A hand-guided treatment device is configured for use in working positions tilted relative to each other by a tilt angle of at least 45° about a device longitudinal axis. The device has a device housing, a handle operating unit with a handle extending with a main direction component parallel to the device longitudinal axis and a finger-operable operating element within finger reach of the handle, and a display field arranged on an outside of the device housing with at least one optical display element. The display field is arranged offset relative to the operating element in a housing circumferential direction about the device longitudinal axis and extends in the housing circumferential direction over a housing edge and/or with a curved or kinked course.

The invention concerns a hand-guided treatment device which is configured for use in working positions tilted relative to each other by a tilt angle of at least 45° about a device longitudinal axis, and has a device housing, a handle operating unit which comprises a handle extending with a main direction component parallel to the device longitudinal axis and a finger-operable operating element within finger reach of the handle, and a display field arranged on an outside of the device housing with at least one optical display element.
Hand-guided treatment devices of this type are used in particular as motorized devices in gardening and forestry, such as power saws, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, strimmers etc., and in the construction and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) sector as disc cutters or angle grinders, jigsaws, grinding machines, etc. In their intended working operation, the devices may assume at least two different working positions which are tilted relative to each other by 45° about the longitudinal axis of the device. Thus for example in sawing operation, a power saw may optionally be held in a vertical cutting position and in a horizontal cutting position tilted relative thereto by 90° about the saw longitudinal axis, and also in intermediate positions. The same applies to the other devices listed above as examples.
Using the finger-operable operating element situated within finger reach of the handle, the user can activate a function assigned to this operating element with one finger of the hand with which he grips the device at the handle. This function may in particular be one which stands in relation to an intended working purpose of the treatment device, such as a switch-on/off function for the device or a drive motor of the device which drives a treatment tool of the device.
The optical display element(s) of the display field may serve respective desired display functions, wherein preferably at least one of these display functions is related to the function which can be triggered via the finger-operable operating element, for example such that such an optical display element serves to display the state of the device, or more particularly of a treatment tool of the device, which the user has selected via the finger-operable operating element.
Laid-open publications US 2017/0089349 A1 and WO 2013/032374 A1 and patent publications U.S. Pat. No. 9,555,537 B2 disclose treatment devices of this type, in particular in the form of a power saw, a strimmer, hedge shears or a leaf blower, in which one or more pushbutton operators, which the user can actuate for example using the thumb of his hand holding the handle, and several light-emitting diode (LED) display elements are integrated in a common, combined, flat operating and display panel which, towards the front in the device longitudinal direction, adjoins a handle running in the device longitudinal direction.
In this and other treatment devices with differently tilted working positions, there is often a desire to be able to display certain device states or device functions to the user optically via the display field such that the display concerned remains easily perceptible to the user not only in one but in several working positions of the device, preferably also in working positions tilted by 45° or more about the device longitudinal axis, e.g. without the user needing to turn his head.
In laid-open publication EP 2 910 342 A2, to this end in a hand-held power tool, in particular an angle grinder, a display unit is proposed with a display element which extends over at least part of the periphery of a housing unit.
Similarly, patent publication DE 43 18 980 C2 discloses, for a hand-held power tool such as a drill or angle grinder, a display device with a light conductor which runs as a closed ring around a device housing, and over its periphery has several optical display elements that can be activated successively in the rotational direction of a rotating tool of the device in order to indicate the rotational direction. The angle grinder can be switched on and off and its rotational direction changed via a operating switch situated before the light conductor ring in the longitudinal direction of the device. Two further individual display elements are situated in front of the operating switch in the device longitudinal direction.
It is the technical object of the invention to provide a hand-guided treatment tool of the type cited initially which has improved characteristics in comparison with the above-mentioned prior art, in particular with respect to functionality and/or configuration of the display field and its relation to the finger-operable operating element.
The invention achieves this and other objects by providing a motorized treatment device, preferably a gardening or forestry device, said device being configured for use in working positions tilted relative to each other by a tilt angle of at least 45° about a device longitudinal axis, and comprising a device housing, a handle operating unit which comprises a handle extending with a main direction component parallel to the device longitudinal axis and a finger-operable operating element within finger reach of the handle, and a display field arranged on an outside of the device housing with at least one optical display element. According to the invention, the display field is arranged offset relative to the operating element in a housing circumferential direction about the device longitudinal axis, and extends in the housing circumferential direction over a housing edge and/or with a curved or kinked course.
This configuration and arrangement of the display field makes it easier for the user to perceive a display provided by the optical display element in the different working positions of the treatment device. This above all ensures that the extent of the display field is not restricted to a flat display plane, but the display field extends in the circumferential direction of the device housing over a housing edge and/or with a curved or kinked course in the housing circumferential direction. In this way, the display field remains visible to the user even when he tilts the device about its longitudinal axis in order to move it from one working position to another while working.
Also, the special positional relation of the display field with respect to the finger-operable operating element is advantageous, wherein the display field is arranged offset relative to the operating element in the housing circumferential direction about the device longitudinal axis. This makes it easier for the user to actuate the operating element using a finger, without the operating finger or associated hand obstructing the clear visibility of the display field for the user. This configuration also allows the display field and finger-operable operating element to be positioned close to each other and at a substantially equal axial distance from the handle, or both directly adjoining this.
In a refinement of the invention, the handle operating unit has a finger operating surface area in which the operating element is situated, and the display field contains a first display surface area and a second display surface area not parallel to the first. The finger operating surface area and the first display surface area are arranged aligned adjacent to each other and/or next to each other with mutually parallel face planes.
This constitutes an advantageous design of the display field. The two non-parallel display surface areas make it easier for the user to have a direct view of the display field in the tilted working positions, e.g. because the first display surface area is directly visible in a first working position and the second display surface area is directly visible in a second working position of the device which is tilted relative to the first. The first display surface area of the display field adjoins the finger operating surface area in aligned fashion and/or with parallel face planes, whereby a smooth transition is achieved between the two device components without perceptible steps or protrusions. In alternative embodiments, the display field contains only a single flat or curved display surface area, and/or is arranged with its face plane not parallel to a face plane of the finger operating surface area, or out of alignment with the finger operating surface area.
In one embodiment of the invention, the display field and/or the finger operating surface area is/are received outwardly flush or recessed in a receiving region of the device housing. This avoids the display field and/or the finger operating surface area protruding relative to the adjacent device housing and thereby forming a shoulder in the contour of the device housing. In alternative embodiments, the display field and/or the finger operating surface area are arranged protruding relative to an adjacent region of the device housing.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the device housing forms a closed frame around the display field and the finger operating surface area in the receiving region or partially surrounds these in a partial peripheral region. This constitutes an advantageous measure with respect to design and construction. The display field and the finger operating surface area may be protected by the device housing which forms the frame or in any case surrounds the two components on at least part of the periphery, e.g. protects these from impact and other mechanical influences which could lead to damage. In alternative embodiments, the display field or the finger operating surface area lie clear of the device housing on the periphery, e.g. in the form of a display and/or operating body protruding from the rest of the device housing.
In one embodiment of the invention, the treatment device comprises a receiving body of rubber-elastic material inserted in the receiving region, in which the operating element and/or the display field is/are received and framed. Depending on the implementation selected, with the rubber-elastic material, a good gap seal can be achieved at the edges of the operating element and/or display field against the surrounding device housing region, and/or the operating element and/or display field can be protected from impacts and other mechanical influences. In alternative embodiments, the operating element and/or the display field is/are inserted directly or with the use of a receiving body made of a bend-resistant material in the receiving region of the device housing.
In a refinement of the invention, the operating element has an actuation movement direction with a direction component in the housing circumferential direction and/or with a direction component perpendicular to the housing circumferential direction and perpendicular to the device longitudinal axis. This constitutes an advantageous configuration of the operating element with respect to operating comfort and handling of the operating element. The operating element may for example be actuated by a linear displacement movement or a pressing movement perpendicularly to the device longitudinal axis, or by a rotation or tilt movement about a rotation/tilt axis parallel to the device longitudinal axis. In alternative embodiments, the operating element may be actuated e.g. in a slide movement lying parallel to the device longitudinal direction.
In a refinement of the invention, at least one optical display element of the display field extends in the housing circumferential direction over the housing edge and/or with a curved or kinked course. With this arrangement, the advantage arises that this same display element can remain directly visible to the user in the different working positions of the device tilted relative to each other, since not only the display field as a whole but the display element(s) concerned run in a curved or kinked fashion or over the housing edge. In alternative embodiments, all optical display elements of the display field e.g. extend only over a rectilinear portion in the housing circumferential direction.
In a refinement of the invention, the display field has at least two optical display elements arranged next to each other in the housing circumferential direction and/or at least two optical display elements arranged next to each other in the device longitudinal direction. This constitutes a design of the display field which is favourable for many applications when equipped with several optical display elements.
In a refinement of the invention, the operating element is configured for switching between several selectable device operating states, and at least one optical display element of the display field has several display states corresponding to the selectable device operating states. This allows the user, by finger operation, to switch the treatment device between different operating states of the device, and to easily and directly detect the respective selected operating state via the display field. In alternative embodiments, the operating element may serve other purposes and/or another display field outside the display field serves to display device operating states.
In a refinement of the invention, the device housing has a main housing part and a handle housing part connected to the main housing part, and the display field is held on a retaining body which is attached to the main housing part and/or to the handle housing part and on which a second finger- or hand-actuatable operating element is held. This constitutes a structurally advantageous embodiment of the device housing and the holding of the display field. The retaining body holding the display field and the finger-operable operating element additionally serves for holding at least one further operating element. In alternative embodiments, the device housing may be constructed differently, and/or the display field and the operating element may be held in other ways, e.g. directly on a device housing part.
In a refinement of the invention, the treatment device is configured as a power saw with a handle arranged on a device top side, and the display field extends on the device top side and on a right display side. In this case, the power saw may in particular be of a so-called top handle type.
In an embodiment of the invention, the operating element is a push/tilt button element arranged on the device top side. In this embodiment, the user can very easily actuate the operating element on the device top side with a push and/or tilt actuation, e.g. using his thumb. In particular in this case it is favourable if the operating element is situated to the left of the display field on the device top side, and the user grips the handle of the device with his right hand. With this actuation movement, the thumb then does not obstruct the user's clear view of the display field. In alternative embodiments, the operating element may e.g. be a touch-sensitive operating element.
In a different refinement of the invention, the treatment device is configured as a power saw with a handle arranged on a device rear side, and the display field extends on a device top side and a left device side. The power saw may here in particular be of a so-called rear handle type.
The display field's property of extending not only on the device top side but also on the left device side is favourable for this and other cases in which the power saw has an auxiliary handle extending on the left side in an arc from the top side to the underside, and the user frequently uses the power saw in a working position twisted by 90° clockwise, in which the left side is then at the top. Then in this rotated working position of the power saw, the user still has a direct view of the part of the display field situated on the left device side. In alternative embodiments, the display field extends for example on the device top side and a right device side.
In an embodiment of the invention, the operating element is a push/tilt button element arranged on the left device side. With this power saw type, this allows the user to actuate the operating element comfortably, e.g. with his right thumb, both in the normal working position with device top side at the top and in the working position tilted clockwise by 90° about the device longitudinal axis. Here, with his thumb, the user again exerts a suitable pressure and/or tilt actuation on the correspondingly designed operating element. In alternative embodiments, the operating element is arranged e.g. on the device top side or on the right device side, and/or using a different type of conventional operating element.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Hand-guided treatment device with operating element and display field


