A method of using a dynamic computing environment to facilitate a sales preparation of a first software is provided. The method comprises configuring the dynamic computing environment for a first hardware, a first software environment and a first network configuration, preparing for sales of the first software using the first hardware, the first software environment, and the first network configuration of the dynamic computing environment, configuring the dynamic computing environment for a second hardware, a second software environment, and a second network configuration; and preparing for sales of the first software using the second hardware, the second software environment, and the second network configuration of the dynamic computing environment. A method of using dynamic computing environments to facilitate a sales demonstration by a sales team and an evaluation by a customer is also provided.

The present invention relates in general to digital processing and more specifically to a model for the use of dynamic computing environments in the sales cycle of software vendors.
Sales teams of organizations that sell software go through a cycle of internal preparations, product demonstrations to potential customers, product evaluations by customers, feedback from customers, and transition of ownership through an installation/customization process.
During the stages of internal preparations and product demonstrations, software vendors as well as their customers often face issues such as lack of availability or difficulty in managing computing environments when installing software on specific computers. Additionally, the installation of software on computers can be time consuming and extremely complicated. Often, administrators must be used to install the software. This is especially true as computer systems become more and more complicated. With the advent of the client-server software model, demonstration and evaluation of a software system requires execution on a network of heterogeneous computers. For instance, an e-business software system consisting of a web-server, an application server, and a database server would require a network consisting of at least one web-server to handle requests from clients, in addition to one or more application servers and one or more database servers. These networks require capital expenditures for infrastructure that a company may not want to commit to without first knowing whether the software and hardware will fit its needs. Therefore, customers may be reluctant to test and evaluate software if expenditures need to be made in order to perform evaluation leading to subsequent sale. Also, customers will be especially reluctant because setting up evaluation systems takes considerable time and effort. Additionally, some evaluation systems may not be needed after evaluation and may become useless. Thus, customers may not want to commit to initial capital expenditures associated with installing, configuring, and testing the software during the evaluation phase.
Additionally, customers may not even want to use their own computers to test and evaluate software. Customers may be afraid of corruption or crashes affecting their pre-existing network. Thus, a sales team may not even be allowed to install a software product at a customer's site. And even if customers do install the software on their own computers, the computing environment most likely will be isolated from the customer's network in order to isolate their network from corruption or crashes associated with the software. Thus, extra precautions are needed to install software at a customer's site.
During a demonstration phase, a sales team can demonstrate the software from a computer with the software installed on it. This requires that the sales team and customer be physically present in the same locality. Alternatively, a sales team may demonstrate the software from a remote location and have the customer view the results of the execution of the software through a web browser or other interface. In both of these cases, the sales team and customer are restricted in their usage of the software. In the first case, the sales team and customers must be in the same location in order for a demonstration to take place. In the second case, the customer can only view the results of the software process and cannot interact directly with the process. In both cases, a pleasant customer experience during evaluation of a software product is predicated on minimal time and effort to set up the evaluation, together with the flexibility to experiment with the software.
During an evaluation phase, a customer must typically download the software from a disk, CD, vendor's web site, etc. The software is then installed on the customer's computers and the evaluation phase can begin. After the customer's installation of the software, the vendor has no interaction with the customer's use of the software. Thus, if problems with the installation, subsequent configuration, or use occur with the software, a vendor's only option is to send a support provider out to the customer's site or to try and fix the problem over the telephone. In most scenarios, the problem cannot be fixed immediately and the customer may lose valuable evaluation time, decide not buy the software, or buy another product.
Also, because the vendor has no interaction with the customer's use of the software, the vendor cannot track customer usage for quantity and quality, usage time and periods, patterns of usage, trouble spots, system failures, etc. The only tracking that is typically possible is through post-evaluation feedback, which is slow, subjective, and inaccurate. This feedback does not help the vendor to pro-actively alleviate the customer's concerns about the features and capabilities of the software and often leads to an unsatisfactory customer experience with the software. Furthermore, the tracking process is inefficient because it is not completely automated. Also, effective feedback may result in a configuration change or tuning of the software and the evaluation phase may have to be repeated. In such case, prior art models lead to under-utilization of resources between the two evaluation phases by the replication of set-up time and effort preceding each evaluation.
Typically, software must be customized for a specific customer's needs. However, customization is often not performed due to lack of resources and lack of incentive (due to the vendor's inability to determine whether or not the result of an evaluation would lead to a sale and consequently recognizable revenue). Often, customers are asked to "believe in good faith" that the software, when purchased, would indeed be deployed per the customization needs of the customer. However, post sale deployment often involves time and effort on the customer's part, thus risking the customer's own products and services that potentially depend on the use of the software. The entire software sales cycle, from pre-sale demonstration through evaluation to post sale deployment may take around four to six months, which in the present days of shrinking software life cycle is unacceptable.
During the transition of ownership through an installation/customization process, configurations for purchased software may be different from the configuration used in the testing environment. Additionally, the testing computing environment may have been isolated from the customer's active network. Thus, re-installation of the software will have to be performed each time the software in the customer's active network changes. Therefore, additional problems may occur during re-installation. Also, the transition will not be seamless because the software cannot be automatically used by the customer on their network. Typically, reasons include that the software needs to be integrated with the customer's own software and third party components and the software needs to be tuned for performance.
The efficiency of a sales team in all of the above phases is necessary and important to sell software. With the proliferation of software companies, a customer may have many choices for a desired software application. Thus, any delay may cause the sales team to lose the potential contract because some customers cannot afford to lose development time and must have software systems running immediately.

Application model for dynamic computing environments in software sales cycle


A system for depositing coating on a workpiece includes a deposition chamber within which is formed a vortex to at least partially surround a workpiece therein.

The present disclosure relates to electron beam physical vapor deposition, and more particularly, to nanoparticle or "fluff" mitigation.
Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) is a form of physical vapor deposition in which a target material is bombarded with an electron beam given off by a charged tungsten filament under high vacuum. The electron beam causes atoms from the target to transform into the gaseous phase. These atoms then condense into solid form, coating a workpiece in the vacuum chamber, and within a line of sight, with a thin layer of the material.
Running the EB-PVD process under lower vacuum (higher pressure) conditions results in faster deposition rates and improved coating of surfaces with limited line-of-sight to the targets that generate the vapor flux. However, nanoparticle formation can occur under these conditions, likely due to condensation of vapor in the gas phase. These nanoparticles can have several undesirable effects, including clogging or damage of pumping systems, accumulation in and damage to the electron beam gun systems, and obscuring of viewports. Mitigations of these effects is necessary for an economic, operationally efficient coating process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nanoparticle formation mitigation in a deposition process


An IC chip includes I/O bumps on a back side, a first die, a second die, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The first die has driver circuits for LED devices, the LED devices being located on a front-facing surface of the first die. The first circuit extends from the front side toward the back side and across a thickness of the first die. The first circuit provides electrical connections between the LED devices and at least some of the I/O bumps. The first die and the second die can be stacked vertically or arranged laterally adjacent. The second circuit extends between the first die and the second die to electrically connect the first die and the second die. A circuit board can be electrically connected to the IC chip through the I/O bumps to, among other things, provide power to the various components of the IC chip.

The disclosure relates generally to display, and more specifically, to integration of display devices with control circuits.
Displays are ubiquitous and are a core component of wearable devices, smart phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs and display systems. Common display technologies today include Light Emitting Diode (LED) displays.
A display system can be created by assembling an array of LED display devices on a backplane. One or more LED display devices of the array of LED display devices can be grouped to form pixels. The display system may include control circuits to generate control signals to control each pixel to display an image. The display system further includes a backplane to provide structural support for the LED display devices, and to provide electrical connections to transmit the control signals to the LED display devices. The integration of the LED display devices with the backplane and with the control circuits can affect the pixel-level interconnects as well as the size of the display system, all of which can affect the performance and the application of the display system.


An optical disc of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that includes a first surface, a second surface, an optically writable label area, and an optically writable data area. The first and the second surfaces are oppositely situated to one another. The label area is on one of the first and the second surfaces. The data area is on one of the first and the second surfaces. The mechanism aids proper focusing of an optical beam of an optical disc device on the optically writable label area and on the optically writable data area.

Computer users employ writable and rewritable optical discs for a variety of different purposes. They may save programs or data to the discs, for archival or distribution purposes. In the case of CD-type discs, users may make music CD's that can be played in audio CD players, or save music data files to the CD's, such as MP3 files, that can be played in special-purpose CD players. For DVD-type discs, users have greater storage capacity available to them than with CD-type discs, and may be able to make video DVD's that can be played in stand-alone DVD players.
Many types of optical discs include a data side and a label side. The data side is where the data is written to, whereas the label side allows the user to label the optical disc. Unfortunately, labeling can be an unprofessional, laborious, and/or expensive process. Markers can be used to write on optical discs, but the results are decidedly unprofessional looking. Special expensive pre-cut labels that can be printed on with inkjet or other types of printers can also be used. However, this is a laborious process: the expensive labels must be carefully aligned on the discs, and so on. Special-purpose printers that print directly on the discs can be used, but such printers are fairly expensive. Silk screening employing one, two, or a higher number of colors can be employed, too, but typically is feasible only for large volumes of discs.
In the patent application entitled "Integrated CD/DVD Recording and Label", filed on Oct. 11, 2001, and assigned Ser. No. 09/976,877, a solution to these difficulties is described, in which a laser is used to label optical discs. For optimal performance, the laser, or other optical beam, is focused differently to label the label sides of the optical discs, as compared to write or read from the data sides of the optical discs.

