A multi-purpose dynamic exercise bench, for performing a training program of hanging sit-ups in an exercise session, comprising: an “H”-shaped base configured to provide a stable support for the bench; an inclinable bench table having a first and second end, the bench table covered with a bench mat upon which a user lies on his back with his head oriented towards the second end and feet secured at the first end during an exercise session; a bearing support fixed upon the base, the bearing support having a table rotational bearing, the bench table positioned above and fixed to the rotational bearing near the bench table second end; an inclination piston connected to the bench table and to the base, the inclination piston operated to provide inclination of the bench table about the rotational bearing; and an interface control attached to the bench table serving to control functionality of the bench.

The current invention relates to sports conditioning equipment and specifically to a multi-purpose dynamic exercise bench and system and methods thereof.
In the specification and claims which follow hereinbelow, the term "bench", as used in "exercise bench", is intended to mean a structure upon which a person initially lays in a supine position, similar to lying on a bed. An exercise bench is meant to be used by a person (hereinbelow "user") for body building and/or other exercise activities, as described hereinbelow. The term "hanging sit ups", as used in the specification and claims which follow hereinbelow, is intended to mean a sit up (as known in the art) performed substantially partly or completely against gravity, meaning in an upwards direction, on an inclined/vertical surface.
The term "mobile device", as used in the specification and claims which follow hereinbelow, is intended to mean any of an array of devices including, but not limited to: sports watches; smart phones; tablet computers; and laptop computers.
The term "session" as used in "exercise session" or interchangeably "workout session" in the specification and claims which follow hereinbelow, is intended to mean a repetitive sequence of: setting an inclination position/angle; performing a plurality of exercise repetitions and/or sets of repetitions, as known in the art; and having an optional rest period, typically less than 60 seconds in duration, between sets and/or sequence repetitions.
The term "training program" as used in the specification and claims which follow hereinbelow, is intended to mean a series of workout sessions performed over time (usually over a period of at least a number of weeks) to accomplish one or more specific physical conditioning objectives.
There has been interest in sports throughout the world ever since the Greeks stressed professional sport as part of an ongoing ideological lifestyle. The twentieth century marked a dramatic increase in sports activities with the evolution of various types of sports, reintroduction of the ancient Olympics, and mass-media exposure of sports activities by radio and television coverage of sports events worldwide.
Consumer use of exercise and body-building equipment has been increasing for years. Today, with the integration of internet and mobile devices, many sports-minded individuals take advantage of mobile devices for monitoring a wide array of sports and body conditioning activities.
However, conventional weight-lifting benches and similar exercise equipment are traditionally used in a singular/manual workout mode, where the user remembers the number of repetitions and the number of sets to be performed on the equipment and the user must then keep track repetitions and other variables during his exercise session. Follow up from one or more previous exercise sessions is also frequently typically remembered and/or manually recorded. Additionally, in the case of a traditional exercise bench having a variable inclination, the inclination angle is typically limited to only a few positions/inclinations and the inclination angle is typically only manually controlled. Prior art benches and exercise equipment have not to date taken advantage of mobile devices to manage the equipment and/or workout sessions on the equipment. There are no prior art exercise benches specifically directed to hanging sit-ups having functionalities described hereinabove.
There is therefore a need for an advanced-functional, easy to use, dynamic multi-purpose exercise and body building bench, which can be integrated with mobile devices to create a system to control and monitor bench exercise sessions and managing and recording exercise sessions over time and from one bench to another.

Multi-purpose dynamic exercise bench and system and methods thereof


A tool for spreading high tension springs used in the brakes of heavy equipment is provided. This tool spreads at least a portion of a high tension spring by squeezing the handles together by hand thereby separating the arms. This is the opposite of what happens when the handles of standard pliers are squeezed together.

In certain applications it would be very beneficial to be able to mechanically extend or spread a spring. High tension helical springs used on the brakes of heavy equipment are very difficult to stretch by hand. However, no conventional tool is capable of spreading such springs. Tools made for standard helical springs tend to break or bend in attempting to spread high tension helical springs and any tool capable of stretching these springs cannot easily install them on the brake shoes.
Conventional methods of reinstalling brake shoes on heavy equipment is time consuming and very difficult for the sole mechanic due to the relative difficulty of stretching the brake shoe return springs. However, brake pads do wear out and must be replaced quite often on heavy equipment, particularly with the advent of non-asbestos brake pads. Therefore, mechanics must by some method frequently reinstall brake shoes with new brake pads.
One method of reinstalling brake shoes entails installing the return springs on the pair of brake shoes prior to installing the brake shoes on the backing plate of the brake assembly. This then requires the mechanic to lift the joined pair of brake shoes onto the backing plate while aligning the backing plate pins, S cam, rollers, and springs. A pair of brake shoes generally has a mass of well over 20 kilograms (44 pounds), in some cases over 40 kilograms. Lifting and aligning both brake shoes together is a very difficult task for a sole mechanic.
Another method of reinstalling brake shoes entails installing one brake shoe at a time on the backing plate then attaching the brake return spring to each brake shoe with the rollers removed (rollers not against the S cam). This then requires the mechanic to pull on each brake shoe by hand (thereby stretching the brake return spring) and drop the rollers into the notch in each brake shoe and against the S cam. This is very difficult, particularly while dropping the last roller into the notch. Many times this procedure results in smashed finger tips as the mechanic releases the brake shoe.
It would be very desirable to be able to install brake shoes quickly and easily without encountering the above problems. More particularly, it would be very desirable to be able to mechanically stretch the brake return spring and attach it to each brake shoe.


A wireless transmission system is provided. The system includes a wireless transmission apparatus for sending radio signals in a selected frequency and a wireless reception apparatus for receiving the radio signals in the selected frequency and playing audio signals corresponding to the radio signals. The wireless transmission apparatus includes a scan unit for periodically scanning interference frequencies of candidate frequencies, and recording characteristics of each interference frequency; an evaluation value calculating module for calculating an evaluation value of each candidate frequency according to the characteristics of the corresponding interference frequencies; a frequency selection module for choosing one of the candidate frequencies as a current transmission frequency according to the evaluation values; and a transmission unit for sending radio signals in the current transmission frequency. A wireless transmission method is also provided.

There are a number of systems that use existing radio receivers in automobiles to playback audio signals from a compact disc (CD) player, tape cassette player, satellite broadcast receiver, or other auxiliary audio sources.
In these systems, it is required to set the reception frequency of the installed radio receiver to a specific frequency of the frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting band where no FM programs are broadcasted, namely an empty frequency or an unused frequency. Next, the transmission frequency of the electronic entertainment device must be tuned to the reception frequency of the radio receiver. However, such tuning operations require very cumbersome manipulations. In particular, very cumbersome and heavy workloads are necessary so as to scan for the empty frequency in such a frequency band where a large number of FM programs are broadcasted.
To solve such problem, special systems are capable of automatically selecting an empty or unused frequency within an FM broadcasting band, and to transmit the FM signals at this empty frequency. For example, one kind of special systems automatically detects an unused frequency within the FM broadcasting band and sets a transmission frequency and a reception frequency to the detected empty or unused frequency, and also further displays the transmission frequency.
However, because the empty or unused frequency varies at different location, I.e., when an automobile implemented with the wireless transmission system moves from a municipal area to another municipal area, the empty or unused frequency may be interfered by a local broadcasting station, which results in poor transmitted FM signals.
Thus, an improved wireless transmission system and method which automatically selects the transmission frequency when the FM signals is interfered is needed in order to ensure a non-interfered transmitted FM signals.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An integrated circuit having diffused resistors formed in a low impurity concentration isolation region.