Ecologically friendly organically composed fuel products are presented whose composition includes, but is not limited to, ingredients: 58 to 60 percent decomposed straw, 38 percent horse or cow manure, two percent hay mixture from various blends used as feed, and two percent straw dust. The above ingredients are subjected to a number of processing steps with the end product being a hydraulically compressed fuel product, such as a brick, block, briquette, blank, pellet, etc., dried to a less than 10 percent moisture content. Eco-friendly organic fuel products may be created from other ingredients than those described herein could undergo the disclosed process to produce other types of fuel items, both organic and inorganic, with the ingredients comprising wood chips, other kinds of animal manure, and wood chips.

The search for new energy sources is an ongoing concern for all humanity as concerns mount over the rate of depletion of oil reserves and other energy sources. Coal, natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and hydrogen have numerous hurdles to overcome regarding safety, reliability, and the safe disposal of waste product. The exploitation of new energy sources goes hand in hand with the problem of how to dispose of—and potentially reuse, recycle, or usefully convert—all of the waste material and product, both organic and inorganic, produced by humans, animals, and commercial, agricultural and industrial activities. As the protection and preservation of the environment is of paramount concern, the reuse and recycling of all manner of waste product—human and non-human; organic and inorganic—is being undertaken at all levels of society, whether it is personal, occupational, or governmental.
One of the most common and overlooked sources of waste and potential energy is livestock manure which can include, but is not limited to, manure produced by cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry etc. Such waste amounts to millions of pounds per year, and it must be disposed of in environmentally safe and governmentally approved methods. With economic circumstances squeezing agricultural establishments, especially small farms, along with the increased costs and complexities of appropriately disposing of all the waste materials and products, agricultural establishments and farmers are investigating ways to convert the waste material into a usable product, such as usable fuel that is both eco friendly and can generate profit for the farmer. The prior art discloses a variety of methods and processes for converting various types of organic and inorganic material into usable fuel product.
For example, the Jackman patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,755) discloses a method and an apparatus for handling refuse, using waste and treating raw sewage wherein the material is processed into a source of energy.
The Beningson et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,903) discloses an apparatus for disposal of solid wastes and recovery of fuel product therefrom through the conversion of the organic fraction of such wastes to fuel by the recovery of the constituents of the inorganic fashion.
The Schulz patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,119) discloses briquettes of a specified geometry and composition that are produced to serve as feed material or "burden" in a moving-burden gasifier for the production of a synthesis or fuel gas from organic solid waste materials and coal.
The Nielsen patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,749) discloses a method for the manufacturing of fuel briquettes from selected components of garbage that are comminuted and combined with coal dust.
The Lindemann patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,365) discloses a method of producing briquettes from organic waste products by the use of high pressure to produce sterilized fuel briquettes of high heating values.
The White patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,223 B2) discloses a fuel pellet that is produced by the combination of organic waste material with a binder obtained by direct liquefaction and/or fast pyrolysis of biomass material.
The Miller patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,425 B2) discloses a method of dewatering coal tailings and slurries and removing contaminants therefrom.
The Cullen patent application publication (U.S. patent pub. No. US 2007/0006526 AI) discloses fuel pellet briquettes manufactured from biomass and recovered coal slurries.
The Philipson patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,691 B2) discloses a process for the conversion of municipal solid waste to combustible pellets of high fuel value.
Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above apparatuses, methods, and processes, there remains a need for a process of creating an organic fuel brick from waste matter and organic material readily on agricultural and livestock farms.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A monolithic optical pellicle and method of making used to protect a photomask during photolithography processing. The monolithic optical pellicle is comprised of a pellicle plate having a recessed central portion integrally formed with a perimeter frame of the pellicle plate such that it is a one-piece optical pellicle. The monolithic optical pellicle comprises a material of sufficient rigidity to minimize distortions in and maximize durability of the pellicle when used in combination with the recessed portion having a thickness that prevents sagging thereof due to applied forces on the resultant monolithic optical pellicle. This recessed central portion is the optical pellicle portion of the present monolithic optical pellicle, while the integral perimeter frame is used to attach the monolithic optical pellicle at the desired stand-off distance to a photomask. The monolithic optical pellicle preferably comprises a material that is transparent to an exposure field at about 157 nm wavelengths.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to optical pellicles, and more particularly, to monolithic hard pellicles for use in photolithography and methods of forming the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Pellicles have played an important role in the fabrication of semiconductor circuits. A conventional pellicle is a thin, optically transparent membrane stretched over a rigid metal frame for attachment to a photomask via such frame. In so doing, the pellicle is attached to the photomask such that the membrane is positioned at a distance spaced away from the photomask. The pellicle is then used in photolithography to protect the patterned photomask surfaces from contamination by airborne particles. That is, smaller particles and dust falling onto the pellicle plate is out of focus during the photolithography process, and will not therefore be reproduced in the silicon wafer.
To fabricate a pellicle, a very thin membrane, normally in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 microns and usually made of organic or fluorocarbon polymers, is first formed on a substrate. The membrane is then removed and mounted to the rigid frame. These pellicle frames take many shapes, depending upon the photolithography equipment with which the pellicle is ultimately to be used. The frame always encloses the entire printable area of the mask so that the pellicle it supports is able to keep particles off this critical area.
An emerging photolithography technique is the use of radiation having a 157 nm (nanometer) wavelength to expose the desired circuit pattern from the photomask to the resist layer on the wafer substrate. Extension of optical lithography to 157 nm has received widespread support as it offers the prospect of improved resolution based on decades of optical lithography experience. However, the development of pellicles for use in 157 nm lithography has been challenging due to the high energy of the photons, such as those at energies of about 7.9 eV. This is because most common lithographic materials available for the fabrication of thin (0.5 μm to 2.0 μm) protective pellicles used at 365 nm, 248 nm, and 193 nm exposure wavelengths are either not transparent enough and strongly absorb at the 157 nm wavelength; or are not durable enough to withstand more than a few minutes of exposure without severe degradation at the 157 nm exposure wavelength.
Since no polymers have been found with sufficient radiation durability to be used as pellicles to protect photomasks from contamination at the 157 nm exposure wavelength, thick or hard quartz (crystallized silica) plate pellicles continue to be used at the 157 nm wavelength. The hard pellicles for use at such wavelength are conventionally made by attaching, such as by bonding, sealing, encapsulating, and the like, modified fused silica plates to fused silica frames. The pellicle and frame unit is then mounted onto photomask substrates via the fused silica frames to protect the patterned photomask surfaces from contamination by airborne particles.
This conventional process of forming pellicles by attaching a frame to a fused silica plate typically results in small distortions or stresses that can have various effects on the pellicle itself as well as the photomask being protected by such pellicle. For instance, when distortions or stresses occur as a result of attaching a frame to a mask substrate to form a hard pellicle, these distortions and/or stresses are transferred to the hard pellicle, which in turn, create optical distortions or aberrations that distort the projected light during wafer exposure. Further, such stresses may undesirably distort the reticle or even cause stress-induced birefringence or double refraction, i.e., splitting of a light wave into two unequally reflected or transmitted waves, which may result in problems with wafer printing.
As such, conventional processes and the resultant thick and/or hard pellicles formed by such processes are not suitable for efficiently, effectively and reliably protecting photomasks from contamination at the 157 nm exposure wavelength. Consequently, there is a need for improved methods for forming pellicles for use at the 157 nm exposure wavelength.

