A fixing member including a base; a first elastic layer overlaid on an outer circumference of the base, the first elastic layer formed of a silicone rubber composition including a heat conductive filler and a micro-balloon, the heat conductive filler of the first elastic layer is a heat conductive needle shaped filler; a second elastic layer overlaid on an outer circumference of the first elastic layer, the second elastic layer formed of a silicone rubber composition including a heat conductive filler and a micro-balloon, the heat conductive filler of the second elastic layer is a heat conductive needle shaped filler and a heat conductive sphere shaped filler; and a release layer overlaid on an outer circumference of the second elastic layer. An amount of the heat conductive filler of the second elastic layer is larger than an amount of the heat conductive filler of the first elastic layer.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a fixing member, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers have been directed toward full-color image formation, and the ratio thereof has been gradually increasing. Typically, a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms a color image formed of toner images of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) on a recording medium, and a fixing device that fixes the formed toner images to the recording medium. The fixing device includes a heater for heating the toner images on the recording medium, a fixing member for fixing the toner images to the recording medium, and a pressing member forming a fixing nip between the pressing member and the fixing member. The toner images are fixed to the recording medium by heating and pressing the toner images when the recording medium passes through the fixing nip.
The fixing member having a belt shape or a roller shape is known. The fixing member includes those formed by providing an elastic layer made of a heat-resistant rubber on a base member such as a metal roller or a resin seamless belt, and those formed by further providing a release layer on the elastic layer. Generally, fixing members having the roller shape that are employed are those integrating the heater inside a roller (i.e., heat fixing roller). Further, fixing members having the belt shape that are well known are those providing the heater inside the belt wound around rollers.
The fixing member needs to flexibly adhere to the toner images and efficiently conduct heat so that the toner images of multiple colors (usually toner images of four colors) constituting full color are evenly heated. Thus, a silicone rubber having flexibility and heat resistance is often used for the fixing member. However, silicone rubbers have low thermal conductivity, and thermal conduction to the toner image may become slower.
When thermal conduction is slow, a lot of time is required to heat a surface of the fixing member to a fixing temperature for fixing the toner images. In a case of a high-speed machine, supplying of heat may be too slow. In addition, warm-up speed of the image forming apparatus may become slow. It is important to note that the warm-up speed with respect to temperature increase of the fixing member of the fixing device often limits the rate of warm-up speed of the image forming apparatus, as a whole, when powered on.
As a method to resolve the above-described problems, a technique for shortening the warm-up time (i.e., warm-up speed) of the image forming apparatus is disclosed in related art. In the technique, thermal conductivity of the elastic layer is enhanced by blending carbon fibers in the silicone rubber, and thermal capacity of the elastic layer is reduced by providing hole portions in the silicone rubber. The above-described technique is effective with respect to obtaining high heat dispersion. In addition, by making a thickness of the fixing member thin or by making the fixing belt or the fixing roller have a small diameter, further shortening of warm-up time of the image forming apparatus may be obtained. However, in a case of the fixing member having a small diameter and thin thickness, a heat storage amount is small. Accordingly, if supplying of heat to the fixing nip is not on time, an amount of heat at the surface of the fixing member may be insufficient and fixing performance may decline. In a case of a high-speed machine provided with the fixing member having the small diameter and thin thickness, warm-up speed is fast. However, in an operation of continuously passing through the recording medium through the fixing nip, fixing failure or uneven gloss of an image is generated. More specifically, there is an issue of image failure caused by a lack of the amount of heat at the surface of the fixing member.
A method to resolve the lack of the amount of heat at the surface of the fixing member is disclosed in related art. For example, providing a high thermal conductive layer on a surface layer of the fixing roller, and heating the fixing roller from the outside. With a configuration of the above-described example, heat dispersion is enhanced by the high thermal conductive layer. However, in the configuration, the high thermal conductive layer is a solid silicone rubber or a fluororesin with heat conductive fillers. Accordingly, flexibility of the fixing roller is low. Thus, there is an issue of uneven gloss caused by a lack of following capability of the fixing roller with respect to the toner image.
As described above, the fixing member capable of high-speed warm-up and having good fixing performance is unavailable.

Fixing member having multiple elastic layers including heat conductive filler, fixing device, and image forming apparatus


Re-usable ceramic magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR rotors constructed of high-mechanic strength ceramics are detailed that include a sample compartment that maintains high pressures up to at least about 200 atmospheres (atm) and high temperatures up to about least about 300° C. during operation. The rotor designs minimize pressure losses stemming from penetration over an extended period of time. The present invention makes possible a variety of in-situ high pressure, high temperature MAS NMR experiments not previously achieved in the prior art.

High resolution magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile technique for studying molecular structure and dynamics in solid systems, semi-solid systems, or heterogeneous systems containing mixtures of e.g., solid, semi-solid, liquid, and gaseous phases. Thus MAS NMR is an attractive tool for in-situ investigations of reaction dynamics and intermediates, investigations of properties of active sites in catalysts during catalytic conversion of biogenic molecules in aqueous phase water, and physical/chemical properties and/or phase transitions in materials and material syntheses. However, reusable sample cells that perform well at temperatures greater than about 100° C. and pressures greater than the vapor pressure of aqueous water have not been realized in MAS NMR to date due primarily to technical difficulties associated with sealing heterogeneous fluid samples at high temperature and high pressure conditions that would prevent leakage of fluids while spinning samples at a spinning rate of several kHz or more inside a strong magnetic field. To date, MAS NMR experiments have been performed at pressures of about 150 bar and temperatures up to 80° C. using a zirconia rotor sleeve and plastic components including bushings, O-rings, valves, and valve adaptors detailed, e.g., by Hu et al. in "High-Pressure Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance", J. Magn. Reson., 212, 378-385 (2011); Hu et al. in "Rotor Design for High Pressure Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance", J. Magn. Reson., 226, 64-69 (2012); and US Patent Publication No.: 2012/0146636. However, plastic components soften at higher temperatures, rendering previous designs unsuitable at temperatures above 100° C. Accordingly, new rotor designs are needed that provide sealing of heterogeneous fluid samples at high temperature and high pressure conditions and prevent leakage of fluids while spinning samples at spinning rates of several kHz or more inside strong magnetic fields. The present invention addresses these needs.

High-pressure, high-temperature magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance devices and processes for making and using same


A pocket-sized device for training an individual's putting stroke through muscle development and muscle memorization. A guide plate of the device is a rectangular base having contrasting lines running length-wise and three holes spaced along the center length-wise. The center hole is for a T-shaped center stake to anchor the guide plate to the putting surface. The center stake is placed through the center hole of an upright, substantially U-shaped guide bar that pivots above the guide plate around the downward projecting center spike of the center stake. A flat, annular washer, through which the center spike is inserted, is located between the guide bar and the guide plate to allow ease of motion. The two peripheral holes near each end of the guide plate are for golf tees to help align the device on the line of the chosen putt. The method of putting training and practice includes positioning the device to align the contrasting lines along the line of a chosen putt, anchoring the guide plate by means of tees and the center spike, positioning the upper portion of the "T" of the center stake perpendicular to the line of the putt, repetitively pulling the forward face of a putter against the forward upright arm of the guide bar and then releasing, and repetitively pushing the rear face of a putter against the rearward upright arm of the guide bar and then releasing.

The present invention relates to golf instructional devices and particularly to a pocket-sized putting stroke practice and training device for use by golfers.
Many golfers, with much practice at a driving range, get quite proficient and consistent with their golf swing. However, even with hours of practice time, golfers who do not develop proper putting techniques do not become proficient putters. Putting usually decides the outcome of most golf matches at any level of competition.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to enhance the putting stroke through the isolation and development of the muscles used in the motion of the stroke. A further object of the invention is to aid in alignment and visualization of the line of the stroke and how it relates to the line of the putt.
An advantage of this putting stroke practice and training device is its compactness. When disassembled, it is capable of being carried in one's pocket.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part are obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the articles and apparatus disclosed in the specification and drawings and particularly pointed out in the articles, apparatus, and methods in the appended claims.

Putt stroke training apparatus and method for using same


Embodiments of phase shifters (10) include electrical conductors (34) suspended within an electrically-conductive housing (28), and a shuttle (16) having an electrically-conductive plate (74) that provides a variable capacitance between a ground potential and the electrical conductor (34) when the shuttle (16) is moved between a first and second position. The plate (74) is electrically connected to a ground plane (27) of the phase shifter (10) by adjacent electrically-conductive portions (54, 55b, 53a) of the shuttle (16).

