A process for recovering valuable metals from an iron dust using a shaft furnace is disclosed. The iron dust is agglomerated and supplied into a the shaft furnace together with a lump coke and a flux. Valuable metal oxides contained in the iron dust are reduced in this shaft furnace. Volatile metals containing zinc and lead among the valuable metals thus reduced are volatilized within the shaft furnace and reoxidized, and then discharged from the shaft furnace together with an exhaust gas so as to be recovered as a crude zinc oxide. The reduced metal iron and slag are accumulated on a bottom portion of the shaft furnace in their molten states, and then separated and recovered.

This invention relates to a process for recovering valuable metals such as iron, zinc, and the like from an iron dust using a shaft furnace.
The iron dust includes all kinds of iron making dusts generated during an iron manufacturing process using a blast furnace, an LD converter, an electric steel making furnace, a ferroalloy making furnace, and the like. The iron dust also includes a dry dust which is collected by means of a back filter or the like, and a wet dust such as a sludge or the like which is collected by a wet type dust collector.
In general, the iron dust contains a large quantity of valuable metal oxides such as zinc oxide, iron oxide and the like. A method for recovering these valuable metals is already developed. This recovering method is broadly classified into two; one is a method using a rotary kiln and the other is a method using an electric kiln furnace.
The method using the rotary kiln will be described first. In the recovering method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 59-20734, an iron dust is supplied into a rotary kiln together with a coke as a reducing agent, and valuable metal oxides are reduced. Although zinc, lead, cadmium, etc. have such high boiling points as about 2000.degree. C. in their oxide states, respectively, their boiling points are lowered to about 1000.degree. C. when they are in the reduced states. Zinc, lead and cadmium reduced in the rotary kiln are volatilized, and reoxidized by air within the rotary kiln. Those oxides of zinc, lead and cadmium, i.e., crude zinc oxides, are discharged from the rotary kiln together with exhaust gas and then recovered through a back filter. A non-volatile matter chiefly composed of a metal iron obtained by reducing the iron dust is recovered in the form of an iron clinker from an exhaust end of the rotary kiln. In a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 64-4572, an aluminum sludge is used as a reducing agent which is to be supplied into the rotary kiln.
In the recovering method using the rotary kiln as mentioned, there are the following drawbacks. That is, the iron dust is a fine powder having a grain size of about 1 to 10 .mu.m. It is softened by heat of 1000.degree. C. or higher, increased in adhesion strength and adhered to an inner wall surface of the rotary kiln. It requires much time and labor to remove the iron dust thus adhered. Furthermore, since the iron clinker has so small iron content as 50 to 60% and in addition, the iron content is varied significantly, it is not used as an iron material. As a result, the iron clinker is left as a secondary industrial exhaust.
Next, the method using an electric furnace will be described. In the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,041 (Japanese counterparts: Patent Publication Nos. Sho 63-48934 and Hei 2-13017), an iron dust is agglomerated and this agglomerated matter is dried and preheated in a shaft furnace. Furthermore, in this shaft furnace, hydroxides, carbonates, etc. contained in the agglomerated iron dust are removed and a carbon contained in the iron dust is also burnt and removed. Such pretreated agglomerated matter is supplied into an induction furnace together with coke and reduced here. Zinc among components of the agglomerated iron dust is evaporated and recovered in the form of a metal zinc. Iron, lead and slag are molten in the induction furnace, and separated and recovered. In the shaft furnace, it is also possible that the iron oxide is reduced by adjusting the concentration of CO gas while restraining the reduction of the zinc oxide. Also in this case, the pretreated lump is supplied into the induction furnace together with the coke, and valuable metals are recovered in the same manner as above.
In the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,041, since a large amount of electric energy is consumed in order to recover valuable metals using the induction furnace, the recovering cost becomes high. In this method, the iron dust is not reduced in the shaft furnace using the coke.

Process for recovering valuable metals from an iron dust


A system and method for color matching/chromaticity adjustment for a video screen, display panel, module or other component that comprises different batches of light emitting diodes (“LEDs”). The system and method do not alter the panel/module's RGB gain when adjusting saturation, luminance and hue. This way, the panels and modules can achieve a desired/targeted white balance. As such, different batches of LEDs can be set to the same RGB ratios to achieve proper color matching. Thus, the system and method can mix different batches of LEDs in the same video screen or wall, yet achieve uniformity across the screen/wall.

The present disclosure relates to lighting devices and methods. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for chromaticity adjustment or color matching for a video display screen.
Today, it is common for video displays to use light emitting diodes ("LEDs") because of the brightness and low power requirements of the LEDs. LED video screens are used as digital billboards to display e.g., advertisements, textual and/or graphical informational messages, and live or prerecorded videos throughout cities and towns and at sporting events, concerts, and other appropriate venues (e.g., inside or outside of buildings). LED video screens, also referred to as LED display walls, are made up of individual panels and/or intelligent modules (IM) having a predetermined number and arrangement of controllable LEDs. The panels and/or modules are mounted next to each other and their outputs are controlled such that they appear to be one large display screen.
The LEDs used in the LED video screen, etc. are usually red, green or blue ("RGB") LEDs whose output can be controlled such that the RGB components mix according to known principles to create any visible color (including black and white). Unfortunately, the batches of LEDs that are used for the modules, panels, etc. may have different wavelengths of color due to e.g., their composition, manufacturing and/or other differences. This means that the LEDs on the individual panels and modules may have different output coloring from panel to panel and module to module. Since video screens comprise multiple panels and/or modules placed next to each other, uniformity of the screen's output will be affected by the color differences between the LED batches.
Sometimes, when constructing an LED video screen, panels and/or modules are discarded when it is determined that there are color differences between the other panels and/or modules in the screen. That is, only compatible panels and modules are used, so that screen uniformity can be achieved as best as possible. This, however, wastes resources and can be expensive. Moreover, exact color uniformity is not guaranteed.
There have been attempts to adjust the LED video screen's uniformity by adjusting the saturation, luminance and hue of the panels making up the screen. This is often referred to as chromaticity adjustment or color matching. These attempts, however, necessarily alter the RGB output gain, which also affects the output white balance of the panels/modules. Therefore, uniformity based on the saturation, luminance and hue adjustments will not be achieved because the panels/modules will have different RGB gain and white balancing. Likewise, if a target white balance is desired between the panels and modules, then uniformity will not be achieved because of the different RGB ratios. Thus, these techniques are not desirable and will not result in a uniform screen output.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide an improved color matching/chromaticity adjustment technique for a video screen, display panel, module or other component comprising different batches of light emitting diodes.

Chromaticity adjustment for LED video screens


Computing device with a processing system including a plurality of user sub-systems, a plurality of user sub-system identifiers respectively identifying one user sub-system of the plurality of user sub-systems, a processor configured to run the processing system, a cryptography unit configured to provide at least one cryptographic mechanism, a cryptography unit secret key assigned to the cryptography unit, and a binder configured to bind the cryptography unit secret key to the user sub-system identifier of a currently running user sub-system.

The present invention relates generally to a computing device, to a communication device, and to a method for operating a computing device.
In a micro-kernel based system, multiple operating systems can be executed in parallel. One of the advantages of using a micro-kernel is that it allows building different compartments which are invisible to each other. A compartment can be seen as a logical abstraction of a computing platform providing memory, processing power etc. Each operating system can be assigned to one compartment. The task of the micro-kernel is to provide address spaces, execution threads and inter-process communication (IPC) methods to the compartments. As certain HW resources such as peripherals may need to be shared by different compartments, the micro-kernel also has to provide methods to dynamically assign these resources on request. One major attribute of micro-kernels is that they do not execute driver code, which usually makes up the main part of kernel code in standard monolithic systems.
As the name indicates, micro-kernels have very limited functionality and thus only require a minimal memory footprint on a target platform. It might even be possible to formally prove the correct functionality of a micro-kernel in a way, that certain security threats such as buffer overflows known from monolithic operating systems (Windows, Linux etc.) cannot be executed at all.
An easy and secure access control to a crypto-engine is desired.


A corrosion resistant apparatus for processing a substrate in corrosive process gas comprises (i) a process chamber, (ii) a process gas inlet provided for introducing process gas into the chamber, (iii) a process gas exhaust for exhausting process gas from the chamber, and (iv) processing components for processing the substrate in the chamber. At least a portion of any one of the (i) process chamber, (ii) process gas inlet, (iii) process gas exhaust, or (iv) processing components, is exposed to the corrosive gas in the chamber, and is made of an alloy comprising nickel and eutectic component, the alloy being substantially resistant to corrosion by the corrosive process gas.