Mechanism to aid optical beam focusing on optical disc

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for navigating information includes identifying a value for a property of a first object associated with one or more devices managed by a management system. The method includes displaying a first plurality of tiles for a plurality of objects, including the first object. A first of the tiles is associated with the first object and includes a display of a graphic associated with the object and the identified value for the property. The method includes identifying a plurality of related objects that are related to the first object and displaying a second plurality of tiles for the related objects in response to receiving a selection of the first tile for the first object. Additionally, the method includes displaying, in response to receiving a selection of a second tile in the second plurality of tiles for one of the related objects, information about the one related object.

Building automation and management systems encompass a wide variety of systems that aid in the monitoring and control of various aspects of building operation. Building automation systems include security systems, fire safety systems, lighting systems, and HVAC systems. The elements of a building automation system are widely dispersed throughout a facility. For example, an HVAC system may include temperature sensors and ventilation damper controls, as well as other elements that are located in virtually every area of a facility. Similarly, a security system may have intrusion detection, motion sensors, and alarm actuators dispersed throughout an entire building or campus. Fire safety systems also include widely dispersed devices in the form of smoke alarms, pull stations, and controllers. These building automation systems typically have one or more centralized control stations from which system data may be monitored and various aspects of system operation may be controlled and/or monitored.
Building automation systems may include vast numbers of devices and control points that may be communicated with, monitored, and controlled. Historically, building management systems used to display and access data for monitoring and controlling operations of the building automation system have been relatively rigid in their user interface architecture.
There is a need, therefore, for an interface that allows for information to be navigated in an intuitive and a timely manner.

Hierarchical navigation with related objects


An indoor unit of an air conditioner is provided. The indoor unit includes a cabinet, a heat exchanger, and at least one ventilation unit. The cabinet includes a plurality of discharge ports formed on different surfaces thereof. The heat exchanger is installed in one side of the cabinet. The ventilation unit is installed inside the cabinet and includes a discharge port selectively communicating with one of the plurality of discharge ports of the cabinet.

An air conditioner is an apparatus that supplies conditioned air into an interior space. Air conditioners are divided into single unit air conditioners that house all their components in one unit, and split-system air conditioners that consist of an indoor and an outdoor unit.
Due to a scarcity of indoor space that an indoor unit can occupy, a recent trend is the use of duct-type air conditioners that mount the indoor unit on the ceiling, wall surface, veranda, etc., or on the roof or other outdoor space, and supply air that has been heat-exchanged in the indoor unit through a duct into an interior space.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the related art, and FIG. 26 is a sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, an indoor unit 1 of a duct-type air conditioner according to the related art includes a cabinet 3 in which an intake port 7 and a discharge port 2 are formed, a ventilation fan 4 installed inside the cabinet 3 and connected to the discharge port 2, a heat exchanger 5 installed inside the cabinet for heat exchanging suctioned air, and a duct 6 connected to the discharge port 2.
However, the air conditioner 1 according to the related art suffers from the drawback of having only one discharge port 2 formed in the cabinet 3, where the discharge port 2 is formed toward one side, so that the location for installing the indoor unit 1 is not flexible and the indoor unit 1 is incompatible with ducts located in other varying positions.

Multiple discharge port indoor unit of air conditioner


A system and method for performing File System checKing (FSCK) allows a file system to be accessed while the file system is being checked for consistency in the background. In the event that a file is accessed prior to having been checked for consistency by the background FSCK process, the background FSCK process is interrupted, and an in-context FSCK is performed on the accessed file. In addition, an in-context FSCK method and system is described which uses a snapshot block bitmap, FSCK block bitmap and FS block bitmap to check block consistency in the context of handling a block access to handle consistency and corruption issues as part of the file access.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a storage system including incremental file system check capabilities of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of a file system;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating various steps that may be performed by a FSCK process of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a state/flow diagram provided to illustrate various states of a FSCK block allocation checking process and the resultant processes that are used to attain file system coherence in background FSCK process or part of an in-context FSCK process.

Architecture for performing file system checking on an active file system


Methods and systems are provided for adjusting an engine operating parameter based on an output of a humidity sensor during a compressor bypass valve event. When the compressor bypass valve is closed, a current output of the sensor is used for the adjustments. When the compressor bypass valve is opened, such as to mitigate surge, an output of the sensor stored from before the opening of the bypass valve is used for the adjustments.

Engine systems may be configured with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems via which at least a portion of the exhaust gas is recirculated to the engine intake. Various sensors may be coupled in the engine system to estimate the amount of EGR being delivered to the engine. These may include, for example, various temperature, pressure, oxygen, and humidity sensors coupled to the engine intake manifold and/or the exhaust manifold.
One example of a boosted engine system having an intake humidity sensor is shown by Surnilla et al. in US application 2012/0227714. Therein, the humidity sensor is used to infer an ambient humidity. An engine controller may then adjust one or more engine operating parameters, such as fuel injection, valve timing, EGR, etc., based on the estimated ambient humidity.
However, the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such an approach. As an example, during boosted engine operation, any opening of a compressor bypass valve (such as to mitigate or reduce compressor surge) can confound the humidity sensor output. Specifically, opening of the compressor bypass valve may create a (temporary) backflow of air from the charge air cooler outlet location to the compressor inlet location. The back-flowing air may temporarily raise the compressor inlet pressure for a short duration until the boost pressure is sufficiently reduced. The short duration of the increase in pressure at the compressor inlet can cause the air to flow back through an intake air filter to the atmosphere. The intake humidity sensor located between the air filter and the compressor inlet (or at the air filter) will see this back-flowing air. If low pressure EGR was already flowing when the compressor bypass valve was opened, the back-flowing air may have a higher water content (over and above the ambient humidity) due to the presence of EGR. As a result, ambient humidity may be over-estimated by the humidity sensor. As such, this may corrupt the adjustment of the various engine operating parameters while degrading engine performance.
In one example, the above issue may be at least partly addressed by a method for an engine comprising: in response to opening of a compressor bypass valve while EGR is enabled, adjusting an engine operating parameter based on an output of an intake humidity sensor read before the opening of the bypass valve. In this way, a more reliable ambient humidity estimate may be used for engine adjustments.
As an example, during un-boosted engine operating conditions, as well as selected boosted conditions where a compressor bypass valve is not open (such as when the engine is operating within a surge margin), a current output of an intake humidity sensor may be stored and used to estimate an ambient humidity. Further, the current output may be used to adjust one or more engine parameters, such as a spark timing (or spark correction), condensation modeling, an EGR flow rate, humidity sensor diagnostics, etc. Then, during boosted conditions where the compressor bypass valve is opened, such as when the engine is operating at or beyond a surge margin, the current output of the humidity sensor may not be used. Instead, an output of the sensor read immediately before the opening of the bypass valve may be stored and used to estimate the ambient humidity. Further, the various engine operating parameters may be adjusted based on the stored humidity sensor output. After a threshold duration has elapsed since the completion of the compressor bypass valve event (that is, after a threshold duration since the compressor bypass valve has been closed), the current output of the humidity sensor may be re-used to estimate ambient humidity and adjust engine operating parameters.
In this way, a false reading of the humidity sensor is avoided. Specifically, the output of a humidity sensor may not be used during conditions when the output may be corrupted. By disabling use of a current output of the intake humidity sensor during conditions when a compressor bypass valve is open and backflow is increased, humidity overestimation due to EGR flow can be reduced. By freezing the humidity sensor output from before (e.g., immediately before) the compressor bypass event, and using the frozen sensor output to adjust engine operation, a more accurate ambient humidity estimate can be used to for engine adjustments. By unfreezing the humidity sensor output after (e.g., immediately after) a threshold duration since the compressor bypass event has elapsed, engine functions that depend on humidity information are not affected.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method and system for an intake humidity sensor