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate to phase shifters, and more particularly to phase shifters which are broad-band, low-loss radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication systems, such as broadband satellite communication systems, commonly operate anywhere from 300 MHz (UHF band) to 300 GHz (mm-wave band). Such examples include TV broadcasting (UHF band), land mobile (UHF band), global positioning systems (GPS) (UHF band), meteorological (C band), and satellite TV (SHF band). Most of these bands are open to mobile and fixed satellite communications. Higher frequency bands typically come with larger bandwidths, which yield higher data rate operation. Phase shifters used in these types of systems need to operate with relatively low losses, e.g., less than one decibel (dB) of insertion loss, at such frequencies.
Miniaturized phase shifters fabricated as monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) phase shifters are commonly used in broadband communications systems due to stringent constraints imposed on the components of such systems, particularly in satellite-based applications. Currently, available MMIC digital phase shifters operate with relatively high insertion loss (i.e., 7 dB of insertion loss at 18.5 GHz).


A component extraction apparatus includes a rack placement part, a heater, an extraction medium supply part, a needle assembly, and a temperature sensor. When the container rack is mounted on the rack placement part, a heater is configured to heat the sample containers in direct or indirect contact with sample containers held by the container rack. The needle assembly holds a needle with a tip thereof pointing downward, and the needle being configured to connect a flow channel by inserting the tip thereof into a needle port provided on an upper surface of each of the sample containers. The temperature sensor is included in the needle assembly and is configured to detect a temperature of the upper surface of any one of the sample containers when the tip of the needle is inserted into the needle port of the one of the sample containers.

It is known that supercritical fluids exhibit excellent dissolving power for many substances. A component extraction apparatus that extracts a component contained in a sample utilizing such properties of a supercritical fluid is proposed (see Patent Document 1).
The supercritical fluid apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a placement stand for placing a container rack that holds a plurality of sample containers, and is configured to connect flow channels utilizing a needle with respect to a freely-selected sample container from among the sample containers held by the container rack placed on the placement stand. Each of the upper and lower surfaces of the sample containers has a needle port that is a hole in which the tip of the needle is inserted, and is connected with a flow channel via the needle, thereby allowing a mobile phase containing carbon dioxide to be supplied from the lower surface and sample components to be extracted from the upper surface of the sample container.
A back pressure regulating valve configured to regulate the pressure in the flow channel for the mobile phase to a predetermined pressure is provided with the flow channel connected to the upper surface side of the sample containers, and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature of the lower surface side of the sample container to a predetermined temperature is provided. The back pressure regulating valve and the temperature controller control a pressure and temperature of the mobile phase to be supplied to the sample containers so that the mobile phase becomes a supercritical fluid, and the supercritical mobile phase is supplied to the sample containers as an extraction solvent.


A wire organizer for bundling discrete insulated wires in a cable configuration for mass insertion into an electrical ballast connector. The wire organizer includes a lower housing assembly (20) having a wire yoke (26) mounted across the bottom wall, the yoke (26) being formed with an array of notches (27) spaced thereacross each for seating a corresponding discrete wire (10). A pair of flanking teeth (29) are provided in each notch (27) for gripping the insulated section (14) of the wire inserted therein. An upper housing assembly (40) mates with the lower housing assembly (20) to cover the wire yoke (26), thereby capturing the plurality of discrete wires (10) in their respective notches (27). A similar second wire yoke (30) may be provided for supplemental seating of the wires (10) along their insulated sections (14). The wire organizer facilitates mass insertion of the wires (10) into the mating ballast connector (60), and it shrouds, protects, and provides strain relief to the wire terminations in the ballast connector (60). Since the wires (10) are terminated only once in the ballast connector, the need for terminal contacts in the wire organizer is eliminated and the cost is significantly reduced.

A fluorescent electrical ballast is a long rectangular metal box or "can" which encloses the electrical components of a fluorescent light fixture. Electrical ballasts are typically mounted inside or directly behind the fixture. The ballast is generally filled with a sealer or "potting compound" which hardens around the electrical components to seal them inside.
To accomplish connection of the internal electrical components to external power and control lines, several discrete wires typically exit the ballast through the potting compound. During installation, the discrete wires are individually stripped and twisted together with corresponding external wires. A threaded protective cap is then screwed over each twisted pair to make the connection permanent. The conventional process is very labor intensive and costly. Moreover, it is oftentimes unsafe. The installer must climb to the height of the light fixture and make the necessary connections while maintaining his or her balance. In cases of repair, at least some of the wires are typically activated, or "hot." It is quite difficult to avoid the hot wires while stripping and connecting other wires, and severe electrical shocks may result.
Certain manufacturers have begun selling ballasts in which the discrete wires are already terminated in a connector. The above-described problems are largely avoided. However, the external wires must likewise be terminated in a mating connector. The mating connector also carries an array of conductive terminals to terminate the corresponding external wires, and such terminal connectors are quite costly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,740 provides a partial solution in the form of an electrical ballast with integral ballast connector that mounts directly on the printed circuit board and faces outwardly from the ballast. The ballast connector receives and secures multiple discrete external wires in corresponding press-fit sockets. This eliminates the discrete wires which otherwise protrude from the ballast, and it requires no mating connector for the external wires. Unfortunately, it is still a burdensome task to organize and insert (or extract) the external wires one-by-one into (or from) the ballast connector.
It would be greatly advantageous to completely eliminate the need for individual handling of the wires during installation or repair of an electrical ballast without resorting to a full-blown mating terminal connector for the external wires.


A semiconductor laser device aimed to be reduced in size and that can maintain high position accuracy, and a fabrication method of such a semiconductor laser device are achieved. A semiconductor laser device includes a stem as a base member, and a cap member. The stem includes a main unit having a reference plane, and a heat sink platform as an element mount unit, located on the reference plane for mounting a laser element. The cap member is set on the reference plane of the stem so as to cover the heat sink platform. A hole is formed at the sidewall of the cap member facing the heat sink platform. Fixation between the cap member and the stem is established by fixedly attaching the portion at the inner side of the sidewall of the cap member adjacent the hole to the outer circumferential plane of a heat sink platform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser device and a fabrication method of this semiconductor laser device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor laser device that can be reduced in size and that has high reliability, and a fabrication method of such a semiconductor laser device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional semiconductor laser devices employed in optical disk drive apparatuses and the like are known. For example, the semiconductor laser device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-142813 has a cap member connected and fixed to a base member where a laser element is set, so as to cover the laser element.
The demand for a compact optical disk drive apparatus also places the demand for the semiconductor laser device to be reduced in size.
When a semiconductor laser device is incorporated into an optical disk drive apparatus, the position of the semiconductor laser device must be determined at high accuracy. Positioning of the semiconductor laser device is conducted using, as a reference plane, the area located outside the cap member at the plane of the base member to which the cap member is connected. The area of the region that can be used for the reference plane has become smaller in accordance with the reduction in size of the semiconductor laser device. It has therefore become difficult to maintain the high position accuracy of the semiconductor laser device in the assembly work of a semiconductor laser device into an optical disk drive apparatus.

Semiconductor laser device and fabrication method thereof


In some embodiments, a system allowing a flexible upgrade of a computer system (e.g. server) to a high-speed network connection comprises base configuration motherboard or network card including a set of low-speed (e.g. 1 Gbps Ethernet) media access controllers (MACs) each connected to a low-speed physical controller (PHY), and a set of high-speed (e.g. 10 Gbps Ethernet) MACs. An expansion card including high-speed PHYs of choice can be connected by an end user to the base configuration motherboard or network card. A flow classifier classifies data sent/received over both high-speed and low-speed ports, and a single driver may control both high- and low-speed ports. One or both of the motherboard and/or expansion card are configured according to a detected type (e.g. physical layer standard, vendor) of expansion card connected to the motherboard and/or type of physical medium connected to the expansion card.

The invention relates to systems and methods for computer networking, and in particular to systems and methods for allowing flexibly upgrading computer server network connections.
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model of electronic communication defines seven layers of functions that enable devices to exchange data over a network. Layer 1, also known as the Physical (PHY) layer, includes functions and devices responsible for the generation, reception, and transmission of physical signals over data links/physical media such as wires, optical fibers, or over the air for wireless transmission. Layer 2, also termed the Data Link layer, provides the hardware and functional means to transfer data between multiple network entities and to detect and possibly correct errors that may occur in the PHY layer. Under the IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers) standard 802.3, better known under the name Ethernet, the Data Link layer is further divided into a Media Access Control (MAC) sublayer and a Logical Link Control (LLC) sublayer.
In a common computer system such as a server, a network interface controller (NIC) includes PHY and MAC devices, which may be provided as part of a motherboard or part of a dedicated network interface card connected to the motherboard via a connector such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCI-E) connector.
In recent years, strong demand for bandwidth has led to a progressive increase in the speed of NICs, leading to the recent advent of 10 Gbps Ethernet technology. 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps Ethernet devices are commonly built around a prevailing physical connection standard, twisted-pair or BASE-T. For 10 Gbps Ethernet devices, technical factors such as special power requirements have so far hindered the widespread adoption of a single physical connection standard. Examples of existing 10 Gbps physical connection solutions include 10 GBase-R, 10 GBase-LR, 10GBase-SR, 10GBase-LX4, 10GBase-T, and 10-Gbase-CX4, among others. The absence of an undisputed 10 Gbps physical connection standard poses special challenges to the widespread adoption of 10 Gbps networking technology in servers.