This invention relates to a corrosion resistant apparatus for processing substrates, such as semiconductor wafers.
In many types of manufacturing processes, substrates are processed in corrosive process environments. For example, in semiconductor fabrication processes, corrosive process gases are used to deposit material upon, etch, or clean semiconductor wafers. Semiconductor processes are typically carried out in an enclosed process chamber containing metal, ceramic, glass and polymer components. Metal components fabricated from stainless steel, aluminum or high temperature alloys such as "INCONEL," are typically used for holding, loading and positioning substrates in the chamber, for chamber walls, and for controlling process gas flow in and out of the chamber. In addition, ceramic components, such as quartz guards and high temperature chucks, are also used in the chamber. The process chamber and components therein often corrode in corrosive process gas, particularly in reactive halogen gases and plasmas. For example, a plasma of nitrogen trifluoride (which is used to clean process chambers), contains reactive fluorine species that readily corrode aluminum chambers and components.
Corrosion of the components and process chamber by the corrosive process gas limits the lifetime of the apparatus and increases apparatus downtime. The corroded components can also flake off and form contaminant particles which deposit on the substrate. It is difficult to non-destructively detect such contamination during the initial stages of processing the wafer. Thus, it is only in the final stages of the manufacturing process, when a fully processed semiconductor wafer is often worth at least $50,000, that the contaminants are discovered, and the entire wafer is rejected.
Thus, there is a need for a corrosion resistant apparatus and processing components that resist corrosion when exposed to corrosive process gas, and in particular corrosive plasmas. There is also a need for a corrosion resistant apparatus that does not corrode and flake off to form contaminants that deposit on the substrates. There is also a need for a corrosion resistant apparatus that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated.


A novel process is provided which integrates the cracking of hydrocarbon containing feedstocks with the olefins purification and olefins derivative process utilizing dilute olefin feedstocks.

The processes of non-catalytically cracking and catalytically cracking hydrocarbon feedstocks are well known in the art. In this regard, steam cracking in a furnace and contact with hot non-catalytic particulate solids are two well known non-catalytic cracking processes, as described, for example in Hallee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,789; Woebcke, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,955, DiNicolantonio, U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,055 and Gartside et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,067. Additionally, fluid catalytic cracking and deep catalytic cracking are two well known catalytic cracking processes. See, e.g., Cormier, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,679; Rabo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,682; Rosinski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,403; Gartside et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,067; Li et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,053; and Yongqing et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,465.
The olefins produced in these processes have long been desired as feedstocks for the petrochemical industries. Olefins such as ethylene, propylene, the butenes and the pentenes are useful in preparing a wide variety of end products, including but not limited to polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyisobutylene and other polymers, alcohols, vinyl chloride monomer, acrylo-nitrile, methyl tertiary butyl ether and tertiary amyl methyl ether and other petrochemicals, and a variety of rubbers such as butyl rubber.
However, there has been little incentive in the industry to integrate the cracking processes which produce the olefins with the olefin derivative processes which produce the end products due to either the inability of the respective processes to handle dilute olefin feeds, the difficulty in recycling the by-products produced in the respective processes or both as well as logistical reasons.
For example, in the polymerization processes to produce polyethylene and polypropylene, historically the location and infrastructure associated with ethylene-polyolefin units has made integration a difficult logistics problem. More importantly, recycle streams from the polyolefins units have until recently contained corrosive products from the catalyst deactivation reactions and other impurities.
Additionally, the feedstocks conventionally required for the production of polyethylenes and polypropylenes have demanded that methane, ethane and propane concentrations in the ethylene and propylene feedstocks be extremely low. For example, for ethylene, the minimum concentration of ethylene is typically about 99.9 mol % and for propylene the minimum propylene concentration for polymer grade propylene is typically about 99.0 mol %.
These ethylene and propylene feedstock specifications have required extensive and costly purification in the olefin recovery section of the cracking processes. Typically, the ethylene concentration in the C.sub.2 stream from a cracker gas separation system ranges from about 55 to about 85 percent. The higher purity ethylene stream conventionally requires additional separation in a C.sub.2 splitter.
Still further, advancements in polymerization catalysis, with the introduction of the "single site" metallocene catalysts, have resulted in even more stringent feedstock purity requirements due to the expanding usage of these high activity catalysts. See, e.g., Chang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,892; Burkhardt et al., PCT Application No. WO 9212184; and Schreck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,074.
Accordingly, the conventional wisdom in the industry is for olefin derivative producers, including, polyethylene and polypropylene producers, to purchase polymer grade ethylene and propylene from ethylene and propylene producers and then remove trace contaminants to the desired purity specifications and recover, flare or utilize the purge streams from the olefin derivative reactor within the processing plant.
Traditionally, ethylene and propylene unit operators have not accepted the recycle streams from the olefin derivative units because they typically contain undesirable light gases and inorganic acids resulting from catalyst deactivation reactions.
However, with ethylene and propylene units now being built in more remote and unsophisticated locations close to feedstock supply sources, it has now become desirable to develop a single integrated process which will produce the desired olefin derivative products as the final output of the integrated plant.
Additionally, existing refineries have long experienced problems of gas plant bottlenecking when increasing the capacity or conversion level of their various cracking units. The inability to market the relatively dilute olefins produced in the refinery to downstream purification processors has further compounded the problem. Thus, it has also become desirable to develop a means of revamping an existing refinery to debottleneck the gas plant and market the dilute olefins produced therein.
Accordingly, if such a means to integrate cracking with olefins derivative processes were to be developed it would represent a significant advancement in the state of the art including the realization of significant capital and operating cost savings for end product producers.

Integrated cracking and olefins derivative process utilizing dilute olefins


Systems and methods to create venue tokens that provide generalized geographic information while preserving location specific data. In one embodiment, a Universal Location Descriptor (ULD) translator converts location data into a geocode that in one embodiment is a binary code. Location information can include a street address, zip code, directional information, destination, velocity information, latitude and/or longitude, etc. The geocode can then be encrypted to generate a token. Relative geographic similarities can be identified by comparing geographic information from the tokens, thereby allowing similarly situated individuals and/or organizations, service providers, etc., to be identified without disclosing specific location identities of those parties seeking such privacy. The comparison of token geographic information can provide a probabilistic output that, in one embodiment, can be customized using an application-dependent threshold, to generate only those outputs satisfying a specified probability measure.

1. Field
The methods and systems relate generally to encryption systems and methods, and more particularly to encrypting geographic or location data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increase in internet popularity among the general public is responsible for a tremendous focus on electronic commerce, or e-commerce. As consumers are aware, as commerce evolves, so does advertising. Certain businesses have consequently developed techniques to profile internet users, wherein the user profiles can thereafter be sold to internet advertisers. Some of these profiles are generated using information voluntarily provided by internet users, while other profiles are generated using "cookies" or other tracking techniques that are impervious to the internet user. Such unknowing use of involuntary information has spawned great debate regarding privacy issues. As the number of electronic devices increases, it is expected that the privacy concerns will similarly increase.
One such concern for privacy involves a pending regulation that requires cellular phones to be equipped with self-locating information for emergency calls to 911. Such location information is standard in the non-mobile phone industry, thereby allowing law enforcement or other emergency personnel to quickly locate an emergency caller. Although the intent of the regulation for cellular phones is admirable in striving for increased emergency personnel response to cellular phone users, there are concerns that the location information provided in the location identification technology can be intercepted and utilized as profiling information in the form of geographic tracking, for example. As the numbers of cellular and other wireless and network-connected devices increases, and the uses for such devices similarly expands, this privacy concern may achieve greater weight.
There is currently not an efficient apparatus or method to convert geographic data to provide generalized location information without divulging specific location information.
What is needed is a system and method that protects specific location data while providing generic geographic information.

Geographical comparison system and method


An optical structure which is suitable as an optical waveguide or cavity comprises a carrier having a lattice structure with a photonic band gap and a defect region. The lattice structure comprises pores which have constriction and are arranged in a periodic grid pattern which is disturbed in the defect region. The optical structure can be produced by the electrochemical etching of silicon.

In optical waveguides, which for example, are used for optical data transmission, and cavities, which, for example, are used on laser resonators, the propagation of light is limited in at least two spatial directions. In this case, the wave guidance usually takes place by total reflection at the interface between an optically denser and an optically less dense medium. The light propagates in the optically denser medium in this case.
Recent scientific papers are concerned with the propagation of light in periodic dielectric lattice structures. The propagation of light in structures of this type can be described analogously to the propagation of electrons in a crystal. If the wavelength of the light is of the order of magnitude of the dimensions of the lattice, then a photonic band gap can form. The photonic band gap is a frequency range in which photons cannot propagate. This means that if light at a frequency which lies in the frequency range of the photonic band gap is radiated onto a structure of this type, then this light cannot propagate in the structure. Instead, it is reflected at the surface. This effect has been confirmed by experiments (see, for example, an article by E. Yablonovich, "Photonic Band Gaps and Localization", ed. C. M. Soukoulis, Plenum, New York, 1993, pages 207 to 234, or an article by U. Gruning et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 66, No. 24, 1995, pages 3254 to 3256). This reflection is also referred to as a Bragg reflection at the dielectric lattice.
The experimental investigations were carried out on structures in which the lattice structure is realized as a layer structure having alternating layers with a different refractive index or from a nonmetallic material such as, for example, AlGaAs or GaAs or Si having pores arranged in a periodic grid pattern. In AlGaAs and GaAs, these pores are produced by reactive ion etching. In silicon, these pores have been produced by electrochemical etching.
On the basis of theoretical considerations and calculations, it has been proposed to utilize the effect of the Bragg reflection at the dielectric lattice for the purpose of realizing cavities and optical waveguides (see, for example, an article by R. Maede et al., J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 75, No. 9, 1994, page 4753). In this case, two regions made of a material having a photonic band gap are used for an optical waveguide. GaAs with a periodic hole structure has been proposed as a material for the photonic band gap. As the optical waveguide, the starting material, GaAs, without hole structures is arranged between the two regions. In this optical waveguide, light having a wavelength which corresponds to a frequency in the photonic band gap is guided in a plane by virtue of the fact that it cannot propagate into the material having the photonic band gap. In the plane perpendicular to this, the light is guided by total reflection at the interface between the optically denser GaAs and the surrounding, optically less dense atmosphere. In order to realize a cavity, material having a photonic band gap is provided for the purpose of limiting the propagation of the light in the third spatial direction.