The present invention fixes a nozzle sheet on a substrate with a predetermined material (5, 6), which has an excellent chemical resistance and sufficient adhesiveness, or more specifically, fixes the nozzle sheet on the substrate with cyclized rubber or with patternable, adhesive elastic material. Moreover, the present invention forms walls for liquid chambers and liquid channels with polyimide.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head, a liquid discharge apparatus, and a method for forming the liquid discharge head, and may be included in an inkjet printer. The present invention effectively prevents decrease in reliability with use by fixing a nozzle sheet on a substrate with a predetermined material that has an excellent chemical resistance and sufficient adhesiveness, or more specifically, by fixing the nozzle sheet on the substrate with cyclized rubber or with patternable, adhesive elastic material. Moreover, the present invention may effectively prevent a decrease in reliability by forming walls for liquid chambers and liquid channels with polyimide.
2. Background Art
In general, inkjet printers print desired images on printing stock, such as paper, by discharging ink droplets from a printer head onto the printing stock such as paper.
The printer head included in the printer drives driving elements to change the pressure inside the liquid chambers so that the ink contained in the liquid chambers is discharged from nozzles as ink droplets. The driving elements may be heater elements or piezoelectric elements. Walls of the liquid chambers and the liquid channels are intricately formed with a resin such as epoxy resin or acrylic resin (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 61-154947, 62-253457, 3-184868, 6-286149, and 7-214783).
In other words, the printer head is formed by, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process, wherein, on the semiconductor substrate, driving circuits for driving the driving elements are simultaneously formed with the driving elements for changing the pressure inside the liquid chambers. Then, after a photosensitive epoxy resin is spin coated on the semiconductor substrate, the walls of the liquid chambers and the liquid channels are formed on the photosensitive epoxy resin by photolithography. In another process, a sheet including nozzles (hereinafter referred as a 'nozzle sheet') formed by, for example, electrotyping is disposed on the semiconductor substrate.
On the printer head, the nozzle sheet is thermocompressed to the photosensitive epoxy resin that forms the walls of the liquid chambers and the liquid channels.
For known printer heads, the reliability gradually decreases with use.
More specifically, for known printer heads, the resin such as epoxy resin forming the walls of the liquid chambers and the liquid channels erodes and swells with use. This erosion and swelling decreases the adhesive strength between the nozzle sheet and the end faces of the walls. Therefore, in the worst case, gaps form between the nozzle sheet and the end faces of the walls of neighboring liquid chambers, causing crosstalk between these liquid chambers.
In particular, when the nozzle sheet is formed of metal such as nickel or heat-resistant polyimide, the adhesive strength between the nozzle sheet and the end faces of the walls is low from the beginning, causing even more gaps to form and worsening the crosstalk.
When crosstalk occurs between the neighboring liquid chambers of the printer head, the printing performance, such as resolution of the printer, is greatly reduced, making it difficult to print high-resolution images.

Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge apparatus, and method for forming liquid discharge head


A medical syringe employs a capsule containing multiple doses of medication within a sealed storage chamber formed between concentric inner and outer walls. The inner wall forms a cavity including a delivery chamber from which a single dose of medication is ejected. The syringe includes an ejection port, an axial moveable plunger extending into the cavity and delivery chamber, and a body with a compartment that holds the capsule. With the plunger in a first position, the capsule is closed. With the plunger in a second position, the delivery chamber is filled with a single dose of medication. With the plunger in a third position, the single dose of medication is ejected from the delivery chamber though the injection port.

In International Patent Application Number PCT/US95/12425 (herein the PCT application) the inventor disclosed his dual chamber syringe (herein First Syringe) having the many features and benefits stated in the PCT application. One feature of this First Syringe is a fluid reservoir holding multiple, single dosages of medication. Another feature is the fluid reservoir is accessible to a delivery chamber upon axial displacement of a plunger. It would be highly desirable to use these features in a syringe to deliver medication that is incompatible with the conventional plastic material used to manufacture syringes like the First Syringe. Insulin is one such medication. As will now be disclosed, the inventor has invented a novel, multi-dose capsule used with the syringe of this invention made of a plastic or plastics that are ordinarily incompatible with medications such as Insulin.

Medication capsule, syringe used with medication capsule and method of administrating medication


Described embodiments include an apparatus, including a display and a processor. The processor is configured to navigate a catheter to a particular location within a body of a subject, using each one of a plurality of electrodes coupled to the body of the subject. The processor is further configured to identify, subsequently, from a signal that represents an impedance between a given pair of the electrodes, that a phrenic nerve of the subject was stimulated by a pacing current passed from the catheter into tissue of the subject at the particular location, and to generate an output on the display, in response to the identifying. Other embodiments are also described.

The left and right phrenic nerves, which may be collectively referred to in the singular as "the phrenic nerve," descend from the neck to the diaphragm, passing between the lungs and the heart. The phrenic nerve is involved in the control of respiration.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,260,421 describes methods and devices for reducing phrenic nerve stimulation of cardiac pacing systems involving delivering a pacing pulse to a ventricle of a heart. A transthoracic impedance signal is sensed, and a deviation in the signal resulting from the pacing pulse may be used to determine phrenic nerve stimulation. Methods may further involve detecting the phrenic nerve stimulation from the pacing pulse by delivering two or more pacing pulse to the ventricle of the heart, and determining a temporal relationship. A pacing vector may be selected from the two or more vectors that effects cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation. A pacing voltage and/or pulse width may be selected that provides cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation. In other embodiments, a pacing pulse width and a pacing voltage may be selected from a patient's strength-duration curve that effects cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,617,228 describes a method of treating tissue, including positioning a stimulation device proximate a phrenic nerve; stimulating the phrenic nerve with the stimulation device; measuring a physiological response to the stimulation; defining a threshold physiological response value based at least in part on the measured physiological response; positioning a thermal treatment element proximate to an arrhythmogenic cardiac tissue region; applying a thermal treatment regimen to the cardiac tissue region with the medical device; measuring a physiological parameter during the thermal treatment regimen application; and conveying the measured physiological parameter to a controller, the controller comparing the measured physiological parameter to the defined physiological response value threshold, the controller adjusting the thermal treatment regimen in response to the comparison of the measured physiological parameter to the defined physiological response value threshold.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,008 describes a cardiac rhythm management device in which an accelerometer is used to detect diaphragmatic or other skeletal muscle contraction associated with the output of a pacing pulse. Upon detection of diaphragmatic contraction, the device may be configured to automatically adjust the pacing pulse energy and/or pacing configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,996,108 describes an implantable cardiac device that includes a sensor for sensing patient activity and detecting phrenic nerve activation. A first filter channel attenuates first frequencies of the sensor signal to produce a first filtered output. A second filter channel attenuates second frequencies of the accelerometer signal to produce a second filtered output. Patient activity is evaluated using the first filtered output and phrenic nerve activation caused by cardiac pacing is detected using the second filtered output.
US Patent Application Publication 2013/0109994 describes systems and methods for monitoring phrenic nerve function of a patient, including establishing a diaphragmatic movement value threshold; positioning a diaphragmatic movement sensor on an external surface of an abdomen of the patient; applying a treatment regimen to a tissue region in proximity to the phrenic nerve; measuring a diaphragmatic movement value with the diaphragmatic movement sensor; comparing the measured diaphragmatic movement value to the established diaphragmatic movement value threshold; and generating an alert in response to the comparison.
US Patent Application Publication 2015/0057563 describes a method and system for monitoring phrenic nerve function and preventing phrenic nerve injury during cardiac ablation. The system includes a pacing device operable to transmit stimulation energy to the phrenic nerve through target tissue proximate the phrenic nerve, and a plurality of assessment electrodes operable to make comparisons between baseline, real-time, and predetermined threshold values for CMAP signal amplitude and amplitude over time. The processing device may be connected to an ablation console, and the processing device may interrupt or adjust an ablation procedure controlled by the ablation console and/or generate a system alert in response to one of these comparisons, if the comparison indicates phrenic nerve injury. The method includes applying stimulation energy to the phrenic nerve, recording diaphragmatic CMAP signals in response to the stimulation energy, and adjusting an ablation procedure and/or automatically generating a system alert in response to comparisons performed by the processing device.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,031,651 describes a system that includes a cardiac pulse generator configured to generate cardiac paces to pace the heart, a sensor configured to sense a physiological signal for use in detecting pace-induced phrenic nerve stimulation where the pace-induced phrenic nerve stimulation is phrenic nerve stimulation induced by electrical cardiac pace signals, and a phrenic nerve stimulation detector configured to analyze the sensed physiological signal to detect PS beats where the PS beats are cardiac paces that induce phrenic nerve stimulation. The detector may be configured to correlate signal data for sensed beat signals to a PS template to detect PS beats, or may be configured to analyze morphological features of sensed beat signals to detect PS beats, or may be configured to detect PS beats using a combination that both correlates signal data for sensed beat signals to a PS template and analyzes morphological features of sensed beat signals.
US Patent Application Publication 2010/0241113 describes a cryotherapy delivery system that includes a cryotherapy catheter having a distal treatment component that delivers, during a cryotherapy procedure, cryotherapy to a treatment site inside a patient's body; a controller that controls the delivery of the cryotherapy during the cryotherapy procedure; and a sensor that measures values of a respiration parameter of the patient during the cryotherapy procedure, and provides measured values to the controller. The controller can determine, prior to delivery of cryotherapy, a baseline value for the respiration parameter; detect, during delivery of the cryotherapy, a change in the respiration parameter relative to the baseline value; and suspend delivery of the cryotherapy when the change exceeds a threshold.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,456,182 describes a method that includes positioning body-electrodes in galvanic contact with a body of a patient and positioning a mapping-tool, having a mapping-electrode, in a plurality of regions in the body. The method further includes tracking the mapping-tool at different positions in each of the regions using a location-measuring system, and for each region, generating a respective set of calibration-currents between the body-electrodes and the mapping-electrode at the different positions in the region. A respective relation is derived for each region between the respective set of the calibration-currents and the different positions, and is used in determining the location of an investigation-tool in response to the different respective relations and investigation-tool-currents.