Flexible server network connection upgrade systems and methods


A polishing apparatus is used for chemical mechanical polishing a copper (Cu) layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and then cleaning the polished substrate. The polishing apparatus has a polishing section having a turntable with a polishing surface and a top ring for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface to polish a surface having a semiconductor device thereon, and a cleaning section for cleaning the substrate which has been polished. The cleaning section has an electrolyzed water supply device for supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate to clean the polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polishing method and apparatus, and more particularly to a polishing method and apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing a copper (Cu) layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and then cleaning the polished substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to form a wiring circuit on a semiconductor substrate, a conductive film is deposited over a surface of a substrate by a sputtering process or the like, and then unnecessary portions are removed from the conductive film by a chemical dry etching process using a photoresist for a mask pattern.
Generally, aluminum or aluminum alloy has been used as a material for forming a wiring circuit. However, the higher integration of integrated circuits on the semiconductor substrate in recent years requires the narrower wiring to thus increase the current density, resulting in generating thermal stress in the wiring and increasing the temperature of the wiring. This unfavorable condition becomes more significant, as wiring material such as aluminum is thinner due to stress-migration or electromigration, finally causing a breaking of wire or a short circuit.
Hence, in order to prevent the wiring from generating excess heat while current flows, a material such as copper having a higher electrical conductivity is required to be used for a wiring circuit. However, since copper or copper alloy is not suited for the dry etching process, it is difficult to adopt the above-mentioned method in which the wiring pattern is formed after depositing the conductive film over the whole surface of the substrate. Therefore, one possible process is that grooves for a wiring circuit having a predetermined pattern are formed, and then the grooves are filled with copper or copper alloy. This process eliminates the etching process of removing unnecessary portions of the film, and needs only a polishing process of removing unevenness or irregularities of the surface. Further, this process offers the advantages that portions called wiring holes connecting between an upper layer and a lower layer in a multilayer circuit can be formed at the same time.
However, as the width of the wiring is narrower, such wiring grooves or wiring holes have a considerably higher aspect ratio (the ratio of depth to diameter or width), and hence it is difficult to fill the grooves or the holes with metal uniformly by the sputtering process. Further, although a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process is used to deposit various materials, it is difficult to prepare an appropriate gas material for copper or copper alloy, and if an organic material is used for depositing copper or copper alloy, carbon (C) is mixed into a deposited film to increase migration of the film.
Therefore, there has been proposed a method in which a substrate is dipped in a plating solution to plate the substrate with copper by an electrolytic plating or an electroless plating and then an unnecessary portion of a copper layer is removed from the substrate by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. This formation of film or layer by the plating allows wiring grooves having a high aspect ratio to be uniformly filled with a metal having a high electrical conductivity. In the CMP process, a semiconductor wafer held by the top ring is pressed against a polishing cloth attached to a turntable, while supplying a polishing liquid containing abrasive particles, and thus the copper layer on the semiconductor wafer is polished.
Immediately after the copper layer is polished in the CMP process, a polished surface of the copper layer on the semiconductor wafer has a high activity so that the polished surface is liable to be oxidized. If the polished surface on the semiconductor wafer is left as it is, then an oxide film is formed by natural oxidation on the polished surface of the semiconductor wafer. However, such oxide film tends to be formed irregularly or nonuniformly because no control is made of formation of the oxide film, and hence the formed oxide film is of poor quality. If the oxide film is left as it is, then oxidation of the polished surface of the semiconductor wafer is further developed. Particularly, in the case where copper is used as a material for forming a wiring circuit of a semiconductor device, electrical characteristics are changed to produce products inferior in quality.
Further, during polishing, a polishing liquid or by-product generated by polishing reaches the back surface opposite to the polished surface of the semiconductor wafer and is attached thereto, and may possibly contaminate the atmosphere in a clean room.


The pet carrier includes a garment having a pair of left and right side panels extending from a center bottom panel. Each panel has forward and rear leg openings. The opposite ends of a shoulder strap are releasably attached to linking device on the panels' edges. By unhooking the shoulder strap only from the tail side linking device, the carrier is turned into a collarless leash for the pet.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pet carriers and more particularly to such pet carriers that are multi-functional.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Doyle (U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,902) shows a pet carrier comprising a body portion, having four leg openings for the occupant's legs to extend through, and integral straps extending from opposing sides of the body portion. A pair of flexible restraining panels are attached to the body portion outwardly of the openings. A connector at the free edges of the panels detachably links them together in overlying engagement with the pet. The straps are brought together above and in spaced relation to the connector whereby the carrier is formed into a sling for the occupant with its legs protruding through the leg openings.
Nissen (U.S. Pat. No. Des. 290,178) shows a pet carrier having a body portion providing an opening for the pet's neck as well as two close-ended leg pockets and a shoulder strap: the two forward legs go into one pocket and the hind legs go into the other pocket. The forward and hind legs are obviously restrained within these pockets. The shoulder strap is permanently attached to and forms part of the carrier.
Kitchens (U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,486) shows a pet jacket-carrier having a flexible bag-like body member which includes a torso support portion, a neck loop 20, carrying handles 30, a rear leg support pocket 12, and a hind legs support portion. A neck brace is attached to the open forward end, and a pair of strap handles are attached to respective sides of the body member. A slit extends along the top of the body member which can be opened and closed by a zipper.
The known art carriers have many well-known deficiencies. For example, when used in a shoulder holder mode, the prior art pet devices have difficulty in maintaining above ground the animal's body in a natural, upright or standing position. This handicap is especially troublesome to the pet's handler while running or bending.
It is a general object of this invention to provide an effective, efficient, compact and multi-function pet carrier, which can be useful for a wide range of small pets, and which substantially enhances the comfort experienced by the pet and its handler during the pet carrying process, while at the same time making it relatively inexpensive to fabricate.


A trailer-mounted crane apparatus includes a trailer supported from a ground surface on at least two wheels. A hydraulically operated crane arm is mounted to the trailer and is extendable outwardly. A crane hydraulic power unit is mounted to the trailer and supplies pressurized hydraulic fluid to the crane arm. A vibrational sheet piling driver can be supported by the crane arm. A vibrational hydraulic power unit for supplying power to the driver is mounted on the trailer. A control panel for the crane hydraulic power unit and the vibrational driver hydraulic power unit, and an associated operator's seat, are also mounted on the trailer. The crane apparatus includes wide tires for reducing the surface pressure under the apparatus. This allows the apparatus to be transported across and used on delicate surfaces such as golf course greens and other groomed surfaces.

