The present invention is directed to a poker lottery game, including a poker lottery ticket, which leverages commonly known gaming rules and introduces multiple levels of game play. The ticket may be generated by a terminal located at, but separate from, a point of sale location. The ticket includes one or more lottery numbers along with card values corresponding to the lottery numbers. The ticket may be generated with one or more levels of play disabled or with one or more of the lottery numbers/card values concealed. The disabled levels may be enabled, the one or more of the lottery numbers/card values may be revealed, or the play value of one or more levels may be increased by registering the ticket, as part of a loyalty rewards program or web loyalty program, by purchase, by disabling one or more enabled game play levels or by combining multiple poker lottery tickets.

In today's gaming environment, there is a constant drive to develop new gaming features or gaming techniques to enhance participation, aid in marketing, and further engage consumers. Many such efforts to create new games require players to learn new rules or embrace new, unfamiliar playing experiences. New games may be somewhat successful with established gaming players, but have limited success in drawing in new populations of gamers. Games which draw new gaming players typically include gaming elements that are easily understandable, or commonly understood, and well accepted and prized in common culture. Attempting to draw in new gaming players utilizing new, unknown games, experiences limited success at best and shifts previously engaged gaming players from already established games. Further, traditional distribution and play of lottery games is not well suited to aiding marketing of additional products and services. Traditional lottery games are typically limited to a single level of non-interactive game play with little ability to aid in marketing additional products and services or further interact with the consumer.
Attempts have been made to broaden lottery gaming, but with limited success. These attempts included the "UNO" lottery game in the state of Nebraska and the Iowa Touchplay system. The "UNO" lottery game in the state of Nebraska is a scratch-off ticket format game roughly based on the UNO® card game. The "UNO" lottery game fails because few people past the age of adolescence remember the rules of the UNO® card game or have a great appreciation for the game. Further, the "UNO" lottery game does not offer the full experience of the UNO® card game, offering merely a "one time" gaming experience. There is little popular appeal to the "UNO" lottery game and it requires too much mental engagement to learn the new set of rules for play. The Iowa Touchplay system presented a slot machine type of play whereby the source of the slot outcome was derived from virtual scratch-off playing tickets. The Touchplay system encountered serious legislative difficulties and was consequently shut down due to the perception that the prevalence of unrestricted casino gambling throughout the state was causing social harm, in a gaming context indistinguishable in betting and play from casino slot machines. Further, these two systems offered little in the way of facilitating further engagement with the consumer or aiding the marketing of additional products and services.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a lottery gaming system which addresses the above-referenced problems and limitations.


The invention relates to a method of making an anhydrous, pigmented sunscreen composition. The method comprises first adding a hydrophobic silica to a lipid phase comprising a dispersed color pigment and an organic UV-filter and homogenizing the mixture. Next, a hydrophilic silica is added and re-homogenization is performed.

Various personal care products are known to be useful for treating the skin. For example, color cosmetics are known for imparting color to the skin and sunscreen compositions that include UV filters are known for protecting the skin from harmful UV-radiation.
However, the inventors of the instant invention have found that combining color pigments with organic UV-filters creates a complex formulation that is not easy to stabilize. The inventors have found that a particular series of method steps involving the use of hydrophobic and hydrophilic silica surprisingly solves the problems of phase stability. While the use of hydrophobic and hydrophilic silica in sunscreen compositions is known (for example, EP1608331, entitled "Sunscreen Composition Comprising A Mixture of Silicas," discloses sunscreens that are formulated in the form of a transparent gel and include a mixture of hydrophobic and hydrophilic silicas), the prior art does not teach or suggest the method steps of the instant invention.

Method of making an anhydrous, pigmented composition


A semi-automatic gas-operated shotgun includes a safety device which locks the firing mechanisms of the gun and simultaneously locks the breech-block slide in the open position, spaced from the cartridge chamber of the gun, by the operation of a single safety button.

The present invention relates to a semi-automatic gas-operated shotgun.
It is known that a shotgun of the type in question comprises a receiver for housing and supporting the firing mechanisms of the gun, a breech block guided for movement from a position in which a respective cartridge chamber is closed to a position in which the cartridge chamber is open, and a lifting device for transporting cartridges from a cartridge magazine to the cartridge chamber, the lifting device being constituted essentially by a lever articulated to opposed walls of the receiver and having a longer, substantially elongate-spoon-shaped portion extending towards the cartridge magazine and a shorter portion known as a lug extending towards the interior of the receiver.
As for all firearms of the aforesaid type, it is known for the shotgun considered herein to have a safety device or, more simply: a safety catch, generally constituted by a button-like element extending through the receiver, supported for sliding by the opposed walls thereof, and accessible from outside the walls in order to be moved manually from an engaged position in which it interferes positively with the firing mechanisms, preventing their operation, to a released position in which the firing mechanisms can be operated freely.
In particular, the present invention relates to a safety device having improved structural and functional characteristics for a semi-automatic shotgun.
With reference to shotguns of the aforesaid type, it is known that there is a need to be able to gain access to the cartridge chamber in order to change the cartridge loaded therein for another of a different type.
For this purpose, it is necessary to move the breech-block slide and then to restrain it in the open position in which it is normally restrained only when all of the cartridges have been fired.
At the moment, in order to change the cartridge, the user has to retract the breech block with one hand, and to hold the breech block in the open position with the other hand with which he is supporting the gun, and the cartridge, which is expelled automatically from the cartridge chamber by the action of the ejector, may fly out. Still holding the breech block in the open position manually, the user then has to insert the new cartridge and finally close the cartridge chamber by releasing the breech block.
It is clear and is recognized that, although this procedure has the advantage of quick cartridge-changing, which is much appreciated during shooting, on the other hand it still requires experience and a high degree of manual dexterity and, in spite of all this, still involves a high risk.
The technical problem which the present invention proposes to solve is to overcome this disadvantage.

Semi-automatic gas-operated shotgun with an improved safety device


A power supply device includes a control IC fabricated by a bipolar process and a power supply element fabricated by a MOS process, both of them die-bonded on a leadframe, and with a chip edge of one of them kept in intimate contact with a chip edge of the other. Thus, heat conducts via those chip edges with increased efficiency, permitting the heat generated in the power supply element to quickly conduct to the control IC. This prevents heat-induced breakdown to which a MOS semiconductor is susceptible. The power supply element fabricated by a MOS process can be a horizontal structure so that a current flows from one part of the top surface of the chip to another. This makes it easy to reduce power loss. The power supply element and the control IC can be die-bonded with a single type of die-bonding paste.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supply devices that are used to stably operate TVs, VCRs, DVD players, DVD recorders, personal computers, peripheral devices therefor, various household appliances, and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional power supply device 1, as shown in FIG. 9, an IC 15 including a PNP transistor and other components are typically integrated on a single chip, and are then molded in a resin package as a single device.
To alleviate the power loss through the power supply device 1 and simultaneously achieve stable power supply therefrom, there have recently been put on the market devices having a two-chip structure wherein, as shown in FIG. 10, a control IC 16 fabricated by a bipolar process and a power supply element 17 also fabricated by a bipolar process are provided side by side.
In a series regulator, which is one of the most common types of power supply devices, the power loss therethrough is determined by calculating the difference between the input and output voltages and then multiplying the result by the output current. Accordingly, the power loss can be reduced by reducing the difference between the input and output voltages. In this case, an effective way to achieve that is to use, as the power supply element 17, a PNP transistor having a vertical structure. The reason is that, in a PNP transistor having a vertical structure, which has a collector electrode and a base electrode formed on the top surface of a chip and has an emitter electrode formed on the bottom surface of the chip, the collector current flows from the top surface to the bottom surface of the chip.
However, even a PNP transistor having a vertical structure is not free from an emitter-collector saturation voltage inherent in the physical properties thereof, and thus it is impossible to reduce the difference between the input and output voltages to smaller than the emitter-collector saturation voltage. Specifically, the limit that cannot be surmounted is generally believed to be about 0.3 V, although it somewhat varies with the magnitude of the output current and from one PNP transistor to another.
Thus, one way to further reduce power loss is believed to be to use a power supply element fabricated by a MOS process. When a power supply element fabricated by a MOS process is combined with a control IC fabricated by a bipolar process, the low on-state resistance of a MOS semiconductor can be exploited to realize lower power loss than when, as conventionally practiced, a PNP transistor fabricated by a bipolar process is used.
However, incorporating such two chips, namely a control IC fabricated by a bipolar process and a power supply element fabricated by a MOS process, into a single package poses the following challenges: how to prevent heat-induced breakdown of the MOS semiconductor and how to prevent electrostatic breakdown of the bipolar semiconductor.


Methods of coating a substrate are disclosed. The methods comprise applying shear force to a coating composition either before or during application of the coating composition to the substrate. The coating composition comprises a water-borne or solvent-borne film-forming resin and a catalyst associated with a carrier, wherein at least some of the catalyst can be released from the carrier upon application of the shear force. Also provided are coated articles prepared by the methods.

