A toner for developing latent electrostatic images is in the form of particles prepared by dissolving or dispersing each component of a composition in an organic solvent to form a solution or dispersion, the composition containing at least a resin reactive with a compound having an active hydrogen group, a compound having an active hydrogen group, a coloring agent, a releasing agent, and a graft polymer C of a polyolefin resin A on which a vinyl resin B has been at least partially grafted; dispersing the solution or dispersion in an aqueous medium; reacting the reactive resin with the compound having an active hydrogen group; removing the organic solvent during or after the step of reacting; and washing and drying particles formed by removing the organic solvent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner for use in a developer for developing latent electrostatic images in, for example, electrophotography, electrostatic recording or electrostatic printing and to an electrophotographic developing system using the toner. More specifically, it relates to a toner for electrophotography, electrophotographic developer and electrophotographic development system, which are used, for example, for copiers, laser printers, facsimiles for plain paper using a direct or indirect electrophotographic developing system. Further, the present invention relates to a toner for electrophotography, an image forming apparatus (development system) and a process cartridge, which are used for full color copiers, full color laser printers, and full color plain paper facsimile machines using a direct or indirect electrophotographic multicolor developing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotography, electrostatic recording, and electrostatic printing, a developer is, for example, applied to a latent electrostatic image bearing member such as a photoconductor, so as to dispose the developer onto a latent electrostatic image formed on the latent electrostatic image bearing member in a developing step, the developer disposed on the image is transferred to a recording medium such as a recording paper in a transferring step, thereafter the transferred developer is fixed on the recording medium in a fixing step. Such developers used for developing the latent electrostatic image formed on the latent electrostatic image bearing member generally include two-component developers containing a carrier and a toner, and one-component developers such as magnetic toners and non-magnetic toners, which do not require a carrier. Conventional dry toners for use in electrophotography, electrostatic recording or electrostatic printing are formed by melting and kneading a toner binder (binder resin) such as a styrenic resin or a polyester, a colorant, and other components, then pulverizing the kneaded substance.
These dry toners are, after used for developing and transferred on a recording medium such as a sheet of paper, fixed on the sheet by heating and melting the toner using a heat roller. If a temperature of the heat roller is excessively high, in this procedure, "hot offset" occurs. Hot offset is the problem that the toner is excessively melted and adhered onto the heat roller. If a temperature of the heat roller is excessively low, on the other hand, a degree of melting the toner is insufficient, resulted in insufficient image fixing. Accordingly, there are demands in a toner having a higher temperature at which hot offset occurs (excellent hot offset resistance) and a low fixing temperature (excellent image-fixing properties at low temperatures), in view of energy conservation and miniaturization of apparatuses such as copiers. Toners also require a heat-resistant storability that suppresses blocking of toner when the toner is stored, and at a temperature of atmosphere inside the apparatus where the toner is accommodated. Especially, low melting viscosity of toner is essential in full-color copiers and full-color printers in order to yield high gloss and excellent color mixture of an image. As a consequence, a polyester toner binder which melts sharply has been used in such a toner. However, this toner tends to cause hot offset. To prevent hot offset, in full-color apparatuses, silicone oil has conventionally been applied on the heat roller. Yet, in the method of applying silicone oil to the heat roller, the apparatuses need to equip an oil tank and an oil applier, therefore the apparatuses become more complex in their structures and large in their size. It also leads to a deterioration of the heat roller, so maintenance is required at every certain term. Further, it is unavoidable that the oil is attached to recording media such as copier paper and films for OHP (over head projector), and especially with the films for OHP, the attached oil causes deterioration in color tone.
To prevent a toner fusion without applying oil to a heat roller, wax is generally added to a toner. In this method, however, releasing effect is largely affected by a condition of dispersed wax within a toner binder. Wax does not exhibit its releasing ability if the wax is compatible with a toner binder. Wax exhibits its releasing ability and improves releasing ability of toner when the wax stays within a toner binder as incompatible domain particles. If a diameter of domain particles is excessively large, the resulting toner may not yield images with good quality. This is because a ratio of wax occurring in a surface portion of a toner with respect to other components of the toner increases with an increasing diameter thereof. As a result, the toner particles aggregate to impair fluidity of the toner. Moreover, filming occurs where the wax migrates to a carrier or a photoconductor during long-term use. Color reproducibility and clearness of an image are impaired in the case of color toners. On the contrary, if a diameter of the domain particles is excessively small, the wax is excessively finely dispersed so that sufficient releasing ability cannot be obtained. Although it is necessary to control a diameter of wax as mentioned above, an appropriate method thereof has not been found yet. For example, in the case of toners manufactured by pulverization, control of wax diameter largely relies upon shear force of mixing during melting and kneading procedures. Polyester resins recently used for a toner binder have a low viscosity, and sufficient shear force cannot be added thereto. It is very difficult to control distribution of wax and to obtain a suitable diameter especially for these toners.
Another problem of pulverization is that wax is likely to be exposed at a surface of toner, since a toner material article (for example a toner block) tends to break at a plane where the wax occur as a result of pulverization, and such planes constitute the surface of the toner particles.
Although improvement of toners has been attempted by miniaturizing a diameter of toner particle or narrowing particle diameter distribution of toner in order to obtain high quality images, uniform particle shape cannot be obtained by ordinary manufacturing methods of kneading and pulverization. Moreover, the toner is further pulverized so that excessively fine toner particles are generated, in a course of mixing with carrier in a developing member of the apparatus, or, by a contact stress between a development roller, and a toner applying roller, a layer thickness controlling blade, or a friction charging blade. These lead to deterioration of image quality. In addition, a fluidizer embedded in the surface of toner also leads to deterioration of image quality. Further, fluidity of the toner particles is insufficient because of their shapes, and thus a large amount of the fluidizer is required or a packing fraction of the toner into a toner vessel becomes low. These factors inhibit miniaturization of apparatuses.
A process for transferring, in which an image formed by a multicolor toner is transferred to a recording medium or a sheet of paper, becomes more and more complicated in order to form full-color images. When toners having non-uniform particle shapes, and therefore insufficient transferring ability, such as pulverized toners are used in such a complicated transferring process, missing portions can be found in the transferred image or an amount of the toner consumption becomes large to compensate for the low transferability of the toner.
Accordingly, a strong demand has arisen to yield high quality images which do not have any missing part and to reduce running cost by further improving transfer efficiency leading to a reduction in toner consumption. If transfer efficiency is remarkably excellent, a cleaning unit, which removes remained toner on a photoconductor or a transfer after transferring, can be omitted from an apparatus. Therefore, the apparatus can be miniaturized and low cost thereof can be achieved together with having a merit of reducing a waste toner. Hence, various methods for manufacturing a spherical toner have been suggested in order to overcome the defects caused by a non-uniformly shaped toner.
Various investigations have been done to improve properties of toner. For example, a releasing agent (wax) having a low melting point, such as a polyolefin, is added to a toner in order to improve image-fixing properties at low temperatures and offset resistance. JP-A Nos. 06-295093, 07-84401, and 09-258471 disclose toners that contain a wax having a specific endothermic peak determined by DSC (differential scanning calorimetry). However, the toners disclosed in the above patent publications still need to improve image-fixing properties at low temperatures, offset resistance and also developing properties.
JP-A Nos. 05-341577, 06-123999, 06-230600, and 06-324514 disclose candelilla wax, higher fatty acid wax, higher alcohol wax, vegetable naturally occurring wax (carnauba wax and rice wax), and montan ester wax as a releasing agent of toner. However, the toners disclosed in the above patent publications still need to improve developing properties (charging ability) and durability. If the releasing agent having a low softening point is added to a toner, fluidity of the toner is decreased hence developing properties or transferring ability is also decreased. Moreover, charging ability, durability and storability of the toner may be deteriorated thereby.
JP-A Nos. 11-258934, 11-258935, 04-299357, 04-337737, 06-208244, and 07-281478 disclose toners which contain two or more releasing agents in order to enlarge a fixing region (non offset region). However, the releasing agents are not dispersed sufficiently uniformly in these toners.
JP-A No. 08-166686 discloses a toner which contains polyester resin and two types of offset inhibitors having different acid values and softening points. However, the toner is still insufficient in developing properties. JP-A Nos. 8-328293, and 10-161335 each disclose a toner that specifies a dispersion diameter of wax within the toner particle. However, the resulting toner may not exhibit sufficient releasing ability during fixing since a condition or positioning of the dispersed wax is not defined in the toner particle.
JP-A No. 2001-305782 discloses a toner in which spherical wax particles are fixed onto the surface of toner. However, the wax particles positioned on the surface of toner decreases fluidity of the toner and thus developing properties or transferring ability of the toner is also decreased. In addition, charging ability, durability, and storability of the toner may also be adversely affected. JP-A No. 2001-26541 discloses a toner in which wax is included in the toner particle and the wax is located in a surface portion of the toner particle. However, the toner may be insufficient in all of offset resistance, storability, and durability.
Japanese Patent Application Publications (JP-B) No. 52-3304 and No. 07-82255 disclose that in a pulverized toner using a styrenic resin as a toner binder, a polyolefin releasing agent such as a lower molecular weight polyethylene or lower molecular weight polypropylene, or a graft resin comprising such a polyolefin resin grafted with a styrenic resin. However, the styrene resin used herein has insufficient low-temperature image-fixing properties, and the toner is not suitable for energy saving requirements. As a possible solution to this problem, JP-A No. 2000-75549 proposes a combination use with a polyester resin having excellent low-temperature image-fixing properties. However, the toner proposed is finely pulverized toner prepared by kneading and pulverization, in which the material is fused, kneaded, finely pulverized and classified. The toner thereby has an irregular shape and an irregular surface, and its shape and surface configuration cannot be significantly controlled arbitrarily, while these conditions slightly depend on the crushability of the material or conditions in the pulverization process. In addition, the classification ability at present cannot yield a sharper particle distribution of a toner, and such a sharper particle distribution leads to increased cost. In addition, it is difficult for a conventional pulverized toner to have a small average particle diameter of about 6 μm or less in view of the yield, productivity, and cost of production.
JP-A No. 11-133665 proposes a dry toner containing an elongation product of a urethane-modified polyester and having a practical sphericity of 0.90 to 1.00 as a toner binder in order to improve the fluidity, image-fixing properties at low temperatures, and hot offset resistance of the toner. JP-A No. 11-149180 and JP-A No. 2000-292981 disclose dry toners, and production methods thereof, having a small average particle diameter, which are excellent in fluidity, transfer ability, storage stability at high-temperatures, image-fixing properties at low temperatures, and hot offset resistance. These toners may produce glossy images without requiring application of oil to a heat roller, when used in full color copier. In the publications, these toners are prepared by a method including a process for increasing molecular weight in which a polyester prepolymer having an isocyanate group is subjected to additional polymerization with an amine in an aqueous medium. The technique disclosed in JP-A No. 11-133665 may lead to novel features and advantages by employing a urethane reaction to form a binder in the toner but it is still a pulverization process and does not consider to produce a toner having a small particle diameter and a spherical shape. The toners disclosed in JP-A No. 11-149180 and JP-A No. 2000-292981 are prepared by granulation in water. However, in such granulation in water, a pigment in an oil phase aggregates at the interface with an aqueous phase, and the toner has insufficient fundamental properties such as decreased volume resistivity or heterogenous pigment distribution. To produce a small average particle diameter and a satisfactorily controlled shape of a toner for use in a machine without application of oil, the shape and properties of the toner must be precisely controlled. However, the publications fail to teach the control of the shape and properties of the toner, and intended advantages may not be significantly exhibited. In the toner particles prepared by granulation in water, the pigment and wax often gather in the surface of the particles. In addition, toner particles having an average particle diameter of about 6 μm or less have a large specific surface area. To produce desired charging properties and image-fixing properties, design of the particle surface becomes important in addition to the entire design of the polymer component.