International Business Machines Corporation


Dataflow optimization by dead store elimination focusing on logically dividing a contiguous storage area into different portions by use to allow a different number and type of dataflow and dead store techniques on each portion. A first storage portion, containing the storage for control flow related metadata, is split from a remaining storage portion. Liveness analysis is executed on the first storage portion using bitvectors with each bit representing four bytes. The remaining storage portion, containing the temporary storage for computational values, is processed using a deadness-range-based dataflow analysis. IN and OUT sets for each basic block are generated by processing blocks GEN and KILL sets by performing a backwards intersection dataflow analysis. Stores that write to the set of dead ranges in the IN sets of blocks are eliminated as dead stores.

The present invention relates generally to the field of dataflow optimization, and more particularly to efficient elimination of dead stores.
A variable that is assigned a value but is not read by any subsequent instruction may be referred to as a dead store. Dead stores tend to waste processor time and memory. Dead stores that are not removed can also prevent other optimizations from being effective. A dead store may be detected by of static program analysis. Dead store elimination is an optimization process performed by a compiler to eliminate dead stores. For example, if two stores to the same location have no intervening load, the first store is unnecessary, and is therefore removed by the optimizing compiler or binary translator (equivalently referred to herein afterwards as a binary optimizer).
A control-flow graph (CFG) is a representation, using graph notation, of all paths that might be traversed through a program during its execution. The CFG is essential to many compiler optimizations, binary optimizer transformations, and static-analysis tools. In a control-flow graph each node in the graph represents a basic block, i.e. a straight-line piece of code without any jumps or jump targets; jump targets start a block, and jumps end a block. Directed edges are used to represent jumps in the control flow. There are, in most representations, two specially designated blocks: the entry block, through which control enters into the flow graph, and the exit block, through which all control flow leaves.
Different programming languages offer different control flow constructs at the source level for the programmer to choose from. Common control flow constructs available in languages such as C/C++ and Java include syntax for loops such as for such as "while" loops, "do-while" loops and "for" loops amongst other choices, in addition to "go-to" syntax to cause direct jumps to particular locations in the source code. (Note: the term "JAVA" may be subject to trademark rights in various jurisdictions throughout the world and are used here only in reference to the products or services properly denominated by the marks to the extent that such trademark rights may exist.)
In the COBOL programming language, the primary control flow construct available at the source level is through the PERFORM keyword. A PERFORM statement in COBOL is a very flexible and general control flow construct that can be used to generate a variety of looping, go-to, and other control flow behaviors. To manage and track the various types of control flow possible with PERFORM the compiler creates and manages a set of metadata to track locations where PERFORM operations should branch to and return from. Because real-world COBOL programs can become very large and may contain many PERFORM statements, the control flow related metadata itself (the PERFORM infrastructure storage or slots) can become very large. Thus, using existing dataflow optimizations to remove unnecessary stores to the metadata in the compiled/translated program becomes a very time consuming and memory intensive operation.
Known approaches to dead store elimination use the dataflow concept of liveness where variables, or portions of variables, are tracked if they are "live," which means that no store or other operation has been found that definitely writes to the same location. The present invention introduces and uses a new concept called "deadness" that is the inverse of liveness. In deadness, variables, or portions of variables, are tracked if they are definitely not live, which means that some store or other operation has been found that definitely writes to the same location.


Briefly described, compositions, materials including the compositions, methods of using the compositions, and methods of degrading contaminants, are described herein. The composition can include a polyoxometalate/ cationic silica material. In addition, the compositions can be made of a polyoxometalate/cationic silica material, a copper (II) salt having a weakly bound anion, and a nitrate salts. Further, the compositions can be made of a polyoxometalate/cationic silica material, a copper (II) salt having a weakly bound anion, a compound selected from tetraethylammonium (TEA) nitrate, tetra-n-butylammonium (TBA) nitrate, and combinations thereof.

Decreasing the danger of contaminants, such as warfare agents, aldehydes, and sulfur compounds, has long been a significant issue. Materials that can protect and/or remove contaminants from the environment in which people, such as military or office personnel, are operating can significantly decrease problems associated with those contaminants. Various materials have been used, but in many instances the materials do not protect and/or remove contaminants in an efficacious manner. Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to develop materials that are effective against contaminants.


A safer live smallpox vaccine, which contains a lowered content of revertants, is provided. A process for manufacturing a live smallpox vaccine which comprises steps of: inoculating a master seed solution of an attenuated vaccinia virus to an appropriate number of containers (1 to n wherein n is an integer) of rabbit kidney cells and incubating them; inoculating a portion of the cultured solution obtained from each container to RK-13 cells and to Vero E6 cells and incubating them to thereby select containers which contain a cultured solution that forms plaques in RK-13 cells but not in Vero E6 cells; and preparing a drug substance of vaccine using the aforementioned cultured solution (working seed solution), and a live smallpox vaccine prepared in the aforementioned process.

Smallpox, also called variola, is one of infectious viral diseases which were once most feared. Viruses classified into Orthopoxvirus genus including variola virus have a genome of about 180 to 200 kbp in length, which has a region of about 100 kbp in its central part and well preserved among viruses classified into Orthopoxvirus genus. Since protective antigens are coded in this region, viruses classified into Orthopoxvirus genus exhibit almost complete cross immunity (see e.g. Non-patent reference 1) among them. Generally, an attenuated strain derived from a pathogenic virus is used for the manufacturing of a live vaccine. In case of smallpox vaccines (variola vaccines), however, vaccinia viruses, not the viruses derived from smallpox viruses, typically, Lister strain, New York City Board of Health strain (hereinafter also referred to as "NYCBH strain"), Dairen strain, Ikeda strain, etc. have been used.
In Japan, smallpox vaccines, which were manufactured from bovine skin tissues with vesicles generated by inoculating the Lister strain or the Dairen/Ikeda strain to cattle, had been used. These vaccines had caused serious side effects such as postvaccinal encephalitis in infants receiving the first dose at a ratio of several to a million (see e.g. Non-patent reference 2). They were not sterile, as cattle were used for the propagation and passage, and contained non-purified viruses. Thus, Hashizume et al. prepared temperature-sensitive attenuated virus strains originated from the Lister strain adapting the virus to primary cells of rabbit kidney and to a lower temperature. In the end, the LC16m8 strain, which formed small pocks in the chorioallantoic membrane of chicken egg, was selected from clones and purified. The LC16m8 strain was approved in Japan in 1975 after clinical trials (see e.g. Non-patent reference 3). Although the attenuated vaccinia virus LC16m8 strain has a extremely lower neurovirulence than that of its parent strain, the Lister strain, or the NYCBH strain which is a parent strain of a smallpox vaccine Dryvax approved in the U.S. (see e.g. Non-patent references 3 and 4), the level of neutralizing antibodies induced by the LC16m8 strain was almost comparable to the level of those induced by the Lister strain (see e.g. Non-patent reference 5). Also, it is only the LC16m8 strain that is approved as an attenuated smallpox vaccine manufactured in cell culture.
The LC16m8 strain was selected as a virus which formed small pocks after being passaged for three times at a lower temperature originated from its parent strain, the LC16mO strain, and was cloned. It has been revealed that the cause of forming such small pocks is the deficiency of B5R protein due to a frame-shift mutation occurred in the B5R gene (see e.g. Non-patent reference 6). It is reported that, since the B5R protein is a major constituent protein of the extracellular membrane of the viruses classified into Orthopoxvirus genus, the deficiency of this protein may results in the reduced efficiency of viral infection to neighboring cells and thereby in the small pocks (see e.g. Non-patent reference 7).
On the other hand, since the deficiency of B5R protein is due to the deletion of a single nucleotide in the B5R gene, LC16mO-typed reversionary strains (revertants) appear comparatively shortly (see e.g. Non-patent reference 8). A nucleotide sequence analysis of the B5R gene of these revertant strains revealed that the reading frame of ORF of B5R was reverted due to a duplication of a single nucleotide, a duplication of four nucleotides or a deletion of two nucleotides in the adjacent of the nucleotide 274G. When compared on biological properties, the revertant strains formed plaques that were smaller in size than those of the LC16mO strain but larger than those of the LC16m8 strain in RK-13 cells and Vero E6 cells. They also formed pocks on the chorioallantoic membrane of embryonated chicken egg equivalent in size to those of LC16mO. There was no significant difference in the proliferative ability of the virus in rabbit skin, which is thought to be correlated to the proliferative ability in human skin, when the revertant content was up to around 4%. Meanwhile, it was presumed that there was a significant difference in the proliferative ability when the revertant content became much higher (see e.g. Non-patent reference 9).
Non-patent reference 1: Moss, B. 2001. Poxyiridae: the viruses and their replication, p. 2849-2883. In D. M. Knipe and P. M. Howley (ed.), Fields virology, 4th ed., vol. 2. Lippincott/The Williams & Wilkins Co., Philadelphia, Pa.
Non-patent reference 2: Yoshiro Fukuda, Toshitaka Takagi: Pathology of postvaccinal encephalitis, Clinics and Virus 2:53-58, 1974
Non-patent reference 3: So Hashizume: Basis of new attenuated vaccine lymph LC16m8 strain, Clinics and Virus 3:13-19, 1975
Non-patent reference 4: Hashizume S., Yoshizawa H., Morita M., Suzuki K.: Properties of attenuated mutant of vaccinia virus, LC16m8, derived from Lister strain. Vaccinia Virus as Vectors for Vaccine Antigens, Quinnan, Ed. Elsvier Scienced Publishing Col, Inc 87-99, 1985Non-patent reference 5: Hiroko Kuboya: Evaluation for adult inoculation of dried cell culture vaccinia vaccine "LC16•Chiba", Chiba Prefectural Institute of Public Health Report No. 28, 11-14, 2004Non-patent reference 6: Takahashi-Nishimaki, Funahashi F., Miki S. et al.: Regulation of plaque size and host range by a vaccinia virus gene related to complement system proteins. Virology 181: 158-164, 1991Non-patent reference 7: Engelstad M. and Smith G.: The vaccinia virus 42-kDa envelope protein is required for the envelopment and egress of extracellular virus and for virus virulence. Virology 194, 627-637, 1993Non-patent reference 8: Kidokoro, M., M. Tashiro, and H. Shida. 2005. Genetically stable and fully effective smallpox vaccine strain constructed from highly attenuated vaccinia LC16m8. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:4152-4157, 2005Non-patent reference 9: Masayuki Saijo et al., Growth test of LC16m8 strain including LC16mO-type revertant virus in rat skin test, Study subsidy in welfare and labor science, Special Research Project of Welfare and Labor Science, Study on quality management of cell culture vaccinia vaccine (H15-Tokubetsu-43), 2003