Optical structure and method for its production


A computer cursor control system (10) including a foot operated cursor control device (16) connected to a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (12). The cursor (20) is positioned by the operator (18) by depressing a left pedal (24), a right pedal (26), or both. Reverse movement is provided using a left or right reverse button (28, 30) on a keyboard (22). Response sensitivity of cursor (20) movement is provided in a control window (40), with individual left and right pedal controls (42 and 44).

Modern computers typically employ hardware and software to control a computer cursor, which in turn controls some computer functions. A cursor control device is commonly referred to as a mouse. Most computer manufacturers provide an interface in their equipment for connection to a mouse, and the cursor control for the mouse is commonly provided by software applications. For example, a mouse is used for cursor control applications in icon-based software of any kind, and is extensively utilized in computer controlled graphics applications.
Typically, a mouse is located and used in the vicinity of the computer. Most commonly, the mouse is supported on the same horizontal surface which supports the computer, and a pad is often positioned between the support surface and the mouse for preventing slippage of its internal track ball mechanism during movement of the mouse. Alternatively, the mouse can be supported by a specialized pull-out shelf mounted below the computer mounting surface. In either event, the mouse is operated by the user's hand by moving the mouse in a desired direction on the surface supporting the mouse, to control the position of the computer's cursor. This requires the operator to remove his or her hand from the computer's keyboard whenever it is desired to change the position of the cursor. When the cursor has been positioned as desired the operator returns his or her hand to the keyboard to resume operation of the computer.
The operator's hand movements away from the keyboard to the mouse, and back to the keyboard from the mouse, involve a certain amount of time and disruption in operation of the computer. In addition, repetitive hand and wrist movements often lead to a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Recognizing these drawbacks of conventional computer mouse deployment and use, a number of alternative foot-operated cursor control solutions have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,685 (Best) discloses an adaptor that is worn on the operator's foot and fits over a conventional mouse. U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,318 (Medina), U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,997 (Scallon), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,055 (Redlich et al.) disclose various embodiments of a foot-controlled mouse based on a trackball mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,305 (Bookstein) discloses a foot-operated cursor control in a mechanical arrangement using rails. U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,402 (Howell) discloses a number of foot-control methods, including use of a touchpad placed at the operator's feet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,426 (Dodson et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,274 (Davis) both describe alternative foot-operated cursor control devices using trackball and joystick mechanisms.
Foot pedals have been used for command entry control with computers, largely for simulation systems. For example, foot pedals are connected to systems for driving or flight simulation in apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,807 (Hayes et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,152 (Stueckle et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,473 (Drysdale). However, these uses of foot pedal mechanisms have been directed to simulating controls for acceleration, braking, or aircraft rudder operation, rather than for mouse cursor positioning.
It can be seen, then, that many types of solutions have been proposed for providing the option of operator foot control for cursor positioning. However, this cursor positioning operation is only one function performed by the manual mouse. As is well known, the mouse is also used for selection and command entry, using one or more mouse buttons. Moreover, the type of manual action required for clicking the select buttons on the mouse demands a high degree of precision and can be more stressful than the requirements for keyboard entry of text. While most of the above-mentioned disclosures provide some type of click buttons as a substitute for the conventional mouse buttons, the solutions proposed are less than optimal. One characteristic type of solution that has been proposed is the deployment of buttons on the side or edges of the foot-operated mechanism, as in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,426 (Dodson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,997 (Scallon), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,402 (Howell) disclosures. Alternatives include depressing the same device used for cursor control movement, seemingly an awkward arrangement and likely to result in unintended cursor movement unless done with precision, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,318 (Medina) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,274 (Davis).
Overall, then, while there have been some workable solutions proposed for replacing the mouse as a cursor movement tool, other mouse functions have not been addressed nearly as well. Some of the difficulties faced in replacing the manual mouse with a foot-operated device relate to the relative "dexterity" of the foot, that is to adeptness and precision of foot movement. While it is true that we use our feet for some types of complex operations where subtle movements are needed, such as when controlling vehicle acceleration and braking in traffic, there is little doubt that positional movement exercised for the foot differs substantially from that exercised for the hand. There is reason to suppose that the general arcwise movement sequence of pivoting the foot on the heel, familiar to anyone who drives an automobile, is suitable for control of incremental movement. However, movement of the foot in a cross-wise direction may not be nearly as precise. Thus, following the manual mouse analogy too closely may not result in a satisfactory foot control as a substitute for mouse functions.
A second consideration relates to clicking and double-clicking mouse buttons. While this operation can be readily performed by hand, there is reason to doubt that this same type of rapid tapping movement required would be easily performed by the feet. As is noted above, this is further complicated by the need to use the foot or feet for cursor positioning at the same time. This conflict may argue for a clear separation of positioning and clicking functions. In this spirit, the foot-control solution disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,957 (Feierbach et al.) forgoes the use of the feet for mouse positioning and only uses feet for controlling the mouse click buttons. However, with such a solution, the operator is not freed from the requirement to regularly to remove and return her hand to the keyboard for cursor positioning.
In summary, while prior art solutions address some of the requirements for relieving the operator of constantly leaving and returning to the keyboard with the mouse-operating hand, there has been a lack of attention paid to the full scope of the problem and to what may be natural for an operator. More specifically, solutions for cursor positioning appear, in many cases, to simply substitute mechanical structures that had been employed for manual mouse movement and transplant them from the desktop to the floor, regardless of their suitability to the foot movement of the human operator. Solutions for selection buttons have continued in this same vein, regardless of the awkwardness of operation and of the relative discomfort that can be the result of the unnatural operator movement that would be required. A host of control functions that would ease foot-controlled cursor operation, or make it even feasible in some cases, have been overlooked.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for simplifying positioning of the computer cursor, or providing any other input to the computer, without requiring the operator to remove his or her hands from the keyboard. It is a further object of the invention to provide a device which prevents disruption in operation of the computer when it is desired to provide an input to the computer, such as to change the position of the computers cursor. It is a further object of the invention to provide a unique method of controlling the position of a computer cursor, to simplify operation of the computer, and to make computer operation more efficient. Yet another object of the invention is to ameliorate carpal tunnel syndrome in computer users.


