A process for converting carbonyl-type impurities contained in a phenolic solvent to high-boiling derivatives is provided by contacting the phenolic solvent with a hydrotalcite-type material (HTM). The phenol can be separated from the high-boiling derivatives using conventional separation techniques, such as distillation, so the invention also provides a process for separating carbonyl-type impurities, such as hydroxyacetone (HA), from a phenolic solvent. The process can be applied in the conventional industrial process for converting cumene to phenol to remove carbonyl-type impurities from the phenol product. A process and a facility for producing purified phenol by converting cumene to phenol are provided. In the conversion of cumene to phenol, the phenol often contains carbonyl-type impurities. The phenol and carbonyl-type impurities are reacted in the presence of an HTM to produce phenol and high-boiling derivatives. The phenol may be further purified using conventional separation techniques, such as distillation, to remove the high-boiling derivatives.

The present invention relates to a method for production and purification of phenol.
The cumene-to-phenol industrial method is well known and involves a two step synthesis: air-oxidation of cumene to a cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) intermediate, followed by acidic decomposition (cleavage) of the CHP by contacting it with an acid catalyst such as sulfuric acid to yield phenol and acetone as principle products. However, in addition to the desired products, the resulting crude cleavage product mixture also contains amounts of various by-products including alpha-methylstyrene, acetophenone, cumylphenol, dimethylbenzyl alcohol, unreacted cumene and traces of various xe2x80x9ccarbonyl-typexe2x80x9d impurities including hydroxyacetone, mesityl oxide and aldehydes. During the subsequent purification steps these undesirable by-products and impurities must be removed from the final product phenol and acetone using various separation methods which include extraction, distillation and catalytic chemical treatment.
The hydroxyacetone (HA) impurity is known to be produced at the CHP cleavage step via oxidation of acetone at concentrations of 1000 to 2500 ppm, depending on the operating conditions employed. When the CHP cleavage mixture, containing sulfuric acid catalyst, is neutralized, the HA present in the mixture equilibrates and partitions into the two phases in the neutralizer vessel in about equal concentrations. HA is particularly difficult to remove from phenol in the downstream process because it co-distills with phenol during the rectification processes and contaminates the final phenol product. The HA impurity has color-forming tendencies, so trace amounts of HA in the final product phenol renders the phenol product quality unacceptable for many end-use applications, such as bisphenol A and polycarbonate.
Since conventional distillation methods are not effective for removing HA from the phenol product, a number of various chemical treatment methods have been adopted in the industry to achieve its removal via condensation reactions and conversion to higher boiling materials that can be more easily separated from phenol in subsequent distillations. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous processes are described in the prior art. Those processes use both basic and acidic treating agents on the organic streams in the rectification area of the phenol process to promote HA condensation reactions, including sodium hydroxide, amines, ion exchange resins, and zeolites (U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,335,070, 3,454,653, 3,692,845, 5,502,259, and 6,066,767). However, the use of the chemical treatment processes involving ion exchange resins, alumina, silica-alumina, and zeolites results in the reaction of HA and phenol to form a new impurity, 2-methylbenzofuran (2MBF), which is nearly impossible to separate from phenol by distillation at a product column, so phenol quality suffers. The maximum amount of 2MBF that can be present in the final product without significantly affecting the quality is 20 ppm. The amount of 2MBF formed with ion exchange resins is determined by the concentration of HA in the phenol stream supplied to the ion exchange resin. Typically, the use of ion exchange resins to purify phenol from HA results in the formation of 2MBF in amounts that affect the quality of the phenol product. Zeolites are generally superior to ion exchange resins with respect to catalyst life, but they typically generate even higher amounts of 2MBF.
The use of sodium hydroxide or amines as acidic treating agents on the organic streams in the rectification area of the phenol process to promote HA condensation reactions causes other problems. For example, the use of sodium hydroxide has been found to have the following disadvantages:
The strongly basic sodium hydroxide reacts with the phenol itself to form a sodium phenolate salt. This phenolate salt must be recovered or a loss in phenol yield will result;
The sodium phenolate salt can cause fouling of heat exchanger surfaces resulting in downtime and lost production; and
The sodium phenolate salt can contaminate the final product phenol during the subsequent distillation process causing poor quality product and color.
The use of amines results in the production of waste phenol tar, among other things. The waste products are disposed of by burning, thus forming nitrogen oxides that are released into the atmosphere increasing pollution.
Therefore an improved method is needed for removing carbonyl-type impurities, such as HA, from phenol streams without introducing significant amounts of additional contaminants, such as 2MBF, or other by-products that can foul the machinery or increase pollution levels.
It has been discovered that layered double hydroxides (LDHS) can be effectively employed as catalysts that are useful in the process of converting carbonyl-type impurities, such as hydroxyacetone (HA), contained in a phenol stream into high-boiling derivatives that can be removed from the phenol stream by conventional separation techniques, such as distillation. Thus, in accordance with the invention, a process for converting carbonyl-type impurities, such as hydroxyacetone (HA), contained in a phenol stream into high-boiling derivatives is provided by contacting the phenolic solvent with a layered double hydroxide composition. Preferably, the LDH is a hydrotalcite-type material (HTM) of the formula:
[MII1-xMIIIx(OH)2](Anxe2x88x92)x/n
or a hydrate thereof, wherein MII is a divalent metal cation, MIII is a trivalent metal cation, A is an interlayer anion of charge nxe2x88x92, and x is from 0.12 to 0.8. The phenol can be separated from the high-boiling derivatives using conventional separation techniques, such as distillation, so the invention also provides a process for separating carbonyl-type impurities from a phenolic solvent. The process can be applied in the conventional industrial process for converting cumene to phenol to remove carbonyl-type impurities from the phenol product without introducing significant amounts of additional contaminants, such as 2MBF. A process and a facility for producing purified phenol by converting cumene to phenol are provided. In the conversion of cumene to phenol, the phenol often contains carbonyl-type impurities, such as HA. The phenol and carbonyl-type impurities are reacted in the presence of an HTM to produce high-boiling derivatives. The phenol may be further purified using conventional separation techniques, such as distillation, to separate it from the high-boiling derivatives.

