the large size of macroscopic material, large uncontrolled thermal gradients may develop from the surface of the sample to its interior.
One method that was devised to allow freezing biological material of a large volume is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,715. In this patent, the biological material is placed in a flexible container, such as a bag. The bag is then flattened in a holder that maintains an essentially constant cross-sectional area of the bag in order to minimize thermogradients. The holder is then cooled along with the bag contained therein.
It is well established that directional freezing, a process in which a cold front propagates in a controlled manner through the frozen object, improves the chances of biological material to survive freezing and thawing. In this process a temperature pattern (or gradient) is established in the object being frozen to form a propagation cold front within the object, resulting in improved chances of survival.
A successful method of directional freezing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,254. In this patent, a freezing apparatus is used to establish a laterally varying thermal gradient and the biological sample is moved along the thermal gradient at a controlled velocity. Additional methods were developed in order to improve the freezing of large volume objects. For example, WO 03/056919 discloses freezing biological samples via an isothermal stage, wherein the temperature is changed until temperature of the sample in an outer zone equals intermediate temperature and changing temperature until the majority of the sample is in a final temperature. This method may be used in conjunction with directional freezing but is not limited thereto. Another process is disclosed in WO 03/020874 in which the biological sample is agitated during its migration along a thermal gradient.
A method for cryopreservation of a biopharmaceutical is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,205. The sample to be frozen is inserted into special oblong vials that have special appendages, termed "ice crystal-nucleating structures", situated at the opposite ends of the vial's oblong cross-section. The vials are placed within a compartment of a cryopreservation apparatus, said compartment containing a cryopreservation fluid. A freezing front is then generated at one of the walls of the apparatus that is adjacent to one of the appendages, and propagates through the cryopreservation fluid. Due to the special shape of the appendage, nucleation begins at the appendage, and thus the cold front propagates within the sample in a direction that is away from the cooling wall and along the oblong cross section of the vial. In an alternative disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,205, two cold fronts may be generated in the compartment, in opposing directions, by opposing walls of the apparatus. In this method, the freezing of the sample is achieved indirectly, in the sense that the cooling wall of the apparatus cools the cryopreservation fluid, which in turn cools the vial (and the sample within it).

Method and apparatus for freezing or thawing of a biological material