Coatings have been used in various industries for a wide range of metallic and non-metallic substrates. Certain coatings, particularly in the refinish industry, must be provided as two or more components that are maintained separately until just prior to application since the components will begin to react upon contact. The practice of supplying coatings as two or more separate components is common where ambient or moderate cure temperature is required. Examples include polyisocyanates and polyols, polyepoxides and polyamines, and polyanhydrides and polyols. In the Automotive Refinish Industry for example, a polyol and catalyst are typically supplied as one coating component and a polyisocyanate is supplied as the other coating component. These components are then weighed, mixed, sprayed on to an automobile and allowed to cure to form a polyurethane coating.
The two component approach presents several challenges when applying a coating. One is the need to accurately weigh each component so the reactive groups, such as the isocyanate and hydroxyl groups, are in an acceptable ratio. Another is the need to work in a timely manner so that the mixed components maintain a low enough viscosity for spraying. The span of time during which the coating is ready to apply and still of low enough viscosity to be applied is commonly referred to as "pot life."
Typically, pot life must be balanced with cure speed of the applied coating. For instance, in a multi-component coating system that uses a catalyst, the pot life and cure speed are primarily controlled by the amount of catalyst present. Accordingly, if a fast cure speed is required more catalyst can be used but that will also cause a shorter pot life. Conversely, if a longer pot-life is needed less catalyst can be used but the cure speed would also be retarded.
It is also important that the applied coating composition dry and harden quickly so that dirt pick-up is minimized and valuable shop space isn't occupied with the coated substrate, such as an automobile, while it is drying. The length of time between when a coating is applied to a substrate and when the coating has dried or cured sufficiently that dust falling onto the coated substrate will not stick to the coated substrate is referred to as "dust-free time" and is an indicator of the speed of cure. One way to speed the drying and cure of the composition is to add additional catalyst, but this shortens the time available for spraying since higher catalyst levels also cause viscosity of the composition to increase more quickly.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a coating system for use at ambient temperature where the pot life and cure speed may be better controlled.

Curable film-forming compositions comprising catalyst associated with a carrier and methods for coating a substrate


A sub-harmonic electronic mixer has at least one field effect transistor (FET) having a gate, source, and drain; and a useful signal input at a useful frequency; and a local oscillator input. The input receives the oscillator signal at a frequency being an integral fraction of the useful frequency, plus or minus a mixing frequency to provide a signal output. A gate of the FET and/or the drain and/or the source receives the useful signal to generate a gate-source voltage and/or a drain-source voltage whereby the gate receives the local oscillator signal to generate a gate-source voltage, and the drain or a source receives the local oscillator signal to generate a drain-source voltage. A phase shift is introduced between the signal received at the gate and the signal received at the drain or source of the FET.

The present invention concerns an electronic mixer for generating a mixed signal by mixing a local oscillator signal with a useful signal comprising at least one field effect transistor which has at least one gate, at least one source and at least one drain, a useful signal input for feeding in the useful signal with a useful frequency, a local oscillator signal input for feeding in the local oscillator signal, which is so designed that in operation of the mixer it receives a local oscillator signal whose local oscillator frequency is equal to an integral fraction of the useful frequency which is reduced or increased by a mixing frequency, and a signal output at which the mixed signal is present in operation of the mixer.
The present invention further concerns a method of generating a mixed signal by mixing a local oscillator signal with a useful signal in at least one field effect transistor having at least one gate, at least one source and at least one drain, comprising the step of generating the local oscillator signal with a local oscillator frequency, wherein the local oscillator frequency is equal to an integral fraction of the useful frequency which is reduced or increased by the mixing frequency.
For efficiently acquiring electromagnetic signals beat receivers, in particular heterodyne receivers, have long been used, in which the electromagnetic signal to be acquired, which is referred to hereinafter as the useful signal, is mixed with a signal which is generated locally, that is to say at or in the mixer itself, which hereinafter is referred to as the local oscillator signal. The mixed signal then has a mixing frequency which is equal to the differential frequency between the frequency of the useful signal, this is referred to hereinafter as the useful frequency, and the frequency of the local oscillator signal, this is referred to hereinafter as the local oscillator frequency. The amplitude of the mixed signal is a measurement in respect of the amplitude of the useful signal. The signal identified as the mixed signal with the mixing frequency in the present application as the output of the mixer is frequently also referred to in the literature as the intermediate frequency signal with the intermediate frequency.
The terahertz frequency range or submillimeter wavelength range which is roughly defined by between 100 gigahertz (GHz) and 10 terahertz (THz) is one of the last 'dark' areas of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Technically usable detectors are not commercially available in that frequency range or are commercially available only at low frequencies. In particular the mixing efficiency of field effect transistors which are frequently used for mixing a useful signal with a local oscillator signal drops off severely towards higher useful frequencies.
In that respect however the efficiency of the mixers also depends on the available power of the local oscillator signal. Powerful local oscillator sources are not available at high terahertz frequencies, or are so available only at a high level of technical and financial complication and expenditure. Therefore it is known from the state of the art to use a local oscillator which generates a local oscillator signal whose local oscillator frequency is equal to an integral fraction of the useful frequency increased or reduced by the mixing frequency. Such a mixing method is referred to as subharmonic mixing.
In subharmonic mixing, the non-linear properties of the mixer component, thus also in the case of the field effect transistor, are put to use. A mixed product is generated with the difference of an integral multiple of the local oscillator frequency and the useful frequency.
It will be noted however that the efficiency of subharmonic mixing is markedly lower than the mixing efficiency upon coupling the fundamentals involving the same power into the mixer element, in particular the field effect transistor.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt a.M.


An adjuvant composition comprising noscapine and its derivatives, for use in the treatment of tumors, cancer, as an adjuvant for vaccines.