Process for preparing live smallpox vaccine

Juridicial Foundation The Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute

Japan as represented by Director General of National Institute of Infectious Diseases


An end piece of a tool suspension rack is mounted onto a distal end of a metal rack of the tool suspension rack. The metal rack has at least one slide structure formed thereon for slidably multiple tool holders, wherein at least one distal end of the metal rack has an end piece mounted thereon. The end piece has a groove structure defined therein for allowing the tool holder passing through the end piece such that the tool holders is slidably mounted on the metal rack. The groove structure has a curved protrusion formed on an inner periphery thereof to prevent the tool holders, which are slidably mounted on the metal rack, from accidently detaching from the metal rack.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an end piece, and more particularly to an end piece of a tool suspension rack.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
For user's various operating requirements and hand tools with different sizes or standards, the slide structure on the tool suspension rack is uniformed for tool holders with different types for various hand tools, such as sockets, wrenches and series of allen wrenches. Consequently, the end piece, mounted on a distal end of a metal rack of the tool suspension rack often needs to be detached from or mounted onto the distal end of the metal rack for changing the tool holders for hand tools with different sizes/standards. As is well known, the end piece usually is made of plastic and has a hardness much less than that of the metal rack. As a result, the end piece is quickly worn out and the connection between the end piece and the metal rack is gradually weakened such that the end piece gradually loses its original function of limiting the tool holders and preventing the tool holders from being accidently detached from the metal rack.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional end piece of a tool suspension rack.


A cyclone separator includes a cyclone body having an inlet and an underflow outlet. The inlet is configured to receive a mixed fluid therethrough and into the cyclone body. An underflow is separated from the mixed fluid and directed to the underflow outlet. The cyclone separator also includes an inlet insert positioned in and coupled to the inlet, the inlet insert being configured to direct the mixed fluid generally tangent to an interior surface of the cyclone body, a cyclone insert positioned at least partially within the cyclone body, the cyclone insert including a conical cyclone, and a sand collection vessel coupled to the cyclone body and in communication with the underflow outlet. The underflow is directed to within the sand collection vessel when separated from the mixed fluid in the cyclone body.

A cyclone is a device that is used to separate and remove particles from a fluid. In one example, the fluid may be from a well and have sand particles dispersed therein. The particles may be removed based on a ratio of their centripetal force to fluid resistance. The ratio may be high for dense and/or coarse particles, and low for light and/or fine particles.
The cyclone may need to be replaced with a different cyclone in response to one or more properties of the fluid changing. The properties may be, for example, flow rate, viscosity, particle size, particle concentration, and the like. However, replacing the cyclone every time the properties change may be time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, what is needed is an improved cyclone that may be modified, rather than replaced, when the properties of the fluid change.


The sorting system provides a high degree of sorting accuracy even in high throughput sorting applications such as high speed wood chip sorting. In one embodiment, a sorting apparatus (10) includes a shaker (12) for distributing stock material, a spectrographic analyzer (14) for identifying unacceptable material in a product stream, an ejector (16) for diverting unacceptable material from the product stream, a three-zone sorting receptacle (18) and a recirculating system (20) for returning a selected portion of the sorter output for an additional pass by the analyzer (14) and ejector (16). The three-zone sorting receptacle (18) divides the product stream into an accept portion, a rejection portion, and an ambiguous portion including both acceptable product and unacceptable material. The ambiguous portion is re-sorted for improved accuracy at high throughput levels.

Automatic sorting systems are generally utilized to sort unacceptable material from a product stream. For example, in the context of agricultural products, a product stream may be sorted to separate rocks, debris and unsatisfactory fruits, vegetables, tobacco and other unacceptable material from acceptable product. Similarly, automatic sorting systems are employed to separate unacceptable material from streams of wood chips, plastic materials and a variety of other commercial products.
Generally, such automatic sorting systems include a detector, such as a digital camera, for identifying unacceptable material and a sorting element for diverting the unacceptable material from the product stream, for example, mechanically or by using a compressed air blast. Ideally, the product stream is thereby bifurcated into a reject bin including only unacceptable material and an accept bin including only acceptable product. The overall effectiveness of a sorting system may be determined based on both accuracy (errors per quantity) and throughput (quantity per unit time).
Errors result from a number of factors. The case of sorting a wood chip stream using compressed air blasts is illustrative in this regard. The wood chip stream is typically transported through the inspection zone of the sorter at a high rate of speed. Additionally, the stream is typically distributed in an irregular or random pattern across the length and width of the belt, and unacceptable material is therefore often located in close proximity to acceptable product. Although the air blasts are closely controlled in order to minimize the potential for error, such blasts are finite in duration and disperse over distance. As a result, air blasts intended to divert unacceptable material from the product stream may also divert acceptable product thereby reducing yield. Similar problems are presented in a variety of other sorting applications.
In order to manage such error, operators commonly manipulate a number of system parameters such as operating speed and system geometry in order to achieve a balance of accuracy and throughput that is acceptable for each particular sorting application. In applications where very high purity is desired, e.g., sorting debris from food products, the system may be adjusted to sacrifice yield in favor of purity. However, this may result in waste. Where purity is less critical, e.g., sorting wood chips, the system may be adjusted to enhance throughput at the expense of purity. In many applications, achieving the desired product quality requires reducing throughput to levels where the financial viability of the sort is threatened. The continued and enhanced viability of automatic sorting systems for many applications depends on the ability to achieve high accuracy at high throughput levels.


A needle assembly for a drug delivery device includes a cup-shaped receptacle of non-circular cross-section having a bottom section supporting a needle element. The needle element is adapted to penetrate a pierceable seal of a cartridge to be disposed in a cartridge holder of the drug delivery device. The receptacle includes a fastening mechanism adapted to engage with a fastening mechanism of a support section of the cartridge holder for releasably fastening the needle assembly. The fastening mechanisms are convertible into a release configuration by changing the distance between mutually corresponding fastening mechanisms through twisting the receptacle with respect to the support section.