Toner and developer for developing latent electrostatic images, and image forming apparatus


The present invention relates to infant formulas and follow-on formulas containing optimised amino acid profiles, in particular optimised amounts and/or ratios of phenylalanine. The formulas may contain intact proteins, hydrolysed proteins, protein fractions, free amino acids and/or a combination thereof selected based on their ability to provide the formula with an optimised amino acid profile. The present invention also relates to the administration of these formulas to infants in order to achieve balanced growth and/or development, for promoting, assisting or achieving balanced growth or development of the brain of an infant and/or the cognitive function of an infant, and may also assist in preventing or reducing the risk of obesity later in life.

Amino acids are essential building blocks of proteins in the human body. Some amino acids are classified as essential, meaning that the human body cannot synthesise the amino acid so it must be sourced from the diet. The essential amino acids for humans are valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, phenylalanine, histidine, and tryptophan. Cysteine and tyrosine are considered to be conditionally essential amino acids, because of their strong link to methionine and phenylalanine respectively. The remaining amino acids (alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, and serine) are non-essential amino acids and can either be synthesised or sourced from the diet.
Infant formulas typically contain a higher level of total protein compared to human milk. This is despite the generally accepted hypothesis that too much protein leads to differences in postprandial metabolic kinetics, and ultimately, differences in growth and development. For instance, some key examples are the differences in early growth and improved body composition of breastfed infants when compared to formula fed infants (Dewey, 1992; Dewey 1998; and Gale, 2012), and the association of high protein levels in early nutrition with an increase in childhood adiposity (Heinig, 1993; and Koletzko, 2009).
The fact that the proteins used in infant formulas do not typically match the protein quality (e.g., amino acid levels or profile) of human breast milk has also been considered a contributing factor to these differences (Günther, 2007), although it has not been investigated to the same extent.
There is an important role for phenylalanine, an essential aromatic amino acid that is used for protein synthesis and serves as precursor via phenylalanine hydroxylation to tyrosine, the monoamine signalling molecules dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, as well as the skin pigment melanin. Phenylalanine can, in large quantities, interfere with the production of serotonin. The body changes phenylalanine into tyrosine, another amino acid needed to make proteins, brain chemicals, including L-dopa, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, and thyroid hormones.
Because norepinephrine affects mood, different forms of phenylalanine have been proposed to treat depression. Symptoms of phenylalanine deficiency include confusion, lack of energy, depression, decreased alertness, memory problems, and lack of appetite. On the other hand, a rare metabolic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) occurs in people who are missing an enzyme that the body needs to use phenylalanine. That causes high levels of phenylalanine to build up. If it is not treated before 3 weeks of age, PKU can cause severe, irreversible intellectual disability. It is therefore important to find the right balance of phenylalanine in a young infant's diet.

Formulas comprising optimised amino acid profiles


A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus defines an examination region (14) within which main magnets (10) create a uniform magnetic field. Magnetic resonance is excited in dipoles of a subject within the examination region causing the generation of magnetic resonance signals which are received by a localized coil (C). Because the localized coil is disposed within the examination region, the localized coil, particularly a magnetic resonance processing circuit (54) mounted on the coil is free of ferrous materials, such as iron and nickel, to prevent distortion of the uniform magnetic field. The circuit includes an array of component dice which are free of ferrous or other packaging. The dice are adhesively bonded to a substrate (62) and connected by whiskers (82) with electrically conductive lead lines (60) on the substrate. In one embodiment, the component dice include a transistor (Q1) and other circuit components for amplifying the received resonance signal. In another embodiment, a collection of component dice are connected by the lead lines with contact points (70). By selectively interconnecting the contact points, the same package can be used for a variety of applications and purposes. In this manner, a "universal" package is provided which can be manufactured in bulk and readily adapted to a variety of applications in or close to the uniform magnetic field.

The present invention relates to the art of processing information within magnetic fields. It finds particular application in conjunction with amplifiers for radio frequency pick-up coils in magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the invention will also find application in conjunction with packaging for other circuitry positioned within the bore of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy apparatus and the like.
Conventionally, patient encircling coils generate a static magnetic field through a patient examination region within their bore. Gradient magnetic field coils and RF coils are typically positioned concentrically within the static magnetic field coils, but outside the central examination region. The gradient magnetic field and radio frequency coils are controlled to generate corresponding gradient magnetic field and RF pulses for various magnetic resonance sequences, as is known in the art. Typically, the radio frequency coil can also be utilized to receive the relatively weak (as compared to the RF pulses of the magnetic resonance sequence) magnetic resonance signals emanating from the subject as a result of the magnetic resonance sequence.
For some imaging procedures, a surface radio frequency coil is positioned within the examination region, typically firmly against a surface of the subject. This places the coil for receiving the magnetic resonance signals much closer to assist in receiving weaker signals, to limit the region of the subject from which magnetic resonance signals are received, and the like. Typically, the signals from the surface coils are conveyed over nonferrous conductor cables to an amplifier located externally of the static magnetic field, typically a distance of a meter or more from the patient. The lead, to a certain extent, functions as an antenna for picking up unwanted signals and noise which the external amplifier amplifies along with the relatively weak magnetic resonance signals.
Placing the amplifier on the surface coil could raise the amplitude of the magnetic resonance signal several orders of magnitude above the noise picked up on the cable. However, conventionally available circuit components include ferrous materials which distort the magnetic field. Because surface coils are positioned very close to the examined region of interest, any ferrous components can cause unacceptably large distortions in the static magnetic field and the resultant image.
Readily available circuit components, such as diodes, transistors, microprocessors, and the like include steel in their packaging. More specifically, the lead wires and connectors are typically fabricated of steel. High quality components with "gold" leads actually have gold plated steel leads.
Having a component developed which includes no steel or nickel in its packaging is a time consuming and expensive undertaking. Many component companies are unwilling to invest the time and resources necessary to develop non-ferrous packaging for the components. Those suppliers which will, require long lead times, typically on the order of 3-9 months. Moreover, the components which are supplied are several hundred times more expensive than their steel packaged counterparts.
In high volume consumer electronics applications, where small size is very important, chip and wire hybrid, chip on board, tape automated bonding, flip chip, and other technologies have been utilized. In these technologies, the active and other components of a given circuit are adhered directly to a circuit board or substrate without being encased in a steel or other housing. Appropriate whiskers or other electrical interconnections are provided and the entire package is encapsulated in epoxy. Due to developmental costs, the use of these circuits is limited to less cost-sensitive applications. Even in high volume applications, these technologies are rarely utilized unless small size is important. Due to the low volume of surface coils and the relatively large number of surface coil models which each would require a different amplifier circuit, these technologies have been considered inappropriate for magnetic resonance scanners.
Moreover, the circuit boards used in some of these technologies such as chip-on-board technology, like other circuit boards, include an epoxy fiberglass or polyamide substrate which is laminated with copper which is etched away to form appropriate circuit leads. A nickel flash is applied to the copper followed by gold plating. Nickel, however, is sufficiently ferro-magnetic to cause significant distortions in the static magnetic field in the region of interest of the subject.
Rather than standard circuit boards, wiring patterns can be drawn on ceramic substrate with gold ink and fired. This technique is generally used for prototyping or in less cost-sensitive applications. Thin film sputtering and etching can also be used to manufacture gold film on ceramic boards.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved technique which enables active components such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits to be mounted directly on surface coils and other components which are mounted within the examination region of a magnetic resonance apparatus.