Production and purification of phenol: hydroxyacetone removal by hydrotalcite


The invention provides a lighting device (1) comprising: —one or more light sources (10) configured to provide light source light (11); —a luminescent element (5) comprising an elongated luminescent body (100) having a radiation input face (111) for receipt of the light source light (11), the luminescent element (5) comprising a first luminescent material (120) for conversion of at least part of the light source light (11) into luminescent material light (8); —a light guide element (850), configured downstream of the first luminescent material (120), and configured to light guide at least part of the first luminescent material light (8); —a second luminescent material (1120), configured downstream of the first 10 luminescent material (120), at a first distance (d1) of at least 0.5 mm thereof, configured to convert one or more of (i) at least part of the light source light (11) and (ii) at least part of the first luminescent material light (8) into second luminescent material light (1128) having a spectral power distribution differing from a spectral power distribution of the first luminescent material light (8); 15—a light transmissive optical element (24) configured downstream of the light guide element (850), configured to receive at least part of the first luminescent material light (8) of the light guide element (850) and to receive at least part of the second luminescent material light (1128), and configured to transmit the received luminescent material light (8) and the received second luminescent material light (1128), and configured to beam shape at least part of the received luminescent material light (8), and to provide lighting device light (101) comprising one or more of the light source light (11), the first luminescent material light (8) and the second luminescent material light (1128).