An optical amplifier, provided in a WDM transmission system, contains an amplification medium for amplifying WDM light, a measurement part for measuring at least one input optical power of the WDM light on both input and output sides of the amplification medium, a variable gain equalizer for variably setting a passing-wavelength characteristic, a database for holding data representing wavelength characteristics that respectively correspond to transmission line types, an arithmetic part for computing an inverted passing-wavelength characteristic resulting from a passing-wavelength, based on an acquired transmission line type, the optical power measured by the measurement part, and the data held in the database, and a setting part for setting a passing-wavelength characteristic of the variable gain equalizer, based on the inverted passing-wavelength characteristic computed by the arithmetic part, and with this, capable of controlling optical filters more quickly and amplifying optical signals more efficiently in WDM systems.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical amplifier suitable for controlling the passing-wavelength characteristic of amplified wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) light, and relates to a passing-wavelength characteristic control method in that optical amplifier, and an optical transmission system.
(2) Description of the Related Art
With a rapid increase in the number of Internet users and start of distribution service such as images, etc., there is an increasing strong demand for continuous access to high-speed optical networks that are the backbone of Internet. A wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system, which multiplexes and transmits a plurality of optical signals of different wavelengths through a single optical fiber (hereinafter referred to as a fiber), has been desired to be put to practical use, because it can increase its transmission capacity in proportion to the number of wavelengths.
Optical networks with multiple fibers connected thereto are provided with WDM-light amplifying equipment (hereinafter referred to as equipment) that transmits high-speed, large-capacity, and long-distance data. This equipment has an optical amplifier. This optical amplifier compensates for a loss of an optical signal, whereby the optical signal is relayed. The main cause of loss lies in the scattering of an optical signal outside a fiber or absorption by impurities within a fiber.
A typical example of the optical amplifier is an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). This erbium-doped fiber amplifier is an optical amplifier consisting of an erbium-doped fiber. If light from a pump laser enters through an erbium-doped fiber, the light excites erbium atoms, which then amplify an optical signal as it passes through the erbium-doped fiber.
Conventional optical amplifiers compensate optical signals by the two following methods (J1) and (J2) in order to eliminate a deviation in gain and a deviation in loss for each wavelength:
(J1) Compensation for the undulated gain profile of an erbium-doped fiber, and
(J2) Compensation for a primary tilt due to transmission line loss and stimulated Raman scattering.
The gain profile in (J1) means the gain-wavelength characteristic (where gain depends upon wavelength) of an erbium-doped fiber. The shape of this gain profile is shown, for example, in FIG. 24A and is determined by the excitation ratio of an optical fiber (δ1/δ0 where δ1 represents the ion density in an upper level and δ0 represents the total ion density). To make the gain-wavelength characteristic flat, the number of holes for radiation needs to be constant regardless of input optical power. Also, the operating state of an optical amplifier at this time is equivalent to an automatic gain control (AGC) state that does not depend on input optical power. However, in this AGC state, there are cases where excitation becomes unnecessary (waste).
For instance, in the case where there is sufficient output optical power at 0 (dBm), input light with an input optical power of −10 (dBm) has a value of 10 (dBm) after amplification, if the excitation ratio remains at 20 (dB). Therefore, to make the output wavelength characteristic flat, the power equivalent to 10 (dBm) obtained by amplification needs to be attenuated with an attenuator. In this case, a network administrative operator (hereinafter referred to as an administrative operator) carries out automatic level control and attaches an external optical filter to the output side of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, thereby making the shape of the gain profile flat. The use of this external optical filer can minimize power consumption. Note that the optical filter will be described later.
If the number of relay stages (amplification stages) is increased, the gain profile is accumulated and unfavorably affects the qualities of optical signals. Because of this, in the case where transmission lines are constructed of erbium-doped fibers, optical amplifiers compensate optical signals by employing band-fixed filters that have the inverse of the gain profile of the erbium-doped fibers.
Stimulated Raman scattering in (J2) is the non-linear phenomenon of transmission fibers in which optical power is shifted from a high frequency side to a low frequency side. When monochromatic light with great power is irradiated to an optical fiber, it interacts with an optical phonon, and consequently, coherent Stokes light with a wavelength shifted by a specific quantity occurs by stimulated emission. Stimulated Raman scattering uses this phenomenon. That is, stimulated Raman scattering amplifies an optical signal by stimulated emission, by setting the wavelength of monochromatic light so that the wavelength of Stokes light becomes the same as that of the optical signal. And with stimulated Raman scattering, compensation for a primary tilt of the gain profile is made. Note that because stimulated Raman scattering occurs in a fiber having a dielectric substance, an administrative operator adjusts the output of excitation light, etc., according to the type of transmission line used.
Also, Raman amplification is amplification utilizing a stimulated Raman dispersion effect and can obtain a desired gain-wavelength characteristic by adjusting excitation light power and oscillation wavelength.
Conventional optical transmission systems connect erbium-doped filters and optical filters in multiple stages, control the excitation of the light input to the erbium-doped filters, and employ a band-fixed filter to suppress noise light that is outside that band.
In this way, conventional optical transmission systems can utilize components that are now in use, and realize reliability and low prices. The optical transmission systems further compensate for a low-noise tilt (which is a parameter representing the primary tilt of the gain of an optical amplifier) by using a Raman fiber amplifier together. Because the output level after amplification is not uniform in wavelength, each distant station monitors the primary tilt of the gain. Unless otherwise noted, distant stations include repeaters, repeater stations, repeater nodes, and optical WDM stations (terminal stations).
Furthermore, there has been proposed a method employing an optical filter. This optical filter is a variable gain equalizer that can variably tune the amount of gain or loss for each wavelength. This optical filter has small power consumption as an optical amplifier and uses active components that can tune gain and loss. This function is realized, for instance, by variable filters (trade name: active gain equalizer), etc. In the method employing the optical filter, the optical amplifier controls the wavelength characteristic of the variable filter by monitoring output optical power of desired wavelengths with an optical spectrum analyzer (e.g., see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 10-276173).
In the multiplexing method disclosed in the aforementioned publication, signal light with wavelengths multiplexed within a multiplexer unit is transmitted through a tunable filter, and the level is measured for each wavelength with a photodiode. Based on the detected levels, a setting part adjusts a variable attenuator so that the levels are tuned to a fixed value. Thus, the levels of WDM light can be automatically tuned at all times.
FIG. 24B shows an example of an optical power monitor employing an optical spectrum analyzer. At the gain block 200a of an optical amplifier 200 shown in the figure, an input optical signal is amplified. The amplified light is branched for each wavelength at a demultiplexer 200b. The branched optical signals are compensated at a plurality of optical filters 200c whose pass-bands are different from one another. The compensated optical signals are multiplexed at a multiplexer 200d. The multiplexed signal is again amplified at a gain block 200a and output to an optical amplifier of the next stage (not shown). The WDM light output from the gain block 200a is monitored at an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) 200e, whereby the quantities of loss of the optical filters 200c are tuned to a previously set compensation quantity.
The method employing the optical filters 200c can reduce the power consumption and cost of redundant components. Therefore, this method can eliminate a deviation in gain for each wavelength that conventional optical amplifiers have.
Conventional optical transmission systems flatten the wavelength characteristics of repeater's amplification and amplified output signals, by a combination of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and Raman fiber amplifiers. Also, optical signals are compensated by optical filters alone, or by a combination of optical filters and stimulated Raman scattering.
In the case of a combination of optical filters and stimulated Raman scattering, when stimulated Raman scattering is employed as a second-stage amplifier, the wavelength characteristic of the erbium-doped fiber of the first stage has an unfavorable influence on the stimulated Raman scattering of the second stage. More specifically, if the shape of the gain profile of the erbium-doped fiber changes according to the secondary operating point, an administrative operator cannot cause the gain obtained by the stimulated Raman scattering of the second stage to be active or tunable according to wavelengths. This reason is because the gain profile obtained by stimulated Raman scattering is determined by the transmission line type used. Therefore, if stimulated Raman scattering is used as a second-stage amplifier, compensation for only a wavelength band lost is made.
Because of this, an administrative operator adjusts the excitation light output of the erbium-doped fiber amplifier of the first stage so that the secondary operating point does not change. The administrative operator also performs repeater's amplification by using a Raman fiber amplifier together as occasion demands. More specifically, each repeater controls filter characteristics to the optimum state by employing an optical wavelength monitor.
However, in the case of using optical wavelength monitors, optical transmission systems have to transfer monitoring light with a specific wavelength at all the bands of an optical amplifier. Besides, the monitoring light is unnecessary because it is used solely for the purpose of monitoring the gain-wavelength characteristic of the optical amplifier. Moreover, the administrative operator must cause customers to purchase redundant equipment such as an optical spectrum analyzer for monitoring, etc. Therefore, the initial introduction cost that is imposed on customers is increased.
Also, in the filter control method that employs an optical spectrum analyzer, etc., optical amplifiers feed monitored results back to the upstream side of a transmission line. This feedback control is accurate, but is susceptible to external disturbance when increasing or decreasing wavelength channels (channels allocated to light wavelengths). This filter control method requires a considerable time until control becomes stable. In general, if interrupting transfer is needed when networks are connected in mesh form, fault recovery operation is indispensable and that interruption transfer is also time-consuming. Therefore, gain tuning that employs optical wavelength monitors is temporally difficult and is not practical control.
Furthermore, the above-described optical amplifiers, such as an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, Raman fiber amplifier, etc., are not efficient in operation and contain many redundant portions that increase both power consumption and equipment costs. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, and excitation lasers for stimulated Raman scattering, consume great power. Therefore, each device requires a means of radiating heat generated by great power. This heat-radiating means increases the size and cost of the transmission system. Particularly, the large size of Raman fiber amplifiers causes increased costs.

Optical amplifier with variable gain equalization


A deployable automatic foam fire suppressant system comprising a pump module having at least one pump coupled to a foam material source, the at least one pump comprising a pump suction component for the supply of water, and a supply module configured for coupling to the pump module, the supply module including at least one supply means having fluid conduit and at least one foam applicator. fluidly coupled to the pump module, wherein the pump module and the supply module are deployable and configured to be operated from a remote location.

The development of residential homes and buildings in areas susceptible to wild fires is increasing over time. The homes located in the areas susceptible to wild fires are often wood frame structures with exteriors that have combustible materials. As the quantity and the quality of the homes in the wild fire areas increase, so will the cost of devastation increase when the random wild fire consumes the homes.
Measures have been employed to protect and prevent undue fire damage to the homes susceptible to wild fire. The landscaping in proximity to the house is kept clear of combustible materials. The exterior surfaces of the house are constructed of fire retardant material. Forests are cleared of excessive fuel for fire, such as deadwood and undergrowth. Forest managers plan and perform controlled burns in the forests to minimize the fuel sources for the large and uncontrolled wild fire.
Attempts have been made to apply fire suppressant to houses and buildings in the event of wild fire. Certain fire suppressants comprise man-made materials that are manually sprayed on the exterior of the house in attempt to protect the house from flying embers blown ahead of the wild fire. The fire suppressants are effective at protecting the houses from the onslaught of burning embers and other combustibles.
The prior art has relied on fire teams that manually operate water tankers equipped with foam spraying equipment. The foam is typically a water and soap mixture that creates foam, i.e., a highly dense bubble composition that can be applied to the exterior of the house. The foam is wet and prevents the flow of air over the exterior of the house. The foam suppresses the fire by lowering the temperature of combustion and suffocating the air supply for the fire on the house exterior. The fire teams manually apply the foam to the structure.
However, when the wild fire approaches a house being foamed, the fire teams must cease the manual foam application when the wild fire reaches a certain distance, and retreat to safety. The risk of loss of life far outweighs the need to protect the property. As a result of the cessation of the foam application, the foam runs off the sloped surfaces and dries. The foam eventually becomes ineffective at fire suppression. Ultimately, the abandoned structure can be ignited and lost to the fire.
The unpredictability of the wild fire further diminishes the effectiveness of the manual application of the fire suppressant. The manual fire teams are reluctant to venture into remote areas having limited roads for escape in the event the wild fire changes direction and endangers the fire teams. The fire teams may not have adequate knowledge of the wild fire location, speed and direction. Thus, the fire team's ability to anticipate where to locate and apply the fire suppressant is limited. Since the fire teams must be cautious and have limited means of escape or avoidance of the wild fire, the use of the manual fire suppressant application systems of the prior art are limited and sometimes ineffective.
What is needed in the art is a portable and deployable automatic foam fire suppressant system.