Magnetic resonance scanner with improved packaging for circuitry within the magnetic field


A method for manufacturing III-V semiconductor layers containing nitrogen whereby during the growth of the layers, the setting of the material sources for Al, In and Ga remains fixed. During the transition to the growth of a layer with another mixed-crystal composition, the nitrogen flow is altered. A greater nitrogen flow leads to an increased installation of the more weakly bound group III elements into the growing material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing abrupt boundary surfaces between ternary nitrides in molecular beam epitaxy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The material system of the nitrides gallium nitride, indium nitride, aluminum nitride, and the ternary compounds thereof is very well-suited for the realization of optoelectronic components in the spectral region from red to ultraviolet. This is due to the possibility of a direct transition between the conduction band and the valence band (direct semiconductors). The high chemical and thermal resistance of such nitrides enables additional applications in sensor technology and high-temperature electronics as well.
A suitable method for the manufacture of the nitrides is molecular beam epitaxy. According to this method, binary, ternary or quaternary mixed-crystal compositions are deposited in an ultra-high vacuum from material flows of the elements present in the mixed-crystal compositions. For the manufacture of complex components, such as high-efficiency lasers and light-emitting diodes, for example, layer sequences of layers of different mixed-crystal compositions are required. The layers should be of as homogeneous a composition as possible, and the transitions between different compositions of the successive layers should ensue as abruptly as possible. Examples of this include multiple quantum well (MQW) structures in the active region of a laser (e.g., using InGaN) or superlattice structures as buffer layers (e.g., as an alternating sequence of thin layers of AlGaN and GaN). The manufacture of these layers requires an abrupt changeover of the material flows from the material sources for the elements Ga, Al and In in the transition from one layer (already grown) to the next layer (to be grown).
The changeover of the material flows (growth flows) has previously been enabled by one of two methods: interruption of the growth or doubling of the number of material sources. The interruption of the growth between the different layers allows the changeover of the material flows of the material sources, for the elements of group III of the periodic table, by changing the temperatures of the effusion cells of the epitaxy apparatus. A disadvantage of this method is that relatively long periods of time elapse before a source delivers a new stable material flow, which is required for the growth of the following layer. Moreover, the surface of the grown semiconductor layer changes during the interruption.
The other known possibility is to double the number of the material sources. One source then supplies the material flow needed at that moment while the other source is set to the material flow required for the following layer. However, in molecular beam epitaxial apparatuses, the maximum possible number of sources is very limited for geometrical reasons. As such, a doubling of effusion cells severely reduces the possibility of using these apparatuses.

Method for manufacturing III-V semiconductor layers containing nitrogen


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for vehicle speed acquisition and citation. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, multiple different imaging systems can be placed individually at different locations along a route of travel, such as a highway, byway or waterway. Images of different vehicles can be captured at each of the locations and different ones of the different vehicles can be image-recognized. A time of travel between pairs of the locations can be determined for selected ones of the different vehicles in order to compute a rate of travel for the selected ones of the different vehicles. A citation signal is generated when a speed of a vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed limit such that the vehicle owner may be automatically cited for speeding.

The explosion of vehicle usage in the United States more than a half-century ago has brought tremendous benefit to the ordinary citizen. The advent of the interstate highway system now enables individuals to travel great distances at high speeds in short periods of time. The ease of travel afforded by the automobile and interstate highway system, however, is not without consequence. For most Americans, traffic has become a part of life and a daily annoyance. Indeed, the presence and anticipation of traffic affects ordinary citizens every day in planning travel and the timing of meetings with others.
For several decades, broadcast media adopted the responsibility of reporting traffic conditions over the airwaves such that listeners and viewers could more easily plan travel routing. Though traffic reports historically have been provided only at periodic intervals, given enough advance warning, savvy travelers could plan alternate routing responsive to the reporting of a traffic condition present at a portion of a planned route. Notwithstanding, planning an alternate route remained highly dependent on both the timing of the receipt of a traffic condition report and the knowledge of the traveler of an alternative route.
Global positioning system (GPS) technologies afford a tremendous leap forward in respect to onboard vehicle navigation and traffic condition avoidance. GPS technologies now can be found as standard equipment in many vehicles and provide the previously absent guarantee of alternate routing knowledge for drivers. Current GPS technologies further integrate with over the-air broadcasting of real-time traffic conditions utilizing Internet connectivity so that drivers can correlate traffic conditions in real-time along a proposed route of travel.
Not all traffic conditions reported through broadcast traffic reports reflect a complete standstill of traffic. Rather, in most circumstances, traffic flows in an area of congestion—just not at a high rate of speed. Travelers with advance knowledge of congestion along a planned route make alternate routing decisions based upon the nature of traffic flow. So long as traffic flows at an acceptable speed, albeit not an optimal speed, travelers are less likely to prefer an alternate route. Knowing the rate of speed of traffic in a congested area, however, requires the traveler to rely upon the estimates of real-time broadcast reports over the radio over television resulting from personally observed traffic speeds (typically by helicopter or live camera feed).
In addition to providing accurate information concerning congestion, there is a need to determine when a vehicle is engaged in a traffic violation, thereby endangering others. Conventionally, a police officer detecting a motorist engaged in speeding, reckless driving, or other traffic infraction must pull the violator over to a side of the road to issue a ticket. This endangers the police officer and endangers other motorists. Further, a police department may have an insufficient number of officers to patrol every highway and road to detect traffic law violators.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Traffic citation delivery based on type of traffic infraction


Our invention discloses a self-aligned-gate structure for nano FET and its fabrication method. One dimension semiconductor material is used as conductive channel, whose two terminals are source and drain electrodes. Gate dielectric grown by ALD covers the area between source electrode and drain electrode, opposite sidewalls of source electrode and drain electrode, and part of upper source electrode and drain electrode. Gate electrode is deposited on gate dielectric by evaporation or sputtering. Total thickness of gate dielectric and electrode must less than source electrode or drain electrode. Gate electrode between source electrode and drain electrode is electrically separated from source and drain electrode by gate dielectric. The fabrication process of this self-aligned structure is simple, stable, and has high degree of freedom. Nearly the whole conductive channel between source electrode and drain electrode is covered by gate electrode, so the control efficiency of the gate over the conductive channel, described as transconductance, can be greatly enhanced. Additionally, there is no restriction on material of gate dielectric or electrode, so the devices' threshold voltage can be adjusted to satisfy the requirements of large scale integrated circuit.