Drug delivery devices allowing for multiple dosing of a required dosage of a liquid medicament, such as liquid drugs, and further providing administration of the liquid to a patient, are as such well-known in the art. Generally, such devices have substantially the same purpose as that of an ordinary syringe.
Drug delivery devices of this kind have to meet a number of user specific requirements. For instance in case of those with diabetes, many users will be physically infirm and may also have impaired vision. Therefore, these devices need to be robust in construction, yet easy to use, both in terms of the manipulation of the parts and understanding by a user of its operation. Further, the dose setting must be easy and unambiguous and where the device is to be disposable rather than reusable, the device should be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to dispose.
In order to meet these requirements, the number of parts and steps required to assemble the device and an overall number of material types the device is made from have to be kept to a minimum.
Typically, the medicament to be administered is provided in a cartridge that has a moveable piston or bung mechanically interacting with a piston rod of a drive mechanism of the drug delivery device. By applying thrust to the piston in distal direction, a certain amount of the medicinal fluid is expelled from the cartridge.
Drug delivery devices, such like pen-type injectors typically comprise a housing having a cartridge holder for receiving the cartridge filled with the medicament that has to be dispensed. The distal end section of a cartridge holder facing towards the patient during an injector procedure typically comprises a through opening that provides access to a sealed distal end of the cartridge. By way of said through opening, an injection needle or cannula may penetrate the elastic seal to establish a fluid interconnect allowing the medicament to be expelled from the cartridge.
Typically, the disposable injection needle is provided by way of a needle assembly for releasably fastening the injection needle to the cartridge holder. For this purpose, needle assembly and distal end section of the cartridge holder comprise mutually corresponding threads, by way of which the needle assembly is screwed onto the cartridge holder. However, a threaded connection of cartridge holder and needle mount comes along with a number of deficiencies. Such threaded engagement for instance, does not give a perceptible feedback to the user whether needle assembly is securely mounted on the cartridge holder. In practical use, situations may occur, that only a single or a few threads of a cartridge holder and a needle assembly inter-engage, but the needle assembly is not yet securely fastened to the cartridge holder.
A user may then simply not be not aware of such improper and insufficient fastening and may therefore initiate a dose selecting and dispensing procedure. In particular in the course of a dispensing of a dose of the medicament, the needle assembly may autonomously disengage from the cartridge holder, for instance due to a built-up of a fluid pressure and/or when penetrating the skin of the patient. In these cases, the patient would be exposed to an increased health risk.

Needle assembly for drug delivery devices


A method and apparatus for imaging body tissue utilizing autofluorescence. The apparatus includes an endoscope having a distal end, proximal end and a light processing unit located at the proximal end of the endoscope. The light processing unit accepts light in a spectral region from a light source and directs the light through the endoscope to the tissue located at the distal end of the endoscope. The light excites autofluorescence in the tissue. Optics located in the distal end of the endoscope collect the excited autofluorescence in a spatially resolved manner and routes it to the light processing unit which separates the emitted light from any reflected excitation light. A plurality of imaging detectors receive the emitted light. Each imaging detector is responsive to light in a different spectral band such that an image is generated and interpreted according to a plurality of independent measurements. An apparatus for sampling tissue includes an endoscopic device having a sampling device. The sampling device is capable of taking a plurality of tissue samples. Captive units are in communication with the sampling device such that each tissue sample is deposited in a separate captive unit.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for imaging bodily tissue by using autofluorescence. More particularly, the present invention relates to an endoscopic apparatus and method for imaging and sampling bodily tissue using autofluorescence techniques.
B. Description of Related Art
Cervical cancer often begins as a precancerous lesion on the cervix (i.e., the outer end of the uterus) and is called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The lesion can deepen over a period of years and if left untreated can become an invasive cancer. A Pap smear test is currently a common method of providing a type of screening for cervical cancer. The test involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix, and sending the sample to a laboratory to be analyzed. Test results usually take two or three weeks to complete.
If the laboratory analysis determines that abnormal cells are detected from a first Pap test, a follow up test it typically performed. A second abnormal Pap smear will often prompt a colposcopic examination wherein the cervix is examined usually with a low-power stereo microscope. During colposcopy, suspect abnormal tissue is often biopsied and again sent to a laboratory for analysis. Because patients must often wait another two to three weeks for these results, a heightened period of anxiety and fear for the women and their families is created. Often, the first and second abnormal Pap smear result from false positive test results. Therefore, oftentimes, when a tissue sample has been biopsied, the sampled tissue was incorrectly determined to be cancerous and did not need to be removed. Spectroscopic autofluorescence, a minimally invasive procedure for analysis of cervical cytological, has been used to decrease a number of the problems normally associated with Pap smear tests.
Spectroscopic methods for differentiating cervical neoplasia from normal cervical tissue in vivo can be used to detect abnormal cells on the outside of the cervix. Typically, a fluorescence spectroscope has optical fibers at the end of a small probe which illuminate areas of the cervix. Suspect tissue is exposed to ultraviolet and visible laser or lamp light, causing substances naturally present in the tissue to fluoresce. The specific wavelength or signature of the light absorbed and emitted by cervical tissue is analyzed. The fluorescence spectra is then measured and compared at different intensities and wavelengths since abnormal or cancerous tissues consistently display different results from normal or non-cancerous tissue. Typically, a computer algorithm analyzes the fluorescence spectrum and assesses the degree of cell abnormality.
Generally, there are two types of fluorescence measurement techniques: the first being emission spectroscopy and the second being excitation spectropscopy. In emission spectroscopy, the exciting light is kept at a fixed wavelength and the emitted fluorescent intensity is measured as a function of the emitted wavelength. In excitation spectroscopy, the emission wavelength is kept fixed and the fluorescence intensity is measured as a function of the excitation wavelength.
Both emission and excitation spectra measurements have limitations. For example, both types of spectra measurements analyze only a single parameter to determine cell abnormality. The nature of the human tissue, however, is such that the application of any one single method produces a large amount of data, most of which is extraneous to the intended measurement. A primary reason for this situation is that tissues contain an extensive and diverse assortment of fluorescent species. Many of the species are present in high concentrations and have excitation bands distributed throughout the ultraviolet and the visible spectra regions.
Another limitation is that the emission band of one fluorophore may overlap the excitation band of another fluorophone, consequently leading to energy transfer between the emission and excitation bands. Consequently, emissions from one fluorophore could possibly excite another fluorophore. The net effect is that optically exciting a tissue sample at almost any wavelength in the ultraviolet or visible wavelength regions causes tissue autofluorescence over a broad spectral range. As these emissions are typically composed of contributions from multiple fluorophores, utilizing a single analytical parameter makes the autofluoresence spectrum complex and problematic to solve. Consequently, a robust discrimination between tissue states is often difficult to obtain.
Another limitation of typical fluorescence measurement techniques is that they cannot be readily combined with an apparatus or method for taking a biopsy. In other words, once an abnormal tissue area is detected, samples from this particular suspect area cannot be simply, quickly and accurately taken. With current devices utilizing fluorescent measurement techniques, after locating the abnormal area, the endoscope must be withdrawn from the patient. Once the endoscope is withdrawn, the Pap smear specimen can then be taken as a blind sample. Typically, there is no correlation between where on the cervix the sample is taken and where the suspect tissue was identified. Taking a blind sample, therefore, often results in samples being taken from normal areas or perhaps even areas which have not been previously investigated. Usually, the sample is also taken by relatively imprecise sampling devices such as brushes, scraper devices or the like.
Once the sample has been taken and withdrawn from the body, the specimen is typically smeared onto a microscope slide. This is often done by the physician performing the test. The slide is then submitted to a remote laboratory for cytopathological microscopic examination. Pertinent patient data must be sent along with the slide including the medical history, day in menstrual cycle, family history and other known risk factors. Gathering and collating these patient data, which are critical to the proper evaluation of a specimen, is a time-consuming, expensive, inefficient and labor-intensive process. The laboratory administrative personnel who gather such data are also responsible for manually recording the results of the Pap smear tests and ensuring that both the slide and paperwork provided to the cytotechnologist relate to the same patient. As the complexity of testing, analyzing, handling and transporting the Pap smear samples increases, the probability for a false positive, a false negative or sample contamination increases.
The typical Pap smear test has a number of other disadvantages For example, in almost every instance where a slide specimen is produced, the slide is forwarded to a laboratory. No preliminary analysis to eliminate possible unnecessary laboratory testing is conducted. This increases the cost of performing a Pap smear since there is no preliminary determination as to the possibility of normality or absence of abnormality. Moreover, because the sampling is taken "blind", there is typically no assurance as to whether the suspect abnormal cells have in fact been sampled. Oftentimes, only after having forwarded the sample to the testing facility and waiting two to three weeks is it eventually determined that another sample must be taken. Incidents of poor sample or slide preparation are also common because of the large amount of human interface with each specimen slide. Moreover, because slides are often sent to a location remote, there is an increased risk that the sample may become lost, broken or contaminated. The complexity of maintaining a secure and sterile transporting medium further increases the cost of sample transport. In addition, there is a psychological disadvantage in having to wait up to two weeks or longer for the test results to either confirm or rebut a primary abnormal reading.