Automatic detection of phrenic nerve stimulation


Adhesive tape for flying reel change in paper finishing machines or the like, having a paper backing and a water-soluble self-adhesive composition, characterized in that the paper backing (2) is coated on one side with a water-soluble self-adhesive composition (3) while part of the reverse side of the paper backing (2) is provided with a double-sided adhesive tape (6), which in turn has a readily splicing paper backing (7) which is provided on both sides with water-soluble self-adhesive composition (8 and 9 respectively).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an adhesive tape for flying reel change in paper finishing machines or the like, and to a method of using it in such machines.
2. Description of Related Art
Flying reel change in papermaking factories or the like is a common technique of replacing an almost fully discharged reel of paper by a new reel without the need to stop the machines, which run at high speed. This is done using double-sided self-adhesive tapes, known as splicing tapes, which firstly are of high adhesion and high tack but secondly, because of their water-soluble self-adhesive compositions and paper backing, do not interfere with the re-use of paper wastes in the paper-making machine. These splicing tapes are bonded artistically in a zig-zag form to the beginning of the web, a procedure requiring experienced personnel, with only about 4-5 minutes remaining for the entire procedure owing to the high speed of the machines.
Although this technology is well established, it is not without certain disadvantages. Thus experienced personnel are required, the procedure is automatically hectic, and the bonds are also relatively thick, since in each case two layers of paper and the adhesive splice in between are the result: a result which is unwanted in the paper industry.
There are various products on the market, known as splicing tapes, for this splicing operation in the course of flying reel change, which comprise in addition to a paper backing a water-soluble self-adhesive composition coated on both sides. Adhesive tapes of this kind are marketed inter alia under the name tesafix (Beiersdorf).


A robot arm and an apparatus for transferring an article. The robot arm includes a movable hand for holding the article. A first arm has a proximal end that rotatably supports a drive pulley and a distal end that rotatably supports a driven pulley. The pulleys are connected to each other by a belt. A second arm and a third arm each have a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal ends of the second and third arms are pivotally supported by the driven pulley. The distal ends of the second and third arms are pivotally coupled to the hand. The driven pulley, the second arm, and the third arm cooperate with the hand to define a parallel linkage mechanism. A first motor pivots the first arm about its proximal end. A second motor rotates the drive pulley. A pivoting mechanism pivots the second arm about its proximal end relative to the first arm in correspondence with the pivoting of the first arm.

The present invention relates to transferring apparatuses and robot arms, and more particularly to transferring apparatuses and robot arms for transferring semiconductor wafers and liquid crystal substrates.
Generally, semiconductor devices are produced from semiconductor wafers by sequentially sending each wafer into a plurality of chambers that are maintained in high temperature and high vacuum states. The semiconductor wafers are first stocked at a loading station and then sent to a preparing chamber. From the preparing chamber, the wafers are sent to each processing chamber. A transferring apparatus provided with a robot arm is used to transfer the wafers between the loading station and the preparing chamber, between the preparing chamber and the processing chambers, and between the processing chambers. Such transferring apparatus must have superior heat resistance characteristics and must be capable of preventing dust from arising.
Belt drive type robot arms and linkage type robot arms are known in the prior art. A typical belt drive type robot arm is provided with a hand to carry wafers and a motor to move the hand along a certain plane. Such a robot arm employs a belt drive mechanism that includes a plurality of belts and arms to transmit the drive force of the motor to the hand.
The drive mechanism includes a first arm, the proximal end of which is connected to the motor's output shaft, or first rotary shaft. The proximal end of a second arm is rotatably connected to the distal end of the first arm by means of a second rotary shaft. The hand is connected to the distal end of the second arm by means of a third rotary shaft.
The drive force of the motor is transmitted to the hand by way of a drive pulley, which is coupled to the first rotary shaft, two intermediate pulleys, which are coupled to the second rotary shaft, a driven pulley, which is coupled to the third rotary shaft, and two belts, which connect the pulleys. The rotation of the motor output shaft causes the hand to move along a certain plane. The movement of the hand allows the wafers to be transferred.
This type of robot arm is provided with a magnetic fluid seal that is attached to the vicinity of the proximal end of the hand. The seal prevents dust, which arises from the bearing of each pulley during rotation of the pulley, from entering the chambers. However, the seal has a tendency to deteriorate due to exposure to the heat of the chambers. Progressive deterioration increases the amount of dust that arises. This is inefficient since it is necessary to frequently exchange the seal.
The arms of the robot arm extend and contract to transfer the wafers. During contraction, the arms overlap one another. Accordingly, the opening of each chamber must be large enough to accommodate the overlapping arms and the wafers. Large openings are disadvantageous since the environment in each chamber must be maintained in a high temperature and high vacuum state.
Japanese National Phase Patent Publication No. 7-507010 (WO 94/14581) describes a joint arm, which is a typical linkage type robot arm. The joint arm includes a shoulder portion, an elbow portion, and a wrist portion. A pair of upper arms (corresponding to the first arms of the above robot arm) are arranged rotatably about the shoulder portion. A pair of lower arms (corresponding to the second arms of the above robot arm) are arranged rotatably about the wrist portion.
An intermediate link having a plurality of shafts connects the upper arms to the lower arms at the elbow portion.
The intermediate link has two S-shaped strips. The strips transmit the pivoting of the elbow portion of the upper arm to the corresponding elbow portion of the lower arm. An end effector (corresponding to the hand of the above robot arm) is attached to the wrist portion of the pair of upper arms. Among the two upper arms, only one is driven.
When one of the upper arms is pivoted about the elbow portion, the pivoting is transmitted to the end effector. This moves the end effector. Accordingly, semiconductor wafers are transferred by placing the wafers on the end effector.
However, the pair of upper arms and pair of lower arms in the prior art linkage type robot arm are formed from rigid and prism-like solid bodies. Furthermore, the upper arm and the lower arm are connected to each other by the intermediate link, which includes a plurality of shafts, and the S-shaped strips. This increases the weight of the arms and necessitates a strong driving force. The dimensional accuracy and rigidity of the shafts must also be enhanced to move the heavy arms smoothly. Furthermore, the S-shaped strips have a special shape and are not easily available. As a result, the manufacturing and assembling of the robot arm is burdensome. This increases the production cost of the robot arm.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho


The invention relates to a cutting and clamping terminal element for contacting electrical conductors, in particular for cable cores of the telecommunication technology, comprising a U-shaped section piece of a U-shaped cross-section and having a cutting and clamping contact. In order to provide a cutting and clamping terminal element (1) by means of which a plurality of parallel electrical conductors (6) can be terminated and accurately positioned and guided, the U-shaped section piece (2) is adapted with one or several central webs (3), which are cut free from the bottom portion (7) and are upwardly bent off. Thereby one or more contact positions 9 are obtained for the electrical conductors (6).

A cutting and clasping terminal element of the kind referred to is described in the prior DE patent 40 33 366. This cutting and clamping terminal element is adapted as a U-shaped section piece. The contact legs are cut free, for forming the cutting and clamping contact, from the two side walls of the section piece, and are inwardly bent off between the side walls. The two contact legs form a clamping slot, into which a cable core can be pressed in. With multiple-core cables, only one core per terminal element can be contacted, not however several cores in parallel to each other. This affects, in particular, the application of the terminal element for the SMD technology. One core each can only be connected with the printed-circuit board.