A conventional integrated circuit including a diffused resistor in an isolated region is shown in FIG. 1. The transistor 11 is an NPN transistor formed in a first N-type isolated region 12 and a P-type resistor formed in an adjacent N-type isolated region 13 biased to high positive voltage such as V.sub.cc. Another area where a resistor could be formed is in the isolation region. This would have the advantage that the isolation region is already biased to the proper voltage and that less area would be required. However, in conventional integrated circuits, the isolation region is heavily doped P-type material which isolates lightly doped N-regions. The normal resistors are made with a P-type diffusion into the epitaxially doped N-type epitaxial region. The only kind of resistor that can be made in the P-type isolation region is a heavily doped N-type resistor. The problem is that such a resistor will have a very low sheet resistance and a very low breakdown voltage.

Method of forming integrated circuits with diffused resistors in isolation regions


A substrate surface comprises at least partially at least one elongated structure, wherein each elongated structure comprises a plurality of channels, said channels extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the elongated structure, wherein said at least one elongated structure comprises silicon dioxide. The structures are manufactured by: a) providing a reaction solution comprising a silicate, a micelle forming agent, an alkane, a salt, and at least 1.5 M HCl, having a pH of 2 or lower, b) stirring not more than 10 minutes, c) bringing the reaction solution into contact with a substrate surface and d) treating the obtained material with one method selected from a) heat treating the material above 300° C., b) treating the material with at least one selected from H2O2, and H2SO4, c) treating the material with microwaves to digest the micelle forming agent.

Ordered mesoporous silica can be synthesized in a variety of pore sizes, pore shapes and morphologies. Due to its potential applications in e.g. separation, catalysis, adsorption and as a template, this group of materials has received much interest the last decades. Depending on the application various morphologies, pore sizes and pore shapes are preferable.
The pore size of SBA-15 is normally 6-9 nm but it can be increased by e.g. adding swelling agents such as 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) or by varying the hydrothermal treatment time and temperature. Increasing the pore size using swelling agent is possible up to a certain limit, but due to a phase transition from ordered hexagonal pores to disordered mesocellular foams this is the maximum pore size obtained. Low temperature syntheses with alkanes and NH4F can increase the pore size where the morphology can be varied by varying synthesis parameters.
E. Johansson et al in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, volume 133, issue 1-3, pages 66-74, September 2010 discloses manufacture of mesoporous silica in the form of crystallites with hexagonally arranged pores running through the crystallites. The crystallites are always attached to each other. The crystallites can be attached end-to-end to form fibers, or the crystallites can be attached side-by-side to form sheets. It is disclosed that heptane in the presence of NH4F works as a pore swelling agent. The HCl concentration was varied between 1.37-1.98 M.
E. Johansson et al in Materials Letters, volume 63, Issue 24, pages 2129-2131, October 2009 discloses mesoporous silica in the form of crystallites attached side-by-side to sheets, where the pores are parallel to the sheet normal.
The mentioned crystallites can be used for a number of different applications, but a problem in the state of art is how to prepare structures which are attached to a surface and which are at least partially perpendicular to the surface.

Manufacture of structures comprising silicon dioxide on a surface


A gel, in a proportion of 1 to 20% of the finished product, contains at least one polyol, one (meth)acrylic acid polymer and one fluidification solvent of general formula (1): R1--O--(R2--O--R2).sub.n,--OR3, wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom or a straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl chain, R2 is a straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl chain, R3 is a hydrogen atom or a straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl chain, and n is an integer of 1 to 200,000.

Most cosmetic or dermatopharmaceutical products designed for topical application--whatever the galenic form: H/E, E/H emulsion, milk, lotion, gel, solution--contain one or more microbicidal substances in their formulation. The reasons for this are obvious: the raw materials used for the manufacture of these products are only rarely perfectly sterile, the finished products are too fragile (perfume, biologically active compounds, vitamins) to uphold sterilization following conditioning. It is thus necessary to protect the product from any microbial contamination which could be detrimental to the health of the user or to the aesthetic appearance of the product. This contamination can arise from the manufacturing process (including the raw materials used), from a packaging that is not hermetically sealed and above all following opening, from the environment or the user himself.
In contrast to food products or to pharmaceutical products, cosmetic products are not required to exhibit an expiration date; they can and must therefore be stable and in perfect condition--including microbiologically--for a long time.
The chemical preservatives used in these products fulfil this protective role. The choice of antimicrobial substances or biocidal molecules being used is strictly controlled by the different legislation of European, American and Asian countries.
Since to be effective all preservative must be chemically active, destroying either the cellular wall or the biochemical mechanisms of microbial cells, it is not surprising that these same biocidal molecules sometimes have a detrimental effect on the human cells with which they come into contact. It is a fact that with the increased use of cosmetic or dermatopharmaceutical products, a parallel increase in cases of intolerance (irritation, allergy) to these products has been observed. The studies performed by various dermatologists, pharmacists or health authorities reveal that a number of these incidents can be attributed to the preservatives contained in the products.
Moreover, the ecological trend of our time reinforces the desire of the cosmetic industry to offer "natural", "mild" or "hypoallergenic" products. Means of protecting the creams without the incorporation of preservatives are been sought.
The formulation of cosmetic products without preservatives is however not easy. It is presently possible, using selected, sterile raw materials and ensuring manufacture under strict aseptic hygiene conditions (conditioning under laminar flow into sterile containers). Remains the risk of contamination during use. Only the choice of a specific packaging, designed to deliver the dose for use at the time of application, and preventing any entry of air and germs inside the container, can satisfy these constraints.
As a result, the diversity of the ranges of cosmetic products that can be prepared without preservative is limited, and above all the cost of manufacture and conditioning is significantly increased.
Patent FR 2 682 296 proposed a non-chemical method of preservation that is based on the use of gels of the glyceryl poly(meth)acrylate type, the property of which is to exert a strong osmotic effect on its environment, making it possible to inactivate the microorganisms introduced into the cosmetic preparation through water deprivation. Microbiological tests of overcontamination (for example, the inoculation of 10.sup.6 germs/gram of a cream containing 40% of the gel in question is controlled in 7 days only when the gel is present in the formulation, in the absence of any chemical preservative) have been able to demonstrate this antimicrobial efficacy of the gel. The method described in this patent has proven applicable in practice, but it has a number of disadvantages: the amount of gel required in a cosmetic formulation is very high (minimum 40% in the best cases; often the gel must be incorporated at the rate of 30%, even 60%). This limits the field of application, as the formulator is subjected to constraints in his freedom to adapt the texture, the touch of the products. Another disadvantage came out of successive testing: protection of the finished products to contamination by particular moulds (ex: Aspergillus niger) is very difficult to achieve, this germ requiring very little free water for its growth; it is therefore less sensitive to the water deprivation brought about by the gel.

Physically active antimicrobial gel for cosmetic products


The present invention provides a polypeptide having an intracellular calcium ion indicator function, which contains the following elements (a)-(c):                (a) a polypeptide residue consisting of a membrane localization signal sequence;        (b) a first fluorescent polypeptide residue; and        (c) a second fluorescent polypeptide residuein the order of (a), (b) and (c) from the N-terminal side, wherein one of the two fluorescent polypeptide residues is a donor for fluorescence resonance energy transfer, the other is the corresponding acceptor, and the two fluorescent polypeptide residues are connected with a linker polypeptide residue containing at least one calpain sensitive sequence, thereby to allow fluorescence resonance energy transfer between them.

Intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) plays an important role in many biological phenomena such as release of neurotransmitters in synapses, activation of ion channels in cell membrane, control of cytoplasmic enzymes, contraction of muscles (skelet al. muscle, smooth muscle, cardiac muscle), activation of leukocytes, activation of platelets and the like. They are mainly induced by a transient rise of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration. Therefore, an accurate measurement of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, which is free of influence on the cell functions, is important for the understanding of many life phenomena.
The cytoplasmic concentration of free Ca2+ has been measured by loading a chemically synthesized Ca2+ chelator such as Fura-2 (non-patent reference 1: Grynkiewicz, G. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 260, 3440-3450, 1985). While Fura-2 is superior in sensitivity and time responsiveness to calcium ion, it has a problem in that intracellularly introduced Fura-2 gradually leaks out from the cell with the lapse of time, and the Ca2+ sensitivity decreases with time. Since Fura-2 has a calcium ion binding activity, when the intracellular concentration of Fura-2 is raised to enhance the Ca2+ sensitivity, the dynamics of intracellular calcium ion changes.
In recent years, many Ca2+ probes using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) have been developed based on fluorescent protein by genetic engineering. There have been developed Ca2+ probes using the FRET technique, such as Cameleon (non-patent reference 2: Miyawaki, A. et al., Nature, 388, 882-887, 1997/non-patent reference 3: Miyawaki, A. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 96, 2135-2140, 1999) and FIP-CBSM (non-patent reference 4: Romoser, V. A. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272, 13270-13274, 1997/non-patent reference 5: Persechini, A. et al., Cell Calcium, 22, 209-216, 1997), Camgaroo (non-patent reference 6: Baird, G. S. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 96, 11241-11246, 1996/non-patent reference 7: Griesbeck, O. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 276, 29188-29194, 2001), G-CaMP (non-patent reference 8: Nakai, J. et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 19, 137-141, 2001), and Pericam (non-patent reference 9: Nagai, T. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, 3197-3202, 2001).
Non-patent reference 2 discloses a calcium ion indicator protein obtained by the FRET technique using a combination of fluorescent proteins ECFP and EYFP, or a combination of EBFP and EGFP. A sequence of calmodulin and myosin light chain kinase has been inserted between the two fluorescent proteins. This calmodulin sequence has a calcium ion binding site in the inside, it is highly likely that the sequence influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. There have been reported proteins named YC2, YC3, YC4, split YC2 and the like. When YC2, YC3 and YC4 therefrom are expressed in Hela cells, the level of response to stimulation (emission ratio: peak value of reaction/initial value) is as small as about 1.5. Split YC2 is a mixture of proteins having a shape of YC2 protein divided into two, and shows a response level of about 1.8. The longest measurement time reported in the reference is 133 min.
Non-patent reference 3 discloses a calcium ion indicator protein free of the problem of pH sensitivity in the protein described in non-patent reference 2. The basic structure of the protein is the same as that in non-patent reference 2. Therefore, this protein, too, has a calcium ion binding site in the inside, it is highly likely that the sequence influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. The level of response to stimulation (emission ratio) is not improved and is about 1.5. The longest measurement time reported in the reference is 100 min.
Non-patent reference 10 (Truong, K. et al., Nat. Struct. Biol., 8, 1069-1073, 2001) discloses a calcium ion indicator protein, having improved level of response of the protein described in non-patent reference 2. The structural modification is insertion of a sequence of a calmodulin dependent kinase between calmodulin sequences. However, this protein still has a calcium ion binding site in the inside, influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and highly likely shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. The level of response is about 2.0 when a very strong stimulation of 10 μM histamine stimulation is given. This protein is not sharp in the response to stimulation, and cannot be said to accurately reflect changes in the intracellular calcium ion concentration. The longest measurement time reported in the reference is 67 min.
Non-patent reference 5 discloses a calcium ion indicator protein obtained by FRET technique using a combination of BGFP and RGFP. This protein, too, has a calcium ion binding site in the inside, it is highly likely that the sequence influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. This protein shows a very weak response to stimulation.
Non-patent reference 6 discloses a calcium ion indicator fluorescent protein having a sequence wherein the former part of the EYFP amino acid sequence has been exchanged with the latter part thereof. The former part of the fluorescent protein is connected with the latter part via a calmodulin sequence. Since this protein has a calcium ion binding site in the inside, it is highly likely that the protein influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. When this protein is expressed in Hela cells, the level of response upon stimulation with 200 μM histamine is about 1.5. The longest measurement time reported in the references is 13 min.
Non-patent reference 8 discloses a calcium ion indicator protein that utilizes three-dimensional structural changes of a single fluorescent protein of GFP. In this protein, a calmodulin sequence, which is also a calcium binding site, is connected to the C-terminal of a sequence wherein the former part of the amino acid sequence of EGFP is exchanged with the latter part thereof. Therefore, it is highly likely that the protein influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. When this protein is expressed in HEK-293 cells, the level of response upon stimulation with 100 μM ATP is about 1.5. The longest measurement time that reported in the references is 30 min.
Non-patent reference 9 discloses a calcium ion indicator fluorescent protein having a sequence wherein the former part of the amino acid sequence of EYFP is exchanged with the latter part. The former part of the fluorescent protein is connected with the latter part via a calmodulin sequence, which is a calcium binding site. Therefore, it is highly likely that the protein influences the movement of intracellular calcium ion, and shows physiological activities such as protein modification and the like by acting on other proteins. When this protein is expressed in Hela cells, the level of response upon stimulation with 1 μM histamine is about 2.7. The longest measurement time that reported in the reference is 83 min.
On the other hand, Vanderklish et al. reported an experiment using the FRET method for visually showing active synapses. They designed a fusion protein of ECFP and EYFP using a calpain sensitive sequence as a linker, and Shaker PDZ domain sequence at the C-terminal to target the protein to postsynaptic domain (non-patent reference 11: Vanderklish, P. W. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 97, 2253-2258, 2000). Calpain is a Ca2+-activated protease found in extremely various mammalian cells (non-patent reference 12: Croall, D. E. et al., Physiol. Rev., 71, 813-847, 1991). This fusion protein is cleaved by calpain in a Ca2+ sensitive manner, and permanently loses an FRET effect when the linker peptide is cleaved. Therefore, use of the fusion protein enables identification, based on the loss of an FRET effect, of the cell having or having had an increased Ca2+ concentration due to stimulation. However, since cleavage of the linker peptide by calpain is an irreversible reaction, which makes continuous monitoring of intracellular Ca2+ concentration change unattainable, this fusion protein cannot be used as a calcium ion indicator.

Polypeptide having intracellular calcium ion indicator function


This invention takes advantage of the potential for a group of data channels, especially if they are carrying a related form of information such as human telephone conversations, to be compressed for transmission as a group to a greater degree than if the channels were compressed individually. A focus of the system and method of this invention is the organization of data from multiple channels, before the data are compressed for transmission, thereby taking advantage of redundant, extraneous or unnecessary information in common among the data. In a preferred embodiment, the invention organizes and processes human speech data from multiple voice-grade telephone channels into a highly compressed representation for transport by a packet switched network, and receives and processes those highly compressed representations to reconstruct, exactly or approximately, the human speech data. This embodiment thus provides for efficient bulk transport of multiple voice-grade telephone channels through a packet switched network. More generally, the present invention provides a system and method for processing data from multiple channels into alternate representations in order to facilitate efficient transmission. The invention more generally also provides a system and method for processing such alternate representations in order to reconstruct, exactly or approximately, data for transmission on multiple channels.