In landscaping architecture, there sometimes exists a need, particularly around water, for the protection of banks and other land formations from erosion, or a need to maintain a bank at an angle steeper than its natural soil angle of repose. This is sometimes accomplished by the use of sheet piling.
In a typical sheet piling installation, individual, elongated steel sheets having channeled edges are driven into the soil, one after another, in interlocking fashion, to create a sheet piling wall. In this regard, a vibratory driver is sometimes used to drive the sheets into the ground. A typical vibratory driver includes a clamping jaw and a vibratory motor, both hydraulically driven by a separate, engine-driven hydraulic power unit. The driver is suspended from a line or cable from a lifting apparatus, such as from the bucket of an excavator on a back hoe, and positioned for the jaw to clamp the sheet piling sheet at its upper edge. Vibration from the driver causes the sheet to be driven into the ground.
One difficulty in driving sheet piling is related to a type of terrain that may be located adjacent to the area that is to receive the sheet piling. Where sheet piling is to be driven adjacent to a pond, for example, the local area can be soft, or uneven. On a golf course, for example, the area adjacent to the sheet piling, or access ways to that area, may be delicate and can be damaged by heavy equipment.
The present inventor has recognized that it would be desirable that an apparatus used for supporting a vibratory driver for sheet piling is able to operate on surfaces which can include soft, delicate or uneven soil. The present inventor has recognized that it would be desirable that such an apparatus is operable in use on a golf course to install sheet piling around ponds and other areas susceptible to having soft, delicate, and/or uneven ground surfaces. The present inventor has recognized that it would be desirable if a single operator could operate both the supporting apparatus and the vibratory driver from a single operator station.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A paving machine employs a screed heating system using heat from the exhaust system to heat indirectly the screed to the desired temperature. A heat exchange medium is heated by the exhaust system in a first heat exchanger and is then conveyed to a second heat exchanger where it heats the screed. Measures are taken to supply additional heat to the heat exchange medium as may be required to achieve the required heat transfer in the second heat exchanger. The system operates under low pressure and is thus simpler, less expensive, and less likely to fail than high-pressure systems. Preferably, the heat exchange medium is continuously circulated between the first and second heat exchangers in a closed-loop to minimize the amount of heat exchange medium required and to simplify the system. The system is also preferably designed to permit movement of the screed relative to the remainder of the paving machine and to permit flexing of the screed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to paving machines and, more particularly, relates to asphalt paving machines having heated screeds for leveling asphalt.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The sole plates of screeds of asphalt paving machines are typically preheated to a temperature of about 200.degree. F. to 300.degree. F. before paving commences and are maintained at this temperature during paving to prevent the hot asphalt being leveled by the screed from congealing on the face of the sole plate screed. Screeds have traditionally been heated by oil or gas burners mounted above the screeds such that the flames from the burners impinge sheet metal plates on top of the screeds. Such burners supply intense heat to localized portions of the screeds which results in uneven heating and, if not carefully controlled, may warp and render ineffective the screeds.
Systems have been proposed which are designed to avoid or to at least alleviate the problems associated with traditional screed heaters One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,7096,331 to Raymond. The heater proposed by Raymond heats the sole plate of the screed of a paving machine via heat transfer from heating oil stored in a low pressure reservoir mounted directly on top of the sole plate screed. Oil in the reservoir is drawn from the reservoir, pressurized by a high pressure pump, and then fed through a pressure release valve or other suitable flow restrictor which creates a pressure drop in the range of about 700 to 800 psi, thereby heating the oil to a temperature of about 275.degree. F. The thus heated oil is then returned to the reservoir for heat transfer to the sole plate of the screed.
The system proposed by Raymond suffers from several drawbacks and disadvantages. Lost notably, the large pressure drops needed to provide the necessary heating require that the heating oil be pressurized by a pump to a relatively high pressure in the range of 800 to 1000 psi before undergoing the pressure drop in the flow restrictor. This requires the use of high pressure hoses and connections throughout the system, thus increasing the cost and complexity of the system and also increasing the dangers of leaks which could render the system ineffective. Moreover, if for any reason the pump and relief valve are not capable of providing a sufficiently large pressure drop to adequately heat the oil, the system is incapable of boosting the oil temperature to the required level.

Paving machine employing exhaust heat exchanger for screed heating


Compositions of a mixture of (A) a polymerizable compound, which undergoes polymerization on exposure to heat or to actinic radiation, having the general formula

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDS) are an emerging display technology. In essence an OLED (or organic electroluminescent device) comprises a thin organic layer or stack of organic layers sandwiched between two electrodes, such that when a voltage is applied, light is emitted. At least one of the electrodes must be transparent to visible light.
There are two principal techniques that can be used to deposit the organic layers in an OLED: thermal evaporation and solution processing. Solution processing has the potential to be the lower cost technique due to its potentially greater throughput and ability to handle large substrate sizes. However, several manufacturing issues still have to be resolved before solution processing of OLEDs can fulfil its potential. In a multi-colour or full-colour display the emissive organic layers need to be patterned according to the pixel layout. High-resolution displays require a high-resolution pattern for the emissive layer. To date, solution-processing techniques for patterning the emissive layer are far from ideal.
Recent advances in OLED efficiencies have been made using phosphorescent rather than fluorescent emitters. Simple spin statistics would predict that one singlet exciton is formed for every three triplet excitons. In most organic compounds only the singlet states are emissive, so the maximum potential internal efficiency is 25%. (Note, however, that the simple spin statistics may not be applicable to conjugated polymers.) However, in phosphorescent compounds, the triplet states are emissive, which allows a greater proportion of the excitons to be utilised. Phosphorescent compounds typically have strong spin-orbit coupling, for example due to the presence of a heavy element, such as Ir or Pt. In many cases, the most efficient OLED devices have multi-layer structures (e.g. WO 00/57676 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,238). Such multi-layer structures can be formed by thermal evaporation, but when solution-processing techniques are used, depositing a second layer may wash away the first layer.
In an organic light-emitting display the organic light-emitting layer is generally divided into individual pixels, which can be switched between emitting and non-emitting states by altering the current flow through them. In general, the pixels are arranged in orthogonal rows and columns, and two arrangements for addressing the pixels are in common use: passive matrix and active matrix. In a passive-matrix device, one of the electrodes is patterned in rows and the other in columns, and each pixel can be made to emit light by applying an appropriate voltage between the row and column electrodes that intersect at the pixel in question. Each row is addressed in turn for a fraction of the frame time. There is a practical limit on the number of rows that can be driven with a passive-matrix addressing scheme. In an active-matrix display, circuitry (typically a transistor or combination of transistors) is provided for each pixel so that each pixel can be left in an emitting state while another pixel is addressed. Integration of the active-matrix circuitry and the organic light-emitting device is more complicated than for a passive matrix display but active-matrix OLEDs are expected to have benefits in terms of size of display, power consumption and lifetime.
It has been recognised that if a photolithographic technique could be successfully applied to the patterning of the organic layers in an OLED then this would offer many benefits. Photolithographic techniques are established in other industries and can give good resolution and high throughput. However the attempts to use photolithography during the formation of the organic layers in OLEDs have all had only very limited success.
BASF (U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,824) discusses the principle of forming an OLED using a crosslinkable charge-transporting material. The material is deposited from solution, and then exposed to UV light, which crosslinks the material making it insoluble. Subsequent luminescent or electron transporting layers can be deposited on top of the insoluble layer. BASF mentions that if the UV exposure is carried out through a mask, then the exposed areas will be insoluble and the unexposed areas still soluble, and developing (washing) this film in solvent will remove the unexposed material, leaving the insoluble patterned material. However, this patterning is not demonstrated. BASF discuss doping the film with a fluorescent dye or using a crosslinkable fluorescent dye (U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,481) to form the light-emitting layer. The EL device results reported by BASF from its crosslinked devices are very poor. The two devices reported, which have cross-linked but un-patterned light emitting layers, give light emission only at 87 V and 91 V, respectively, both of which are entirely unacceptable operating voltages for an OLED.
Bayerl et al. (Macromolecules 1999, 20, 224-228) used crosslinked oxetane-bisfunctionalized N,N,N′,N′-tetraphenyl-benzidine as the hole-transporting material in a two-layer device, in which the electron-transporting layer consisted of a poly(α-methylstyrene) matrix doped with 2-biphenyl-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-3,4-oxadiazol (50 wt %) and the emitter perylene (1 wt %). This device gave blue emission. However, they did not pattern the hole-transporting material. Bacher et al. (Macromolecules 1999, 32, 4551-4557) demonstrated photo-crosslinking of a hole-transporting material. They produced a patterned photo-crosslinked hole-transport layer on to which they deposited an emissive layer (tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminium: Alq3), and made a functioning OLED device. However, they had not developed a technique for photo-lithographically patterning the emissive layer, and unless the emissive layer can also be patterned, only a monochrome device can be formed.
The present invention is directed to OLEDs that solve some of the problems in the prior art.

Phosphorescent compositions and organic light emitting devices containing them

Abstract: wherein Q is an organic charge transporting fragment, L is a linker group, X is a group capable of undergoing free radical or anionic polymerization on exposure to heat or actinic radiation, m is 0 or 1, and n is an integer having a value of 2 or more; and (B) a phosphorescent material are described, as is an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device comprising at least one emissive layer that has been formed by polymerizing such a composition. A method for forming an OLED, including depositing a layer containing the polymerizable composition from solution and exposing the layer to heat or actinic radiation to induce polymerization, is also disclosed.


A griddle includes a griddle plate, a heating element, a frame, and a plurality of nuts. The heating element provides heat to the griddle plate when the griddle is used. The frame includes a plurality of walls, a flange that extends from top edges of the plurality of walls, a plurality of studs mounted to extend upward from the flange, and a bottom wall that extends from bottom edges of the plurality of walls toward an interior of the plurality of walls. The heating element is mounted to the bottom wall. A nut of the plurality of nuts is mounted on each stud of the plurality of studs. A bottom surface of the griddle plate is mounted to abut each nut of the plurality of nuts to define an air gap around a perimeter of the griddle plate between the flange and the bottom surface of the griddle plate.

Existing griddles, whether stand-alone or integrated in a cooktop, have a vent along a single edge. The exhaust gas must travel to the single exhaust edge that is typically along a back edge of a griddle plate. The remaining sides are sealed possibly with insulation. The exhaust vent along a single edge results in an uneven heating of the griddle plate and reduces a cooking surface area.