Deployable automatic foaming fire protection system


A cutting plate for rotating tools includes a major cutting edge connected to a minor cutting edge in a radial extension thereof over a cutting corner. A common face joins a longitudinal side of the major cutting edge and the minor cutting edge, while a major flank or a minor flank joins the other side of the major and minor cutting edges. The flank face form a wedge angle The tool is supported on a boring wall with low friction to enable vibration-free machining. A support land near the minor cutting edge has two interspaced support edges. The support edges have the same radial distance from the tool axis over their entire length. The support edges are oriented parallel to the tool axis and the support land has a flat surface parallel to the tool axis.

In order to avoid vibrations during operation in far projecting tools with several cutting edges and with cutting plates of the aforementioned type, a minor cutting edge designed as a guiding edge is provided which is guided along the bore wall. In order to achieve the guiding action, the guiding edge is usually provided with a circular grinding, the radius of curvature of which is smaller than the radius of the bore. This means that the guiding edge is guided along a line on the bore wall. When the circular grinding has a radius which is too small, the guiding becomes relatively poor. The tool chatters because it gets caught on or cuts into the boring wall with the guiding edge. When approaching the bore radius there occurs a surface contact, which increases the friction between the tool and the bore, and which can result in overloads on the machine and/or the tools. The more cutting edges that are arranged over the circumference of the tool, the more serious this effect becomes.
Starting out from this, the basic purpose of the invention is to improve the cutting plates of the above-identified type in such a manner that an optimum support action with a minimum friction results in the area of the minor cutting edge.
To attain this purpose the characteristics disclosed in claim 1 are suggested. Advantageous embodiments and further developments result from the dependent claims.
The inventive solution is based on the thought that a support land is arranged in the area of the minor cutting edge, which support land is defined by two support edges arranged at a distance from each other in the direction of rotation of the tool, which support edges are spaced over their entire length at the same radius distance forming at the same time the flight-circle radius of the tool from the tool axis. Advantageously, the support edges thereby extend in their longitudinal extent parallel to the tool axis, whereas the support land provided between the support edges is designed preferably as a flat surface. The support land advantageously has in its longitudinal extent aligned parallel to the tool axis a length, which length corresponds at least to twice the distance between the support edges. In order to obtain-a minimal friction support, the support edges should be spaced, depending on the bore diameter, at a distance of 0.1 to 1.5 mm from each other. The support land between the support edges thereby advantageously extends over a fraction of the cutting-plate thickness. The support land extends in its longitudinal extent to the, if applicable, rounded or faceted cutting-edge corner. The support edges can be faceted rounded or preferably tangential to the tool flight circle. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the major cutting edge and the minor cutting edge designed as a support land define a right angle with each other in their longitudinal extent.
The inventive cutting plate can be designed both as an exchangeable cutting plate with only one cutting-edge corner and also as an indexable insert with several cutting-edge corners. At least two major cutting edges and secondary cutting edges arranged at equal angular distances from each other are provided in the latter case. The cutting plate is advantageously designed as a triangular-like insert with three major cutting edges having a roof shape and a point angle of 140 to 170°, whereby the support land, which is part of a major cutting edge, is formed into the corner area of a major cutting edge adjacent in a defined index direction.
The inventive measures are suited both for use in solid drills and also in core drills and reamers, and thereby are preferably useful in far projecting or long tools with several cutting edges. The tendency of the boring tool to vibrate is reduced by the minimal friction support and guiding in the bore.

Komet Praezisionswerkzeuge Robert Breuning GmbH


A bumper for a motor vehicle includes a cross member which is disposed transversely to side rails of a motor vehicle frame and connected to the side rails via crash boxes. The cross member has a C-shaped cross section and includes an outer shell member and an inner shell member. The inner shell member is constructed as tension link which is made of a material having a tensile strength that is greater than the tensile strength of a material of the outer shell member.

The present invention relates to a bumper for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
Bumpers for motor vehicles are constructed to prevent damage to the vehicle body structure in the event of a crash or impact at low speed (up to 16 km/h) and directly affect the type of damage to a vehicle and the damage assessment. As a result, the construction of bumpers is used for categorizing vehicles in certain insurance classes. The lower the expected repair costs in the event of a collision, the better the insurance classification.
Bumpers are typically arranged across the front and rear of a motor vehicle and include a cross member which is coupled to the side rails of the vehicle body via crash boxes. The crash boxes may also form part of the side rails and are configured in this case as repair solution. Oftentimes, the cross member has a hat-shaped profile having flanks that can be connected by a closing metal sheet to prevent inversion of the flanks. Also known are cross members in the form of single-cell or multi-cell extruded or rolled profiles.
Bumpers are currently tested by offset barrier crash tests, whereby in the event of a front-offset crash test the vehicle strikes a barrier that is slanted by 10°, whereas in the event of an rear-offset crash, the vehicle is hit by an impact car which strikes the test vehicle at an angle of 10° in relation to the vehicle length axis. In view of the design of current vehicles, the barriers strike directly the crash boxes so that the main work, i.e. almost the entire energy, must be absorbed in these crash tests by the crash boxes. The cross member assumes hereby the task to provide in further test requirements, such as the pendulum test, sufficient support to the pendulum and to ensure the integrity between the crash boxes and side rails in the event of high-speed crashes.
Conventional bumpers suffer shortcomings because in order to meet the standards of older or current crash repair tests, their overall weight has increased in an undesired manner.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved vehicle bumper which obviates prior art shortcomings.


In one embodiment, the invention provides a new design of nanocarrier compositions that release their therapeutic load specifically at intraperitoneal cancers' site. These nanocarriers are administered intraperitoneally and comprise a plurality of porous nanoparticulates that (a) are loaded with one or more pharmaceutically-active agents alone or in combination with imaging agents thus providing a theranostic value and (b) that are encapsulated by and that support a lipid bilayer which is disrupted upon contact with a reactive oxygen species generated within the environment of the cancer. In other embodiments, the invention provides methods of treatment and pharmaceutical compositions comprising nanocarriers as described herein.