The ability to transmit data rapidly to virtually any place in the world has become one of the defining characteristics of the current information age. This ability comes at a cost, however, because it requires a global infrastructure for providing telecommunications services. Since the origins of the telecommunications infrastructure in local telephone networks, many successful attempts have been made to control costs by making the existing infrastructure perform more tasks and functions. Generally, these attempts have involved either increasing the ability of the existing telecommunications infrastructure to handle more data, or preprocessing raw data so that less data need be transmitted to convey the same amount of information.
Attempts to increase the data handling capabilities of the existing telecommunications infrastructure have included such techniques as the use of time and frequency division multiplexing. In time division multiplexing, multiple low speed channels are combined for transmission over a single high speed channel. In frequency division multiplexing, a large capacity channel is subdivided into a number of lower capacity channels. More recent development of these multiplexing techniques lies in modern packet switched networks, where data streams are broken into small segments that may be routed individually to take advantage of available channel capacity.
Sometimes, however, the available channel capacity between two or more locations is either physically limited or otherwise expensive. A dramatic example of this situation has involved communications between space probes and earth stations. Large quantities of scientific data, and particularly pictures, need to be transmitted from the spacecraft to earth via relatively low capacity channels. The solution to this problem has been the development of compression techniques that reduce the amount of data required to transmit the same amount or approximately the same amount of information.
Compression techniques generally operate by changing the representation of information from one set of data to another set of data. In the process of compression, extraneous or unnecessary information, including redundancies, may be eliminated. Using such techniques, many common representations, such as photographs and human speech recordings, can often be substantially compressed with relatively little loss of information.
Telephone carriers have widely used multiplexing techniques to take advantage of available channel capacity in transmitting human speech. More recently, and particularly with the advent of cellular telephones that operate in environments with limited channel capacity, carriers have also employed compression techniques to increase the transmission capacities of their telecommunications infrastructures. Commonly used compression techniques used are often lossy, i.e., some information is irretrievably lost, and result in changes to the xe2x80x9csoundxe2x80x9d of a speaker even though the words being uttered are still understandable.
The application of compression techniques has generally focused on individual communications paths and particularly on the endpoints of those paths. If compression results in the reduction in the amount of data that must be transmitted then it is logical to apply compression as close to the source of the data as possible. Thus, for example, pictures are typically compressed within space probes before they are transmitted, and likewise speech is typically compressed in cellular telephone handsets before it is transmitted. This trend has been particularly evident in traditional telephone system environments where, until recently, little computer capability to perform compression has been available at central offices and high capacity relay stations.
Especially in competitive telecommunications environments, there is continuing pressure to reduce costs and increase efficiency by making better use of the existing telecommunications infrastructure. In many cases, however, this infrastructure has recently changed radically, due to the use of various packet switching techniques to transport data. These changes were experienced initially by corporations using packet switched networks to transmit data in bulk, and more recently there has also been an increasing effect of use of these techniques on traditional telephone communications, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,706 (describing a system and method for establishing a call telecommunications path that, in some embodiments, makes use of packet switched networks to transport telephone calls). These changes have also resulted in the concentration of computer processing capacity at locations where many individual data channels come together in high capacity packet switched networks.
Data compression techniques typically change the representation of information to remove extraneous or unnecessary information, including, for example, redundancies. Depending on the representation scheme employed, a particular data channel may contain substantial redundant extraneous or unnecessary information, and therefore be highly compressible. Similarly, a group of data channels, particularly if they are carrying related forms of information such as human telephone conversations, may contain substantial redundant extraneous or unnecessary information in common amongst the group of channels and thus be capable of being compressed as a group to a greater degree than if the channels were compressed individually. The availability of substantial computing power at locations where many individual data channels come together in high capacity packet switched networks provides an attractive environment for taking advantage of the compressability of groups of data channels.
Many compression techniques, defined in this specification as including the operations of quantization, scaling, and coding, are known in the art. The degree of compression provided by a particular technique, however, may be highly dependent on the arrangement or structure of the data to be compressed. Simply dispatching data, originating in multiple individual channels, to a compression mechanism will not, in many cases, take advantage of the redundant, extraneous or unnecessary information in common amongst the multiple channels. In contrast, the organization of data before it is compressed, which is a focus of the system and method of the present invention, enables the compression mechanism to take substantial advantage of the xe2x80x9cin commonxe2x80x9d redundant, extraneous, or unnecessary information.
Of course, compression is not an end in itself, but merely facilitates the transmission of representations of sequences of digital data elements to another location where the sequences of digital data elements are approximately or completely reconstructed. As used in this specification, the term xe2x80x9ccompression-sidexe2x80x9d refers to the processing of that takes place from the receipt of information from communications channels to the presentation of compressed data to a transmission network for onward transmission. The term xe2x80x9cdecompression-sidexe2x80x9d refers to all of the processing that takes place from the receipt of compressed data from a transmission network to the presentation of approximately or completely reconstructed information to communications channels for onward transmission.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention enables multiple voice-grade telephone channels, such as might be present at a telephone company central office, to be transmitted via packet-switched computer network in compressed form to a destination location where the multiple voice-grade telephone channels are approximately or exactly reconstructed for final transmission to ultimate destinations. A user of one of these voice-grade telephone channels would be at least substantially unaware that his call was transmitted via a packet switched network rather than through customary telephone company facilities.
As used in this specification, the term xe2x80x9cchannelxe2x80x9d refers to both the data transported by a communications channel as well as the signaling information that is used to establish, control, and dis-establish the communications channel. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, communications channels may be permanent connections between two locations where little or no signaling information is required. In other preferred embodiments of the present invention, communications channels may provide temporary, switched services, for example normal consumer dial-up telephone service, that require extensive signaling.
As used in this specification, the terms xe2x80x9cconnection,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cactive connection,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cactive channelxe2x80x9d refer to either a permanent connection between multiple locations or to a switched connection that has been or is being established between multiple locations. The term xe2x80x9cinactive channelxe2x80x9d refers to an available switched channel that is not currently providing, or in the process of providing, a connection between multiple locations. This distinction is significant since the system of the present invention transports, approximately or exactly, all data carried by active channels supported by the system of the present invention, while that system does not transport any data that may be present on inactive channels. Thus, even silence (which may occur, for example, during pauses in a telephone conversation) or line noise is transported by the system of the present invention for active connections, while neither silence, line noise, or any other data would be transported for inactive channels. Note, however, that in a preferred embodiment, silence is represented as a brief code, as is known in the art, rather than by representations extending for the duration of the silence.
A human-speech telephone conversation is generally transmitted as a continuously varying analog waveform, or as a sequence of digital data elements representing that waveform. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, data transported by each of multiple channels is received as a sequence of digital data elements or is converted for reception to a sequence of digital data elements by a preprocessor, and is transmitted as sequence of digital data elements or is converted for transmission to a continuously varying analog waveform.
The reconstruction of a channel that is transporting a sequence of digital data elements requires knowledge of the values of the digital data elements (xe2x80x9cvalue informationxe2x80x9d), their position in time with respect to each other (xe2x80x9csequence informationxe2x80x9d), and other information that relates the digital data elements to the channel. Throughout all of the compression-side processing, transmission, and decompression-side processing, it is necessary to maintain both value information and sequence information for each sequence of digital data elements that is being transported. Value information is normally maintained explicitly, as is known in the art, by placing particular data elements in various data structures during processing. Sequence information, however, may, as is known in the art, be maintained explicitly, implicitly, or as a combination of both. The term xe2x80x9cidentification informationxe2x80x9d is used in this specification to denote sequence information for particular data elements as well as other information that relates the particular data elements to a particular data channel. It must be noted that identification information may change at each processing stage to reflect the current manner in which sequence and other information is related to particular groups of data elements. A variety of techniques for maintaining identification information are known in the art.
The basic data structure processed by the system of the present invention is termed a xe2x80x9csource-identified-frame,xe2x80x9d and, in a preferred embodiment, includes an ordered set of digital data elements. In this preferred embodiment, the ordered set of digital elements in a source-identified-frame is a subset of the entire ordered set of digital data elements being transported by a particular data channel. Such a subset of data elements is commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9ctime slicexe2x80x9d of the data channel. Also included in this preferred embodiment is identification information that identifies the particular data channel that transported the subset of digital data elements, and that identifies the position of the subset in the entire ordered set of digital data elements. In a preferred embodiment, the number of digital data elements in a source-identified-frame is fixed. In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention is provided with source-identified-frames. In an alternative embodiment, the system of the present invention creates source-identified-frames by processing the data being transported by data channels in an operation termed herein as xe2x80x9csegmenting.xe2x80x9d In preferred embodiments, segmenting is a function of the preprocessor element of the system for processing data from multiple channels of the present invention and of the segmenting step of the method of processing data from multiple channels of the present invention.
The following is a brief summary of the operation of the present invention. Detailed examples of the operation of the invention are provided below in the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments.
On the compression side, source-identified-frames from multiple channels are independently transformed into transformed-source-identified-frames. A source-identified-frame may be transformed into more than one transformed-source-identified-frame. The transformed-source-identified-frames are then grouped together into one or more frame-blocks. Each frame-block is independently transformed into a transformed-frame-block. The transformed-frame-blocks are then compressed into data-streams and the data-streams are made available to a transmission network for transport to a destination for decompression side processing.
On the decompression side, the data-streams are received from a transmission network and decompressed into transformed-frame-blocks. Each transformed-frame-block is independently inverse-transformed into a frame-block. Each frame-block is broken down into its constituent transformed-source-identified-frames. Transformed-source-identified-frames are assembled together as required and are inverse-transformed into source-identified-frames. The source-identified-frames are made available to multiple channels for transport to ultimate destinations. It should be noted that, due to potential losses in the compression and decompression processes as are known in the art, the contents of a particular source-identified-frame may change somewhat as the source-identified-frame traverses the compression side and the decompression side of the system of the present invention.
An object of the invention is to provide a system and method for processing data from multiple channels to remove extraneous or unnecessary information both within individual channels and in common among the multiple channels.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system and method for processing data originally derived from multiple channels, from which extraneous or unnecessary information both within individual channels and in common among the multiple channels has been removed, to approximately or exactly reconstruct the original data.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system and method for processing human speech data from each of multiple channels into a compressed representation for transport by a packet switched network.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system and method for processing compressed representations of human speech data in order to approximately or exactly reconstruct the human speech data.
The present invention, as broadly described herein, provides a system for processing data from multiple channels including a first transformer, a classifier which is in communication with the first transformer, a second transformer which is in communication with the classifier, and a compression-side postprocessor which is in communication with the second transformer and a transmission network.
As broadly described herein, the system of the present invention for processing data from multiple channels may also include a compression-side preprocessor, in communication with the first transformer, that is an interface to a plurality of data channels.
The present invention, as broadly described herein, also provides a system for processing data for multiple channels including a decompression-side preprocessor which is in communication with a transmission network, a first-inverse transformer which is in communication with the decompression-side preprocessor, an assembler which is in communication with the first inverse-transformer, and a second inverse-transformer which is in communication with the assembler.
As broadly described herein, the system of the present invention for processing data for multiple channels may also include a decompression-side postprocessor, in communication with the second inverse-transformer, that is an interface to at least one data channel.
The present invention, as broadly described herein, also provides a method for processing data from multiple channels including the steps of receiving a plurality of source-identified-frames; transforming at least one source-identified-frame into at least one transformed-source-identified-frame; categorizing at least one transformed-source-identified-frame by domain type wherein there is at least one prespecified domain type; categorizing at least one transformed-source-identified-frame by category type wherein there is at least one prespecified category type; grouping at least one transformed-source-identified-frame into at least one frame-block, responsive to the domain type and the category type of the transformed-source-identified-frame; transforming at least one frame-block into at least one data-stream; and transmitting at least one data-stream to a transmission network.
As broadly described herein, the method of the present invention for processing data from multiple channels many also include the steps of receiving a plurality of data channels; segmenting at least one data channel into a plurality of source-identified-frames; and transmitting the plurality of source-identified-frames.
The present invention, as broadly described herein, also provides a method for processing data for multiple channels including the steps of receiving at least one data-stream from a transmission network; decompressing the data-stream into at least one transformed-frame-block; inverse-transforming the transformed-frame-block into at least one frame-block; separating the frame-block into at least one transformed-source-identified-frame; and inverse-transforming the transformed-source-identified-frame into at least one source-identified-frame.
As broadly described herein, the method of the present invention for processing data for multiple channels includes the step of combining, responsive to a source-identified-frame, the source-identified-frame into at least one data channel.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part in the description that 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 also be realized and attained by means of the steps, instrumentalities, and combinations particularly set out in the appended claims.