There is a bright application future for the semiconductor carbon nanotube (s-CNT) based nano-electronics, which is predicted to be the alternative to silicon based microelectronic integrated circuit technology. According to ten-year research, it is found that s-CNT based nano-electronic devices, especially FET, are superior to silicon based MOSFET on many key device metrics, such as power consumption, speed and integrated density, etc. Additionally, ohmic contact is achieved for hole between palladium and s-CNT, and high performance p-type CNTFET is fabricated A. Javey, J. Guo, Q. Wang, M. Lundstrom, H. Dai, Nature, 424, 654(2003) Besides, scandium is used as electrode to form ohmic contact with s-CNT for electron and fabricate high-performing n-type CNTFET Zhang, Z. Y.; Liang, X. L.; Wang, S.; Yao, K.; Hu, Y. F.; Zhu, Y. Z.; Chen, Q.; Zhou, W. W.; Li, Y.; Yao, Y. G.; Zhang, J.; Peng, L. M. Nano Lett., 7, 3603 (2007) The fabrication process for CNTFET based integrated circuit is very simple related to silicon based CMOS technology mainly due to doping-free and no requirement of high temperature process. Then the cost for CNTFET integrated circuit will be greatly reduced, while the cost is considered to be one of the most important obstacles to the further development of silicon based CMOS technology.
Channel length is one of the vital parameters for FET transistor. In silicon based CMOS technology, speed of devices and integration density of circuit is continuously improved due to the reduction of channel length. The situation is same for CNTFET. To improve devices' speed and density, we have to reduce the channel length, which is defined to be the distance between source-electrode and drain-electrode. As the size of the device becomes smaller and smaller there is a need for a more precise and reliable way to fabricate MOS FETs. The gate-electrode must be posited just between source-electrode and drain-electrode, and cover the channel at the utmost. In this way, the gate can control the channel most efficiently. However, it is necessary to prevent the overlap between gate and source or drain to eliminate large parasitic capacitance and degradation the speed of the transistors. This requirement for alignment between gate and source/drain cannot be achieved only through lithography alignment. So, it is essential to adopt a self-aligned gate structure. In the state-of-the-art silicon based CMOS technology, the use of self-aligned gates is one of the many innovations that has enabled computing power to increase steadily over the last 40 years. A self-aligned structure is therefore necessary for massive fabricating of high performance CNT FETs and for the construction of CNT based CMOS integrated circuits.
One kind of self-aligned structure for CNTFET was developed by professor Dai H J's group from Stanford University Javey, A.; Guo, J.; Farmer, D. B.; Wang, Q.; Wang, D. W.; Gordon, R. G.; Lundstrom, M.; Dai, H. J. Nano Lett., 4, 447 (2004) Hafnium oxide is used as the gate dielectric layer grown by ALD, and aluminum is adopted as the gate electrode. To separate the gate electrode from source and drain electrodes, the aluminum gate electrode is baked in air so that a thin Al2O3 layer was formed at the sidewall. However, there are obvious shortcomings in this method. Firstly, source and drain electrodes should be so thin (typically less than 10 nanometers) that the contact resistance between source/drain electrodes and the channel is consequently very large. More importantly, only these metals that can be oxidized to compact oxide layer can be chosen as the gate electrode. That is, only some low work function metals are suitable. Actually, this limits us to adjust the threshold voltage, which is also an important parameter of FET especially in integrated circuit. Because CNTFETs are doping-free, their threshold voltages cannot be adjusted by doping the channel. Instead, metals with different work function are utilized as the gate electrode to adjust the threshold voltage, while Dai's self-aligned structure is not compatible with this method. So, to promote the development of nanoelectronic devices and integrated circuit, it is very valuable to develop a novel self-aligned structure, which should be more stable, more flexible, and simpler.

Self-aligned nano field-effect transistor and its fabrication


An article of footwear with an integral upper and sole and a method of assembling the article of footwear are disclosed. The method includes folding the article of footwear from a flat configuration and attaching top and bottom lateral edges to form the article of footwear. A kit of parts containing an article of footwear with an integral upper and sole and a set of instructions is also disclosed.

The present invention relates generally to an article of footwear with an integral upper and sole and, in particular, to a method of assembling an article of footwear with an integral upper and sole.
Generally, articles of footwear have been previously disclosed that are manufactured in a one-piece configuration and that can be assembled at home by a customer. Typically, these articles of footwear are formed around a wearer's foot to assemble the article of footwear. Often, these articles of footwear include laces or other tightening mechanisms disposed down the center portion of the article of footwear for securing the article of footwear to the wearer's foot.
Other articles of footwear also have been disclosed that are manufactured in multi-piece configurations and can be assembled at home by a customer. Typically, these articles of footwear require more effort to assemble than those made with a one-piece configuration.
Articles of footwear that have been disclosed are limited in their methods of manufacture and in their ease of assembly.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an article of footwear that can be manufactured with an integral upper and sole portion. There is also a need in the art for an article of footwear that can be easily assembled.

Article of footwear with integral upper and sole


Equipment for mechanical machining, especially the turning and drilling of mechanical workpieces, such as light alloy wheels and the like, includes at least one turning unit with a double chuck to support the workpieces being machined and a turning head designed to work in association with one or other of the chucks alternately. At least one first workpiece loading/unloading device can be used for moving the workpieces being machined on one or other of the chucks so as to bring about loading/unloading of the workpieces from one of the chucks at the same time as mechanical machining is being carried out on the other chuck. The equipment further includes at least one drilling unit operatively associated with the turning unit and including at least one first drilling head combined with at least one corresponding first workpiece-holding device and at least one second device for loading/unloading parts to move parts being machined in the drilling unit. The first and second loading/unloading devices are further incorporated into the equipment to move the parts being machined away from and towards one or the other of the turning and drilling units so that mechanical machining in the drilling and turning unit takes place at the same time as the operations of loading and unloading workpieces onto and from the equipment.

In the specific technical field of the manufacture of light alloy wheels, of aluminium alloy in particular, the mechanical machining which is mainly required on these metal parts comprises turning and drilling in accordance with predetermined working cycles.
These working cycles generally comprise rather short cycle times, of the order of a few minutes, in which the effect of the time during which tools are moved (otherwise known as the "changeover time") and the time for loading/unloading the workpieces is rather substantial in comparison with the actual time for which the machine tools are working in the overall cycle time. By way of example it may be noted that this may amount to even 30% and more of the machining cycle time in the case of cycle times of the order of approximately 1 minute.
It is also obvious that as the specified cycle times are reduced (as a result, for example, of reduced working times for the removal of turnings), because the changeover and loading/unloading times remain substantially unchanged this effect increases in proportion, penalizing the overall productivity of the machining equipment.

Equipment for mechanical machining, in particular for the turning and drilling of light alloy wheels


A removable cover for attachment to a structure such as a housing. In one embodiment, the cover extends over a mechanical drive system of an implement. The exemplary cover may be used to shield a driven pulley and at least a portion of an associated belt of a lawn mower cutting deck when the cover is attached to the deck. The cover may, at one end, include one or more portions configured to engage the housing. At a second end, the cover may include a resilient lip that, at least in one embodiment, is defined by an opening formed in the cover. The lip may selectively interlock with an anchor attached to the housing to secure the cover relative to the deck.

Mechanically driven systems such as belt drive systems are commonly used to transmit power between a power source such as an engine and a separate device or implement. For instance, motorized riding vehicles such as lawn mowers may support, among other implements, a cutting deck. The deck, which is typically mounted in front of, behind, to the side, or beneath the vehicle frame, may form a housing defined by a horizontal upper surface and integral, downwardly extending side skirts. One or more vertical spindles may be journalled to the upper surface of the cutting deck such that a cutting blade may be attached to a lower end of the spindle. Rotation of the spindle thus results in corresponding rotation of the cutting blade.
Typically, each spindle passes through an opening in the upper surface of the deck such that an upper end of the spindle extends above the housing and has attached thereto a driven spindle sheave. One or more belts may be routed about the spindle sheave(s) as well as about a driving sheave, the latter operatively powered by the vehicle engine. When sufficiently tensioned, the belt may thus transmit rotational power from the engine to the cutting blades.
To at least partially enclose the moving belt and spindle sheave, a cover or shield may be provided. The cover may attach to the upper surface of the deck be configured to extend over the rotating spindle sheave and portions of the belt that may otherwise be exposed.
To ensure that the belt cover remains in its desired position and does not shift out of place (e.g., into contact with the belt or spindle sheave), it may be fastened to the deck. However, the cover is preferably also configured to be removable so as to permit access to the belt/sheave, e.g., for cleaning and maintenance. Some known techniques for removably securing the cover to the deck include the use of nuts, bolts, clips, and other removable fasteners.
While effective, the use of removable fasteners presents drawbacks. For example, the need to remove fasteners may result in loss or misplacement of the same. Moreover, depending on the frequency of cover removal (e.g., it is not uncommon in the commercial mowing environment to remove the deck belt cover(s) one or more times per day for cleaning), the amount of time necessary to remove the fasteners and cover may be perceived as excessive, and the need to carry fastener removal tools undesirable.

Removable cover and implement incorporating same

Exmark Manufacturing Company, Incorporated


A hooking device includes a hook for clasping a latching device, a spring mounted to the hook for providing a restoration force to the hook, and a base securing the hook and the spring thereon. The hook includes a main portion, a catch portion, and a pair of shaft portions extending from the other end along opposite direction. The spring includes two winding portions, two first arms extending from ends of the winding portions, the first arms acting on the hook; and two second arms extending from the other ends of the winding portions. The base includes a base plate defining an opening, two supporting plates accommodating the shaft portions, two bearing plates extending from the base plate, the second arms acting on the bearing plate, and an elastic arm extending from the base plate pushing on the other end of the main portion of the hook.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to hooking devices, and, more particularly, to a hooking device with a torsion spring.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with development of electronic technology, electronic devices are connectable to predetermined auxiliary devices to allow communication between the devices. Besides electronically connection between the electronic devices and the auxiliary devices, extra mechanical connection should be provided for ensuring proper electronic connection and strengthening the connection.
A conventional hooking device that provides mechanical connection includes a hook, a spring, and a shaft. The hook and the spring are assembled, and then finally the shaft is inserted into a though hole defined in the hook to accomplish the whole assembly. However, the spring may easily fly off during the assembly procedure, and the shaft is prone to escape from the though hole when using the hooking device.
Accordingly, a need exists for a hooking device resolving the above problem in the industry.