Ovarian carcinoma is the leading cause, of death from gynecologic malignancy, resulting in approximately 21,880 estimated new cases in 2010 with an estimated 13,850 deaths in 2010 in the USA [30]. Most OVCA arises from the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) [31] and clinically, it often involve the ovary and omentum, with diffuse, multi-focal intraperitoneal metastases and malignant ascites [1]. Metastasis of OVCA (FIG. 1) involves shedding of cells from the primary OVCA either as single cells (SCs) or as spheroids or multicellular aggregate (MCAs) that later interact with mesothelial cells that line the inner surface of the peritoneum and disseminate to adjacent pelvic organs [9, 32, 33]. Most OVCA patients (approximately 75%) are diagnosed too late with disseminated intra-abdominal disease (stage IV) and because of this late diagnosis they have low survival rates [34]. For therapy, patients usually undergo cytoreductive surgery followed by the administration of the standard first line chemotherapeutic combination regimen of carboplatin and paclitaxel [2, 5, 35]. Nevertheless, most of the patients will eventually suffer from therapeutic resistance and undergo relapse of OVCA [35, 36].
Evidence points to the role of inflammation in both ovulation and OVCA [13, 37]. It appears that the inflammation within the peritoneal microenvironment of OVCA contributes to progression of OVCA due to immune cell infiltration into the OVCA microenvironment [13, 14]. It has been reported that in OVCA leukocytes are present within the ascitic fluid including activated macrophages and T cells and to a lower numbers natural killer cells, B cells, and mast cells [14]. These activated immune cells produce reactive oxygen species and secrete cytokines and angiogenic and growth factors that promote OVCA progression [38].
Antibodies, regardless of their source or antigenic specificity, and T cell receptors catalyze the formation of ozone (a molecule with the chemical signature of ozone) through water oxidation in presence of singlet molecular oxygen (FIG. 2) and cause bacterial toxicity [16, 18, 39, 40]. In vivo, this reaction occurs due to activated immune cells which are the source of singlet molecular oxygen[16, 17]. In a tube singlet molecular oxygen is generated by adding a photosensitizer and exposing the tube contents to near UV irradiation, i.e. employing a photochemical source [16, 18]. However in vivo singlet molecular oxygen is known to be generated by activated neutrophils [25, 26]. For example, ozone was formed in vivo in a reversed-passive Arthus reaction generated through intradermal injections in rats using albumin and anti-albumin antibody were ozone was detected in the inflammatory legions [16]. Moreover, Wentworth and coworkers reported that ozone was formed in vivo in atherosclerotic plaques in addition to in vitro atherosclerotic plaques in presence of activated leukocytes with generation of atheronals as products of cholesterol ozonolysis [17]. On the other hand, that study has been under debate as the atheronals detected in it as unique products of cholesterol ozonolysis could also be generated, in addition to ozone, through singlet oxygen[41, 42]. Nevertheless, Wentworth and coworkers re-evaluated samples from their first study and demonstrated that the ratios of obtained products indicate involvement of ozone rather than singlet oxygen in formation of the detected atheronals [43, 44].
Ozone, and products of ozonation are known to cause disruption and lysis of phospholipid bilayers and cells [19-21]. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species and ozone cause photolysis of organic molecules and of phospholipids in lipid bilayers supported on spherical or planar platforms [22-24]. If these bilayers are part of liposomes or are supported on porous spheres, then their disruption will result in leakage of their contents such as chemotherapeutic agents.
To summarize, ovarian cancer (OVCA) is a peritoneal disease as its metastasis and dissemination to other organs takes place through the peritoneal cavity [1]. Thus intraperitoneal (IP) administration of chemotherapeutic agents treats local and disseminated OVCA as it is confined to the peritoneum. Recently the efficacy of IP chemotherapy of OVCA has been demonstrated when done alone or in combination with intravenous chemotherapy [2-5]. This is probably due to direct delivery of drugs to several types of peritoneal OVCA cells that play a role in chemotherapeutic resistance such as cancer stem cells and spheroids [6-12].
The peritoneal microenvironment of OVCA is an inflammatory one due to the infiltration of immune cells that produce reactive oxygen species and secrete factors that promote tumor progression [13, 14]. Recent reports demonstrated that ozone is generated in vivo in inflammatory diseases [15-17]. This production of ozone is the direct outcome of an antibody's oxidative catalytic activity [16, 18]. Antibodies, regardless of their source or antigenic specificity, catalyze the generation of ozone and peroxide by a water oxidation pathway [16, 18]. The only requirement for antibodies to mediate this reaction is a source of singlet molecular oxygen, which is provided in vitro by near UV irradiation in presence of a photosensitizer [16, 18]. In vivo, the only requirement for this reaction to occur is the presence of activated immune cells which are the source of singlet molecular oxygen in addition to mediating the water oxidation pathway and generating ozone [16, 17].
Ozone and other ROS are known to cause peroxidation of phospholipid bilayers and formation of free radicals resulting in lysis of lipid bilayers made of phospholipids [19-24]. If these bilayers are part of liposomes or are supported on porous nanospheres, then their disruption by ROS results in leakage of their contents such as chemotherapeutic agents.
Thus, the need exists for a nanocarrier for IP therapy of OVCA that can (1) utilize generation of ROS mediated by activated immune cells in inflammatory diseases like OVCA [16, 17, 25, 26]; (2) enable ROS to disrupt lipid bilayers whether free or supported on spherical or planar platforms [19-24]; and (3) use robust supported lipid bilayer membrane assemblies on porous nanoparticles that have capabilities to entrap chemotherapeutic agents [27-29].

Intraperitoneally-administered nanocarriers that release their therapeutic load based on the inflammatory environment of cancers


Disclosed are a glucosamine derivative represented by the following formula [I] or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof, and a liposome containing the glucosamine derivative as a membrane constituting component: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and m represent the following R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 ;. a hydrogen atom or a --CO(CH.sub.2).sub.n CH.sub.3 group, n representing an integer from 10 to 22 and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 being not simultaneously hydrogen atoms PA1 a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, and PA1 an integer from 0 to 3.. R.sup.3 ; PA0 m;

A liposome is a hollow closed vesicle consisting of a lipid bilayer formed by suspending a thin membrane of polar lipid such as a phospholipid or the like in an aqueous solution. The liposome has basically the same lipid bilayer structure as that of a biomembrane and therefore is excellent in affinity to a living body. On the basis of this characteristic, studies on an application of the liposome as a drug delivery system have become a big concern. In this application, the liposome is used as a microcapsule having an affinity to a living body. That is, various types of drugs, enzymes or the like are administered to a living body as liposome preparations in which the drugs or the like is encapsulated.
A wide variety of drugs can be encapsulated in liposomes in accordance with the administration purpose of a liposome preparation, and an example is a superoxidedismutase (superoxide disproportionation enzyme; SOD) which inactivates a superoxide anion (O.sub.2.sup.-). The superoxide anion is produced by reduction of molecular oxygen in a living body in accordance with an external stimulus by which an antigen-antibody complex is formed. Since the superoxide anion has a function of oxidatively destroying a foreign matter phagocytosized by a phagocyte, it is effective in sterilization and detoxification. If, however, active oxygen such as the superoxide anion is produced in an excessive amount, it serves as a strong factor which causes tissue lesion or inflammation, resulting in rheumatism, an inflammatory disease such as Bechet syndrome or Crohn disease, diabetes mellitus, or a cancer disease (Drug Delivery System, 2(1), 1987). Therefore, administration of the SOD which inactivates the superoxide anion is effective in the therapy of these diseases.
The SOD, however, has low stability in a living body and has only a short half-life period in blood of about six minutes. In order to eliminate these drawbacks of the SOD, various attempts have been made to encapsulate the SOD in liposomes, thereby stabilizing the SOD and allowing to slowly deliver the encapsulated SOD. For example, Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 1-175944 teaches that the SOD is held by an electrically neutral or negative film of liposome, so as to stabilize the SOD. Also Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 63-211222 teaches that a liposome film component material containing phospholipid and chloesterol is hydrated at a temperature higher than the phase transition temperature, so as to take into the inner phase the physiologically active substance which tends to be denatured or deactivated by an enzyme drug such as the SOD. Further, each of Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Nos. 1-238537 and 1-246225 teaches that a polypeptide having the SOD activitates is prepared so as to facilitate intake of the polypeptide into a liposome and, thus, to prepare drugs for curing liver disorders and pancreatitis.
As a membrane constituent of the liposome, a lipid, especially a phospholipid such as lecithin is used. The phospholipid generally has a hydrophilic portion consisting of a phosphate ester residue and a hydrophobic portion consisting of a higher fatty acid residue. A phospholipid having eight or less, particularly, four or less carbon atoms in this fatty acid residue portion no longer forms any molecular aggregations. Therefore, no liposome can be formed from such a phospholipid. In order to form morphologically clear liposomes from a phospholipid, therefore, the number of carbon atoms of the fatty acid residue of the phospholipid must be ten or more, and preferably, 12 to 24. Note that, in general, a lipid other than a phospholipid, for example, triglyceride, cholesterol, cholesterolester, or .alpha.-tocopherol is often added as an auxiliary for liposome formation.
For liposomes to be applied to a drug delivery system, there has been proposed a method of adding a small amount of a charged substance such as stearylamine as an assistant to a liposome so as to apply a positive electric charge to the membrane surface of the liposome. The purposes of the method are to improve a drug encapsulation ratio into the liposome and to improve the adhesion characteristics of the liposome with respect to cells. In addition, it is suggested that these cationic liposomes have better residence time in blood than those of neutral or anionic liposomes (Eur. J. Biochem., 47, 179-185 (1974)). The following two literatures can be exemplified as prior arts of this cationic liposome.
The first on is Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 63-77824 which discloses a cationic liposome medicinal preparation (L-SOD) encapsulating the SOD. In this L-SOD, stearylamine is used as a membrane constituent of the liposome in addition to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol.
The second one is "Drug Delivery System" (2(1), 41-52 (1987)) which discloses a cationic liposome medicinal preparation (L-SOD) also added with stearylamine.
Since, however, the above cationic L-SOD added with stearylamine has a serious problem of high toxicity, it causes a side effect of, e.g., convulsion when it is applied to a living body (J. Neurol. Sci., 31, 173-179 (1977)). For this reason, this cationic L-SOD has not been able to be put into practical use as a liposome medicinal preparation.