System and method for processing data from and for multiple channels


The disclosure describes a locking system for a door with a mortise pocket. The locking system has a mortise case within the mortise pocket. The mortise case defines an alignment hole. The locking system also has a gear box with a worm gear that defines a notched passage that receives a lock knob shaft. A worm within the gear box is coupled to a motor that rotates the worm. The worm engages the worm gear such that the worm gear rotates when the worm rotates. A control board in the gear box is adapted to receive electronic signals and transmit them to the motor to cause the motor to rotate the worm. The gear box also has a worm gear hub that defines a keyed passage and a hub tab. The worm gear hub fits within the notched passage and the keyed passage receives the lock knob shaft. The worm gear also has two notches that the hub tab contacts individually when the gear hub rotates within the notched passage.

Mechanically and/or electromechanically operated doors serve an important function in both commercial and residential contexts ensuring that personnel and/or visitors who are not authorized to access particular premises or secured items are restricted from such access, while providing access to the intended parties. For this purpose, mortise locks have been installed into doors and entryways as a way of concealing a lock's inner workings from access and view. Examples of previous mortise lock designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,673,605, 3,808,849, 4,890,870, 4,988,133, 4,950,005, 5,474,348, 6,393,878, and 7,836,738. Traditional mortise lock systems are difficult to install and can often have problems with alignment and smooth function. Exterior fasteners detract from a door's aesthetic and provide intruders with potential entry points in the lock. Additionally, since part of a door's interior must be removed in order to install a mortise lock, traditional locks leave the door weakened and vulnerable to forced entry. Examples of these traditional configurations are shown in FIGS. 45, 46, and 47.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventor to aid the reader, and it is not to be taken as a reference to prior art nor as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art.

Mortise lock apparatus and electronic operating system


A common rail single fluid fuel injection system includes fuel injectors with a single electrical actuator but the ability to produce ramp, square and split injection rate shapes. This is accomplished by including a control valve member that is operably coupled to the electrical actuator and is movable between a high pressure seat and a low pressure seat. A fuel supply passage is opened to a nozzle passage by moving an admission valve member from a closed position to an open position by relieving fuel pressure on a control surface via movement of the control valve member. In addition, a needle valve member is movable from a closed position to an open position by relieving pressure on a closing hydraulic surface associated with the needle valve, which is again accomplished via movement of the control valve member via the electrical actuator.

Engineers have come to recognize that undesirable engine emissions, such as NOX, particulates and unburnt hydrocarbons, can be reduced across an engine's operating range with fuel injection systems with maximum flexibility in controlling injection timing, flow rate, injection quantity, injection rate shapes, end of injection characteristics and other factors known in the art. The desire for maximum flexibility is often tempered by the need to manage costs associated with fuel injection system components and manufacturability, the need for a robust system, the desire to reduce performance variations among fuel injectors in a system, and other factors known in the art. These issues were initially addressed by introducing an electrical actuator into fuel injectors in order to gain some threshold controllability over injection timing and quantity independent of engine crank angle. In the case of common rail fuel injection systems, this threshold control is often accomplished either by including an electronically controllable admission valve or an electronically controllable direct control needle valve. In the former case, the fuel injector's nozzle chamber is opened and closed to a fluid connection with the high pressure fuel rail by opening and closing an admission valve via an electrical actuator. In some instances, the admission valve is directly coupled to an electrical actuator, such as a solenoid, and in other instances the admission valve is pilot operated. In other common rail fuel injection systems, the nozzle chamber remains fluidly connected to the high pressure rail at all times, but the nozzles are opened and closed by relieving pressure on a closing hydraulic surface of a direct control needle valve. Although these common rail fuel injection systems have many desirable aspects, the ability to maximize flexibility in injection characteristics has remained ellusive.
In one example common rail fuel injector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,200 to Augustin, a pilot operated admission valve supposedly includes features that allow the fuel injector to provide a relatively slow rate of injection toward the beginning of an injection event to produce what is commonly referred to in the art as a ramp shaped injection event. While it is true that ramp shaped injection events have proven effective in reducing undesirable emissions at some engine operating conditions, other engine operating conditions often demand different injection characteristics to effectively reduce undesirable emissions. Among these other desired injection characteristics are split injections, the ability to produce square front end injection rate shapes, and the ability to abruptly end injection events. Thus, it has proven problematic to produce common rail fuel injectors with an expanded range of capabilities.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Single fluid injector with rate shaping capability


A chain link for antiskid chains of vehicle tires, which is provided in order to improve the grip properties, in particular on a smooth underlying surface, with one or more spike(s) which project on one of its sides. Each spike has, perpendicular to its longitudinal extent, a cross-section whose outer edge has a corrugated peripheral contour of successive troughs and peaks.