Some antigens are highly immunogenic and are capable alone of eliciting protective immune responses. Other antigens, however, fail to induce a protective immune response or induce only a weak immune response. A frequent difficulty with active immunization protocols is that the vaccine antigen does not possess sufficient immunogenicity to promote a strong immune response, and therefore a sufficient level of protection against subsequent challenge by the same antigen. In addition, certain antigens may elicit only weak cell-mediated or antibody response. For many antigens, both a strong humoral response and a strong cell-mediated response is desirable.
For decades, researchers have experimented with diverse compounds to increase the immunogenicity of vaccines, as well as other pharmaceutical compositions. Immunopotentiators, also known as adjuvants, of vaccines are compositions of matter that facilitate a strong immune response to a vaccine. In addition, the relatively weak immunogenicity of certain novel recombinant antigens has required adjuvants to be more potent. Vaccine adjuvants have different modes of action, affecting the immune response both quantitatively and qualitatively. Such modes of action can be by mobilizing T cells, acting as depots and altering lymphocyte circulation so that these cells remain localized in draining lymph nodes. They may also serve to focus antigen at the site of immunization, thereby allowing antigen specific T cells and B cells to interact more efficiently with antigen-presenting cells. Adjuvants may also stimulate proliferation and differentiation of T cells and have effects on B cells, such as enhancing the production of different Ig isotypes. Further, adjuvants may stimulate and affect the behavior of antigen-presenting cells, particularly macrophages, rendering them more effective for presenting antigen to T cells and B cells.
In the development of some vaccines and immunogenic compositions, there is a trend to use smaller and well defined immunogenic and protective materials. Recent advances in molecular genetics, protein biochemistry, peptide chemistry, and immunobiology have provided economical and efficient technologies to identify and produce large quantities of pure antigens from various pathogens. However, some such materials may not be sufficiently immunogenic, due to either their small size (especially synthetic peptides) or the lack of intrinsic immunostimulatory properties thereof.
Immunogenicity can be significantly improved if these antigens are co-administered with adjuvants. Adjuvants can also attract cells of the immune system to an antigen depot and stimulate such cells to elicit immune responses.
Immunostimulatory agents or adjuvants have been used for many years to improve the host immune responses to, for example, vaccines. Intrinsic adjuvants, such as lipopolysaccharides, normally are the components of the killed or attenuated bacteria used as vaccines. Extrinsic adjuvants are immunomodulators which are typically non-covalently linked to antigens and are formulated to enhance the host immune responses. Thus, adjuvants have been identified that enhance the immune response to antigens delivered parenterally. Some of these adjuvants are toxic, however, and can cause undesirable side-effects, making them unsuitable for use in humans and many animals. Indeed, only aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate (collectively commonly referred to as alum) are routinely used as adjuvants in human and veterinary vaccines. The efficacy of alum in increasing antibody responses to diptheria and tetanus toxoids is well established and, more recently, a HBsAg vaccine has been adjuvanted with alum. While the usefulness of alum is well established for some applications, it has limitations. For example, alum is ineffective for influenza vaccination and inconsistently elicits a cell mediated immune response. The antibodies elicited by alum-adjuvanted antigens are mainly of the IgG1 isotype in the mouse, which may not be optimal for protection by some vaccinal agents.
A wide range of extrinsic adjuvants can provoke potent immune responses to antigens. These include saponins complexed to membrane protein antigens (immune stimulating complexes), pluronic polymers with mineral oil, killed mycobacteria in mineral oil, Freund's complete adjuvant, bacterial products, such as muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), as well as lipid A, and liposomes.
To efficiently induce humoral immune responses (HIR) and cell-mediated immunity (CMI), immunogens are emulsified in adjuvants. Many adjuvants are toxic, inducing granulomas, acute and chronic inflammations (Freund's complete adjuvant, FCA), cytolysis (saponins and Pluronic polymers) and pyrogenicity, arthritis and anterior uveitis (LPS and MDP). Although FCA is an excellent adjuvant and widely used in research, it is not licensed for use in human or veterinary vaccines because of its toxicity. Freund's Complete adjuvant (FCA) is an emulsion containing mineral oil and killed mycobacteria in saline. Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) omits the mycobacteria. Both FIA and FCA induce good humoral (antibody) immunity, and FCA additionally induces high levels of cell-mediated immunity. However, neither FCA nor FIA are acceptable for clinical use due to the side effects. In particular, mineral oil is known to cause granulomas and abscesses, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the agent responsible for tuberculosis.
There have been many substances that have been tried to be used as adjuvants, such as the lipid-A portion of gram negative bacterial endotoxin, and trehalose dimycolate of mycobacteria. The phospholipid lysolecithin exhibited adjuvant activity (Arnold et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 9:363–366, 1979). Some synthetic surfactants exhibited adjuvant activity, including dimethyldioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDA) and certain linear polyoxypropylenepolyoxyethylene (POP-POE) block polymers (Snippe et al., Int. Arch. Allergy Appl. Immunol. 65:390–398, 1981; and Hunter et al., J. Immunol. 127:1244–1250, 1981) While these natural or synthetic surfactants demonstrate some degree of adjuvant activity, they do not demonstrate the degree of immunopotentiation (i.e., adjuvant activity) as FCA or FIA.
Another approach has looked to break down the adjuvant effect from mycobacteria and determine adjuvant activity from a muramyl-peptide in the cell wall. The smallest fragment of this molecule that retains adjuvant activity is N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, which is also called muramyl dipeptide (MDP) (Ellouz et al., Biochem. & Biophys. Res. Comm. 1317–1325, 1974). There have been many MDP derivatives prepared as vaccine adjuvants and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,158,052; 4,323,559; 4,220,637; 4,323,560; 4,409,209; 4,423,038; 4,185,089; 4,406,889; 4,082,735; 4,082,736; 4,427,659; 4,461,761; 4,314,998; 4,101,536; and 4,369,178. Each of these disclosed MDP derivatives were weakly effective at stimulating the immune system when administered in aqueous solution, but the activity generally falls short of FCA or FIA.
Vaccine adjuvants are useful for improving an immune response obtained with any particular antigen in a vaccine composition. Adjuvants are used to increase the amount of antibody and effector T cells produced and to reduce the quantity of antigen and the frequency of injection. Although some antigens are administered in vaccines without an adjuvant, there are many antigens that lack sufficient immunogenicity to stimulate a useful immune response in the absence of an effective adjuvant. Adjuvants also improve the immune response from "self-sufficient" antigens, in that the immune response obtained may be increased or the amount of antigen administered may be reduced.
Many tumors express proteins that can serve as tumor-specific antigens. Such antigens can be processed via the MHC class I pathway and presented to CD8+ T cells as has been shown for the MAGE-1 gene expressed in melanoma (1), p53 in breast cancer (2), heat shock proteins (3,4), and glycosylation variants of proteins such as MUC-1 mucin (5).
However, tumors generally lack co-stimulatory molecules and hence cannot provide the requisite two signals to activate humor-specific CTL (6). Consequently, spontaneous tumors generally fail to stimulate immunity.
Tumors have been genetically engineered to express co-stimulators [reviewed in (7) {8276/id Viret & Lindemann 1997} (8)] and the modified cells can induce rejection if given before the tumor is transplanted in model systems (9). In a clinical setting, however, tumors presenting antigen in the absence of co-stimulators will likely induce tolerance of the relevant T cells before the tumor is detected (10). Such tumor-specific tolerance may prevent induction of immunity by genetically engineered, autologous tumor cells. Tolerance induction by tumors is not well characterized but recent reports (11,12) demonstrate that tumors induced tolerance in certain animal models.
The present inventors have recently found that the antitussive noscapine and its derivatives are useful in the treatment of neoplastic diseases. Noscapine is used as an antitussive drug and has low toxicity in humans. Noscapine arrests mammalian cells at mitosis, causes apoptosis in cycling cells, and has potent antitumor activity. Noscapine is an alkaloid from opium, and is readily available as a commercial byproduct in the commercial production of prescription opiates. It has been discovered that noscapine promotes assembly of tubulin subunits.
The present inventors have now discovered that noscapine and its derivatives are useful as adjuvant compositions to augment cell mediated immunity. In particular, noscapine and its derivatives can be used to enhance cytolytic responses to a tumor cell or as a vaccine adjuvant.

Noscapine derivatives as adjuvant compositions and methods of use thereof


Optical system (2) for a spotlight (S), comprising a first optical element (3) and a second optical element (4), which are arranged optically one behind the other along a light-radiating axis (A), and an adjustment mechanism (5), which is coupled to the first optical element (3) and the second optical element (4) such that it can move the optical elements (3, 4) along the light-radiating axis (A) in such a way that the optical elements (3, 4) can be moved relative to one another between a distanced position, in which the optical elements (3, 4) are spaced apart along the light-radiating axis (A), and an adjacent position, in which the optical elements (3, 4) are arranged closer to one another than in the distanced position, and wherein the adjustment mechanism (5) is further coupled to the first optical element (3) and the second optical element (4) such that the optical elements (3, 4), when they are in the adjacent position, can be moved together along the light-radiating axis (A) while maintaining said adjacent position. The invention also relates to a lighting system (1) comprising a spotlight (S) and the optical system (2) according to the invention, and to a method for adjusting a light emission characteristic of a spotlight (S) of the lighting system (1).

Spotlights, and optics used to change the light emission characteristics of such lamps accordingly, are fundamentally known. The beam angle of spotlights, for example, can be adjusted with the aid of a zoom lens. Spotlights generally emit a more or less narrow light cone. Said cone usually has a hard edge; regardless of the zoom lens of the beam angle using a zoom lens.


A cover for underground structures, its cover body, and its frame designed to quickly discharge accumulations of rainwater and dirt so as to prevent slipping and skidding from increasing due to these accumulations. The cover body has a multiplicity of patterns of projections and depressions on its surface, one projection independent of another, so that the upper surface of each projection is on about the same level as that of the frame with the depressions formed to surround each of these depressions. The depressions are constructed to become gradually deeper from the central part of the cover body toward the periphery, while the frame also has depressions set up on part or all of its upper surface in a circumferential direction with discharge guides sloping up toward the outer periphery of the frame. The cover for underground structures is made up of a set of the cover body and the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to covers, cover bodies and frames, and more particularly to covers for underground structures, cover bodies which are designed to quickly discharge rainwater and dirt collected from the cover bodies and the frames to efficiently prevent pedestrians from slipping and vehicles from skidding, and frames for the cover bodies.
Covers for underground structures herein refers to large iron covers to close openings which lead to buried materials as well as to structural sewerage facilities, manhole covers, covers for house inlets, openable and closable iron covers for common-use tunnels which protect equipment for underground power and communications facilities, iron covers for electric power transmission, iron covers for power distribution, fire hydrant covers functioning as openable and closable doors to connect underground conduits in waterworks systems, covers leading to gas pipes and their accessories from above ground, sluice valve covers, air-valve covers, covers for gas pipes, and water-gauge valves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is a known method to form a multiplicity of protruding and recessed patterns on the surfaces of cover bodies and frames of underground structures installed on sidewalks and roadways to prevent pedestrians from slipping and vehicles from skidding in inclement weather.
There are good examples of cover bodies and frames with improved surface patterns for slip and skid prevention disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 27160/85 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 39964/95.
The former concerns a cover body, the surface of which projections of a planar hexagon and planar Y-shaped depressions are alternately and uniformly distributed to form specific patterns, the projections being enclosed by depressions. Such surface patterns are supposed to prevent slipping and skidding regardless of which direction the pedestrians and vehicles advance from. Since the depressions formed around the projections are all connected, they are advantageous in that any dirt collected on the surface thereof can be discharged by using the depressions as cleaning passageways.
The latter method as disclosed in the Gazette presents anti-slip patterns formed on the upper surface of the wall of a flange of a frame. Slip prevention is made by means of each pattern made up of wavy grooves provided peripherally along the flange wall and single holes formed relative to the top and the bottom of the wavy grooves.
However, according to the Utility Model disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 27160/85, an outer rim is formed around the outer periphery of the cover body. Consequently, even though the depressions as such are all connected, they are surrounded by the outer rim when the cover body is considered as a whole. Further, these depressions merely form a flat surface which is depressed at a uniform depth with respect to the upper surface level, and any difference in level existing between the depressions and the outer rim is on the level of approximately at a right angle or a slope created due to cast trimming, so that guiding accumulations of rainwater and dirt in the depressions to the periphery for discharge thereof will require some degree of human work. It is unreasonable to expect natural discharge thereof with the passage of time.
Another factor is that, since the upper surface of the projections is also a flat surface on a uniform level, rainwater and dirt will remain collected on the upper surface thereof.
In regard to a frame described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 39964/95, inasmuch as the anti-slip patterns formed on the upper surface of a flange are depressed relative to the surrounding area, hence constituting closed depressions, rainwater and dirt will likely remain collected, as well.
As described above, the discharge of rainwater and dirt, once accumulated on the surface of the body and the frame in the existing structure, is difficult, and the accumulations thereof tend to remain unchanged. Since such accumulations of rainwater and dirt on the surface act between tires and the surface of the body or frame, for example, as a roller, despite the provision of anti-slip and anti-skid patterns in projections and depressions on the surface thereof, there is the problem of significant loss of effect.