Method and apparatus for imaging and sampling diseased tissue using autofluorescence


A method of seam location using a vacuum in which a laminate structure is formed having a cover member with a backing material bonded thereto. The cover member is comprised of multiple pieces joined together forming seams which are bound by a non-permeable binding. The cover member is placed on a holding tool and held in place by a vacuum applied to the area of the seams whereby the non-permeable binding is drawn against the holding tool, holding the cover member in place while a backing material is bonded thereto.

The present invention relates to a method for locating a seam in a cover member when applying a backing material thereto to align the cover member with the backing material and in particular to a method in which vacuum is used to locate the cover member seam.
When manufacturing a multiple layer laminate structure such as a vehicle door trim panel or a vehicle seat upholstery cover having a cover member with a backing material such as a foam pad bonded thereto, it is necessary that the cover material and the backing material be properly aligned with one another when they are bonded together. One method of aligning the cover member with a backing material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,045 in which a trim strip is attached to the cover member at the seams between adjacent pieces of the cover member. The trim strip is held within grooves in a shaping tool to properly position the cover member when a foam pad is bonded thereto. Disadvantages of using a trim strip include the additional labor required to tear off the trim strip after the article has been completed and the creation of scrap from the torn off trim strip.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for properly aligning the cover member with the backing material when attaching the cover member to a backing material that reduces the labor required to produce a finished article and also eliminates the creation of scrap from the process.
The method of the present invention uses a vacuum to locate the cover member as opposed to the mechanical locating means of the trim strip. When two adjacent pieces of the cover member are sewn together, the sewn seam is bound with a nonpermeable binding strip. The cover member is then placed onto a holding tool that includes a vacuum channel at the desired location for the seam in the cover member. Once the cover member is placed on the surface of the holding tool, vacuum is applied to the vacuum channel, drawing the nonpermeable binding firmly against the tool to hold the cover member in place. With the cover member properly positioned, a foam pad or other backing material is accurately bonded to the cover member. Alternatively, a pour-in-place foaming process can be used to mold a foam pad to the properly positioned cover member. There is no need for any additional labor to remove a tear-off trim strip to complete the article.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A device for detecting a printing press for printing a securities printed matter with infrared ray ink of which spectrum characteristics in an infrared region are different from those under white light comprises, infrared ray irradiating means for irradiating infrared ray towards the securities printed matter printed and conveyed, image pick up means for taking an image on the securities printed matter, memory means for previously memorizing the image of a proper securities printed matter printed with infrared ray ink, by irradiating infrared ray, as a standard value, and judgment means for reading out the image memorized in the memory means, comparing an image taken by the image pick up means and the image of the standard value in order to improve an efficiency of quality control of a printing process and detecting process for a printed matter with infrared ray ink and a reliance of a detecting device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for detecting matters printed with infrared ray reflective and absorptive ink, particularly to a device for improving a quality control of a printing press for printing matters with infrared ink against forgery.
2. Prior Art
Recently, technique and skill of a color copy machine and a color DTP are rapidly developed and spread. A technical level of a printing skill is remarkably advanced. Such a trend has promoted a menace of forgery of printed matters such as securities (herein after, it is referred as "securities printed matter") and the menace becomes a serious problem.
On the other hand, in a circumstance of circulating securities printed matters, automatic vending machines and ATMs are spread and a trend of processing money with machines and/or computers by stores and banks has been promoted.
Conventionally, as an anti-forgery method, a main pattern of a securities printed matter is formed of an image with a relief formed by deeply engraved and fine and sharp minute picture lines by an intaglio printing press and a pattern of a ground tint is printed by an offset printing having a fine multi-printing accuracy. A watermark and a safe thread are provided in a sheet of a securities printed matter.
However, a technique of reproducing images is remarkably developed and a money treatment is apt to be automated. It is required to produce securities printed matters with the newest technique against forgery in addition to the conventional technique.
A technique of infrared ray ink is utilized to improve anti-forgery characteristics of securities printed matters by concealing an image printed with the infrared ray ink on the securities printed matters such as securities. Generally, ink that reflects and absorbs near infrared ray is used for printing securities.
Combining ink having the different characteristics produces such ink. The ink have the same reflective and absorptive characteristics in a visible ray region and different reflective and absorptive characteristics in an infrared ray region, respectively.
When printed matters produced by the above technique are shown through an infrared ray image converter capable of converting infrared ray to a visible ray, a shown image is different from an image shown through the naked eyes.
This method can prove that a detected securities printed matter is real. Unless the detected securities printed matter is real, the above phenomenon can not occur.
The quality of securities printed matters, printed with infrared ray reflective and absorptive ink, can not be detected through naked eyes under room light in the production process. For example, in a case where a person determines whether or not the ink is used for printing is correct, patterns are not mixed, and ink is not pale by sampling, the person must pick up some samples and check the printing quality by using an infrared ray image converter placed on a fixed place away from the printing press, while the printing press is working.
However, such a check takes a long time and it is a lazy work.
In view of importance of anti-forgery, this sample checking system is not completely safe.
Particularly, each securities printed matter is usually checked one by one in a negotiation. In a printing process, quality assurance of printed matters is also highly required.
The present invention has been accomplished to resolve the foregoing drawbacks, and the object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable detecting device by improving quality assurance of matters printed with infrared ray ink in printing and detecting processes.

Device for detecting matters printed with infrared ray reflective and absorptive ink


A measuring head of a pneumatic measuring device for measuring a workpiece has a base element in which a first flow channel is provided for connecting a compressed air source to a measuring nozzle. The first flow channel has a constricted area with at least one cross-sectional constriction. The measuring head also has one or more second flow channels for connecting the constricted area to a measuring transducer. The base element has a divided configuration in the axial direction. The divided configuration may be provided at least in the constricted area of the first flow channel.

Pneumatic measuring devices are generally known and are used, for example in dimensional measurement technology, for carrying out contactless measurements with a very high resolution of up to 0.1 μm, for example. In particular, pneumatic measuring devices may be used to perform static and/or dynamic measurements of geometric properties such as straightness, flatness, roundness, cylindrical shape, profile, angle, orthogonality, parallelism, position, concentricity, symmetry, and true running.
A measuring head of the type in question of a pneumatic measuring device for measuring a workpiece is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,871, having a base element in which a first flow channel for connecting a compressed air source to a measuring nozzle is formed, the first flow channel having a constricted area with at least one cross-sectional constriction. The measuring head has a second flow channel for connecting the constricted area to a pressure transducer.
A similar measuring head is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,374.
A measuring device which operates according to the Venturi principle is known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,940,921.
A measuring head of a pneumatic measuring device for measuring a workpiece is known from DE 10223592 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,808 B2 and JP 002002 357410A), having a base element in which a first flow channel for connecting a compressed air source to a measuring nozzle is formed, the first flow channel having at least one cross-sectional constriction in a constricted area. The measuring head also has a second flow channel for connecting the constricted area to a measuring transducer.
An air nozzle in the form of a valve nozzle is known from DE 10 2007 028141 A1, which is configured as a substantially tubular component which is divided into a front, first section and a rear, second section with respect to the direction of an air flow, the second section being connected to the first section 8 via a constricted area 10 (narrowest cross section), and in addition the constricted area being connectable to a measuring apparatus via a flow channel, thus allowing the pressure prevailing in the constricted area to be reduced.
A pneumatic measuring device for detecting irregularities in the topography of surfaces of rotationally symmetrical components in particular is known from DE 20 2006 010164 U1, having a nozzle, provided in a housing. for generating a vortex-like gas flow which is directed from the nozzle opening onto the surface of the component to be investigated, and at least one acoustic detector or microphone for detecting the sound generated by the gas flow.