Glucosamine derivative and liposome containing the same as membrane constituent


A reclining device of two-point hinged type including a reclining plate element having one end connected via first lock mechanism with lower hinge point about which the reclining plate element is inclined and another end connected via second lock mechanism with upper hinge point about which a seat back is foldable forwardly. A forward inclination limit point is defined to limit forward rotation of the reclining plate element. Bifurcated flexible wire cable is arranged between unlocking plate and the first and second lock mechanisms, such that operation of the unlocking plate causes synchronized unlocking operation of both first and second lock mechanisms, whereupon the reclining plate element is automatically rotated to the forward inclination limit point, thereby allowing the seat back to be foldable relative to the upper hinge point in the thus-inclined reclining plate element down to a non-use position, with the backward side thereof extending along a substantially horizontal line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reclining device of two-point hinged type for use in a vehicle seat, which has a reclining hinge, a center of rotation about which a seat back of the seat is rotatively and adjustably inclined to a desired angle and a folding hinge, a center of rotation about which the seat back is rotatively folded.
2. Description of Prior Art
A two-point hinged structure has been employed in a vehicle seat to provide a lower hinge point about which a seat back is rotatively reclined and an upper hinged point about which the seat back is folded down to or unfolded from a seat cushion. As typically known from the two Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 9-286264 and 11-75980 for instance, this kind of two-point-hinged reclining device is effective in allowing the seat back to be folded down to a substantially horizontal line with respect to the seat cushion, while maintaining its original reclining functions.
Specifically, reference is made to FIG. 8 which shows an elevational side view which roughly shows a structure of the above-stated conventional two-point hinged type of reclining device (110) provided in a vehicle seat. According thereto, a reclining plate element (112) is at the lower end portion thereof pivotally connected via a lower hinge pin (118) with the backward end portion of a base frame member (116) in a seat cushion (114), and is at the upper end portion thereof pivotally connected via an upper hinge pin (122) with the lower end portion of a seat back frame member (121) in a seat back (120). Hence, the seat back (120) may be adjustably inclined about the lower hinged point (at 118) in forward and backward directions, and further be folded about the upper hinged point (at 122) from a substantially vertical use position indicated by one-dot chain line down to a slightly sloped non-use position indicated by the two-dot chain line.
Designation (124) denotes a reclining lock mechanism for locking the seat back (120) to a desired inclined angle and releasing the seat back therefrom. Designation (126) denotes a folding lock mechanism for locking the seat back (120) to the non-use position and releasing the seat back from that non-use position.
In this sort of reclining device, as described in the foregoing Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-286264, there is normally provided a lock mechanism or stopper means for limiting the forward inclination of seat back at a predetermined angle relative to the reclining plate (at 112) in light of safety reasons. That is, referring again to FIG. 8, normally, unless the reclining plate (112) is inclined by a particular angle, a user has to unlock the seat back (120) via the folding lock mechanism (126) and incline it forwardly. But, as indicated by the two-dot chain lines in the FIG. 8, the forward inclination of the seat back (120) relative to the upper hinge point (at 122) is prevented by the foregoing safety lock or stopper means (not shown) so that the seat back (120) is only inclined to the upwardly sloped state as shown, with the result that the seat back (120) can not be folded down onto the seat cushion (114) and therefore the back surface (120a) thereof is not positioned on a substantially horizontal line. In that case, in addition to the afore-said folding lock operation, it is further required for the user to operate the reclining lock mechanism (124) to unlock the seat back (120) from the current reclining locked state and incline it forwardly to a substantially horizontal line. This apparently results in troublesome intricate operations being required on the user's side.
Incidentally, there has been known a dual lock mechanism, (as disclosed by the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-319847 for instance), which is normally provided in a pair of ordinary reclining devices (the so-called dual reclining device) of one-point hinged type wherein each of the two reclining device has an arm which is pivotally connected via one hinge pin with the corresponding one of two side frame members of seat cushion frame, the arm having upper end connected with a seat back frame. This dual lock mechanism includes a pair of lock elements which are operatively provided in the respective two ordinary reclining devices so as to be operable in a synchronized manner for locking and unlocking both of the two reclining devices. As suggested in the above-noted Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-75980, it is preferable to provide such dual reclining lock mechanism to the two-hinge point type of reclining device stated above. But, as this sort of reclining device has been with the above-described problems, it is technically difficult to incorporate the dual reclining lock mechanism therein.

Reclining device of two-point hinged type for seat


Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for precoding, a network device and a computer readable storage medium. For example, at a network device configured with a plurality of antennas and configured to operate in a plurality of frequency bands, channel state information (CSI) and an indication of a plurality of CSI accuracies corresponding to the CSI are obtained from a plurality of terminal devices. The bandwidth of the plurality of frequency bands is divided into one or more frequency band ranges based on comparison of each CSI accuracy with a first threshold accuracy, and ordering and precoding are performed, based on the CSI, on a plurality of data to be transmitted to the plurality of terminal devices within each frequency band range. Within each frequency band range, the plurality of precoded data is transmitted to the plurality of terminal devices via the plurality of antennas.

In current cellular systems, multi-user/multi-stream communication typically employs linear precoding techniques. However, in many cases, non-linear precoding (NLP) can provide better performance than linear precoding, especially in those scenarios that the channels of user equipment (UE) are spatially correlated. Thus, NLP has been regarded as an important solution for 5G new radio (NR) system and discussed extensively in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standardization meetings.
An NLP technique known as a dirty paper coding (DPC) technique has been proposed. Although this technique can achieve better performance, it is not practical since its implementation process is too complex. Another NLP technique known as Tomlinson-Harashima (THP) precoding technique has suboptimal performance but less implementation complexity compared with DPC technique.
The performance of the THP precoding technology depends on the ordering of user data when the base station (BS) performs pre-coding processing. However, the process of finding the optimal user ordering is generally highly complex. An ideal manner is to find the optimal ordering by exhausting all the orderings, which is undoubtedly rather complicated and difficult to implement. A simple ordering approach is the direct ordering based on the magnitudes of channel gains of UEs. This approach can greatly reduce the complexity and be easily implemented, but has significant performance degradation compared with the optimal ordering. It is proposed to apply the "best first" ordering approach used in V-BLAST to THP. But, this approach still has high complexity.
Therefore, there is a need to design an effective and efficient implementation for the precoding technique for use in NR systems.

Method for non-linear pre-coding based on CSI accuracies, corresponding network device and computer readable storage medium


A gas turbine plant includes an exhaust line, a carbon dioxide recovery device configured to recover carbon dioxide contained in an exhaust gas, a circulation line connected to a gas turbine, a first valve device, a bypass line bypassing the carbon dioxide recovery device, a second valve device provided on the bypass line, a third valve device provided at a position between the bypass line and the carbon dioxide recovery device, a densitometer configured to detect a carbon dioxide concentration in the exhaust gas, and a control device configured to adjust opening degrees of the first valve device, the second valve device, and the third valve device based on an operation state of the gas turbine and the carbon dioxide concentration.

In a power plant using fossil fuels, for example, a plant equipped with a gas turbine (gas turbine plant), an exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide is generated in accordance with an operation of the gas turbine. From the viewpoint of environmental protection, the technology of removing the carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas as much as possible is required. As such technology, for example, a plant disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known.
The plant disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a gas turbine, an exhaust heat recovery boiler provided along a flue gas path through which an exhaust gas of the gas turbine flows, and a CO2 absorption device. Carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas is absorbed by an absorption liquid in the CO2 absorption device, and then stored after being compressed and liquefied.

Gas turbine plant and exhaust carbon dioxide recovery method therefor

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.


A packet-based communications system or network is configured into multiple geographically distinct network bandwidth zones having interzone communications links with a configured maximum bandwidth. Adaptive bandwidth management based upon quality of server (QoS) measurement between two zones is utilized to dynamically raise or lower the maximum allowable bandwidth limit for the link between the two zones. When QoS between two zones degrades, the allowable bandwidth for new calls between the two zones is lowered to a point that assists in increasing the QoS back to an acceptable level (i.e., by blocking new calls or rerouting them). In one embodiment, the QoS information takes the form of QoS alarms generated and transmitted by active IP phones in the network bandwidth zone.

Traditional Internet Protocol (IP) networks have evolved from providing best effort service to providing guaranteed quality of service (QoS) levels for end users. Existing methods of providing high levels of QoS are not always adequate in the voice over IP (VOIP) domain. Prior art call admission control (CAC) generally allows or disallows calls to be set up based on the number of current calls and expected call loading. Thus, such control is not generally based upon QoS measurements of the actual network performance. By measuring the actual QoS network performance parameters at appropriate locations using known QoS factors in real-time, new calls may be limited and/or redirected, thereby providing the desired or needed quality for existing calls and future calls.
Accordingly, there is needed an apparatus and method for using real-time QoS information from one or more points in the network to adapt the bandwidth limit relative to network performance.

Adaptive bandwidth network management for VOIP network


A protective padding assembly for covering a section of chain link fence of the character found in sports venues, such as baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields and the like, wherein the section of chain link fence includes a hingeably connected swinging gate. The protective padding assembly uniquely includes a fence covering section, a gate covering section and an intermediate, wedge shaped portion for covering the gate hinges in a manner that will not interfere with opening and closing the gate.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective padding. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel protective padding assembly for covering a section of a barrier, such as a fence having a swinging gate, the protective padding assembly including a fence covering section, a gate covering section and an intermediate, wedge shaped section for covering the gate hinge in the manner that will not interfere with opening and closing the gate.
2. Description of Related Art including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Protective padding of various kinds has long been used to cover perimeter fences at a number of different types of sports venues including baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields and the like. Perimeter fences typically include a series of posts set in the ground with a fencing material, such as chain-link fencing, spanning the posts. Typically, the prior art protective padding comprises plywood panels covered with vinyl encased, high impact foam that are connected to the chain link fence using plastic washers that are bolted to the back of the protective padding assemblies.
To provide a gate in an opening of the fence, a pipe work frame the size of the opening is typically hinged to one side of the opening. A latch mechanism of some type is then attached to the opposite side of the opening and is used to maintain the gate in the closed position. Covering the gate and the gate hinges with a protective padding in a manner such that the gate can be freely opened and closed has long presented a very troublesome problem. The thrust of the present invention is to solve this troublesome prior art problem by providing a uniquely constructed protective padding assembly that includes a gate pad and a cooperatively associated generally wedge shaped insert of novel design that covers the gate hinge. When the gate is closed, the wedge shaped insert cooperates with the gate pad and with the pad covering the section of fence located adjacent the gate to provide a continuous length of protective pad.


A needle threader for yarn or other bulky materials that is used in needlework having a projecting loop provided with a substantial planar surface to accommodate the strands of the yarn and thereby reducing frictional resistance as the yarn is passed through the eye of the needle. The needle threader is provided with a cutter for the yarn on the same handle utilized by the threader.