A method for enhancing the antiplaque efficacy of an antibacterial dentifrice, comprising preparing a multicomponent dentifrice composition having a first dentifrice component containing an antibacterial agent and manganese coordination complex compound, and a second dentifrice component containing a peroxide compound; maintaining the first and second dentifrice components separately prior to use; combining the dentifrice components and applying the two components to the teeth and periodontium, whereby the dentifrice provides enhanced inhibition of plaque growth.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two component dentifrice composition, having a first component containing an antibacterial agent and a manganese coordination complex compound, and a second component containing a peroxide compound and more particularly to such a composition which exhibits enhanced reduction of plaque growth.
2. The Prior Art
Plaque induced diseases, including periodontitis and gingivitis, are believed to involve anerobic bacterial infections. Periodontal disease affects the periodontium, which is the investing and supporting tissue surrounding a tooth (i.e. the periodontal ligament, the gingiva, and the alveolar bone). Gingivitis and periodontitis are inflammatory disorders of the gingiva and the periodontal ligament, respectively. Gingivosis and periodontosis are more severe conditions involving degenerative disorders of the tissue. Combinations of inflammatory and degenerative conditions are termed periodontitis complex.
Periodontal disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Tooth loss from periodontal disease is a significant problem beginning at about age 35, but even by age 15, it is estimated that about 4 of 5 persons already have gingivitis and 4 out of 10 have periodontitis.
While good oral hygiene, as achieved by brushing the teeth with a cleansing dentifrice, may help reduce the incidence of periodontal disease, it does not necessarily prevent or eliminate its occurrence. This is because microorganisms contribute to both the initiation and progress of periodontal disease. Thus, in order to prevent or treat periodontal disease, these microorganisms must be suppressed by some means other than simple mechanical scrubbing. Towards this end, there has been a great deal of research aimed at developing therapeutic dentifrices, mouthwashes, and methods of treating periodontal disease which are effective in suppressing these microorganisms.
The use of noncationic, water-insoluble antibacterial agents in oral products is disclosed in a number of references. One such reference is U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,889 which discloses compositions containing zinc salts and antibacterial agents such as halogenated salicylanilides and halogenated hydroxydiphenyl ethers. A particular halogenated diphenyl ether, triclosan or 2',4,4'-trichloro-2-hydroxy-diphenyl ether, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,178,851, 5,192,530 and 5,288,480 as a particularly effective antiplaque agent, especially as it is compatible with anionic components generally used in oral compositions.
The use of peroxide compounds is known in the dentifrice art. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,174, peroxide compounds have been utilized in dentifrice formulations as adjuvants for cosmetic purposes such as tooth whitening which results from bleaching and cleansing of the tooth surfaces. Further, it is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,174, that various other materials may be included within such peroxide dentifrices, including antibacterial agents such as triclosan.
Manganese coordination complex gluconate compounds, such as manganese gluconate, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,064 for the purpose of activating a peroxygen compound therein to provide an oral composition having an enhanced whitening effect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,064 encompasses a two component dentifrice composition having a first component containing a peroxygen compound and a second component containing a manganese coordination complex, and wherein other materials may be incorporated such as triclosan, as an antibacterial agent.
Considering the prevalence of periodontal disease, there is an ongoing need for improved, more effective agents that inhibit plaque growth to maximize the reduction of oral decay and disease associated with plaque formation.

Method to enhance the antibacterial efficacy of antibacterial dentifrices


A duckbill valve is provided based on a valve seal with a hollow cylindrical body with first and second ends, the first end having an open mouth, the second end having a closable mouth circumscribed by a pair of crescent shaped lips. One of the lips has a thinner width than the other. The cylindrical body flares outward in the direction from the first end towards the second end. In another aspect, the cylindrical body includes a posterior and an anterior section adjacent the respective first and second ends, the anterior section having an outer wall portion curvilinearly tapering toward the thinner lip. Valves of the present invention are particularly suitable for controlling flow of semi-solid substances because the mouth of the duckbill can open to a relatively large extent, the latter being off-center within a round collar fitting.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a new duckbill valve for use primarily in controlling flow of fluid substances.
2. The Related Art
Duckbill valves are utilized to regulate pressure in a host of devices spanning many industries. Applications for these devices are found in automotive brakes, small home appliances, kidney dialysis, hypodermic syringes, sporting goods, toys, non-aerosol pumps and a variety of industrial equipment. Their popularity stems from their simple construction. No moving parts are present other than the rubber housing itself.
Commonly these valves in a closed position exhibit a mouth with lips defined by a straight slit. Internal pressure opens these lips to form a flat ovaloid shape. The opening is sufficient for relief of gas pressure. However, the relatively small mouth opening is insufficiently large for allowing meaningful flow of semi-solid or even liquid media. A duckbill valve with capability to transfer relatively viscous media would be highly desirable, especially in view of the relatively inexpensive manufacturing costs associated with this type of control device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a duckbill valve and seal component which in an open position has a relatively large passageway for transfer of semi-solid media.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a duckbill valve and seal component which can dispense semi-solid substances in an even manner without suckback problems.

Chesebrough-Pond's USA., Co. Division of Conopco, Inc.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a capacitive touch panel and a touch display apparatus, which includes a substrate and at least a transparent electrically conductive layer; the transparent electrically conductive layer includes a plurality of electrode groups, each of electrode groups includes a plurality of electrodes in series, each of electrode groups connects to a sensing lead at one side, at lease one of the electrode groups is arranged along a direction away from the sensing lead, and capacitances formed between the electrodes of the at least one of the electrode groups and common electrodes are reduced gradually along the direction. The capacitive touch panel and touch display apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention are configured such that the farther away from the sending lead the electrode is, the smaller the capacitance of the electrode is, thus the signal delay of the electrode far away from the sending lead is improved and the touch sensitivity is improved.

With the rapid development of touch screens, the touch screens have already dominated the flat-plane display (FPD). There is a great desire for manufacturers to design high-performance and low-cost touch screens in the limited space without changing display effects with the required optical properties and electrical properties of the display continually improved, as well as the continually demand for thinner display by customers.
The structure design shown in FIG. 1 is the typical one adopted in the panel of currently conventional capacitive touch screens, which comprises a longitudinal sensing electrode group and a lateral drive electrode group. The sensing electrode group and the drive electrode group are insulated from each other and they each form a capacitor with a common electrode; each of the sensing electrode group and the drive electrode group is connected with sensing leads 4 at one side; wherein the drive electrode group includes a plurality of drive electrodes 1 in series, the plurality of drive electrodes 1 are connected through metal connection bridges 3; the sensing electrode group includes a plurality of sensing electrodes 2 in series. As an electrical field is existed in a human body, touching a surface of the capacitive touch panel with a finger results in a coupling capacitance formed between the finger and the sensing and drive electrodes of the touch panel. Due to the change of capacitance at the touching point, currents are induced in the sensing and drive electrodes, to flow toward the touching point. The induced current has intensity inversely proportional to a distance between the finger and a boundary of the touch panel. Positions of the touching point can be accurately computed by measuring the induced currents with sensors connected to the sensing and drive electrodes via sensing leads. In the prior art, each of electrodes in the electrode group has same size.
In a practical application, since the touching points have different distance from the sensing leads, the sensor will cost a longer time to receive the induced current when the touching point is far away from the sensing leads 4, so that a signal delay is presented. In the panel shown in FIG. 1, the electrode which is far away from the sensing lead 4 has a lower sensitivity than the electrode near the sensing leads 4, thus, the farther away from the sensing leads the position is, the lower the sensitivity is in the capacitive touch screen. This difference between the sensitivities is adverse to the effective touch control of the capacitive touch screen, and it reduces the satisfaction to the products by the customer.

Capacitive touch panel and touch display apparatus

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A device and method for accumulating, storing, and accessing information collectively held by a corporation of people is disclosed. The information is categorized into core subjects having many linked secondary topics having many linked tertiary details. The information also includes pointers and links to information stored elsewhere, for example the Internet. The information is stored as objects containing an answer to an inquiry, the associated links, and actions to be taken. The objects acts as navigational aids to the user without dictating the user's navigation through the information. The invention includes a feedback system that encourages users to provide their reactions to information on the system. Thus, over time, the system will accumulate the best information available to a corporation in the collective knowledge of its employees.