Measuring head of a pneumatic measuring device

JENOPTIK Industrial Metrology Germany GmbH


An adjustable hanging apparatus for blind valances is provided. The hanging apparatus includes a hanging device and a mounting device. The hanging device has a hook, which can be slidably hooked over a headrail. In addition, a base of the hanging device has an opening. The opening is disposed with two resilient mounting plates, and each mounting plate has a plurality of troughs. A neck portion is formed therebetween the mounting plates. The mounting device has a joint portion, which can engage with the valance. Also, a jam portion passes through the neck portion and mounted therein. Positioning flanges can be engaged with the troughs of the mounting plates so as to limit the vertical movement of the mounting device, and the mounting device can be inserted through the opening in the vertical direction of any positions to adjust the valance to desired positions.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable hanging apparatus for blind valances, especially for a hanging apparatus with which the valance can be hanged on a headrail and the height of the valance can be flexibly adjusted.
2. Related Art
Because of privacy concerns and interior decoration designs, consumers usually install window blinds, and a headrail is required for installing window blinds. Therefore, in order to match the decoration, a valiance is added on the front wall of the headrail to conceal the headrail so as to enhance the aesthetic appearance thereof.
The method for mounting the valance over a headrail is rapidly improved. In Morris U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,359, a valance mounting system is disclosed. The system comprises a clip and a slide. The clip includes an arm which is used to hang on a top edge of a front side surface of the headrail and a longitudinally extending tongue. And the slide has a longitudinally extending front surface, so that the tongue can be installed in a slidabe manner, and the clip and the slide can have a relative longitudinal movement with respect to each other. Besides, the slide has a projecting so as to mount the slide with the valance.
In order to let the clip can have a relative longitudinal movement with the slide and can be positioned thereon, a side wall is extending from the two sides of the front surface of the slide respectively. The sidewalls and tabs together form a groove, so that the tongue of the clip can be longitudinally inserted into the groove. Moreover, a surface of the clip close to the slide has a plurality of raised ridges, and the slide has a rib corresponding to the ridges. Therefore, the rib can be mounted and against between two adjacent ridges, so that the functions of performing relative longitudinal movements and positions between the clip and the slide can be achieved.
However, in order to let the clip longitudinally move along the slide, the size of the rib can not be too big; otherwise, the clip will be stuck in the slide and unable to perform the longitudinal movement along the slide. On the other hand, the size of the rib cannot be too small either; or the rib cannot achieve a satisfactory positioning effect, especially when the size and overall weight of the valance are relatively lengthy and heavy.
The aforesaid Morris '359 patent, it disclosed that the projecting of the slide is a cam, so that the projecting can be transversely inserted into the groove. Then, the slide is turned to 90 degree, so that the projecting can be tightly inserted into the groove. It is necessary, of course, to let the projecting being firmly mounted to the groove, the space between the projecting and the groove has to be as minimum as possible; therefore, a certain force must be applied to the slide during installation; however, in the prior art, because the slide is a flat-funnel structure, there is less likely to have any position that allows an operator to apply force thereon, resulting in the problems of inconvenience operation and being difficult to assembly too.
Therefore, this type of arrangement suffers from a number of drawbacks and a need arisen to further improve such valance mounting system and a method for mounting valances on headrails which is user-friendly and further provides a great flexibility at valance height adjustability with respect to the headrails.

Adjustable hanging apparatus for blind valances


A screwdriver includes a handle including a seat, a shank having a first end in universal joint with the seat and a second end engaged with a tool bit, and an elastic element for retaining the first end of the shank and the seat together such that the first end of the shank and the seat rotate together when the handle is turned. The first end of the shank is in the form of a ball. The seat includes a pinhole, the ball of the shank includes a pinhole, and a pin is extended through the pinhole of the seat and the pinhole of the shank. An inner periphery of the ball presses against an inner periphery of the seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screwdriver shank having a universal joint with a screwdriver handle to allow tightening/loosening of a fastener that cannot be driven at an upright position of the screwdriver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Screwdrivers are useful in daily life. However, it is troublesome, sometimes impossible, to use screwdrivers when the fasteners to be tightened/loosened cannot be driven at an upright position of the screwdrivers. The present invention is intended to provide a screwdriver shank having a universal joint with a screwdriver handle to solve this problem.
A screwdriver in accordance with the present invention comprises a handle including a seat, a shank having a first end in universal joint with the seat and a second end engaged with a tool bit, and means for retaining the first end of the shank and the seat together such that the first end of the shank and the seat rotate together when the handle is turned.
The first end of the shank is in the form of a ball. The retaining means is an elastic element mounted in the seat. The seat includes a pinhole, the ball of the shank includes a pinhole, and a pin is extended through the pinhole of the seat and the pinhole of the shank. The elastic element biases the ball to press against the pin. An outer periphery of the ball presses against an inner periphery of the seat. The pinhole of the ball is longer than the pinhole of the seat. A sleeve is mounted around the shank and slidable along a longitudinal direction of the shank, the sleeve carrying a plurality of tool bits. The sleeve includes a tubular portion that houses the pin and a portion of the seat. The tubular portion of the sleeve includes a plurality of ribs for frictional contact with an outer periphery of the seat.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Screwdriver shank with a universal joint

No. 38-1, Hsiang Nung Hsiang, Hsi Nan Road, Wu Jih


The present invention relates to a disposable tongue scraper which has a strong and simple structure, a durable and efficient operation, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and a novel combination and arrangement of parts comprising a scraper body that forms a curved shape after bending at an acute angle at a bending point for scraping operation, a pair of handle casings attached with the scraper body, and a storage tissue net attached to the bottom of the scraper body to store the scraped oral wastes and to absorb the oral fluid. The present invention aims to provide the tongue scraper not only utilized for scraping the coating from the tongue, but also for storing the scraped oral wastes and saliva wastes from the mouth to maintain hygiene.

The tongue is a soft and delicate muscular organ in the mouth of most vertebrates, which manipulates food for mastication and is used in the act of swallowing. The tongue can be easily affected by the microorganisms such as food debris, desquamated epithelial cells, and bacteria that often form a visible tongue coating. This coating has been identified as a major factor contributing to bad breath, which can be managed by using a tongue cleaner or scraper. The tongue bacteria produce malodorous compounds and fatty acids and account for 80 to 90% of all cases of mouth-related bad breath. Also, several types of oral cancer mainly affect the tongue. Hence, oral hygiene has become one of the basic requirements to prevent harmful oral diseases and plaque buildup.
The tongue scrapers have been widely available in the market for decades. They come in many variations, shapes, and sizes; all with the basic utility of cleaning the tongue effectively to scrape any build-up on the tongue. Particularly, scraping the tongue is a quick and simple action to tackle bad breath. Typically, the conventional tongue scraping devices contain paper or plastic material like the scraper itself and perform only singular action i.e. scraping. The user sticks their tongue out and uses light pressure to run the scraper across the entire surface of the tongue. Afterward, the user commonly scrapes the oral bacteria debris into a facility to eject fluid waste into. More than often this facility is a bathroom or restroom sink.
The conventional tongue scraping devices only clean the tongue but do not have a facility to store the waste fluid from the tongue when scraping. The tongue scrapers available in the market have no way of storing the saliva from the user; typically the bathroom sink is what the user would use as a facility to dispose of the scraped saliva waste from the tongue. The tongue scraper manufacturing companies claim that they produce disposable tongue scraper which is intended to be used only once but does not provide any means of storing waste from the tongue.
Various prior arts have been disclosed describing the tongue scraper or tongue cleaner. The prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,059A describes a hygienic tongue scraping and massage instrument for freeing and removing pathogenic foreign matter entrapped in upper surfaces of the tongue comprises a pair of elongated handles and a generally square crossbar formed with a scraping edge and having opposite ends connected respectively to forward ends of the handles. The connections of the opposite ends with the forward ends establish corners so that the scraping edge extends continuously along the crossbar to intersect the corners.
Another prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,554B1 describes a dual-action tongue scraper providing either a hard scrape or a soft scrape of the tongue, as desired. A hard scraping surface and a soft scraping surface are formed along the edges of a strip of flexible material. A user bends the strip of a flexible material such that generally only one of the hard scraping surfaces and the soft scraping surface contacts the user's tongue at a given time during scraping.
Furthermore, prior art document US20090198262A1 related to a tongue scraper that is disposable and is adapted for prophylactic and/or therapeutic action for the oral cavity. The dental implement includes a tongue scraper, a dental floss, a toothpick, a toothbrush, or combinations thereof. The dental implement may include a strip having a longitudinal dimension that is longer than its traverse dimension.
Moreover, prior art document CN201157383Y describes a tongue scraper that adopts a low-cost metallic copper wire of a proper length and thickness, the metallic copper wire is bent downwards to become a reversed V-shape, the two lower ends are bent inwards to become small circular rings as handheld handles when cleaning, and the upper arc-shaped part is pressed into a thin sheet as the scraping sheet and is polished smooth to prevent scratching.
However, the above-mentioned conventional tongue scrapers are different concerning functional configuration & design and do not apparently describe nor are they specifically tailored toward a means of storing oral waste and saliva. They are differentiable from the present invention both in utility and design.
The aforesaid conventional tongue scrapers encounter various problems along with waste storage limitations. Hence, there is a significant need and void in the market for inventing an improved disposable tongue scraper with a unique design which allows user to scrape the coating formed on the tongue due to food debris, desquamated epithelial cells and bacteria; as well as to store the scraped oral wastes and absorb the saliva into a storage means.


A device includes a universal serial bus (USB) port comprising a data terminal and a power terminal to receive power from a remote USB port. The device includes a controller coupled to the data terminal of the USB port to provide a USB initialization signal.