In an optical circuit including multi-dimensional photonic crystals, in which the optical circuit has a structure (33), such as a light emitting member or a light receiving member, having a natural resonance frequency, another structure (34) having a natural resonance frequency slightly differing from the natural resonance frequency of the structure (33) is arranged in the vicinity of the structure (33) to control the directivity of localization and propagation of an electromagnetic field, light emission and light reception in a spatial region including the above structures in the multi-dimensional photonic crystals, in order to permit functional operations to be realized.

Recently, photonic crystals have been attracting notice because these crystals exhibit peculiar spatial distribution or are capable of confining the light in a minute area of the order of submicrons. The photonic crystals are formed by periodically arraying two or more mediums having different dielectric functions. Depending on the spatial dimensions of the periodic arrangement, the photonic crystals exhibiting the periodicity only in a one-dimensional direction are termed one-dimensional photonic crystals, while those exhibiting the periodicity in a two-dimensional direction as well and those exhibiting the periodicity in a three-dimensional direction as well are termed two-dimensional photonic crystals and three-dimensional crystals, respectively. The one-dimensional photonic crystals, formed in many cases by a dielectric multi-layer film, exhibit 'periodicity' characteristic of the photonic crystals. Thus, one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional photonic crystals, exhibiting the periodic structure, are herein collectively termed photonic crystals.
By introducing line defects into those photonic crystals having a wavelength range devoid of the state of light propagation (photonic band gap), it is possible to produce a waveguide mode in the line defects by light confinement by the photonic band gap, instead of by total light reflection by the differential in the refractive index as in the usual light waveguide (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).
[Non-Patent Document 1]
J. D. Joannopoulos et al., "Photonic Crystals" (Princeton University Press, 1995)
With the use of this technique, minute light waveguides, enabling sharp bends, may be achieved, and hence the photonic crystals are expected to be used e.g. in a minute optical circuit for communications (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 2 and 3).
[Non-Patent Document 2]
A. Mekis et al., Phys. Rev. B58, 4809 (1998)
[Non-Patent Document 3]
A. Mekis et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3787 (1996)
A light waveguide by line defects, introduced into a slab type two-dimensional photonic crystal structure, a Y-branch or a directivity coupler, employing the light waveguide, has been proposed or proven (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 4 to 7).
[Non-Patent Document 4]
S. Y. Lyn et al., Science 282, 274 (1998)
[Non-Patent Document 5]
S. Y. Lyn et al., Opt. Lett. 27, 1400 (2002)
[Non-Patent Document 6]
M. Tokushima et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 76, 952 (2000)
[Non-Patent Document 7]
H. Yamada et al., submitted to SPIE
For application of the photonic crystals to laser, there is known a single-function optical device of a photonic crystal structure having one of the functions of emission (generation), amplification and modulation of light of a specified wavelength (for example, see Patent Document 1). The light radiated from a light emitting member may be waveguided by the above line defects to be taken to outside the photonic crystal.
There is known an optical device, operating as an optical switch, for controlling the on/off of light incident on the photonic crystal area, by controlling the voltage applied across first and second electrodes, formed to the same pattern on both surfaces of the photonic crystal area (Patent Document 2).
There is also known an apparatus in which the refractive index of photonic crystals is changed by increasing or decreasing the number of electrons in a non-equilibrium state of the photonic crystals, and in which 32 or more lattices are provided along the proceeding direction of the signaling light to enable a sufficiently large change in the light transmittivity, that is, extinction ratio, to be achieved (for example, see Patent Document 3).
There is also known a photonic crystal waveguide in which the separation between the waveguide and a point defect is suitably set to control the proportion of light and electromagnetic waves captured and output (for example, see Patent Document 4).
There is further known an optical device, as a novel device capable of controlling the band structure of the photonic crystals freely, significantly and dynamically, in which the device comprises a structure including at least second and third optical mediums, periodically arranged in a first optical medium at a spacing of the order of a wavelength of the incident light, and in which the conditions of the external fields, applied to the above structure, are changed to vary the refractive index relationships of the first to third optical mediums to render variable the periodicity of spatial distribution of the refractive indices in the above structure (for example, see Patent Document 5).
[Patent Document 1]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-11-330619 (pages 4 and 5 and FIGS. 1, 4, 8 and 9)
[Patent Document 2]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2002-131715A (pages 5 to 7 and FIGS. 1 and 9)
[Patent Document 3]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2002-062554A (page 4 and FIGS. 1 and 9)
[Patent Document 4]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2001-272555A (page 4 and FIG. 1)
[Patent Document 5]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2001-091912A (page 4 and FIG. 1)

Photonic crystal optical circuit and method for controlling the same


An improved anchor for securing a reinforcement strip to a concrete structure.

Concrete is a common material for use in the construction of larger buildings because the concrete is relatively inexpensive and has good compressive strength. Buildings such as multilevel apartment buildings, office buildings and the like are designed to support their own weight plus that of expected inhabitants and furnishings. Concrete materials have excellent vertical compression properties, thus are used in such structures.
Many different techniques have been used to reinforce concrete. One common method for reinforcing concrete includes the use of a reinforcing sheet made of reinforcing fibers, such as carbon fibers, aramid fibers, glass fibers, or the like, that are attached on the surface of a concrete surface. The reinforcing sheet is arranged and attached along an outer surface of the concrete surface to reinforce the concrete against bending stresses applied thereto. The reinforcing sheet is generally attached to the concrete by an adhesive. However, when the reinforcing sheet is merely adhesively attached to the concrete, the edges of the reinforcing sheet or the entire reinforced sheet can become delaminated or debonded from the concrete. As such, the edges of the reinforcing sheet are typically joined to the concrete by use of an anchor that is hammered and joined into the concrete. However, hammering the anchor to join the edges of the reinforcing sheet requires a great deal of time and the anchors or the fitting members generally protrude from the surface of the concrete which is aesthetically displeasing and/or creates other problems such as when facing panels are to be connected to the concrete.
Another prior art method for reinforcing concrete is to secure a reinforcing sheet to the concrete by forming holes in the concrete and passing the reinforcing sheet through the holes and subsequently filling the holes with a resin material, a mortar, or the like. This method can be very time consuming and labor intensive. Also, the drilling of holes through the concrete can result in damage to the concrete.
Another prior art method to reinforce concrete is by coating the concrete surface and attaching a steel plate to the coated concrete surface. However, steel plates are heavy and difficult to install. The weight of the steel plate can also create weight issues in the building. Also, the reinforced concrete becomes substantially thicker as compared to the original structure when steel plates are attached to the concrete, thereby reducing room space.
Two prior art methods have been developed to overcome these past problems associated with reinforcing concrete and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,776 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,574,840, both of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. The '776 patent discloses the use of an anchor that is formed of a plurality of reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers, aramid fibers, glass fibers, and the like. A portion of the anchor is bundled in the longitudinal direction and inserted into a hole in a concrete structure, and the remaining portion of the anchor that is not bundled, is spread or splayed on the surface of the concrete structure. This type of anchor is known as a Splay anchor. A reinforcing member in the form of a plate or sheet is thereafter connected to the surface of the concrete structure and to the portion of the anchor spread or splayed on the surface of the concrete structure. A bonding material is inserted into the hole containing the bundled portion of the anchor so as to secure the anchor in the hole in the concrete structure. A bonding agent is also used to secure the reinforcing member of the portion of the anchor spread or splayed on the surface of the concrete structure.
The '840 patent also discloses the use of an anchor that is formed of a plurality of reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers, aramid fibers, glass fibers, and the like. The '840 patent discloses that the middle portion of the anchor is bundled and is designed to be inserted into a hole in a concrete structure and the remaining portion of the two ends of the anchor that is not bundled, is spread or splayed on the surface of the concrete structure or another concrete structure. A bonding material is inserted into the hole containing the bundled portion of the anchor so as to secure the anchor in the hole in the concrete structure. A bonding agent is also used to secure the portion of the anchor spread or splayed on the surface of the concrete structure, and to secure a reinforcing member on the concrete structure and to the anchor.
The purpose of the anchors disclosed in the '776 patent and the '840 patent is to ensure that the reinforcement strip used to reinforce the concrete reaches its maximum capacity. As such, the problem the anchors are meant to deal with is to maintain the reinforcement strip and concrete structure together long enough such that the reinforcement strip can reach its maximum capacity. The bond between the reinforcement strip and the concrete surface is much weaker than the strength of the reinforcement strip. When a concrete beam or column begins to bend, such bending only accelerates the debonding of the reinforcement strip from the concrete surface, thus resulting in the reinforcement strip peeling off of the concrete surface. The anchors are not designed to prevent the reinforcement strip from debonding from the concrete. Additional prior art anchors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,775 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,149, and, Burr, Alan C. "Recent Developments in the Use of FRP Anchors and Masonry Wall Strengthening Techniques." The Structural Engineer (2004): 20-21; Kim, S. J., and S. T. Smith. "Behavior of Handmade FRP Anchors under Tensile Load in Uncracked Concrete." Advances in Structural Engineering 12.6 (2009): 845-65; Niemitz, Carl W., Ryan James, and Sergio F. Breno. "Experimental Behavior of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer, CFRP . . . Sheets Attached to Concrete Surfaces Using CFRP Anchors." Journal of Composites for Construction 14.2 (2010): 185-94; Özdemir, Gökhan, and :. Akyüz, U{umlaut over (g)}urhan. Supervisor. Mechanical Properties of CFRP Anchorages. Thesis. Middle East Technical University, 2005, Pham, Le Tuan. Development of a Quality Control Test for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Anchors. Thesis. University of Texas at Austin, 2009, all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.
Although the prior art methods for reinforcing concrete disclosed in the '776 patent and the '840 patent are effective in strengthening the concrete, the anchors fail long before the reinforcement strip can reach its maximum capacity. As such, there remains a continued need to simplify the reinforcing installation process and to improve the strength of the reinforced concrete.