In an information based economy, effectively training employees and leveraging and managing the "knowledge assets" of an organization can be critical to the success of that organization. While some of an organization's knowledge assets are clearly documented (i.e. product specifications, patents, customer lists, policies & procedures, etc.), a great deal of the important knowledge, (i.e., the answers to questions regarding product and marketing strategies, reasons why customers buy, descriptions of best practices, new developments of all types, who to call, where to find certain information, etc.) that makes the organization function and thrive, is only contained in the minds of specific employees. This knowledge is generically referred to herein as "High Impact Knowledge." The availability of the High Impact Knowledge, which is often fluid and in a state of flux, to the appropriate employee at just the right time, can have a significant impact on the performance of the entire organization (i.e., a major sale could be lost because the sales person did not know how to identify a prospect's particular need). A key challenge for management, therefore, is to provide systems and facilities that support the efficient and effective transfer of information and knowledge, especially the High Impact Knowledge which is available generally in the minds of certain employees to the company's employees as a whole. In this way, the overall productivity of the company is increased and the knowledge assets of the organization are disbursed and expanded.
Several major issues make this challenge difficult.
For example, knowledge transfer is inherently chaotic. It can originate and be required from anywhere, by anybody, at anytime, and in any form. Coordinating the transfer of knowledge from one employee to another thus requires some process for causing the proper employees to interact at the proper time.
There is a continuing explosion in the volume of information available as well as in the volume of information sources. While availability of information can initially be regarded as a good opportunity, the opportunity is lost if the volume of information expands beyond that which the organization's employees can realistically wade through. Thus, as information sources increase, the likelihood of any one source being used decreases.
The velocity of change also effects both the currency and validity of the knowledge. To be effective, somehow the information source must anticipate changes in its information content, identify how the information has changed, identify who (or what) has the best new information to make the change; and identify how the change effects other information in other sources. This task alone is generally prohibitive, causing information in a source to "fall behind" and become no longer useful.
Finally, the importance of a specific piece of knowledge depends on a situation. Preconceived determinations about which information content will receive the most attention in preparation, updating, etc., involves a value judgment that may be appropriate in one situation but be wrong in another.
In dealing with this challenge, organizations have implemented comprehensive employee training programs that educate employees about important areas of the organization's business and purpose. Organization's also have attempted to improve communication between employees by installing technology-based communication vehicles such as phone-mail, e-mail, and video-conferencing. Many have also implemented "Computer Based Content Systems" which provide employees with:
Tools for on-line research, PA1 Computer Based Training, and PA1 Expert assistance in performing complex tasks. PA1 Expert, and PA1 Self-Directed PA1 They typically involve a highly specialized knowledge or information base. PA1 They are designed for a specific user profile (i.e., a customer support person, doctors, technicians, etc.). PA1 They are procedural in nature and have an established objective for each session. PA1 They are best suited for precise, binary information (i.e., Right or Wrong). PA1 They produce a consistent usage pattern. PA1 They require considerable user interaction. PA1 They may employ "Rules Based Inferencing Software". PA1 Knowledge flow is in one direction . . . from the system to the user. PA1 Policies & Procedures Manuals PA1 Sales and Marketing Literature PA1 Competitive Analysis PA1 Sales Manuals PA1 Price Lists PA1 Product Presentations PA1 They apply to a wide user audience PA1 Their usage pattern is random PA1 They allow for unrestricted browsing by the user PA1 They support a wide range of content (topics, format, precision) PA1 They support huge volumes of information PA1 All information carries the same importance. It is all just data to the navigation system, the user decides the value. PA1 The information flow is typically one way. PA1 High Impact Knowledge: Information regarding an organization's products and services, its' competitor's products and services, and the customer needs that those products and services satisfy. This knowledge is generally used by employees of that organization to promote the sale of its' products and services to customers. PA1 Best Answer: A concise (preferably one sentence) response to a particular aspect of High Impact Knowledge which has undergone feedback and review by company employees such that the response is or approaches an ideal response from the collective knowledge of the employees. PA1 High Impact Knowledge Object: A logical unit of data in a database which includes one Best Answer plus additional data which may include links to other High Impact Objects in the database as well as links and Pointers to other information not in the database which may or may not be in digital or electronic format. PA1 Pointers: Pointers describe the location of information which may or may not be stored electronically. These locations include the following: PA1 Links: Links are electronic connections to:
Current implementations of computer based content systems can be classified into one of two categories.
Expert content systems are used both to train employees in a specialized skill (e.g., computer based training), and to assist employees in performing complex tasks. An expert content-based system typically has a pre established system objective and is characterized by the "expertise" or control over the training exercise residing in the system, i.e., the exercise is heavily "system directed." In these systems, a user typically begins the exercise by selecting a specific topic, answering a posed question, the answer to which leads to another question, which leads to another question, etc. taking the user deeper and deeper into the Topic.
A classic example of an expert system is in the context of assisting physician diagnoses. A physician, for example, faced with a set of symptoms unfamiliar to the physician poses the problem to the expert system for assistance. The expert system may direct the exercise by first asking for the doctor to characterize the ailment by asking "is the patient experiencing pain?" The doctor answers "yes." The expert system poses the next question, such as "where?", and offers a set of answers. The expert system then continues with the questions and answers until reaching some conclusion which is displayed to the physician.
The expert system, because of the goal it is seeking, and the fact that its questions are directed by answers given, is framed in a hierarchial format of questions and answers ##STR1##
The system starts with Question 0 and expects to receive either Answers 1, 2, or 3. Depending on the answer given, the system poses Question 1, 2, or 3, and so on until a conclusion is reached. A user would not go from Q8 for example to A1 because the expert system's objective is to keep directing the user to an end result within the same logic path or hierarchy.
Another example of an expert system is in the context of helping sales people configure complex products and generate proposals for prospects. An example of this system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,490.
Expert Systems are characterized by the following:
The Expert Systems have limitations. They provide little, if any, ad hoc navigation capability for the user. That is, the expert system, by its nature directs the flow of the information and makes it difficult, if not impossible for the user to deviate to new sources of information or a different path of questioning without ending the session and going back to the beginning of the system. They also require specialists to create, and can be costly to maintain. As such, they are best applied to knowledge that remains relatively stagnant. Further, they support a limited set of users and those users must be committed to using the system because of the length of user sessions.
With advancements in "Text Retrieval" and "Hypertext" technology, and the popularity of the INTERNET and World Wide Web, self-directed content systems have begun to be implemented within organizations to provide wide user access to information that was previously stored only on documents and other forms of un-digitized mediums. These systems may be called IntraNets or Marketing Encyclopedia Systems, and they provide unrestricted browsing of document based information such as:
Self-directed content systems are characterized by the following:
Self-directed content systems also have limitations. Their navigation capabilities are restricted, and the information is presented in large blocks like a document or video clip. That is, the user plots and plans (or stumbles around) a path through these large blocks of information. Because of the vast volume of information, users find it difficult to find specific information and easily get lost. When they can find the information they need, the information can be inconsistent between different sources on the system. While it is easy to put documents into such a system, the appropriate design architecture and maintenance procedures are complicated. These systems are also difficult to customize for a particular type of user.
While both Expert and Self-Directed approaches are effective in supporting certain functions, neither is truly effective in either the creation or consolidation and dissemination of High Impact Knowledge, or it's timely transfer among a wide employee audience. Even though High Impact Knowledge can be organized and categorized, it's wide scope, random usage pattern, and volatile nature make it ill suited for the Expert System approach. On the other hand, while High Impact Knowledge may be contained in some of the documents in a Self Directed System, like a Marketing Encyclopedia System or IntraNet, it is often difficult for users to locate because it is not easily identified as High Impact Knowledge, and is often buried among all the other information.

Organization training, coaching and indexing system


The present invention generally relates to the manipulation of species using acoustic waves such as surface acoustic waves. In some aspects, a channel such as a microfluidic channel may be provided having two or more outlets, and acoustic waves applied to species within the channel to determine which outlet the species is directed to. For instance, surface acoustic waves may be applied to a species such as a cell or a particle to deflect it from the channel into a groove or other portion that directs it to a different outlet. In some cases, surprisingly, this deflection of species may be in a different direction than the incident acoustic waves on the channel. Other embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to kits including such systems, techniques for producing such systems, or the like.

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) provide a method for driving flows and directing particle motion, e.g., in microfluidic systems. The acoustic waves generated by a SAW transducer can efficiently actuate broad classes of species including particles, beads, cells, gels, and droplets in continuous flow. Devices based on acoustic waves can be used to manipulate cells and particles. These devices feature control of each particle's spatial position through dynamic patterning of the underlying acoustic standing wave. However, most SAW sorters only utilize the component of the acoustic wave that is oriented in the plane of the device, despite the fact that the acoustic wave's normal component is several fold greater in magnitude. There has yet to be a SAW device which takes advantage of the normal component of the acoustic wave for sorting purposes.

President and Fellows of Harvard College


Agents for coloring keratinic fibers are provided which contain specific m-phenylenediamine derivatives such as N-2-(morpholine-4-yl)ethyl-m-phenylenediamine, N-3-(morpholine-4-yl)propyl-m-phenylenediamine, and N-3-(imidazole-1-yl)-propyl-m-phenylenediamine.