Electronic devices without power adapters provide cost savings and a user friendly experience. One way to provide electronic devices without power adapters is by tapping Universal Serial Bus (USB) power. Some electronic devices tap USB power by simply connecting to a computer's USB host port without consideration for the USB host port's power management requirements. The lack of consideration for the USB host port's power management requirements can lead to a number of problems.
First, the USB host port may provide insufficient power for the electronic device to operate. Typical USB host ports supply current up to 100 mA in compliance with USB standard 184.108.40.206. if a proper initialization process is not performed. Further, if the USB host port implements over current protection and the electronic device requires more than 100 mA of current (i.e. high power) to operate, it is possible that the USB voltage (VBUS) will be turned off in response to connecting the electronic device to the USB host port. In some cases, even after the electronic device is disconnected from the USB host port, the USB host port may still be disabled and in an unusable state until the user manually resets the USB host port.
In addition to the possibility of the USB host port providing insufficient power, the electronic device will loose power when the USB host port enters a suspend mode. In compliance with the USB standard, the USB host port will suspend the USB bus if there are no data transactions over the USB bus for a certain time. After the USB host port suspends the USB bus for lack of data transactions, the USB power draw is limited to 500 μA and the electronic device may loose power or be reset.
Further, in addition to the possibility of the USB host port providing insufficient power or entering a suspend mode, tapping USB power without proper initialization may also damage the USB host port. In response to connecting an electronic device to a USB host port, the computer may implement an unrecoverable protection mechanism on the USB host port. Connecting an electronic device to the USB host port may generate inrush current. Depending on the protected current limitation of the USB host port, this inrush current may exceed the current limitation of the USB host port and result in an unrecoverable state where the USB host port is inoperable.
For these and other reasons there is a need for the present invention.


According to one embodiment, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry generates a plurality of contrast images sequentially based on X-rays after administration of a contrast medium to the object, determines a monitoring region in the plurality of contrast images, monitors change in signal strength of each of pixels included in the monitoring region, and determines whether or not the signal strength of each of the pixels included in the monitoring region satisfies a specified condition. The processing circuitry controls an X-ray generator based on a result of the determination so as to reduce an X-ray dose or turn off irradiation. The processing circuitry generates a parametric image based on a feature amount determined by change in signal strength of each of pixels of a part of the plurality of contrast images sequentially generated before the X-ray generator is controlled based on the result of the determination.

Angiographic images acquired with X-ray diagnostic apparatuses can facilitate observation of blood vessels. With such angiographic images, medical treatment planning and operations can be conducted based on detailed information on blood circulatory systems in a heart and/or a brain. Such angiographic images are used, for example, in operations such as for removal of emboli in blood vessels, removal of aneurysms, and dissolution of stenosis with indwelled stents. In these operations, the angiographic images are used to confirm the form of blood vessels, focuses, postoperative blood flow, and the like. The operations with use of angiographic images are performed by using a catheter inserted from a blood vessel of a region such as a femoral region and a cervical region. As compared with general surgical operations, the operations using angiographic images have little burden on patients and provide high Quality Of Life (QOL). This makes the angiography an indispensable clinical technique.
A digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is known as a technique for acquiring angiographic images by X-ray diagnostic apparatuses. The DSA is to obtain a difference between a pre-contrasting image (hereinafter referred to as a mask image) and an image after introduction of a contrast medium (hereinafter referred to as a contrast image) so that the contrast medium introduced into blood vessels of a patient is highlighted for clear visualization of the blood vessels.
According to the DSA image (hereinafter referred to as an angiographic image) obtained from the difference between the mask image and the contrast image, not only the form of blood vessels can be acquired, but also various information pieces, such as blood flow velocities and blood flow rates, can be acquired based on transmit time of the contrast medium, and the like. For example, dynamics of the injected contrast medium can be captured by creating a Time Density Curve (TDC) based on signal strength of each pixel of angiographic images. Based on the TDC, various information pieces can be acquired, such as Time to Peak (TP) which represents the time when the concentration of the contrast medium in each pixel becomes a maximum, Arrival Time (AT) which represents the time when the contrast medium starts to dye, and Mean Transit Time (MTT) which represents a mean passing time of the contrast medium. For visually displaying these various information pieces, there is a method called parametric imaging (PI) which images various parameters, such as aforementioned TP, AT, and MTT. The PI provides a technique to generate color maps which express various parameter information in the form of change in color and/or brightness.
However, in DSA imaging, X-rays are emitted like a pulse to enable tens of images to be taken in one second. In the DSA imaging, imaging is performed with a relatively high X-ray intensity for the purpose of reducing noise and providing a high contrast resolution. Furthermore, PI images are acquired by successive observation of the dynamics of the contrast medium in blood vessels. Therefore, it takes longer time to perform the DSA imaging, which increases a radiation dose of the patient. In operations relating to blood vessels and/or a circulatory system, DSA imaging needs to be performed at least twice, once before treatment and once after treatment. This also causes undesirable increase in the radiation dose.
Accordingly, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus with a low X-ray radiation dose is demanded.

X-ray diagnostic apparatus and X-ray diagnostic method


A method of and an arrangement for transmitting electric current to a furnace that is heated, either completely or partially, by electric current conducted in the furnace wall. The current is conducted through electrically conductive devices connected to the furnace wall. At least one of the devices in proximity to the furnace wall includes a section that has a smaller cross-sectional area than the remainder of the device. The current flow through the smaller cross-section develops heat in the region of the smaller section of a magnitude that corresponds substantially to the heat magnitude that would have been conducted from the furnace wall to the electrically conductive device in the absence of the smaller cross-sectional area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrically heated furnaces, and more particularly to electrically heated furnaces in which the heating within the furnace takes place as a result of an electric current that flows into a wall of the furnace.
2. Description of the Related Art
In furnace operations, high demands are often placed on the insulation of the heated volume. High demands are also placed on the requirement of uniform temperature distribution within the furnace in respect of different applications. In other words, the greatest acceptable temperature difference throughout the heated volume is often very low. In other applications, it is desired to check and control temperature distribution to a very high degree of accuracy in accordance with a predefined distribution.
Examples of such applications are furnaces for single crystal growth, diffusion furnaces and tube-like furnaces where electric current through the tube wall generates the thermal energy that heats the enclosed volume of the furnace. This heating of the furnace volume requires a high amperage input, which means that the devices through which electric current is taken into and out of the furnace must have a large cross-sectional surface area. The furnace may be a continuous conveyor furnace having open ends, or a furnace that fully encloses the furnace volume.
Tube-like furnace may consist of a tube to which current is supplied. The tube may include an internal ceramic lining. The tube may also be a process tube situated within a surrounding heating coil.
When a temperature gradient exists between the furnace and its surroundings, all devices that are in direct contact with the furnace surface will lead thermal energy away from the furnace to the colder surroundings. This thermal energy drain takes place from the point at which the device concerned is in contact with the furnace surface and is more effective the better the device conducts heat and the larger the contact surface is between said device and the furnace.
Examples of such devices include supports for holding the furnace in place, different measuring devices, and current outlets for supplying current to the furnace surface or leading current away from said surface. These devices are often made of metal and are therefore good heat conductors. When the device in question is a current input device, large electrical contact surfaces are often required due to the strong current required to heat the furnace to the desired temperature.
Typical working conditions for a given type of electrically-heated tube-like furnace include temperatures of from 500-1200° C. inclusive. At these temperatures, a typical highest acceptable deviation from the predetermined temperature distribution in the furnace is 10-20° C. When heating material for single crystal growth by diffusion, the temperature range may be 500-1400° C. with an accuracy of +/−0.1° C. The electric currents required to achieve such working temperatures are so strong as to require the use of relatively powerful current input devices.
Other types of furnaces may be heated in ways other than by supplying electrical energy to the furnace casing. Furthermore, different devices that do not normally conduct current may be applied to the furnace casing and thereby cause the punctiform flow of thermal energy from the heated furnace volume.

Method to supply electric current to a tube furnace


An inspection method and apparatus includes control of an acceleration voltage of an electron beam, irradiation of the electron beam to an object to be inspected mounted on a stage which is continuously moving at least in one direction, and detection of at least one of secondary electrons and reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation. An image of the object is obtained from the detected electron by using positional information of the stage and inspection or measurement of the object is conducted using and obtained image. In the detection, an electric field in the vicinity of the object mounted on the stage is controlled so that at least one secondary electrons and the reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation of the electron beam are decelerated.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for obtaining an image or a waveform representing a physical property of an object such as a semiconductor wafer with an electron beam, and comparing the image or waveform with design information or an image obtained beforehand to judge a defect, measure the dimension of a specific place, shape information or the fabrication condition of an object such as a semiconductor wafer, or display an image, and relates to an inspected wafer and its fabrication line in the case where the wafer is the object in the apparatus.
A conventional method using an electron beam to judge a defect, measure shape information or the fabrication condition of an object such as a semiconductor wafer, or display an image is described in JP-A-5-258703 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,306), for example. The conventional method includes the steps of detecting secondary electrons generated at the time of exposure with an electron beam under the same condition, conducting scanning with the electron beam, obtaining thereby an image of secondary electrons, and judging a defect on the basis of the image.
It is now assumed that an object is formed by predetermined materials A and B. In the case where a certain acceleration voltage Eb of the electron beam is used, the secondary electron yield ratio η of the material A is largely different from that of the material B. In this case, a secondary electron image contrast is obtained, and inspection between the material A and the material B is possible. In the case where a specific acceleration voltage Ea is used, however, the secondary electron yield ratio η of the material A becomes equal to that of the material B. In this case, there is little contrast in an obtained secondary electron image and the image cannot be observed. In the conventional technique, due regard is not paid to such a charge-up phenomenon for each material to be observed.

Electron beam inspection method and apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing method and its manufacturing line utilizing the same