Method and apparatus for repairing concrete


One lane is formed by a combination of two signal pins S and adjacent one or two ground pins G of a connector that handles differential signals. When allocating differential signals to pins staggered in two rows, for pin allocation on the board soldering side, (SGS) is allocated to a left end of a first row to form a first lane and then (SGS) is allocated to odd-numbered lanes and (GSSG) to even-numbered lanes while (GSSG) is allocated to a left end of a second row to form a first lane and then (GSSG) is allocated to odd-numbered lanes and (SGS) to even-numbered lanes.

There is known a differential transmission system that allocates a differential signal pair, comprising signals having opposite phases, to two signal lines forming a pair. Since the differential transmission system has a feature that a high data transfer rate can be achieved, it has recently been put to practical use in various fields. In the case of using the differential transmission system, a differential signal connector is used for connecting lines adapted to transmit differential signals. The differential signal connector has a connector fitting side for fitting to a mating connector and a board soldering side for connection to a board of a device or a liquid crystal display.
This type of connector is disclosed in JP-A-2008-41656 and has a plurality of signal pins and a plurality of ground pins. Allocation of these signal pins and ground pins will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIGS. 9 and 10, S+ represents a signal pin allocated with a positive phase signal of differential signals, S− represents a signal pin allocated with a negative phase signal of differential signals, and G represents a ground pin allocated with ground. In the following description, each signal pin may also be referred to as S without discrimination.
Referring to FIG. 9, on the connector fitting side 1, signal pins S+, signals pins S−, and ground pins G are arranged in a single row. Specifically, (GSSG) is allocated to a left end and then (SSG) is repeatedly allocated.
On the other hand, on the board soldering side 2, signal pins S+, signals pins S−, and ground pins G are, as a whole, staggered in two rows. Specifically, (GSSG) is allocated to a left end of the upper row in the figure and then (SSG) is repeatedly allocated while only (SGS) is repeatedly allocated to the lower row in the figure.
Referring to FIG. 10, on the board soldering side 2, signal pins S+, signals pins S−, and ground pins G are, as a whole, staggered in two rows. Specifically, (GSSG) is allocated to a left end of the upper row on the board soldering side 2 in the figure and then (SSG) is repeatedly allocated while a dummy pin or a ground pin is allocated to a left end of the lower row on the board soldering side 2 in the figure and then pins are allocated in the same manner as in the upper row.

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited


Acoustic attenuation materials are described that comprise outer layers of a stiff material sandwiching a relatively soft elastic material therebetween, with means such as spheres, discs or wire mesh being provided within the elastic material for generating local mechanical resonances that function to absorb sound energy at tunable wavelengths.

The general increase in noise in many environments, both at work and at home, means that noise is becoming a significant source of pollution, and a factor that can harm both the physical and mental health of many people who are exposed to unwanted noise for prolonged periods. Noise reduction techniques and materials are therefore becoming of increasing importance.
Noise reduction can be achieved by either active methods, such as electronically generated noise cancellation techniques, or by passive techniques such as simple barriers. Most passive barriers, such as those made of fibres or acoustic foam, attenuate the sound by forcing the sound waves to change direction repeatedly. With each change of direction a portion of the energy of the sound wave is absorbed (and is in fact converted to heat). Such materials tend to be relative lightweight and are quite effective at attenuating noise at medium and higher frequencies, such as for example about 500 Hz and above.
Passive barrier are less effective however, at lower frequencies. A particular problem for example is illustrated by the so-called "mass law" which requires the thickness of the barrier material to be in inverse proportion to the frequency of the sound. As an example, it takes five times more mass of material to be an effective barrier at 200 Hz than it does at 1000 Hz. A concrete wall, for example, must be about 30 cm thick to be an effective barrier at 150 Hz. This increase in thickness and weight means that simple barrier structures are not effective in practical terms for attenuating low frequency sounds. Attempts to design suitable barrier structures for low frequency sounds include, for example, the use of an air-space between two rigid panels. The amount of low-frequency attenuation depends on the spacing between the panel and thus this design again results in a physically large barrier.


A self-sealing hemostatic valve for use in a catheter apparatus is disclosed, comprising a proximal valve element having a sealing hole, a distal valve element having a flap and biasing means to enhance the force with which the flap bears against the distal side of the proximal valve element to normally seal the hole. The sealing hole seals about an instrument passed through the valve and the flap seals the valve when no instrument is present. The proximal face of the proximal valve element is provided with discontinuities that increase the flexibility of the proximal valve element in a distal direction.

It is common practice in many medical procedures, such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, to insert a guidewire, catheter, or other elongated instrument through a tubular catheter introducer that has been placed in the vasculature of a patient. The catheter introducer has a housing at its proximal end that has a self-sealing port through which the elongated instruments may be inserted, manipulated and removed. The seal typically is formed by a self-sealing valve through which the instrument is passed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,081 to Timmermans describes a catheter introducer having a tubular shaft, a housing and a self-sealing, three-part, hemostatic flapper-type valve contained in the housing. The three-part valve has three disc-like elements sandwiched together including a first proximal disc having a slit, a second disc having a through-hole, and a third distal disc having a central flexible flap that overlies the hole. The first and second discs are said to effect a seal when an elongate device is passed through the valve. The third, distal disc cooperates with the second disc to effect a seal in the absence of an instrument passing through the device. In the latter mode, the device relies upon the patient's blood pressure to urge the flap of the third valve element against the hole in the middle disc. The effectiveness of the seal therefore depends in part on the fluid pressure within the housing, including the patient's blood pressure.
It often is desirable to aspirate a sample of the patient's blood through the introducer. For that purpose, a side port is provided on the housing distally of the valve. When the valve includes a flapper element, aspiration tends to draw the flap distally, away from the hole of the second valve element and potentially disrupting the seal. Air consequently could be drawn into the blood vessel, presenting risk of an air embolism. Blood leakage also could occur. Additionally, fluctuations in a patient's blood pressure similarly can cause variations in the effectiveness of the seal.
It is important that when a flapper-type of hemostatic valve is used the valve maintain its seal over a relatively wide range of pressures, including those reduced pressures that result from aspiration applied through the side port as well as fluctuations in a patient's blood pressure. It is therefore among the general objects of the invention to provide catheter introducers having an improved flapper-type of hemostatic valve that more effectively seals the lumen of the introducer over a wider range of pressures.
Also among the desirable features of a hemostatic catheter introducer is that the hemostatic valve should present as little drag as possible to an instrument passed through the introducer. In many procedures, it can be expected that the physician will rely on tactile feedback of the catheter when manipulating the catheter into a desired position. It is desirable to minimize the drag imposed on the instrument in order to maximize the tactile feedback. That objective typically conflicts with the ability of the device to form an effective seal about the instrument. It also is among the general objects of the invention to provide an improved hemostatic valve in which the drag imposed on the inserted instrument may be reduced.


A wet scrubbing process for removing sulfur dioxide from combustion gases uses an aqueous slurry containing calcium components resulting from the slaking of lime, with the slaked lime formed by mixing lime with water containing a calcium sulfur-oxide salt. The presence of the calcium sulfur oxide salt in the slaking water results in a more easily dewatered sludge that is subsequently removed from the wet scrubbing system.