A method for delivery of targeted commercial messages. The method comprises assembling a plurality of potential purchaser profiles in an electronic file for presentation to at least one potential advertiser of goods or services applicable to a substantial portion of the plurality of potential purchasers, developing commercial message selection criteria for selecting from the potential purchasers those suited to receive a specified commercial message contained in a set of commercial messages, applying the commercial message selection criteria to the purchaser profiles to identify the potential purchasers suited to receive specified commercial messages, and presenting over a data network to a potential purchaser identified as suited, the specified commercial messages.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pooling and advertising methods and systems for linking purchasers with sellers of goods or services, as well as targeted commercial messaging. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and systems for aggregating a number of potential purchasers for linking to one or more sellers of goods or services, as well as delivering targeted commercial messages to potential purchasers. The methods and systems may be implemented in computer hardware and software.
2. Background Information
Typical sales strategies involve mass-marketing to the consumers. Advertisers, for instance, use direct mailing to large groups of individuals, television broadcast advertising, and telemarketing to advertise and sell goods and services. Such mass advertising methods can be expensive and ineffective due to the lack of a targeted approach—only a fraction of the persons reached by such mass marketing will be interested in most offerings. Thus, the cost per acquired purchaser or customer is high.
Because advertisers know that only a small percentage of the mass-market audience has a real interest in the product or service being sold, they use entertainment value and content to attract the attention of the more promising potential purchasers. Thus, advertisers may place their advertisements in certain television shows, radio programs, or magazines where they feel a substantial portion of their most likely potential purchasers will see their advertisement. Such advertising strategies may nevertheless be both over-inclusive and under-inclusive, because the advertisements will reach many uninterested people and will miss many potential purchasers.
Information on consumers or potential purchasers can be very important to sellers of goods and services. Telemarketers and advertisers alike benefit from having detailed information about buying interests or capacities of potential purchasers of goods or services. If an advertiser, for instance, can identify and selectively advertise to those potential purchasers who fit a profile of probable purchasers of the advertiser's goods or services, the advertiser can reduce advertising costs by advertising directly to those potential purchasers. In other words, if the advertiser has both information about potential purchasers and more targeted access for its messages, it can achieve more purchasers/customers for the same amount of money. Useful demographic and financial information for such a strategy includes a potential purchaser's financial status, age, residence, family size/configuration, and interests in various goods and services.
If an advertiser has a large amount of demographic and financial information about a potential purchaser, the advertiser can potentially selectively market to the more promising purchasers for a decreased expense per sales transaction. The money saved by the advertiser can, potentially, be used to reduce the price of the good or service to the purchaser. Instead of advertising via radio or television broadcasts to the masses of potential purchasers, the advertiser can concentrate on specific potential purchasers who may be likely to buy a specific good or service and offer favorable pricing.
Although advertisers prefer to have detailed information about potential purchasers of goods or services, the typical potential purchaser would prefer to keep his or her personal and financial information private. There can be a trade-off, therefore, between achieving greater advertising power for an advertiser or seller of goods or services, and protecting the privacy of potential purchasers. Consumers and potential purchasers are concerned about keeping personal and financial information from becoming widely disseminated, both because of privacy concerns and to avoid unwanted solicitation letters and advertisements. These privacy concerns have increased in recent years with the emergence of the "World Wide Web" ("Web") as a widespread source of data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,210 to Goldhaber et al. (the Goldhaber patent) discloses an "attention brokerage" method, which is the "business of brokering the buying and selling of the 'attention' of users." The Goldhaber method allows "users to choose whether they will view an ad or other negatively priced information and receive associated compensation." Goldhaber patent, Abstract. Although the Goldhaber patent does disclose a method that creates an incentive for individual potential purchasers to view advertisements, it does not teach pooling of purchasing power to in association with providing updated and detailed information about potential purchasers to the advertiser or marketer of the goods or service. Other systems exist for on-line sales or auctions of goods or services, but these systems do not aggregate potential purchasers for linking to sellers.
A need exists for a new method and system that enables more efficient, less costly transactions between potential purchasers and sellers of goods or services, and allows sellers of goods and services to decrease their advertising costs. In particular, a method and system for reducing advertising costs per sales transaction is needed. Similarly, a method and system for aggregating a pool of purchasers for linking to sellers is needed. Finally, a need exists for a method and system for targeted delivery of commercial messages.

Method and system for delivery of targeted commercial messages


Skin care compositions and methods are provided for improving the appearance of skin affected by aging, photodamage and/or oxidative stress. Specifically, adhesive materials containing cosmetically active ingredients, e.g., one or more antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and/or E, or moisturizers are applied in concentrated dry powdered form to target areas including the frownline area of the forehead, the front of the neck, the crows-feet area near the eyes, the upper lip and the nasolabial area using a transdermal patch having an acidity approximating human skin acidity of 5.5, preferably by an appropriate ratio of ascorbic acid and ascorbate salts.

The population in general is very concerned with maintaining youthful and attractive appearances. As the average age of the population of this country increases, it is anticipated there will be an increasing market for skin care products which can improve the appearance of aging skin and/or maintain attractive skin qualities. Treatments designed to prolong or promote youthful appearance include topical applications of cosmetic preparations, lotions and moisturizer, electrical stimulation, collagen injections and cosmetic surgery.
With aging, prolonged or repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and/or oxidative stress, the skin of the face often shows signs of damage. Aging or other damage to skin may be recognized by effects including wrinkling, yellowing, taxing, lines, spots, mottling and a leathery or dry appearance. At the histological level, skin damage, e.g., from photoaging, may be reflected in tangled, thickened, abnormal elastic fibers, decreased collagen and increased glycosaminoglycan content (Tanaka et al. (1993) Arch. Dermatol. Res. 285:352-355). The aging process results in thinning and deterioration of the skin. There is a reduction in cells and in blood supply, and a flattening in the junction between the dermis and epidermis.
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A, tocopherol (Vitamin E) and .beta.-carotene, which can at least in part be functionally characterized as antioxidants, are essential to the maintenance of a healthy and attractive skin appearance in humans. Vitamin K is also beneficial to maintaining attractive skin. Generally, these nutrients are obtained in the diet and/or in nutritional supplements. Other cosmetically beneficial components can be applied topically for improving skin appearance and quality; such components include moisturizers, including but not limited to polysaccharides and marine extracts.
The aforementioned antioxidants help to prevent damage to skin and/or body organs resulting from poor nutrition, physiological processes and exposure to environmental pollutants, certain drugs, alcohol, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Normal physiological processes, including aging, and exposure to deleterious agents can lead to the generation of free oxygen radicals, a component of so-called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress leads to damage to cellular membranes, the genetic material and other cellular targets including connective tissue and collagen. Other sources of oxidative stress include heat, trauma, infection, hyperoxia, toxins and excessive exercise. Antioxidants can donate electrons without generating potentially harmful chain reactions and oxidation of cellular components, and thus provide protection from oxidative damage. A further problem, especially with aging skin, is a decrease in blood circulation.
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is known to stimulate and/or regulate collagen synthesis in human tissue. When collagen synthesis is stimulated in skin, a healthier and younger skin appearance results. Ascorbic acid can also help to prevent or minimize UV-induced lipid oxidation, thus providing further benefits in maintaining or promoting attractive skin appearance. Further, ascorbic acid acts to inhibit melanin synthesis, which leads to skin discoloration during the aging process, and to inhibit histamine release from cellular membranes, which is associated with allergenic reactions, particularly among individuals with so-called "sensitive skin."
Ascorbic acid-containing compositions for topical application to the skin have been described (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,382, issued Jan. 8, 1991; Avon Products, Inc.). U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,348, issued Mar. 12, 1994, Estee Lauder, Inc., refers to cholesteric liquid crystal compositions for controlled release and enhanced penetration of biologically active materials such as Vitamin A to the skin. Vitamin A is said to make wrinkling in the skin less noticeable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,965, issued Aug. 24, 1993, Procter & Gamble Company, refers to regulating wrinkling using topical applications of lipophosphatidic acid compositions. WO 94/00109 and WO 94/00098 (Lancaster Group AG), both incorporated by reference, refer to dermatological agents for increasing oxygen transport in the skin; these agents comprise phospholipids and oxygen-loaded fluorocarbons. U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,500 (issued Mar. 22, 1994, Proctor & Gamble Co.) claims methods for regulating wrinkles or atrophy of the skin using compositions comprising N-acetyl cysteine, including compositions where one or more additional components (sunscreen, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents) are added. United Kingdom Patent Application GB 2 265 086 A describes a whitening agent applied to the skin utilizing a transdermal patch. The present invention has the advantage over these conventional preparations in that absorption of Vitamin C or other wrinkle treatment into the skin can continue over an extended period of time without the extra effort or inconvenience of needing to actively apply another coat of a lotion, cream or the like.
Tocopherol (Vitamin E, with a-tocopherol being the most potent) has effects in the skin including antioxidant activity, improved membrane stability, protection against UV radiation and nitrosamine formation, moisturizing action on dry skin and anti-inflammatory action. It is the antioxidant effect which is believed most important in protection from oxidative damage. Tocopherol has also been shown to play a role in maintaining the structural integrity of cell membranes and connective tissue. Firmness, texture and/or tone are maintained by the integrity of the elastic fiber in the dermis and collagen in connective tissue. Vitamin E is also believed to improve the hydration of the skin, and insufficiently hydrated skin is characterized by lines at relatively closer distance than in normal skin, irregular texture and a "scruffy" appearance.
It has been reported that only about 20-40% of oral vitamin E is absorbed, and it is not known what fraction of the absorbed vitamin E is available to the skin. Topically applied vitamin E, either in the alcohol or the acetate form, can be absorbed through the skin. When combined with ascorbyl palmitate which acts as an oxygen scavenger, tocopherol is particularly effective as an antioxidant to extend the shelf-life of natural products formulations such as perfumes, vitamins and herbal extracts.
.beta.-carotene within physiologically advantageous levels is also essential for skin development. An excess of .beta.-carotene inhibits the keratinization of epithelial tissue, and a deficiency results in acne-like blackheads. .beta.-carotene also acts to improve the skin's water barrier properties, and therefore .beta.-carotene can be useful in treating seasonal and/or environmental problems (heat, dryness, air pollution). Provision of .beta.-carotene to the skin will increase the amount of Vitamin A within the skin, and thereby impart beneficial effects on appearance of skin.
Other cosmetically active compositions, when topically applied to the skin, include marine extracts and moisturizers, for example, hyaluronic acid. Marine extracts, for example, those prepared from seaweed, are rich in minerals, amino acids, vitamins, and polysaccharides which are believed to function as moisturizing agents. Additional embodiments of a skin care patch can increase the oxygen supply to the skin, for example, using oxygen-loaded fluorocarbon compounds (as disclosed in WO 94/00109, WO 94/00098, for example) within the patch. Further embodiments include patches comprising cosmetically effective amounts of an active ingredient such as lysophosphatidic acid, an .alpha.-hydroxyacid and N-acetyl cysteine.
Transdermal delivery of pharmaceutical compositions is well known. Such well-known pharmaceutical compositions include scopolamine for treatment of motion sickness, estrogen replacement therapy and nicotine for assistance in breaking tobacco habits. The present invention is believed to be the first application of transdermal delivery systems for skin care and the improvement of the appearance of aging, photodamaged or oxidatively stressed skin, especially for the improvement of the appearance of wrinkled skin.