Cover for underground structures, body thereof and frame therefor


A liquid crystal display is provided, which includes a first panel and a second panel facing each other, a liquid crystal layer formed between the first and second panels, and a plurality of column spacers each having a pillar and a base supporting the pillar. The width of the pillar is less than that of the base portion.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display that can endure external pressure without a reduction of elasticity intensity.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is one of the most widely used flat panel displays. An LCD includes two panels provided with field-generating electrodes, such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode, and a liquid crystal (LC) layer interposed therebetween. The LCD displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the LC layer, which determines orientations of LC molecules in the LC layer to adjust polarization of incident light.
In the LCDs, a plurality of active spacers is used to maintain a uniform cell gap between an upper panel and a lower panel, where bead spacers or column spacers may be used as the active spacers.
When using bead spacers, the manufacturing process may be simplified and easy. However, because the beads spacers are floating, they are moved with the liquid crystal material during the injection of the liquid crystal material. Therefore, when the movement pressure and the movement distance are large, the panel may be curved such that light leakage occurs. Because the column spacers are formed by a photolithography process, differently from the bead spacers, the column spacers are formed in predetermined positions. However, because the column spacers have a low elasticity intensity and do not endure a large load compared with the bead spacers, the column spacers or underlayers may collapse when the liquid crystal display experiences external pressure, causing spots to occur.
The density and scale of the column spacers, or the endurance quality of the column spacers, can be improved to endure increased pressure or load. However, if the density and scale of the column spacers are improved, the elasticity intensity may be reduced.


Method for stretching and mounting films. An apparatus for stretching films over a flat surface utilizing a vacuum applied to the film surface near the periphery of the film to be stretched is described. Fragile films may be stretched by the present apparatus by attaching such films near their outer edges to a film which is stretched by the apparatus.

The present invention relates generally to mounting films on substrates, and more particularly, to stretching and mounting fragile films on substrates.
Flexible films are used for conducting electrical charges, radiating energy reflecting incident energy, protecting and beautifying surfaces, and for insulating electric-current carrying wires and sheets, as typical examples. Thin films comprised of living tissue are becoming important for certain surgical procedures. Currently, electronic circuits are being manufactured on thins flexible film materials, since they can then be bent, folded, and twisted, thereby providing design possibilities otherwise impossible to achieve. Furthermore, in many applications, film materials are more uniform and otherwise superior to surface coatings applied by spraying, dipping, or brushing. However, applications of thin or fragile films has been limited since handling such films often introduces wrinkles into the film.
Several methods for mounting films on substrates have been described. Generally, these methods employ thermal bonding and heat and pressure are applied to the film/backing combination in order to remove trapped air and provide a uniform bond. For examples in "Method Of Securing Flexible Sheets To Relatively Stiff Backings," by Donald J. Douglas, U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,289, which issued on Dec. 2, 1952, pressure is applied to the outer surface of a film which has been coated with an adhesive and placed in contact with a backing material in order to cause it to conform to the backing, while air is withdrawn from between the surfaces, by placing the assembly in a vacuum chamber. Heat is then applied to activate and set the adhesive. "Method And Apparatus For Making An Optical Element Having A Dielectric Film," U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,424, which issued to Gordon C. Augason on Aug. 4, 1987, describes an apparatus for sandwiching a film between "O" rings held in "O" ring bearing members and an optical element to be coated, on each-side thereof, and stretching the films across the optical element by squeezing the bearing members together. Tapered surfaces in the "O" ring bearing cause the "O" rings to roll outwardly when the members are squeezed together, thereby stretching the film. The film to be used as a coating is further sandwiched between a Mylar film and the optical element, and air is withdrawn from between the optical element and the coating film in order to assist in removing entrained air and wrinkles. The Mylar is utilized both to press the coating film against the element on both sides thereof and to hold the element in place while the coating film is heated to slightly below its melting temperature so that thermal bonding may take place. The apparatus may be used to stretch a single film as well. In order to achieve the stretching of a film, wing nuts are carefully tightened causing the "O" rings to roll outwardly, while the film is visually observed. A similar process is used for coating optical elements. It should be noted that the coating film is not bonded to the Mylar film. Yet another film stretching procedure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,055 for "Reflective Film And Method Of Applying Same," which issued on Jul. 19, 1984 to Marvin P. Hodges. Therein, the inventor affixes a thin reflective foil to a polymeric carrier, which is then fitted to a complex surface without rupturing or cracking the foil. The method requires that the foil be laminated to the carrier; that is an adhesive is used to bond the two surfaces together at all points of contact therebetween.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,994, "Thermoforming Method," which issued to Louis P. Harasta et al. on Jun. 30, 1992, the inventors describe the stretching and bonding of an adhesive-coated thermoplastic film to a substrate by vacuum thermoforming. The method combines heating a film, which is rigidly held at its outer dimensions, and reducing the pressure behind it in order to cause the film to cover the surface of the substrate and bond thereto with a minimum of air entrapment. The combination of heating and applying vacuum to the film causes the film to be stretched.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for stretching films utilizing vacuum to generate the tensioning force.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for further stretching a film already stretched utilizing vacuum to generate the tensioning force, by utilizing gas pressure to expand the film.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for stretching films by utilizing a backing film which is stretched.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


A safety valve includes a tube and a valve device. The valve device is substantially a cylindrical member with an end thereof coupled to an outlet of a gas container by a mounting device. The other end of the valve device has a threading portion for engaging with a first end of the tube whose second end communicates with a burner. The valve device has an inner gas passage which tapers to form a neck adjacent to the threading portion thereof. A stem hole is formed in the threading portion and communicates with the neck. Also formed in the threading portion are two slits which also communicate with the neck. A valve stem has a stem portion received in the stem hole and a valve head in the inner gas passage. When leakage occurs downstream of the valve device, the valve stem is moved toward the neck, and thus blocks the slits, thereby preventing from escapement of subsequent gas remained in the inner gas passage and in the gas container.

The present invention relates to a safety valve and, more particularly, to a safety valve which cuts off the gas supply from a gas container when leakage occurs.
Gas containers are widely used to supply gas to burners. A gas container generally incorporates a safety valve to prevent damage resulting from gas leakage. Accidents, however, still possibly occur when the leakage occurs in the threadings portion of the safety valve in the situation where the safety valve fails.
Therefore, there has been a long and unfulfilled need for an improved safety valve to mitigate and/or obviate the above-mentioned problems.

No. 5, Alley 14, Lane 298, Hsin Ming Rd.