It has long been known, for improving grip properties, in particular on a smooth underlying surface (such as snow or ice), to provide chain links for antiskid chains for vehicle tires with spikes which project on one side of the chain link, wherein in the case of an antiskid chain with such chain links fitted on a vehicle tire, these links are supported on the tire tread and the attached spikes project from the chain links away from the tire tread (U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,127 A, U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,942 A, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,178 A).
In the past, usually spikes with a circular cross-section were used, with the spikes attached to the individual chain links (U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,639 A, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,178 A) or provided in connecting links of chain strand sections of the tread network (EP 0 298 905 A1). The spikes used in such antiskid chains reduce the wear loading of the chain strand sections of the tread network and simultaneously improve the antiskid properties of the antiskid chain quite appreciably.
However, it was found that the spikes wear relatively quickly and at the same time they can also cause damage to road surfaces that are not ice-covered.
Chain links with spikes that have non-circular cross-sections, for instance rectangular or square cross-sections (U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,127, U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,942, WO 2006/135249 A1) or also polygonal cross-sections (WO 2006/135249 A1), are also known. Improvement of the traction properties of the antiskid chains provided with chain links with such spikes was always in the background.
Even if, when using chain links with spikes of non-circular cross-sections, it was sometimes possible to increase the time before the spikes were completely worn, particularly in the case of spikes configured with sharp edges, which led to increased antiskid capacity of the corresponding wheel chain, there was also at the same time however an increased tendency for road surfaces to be damaged.

Chain link with spikes for antiskid chains, and antiskid chain comprising such chain links


Processes are provided for preparing mupirocin calcium dihydrate from pseudomonic acid in a two phase system by using an organic carboxylate. A highly pure composition of amorphous mupirocin calcium is provided, and processes for its preparation by solvent removal, lyophilization and precipitation with use of an anti-solvent. Pharmaceutical compositions of amorphous form, and methods of using them to treat infections are also provided. Also provided are combined processes for preparing mupirocin calcium dihydrate and amorphous, by producing amorphous form first, followed by conversion of amorphous form into the dihydrate through crystallization from an aqueous solution. Also provided are processes for removing the water of crystallization of the dihydrate to obtain mupirocin calcium anhydrate.

Pseudomonic acid A is an antibiotic that has a growth inhibiting effect mainly against Gram positive bacteria (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and some Gram negative bacteria (e.g. Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae) [A. Ward, D. M. Campoli-Richards, Drugs 32, 425-444 (1986)] and its minimal inhibiting concentration is in the range of 0.02-0.5 mg/dm3. Pseudomonic acid A, by inhibiting the isoleucine-tRNA synthase enzyme, affects the peptide synthesis of pathogen bacteria [J. Hughes and G. Mellows, Biochem. J. 191, 209-219 (1980)]. An advantageous feature of this antibiotic is that it has very low toxicity both for humans and animals and it is negative in the Ames test. Pseudomonic acid A is presently used in human therapy, in various formulations, for the treatment of skin infections (e.g. impetigo, pyoderma), nose and external ear infections, acne, burns, eczema, psoriasis, in case of ulceration for treatment of secondary infections, and for prevention of hospital infections.
The chemical structure of pseudomonic acid A is 9-{4[5S(2S,3S-epoxy-5S-hydroxy-4S-methylhexyl)-3R,4R-dihydroxy-tetrahydropyran-2S-yl]-3-methylbut-2(E)-enoyloxy}nonanoic acid [E. B. Chain and G. Mellows, J. C. S. Chem. Comm. 847-848 (1974); R. G. Alexander, J. P. Clayton, K. Luk, N. H. Rogers, T. J. King, J. C. S. Perkin I. 561-565 (1978)], as depicted by formula (I):

It is known that Pseudomonas fluorescens is able to produce the pseudomonic acid A. According to the British Patent No. 1,395,907, the Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIB 10586 strain is able to biosynthesize the pseudomonic acid complex consisting of pseudomonic acid A and its isomer being a double bond in the cis position between the carbon atoms C2 and C3 and pseudomonic acid B. The ratio of the components is 4.5:4.5:1. According to the Japanese patent application No. 52-70083, however, the Pseudomonas fluorescens Y-11633 strain is able to biosynthesize the pseudomonic acid complex consisting of the pseudomonic acid A, pseudomonic acid B and further two components with unknown structures in the ratio of 9:0.5:0.5.
Mupirocin calcium, an antibiotic derived from pseudomonic acid is currently marketed in the United States as Bactroban®. Bactroban® is recommended for treatment of secondarily infected traumatic skin lesions caused by strains of Stephylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Bactroban® is sold as a topical cream or a nasal ointment and has a calcium salt strength of 2% equivalent base. According to the maker of Bactroban®, mupirocin calcium could be administered orally at 500 mg, and intravenously at 250 mg without any major side effects.
Mupirocin calcium is especially effective against gram-positive bacteria, but may also be used against gram negative bacteria. It inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by irreversibly binding to bacterial isoleucyl transfer-RNA synthetase.
The calcium salt of pseudomonic acid ("mupirocin calcium") has been disclosed in various patents. U.K. Pat. Nos. 1,577,545 and 1,577,730, incorporated herein by reference, disclose the use of mupirocin calcium in the treatment of diseases. The '545 patent is directed to the treatment and prevention of swine dysentery with the calcium salt of mupirocin. The '730 patent is directed to the use of the calcium salt of mupirocin to treat respiratory, venereal and mycoplasma-induced diseases in non-human mammals. The disclosure focuses on the efficacy of mupirocin as a drug, rather than its preparation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,287 is directed to a pharmaceutical composition of mupirocin calcium for topical administration comprising hydrated crystalline calcium salt, and a corticosteroid. The '287 patent discloses various formulations for crystalline mupirocin calcium and is incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,596,672, 5,436,266, 5,191,093 and 4,916,155 (Baker et al.), all within the same family, disclose a crystalline calcium salt of mupirocin, and claim its composition, method of preparation and administration. All these patents are incorporated herein by reference. The '672 patent is directed to a method of treating bacterial infections with crystalline mupirocin calcium or a hydrate thereof. The '266 patent is directed to a hydrate of crystalline mupirocin calcium. The '155 patent is directed to anhydrous crystalline mupirocin calcium. The '093 patent is directed to a process for preparing crystalline mupirocin calcium or a hydrate thereof by "reacting pseudomonate ions with calcium ions in solution in an aqueous solvent, recovering a crystalline calcium pseudomonate hydrate from the solution and thereafter optionally removing water of crystallization."
The Baker et al. patents disclose preparing amorphous form of mupirocin calcium by crystallization from an aqueous solution consisting of 50% methanol followed by trituration with dry ether. Amorphous mupirocin calcium obtained in the patents exhibits a relatively low melting point of 70-76° C., a relatively low assay of 89.9% (expressed as a percentage of pure free pseudomonic acid) and rapid deterioration at high temperatures (chart in Columns 8 and 9 of the '093 and related patents). The Baker et al. patents disclose that "the readily isolable amorphous form of this salt has been found to be sparingly water soluble material, having a low melting point and poor thermal stability." (Column 1, Lines 31-33).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,534, incorporated herein by reference, discloses use of a lithium salt as an intermediate in isolating pseudomonic acid from a broth. The '534 patent extracts the broth to obtain mupirocin lithium and hydrolyzes the salt to obtain pseudomonic acid.
A need exists in the art to prepare mupirocin calcium dihydrate with new processes. Processes which eliminate the use of a co-solvent are particularly preferred in that removal of a co-solvent is a tedious step and may lead to deterioration of the product. A need also exists in the art for a process for preparing a more pure and stable form of amorphous mupirocin calcium.