A commercially available process for removing sulfur dioxide from flue gases uses an aqueous slurry of lime, or other calcium component, preferably enhanced with magnesium, to scrub a countercurrent flow of the flue gases in a wet scrubbing unit. The lime, in removing sulfur dioxide from the flue gases, produces calcium sulfite, which is removed from the scrubbing system as a bleed stream of the scrubbing unit effluent. The bleed stream is passed to a clarifier or thickener and a thickened slurry or sludge separated from the aqueous media. The aqueous media is returned to the scrubber unit as a recycle stream, while the sludge is discharged from the scrubbing system and discarded, after further concentration, if desired. A problem that arises is the poor dewatering properties of the calcium sulfite sludge removed from the scrubbing system.
The poor dewatering properties of calcium sulfite sludges from lime scrubbing systems adds to the expense of operating such systems. Currently, only very limited improvements can be made, such as by the addition of sulfur, or thiosulfate, or polymeric floculants to the system so as to improve the dewatering characteristics of the sludge. Another approach is to lower the solids content of the slurry to minimize secondary nucleation, but such is not feasible because of limitations owing to the design of the scrubbing system.
In magnesium-enhanced lime scrubbing processes, because of the high solubility of magnesium sulfite and its tendency to form ion pairs in solution, sulfite, not bisulfite, is elevated, while calcium is suppressed by adequate concentration of magnesium. Therefore, the scrubbing system is rich in alkalinity and gypsum scale does not form.
However, this process is known for producing a sludge that is difficult to dewater without applying forced oxidation, the sludge consists primarily of calcium sulfite and some coprecipitated calcium sulfate. It has been speculated by J. Chang and T. Brna, "Evaluation of Solids Dewatering for a Pilot-Scale Thiosorbic Lime SO.sub.2 Scrubber, AIChE 1987 National Meeting, Houston, Tex. (Apr. 1987), that magnesium causes deterioration of the dewatering properties of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) solid products It was demonstrated by P. Tseng and G. Rochell, "Calcium Sulfite Hemihydrate: Crystal Growth Rate and Crystal Habit," Environmental Progress, 5 (1) pp 5-11 (1986), that a calcium sulfite hemihydrate crystal defect, caused by coprecipitated calcium sulfate, adversely affected the crystal habit and therefore settling and dewatering properties of the sludge. Low solids content was also suggested by F. Bazek et al. in "Effect of Wet Lime FGD Operating Conditions on Improving Particle Size and Dewatering of Sludge", Tenth Symposium on Flue Gas Desulfurization, November 17-21 (1986) and by L. Benson et al., "Improving Sludge Dewatering in Magnesium-Enhanced Lime FGD Systems", Proceedings of the EPA/EPRI First Combined FGD and Dry SO.sub.2 Control Symposium, St. Louis, Mo., October (1988), to minimize secondary nucleation and therefore enhance average particle size. In addition, a double-drawoff crystallizer configuration, separating large particles from fine nuclei and sending only large particle to thickeners, seems promising to improve sludge dewatering properties, as suggested by J. Chang and T. Brna, "Gypsum Crystallization for Limestone FGD", Chemical Engineering Progress, 82:51 (1986).
Although intensive research activities have been conducted to improve sludge dewatering properties, the present inventors believe there are still some unexplored areas, for example, controlling nucleation at the dissolving lime surface by modifying the surface chemistry of lime or by modifying the way lime is introduced to the FGD system.
It is an object of the present invention to improve the dewatering properties of thickener underflow sludges from a lime scrubbing system and thus reduce the operating costs of such a system.
It is another object of the present invention to reduce the primary nucleation of calcium sulfite in a wet scrubbing system and increase the average particle size of the calcium sulfite, and make the dewatering of aqueous sludges from such a system easier to effect.

Sulfur dioxide removal from gases using a modified lime


A blower is provided, and comprises a blower fan, a motor for driving the fan, a blower tube that extends from the fan, and a potential compensation conductor that extends within the blower tube and is connected with the motor in an electrically conductive manner.

The present invention relates to a blower having a blower fan, a motor for driving the fan, and a blower tube that extends from the fan.
With manually guided blowers, by means of a motor-operated fan an air stream is produced that by means of a blower tube that extends from the fan is guided to the desired application. Such blowers are carried, for example, on the back of an operator, and are manually guided, being used for blowing fallen leaves into a pile. The blower can also be used as a spray device, whereby an agent or material that is to be sprayed, such as plant protection material or granulate, is introduced into the blower tube. By means of a venturi device and a collection bag, such a blower can also be used as a nut collector or the like. The housing of the blower fan, the fan wheel, and in particular the blower tube are made of polymeric material, whereby the polymeric material acts as an electrical insulator relative to the drive motor, which forms an electrical ground connection.
At an appropriate fan capacity, a relatively high flow velocity forms in the blower tube. At appropriate atmospheric conditions, and when dirt or dust particle laden ambient air is drawn in, in particular due to friction between the particles as well as with the fan wheel, fan housing and with the blower tube wall, this can lead to electrostatic charges. Contact of components of the blower can result in undesired electrostatic discharges.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a blower of the aforementioned general type in such a way that the formation of an electrostatic charge is prevented.


In order to reduce the size of the memory employed to store firmware, the firmware is written in virtual control words which are then reduced by allotting them to a primary control word memory and at least one secondary control word memory which is addressed by a field in the primary control word memory. A virtual set of secondary control words are each divided into a plurality of fields, and each field of each secondary virtual control word is marked as guarded or "don't care". If a field is marked as "don't care", the function represented by the virtual control word will perform properly no matter what the content of that field. Virtual control word pairs are then examined to ascertain if they can be combined into a single control word. If the guarded fields in the first virtual control word align with the "don't care" fields in the second virtual control word and vice versa, the two virtual control words can be combined into a single control word containing the contents of the guarded fields from both virtual control words, the remaining fields, if any, remaining "don't care". This process may be reiterated to determine if the combined control word can be further combined with another virtual control word. In operation, all the functions represented by a combined control word are executed by calling for that single control word stored in the secondary control word memory.

As faster operation of computer systems has been sought, numerous hardware/firmware features have been employed to achieve that purpose. One feature widely incorporated in central processing units (CPUs) that is directed to increasing the speed of operation is pipelining in which the various stages of execution of a series of consecutive machine level instructions are undertaken simultaneously. For example, during a given time increment, a first stage of a fourth (in order of execution) instruction may be undertaken while a second stage of a third instruction, a third stage of a second instruction and a fourth stage of a first instruction are all undertaken simultaneously. This procedure dramatically increases the speed of operation of a CPU.
The execution of the instructions in the repertoire of instructions of a CPU requires the coordinated sequential generation of numerous control signals, and these control signal combinations are particularly complex and diverse in a pipelined CPU. The control signals are typically derived from firmware stored in a read-only-memory (ROM). This firmware consists of stored control words, each control word representing a combination of binary signals, or bits, necessary to carry out a microstep in the execution of one or more instructions.
In the CPU family in which the subject invention finds exemplary use, a virtual control word set, or control program, of on the order of 4K words of 256 bits each is required to provide for all the necessary signal combinations for performing the numerous microsteps during execution of the instruction set of the CPU. This CPU family is implemented in very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuitry on several chips including an address and execution (AX) chip which incorporates the ROM containing the control word set. However, those skilled in the art will understand that, at the state of the art, a ROM of 4K by 256 bits would take up much of the room available for circuitry on a VLSI chip. Since the remainder of the AX chip is itself very complex, a ROM of this size cannot be accommodated, and this constraint presented a serious problem which was successfully addressed by the use of the present invention. Further, in combination with other innovations, a very significant additional decrease in the size of the control store ROM for the AX chip was achieved.