A bootstrapped switch circuit capable of operating at input signals from far below the negative supply rail to far beyond the positive supply rail may include (a) a switch having a first terminal coupled to an input terminal, a second terminal coupled to an output terminal, and a control terminal; (b) a charge pump coupled to one or more clock signals and isolated from a timing circuit via a first capacitor and a second capacitor, the charge pump generating an output voltage; and (c) a logic circuit coupled to one or more clock signals and isolated from the timing control circuit via a third capacitor and a fourth capacitor, wherein the logic circuit provides a control signal to the control terminal of the switch that is derived from the output voltage of the charge pump.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input circuit for sampling an analog signal. In particular, the present invention relates to an input circuit for sampling an analog differential signal with a wide common mode range.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), it is higher desirable to have an input circuit that allows sampling a fully differential signal. It is particularly desirable when the input circuit can sample a differential analog signal with a magnitude that is greater than a diode drop, and performs that sampling over a large common mode range.
FIG. 1 shows a switching circuit that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,022,679 ("the '679 patent"), entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FAST SWITCH TURN ON APPROXIMATING IDEAL DIODE FUNCTION." As shown in FIG. 1, the switching circuit of the '679 patent is not fully capacitively isolated, and its charge pump is not referenced to a source terminal of the switch. Also, the switching circuit has neither a discriminator nor a voltage regulator to provide a well-controlled gate-to-source voltage (VGS). Therefore, the switching circuit of the '679 patent cannot operate below the ground reference and thus is not suitable for use in a sampling network for an ADC.
FIG. 2 shows a bootstrapped switch circuit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,176,742 ("the '742 patent"), entitled "BOOTSTRAPPED SWITCH WITH AN INPUT DYNAMIC RANGE GREATER THAN SUPPLY VOLTAGE." The bootstrapped switch circuit of the '742 patent may be used for sampling an input signal that goes beyond the power supply voltages. However, this bootstrapped switch circuit is capable of accepting an input signal that exceeds the supply voltage on the positive side by a limited amount, as the several low voltage transistors in the bootstrapping circuit is unable to withstand higher voltage signals. As shown in FIG. 2, the bootstrapped switch circuit of the '742 patent includes capacitor C13 that is precharged by being first connected between supply voltages GND and VDD. The charged capacitor is then switched to being connected between the source and gate terminals of bootstrapped switch N20. For high input signals, precharged capacitor C13 must swing up to the input signal. The parasitic capacitors in bootstrapped switch MMN20 result in a signal-dependent VGS.
FIG. 3 shows a bipolar switch that is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/009623 ("the '623 publication"), entitled "FOUR-QUADRANT BOOTSTRAPPED SWITCH CIRCUIT." The bipolar switch in the '623 publication is operated by a floating voltage source. The switch of the '623 publication cannot accept an input signal that can go beyond the supply voltages, as the floating voltage source is generated by current sources that operate between those supply voltages.


The invention relates to a superstructure support (20) as part of a prosthetic tooth replacement (1) between an implant body (10) and a superstructure, comprising a hollow implant post (23, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190), a hollow implant pin (50), and an implant flange (31) lying therebetween. The cavity zones (67, 62) of the implant post (23, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190) and of the implant pin (50) transition into each other. The center lines (69, 63) include an angle of 60 to 86 angular degrees. An attachment element (5) can be arranged on the implant post (23, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190) in a rotationally fixed manner by means of an assembly joint (140), which forms an interface (141, 145). The attachment element (5) is a cap-type element. At least some areas of the implant flange (31) have a supporting enveloping surface (37). The attachment element (5) has an interface geometry (146), which can be mounted on the interface geometry (142) of the superstructure support (20) in an interlocking and/or frictional manner at least in some areas. By means of the invention, a superstructure support (20) for the prosthetic tooth replacement is improved in such a way that the interface between the implant post (23, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190) and the attachment element (5) enables secure and simple joining and disconnecting of the interface components.

In dental implantology, an endosseous implant body that carries the prosthesis is often used, for example, in the fabrication of a single prosthetic tooth replacement. In such a case, the implant body, a type of screw plug, is screwed into an artificially created hole in the patient's jaw. The screwed-in implant body receives a superstructure support for the completed prosthesis. The latter may be screwed into the implant body with a special screw in a rotationally fixed manner. A superstructure forming the visible tooth crown is placed directly or indirectly on the superstructure support, for example by bonding.
A tooth implant mounting system is known from DE 20 2012 102 746 U1, with which an implant body, a superstructure support, an adhesive body and an artificial crown form an artificial tooth replacement.
The present invention is based on the problem of improving a superstructure support in such a manner that the interface between the implant post and the respective attachment element enables a secure and simple joining and separating of the interface components.

Superstructure support having special implant post geometry


The present invention pertains to a dye-based inkjet ink set and, more particularly, to an ink set with at least six differently colored inks. The ink set includes at least a cyan, magenta, yellow, red, blue and green ink.

The present invention pertains to a dye-based inkjet ink set and more particularly to an ink set with at least six differently colored inks. The ink set includes at least a cyan, magenta, yellow, red, blue and green ink.
Inkjet printing is a non-impact printing process in which droplets of ink are deposited on a substrate, such as paper, to form the desired image. The droplets are ejected from a printhead in response to electrical signals generated by a microprocessor. Inkjet printers offer low cost, high quality printing and have become a popular alternative to other types of printers.
Color characteristics of dye-containing inks play an important role in the quality of the printed ink-jet image. Perceived color quality can be characterized using any one of several color-space systems such as CIELAB (CIE No. 15.2, Colorimetry, 2nd. Ed., Commission Internationale de l'Eclarage, Vienna, Austria, 1986) or Munsell (Munsell Book of Color, Munsell Color Co., Baltimore, Md., 1929), as is well known in the art. With respect to Munsell color space, a given color is defined using three terms, namely Hue, Value and Chroma. With respect to CIELAB color space, a color is defined using three terms L*, a* and b*. In this system L* defines the lightness of the color and it ranges from 0 (black) to 100 (white). The terms a* and b* together define the hue, where a* ranges from a negative number (green) to a positive number (red) and b* ranges from a negative number (blue) to a positive number (yellow). Additional terms such as hue angle (h°) and chroma (C*) can also be used to describe a given color instead of a* and b* wherein
                              h          o                =                              tan                          -              1                                                      (                                          b                *                                            a                *                                      )                                              Equation                                                  1                                          C          *                =                                            a                              *                2                                      +                          b                              *                2                                                                        Equation                                                  2
To achieve full color images, ink jet printers typically employ a cyan ("C"), magenta ("M") and yellow ("Y") ink. These colors are known as subtractively-mixing primaries, as light is subtracted as it passes through the colorant. When these colors are mixed in pairs they form red, green and blue (so-called "secondaries"), and when all are mixed together they form black. Thus these three-color inks can be used to print the entire range of hues with good chromaticity and/or color saturation.
The range of colors that a given ink set can print is called the color gamut, and can be described in the CIELAB system by the volume in the L*a*b* color space that encompasses a palette of representative colors that can be printed by the ink set on a given substrate. While a CMY ink set can produce all possible color hues, the color gamut does not encompass all the colors that can be perceived by the human eye. Thus there is still a desire to improve the printed image quality and extend the range of colors that can be printed.
One approach to improved color is the development of new cyan, magenta and yellow dyes that give higher chroma on paper while still maintaining or improving other desired characteristics such as light-fastness and water-fastness. This approach is taken, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,969 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,140.
Another approach is to expand the ink set used for printing to include additional inks that improve image quality or color gamut. There are three ways in which expanded ink sets have been employed.
One way is by including inks of the same hue but lower concentration (so-called "lights"). Light colors improve image quality by producing smoother tonal gradations and light colors in an image. For light colors, the "light" or "photo" inks, which typically have 10%-20% of the dye content of the full-strength colors, are used. For intermediate strength colors, "light" and full-strength inks are mixed. For the darkest colors only full-strength ink drops are used. Thus a smooth gradation of color tones can be obtained.
A further advantage of using "lights" is that it allows the dye concentration of the full-strength inks to be increased further without having the problem of dark sparsely spaced dots on the image. The higher concentration inks produce higher chroma secondary colors when mixed on high quality photo papers, and they also produce a darker CMY process black. These two effects serve to enhance the color gamut significantly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,743 discloses how up to three different concentrations of each of the primary hues can be used to greatly increase the color gamut obtainable from a CMY ink set. Typically "light" inks are only used for cyan and magenta as yellow is light enough so that any graininess is not objectionable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,509,916 discloses a printing method where a light ink of a different hue is added to the three-color set in order to improve improved gradation reproduction and expand the color gamut.
A second way in which an expanded ink set is employed is by including both a dye-based black ("K") ink and a pigmented black ink (along with CMY dyes). Most commercial ink jet printers use a pigmented black ink as this gives high optical density and sharp text on plain paper; however, the pigmented black has lower gloss than the dyes and looks flat when used with dyes on photographic papers. Thus printers use a combination of CMY to achieve black when printing photographs to maintain high gloss images. The optical density of such a combination block, however, is lower than using a true black ink and also requires three times as much ink to be used, so photo printers use a special high optical density black dye ink in addition to CMY to improve the images. Previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,140 discloses specific black dye inks to be used to improve color gamut of CMY ink sets.
A third way an expanded ink set is employed is by further including more inks with hues other than CMY. In some cases this additional ink may be what is known as a spot color, where the image to be printed contains an abundance of a certain color and so that color is specifically added to the ink set. This spot color is not necessarily outside the existing color gamut of the CMY ink set. In the case where the desired color is inside the gamut, adding the ink still provides the advantage of using less ink since a single ink is used rather than a mixture, and it also may provide improved light color tones, again by avoiding using a mixture of other colors. As another example the digital image to be printed may contain a certain color that is difficult to accurately print with the existing ink set and that color can be selected as an additional ink for the ink set. U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,879 discloses a method for selecting inks for textile printing that addresses these two cases. The ink set disclosed as being preferred contains 12 inks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,721 discloses a method for multi-color printing using a first set of CMY (and optionally K) inks, and a second set containing a specific chemical formulae for a yellow dye, and/or an orange dye, and/or a red dye and/or a blue dye. The disclosure shows how inks made from mixtures of these dyes can expand the color gamut of the existing CMYK ink set.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,549 similarly discusses an ink set containing a specific magenta dye which is part of an ink set containing a yellow dye ink, a cyan dye ink and an orange and/or green and/or violet ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,791 discloses that when an additional color, in this case blue, is added to the ink set for textile printing, mixtures of light cyan and magenta can be used to print the lighter blue shades.
All of the above-identified publications are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth.
The art described above attempts to improve image quality by making piecemeal additions to the basic CMY ink set to address specific issues; however, none of the solutions in themselves provides both a range of colors able to reproduce photographs and computer monitor images as well as reproduce light color tones. In addition many of the solutions assume that it is a simple matter to add colors to the ink set. This may be the case in many conventional (non-inkjet) printing processes; however, in inkjet printing the number of ink slots available is both fixed by the printer design and also limited due to the scanning nature of much ink-jet printing which limits the width and weight of the printhead.
There is, consequently, a need for an ink set that integrates (a) a systematic method of expanding the color gamut, with (b) a method of printing light tones, highlights and grayscales using (c) a limited number of ink channels. It is an object of this invention to provide an ink set that address these issues.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Inkjet ink set for improved color reproduction