Processes for preparing crystalline and amorphous mupirocin calcium

TEVA Gyógyszergyár Zártkörüen Müködö Részvénytárasaság


A face mask for filtering contaminants from the air. The face mask includes a harness for securing the mask over the nose and mouth of the wearer and a nonwoven fibrous layer attached to the harness. The nonwoven fibrous layer contains at least 40 weight percent thermally bonding fibers, where at least 10 weight percent of the fibers in the nonwoven fibrous layer are bicomponent fibers. The nonwoven fibrous layer is molded in a cup-shaped configuration and has a surface fuzz value of not less than 7.5 after being subjected to a surface fuzz abrasion test.

Fibrous-filtration-face-masks are well known in the respiratory art. Such face masks are worn over the breathing passages of a person and typically serve at least one of two purposes: (1) to prevent impurities or contaminants from entering the wearer's breathing tract; and (2) to protect others from being exposed to bacteria and other contaminants exhaled by the wearer. In the first situation, the mask would be worn in an environment where the air contains particles harmful to the wearer. In the second situation, the mask would be worn, for example, in an operating room to protect a patient from infection.
Fibrous-filtration-face-masks have been made from thermally bonding fibers. Thermally bonding fibers bond to adjacent fibers after being heated and cooled. Examples of face masks formed from such fibers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,619 and 4,536,440. The face masks disclosed in these patents are cup-shaped masks that have at least one layer of thermally bonding fibers. The layer of thermally bonding fibers is termed a "shaping layer" and is used to provide shape to the mask and support for a filtration layer. Relative to the filtration layer, the shaping layer may reside on an inner portion of the mask (adjacent to the face of the wearer), or it may reside on an outer portion or on both inner and outer portions of the mask. Typically, the filtration layer resides outside the inner shaping layer.
The shaping layers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,619 and 4,536,440 have been made by molding non-woven webs of thermally bonding fibers in heated molds. The heated molds operate at temperatures above a softening point of the bonding component of the thermally bonding fibers. A web of thermally bonding fibers is placed in a heated mold and is subjected to pressure and heat to form a shaping layer for a face mask. This kind of molding operation is known as a "hot molding process".
There have been complaints from persons who have worn face masks made by hot molding non-woven webs of thermally bonding fibers. The wearers have indicated that the masks contain fuzz which touches the wearers' face and creates a tickling sensation, making them want to scratch that area of their face. If the mask is being worn to protect wearers from breathing impurities in the air or to protect others from infection, it becomes problematic for wearers to displace the mask from their face to relieve the itching sensation. Wearers must tolerate the itching sensation or risk exposing themselves or others to potentially dangerous substances. The present invention is directed to providing shaping layers for face masks which have improved surface fuzz properties.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A spark plug for an internal combustion engine includes a center electrode, a tubular insulator, a tubular metal shell, a ground electrode and an overvoltage preventer. The insulator has the center electrode inserted and held therein. The metal shell has the insulator inserted and held therein such that a proximal part of the insulator is exposed from the metal shell. The ground electrode is joined to a distal end of the metal shell and faces the center electrode through a spark gap formed between the center and ground electrodes. The overvoltage preventer prevents a voltage higher than or equal to a threshold voltage from being applied across the spark gap. The overvoltage preventer is arranged in the proximal part of the insulator so as to be positioned outside the metal shell and farther than the metal shell from the spark gap.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to spark plugs for internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a spark plug is employed as igniting means in an internal combustion engine of, for example, a motor vehicle. The spark plug includes a center electrode, a tubular insulator having the center electrode inserted and held therein, a tubular metal shell (or housing) having a distal part of the insulator inserted and held therein, and a ground electrode that is joined to a distal end of the metal shell and faces the center electrode through a spark gap formed between the center and ground electrodes.
In operation, a high voltage is applied by an ignition coil to the spark plug, thereby breaking down the electrical insulation of the spark gap to generate sparks between the center and ground electrodes.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JPH0680313 discloses a spark plug which has a voltage-constant element embedded in the insulator. The voltage-constant element has a characteristic that its electrical resistance decreases when a voltage higher than or equal to a threshold voltage is applied to it. The voltage-constant element is implemented by an avalanche diode or a varistor. The voltage-constant element is located within the metal shell and electrically connected between the secondary side of the ignition coil and the metal shell in parallel with a spark-discharge path that includes the center electrode, the spark gap, and the ground electrode. Consequently, with the voltage-constant element, it is possible to prevent a voltage higher than or equal to the threshold voltage from being applied across the spark gap. As a result, it is possible to reduce variation in the discharge voltage of the spark plug.
However, the spark plug disclosed in the above patent document may involve the following problems.
In operation, a distal part of the spark plug, which is inserted in a combustion chamber of the engine, will be heated to a high temperature by the heat generated by combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Moreover, the metal shell is generally made of a metal material having a relatively high heat conductivity. Therefore, when the distal part of the spark plug is heated, the heat of the distal part will be transmitted to the entire metal shell, thereby heating the entire metal shell also to a high temperature. Accordingly, the voltage-constant element, which is located within the metal shell, may be subjected to a high temperature which exceeds the heatproof temperature of the voltage-constant element. Consequently, the threshold voltage of the voltage-constant element may be changed and, in the worst case, the voltage-constant element may be damaged and become unable to normally function. As a result, it may become impossible for the spark plug to generate stable sparks in the spark gap.

Spark plug for internal combustion engine


A lithium primary battery includes a positive electrode 1 using iron sulfide as a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode 2 using a lithium alloy as a negative electrode active material, an electrode group 4 formed by winding the positive and negative electrodes 1, 2 with a separator 3 being interposed therebetween, and a non-aqueous electrolytic solution. The lithium alloy contains at least one of magnesium or tin in a range of 0.02-0.2 mol %.

Lithium primary batteries each using iron sulfide as a positive electrode active material (hereinafter merely referred to as "lithium primary batteries") are highly practical because the lithium primary batteries have average discharge voltage of around 1.5 V and are compatible with other 1.5 V-class primary batteries such as manganese batteries and alkaline manganese batteries. A theoretical capacity of iron sulfide used as the positive electrode active material is as high as about 894 mAh/g, and a theoretical capacity of lithium used as a negative electrode active material is as high as about 3863 mAh/g. Thus, the lithium primary batteries are highly practical as high-capacity lightweight primary batteries.
Of the lithium primary batteries, a lithium primary battery including an electrode group formed by spirally winding a positive electrode and a negative electrode with a separator being interposed therebetween and a cylindrical battery case in which the electrode group is accommodated together with a non-aqueous electrolytic solution has a larger area where the positive and negative electrodes face each other. Thus, such a lithium primary battery has excellent discharge properties under a high load.
Iron sulfide used as the positive electrode active material can be industrially synthesized, but naturally exists as pyrite. Thus, if the positive electrode active material is formed by crushing pyrite, a material cost of the positive electrode active material can be decreased.
However, natural ore may contain impurities, or iron sulfide may react with water or air to generate sulfate iron in the course of forming powder of the positive electrode active material by crushing natural ore. In the case where the positive electrode active material contains such impurities, there is a possibility that the impurities are dissolved from the positive electrode in the non-aqueous electrolytic solution, and that, e.g., iron ions move to the negative electrode and are deposited on the negative electrode. As a result, the following disadvantage is caused: the discharge properties are degraded when dendrites of the grown iron penetrate the separator to cause a minor short circuit.
For the foregoing disadvantage, Patent Document 1 describes a technique to reduce or prevent a minor short circuit in such a manner that a pH value for iron sulfide used as a positive electrode active material is adjusted to a predetermined minimum value to lower solubility of impurities and reduce generation of dendrites.
In the case where lithium used as the negative electrode active material is used for the negative electrode as lithium foil, part of the negative electrode may be raptured in the wounded electrode group due to low tensile strength, resulting in degradation of the discharge properties. Moreover, if the raptured negative electrode penetrates the separator, a disadvantage that an internal short circuit occur is caused.
For the foregoing disadvantage, Patent Document 2 describes a technique to reduce or prevent rapture of a negative electrode in such a manner that a lithium alloy formed by alloying lithium with aluminum is used for the negative electrode to increase the tensile strength of lithium alloy foil.
Moreover, in addition to aluminum, Patent Document 3 describes mercury, zinc, and magnesium as metal which can be alloyed with lithium.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An acoustic output device includes a base case whose internal space is formed as an arrangement space and in which an insertion hole communicating with the internal space is formed, a cover that covers at least a part of the base case, an elastically deformable waterproof sheet including a flat surface portion joined to the base case and a bag-shaped pocket portion inserted into the insertion hole, a push button including an operating portion to be pressed and operated and a working portion inserted into the pocket portion, a substrate that is arranged in the arrangement space, and a switch that is arranged on the substrate and operated by the working portion via the pocket portion.