The present invention concerns agents for coloring keratinic fibers, which agents contain specific m-phenylenediamine derivatives; a method for coloring hair using those agents; and certain of those m-phenylenediamine derivatives themselves and intermediate products that occur during the manufacture of those compounds.
Because of their intense colors and good fastness properties, the so-called oxidative coloring agents play a preferred role in the coloring of keratinic fibers, in particular human hair. Such coloring agents contain oxidative coloring agent precursor products, so-called developer components and coupler components. The developer components, among themselves or by coupling with one or more coupler components, form the actual dyes under the influence of oxidizing agents or atmospheric oxygen.
The developer components utilized are usually primary aromatic amines having a further free or substituted hydroxy or amino group in the para or ortho position, diaminopyridine derivatives, heterocyclic hydrazones, 4-aminopyrazolone derivatives, and 2,4,5,6-tetraaminopyrimidine and its derivatives.
Specific representatives are, for example, p-phenylenediamine, p-toluylenediamine, 2,4,5,6-tetraaminopyrimidine, p-aminophenol, N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-p-phenylenediamine, 2-(2,5-diaminophenyl) ethanol, 2-(2,5-diaminophenoxy) ethanol, 1-phenyl-3-carboxyamido-4-aminopyrazolone-5, 4-amino-3-methylphenol, 2-aminomethyl-4-aminophenol, 2-hydroxy4,5,6-triaminopyrimidine, 2,4-dihydroxy-5,6-diaminopyrimidine, 2,5,6-triamino4-hydroxypyrimidine, and 1,3-N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N′-bis(4-aminophenyl)diaminopropan-2-ol.
As a rule, m-phenylenediamine derivatives, naphthols, resorcinol and resorcinol derivatives, pyrazolones, and m-aminophenols are used as coupler components. Particularly suitable as coupler substances are 1-naphthol, 1,5-, 2,7-, and 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 5-amino-2-methylphenol, m-aminophenol, resorcinol, resorcinol monomethyl ether, m-phenylenediamine, 1-phenyl-3-methypyrazolone-5, 2,4-dichloro-3-aminophenol, 1,3-bis(2,4-diaminophenoxy)propane, 2-chlororesorcinol, 4-chlororesorcinol, 2-chloro-6-methyl-3-aminophenol, 2-methylresorcinol, 5-methylresorcinol, and 2-methyl-4-chloro-5-aminophenol.
Good oxidative dye precursor products should primarily meet the following requirements: During oxidative coupling, they must form the desired color tints with sufficient intensity and fastness. They must moreover possess a good ability to absorb onto the fibers; in the case of human hair in particular, there must be no perceptible differences between grown-out and newly-grown hair (equalization capability). They should be resistant to light, heat, perspiration, abrasion, and the influence of chemical reducing agents, e.g. permanent-wave fluids. Lastly, if they are to be used as hair coloring agents, they should not impart too much color to the scalp, and most of all they need to be harmless from a toxicological and dermatological standpoint. In addition, it should be possible to easily remove from the hair, by bleaching, the coloring that is achieved, if it does not meet the particular needs of the individual person and needs to be reversed.
It is generally not possible to achieve a color tint that looks natural on the hair using only one developer component or one specific coupler/developer combination. In practice, therefore, combinations of different developer and/or coupler components are usually used. There is therefore a continual need for new, improved dye components that are also unproblematic in terms of toxicology and dermatology.

M-phenylenediamine derivatives as coupler components for the coloring of keratinic fibers

Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (Henkel KGaA)


A reaction apparatus for a biochemical examination is provided having at least a pair of band-shaped conveying members, a portion of each of which proceeds over a predetermined distance in the same direction in a closely contacted state, and which convey a sample-supporting thin film while sandwiching it between the closely contacted portions, and a heat source which is provided in the vicinity of the closely contacted portions of the pair of band-shaped conveying members, and which maintains at a predetermined temperature the sample-supporting thin film sandwiched between the closely contacted portions. The sample-supporting thin film is conveyed from one side to the other side between the pair of band-shaped conveying members. On the other side, the sample-supporting thin film is supplied with the reagent, then caused to approach the heat source while being sandwiched between the band-shaped conveying members. By means of the heat source, the sample-supporting thin film is maintained at a predetermined temperature, whereby the reaction between the sample and the reagent is promoted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reaction apparatus for a biochemical examination, designed to supply a reagent appropriately to a support medium such as cellulose acetate film, agarose, agar, or polyacrylamide gel, in an electrophoresis method for biochemical examinations and researches in which a sample for analysis, such as serum protein, isozyme or lipoprotein, is caused to migrate through the support medium, a reagent is reacted with the sample, and the resulting substance is measured.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the supply of a reagent to a support medium in the above-mentioned electrophoresis method was performed in the following two manners:
The first method is to supply, by means of, say, a pipette 1, drops of a reagent dissolved before use to the entire surface of an electrophoresed support medium 2, as shown in FIG. 1, allow this reagent to be absorbed to the support medium 2 for a certain period of time, and then remove the excess reagent by applying a glass rod 3 or the like, as shown in FIG. 2.
The second method is to supply, by means of, say, a pipette 1, drops of a reagent dissolved before use to an impregnation membrane 4 such as a filter paper or cellulose acetate membrane, as shown in FIG. 3, allow the reagent to be absorbed thereto, and bring this reagent-impregnated membrane 4 into close contact with an electrophoresed support medium 2, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
After the reagent has been absorbed to the support medium, the reaction is performed in an incubator.
With the method of supplying drops of the reagent to the entire surface of the support medium as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, it is difficult to absorb a predetermined amount of the reagent to the support medium with good reproducibility, and a high grade of operating skill is required, thus resulting in a poor efficiency. With this method, moreover, the sample tends to solve out from the support medium when the excess reagent on the support medium is removed. Once it has solved out, the resulting reaction patterns may blur at the contour, or overlap neighboring patterns, making assay often impossible.
With the method of closely contacting the reagent-impregnated membrane with the support medium as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, on the other hand, it is difficult to absorb the reagent from the impregnated membrane to the support medium with good reproducibility, and the procedure involved is complicated. Furthermore, the reaction product formed in the support medium may move to the impregnation membrane, impairing the clarity of reaction patterns.

Reaction apparatus for biochemical examination


A method of producing a thin film magnetic head in which at least one of two, lower and upper, magnetic layers is formed of a soft magnetic amorphous alloy thin film of a given pattern shape, includes the steps of preparing a soft magnetic thin film to communicate directly or magnetically with the soft magnetic amorphous alloy thin film so that an external magnetic field can effectively be applied, during in-field heat treatment, to the soft magnetic amorphous alloy thin film of the head core assembly from a direction at a right angle to the direction of a head core magnetic path, inducing uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the soft magnetic amorphous alloy thin film through heat treatment in the external magnetic field, and removing the soft magnetic thin film for application of the external magnetic field during the in-field heat treatment. Also, another form of the method in which at least one of two, lower and upper, magnetic layers is formed by electroplating of a soft magnetic alloy thin film of a given pattern shape, includes the steps of preparing a soft magnetic thin film to communicate directly or magnetically with the soft magnetic electroplated alloy thin film so that an external magnetic field can effectively be applied, during in-field electroplating action, to the soft magnetic electroplated alloy thin film of the head core assembly from a direction at a right angle to the direction of a head core magnetic path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a thin film magnetic head for high density recording.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known that a soft-magnetic thin film of a thin film magnetic recording head core for the use of high density recording in a hard disk drive has a magnetic flux path designated in a given direction for action of the magnetic head. The soft magnetic thin film is provided with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy so that a magnetic easy axis extends in a direction at a right angle to the magnetic flux path direction. Hence, a magnetic hard axis extends in the magnetic flux path direction, and thusly, a magnetic core with a higher permeability can be obtained. For fabricating such a magnetic head core and inducing uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the core, an in-field electrodeposition method is provided in which a magnetic core thin film of a given pattern shape is selectively developed under a static magnetic field by electroplating of permalloy or FeCoNi alloy using the photoresist as a mask layer, or another method in which a thin film of Co amorphous alloy developed by sputtering is patterned to a magnetic core shape and heat treated under a fixed magnetic field. However, as the assembly pattern of the magnetic core is very small in size, its demage field effect decreases the effective field of the static external field in the electrodeposition process or the fixed magnetic field in heat treatment of the soft magnetic thin film of the magnetic core. Accordingly, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy will hardly be induced in the magnetic core assembly using an external magnetic field.
More particularly, as its fine pattern produces a considerable degree of demagnetic field effect, the magnetic core thin film of a head will hardly be impressed with the strength of an external magnetic field, e.g. a static field in electroplating action or a fixed magnetic field in heat treatment. For overcoming such a drawback, a frame plating technique has been introduced, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,715, in which the remaining portion of a substrate is also plated about and at an interval from the core assembly so that an external magnetic field can effectively be imposed during plating process.