An open roof construction for a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof includes a panel for opening and closing the roof opening. An operating mechanism on each side of the passage opening supports and moves the panel. A bracket on the panel and a support on the operating mechanism each have a plurality of holes and a screw for each pair of holes to attach the bracket to the panel support. At least one pair of holes is provided with a funnel which guides a screwdriver to the respective screw. At least one pair of holes is before or behind the passage opening when the panel is closed. The frame has a mounting opening for the screwdriver is in the same transverse plane as said at least one pair of holes to fasten the screw of said at least one pair of holes.

The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The invention firstly relates to an open roof construction for a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof. The open roof construction includes a frame having a passage opening for placement below the roof opening in the fixed roof, the passage opening being smaller than the roof opening. An operating mechanism on each side of the passage opening supports and moves a panel to open and close the roof opening. The panel has a panel bracket below each longitudinal side and the operating mechanisms each include a panel support. The panel bracket and the panel support each are elongated and extend a substantial part of the longitudinal length of the panel and each have a plurality of holes and a screw for each pair of holes to attach the panel bracket to the panel support.
These types of open roof constructions are still manufactured partly by human manipulations. The screws for attaching the panel to the operating mechanism are tightened by a screwdriver handled by an operator.

Open roof construction for a vehicle and method of attaching a panel


An infant monitoring system includes an incubation chamber configured to house an infant. Furthermore, the infant monitoring system includes a data reception interface configured to receive a wireless signal indicative of a vital sign. The infant monitoring system may be configured to communicate wirelessly with a LAN or a remote monitoring system.

The invention relates generally to an incubator system, such as for premature infants, that monitors the infant and its environment.
Over the years, a number of devices have been developed for caring for an infant in a hospital care environment. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, one of the best-known devices for infant care, such as of a premature infant or an otherwise delicate or sick infant, is an incubator. The incubator is utilized to provide an infant a controlled environment, wherein the environment within the incubator, such as, for example, the temperature, humidity, and oxygen content, may be monitored and controlled.
The vital signs of the infant in the incubator, for example, temperature, respiration rate, pulse, and other physiological parameters, may be monitored via sensors to evaluate the condition of the infant. For example, a temperature of the infant in the incubator may be monitored via a transducer, such as a temperature sensor, that may be attached to the infant. However, the attachment of the transducer to the infant may disadvantageously lead to several limitations such as the inadvertent detachment of the sensor by infant movement, and may also limit the movement of the infant. Additionally, the leads employed to attach the various transducers to the infant may cause bruising of the tender skin of the infant in the incubator. Furthermore, the length of the lead wires may interfere with a caregiver providing timely critical care to the infant. In addition, if the leads wires are long, the lead wires may get dirty or contaminated, such as by being dragged on the floor, and may thereby lead to unhygienic conditions for the infant.
It would be desirable to reduce the number and length of lead wires used in infant monitoring. Furthermore, it may be desirable to develop a technique that efficiently monitors the vital signs of the infant in the incubator.


A recirculation block includes a top face and a bottom face that are connected by a right side face, a left side face, a front face, and a rear face. The recirculation block further includes a pair of junction block entry ports and a pair of side block entry ports. Both of the junction block entry ports are positioned on the bottom face. The first side block entry port is positioned on the right side face and the second side block entry port is positioned on the left side face. The recirculation block further includes a pair of exit ports. The first exit port is in fluid communication with both the first junction block entry port and the first side block entry port. The second exit port is in fluid communication with both the second junction block entry port and the second side block entry port.