Among acoustic output devices that are used as headphones or earphones and output sound from speakers, there is an acoustic output device provided with a switch arranged on a substrate and a push button for operating the switch (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the above-described acoustic output device, the switch is arranged in an internal space of a housing, and at least a part of the push button is positioned to be exposed to the outside of the housing. The push button is configured to be moved to a switch side by a pressing operation of a user and operate the switch.
Incidentally, among the acoustic output devices provided with the push buttons as described above, there is an acoustic output device having a waterproof structure for waterproofing the internal space of the housing. For example, a flat waterproof sheet that can be elastically deformed is arranged between the push button and the switch to waterproof the internal space while the switch is operated via the waterproof sheet that is elastically deformed by the push button.
In the waterproof structure described above, generally, a seat mounting portion including a seat insertion hole is arranged inside the housing, and the switch and the push button are positioned on opposite sides with the seat insertion hole interposed therebetween. The waterproof sheet includes a deformed portion facing the push button and an annular joint portion surrounding the deformed portion, and the joint portion is joined to a portion around the insertion hole in the seat mounting portion. When the push button is pressed and operated, the deformed portion of the waterproof sheet is pressed, elastically deformed, and pushed into the sheet insertion hole, and the switch is operated by the push button via the deformed portion.


A method and apparatus for client programs adapted for use in an object oriented, distributed computing system, to have the ability to communicate and use references to objects in a way which improves the benefits of software caching are disclosed. A mechanism is described whereby a network object handle (an augmented object handle) can be used to reference both a server and a local cache manager. When the augmented object handle is transmitted it is automatically updated to use a local cache manager in its target environment (i.e. on the same machine on which the receiving client program resides) if possible.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fields of distributed computing systems, client-server computing and object oriented programming. Specifically, the present invention is a method and apparatus for providing client programs the ability to communicate and use references to objects such that the full benefit of software caching are obtained on each machine where the objects are used.
2. Background
In an object oriented system, an object is a component comprising data and operations which can be invoked to manipulate the data. The operations are invoked on the object by sending calls to the object. Each object has an object type. The object type defines the operations that can be performed on objects of that type. The object operations are implemented independent of the objects themselves. Additionally, one object type may inherit the object operations defined and implemented for other object types. For further description of object oriented design and programming techniques see "Object-oriented Software Construction" by Bertrand Meyer, Prentice-Hall 1988.
In client-server computing, typically there is a set of computers that can communicate with one another through a network connecting the computers. Some of these computers act as providers of services or functions to other computers. The providers of such service or functionality are known as "servers", and the consumers of such service or functionality are called "clients". The client-server model also generalizes to the case where distinct programs running on the same computer are communicating with one another through some protected mechanism and are acting as providers and consumers of functionality.
In object oriented distributed systems based upon the client-server model, there exist servers that provide object oriented interfaces to their clients. These servers support objects consisting of data and the associated software. Clients may obtain access to these objects and may execute calls on them. These calls are transmitted to the server from the client. At the server these calls are executed via the software associated with the object. The results of these calls are then transmitted back to the client.
Client programs reference particular objects by means of object handles. An "object handle" is an identifier which provides a way of locating an object (the "target object") and of executing calls on it. Client programs are typically given object handles by another program or by the operating system kernel at program initiation. If a given client program has an object handle referencing a particular object then that client program can pass a copy of that object handle to another client program. The second client program can then use the object handle to access the object.
Object handles are implemented in a variety of ways. For example, one known system uses object handles consisting of two components. Component A is the network address of the server, and component B is an identifier of the target object relative to that server. When an object invocation is performed, the client sends the object invocation to the network address specified by component A and also transmits the identifier specified by component B. The server then uses component B to identify the particular object that is being invoked. Another system, the Emerald system, also uses an object handle that consists of two components. The first, called an "object identifier", is an integer value that acts as a unique identifier for the object. The second component, called the "forwarding address", contains a hint about the network address where the object currently resides. When an Emerald client wishes to communicate with the object it must determine the current network address of that object. See "Fine-Grained Mobility in the Emerald System", by Eric Jul, Henry Levy, Norman Hutchinson and Andrew Black, ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, 6(1) 1988, pp. 109-133. Other systems use various other formats for object handles. These object handles shall be characterized herein as "simple object handles" and their variety of formats is irrelevant to the present invention as more fully described below.
These "simple object handles" are not adequate to allow a distributed system to take full advantage of software caching. "Software Caches" are used in many operating systems to improve system performance. For example, file Caching is implemented by retaining in main memory a few of the most recently accessed disk blocks. File Caching has been implemented on servers, providing data five to ten times faster than similar data fetched from the disk. Software caching provides similar efficiencies in distributed systems. Using the caching technique, the client does not communicate directly with the server but rather with a cache manager program which is typically running on his machine. The cache manager will attempt to maintain some internal state that reflects part of the state of the server so that the cache manager can respond to client requests without always needing to communicate with the server. This technique reduces the time for the client's operations to be performed while also reducing the number of operations that must be performed by the server.
Such software caching can be implemented in an object oriented distributed system, where the caching is implemented using objects. However, due to the limitations of the "simple object handles", the benefits of caching at the client machine level are obviated in certain situations. For example, whenever a client program running on one machine, passes the "simple object handle" to another client program which is running on a different machine, a problem develops. This problem is explained more fully in the detailed description of the present invention below. However, generally, the problem arises because the object handle which the first program was using was actually a pointer to a cache manager on the first program's machine rather than a pointer to the target object itself. Thus when the first program passes "its" object handle to a program on another machine, the receiving program has no present way of knowing where the object handle is pointing. And in this situation, an inefficiency occurs because the receiving program's invocation of an operation on the target object results, not in a call to a cache manager on the receiving program's machine or on the server containing the target object, but rather results in a call on the cache manager in the machine of the program that sent the object handle to the receiving program. This unfortunate situation negates the benefits of local machine caching completely. The present invention solves this problem by having the sending program give the receiving program an additional reference to the target object.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus and a method comprising an augmented object handle (in the preferred embodiment called the "Extended Cachable Handle") which will provide the ability for a client to automatically select a cache manager running on its own machine (if any), and if its machine has several different cache managers specializing in caching different kinds of objects, the Extended Cachable Handle will permit the automatic selection of a cache manager based upon the actual characteristics of the target object. If no local cache manager is available, the receiving program has the ability to access the target object directly, without reference to the transmitting program's machine.

Method and apparatus for portable object handles that use local caches