A method for preparing metal complex hydride nanorods, comprising the steps of: (1) preparing one-dimensional coordination polymers by mixing metal complex hydrides with organic solvents and subsequent drying; (2) preparing coordination polymer nanostructures by mechanical milling the one-dimensional coordination polymers that obtained from step (1), in which the one-dimensional coordination polymers are vaporized and then deposited onto the substrate; (3) preparing metal complex hydride nanorods by removing the organic ligands from the coordination polymer nanostructures that obtained from step (2). This method is simple and feasible, and exhibits excellent generality. Moreover, the purity of the metal complex hydrides nanostructures is high.

Materials in nanoscale may possess new physical and/or chemical properties. For the development of nanotechnology, the most fundamental and important issue is the simplicity and controllability of the preparation method of nanoscaled materials.
There are a large number of reports on the preparation of nanoscaled materials, but there are still some nanoscaled materials that cannot be prepared by the current methods, such as nanoscaled metal complex hydrides, which are not thermodynamically stable enough and extremely chemically active (can react with H2O and O2). No method exists for the synthesis of nanoscaled complex hydrides with less than 50 nm in size up to now.
The emission of greenhouse gasses and the depletion of non-renewable energy resources are two critical problems for human beings. Hydrogen energy is one of the promising solutions to the problems. Hydrogen energy is based on the reaction between H2 and O2 to produce energy and H2O, which is absolutely clean. At present, the efficient and safe hydrogen storage techniques are the key barrier that prevents hydrogen energy from mobile applications (such as fuel cell vehicles and portable computers and cell phones).
In the past decades, researchers have developed four hydrogen storage techniques, i.e., liquid hydrogen storage systems, compressed hydrogen gas storage systems, cryo-adsorption hydrogen storage systems, and hydrides solid hydrogen storage systems. Among them, liquid hydrogen storage systems and compressed hydrogen gas storage systems are mainly utilized for large scale or stationary purpose due to their heavy and expensive containers.
Cryo-adsorption hydrogen storage systems have relatively high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage densities (e.g. activated carbon can store 4.5 wt % of hydrogen at liquid N2 temperature, see Ahluwalia R K, Peng J K. Automotive hydrogen storage system using cryo-adsorption on activated carbon. Int J Hydrogen Energy 2009; 34:5476-87), but the strict requirement of cryogenic conditions is difficult to obtain in daily life.
Hydrides that used as solid hydrogen storage materials can be divided into two categories: metal hydrides and metal complex hydrides. Metal hydrides, such as LaNi5H6 and MgH2, have been investigated in depth in the last few years. At room temperature, 1 mole of LaNi5 can absorb 6 moles of H atoms under higher hydrogen pressure, and then desorb/release them under lower hydrogen pressure. The disadvantage is the low hydrogen storage capacity (less than 1.5 wt %), which cannot meet the requirement of practical applications. MgH2 can store more than 7 wt % of hydrogen, but suffers from higher operating temperature (above 300° C. for desorption) and slow hydrogen charge/discharge kinetics, which also cannot meet the requirement of practical applications.
Metal complex hydrides, such as alanates, amides and borohydrides, have attracted a lot of attention recently due to their high gravimetric and volumetric capacities and relatively moderate hydrogen absorption/desorption thermodynamics/kinetics. For example, Ti-doped NaAlH4 can reversibly store 4.5 wt % of hydrogen at 130° C. (see Bogdanović B, Schwickardi M. Ti-doped alkali metal aluminum hydrides as potential novel reversible hydrogen storage materials. J Alloys Compd 1997; 253:1-9); K-modified Mg(NH2)2-2LiH composite can provide a reversible hydrogen capacity of 5.2 wt % at 130° C. (see Wang J, Liu T, Wu G T, Li W, Liu Y F, Araujo C M, Scheicher R H, Blomqvist A, Ahuja R, Xiong Z T, Yang P, Gao M X, Pan H G, Chen P. Potassium-modified Mg(NH2)2/2LiH system for hydrogen storage. Angew Chem Int Edit 2009; 48:5828-32); 2LiBH4—MgH2 composite can store more than 11 wt % of hydrogen reversibly at around 400° C. (see Vajo J J, Skeith S L, Mertens F. Reversible storage of hydrogen in destabilized LiBH4. J Phys Chem B 2005; 109:3719-22). Unfortunately, none of the materials can meet the technological requirements for fuel cells, which were set by the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Recent investigations reveal that reducing the particles to nanosize can significantly improve the hydrogen storage properties of hydrides. However, owning to the relatively low thermodynamic stability and extremely high chemical activity of the hydrides (easily reacting with H2O and O2), almost all the current nanofabrication methods is not feasible for hydrides, especially for the nanoscaled hydrides with unique morphologies.
Up to now, two indirect methods for the preparation of nanoscaled hydrides have been reported. One method is to confine metal hydrides in nano-scaffolds. Researchers found that NaAlH4 and LiBH4 could be impregnated into nanostructured carbon through solution submerge or high pressure melting permeatation. Encouragingly, the hydrogen absorption/desorption temperatures of the nano-confined materials were dramatically decreased in comparison with the raw materials (see Balde C P, Hereijgers B P C, Bitter J H, de Jong K P. Facilitated hydrogen storage in NaAlH4 supported on carbon nanofibers. Angew Chem Int Edit 2006; 45:3501-3 and Gross A F, Vajo J J, Van Atta S L, Olson G L. Enhanced hydrogen storage kinetics of LiBH4 in nanoporous carbon scaffolds. J Phys Chem C 2008; 112:5651-7). Carbon nanofiber supported NaAlH4 begins liberating hydrogen at as low as 50° C. (see Balde C P, Hereijgers B P C, Bitter J H, de Jong K P. Facilitated hydrogen storage in NaAlH4 supported on carbon nanofibers. Angew Chem Int Edit 2006; 45:3501-3). However, the loading efficiency of the original metal hydrides is quite low, and the huge dead weight of the scaffold lowered the overall hydrogen storage capacity to an inferior value.
The other method is to synthesize nanostructured metal first, and then hydrogenate to form nanostructured hydride. MgH2 nanowires synthesized with this method exhibit a uniform diameter of about 50 nm and could absorb/desorb 7.6 wt % of hydrogen at 300° C. in 30 min (see Li W Y, Li C S, Ma H, Chen J. Magnesium nanowires: Enhanced kinetics for hydrogen absorption and desorption. J Am Chem Soc 2007; 129:6710-1). However, the particle size of the samples significantly increases after the hydrogenation. Such method is only used for single-metal-element hydrides, but cannot be used for complex metal hydrides with more than two non-hydrogen elements.
A coordination polymer is an inorganic or organometallic polymer structure containing metal cation centers linked by ligands, extending in an array. It can also be described as a polymer whose repeated units are coordination complexes. The structure of a coordination polymer can be determined to be one-, two- or three-dimensional, depending on the number of directions in space to which the array extends. One type of special one dimensional coordination polymer is formed by metal coordination hydride and organic ligand, and the organic ligand can be removed under the condition that the metal hydride decomposes.
For example, Mg(AlH4)2.Et2O coordination polymer (see Fichtner M, Fuhr O. Synthesis and structures of magnesium alanate and two solvent adducts. J. Alloys Compd 2002:345:286-96), LiBH4.X coordination polymers (X is Et2O, MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) or THF (Tetrahydrofuran), see Giese H H, Noth H, Schwenk H, Thomas S. Metal tetrahydridoborates and tetrahydridometallates. 22—Structural chemistry of lithium tetrahydroborate ether solvates. Eur J Inorg Chem 1998:941-9 and Ruiz J C G, Noeth H, Warchhold M. Coordination compounds of alkali metal tetrahydroborates with ethers and amines. Eur J Inorg Chem 2008:251-66), Ln(BH4)2.2THF coordination polymers (Ln is Eu and Yb, see Marks S, Heck J G, Habicht M H, Oña-Burgos P, Feldmann C, Roesky P W. [Ln(BH4)2(THF)2] (Ln is Eu, Yb)—A Highly Luminescent Material. Synthesis, Properties, Reactivity, and NMR Studies. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012; 134:16983-6), and so on. These materials have a same structural feature, i.e., the molecular structure is one-dimensional chain-shaped, in which the complex hydrides act as a framework with organic ligands shielding their edge.

Method for preparing metal complex hydride nanorods


An imaging lens includes at least a first positive lens group, a first negative lens group that moves during focusing, a second positive lens group that moves during focusing, a second negative lens group that can move in a direction substantially vertical to an optical axis, and a positive lens group, which are disposed in order from an object, wherein a condition of an expression, which is 2.0<(−f4)/d34<20.8, is satisfied, where f4 is a focal length of the second negative lens group (vibration proof group) that can move in a direction substantially vertical to the optical axis, and d34 is an air distance on the optical axis upon focusing on infinity, between a lens surface disposed closest to an image of a lens group (the second positive lens group in the case of this embodiment) which is disposed to an object side of the second negative lens group that can move in a direction substantially vertical to the optical axis, and a lens surface disposed closest to the object of the negative lens group that can move in a direction substantially vertical to the optical axis.