Plural component materials are typically applied using a spray system. Typical examples of plural components include but are not limited to epoxies, paints, urethane- and polyurea-based coatings, and urethane-based pour and spray foams. Plural component materials typically include a first fluid component and a second fluid component. By way of example only, the first fluid component and the second fluid component may respectively comprise a resin and a hardener, a resin and an activator, or an amine and an isocyanate.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a conventional spray system, such as spray systems 10 and 10′, typically includes a pair of storage tanks 20a and 20b, a proportioner 30, and a spray gun 40 that includes a spray gun manifold 50. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, each of the pair of storage tanks 20a, 20b is connected to the proportioner 30 via a respective one of a pair of proportioner supply lines 22a, 22b that allow the fluid components to flow separately from the respective storage tank 20a, 20b to the proportioner 30. Each storage tank 20a, 20b also includes a feed pump 26a, 26b configured to pump the fluid components from their respective storage tank 20a, 20b to the proportioner 30 through the corresponding proportioner supply line 22a, 22b. In addition, in the illustrated systems 10, 10′, the proportioner 30 is connected to the spray gun 40 via the spray gun manifold 50 with a heated hose 60, which allows the fluid components to flow separately from the proportioner 30 through the spray gun manifold 50 and, ultimately, to the spray gun 40, where the individual fluid components are mixed in an inner mixing chamber in the spray gun and delivered through the nozzle of the spray gun 40. The heated hose 60 typically comprises a pair of heated gun supply hoses 62a, 62b connected to a corresponding pair of heated whip hoses 64a, 64b via a fluid temperature sensor 66. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fluid temperature sensor 66 and adjacent sections of heated gun supply hoses 62a, 62b and heated whip hoses 64a, 64b are exposed for illustration purposes. The fluid temperature sensor 66 and adjacent hoses are typically wrapped in thermal tape during normal operation of spray system 10, 10′. The illustrated spray systems 10 and 10′ also include a gun air supply hose 51 configured to supply pressurized air from the proportioner 30 to the spray gun 50.
Spray system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 also includes a pair of circulation lines 24a, 24b between the proportioner 30 and a respective storage tank 20a, 20b. The proportioner 30 includes an operational setting configured to separately circulate the fluid components through the proportioner 30 and back into their respective storage tank 20a, 20b. While such an operational setting is active, the fluid components flow separately through the respective fluid supply line 22a, 22b, continue through the proportioner 30 and return to their respective storage tanks 20a, 20b via the circulation lines 24a, 24b. Spray system 10′ shown in FIG. 3 is identical to spray system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that spray system 10′ does not include circulation lines 24a, 24b. In other words, spray system 10 represents a typical spray system with circulation, while spray system 10′ represents a typical spray system without circulation.
FIGS. 4-8 depict two types of conventional spray guns 140, 240 and their corresponding spray gun manifolds 150, 250. Spray gun 40 and spray gun manifold 50 shown in FIGS. 1-3 may comprise any type of suitable spray gun and spray gun manifold. For example, spray gun 50 may comprise a spray gun configured to work in conjunction with a spray gun manifold comprising a single junction block, such as junction block spray gun 140 and junction block spray gun manifold 150 shown in FIGS. 4-5. One commercial example of this type of junction block spray gun is the Fusion Air Purge spray gun made by Graco Inc. Junction block spray gun 140 includes an air hose coupling 157 configured to allow a user to attach an air hose, such as gun air supply hose 51, to the junction block spray gun 140 in order to provide pressurized air to the junction block spray gun 140. In another example, spray gun 50 may comprise a spray gun configured to work in conjunction with a spray gun manifold comprising two individual side blocks, such as side block spray gun 240 and side block spray gun manifold 250 shown in FIGS. 6-8.
As shown, the junction block spray gun manifold 150 comprises a single junction block 152 that includes a first hose coupling 154a and a second hose coupling 154b. In FIG. 5, whip hose 64a is connected to first hose coupling 154a and whip hose 64b is connected to second hose coupling 154b. Junction block 152 also includes a first manifold valve 156a associated with the first hose coupling 154a and a second manifold valve 156b associated with second hose coupling 154b. First manifold valve 156a may be configured to selectively open and close to either allow the respective fluid component to flow from whip hose 64a through junction block 152 and into the inner mixing chamber of junction block spray gun 140 or prevent delivery of the fluid component into the inner mixing chamber of junction block spray gun 140. Similarly, second manifold valve 156b may be configured to selectively open and close to either allow the respective fluid component to flow from whip hose 64b through junction block 152 and into the inner mixing chamber of the junction block spray gun 140 or prevent delivery of the fluid component into the inner mixing chamber of the junction block spray gun 140.
In this embodiment, first hose coupling 154a comprises a female coupling 155a configured to receive a corresponding male coupling 65a on the end of one of the pair of whip hoses 64a, 64b. Similarly, second hose coupling 154b comprises a female coupling 155b configured to receive a corresponding male coupling 65b on the end of the other one of the pair of whip hoses 64a, 64b. As shown in FIG. 5, junction block 152 further comprises a pair of gun couplings 158a, 158b configured to connect junction block 152 to the junction block spray gun 140 and provide communication between the junction block spray gun manifold 150 and the inner mixing chamber of the junction block spray gun 140. Each gun coupling 158a, 158b may have a smooth metal finish and a fluid port that is centered within the respective gun coupling 158a, 158b. The fluid port in junction block spray gun 140 that each gun coupling 158a, 158b is connected to may include an o-ring to provide an adequate seal between junction block 152 and junction block spray gun 140. The junction block 152 may be attached to the junction block spray gun 140 using any suitable fastener 160, including but not limited to a conventional fastener, such as the pin shown in FIG. 5, or any other fastening means or method that provides an adequate connection between the junction block 152 and the junction block spray gun 140.
FIGS. 6-8 depict an alternate type of spray gun and gun manifold. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6-8, side block spray gun 240 is configured to work in conjunction with a side block spray gun manifold 250 comprising two individual side blocks 252a, 252b. One commercial example of this type of side block spray gun is the Probler P2 spray gun made by Graco Inc. Side block spray gun 240 includes an air hose coupling 257 configured to allow a user to attach an air hose, such as gun air supply hose 51, to the side block spray gun 240 in order to provide pressurized air to the side block spray gun 240.
In the illustrated embodiment, the side blocks 252a, 252b are configured to mount onto either side of the side block spray gun 240 and each side block 252a, 252b includes a union fitting 254a, 254b. Each side block 252a, 252b also includes a manifold valve 256a, 256b associated with the respective union fitting 254a, 254b. Each manifold valve 256a, 256b may be configured to selectively open and close to either allow the respective fluid component to flow from the connected hose, such as whip hose 64a, 64b, through the respective side block 252a, 252b and into the inner mixing chamber of the side block spray gun 240 or prevent delivery of the fluid component into the inner mixing chamber of the side block spray gun 240. In this embodiment, each side block 252a, 252b further comprises a female hose coupling 255a, 255b configured to receive a corresponding male hose coupling, such as male coupling 65a, 65b shown in FIG. 5, on the end of one of the pair of whip hoses 64a, 64b.
Each side block 252a, 252b also includes a gun coupling configured to connect the respective side block 252a, 252b to the side block spray gun 240 and provide communication between each side block 252a, 252b and the inner mixing chamber of the side block spray gun 240. Gun coupling 258b on side block 252b is illustrated in FIG. 8. The corresponding gun coupling on side block 252a is not shown, but it is substantially identical to gun coupling 258b. As illustrated in FIG. 8, side blocks 252a, 252b are attached to side block spray gun 240 using one or more suitable fasteners 260, including but not limited to a conventional fastener, such as a screw or pin, or any other fastening means or method that provides an adequate connection between the side blocks 252a, 252b and the side block spray gun 240.
In some circumstances, it may be desirable to recirculate the individual fluid components through at least a portion of the system without mixing and discharging them through the spray gun. For example, circulating the fluid components may help prevent debris from clogging up hoses, ports, and couplings located throughout the spray system. Recirculating the fluid components may also help maintain or improve the quality of the fluid components by causing fillers contained within the fluid components to be re-suspended within the fluid instead of settling within the storage tanks, the proportioner, or the hoses. In addition, circulating the individual fluid components may also allow the user to preheat the fluid components before they are mixed and sprayed, which may result in an improved application. Recirculating fluid components through the system may be done as a part of the regular maintenance for the components of the spray system in order to maintain or improve the performance and lifespan of the various components.
As described above, some spray systems, such as spray system 10 shown in FIG. 2, include circulation lines 24a, 24b between the storage tanks 20a, 20b and the proportioner 30 that allow the user to recirculate fluid components from the storage tanks 20a, 20b, through the proportioner 30 and back into the storage tanks 20a, 20b. While helpful to an extent, this limited recirculation does not provide the same benefits as recirculating the fluid components through the entire system. Specifically, when the recirculation is limited to the circuit between the storage tanks 20a, 20b and the proportioner 30, any fluid components located in the system components downstream of the proportioner (e.g., heated hose 60, whip hoses 64a, 64b, and spray gun manifold 50) are not recirculated. As a result, any such fluid components are not preheated, the fillers are not re-suspended in those fluid components, and debris is not removed from the system components and the associated couplings and ports.
In some systems, heated hose 60 may comprise about 400 or more feet of hose, so there can be a substantial amount of fluid components located within the heated hose 60. Therefore, it may be beneficial to recirculate the fluid components throughout the entire spray system. One way to recirculate the fluid components throughout the entire spray system is to use a recirculation block. In its simplest form, a recirculation block may include an entry port (or set of entry ports) configured to connect to spray gun manifold 50 to receive fluid components and an exit port (or set of exit ports) configured to connect to one or more return hoses that lead back to storage tanks 20a, 20b, such as circulation lines 24a, 24b.
FIG. 9 depicts spray system 310, which is identical to spray system 10 of FIG. 1, except that spray gun 40 has been replaced with a recirculation block 300. Incorporating recirculation block 300 into spray system 310 results in a complete circuit that allows the user to recirculate the fluid components through the entire spray system 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid components flow from storage tanks 20a, 20b to proportioner 30 through proportioner supply lines 22a, 22b. After passing through proportioner 30, the fluid components then flow to spray gun manifold 50 via heated hose 60, fluid temperature sensor 66 and whip hoses 64a, 64b. Finally, the fluid components flow from spray gun manifold 50, through recirculation block 300 and return to storage tanks 20a, 20b via circulation lines 24a, 24b, thereby completing the circuit. The arrows in FIG. 9 indicate the direction of the flow of fluid components through spray system 310.
FIG. 10 depicts an example of a prior art recirculation block 400, such as a Part 15B853 Circulation Manifold made by Graco Inc., which is part of a 246362 Circulation Manifold Kit also made by Graco Inc. Recirculation block 400 is configured to be used in conjunction with a junction block spray gun and a corresponding spray gun manifold comprising a single junction block, such as junction block spray gun 140 and junction block spray gun manifold 150 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and described above. In the illustrated embodiment, recirculation block 400 only includes a single pair of entry ports 402a, 402b that are configured to connect with a spray gun manifold comprising a single junction block, such as junction block spray gun manifold 150. Specifically, as shown, entry ports 402a, 402b are configured to connect to gun couplings 158a, 158b of junction block spray gun manifold 150 to allow fluid components to flow from whip hoses 64a, 64b through junction block spray gun manifold 150 and into recirculation block 400. As shown in FIG. 10, recirculation block 400 further comprises a pair of exit ports that are configured to connect with a pair of return hoses, such as circulation lines 24a, 24b. By way of example only, the return hoses may lead back to the tank of origin, such as storage tanks 20a, 20b, or to an independent tank for separate storage. Recirculation block 400 also includes a plurality of mounting apertures 401 that are configured to allow recirculation block 400 to be attached to a mounting surface or structure. Mounting apertures 401 are not in fluid communication with entry ports 402a, 402b or the pair of exit ports.
It will be appreciated that recirculation block 400 is not configured to be used in conjunction with a side block spray gun and a corresponding spray gun manifold comprising a pair of side blocks, such as side block spray gun 240 and side block spray gun manifold 250. Accordingly, it may be beneficial to provide a single recirculation block that is configured to be used with both a junction block spray gun and a side block spray gun and their respective spray gun manifolds.
While a variety of recirculation blocks have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.


A hand-operated or vehicle-supported magnetic sweeper has a longitudinally elongated, hollow magnet-containing body member preferably formed in one piece of non-magnetic material which may include wheels mounted on its ends and a handle socket disposed centrally between the ends of the body member for reception of a handle member for hand operation of the sweeper over a floor surface. A rigid top cover plate is secured to the body member to cover and enclose the magnets contained in the hollow body and to provide rigidity to the sweeper construction. A catcher member formed of non-magnetic material is removably mounted on the body member so that metallic objects attracted to the magnet-containing body member are captured against the surface of the overlying catcher member and retained thereagainst until the catcher member is manually removed, whereupon the metal objects will simply fall away for discard. Wider magnetic sweeper units may be formed simply by securing individual body members together in end-to-end relationship by using longer, interconnecting top cover plates.