Threading a needle requires considerable manual dexterity and the prior art reveals many threaders developed to make it easier. Tapestry and chenille needles as well as other needles suited for yarns can be especially tricky to thread because unconstrained strands of yarn tend to catch on the edges of the needle eye impeding passage of the yarn through the eye of the needle. Inasmuch as yarn is generally thick and bulky, it often bunches up when pushed or pulled into the needle eye augmenting the frictional forces which resist free passage of the yarn.
Some early needle threaders revealed by the prior art are hook-shaped. The thread is placed upon a hook and pushed through the eye. Alternatively, the hooked portion is first placed through the eye and then the thread is placed within the hook. As the hook is withdrawn, it pulls the thread back through the eye. A variation of this hook shape is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 698,855 to Printz which shows an "open" format, L-shaped threader. An important drawback of this device is that it does not hold the thread as securely as the "closed" loop threader shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,144,504 to Schneider, nor is Printz directed to the difficult frictional problems encountered when threading yarns or other bulky threads.
Schneider describes a needle threader employing a resilient wire loop. The loop is narrowly pointed at one end and broadens convexly toward the middle. The narrow point can be used to find the eye of a small needle whereas the broader portion is used to catch the thread. The wire loop is resilient enough to be compressed enabling it to fit through an eye smaller than its uncompressed dimension. However this type of needle threader is unsuitable for yarns or bulky material because the thin wire loop tends to distort or break when material thicker than ordinary sewing thread is forced through the needle eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,160 to Pearce specifically addresses the breakage problem associated with flexible wire loop needle threaders by replacing the thin wire loop with sheet material, preferably aluminum. This change permits the thickness of the loop material measured along the plane of the loop to be considerably greater than the wire used in conventional wire loop threaders. Consequently, the Pearce device can be made stronger than most wire loop threaders enabling it to thread needles for yarn and other bulky materials. An inherent difficulty in the use of a broader or thicker loop is that fewer yarns can be accommodated with any one-sized threader because the loop opening is smaller than the loop opening in a wire loop threader of the same outside diameter.
Another limitation is that Pearce depicts threaders that have a round or "arcuate" opening for accepting the yarn. Likewise, a patent to Muriel A. David, U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,801, for a yarn threading device shows threaders having "substantially circular" openings for accepting yarn. The David patent teaches that the circular openings in a threader can be appreciably larger than the yarn thereby permitting the yarn to "fan out" lessening mechanical resistance to movement through the eye of a needle. While it is evident that a very large opening in a threader will permit a larger "fan out", a round or circular opening in a yarn threader is not necessarily the optimum shape to spread the yarn. Indeed an important aspect of the present invention is that a rectangular opening is more desirable for passage of yarns than a round opening in a yarn threader.
A further limitation of sheet metal threaders is that the threader opening is difficult to deburr effectively. Burrs or sharp edges within the threader opening can cause yarn fibers to break especially when subjected to the pressures caused by bunching or piling of fibers when entering the needle eye.


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a semiconductor light-emitting device using a neutral particle beam. According to the present invention, since the kinetic energy of the neutral particle beam is provided as a portion of the reaction energy for causing a nitride semiconductor single crystal thin film to be formed on a substrate, and the reaction energy is not provided as heat energy by heating a substrate as in the prior art, the substrate may be treated at a relatively low temperature. Furthermore, elements such as Si, Mg, and the like, which are solid elements required for doping are sprayed onto the substrate from a source which generates solid elements for doping together with the neutral particle beam to achieve high doping efficiency at a lower temperature. According to the present invention, since the substrate is treated at a low temperature, the degradation of the substrate and thin film may be prevented, and the undesired diffusion of the doping elements may be prevented to enable the manufacture of the semiconductor light-emitting device having superior light-emitting properties in a relatively easy manner.

In general, nitride single crystal semiconductor thin film deposition is widely used
for forming a light-emitting diodes (LED) or a laser diodes. In order to form nitride single crystal semiconductors on a substrate it is generally necessary to maintain the substrate at a high temperature.
Conventional thin film processes require temperatures above 1,000° C. for crystal growth. The application area of single crystals that are made at such a high temperature is very limited.
Typical technologies used to form conventional nitride semiconductor crystals include MOCVD (Metal Organic CVD) and MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy). To obtain a nitride semiconductor thin film using these methods, the substrate should be maintained at a temperature between 1,050 and 1,100° C. Accordingly, deterioration of the substrate on which nitride semiconductor thin films are formed, for example due to thermal expansion of the sapphire substrates, or deformation of the substrate itself, can be a problem. Furthermore, the difference in lattice constant and coefficient of thermal expansion between the nitride semiconductor thin film formed on the substrate and the substrate can damage a thin film, which can be a problem.
Additionally, as an example of making a light emitting device, an n-type GaN layer,
InGaN active layer and a p-type GaN layer can be formed on top of a sapphire substrate. Impurities such as Mg and Si should be doped on top of the single GaN layer to form the N-type GaN and p-type GaN layers. In this case, if the heating temperature of the substrate is above 1,000° C. the diffusion of the doping impurity atoms is activated. For example, Mg doping atoms used to form the p-type GaN layer may spread into the multi-quantum well, the active layer of an LED, so that the emission characteristics of the light-emitting device is impaired. This may happen in the n-type GaN layer as well. Therefore, the emission characteristics of the light-emitting device will be ultimately degraded.
Patent No. 10-0251035 of the Republic of Korea suggests a method to make a single
crystal thin film using a neutral particle beam after an amorphous or polycrystalline thin film is made on the substrate using plasma CVD as described above.
However, the method disclosed in the publication above requires in advance the manufacture of amorphous or polycrystalline thin films by the plasma CVD method in order to obtain the desired single crystal thin films. Also, since reflectors of various structures should be provided in order to investigate the predetermined angle of the neutral particle beam for the purification of the films, a lot of effort must go into the production process and complex production equipment is required, which then increases the production costs of the semiconductor light-emitting devices leading to a lower LED supply or decreased marketability.

Apparatus and method for manufacturing a light-emitting device using a neutral particle beam


The purpose of this invention is to provide a pleated-type filter used for an apparatus for collecting dust that is optimally designed and to provide the apparatus for collecting dust using the filter, wherein the pleated-type filter can keep the resistance to its ventilation low when the filter is installed in the apparatus for collecting dust so that the pleats are directed vertically, and wherein the area for installing the main bodies of the pleated-type filters can be reduced as much as possible.

Generally, a conventional filter for an apparatus for collecting dust has a cylindrical shape having a bottom plate. Thus, to get the resistance to the ventilation of the filter to a low level and to enlarge the area of filtration, a long filter with a large diameter is required. Accordingly, a cabinet of an apparatus for collecting dust, which cabinet has many filters, becomes large. Therefore, there is a problem such that a large space is required to install the apparatus for collecting dust.
As an example of a conventional apparatus for collecting dust, there is the following apparatus. The apparatus for collecting dust is comprised of a housing, a set of hollow filters disposed in the housing, and a device for shaking off dust from filters by means of jets for reverse cleaning. This device is disposed in the housing, wherein the device comprises a plurality of blowing tubes, which are arranged so that they correspond to the rows of the filters, a source for providing compressed air to each blowing tube, and a plurality of passages of the jets disposed at the blowing tubes, which passages correspond to the openings of each hollow filter. At least one of the areas of the opening of the passage of the jet, the resistance to ventilation of the passage of the jet, and the effective area of the wall for receiving a flow of air, which wall is disposed at the entrance of the passage of the jet, is set as a variable parameter. The variable parameter is varied along the blowing tubes, from the proximal ends to the distal ends of the blowing tubes, so as to equalize the amounts of the air from the jets of each passage. (See Patent Document 1.)
For this pulse-jet-type apparatus for collecting dust, which has the technical features explained in the above paragraph, when the compressed air is blown into the hollow filter, generally 5˜10 times more secondary air than the compressed air that is blown into the hollow filter is sucked into the filter with the compressed air, based on the ejector effect. Accordingly, the secondary air helps to shake off the dust from the filters.
For this conventional and pulse-jet-type apparatus for collecting dust, to have the height of the apparatus be reduced as much as possible, the distance between the short pipes forming the passages of the jets and the hollow filters is shortened. This configuration allows the compressed air to be definitely blown into the hollow filters. However, since the amount of the secondary air is decreased, there is a problem such that the performance for shaking off the dust from the filters is reduced.
Recently, to solve the problem, a pleated-type filter that has a pleated cylindrical body and that is used for an apparatus for collecting dust has been developed. The pleated cylindrical body is made by folding a filtering cloth having a sheet-like shape. Its pleats are directed in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body. (See Patent Document 2.)                Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. H07-16413        Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. H08-309137

Apparatus for collecting dust and a pleated-type filter therefor

Abstract: The ratio of the apertures of the pleats (P/H) that is defined by the intervals (P) between the crests of adjacent pleats of the main body and the heights (H) of its pleats ranges from 0.1 to 0.3. The ratio is determined based on the relationship between the area for installing the pleated-type filters and the ratio of the apertures of the pleats (P/H). This is done by using the resistance to ventilation of the contaminated filtering cloth, which resistance corresponds to a coefficient of resistance that is caused by a filtering cloth and residual dust that cannot be shaken off from the filter by means of the shaking-off operation.