An internal focus type macro lens having an image blur correction function has been proposed (e.g. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-106112). The lens disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-106112 has a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power, which are disposed in order from an object, where the fourth lens group is comprised of a negative pre-group and a positive post-group, which are disposed in order from the object, and image blur is corrected when the optical system is vibrated, by shifting the pre-group in a direction substantially vertical to the optical axis in accordance with the vibration of the optical system (or the imaging lens).

Imaging lens, optical device thereof, and method for manufacturing imaging lens


The present invention relates to an unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector having short-circuit fault alarm function, comprises a detecting cable comprising at least two detecting conductors disposed in parallel and a fusible insulation layer, a resistor, and a resistance signal measuring device, wherein the detecting cable further comprises a semiconductor layer, and wherein the semiconductor layer and the fusible insulation layer are disposed between the detecting conductors so as to space the detecting conductors apart. The detector of the present invention may distinguish short-circuit fault from short circuit caused by fire, and thus overcome the disadvantage of not distinguishing short-circuit fault from short-circuit due to fire in the conventional detector. Therefore, the problem of lack of short-circuit fault alarm function in the prior art is resolved. Accordingly, the present invention improves the reliability of unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector.

The conventional unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector is a widely used fire detector. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate the conventional unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector and the cross sectional view of its detecting cable. The detecting cable of the detector comprises a sheath 1 having two or more than two (eg. 3 or 4 etc.) detecting conductors 3 twisted with each other therein. The detecting conductor may be elastic conductor, such as shape-memory alloy wire. The detecting conductors are wrapped with a plastic layer 2 with a certain melting point. While the detecting cable is heated, the plastic layer is softened or melted, and the conductors then contact each other under the elastic force of the elastic conductors (or the shape memory alloy wires). Thus, short circuit occurs, thereby performing fire alarm. The advantages of the detector are as follows. That is, the detecting cable may conduct short-circuit alarm when the temperature of any point of the detecting cable reaches a prescribed temperature for alarming. The sensitivity of the detector is irrelevant to the length being heated. Accordingly, the detector is highly sensitive when an article to be protected is overheated in part or the fire is caused from outside. Also, when one conductor of the detector is disconnected, the fault alarm would take place anyway. The disadvantages lie in that the temperature sensitive detector does not have fault alarm function for short circuit, and there is only fire alarm function for short circuit. Therefore, it is hard to distinguish the short-circuit fault from the short-circuit fire alarm signal. Accordingly, an unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector having short-circuit fault alarm function that is capable of distinguishing short-circuit fault from short-circuit caused by fire is desired.

Unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector having short-circuit fault alarm function


A radio communication system, a first application server includes a communicator configured to transmit to and receive from a terminal apparatus individual data via a first base station apparatus, the first base station apparatus includes a first controller configured to request to a second base station apparatus first control information regarding to a second application server connected to the second base station apparatus and second control information for the terminal apparatus to connect to the second base station apparatus, and a transmitter configured to transmit to the terminal apparatus the second control information notified from the second base station apparatus, at least, the second base station apparatus includes a second controller configured to notify the first and second control information to the first base station apparatus, the terminal apparatus receives at least the second control information from the first base station apparatus.

At present, the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute), organizations of standardization, start to study a successor system of LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE-Advanced, as technology for a large capacity and high speed radio communication system. Such a radio communication system is called the 5th Generation mobile communication (5G). In Japan also, a full-scale service using CA (Carrier Aggregation), which is one of LTE-Advanced technologies, has been introduced since 2015, and radio communication at a transmission speed exceeding 200 Mbps is now possible.
In ETSI etc., a study on mobile edge computing is started. The mobile edge computing is a technique in which, for example, an application server is located in the vicinity of a terminal apparatus so that the server provides a service to the terminal apparatus. This enables the reduction of a transmission delay (latency) with the reduction of a load in a network, in comparison with a case when an application server is located outside a network (for example, EPC (Evolved Packet Core)).
In regard to the radio communication system, for example, there is a technique as follows. Namely, in a handover procedure, session state information is inserted into a context data message, so that a source network element transmits the message to a target network element.
It is said that, according to the above technique, a flexible and well-designed solution can be provided for the transfer of a session state between base station apparatuses.
Also, there is provided a mobility managing node which transmits, to a handover destination, application software to provide a service provider to a terminal apparatus at the handover destination.
It is said that, according to the above technique, a network node and a method capable of providing a service to a terminal apparatus can be provided in a radio communication network.

Radio communication system, base station apparatus, and control information transmission method


A dental device and method are provided for applying gutta percha to a root canal of a tooth. The device includes an elongate filler member made of a biocompatible material capable of being cut so that the length of the filler member can be reduced to a desired length by a user of the device, in accordance with the length of the root canal, prior to insertion of the device into the root canal. A head portion of the filler member is of uniform thickness throughout the length thereof, and a distal end portion is uniformly tapered along the length thereof in a direction away from the head portion such that the filler member is without any discrete area of weakness throughout the length thereof. An outer sheath of thermoplastic gutta percha surrounding a portion of the distal end of the filler member. An indicator at the proximal end of the filler member assists the user in determining the portion thereof to be cut off to achieve the desired length.

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,758,156 to Johnson, 4,894,011 to Johnson, and 5,118,297 to Johnson, there are described devices or tools for applying filler material, such as gutta percha or the like, to an endodontically prepared root canal of a tooth of a patient. The devices disclosed in these patents generally comprise a filler member or body, also referred to as obturator, in the form of an elongated shaft having a proximal handle portion. The proximal and distal portions of the obturator are severed or broken apart after the obturator is placed into the root canal so as to leave the distal portion in the canal.
In the first two patents mentioned above, the severing or breaking of the body portion of the obturator is made manually at a preformed, weakened point in the body. This approach is not practical because of the very high risk of prematurely breaking the obturator at the weakened point when inserting the obturator into a curved root canal. Further, because the weakened point is predetermined, the dentist has no discretion in choosing the length of the remaining distal portion of the obturator.
In the third patent mentioned above, U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,297, severing of the body must be carried out by use of either a heating instrument or a burr, and this also has drawbacks given the limited space in the root canal and pulpal chamber in which the dentist has to work.
A further device of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,835 to Kert. This device includes a central filler body which surrounds an insulation rod, and the latter is withdrawn after insertion, leaving the filler body in the canal. However, the filler body in the canal still must be trimmed after withdrawal of the central insertion rod.

Endodontic device and method for applying filler material to root canals


A system includes a processor configured to receive a plurality of traffic reports corresponding to individual road segments of an interconnected road network of road segments. The processor is also configured to determine a mitigation strategy, utilizing one or more temporary traffic controls existing for the individual road segments, designed to minimize overall traffic congestion on the road network and send control instructions for the one or more temporary traffic controls, instructing control in accordance with the determined mitigation strategy.

Traffic congestion is an ever-increasing problem in areas with population growth. When there is limited public transportation, or when people are spread over a large, not easily serviced area, the common incentive is to drive one's own vehicle. If a road network was not planned to accommodate the current population, a virtually impossible task, lanes that once were wide enough have to adapt to the new traffic patterns.
One solution is to widen roads or add additional arteries, but this is not always a reasonable solution, and it is almost always a very expensive one. Another option is the addition of further traffic signals, which are also expensive, and which may have unintended consequences of creating traffic at certain times, even as they serve to mitigate traffic at other times.

Method and apparatus for adaptive engagement of temporary traffic control measures and navigation response


Real-time, enhanced imaging of remote areas, too minute for CT imaging, is made possible through a probe having a radiopaque tip as well as radiopaque volume markers. When deployed, the markers outline the space containing the tip such that both the tip and the volume containing the tip are viewable on a fluoroscope. This device may be used in conjunction with or independently of 3-D volumes created from CT scans and 3-D tip sensors.