This invention relates to sweepers, and more particularly to a self-contained magnetic sweeper arranged to capture loose magnetic objects from floors, yards and construction sites as the sweeper is moved over the surface. Specifically, this invention relates to my earlier magnetic sweeper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,038, issued 4 October 1983, and provides an improved but simplified sweeper construction that is significantly more versatile in its range of uses.
The above identified patent is considered to be the most pertinent prior art in connection with the present invention. However, the patented device involves a complicated and rather expensive construction requiring inner and outer longitudinal reinforcing ribs and cross ribs, a plurality of individual, magnet-containing pockets each having its own front, rear, bottom and separate, spaced apart side walls, and a sweeper body/wheel-axle configuration that is arranged specifically to present the magnet pockets at various heights above a floor surface depending on rotational orientation of the sweeper body about the axis of the axles. Although operation of the magnet sweeper in collecting metallic material from a floor is satisfactory, it's complex, multi-surface construction renders the device difficult to be cleaned of metallic material that has been captured by the sweeper, and removing this material from the sweeper involves a time consuming and inconvenient operation. Moreover, the earlier construction is not convertible to form functional, wider units and therefore requires a plurality of molds in order to provide sweeper units of different widths.
Also of general relevance to the present invention is my U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,376, issued 27 February 1990 entitled Metal Catching Cover, in which is disclosed a multi-pocketed cover member configured to removably cover the outer surface areas of the plurality of individual magnet pockets of magnetic cleaning devices of my earlier invention. This cover construction is very strictly limited to the particular configuration of the particular cleaning device that it is to be used with, e.g. different sizes and types of magnetic cleaning devices require specific, correspondingly different cover member.


The present invention is a system and method of acquiring airborne objects utilizing a reverse logic algorithm. The system includes an optics component for detecting the intensity of light from a light source as well as determining the location of the light source. In addition, the system includes a computing system to determine sources of light, which fall below a specified light intensity threshold. The portion of the sky where the light intensity falls below the threshold is determined to be airborne objects. The airborne objects can be tracked by velocity and direction as desired by the acquisition system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to acquisition systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to an optical acquisition system utilizing a reverse logic algorithm.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems and methods for acquiring aircraft, both manned and unmanned, have progressed tremendous over the last century. In times throughout the past century, various types of optical systems have been used to visually acquire aircraft, such as infrared detection and optical magnification systems. However airborne threats, such as aircraft and missiles, have utilized increasingly sophisticated technology. These modern aircraft have become increasingly more difficult to acquire visually because of the speed upon ingress to a selected target of the aircraft, height above ground (both high and low) that the aircraft fly, the effective use of camouflage on the aircraft, and the ability to effectively fly and employ weapons at night. To counter the difficulty in visually acquiring these aircraft, radar acquisition systems are now effectively employed. However, with the introduction of stealth technology on aircraft, radar acquisition systems alone are not enough to effectively detect airborne threats. Existing target acquisition radar cannot detect airborne threats utilizing this stealth technology.
State of the art stealth technology allows aircraft to effectively become invisible to radar. Most conventional aircraft have a rounded shape. This shape is efficient in terms of aerodynamics but also creates a very efficient radar reflector. The round shape means that no matter where the radar signal hits the aircraft, some of the transmitted radar signal is reflected back to the radar antenna. On the other hand, a stealth aircraft is made up of completely flat surfaces at very sharp edges. When a radar signal hits a stealth aircraft, the signal reflects away at an angle, away from the radar antenna. In addition, surfaces on a stealth aircraft can be treated so they absorb radar energy. The overall result is that a stealth aircraft such as U.S. Air Force's F-117 can have a radar signature of a small bird rather than an aircraft. Thus, use of radar only to effectively detect airborne objects has become increasingly difficult and unreliable.
However, as stated above, the use of optical systems have some severe disadvantages. Existing aircraft often fly at night or use effective camouflage to hide from visual detection. Existing optical systems can use a variety of technology to increase the optical detection capabilities. Yet even with the strongest magnification, many aircraft go undetected. A system and method are needed which provides an effective and efficient way of detecting aircraft, whether in the day or at night.
Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have a reverse logic optical system and method to detect the presence of airborne targets. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a system and method.

Reverse logic optical acquisition system and method


The present invention relates to a method of displacing an area of the macula of an eye, including the steps of placing a substance below the surface of the retina, folding the retina to form a folded portion of the retina, and affixing the folded portion, so that the folded portion substantially maintains a folded shape.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of blindness among persons over fifty in the United States and other countries. Two forms of age-related macular degeneration are known: (1) neovascular, also known as exudative, age-related macular degeneration (E-ARMD) and (2) nonneovascular, also known as nonexudative, age-related macular degeneration (NE-ARMD). NE-ARMD is characterized by the presence of drusen, yellow-white lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium within the macula, and by other abnormalities of the retinal pigment epithelium, including retinal cell death.
Although the exact etiology of ARMD is not known, several risk factors seem to be important for the manifestation of this disease. For example, ARMD may be caused by chronic exposure of the retina to light. The presence or absence of certain nutrients in the diet, such as the antioxidant vitamins E and C, also may affect one's predisposition for ARMD. Other conditions, such as hypertension and smoking, are also considered to be important risk factors for the development of this disease.
Several therapeutic methods have been tried. For example, vitamins and dietary supplements have been used for the purpose of delaying the onset of disease. Thalidomide is being investigated to determine if it will slow down or arrest new vessel formation. Laser or radiation has been used to destroy new vessels. However, none of these methods has led to successful results and no definitive treatment for ARMD has been developed to date.
Additionally, retinal translocation has been used to change the position of the fovea. Retinal translocation is a surgical method that involves injecting a fluid, such as saline solution, under the retina to loosen the retina. Gas is then injected into the vitreous to reattach the retina, and a scleral indentation is formed. This procedure results in displacement of the retina inferiority, placing the fovea on normal retinal epithelium.
However, the retinal displacement is generally unpredictable and minimal. For example, the displacement is generally only about 500–1000 microns. Thus, there is little area for subsequent coagulation of the subretinal membrane. Additionally, the displacement does not occur immediately during surgery, but during a recovery process that generally lasts about 24 hours. The displacement occurs due to the position of the head of the patient in a recovery situation. For example, since the head is generally held in an upright manner, the gas injected into the eye rises, thus forcing the retina from the top, moving the retina inferiority with respect to its original position. Furthermore, the retina can generally only be easily moved inferiority since the gas rises up relative to the eye and can only exert pressure to move the retina down.
Additional retinal translocation procedures exist wherein the retina is literally cut 360° and disassembled for translocation relative to the underlying tissue prior to re-assembly of the retina after its rotation. This procedure has 15–30% rate of severe complication and loss of vision.
These procedures are intended to treat conditions wherein the tissue underlying the macular (central vision) portion of the retina becomes diseased. Degenerative conditions of this sort may result in the photoreceptors of the macula portion of the retina adjacent to the underlying diseased tissue becoming non-functional over time. To avoid this result, the above procedures shift the position of the fovea (i.e., the central portion of the macular portion of the retina which is responsible for a person's sharpest vision) relative to the underlying inner surface of the sclera. This allows the fovea then to be reattached to healthier underlying tissue.
To accomplish this result, the Macular Translocation Procedure, which is less radical than the Retinal Translocation procedure, includes the following steps. First, sutures are placed in a horizontal mattress formation in an arc supero-temporally (i.e., just below the attachment of the recti muscle to the sclera) on the outer surface of the sclera. These sutures typically are located in the same position relative to the eye regardless of the exact location of the diseased tissue. Then, at least the macula portion of the retina is intentionally detached from the underlying tissue. This usually is accomplished by performing a 3 port pars plana vitrectomy followed by the use of a subretinal infusion cannula and a balanced salt solution to create the desired retinal detachment. The pre-placed sutures are then tightened and tied off. This results in the creation of an inwardly extending fold in the sclera that effectively "shortens" the scleral diameter. Thereafter, an air bubble is formed inside the eye so that the excess length of the retina relative to the shortened underlying scleral surface is moved. Then, a partial air-fluid exchange is made. The natural fluid removal generated by the pigment epithelium and choroid allow the macula portion of the retina, which has been shifted relative to the underlying tissue by the deformation of the sclera and by the formation of the air bubble, to settle gradually against, and reattach itself to, healthy tissue. Finally, several days after the surgical procedure, the diseased lesion is treated with standard laser photocoagulation.
The placement of the sutures in the macular translocation procedure is time consuming and, therefore, inefficient. It is also difficult to consistently predict when the retina will settle eventually. In some cases, it may not move at all. It is also difficult to predict the distance of scleral shortening that will result upon the tightening and tie off of the sutures. Further, the skill level required to place and to manipulate the sutures without causing extraneous damage to the eye, or surrounding bodily structures, is high.
Therefore, a need exists to improve the vision in an eye that is suffering from age related macular degeneration and make the surgical results predictable and visible immediately during surgery. There is also a need to move the retina superiorly or inferiorly as desired during the surgery.

Retinal translocation and fixation using adhesive material