Method of producing a thin film magnetic head

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A device for milking animals is provided with at least two milking robots, each for automatically connecting at least one teat cup to a teat of an animal. Each milking robot is provided with a milking vacuum unit for generating a milking vacuum for milking an animal. The device is provided wit a common ring line and wit a controllable, central vacuum system for generating a vacuum with a first pressure on the common ring line. Each milking vacuum unit is connected to the ring line via a passage, a control device being provided for controlling the size of the passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of milking and more particularly to a device for milking animals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices are known for automatically milking dairy animals in which a milking robot automatically connects at least one teat cup to a teat of an animal. In certain cases, a number of milking robots may be provided, each milking robot having its own milking vacuum unit for generating a milking vacuum for milking the animal.


A cellular telephone network comprising an exchange (101) and a voice messaging center (102) connected to the exchange, the exchange being connectable to a plurality of cellular telephones (103), each having an associated voice mailbox (VM1) at the voice messaging center (102), the exchange (101) being operable in the event of failure to connect a caller to a desired telephone (103) to divert the call to the voice messaging center (102) which can record a message from the caller in the associated mailbox (VM1). When such a message has been stored, the VMC transmits a "message waiting" flag for that telephone to the exchange (101). The exchange (101) transmits a "message waiting" signal to the telephone when it registers with a cell of the network, and/or if it initiates an outgoing call.

It is, of course, annoying when, for some reason, connection to a desired user telecommunications terminal is not possible. This is particularly so with cellular phones, which are often switched off, unattended or out of range, so that resulting call completion rates for land-to-mobile traffic are low (especially at certain times of day).
Messaging services are well known; in particular, in a voice messaging service such as Voicebank (TM), a spoken message is digitally recorded in the mailbox number of the subscriber for whom it is intended, who can then retrieve by himself dialling that mailbox. However, since not every user has a mailbox, voice messaging is not of itself usually an option if a call to a desired user cannot be established. Moreover, a second, different number must be recalled and dialled by the caller, and there is also no guarantee that the called party will play the message. When a user knows that he will be unavailable, he could divert his calls to his voice mailbox, but he must remember to do so and, of course, he may not be aware that he is unavailable (for example, if he is out of range).

Call completion system with message writing indication upon registration of mobile with basestation

Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited


An attractant scent dispenser (1) having a preferably rounded bulb-shaped reservoir (2) that is filled with a liquid attractant (3), such as deer urine. A wick (4) extends from a distal end (5) of the reservoir and an eyelet (6) or other attaching means for attaching a cord (7) is located at a proximal end (8) of the reservoir. A hunter may use the cord to drag the reservoir on the ground to disperse a trail of attractant scent while the bulb shape of the reservoir prevents the attractant scent dispenser from becoming tangled in any debris on the ground.

Many hunters use liquid attractant scents, such as deer urine, to mask their own scents and to lure prey to a location, such as a tree stand or blind. Such attractant scents are typically deposited on the ground and/or into the air using a conventional rag or sponge material that is tied to the hunter and dragged on the ground and/or tied to a branch near where the hunter is positioned in wait. However, such conventional means of depositing attractant scents are highly inefficient due to the fact they dispense too much attractant and/or dry out too quickly because the soaked rag or sponge exposes the liquid attractant to the air and does not dispense the liquid attractant in an even manner. An additional problem with devices that are dragged on the ground is that they can easily become caught in debris laying on the ground.
Therefore, a need exists for a device that dispenses an even trail of urine or other liquid attractant scent on the ground behind a hunter to cover the hunter's own scent and to lure wild game to the hunter's location that also can be easily dragged across the ground without becoming tangled in debris.
The relevant prior art includes the following references:
Pat. No.(U.S. Patent References)InventorIssue/Publication Date4,506,806Lincoln et al.Mar. 26, 19854,682,715ReevesJul. 28, 19874,735,010GrinarmlApr. 5, 19885,074,439WilcoxDec. 24, 19915,148,949LucaSep. 22, 19926,158,668BurgesonDec. 12, 20002006/0289668Szymczak et al.Dec. 28, 20067,093,770MoranAug. 22, 20067,533,832Price et al.May 19, 2009


A power wiring structure realizes low inductance and is applicable to a semiconductor device. The power wiring structure employs two switching elements that are connected in series and are complementarily turned on and off. Ends of the switching elements are connected to power lines extending from a power source. A node between the switching elements is connected to an output line U that is connected to load. The power lines are a high-potential power line P and a low-potential power line N. The lines P, N, and U are each a wide electrode with the width thereof greater than the thickness thereof. The electrodes are layered one upon another in a thickness direction in order of P, U, and N to form a three-layer wide electrode structure. A current of the same value as and oppositely oriented from a current flowing through the output line U flows through the power line P or N, to cancel magnetic fields generated by the currents, thereby effectively reducing wiring inductance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a low-inductance wiring structure with semiconductor switching elements, applicable to a power inverter.
2. Description of the Related Art
When two wide electrodes are laid one upon another with an insulator interposing between them and currents that are oppositely directed are passed through the electrodes, respectively, magnetic fields produced around the electrodes by the currents cancel each other, to reduce the inductance of the electrodes. This phenomenon is widely known. Based on this phenomenon, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-38507 discloses a technique of layering a high-potential power bus P and a low-potential power bus N to form a two-layer electrode structure capable of reducing inductance.
The two-layer electrode structure involving power buses P and N is applicable to an inverter module having an integrated inverter circuit, to reduce inductance. In practice, however, the two-layer structure does not always pass opposite currents of the same value because the buses P and N in the two-layer structure must supply a current to load through an output line U. In a real inverter module, a current forms a loop as shown in FIG. 1. The inverter module 1 of FIG. 1 involves two phases U and V. In each of U- and V-phase circuits, buses P and N are arranged to face each other with an insulator interposing between them. This configuration forms a current path indicated with a thick black lines and a looped current path indicated with a large dotted arrow mark depicted by C. Namely, opposite currents to cancel magnetic fields flow only in dotted circle areas A and B outside the inverter module 1. Inside the inverter module 1, magnetic fields do not cancel each other. Consequently, the example of FIG. 1 is insufficient to provide the effect of reducing wiring inductance.
When a switching element in an inverter is turned on and off, it generates a surge voltage V=xe2x88x92Lxc2x7di/dt that is proportional to inductance L. If the inductance of wiring is large, a large surge voltage is produced to break the switching element. To prevent the breakage of switching elements, a snubber may be arranged. The snubber, however, increases the number of parts, to increase the size and cost of the inverter. Instead of employing the snubber, the surge voltage is suppressible by slowing down a switching speed. This, however, hinders high-frequency switching and elongates a switching time to increase switching loss and heat. The heat needs a large radiator to cool and deteriorates efficiency.
An object of the present invention is to provide a power wiring structure of low inductance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device employing such a power wiring structure.
In order to accomplish the objects, an aspect of the present invention provides a power wiring structure employing two switching elements connected in series and complementarily turned on and off, power lines extending from a power source to one ends of the switching elements, and an output line extending from a node between the switching elements to load. The power lines include a high-potential power line P and a low-potential power line N. The output line is an output line U. The lines P, N, and U are each a wide electrode with the width thereof being greater than the thickness thereof. These lines are layered one upon another in order of P, U, and N with an insulator interposed between adjacent ones of the layered lines, to form a three-layer wide electrode structure. The two switching elements that are connected in series and are complementarily turned on and off correspond to, for example, an inverter circuit, an H-bridge circuit employing two inverters connected in parallel with each other, and a three-phase inverter circuit employing three inverter circuits connected in parallel with one another.
Assuming that there is no current leakage, opposite currents of the same value flow through the output line U and one of the power lines P and N, to cancel magnetic fields generated around the lines by the currents, thereby effectively reducing wiring inductance.
Another aspect of the present invention employs the three-layer wide electrode structure mentioned above and arranges wiring such as bonding wires in an inverter module in such a way as to cancel magnetic fields generated by currents flowing through the wiring, thereby effectively reducing the inductance of the wiring in the inverter module.

Low inductance power wiring structure and semiconductor device


A method includes identifying device description files corresponding to first and second field devices associated with an industrial process control system. The method also includes comparing multiple field device characteristics of the first and second field devices using the device description files. The method further includes identifying any differences between the device characteristics of the first field device and the device characteristics of the second field device. In addition, the method includes determining a compatibility of the first and second field devices based on any identified differences. The field device characteristics can relate to field device attributes, field device function blocks, and function block parameters of the first and second field devices.

Processing facilities are often managed using industrial process control systems. Example processing facilities include manufacturing plants, chemical plants, crude oil refineries, ore processing plants, and paper or pulp manufacturing and processing plants. Among other things, industrial process control systems typically include controllers that receive measurement data from sensors and provide control signals to actuators in the processing facilities.
Field devices (such as sensors and actuators) in an industrial process control system are often provided by multiple manufacturers. Often times, a process control system is configured to operate with specific types of field devices. If a field device fails, an operator is typically faced with either locating an identical field device or reconfiguring the control system to work with a new field device.

Apparatus and method for determining replacement compatibility of field devices in industrial process control systems