Method for reducing control store space in a VLSI central processor


A SC type connector assembly includes a square hollow front housing (10) and a tubular rear housing (26) interconnected to each, other by means of protrusions (28) of the rear housing (26) captured by the corresponding aperture (18) of the front housing (10). An alignment ferrule (36) is positioned within the interior of the front housing (10) and the rear housing (26) with a spring (42) providing a biased force against the alignment ferrule (36) and the rear housing (26). The rear end of the alignment ferrule (36) extends a distance out of the rear end of the rear housing (26). An auxiliary spacer (50) abuts against the rear end of the rear housing (26). A crimping ferrule (44) is to circumferentially cover the rear portion of the rear housing (26) and most of the spacer (50) for sandwiching the strength members (70) and the jacket (72) of the optical fiber cable (74) therebetween. A boot (58) circumferentially covers the crimping ferrule (44). A coupling nut (60) coaxially surrounds the front housing (10), the rear housing (26) and a portion of the boot (58).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to optical fiber connectors assembly, especially to an SC type connector with capability of partly preassembled for the convenience of installation of an optical fiber cable thereof in a later time.
2. The Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional optical fiber SC type connector has a hollow insulative front housing 2' interconnecting a tubular metal rear housing 5' by means of a pair of protrusions 51' of rear housing 5' snugly received within the corresponding apertures 21' of the front housing 2' An alignment ferrule 3'extends through the combined unit of the front housing 2' and the rear housing 5' with a spring 4' axially surrounding the alignment ferrule 3' for providing a biased force against the rear housing 2' and the alignment ferrule 3'. A tubular crimping ferrule 6' has the large front portion 61' and the small rear portion 62' wherein the front portion 61' surrounds the rear section 52' of the rear housing 5' for sandwiching the strength members 92' of the optical fiber cable 9' therebetween, and the rear portion 62' incorporates a separate clamping ring 7' to fasten the split jacket 93' of the optical fiber cable 9' therebetween. A boot 8' attachably surrounds the clamping ring 7', the crimping ferrule 6' and the rear section 52' of the rear housing 5'. A coupling nut 1' is circumferentially positioned on the front housing 2', the rear housing 2' and a front portion of the boot 8' such that the front housing 2' can axially move with regard to the coupling nut 1' for engagement or disengagement with a complimentary connector. It is also noted that within the strength members the optical fiber cable 9' has coaxially the nylon buffer sheath 91' for cushioning and protecting the inner optical fiber 94'.
This type prior art connector includes a few components which complicate the assembling process and use a few amount of time when they are assembled with the optical fiber cable. Hence, U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,601 to Shibata discloses this type prior art connector in its FIGS. 16-19 labelled "PRIOR ART". In FIG. 6 of Shibata, an elongated slot along the rear housing is disposed thereof for allowance of radial installation of the optical fiber and its associated nylon buffer sheath. In FIG. 8 of Shibata, it also teaches two, i.e., the left and the right halves structure of the front housing and the rear housing for lateral (radial) combination of any pair of left half and the right half such that the fiber with its associated outer sheath can be easily sandwiched and installed therein. Although these two approaches may preclude axial loading of the fiber into the connector from the rear end which is inconvenient for an operator according to the description in Shibata, it is still required that the all components of the connector must be stored separately until a optical fiber cable is ready thereabout for assembling.
Generally, for the consideration of inventory management and time-saving issue in assembling, a communication system manufacturer intends to have a wholly or partly pre-assembled connector in hand when the operator attaches an optical fiber cable to the connector. Unfortunately, due to the possibility of contamination of the epoxy, i.e., adhesion, which is used to secure the outer surface of the nylon buffer sheath to the inner surface of alignment ferrule when the optical fiber cable is installed into the connector, no SC type connector discloses such pre-assembled structure till now. The reason is that the prior art alignment ferrule is much shorter than the rear housing and the rear end of the alignment ferrule is embedded within the interior of the rear housing. Thus, it is uneasy for an operator to insert an epoxy-coated buffer sheath and its inner fiber into the interior of the alignment ferrule from the rear end of the rear housing without having the epoxy inadvertently contaminate the interior of the rear housing where the fiber passes by, if such front housing, rear housing and the alignment ferrule have been assembled together as a semi-finished matter. As a result, the epoxy attached to the interior of the rear housing will jeopardize the expected bumper effect of the alignment ferrule which may axially moveable with regard to the housing originally.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an SC type connector assembly some parts of which may be pre-assembled as a semi-finished product so that the operator of a communication system manufacturer may easily and quickly attach the optical fiber cable thereto for saving his labor and time and increasing his efficiency.

Optical fiber SC type connector assembly with partly pre-assembled components


An illumination device comprising at least one reflector and at least one light generating unit, wherein the at least one reflector is designed and arranged to reflect at least a portion of a light emitted by the at least one light generating unit into a spatial region that cannot be directly irradiated thereby, and the at least one light generating unit comprises at least one illuminating region having a substantially uniform emission characteristic in a circumferential direction of the illumination device.

In particular in the case of LED incandescent lamp retrofit lamps which are provided to replace conventional incandescent lamps and use light-emitting diodes as light sources, it is desirable that emission of light occurs into the greatest possible spatial angle range. Diffusers are normally used for this purpose. However, the diffusers permit beam widening only over a limited angle and, in addition, some of the light radiated into the diffusers is lost since, for example, it is reflected back at the inner side of the diffuser and to some extent is reabsorbed by the surfaces or the LEDs themselves, and the light emitted by the illumination device loses brilliance.

Illumination device and method for producing an illumination device


Unit dose pack and methods for preventing efflorescence and yellowing of a wash composition for unit dose packs are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a unit dose pack includes a wash composition and a film encapsulating the wash composition. The wash composition includes an ionic surfactant, water, sodium sulfite, and a chelating compound. The sodium sulfite is present in the wash composition at a concentration of from about 0.5 to about 3 weight percent, and the chelating compound is present in the wash composition at a concentration of from about 0.01 to about 1.5 weight percent, where weight percents are based on a total weight of the wash composition.

Detergent in unit dose packs is available for a variety of washing activities, such as garment laundering and dish washing. The unit dose pack provides a pre-measured quantity of detergent that is easy to carry and convenient to use. The unit dose pack minimizes over-dosage of detergent and has proven popular with consumers.
Many unit dose packs include a wash composition that is encapsulated within a pouch made of a water soluble film, where the wash composition includes detergent, solvents, and other components useful for cleaning or other purposes. In many cases, the film is clear, so the contents are visible. Some consumers interested in reduced environmental impact prefer a "free and clear" product, where the product is free of colorants and perfumes, so the product appears clear. However, some components of the wash composition tend to degrade and form colored bodies over time. For example, monoethanol amine may be utilized as a pH adjusting agent to help control the pH of the wash composition, and monoethanol amine degradation products tend to have a yellow color that makes the entire wash composition appear yellow. Other components may also degrade to form colored bodies as well, or may have a color before degradation. This yellow color may be negatively perceived by some consumers.
Some materials in the wash composition can cause efflorescence in the film, where efflorescence is the migration of a salt or other solid to the surface of a solid. In the case of unit dose packs, materials that include sodium tend to effloresce in the film such that the film appears "grainy" or "hazy." Some materials that may reduce the formation of colored bodies include sodium, so these materials may result in efflorescence in the film. The grainy appearance of a film with efflorescence may be negatively perceived by consumers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a unit dose pack where the wash composition resists yellowing, or at least acquires a yellow color at a slower rate and/or at lower color levels than traditional unit dose packs, including methods of producing and using the same. In addition, it is desirable to provide unit dose packs that do not exhibit minimized efflorescence in the film over time, and methods of producing and using the same. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Unit dose detergent packs with anti-yellowing and anti-efflorescence formulations


A tube joint comprises a nut member which connects a tube to a joint body, collet sections which fasten the tube by fastening pawls for being pressed radially inwardly by a pressing section of the nut member to bite into an outer circumferential surface of a diametrally expanded section of the tube, and an annular projection which abuts against an annular step of the joint body and which regulates a screwing amount of the nut member on the joint body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube joint which makes it possible to connect a tube member to a fluid-operated apparatus in a liquid-tight manner or in an airtight manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a semiconductor chip is produced, a tube joint made of resin such as fluororesin has been hitherto used in a production line or the like in which a pure water washing solution or other chemical solutions or the like are used, in view of the cleanness, the corrosion resistance, and the chemical resistance.
Such a tube joint is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-182751. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a diametrally expanded end 2 of a tube 1 is fitted into a ring groove 6 of a main joint body 5 penetratingly through a plug hole 4 of a nut member 3. A female screw section 8 on the inner circumferential surface of the nut member 3 is screwed with a male screw section 7 on the outer circumferential surface of the main joint body 5. Accordingly, the tube 1 is supported thereby.
However, in the conventional tube joint disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-182751, the diametrally expanded end 2 of the tube 1 is merely fitted into the ring groove 6 of the main joint body 5. Therefore, for example, when the force to pull out the tube 1 is applied to the tube 1 in the direction (direction of the arrow E shown in FIG. 9) opposite to the fitting direction especially in a high temperature atmosphere, the tube 1 tends to come out from the main joint body 5.
In the conventional tube joint disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-182751, no means is provided for securing an appropriate screwing amount when the female screw section 8 of the nut member 3 is screwed into the male screw section 7 of the main joint body 5. Further, if the screwing amount is excessive, the diametrally expanded portion of the tube 1 is pressed toward the center by a circumferential edge 3a of the plug hole 4 of the nut member 5. Therefore, excessive load may be applied to the diametrally expanded portion of the tube 1.


A toothbrush having an elongate support shaft includes a brush head arranged for rotation and latching in a plurality of orientations relative to the support shaft to permit ease of access to various portions of an individual's teeth during a brushing procedure.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to toothbrush apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved pivot head toothbrush wherein the toothbrush includes a head structure arranged for pivotal mounting relative to the toothbrush support shaft and handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toothbrushes of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,471,506; 5,033,154; 5,052,071; and 5,115,530.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a toothbrush structure wherein the same permits the pivotal rotation and latching of a toothbrush head relative to the toothbrush support shaft and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.