The various inventions disclosed herein relate generally to the superimposed presentation of relatively low-resolution or low-quality images, acquired in real time, onto relatively high-resolution or high-quality images acquired preoperatively.
Conventional fluoroscopy is widely used during medical procedures as a visualization and validation imaging tool for guiding medical instruments inside the human body. Although medical instruments like catheters, biopsy tools, etc., are clearly visible on a fluoroscopic picture, organic features such as soft tissue, blood vessels, suspicious tumor lesions etc., are quite transparent and hard to identify with conventional fluoroscopy. As such, frequently a higher quality diagnostic image is acquired, such as CT scan, prior to the operation.
Before a biopsy or therapeutic procedure, a physician studies the patient's CT scan and identifies the target area, such as an area containing a suspicious lesion. Based on his or her professional knowledge, the physician intuitively plans the upcoming procedure by estimating and memorizing the lesion's size, shape and location inside the soft tissue of the chest or abdomen.
Next a procedure is performed, such as a biopsy, which involves the introduction of a medical instrument into the target area. During the procedure, a fluoroscopic picture is used by physician to aid the maneuvering of medical instruments inside the soft tissue towards the target area. The medical instrument is clearly visible but the tissue is transparent.
Hence, the current method has the following disadvantages:                1) When performing diagnostics of suspicious area, a common practice is to use multiple biopsies to increase the diagnostic success probability. This technique increases the procedure time and radiation exposure time, thereby increasing the risk to the patient and attending personal of potential X-ray exposure-related issues.        2) The existing method is inaccurate in locating the position of the medical instrument relative to the lesion because:                    a. Information regarding lesion location and size, such as that potentially available from a CT image, are not utilized by the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are performed under a fluoroscope.            b. The targeted tissue is rarely seen on a fluoroscopic image.            c. The fluoroscopic image is designed for visual perception and not intended to provide accurate, measurable information.            d. A fluoroscopic image is two-dimensional, while an internal lesion is located in three-dimensional space.                        3) There is a potential risk of excessive bleeding or pneumothorax following biopsy, caused by implement injuries to internal organs or blood vessels not seen by the fluoroscope.        4) Internal organs and other tissues move due to breathing, heart activity, etc. Because these features are transparent to a fluoroscope, it is difficult or impossible to be sure that the path of a medical instrument remains as planned toward the targeted area by monitoring a fluoroscope alone. Observing external body movement does not always provide an accurate indication of internal organ movement.
Moreover both due to the limited CT resolution and low radio-opacity of the bronchial tissue the peripheral bronchial airways are not likely to be seen using CT, especially when using a low-dose CT, which is much more commonly used, less expensive, and safer for the patient than a high-dose CT. However when targeting the small peripheral lesions it is essential to identify and utilize the path leading to peripheral lesion.
These inaccuracies result in a low diagnostic success rate and, therefore, such procedures are usually reserved for larger lesions.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a method that improves upon conventional bronchoscopy procedures, whether using existing medical equipment or the apparatus of the present invention.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method that improves upon conventional biopsy or therapeutic procedures in organs that are not seen under fluoroscopy, whether using existing medical equipment or the apparatus of the present invention.
The proposed method improves the quality of fluoroscopic imaging to an extent that allows fluoroscopic imaging to be used as an accurate measuring modality. Hence, the non- or minimally-invasive and inexpensive attributes of fluoroscopic imaging procedures are utilized. The proposed method is mostly suitable to assist the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the lungs, liver and kidney.
One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention navigates a medical instrument to a targeted anatomy extracted from high-quality volume data.
Another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a real-time image of a static or moving medical instrument and a targeted anatomical feature in proximity thereto.
Yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus that combines single or multiple 2D fluoroscopic images with previously acquired high-quality volume data.
Another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a method and apparatus that dynamically determines the most visually informative combination of single or multiple 2D fluoroscopic images with previously acquired high-quality volume data on an application-specific or user-specified basis.
One aspect of the present invention provides various embodiments of catheters and endoscopes that allow 3D shape data to be determined from single or multiple 2D fluoroscopic images.
Another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for maintaining an accurate registration between a dynamic fluoroscopic image and a static CT image.
Additional aspect of this invention present the way of local improvement to the anatomy extracted from high-quality volume data of limited resolution.
Yet another aspect of the invention provides a technique for improving the coverage area of a low-dose CT scan, such that a high-dose CT scan can be avoided.


An encapsulating material for solar cell containing a laminated adhesive and heat resistant layer (A) and a buffering layer (B), wherein a difference in flexural modulus between the heat resistant layer (A) and the buffering layer (B) is at least 30 MPa or more, is provided. The adhesive and heat resistant layer (A) is preferably an olefin polymer (a) having a melting point (according to JIS K7121) of 75° C. or higher and having a storage elastic modulus at 150° C. of 103 Pa or more and the buffering layer (B) is preferably an olefin polymer (d) having a stiffness of 100 MPa or less. The encapsulating material for solar cell can provide superior transparency, flexibility, heat resistance and adhesiveness and can remarkably improve production efficiency of a solar cell module even when no organic peroxide is used. The encapsulating material can also exhibit a performance capable of corresponding to the thickness reduction of the solar cell element even when an organic peroxide is used. A solar cell module containing the encapsulating material is also provided.

Hydraulic power generation, wind power generation and photovoltaic generation, which can improve environmental problems such as reduction of carbon dioxide and the like utilizing inexhaustible natural energy, are attracting attention. Among them, photovoltaic generation has been remarkably prevailing in recent years, because in addition to significant improvements in performances such as power generation efficiency of the solar cell module, reduction in cost have been progressed, and a project to facilitate introduction of a photovoltaic generation system for home use had been promoted by the government or municipalities. However, for further prevalence, further cost reduction is required, and therefore, a study aiming at further improvement in power generation efficiency has been continued night and day.
Solar cell module is generally the one in which a solar cell element such as silicon, gallium-arsenic, copper-indium-selenium and the like is protected with an upper transparent protective material and a lower substrate protective material, and the solar cell element and the protective material are fixed and packaged with an encapsulating material. Consequently, the encapsulating material for solar cell has been required to have a good transparency in order to obtain high power generation efficiency as well as superior adhesiveness to the protective materials and the solar cell element. Further, in order to avoid such troubles as flowing or deforming of the encapsulating material even when temperature rises during use of the solar cell module, it has been also required to have heat resistance. Further, in recent years, an encapsulating material more superior in flexibility has been required along with the thickness reduction of the solar cell element.
In addition, since semiconductor characteristics basically do not deteriorate although silicon cell is most expensive, there is a need to take out the silicon cell only from a module and reuse it when use of the module terminated or a malfunctioned member is exchanged in future. However, currently the encapsulating material has been cross-linked and cannot be removed even molten by heating. Further, it has become a problem that since a silane coupling agent has been added, strong adhesion between silicon cell and metal section makes difficult to separate them. Therefore, the encapsulating material is required to have a function to facilitate reuse of silicon cell
Currently, as an encapsulating material for solar cell element in a solar cell module, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with a high content of vinyl acetate is used from the view point of flexibility and transparency. However, due to its insufficient heat resistance, adhesive property and the like, an organic peroxide or a silane coupling agent had to be used in combination. For this reason, two steps process had to be employed in which a sheet of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer compounded with these additives was prepared in advance, then a solar cell element is encapsulated using the resultant sheet. In the step to manufacture this sheet, since low temperature molding was required to avoid decomposition of the organic peroxide, extrusion molding rate could not be increased. Further, in the encapsulation step for a solar cell element, an adhesion process comprising a temporary adhesion step taking a time of several to several ten minutes on a laminator and a real adhesion step taking a time of several ten minutes to 1 hour at a high temperature allowing an organic peroxide to decompose in an oven had to be carried out. Therefore, manufacturing of the solar cell module cost time and labor, and the encapsulating material had been one of the factors to increase its manufacturing cost. In addition, such encapsulating material could not satisfy the request for reuse of the solar cell element as described above.    Patent Literature 1: JP-B-2-40709


An apparatus for drying and conveying pistachios comprises a plurality of fixed and moveable slotted plates. The moveable plates are interleaved with the fixed plates and reciprocate to push pistachio nuts along the surface of the plates. Heated air is blown through the plates to dry the pistachios.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying pistachio nuts during processing.
Pistachio nuts have a hard shell around the edible nut and a pericarp or hull which encases the shell. The hull of unripened pistachios adheres strongly to the shell and is difficult to remove whereas the hull is relatively easily removed from ripe pistachios. It is necessary to mechanically hull pistachios in order to process commercial quantities of the nut. Once hulled, blanks may be separated from the pistachios by immersing the pistachios in a flotation tank and allowing the good pistachios to sink and be collected. These pistachios should then be partially dried for further processing.
In general term, the invention provides a method and apparatus for drying and conveying pistachio nuts or other small objects. The pistachios are deposited onto a plurality of moving and fixed plates or trays. The moveable plates are interleaved with the fixed plates. All plates are inclined and slotted. The moveable plates reciprocate back and forth, pushing the pistachios to one end of the apparatus. At the same time, heated air is forced through the plates to dry the pistachios.
Therefore, in one aspect, the invention comprises an apparatus for drying and conveying small articles such as pistachio nuts comprising:(a)a plurality of inclined, interleaved fixed and moveable planar plates, wherein each plate: (1) overlaps an adjacent plate and is parallel to the adjacent plate; (2) defines a plurality of openings which are smaller than the article to be dried and conveyed; (3) wherein moveable plates are moveable along a plane parallel to the plane of an adjacent fixed plate; (b) means for reciprocating the moveable plates; and(c)means for blowing air through the plates.
The apparatus further comprises an air plenum beneath the plates for directing heated air through the plates. In one embodiment, the plates are rectangular. The plate reciprocation means may comprise a substantially horizontal elongate beam which is reciprocated horizontally, wherein each moveable plate engages the beam, at least one ramp supporting the beam and having an angle of inclination substantially equal to angle of inclination of the plates and means for reciprocating the beam. The beam reciprocation means may comprise a reciprocating shaft operatively connected to a motor by means for translating rotational movement to horizontal movement.
The motion translation means may comprises a circular disk having a non-central pin, a vertical channel engaging the pin, wherein said vertical channel engages the reciprocating shaft.