Luminescent rods are known in the art. WO2006/054203, for instance, describes a light emitting device comprising at least one LED which emits light in the wavelength range of >220 nm to <550 nm and at least one conversion structure placed towards the at least one LED without optical contact, which converts at least partly the light from the at least one LED to light in the wavelength range of >300 nm to ≤1000 nm, characterized in that the at least one conversion structure has a refractive index n of >1.5 and <3 and the ratio A:E is >2:1 and <50000:1, where A and E are defined as follows: the at least one conversion structure comprises at least one entrance surface, where light emitted by the at least one LED can enter the conversion structure and at least one exit surface, where light can exit the at least one conversion structure, each of the at least one entrance surfaces having an entrance surface area, the entrance surface area(s) being numbered A1 . . . An and each of the at least one exit surface(s) having an exit surface area, the exit surface area(s) being numbered E1 . . . En and the sum of each of the at least one entrance surface(s) area(s) A being A=A1+A2 . . . +An and the sum of each of the at least one exit surface(s) area(s) E being E=E1+E2 . . . +En.
WO 2017/067781 A1 discloses a lighting device with a light guide having at least two ends and extending in an axial direction between a first base surface at one of the ends of the light guide and a second base surface at another end of the light guide, wherein the light guide comprises a plurality of segments, each of said segments comprising a first light in-coupling surface located on a lateral surface of the light guide for coupling of light into the light guide, and each of said segments being configured to convert at least a part of light input therein into light having a selected wavelength range, and wherein the first base surface comprises a second light in-coupling surface for coupling of light into the light guide and the second base surface comprises a light out-coupling surface for coupling of light out of the light guide. Additionally, there is at least one first light-emitting element configured to emit light of a first wavelength range and being optically coupled to the second light in-coupling surface such that light emitted by the at least one first light-emitting element is coupled into the light guide via the second light in-coupling surface, wherein the at least one first light-emitting element is configured so as to reflect at least part of incident light thereon having a wavelength within at least one of the selected wavelength ranges back into the light guide.
US 2008/079910 A1 discloses a projection system that contains an illumination system having at least a first source of incoherent light capable of generating light in a first wavelength range. The illumination system also includes a body containing a fluorescent material that emits light in a second wavelength range, different from the first wavelength range, when illuminated by light in the first wavelength range. The system further includes at least a second fluorescent material that absorbs light in at least one of the first and second wavelength ranges and emits light in a third wavelength range. The body has an extraction area, and at least some of the light in either the second or third wavelength ranges is internally reflected within the body to the extraction area. Light from the extraction area illuminates at least one image-forming device. Image light from the image-forming device is projected by a projection lens unit onto a screen.
US 2016/170120 A1 discloses an illumination apparatus comprising a substantially planar waveguide having top and bottom, an input region for receiving light, and spatially separated from the input region, an output region for emitting light, the output region comprising at least a portion of the top surface of the waveguide, wherein at least a portion of the waveguide confines light by total internal reflection from an interface between a surface of the waveguide and a surrounding ambient. A light source emits light into the input region. On a surface of the waveguide in the input region, a layer of phosphor material is disposed and on top of that a reflector for reflecting converted and unconverted light back into the input region. an out-coupling structure, disposed in the output region, disrupts total internal reflection of substantially uniform mixed light received from the input region such that the substantially uniform mixed light is emitted from the output region.

Luminescent concentrator with CPC, light guide and additional phosphor


An information recording method and information recording apparatus is capable of resolving the trade-off relation between recording density and transmittance, wherein either the reproduction (playback) signal quality or the recording sensitivity is lowered. For this purpose, a voltage is applied by way of ball bearings or slip rings to a specified layer of a medium having multiple layers. The light transmittance of the recording layer is changed by application of this voltage. The tradeoff relationship between recording density and transmittance is eliminated thereby, and the recording density and transmittance levels are both improved, so as to enhance the recording reliability.

An optical disk possesses great advantages in that the recording medium, in the form of a disk, can be removed from the recording/reproduction device, and the recording medium is inexpensive. Therefore, optical disk devices preferably require the advantages of high speed and high recording density without losing the features of disk removability and low cost.
To record information on a magnetic disk or magneto optical disk (MO), the magnetic head is brought near the recording medium. However, during high density recording, the magnetic head is preferably separated from the recording medium as much as possible to achieve high speed.
The principle of irradiating light onto a recording layer to record information is well known. The process has the advantage that an information recording medium is obtained which is capable of being rewritten many times, utilizing a phase change (also called phase transition) in the material that changes the arrangement of the atoms using heat. In the method disclosed in JP-A No. 344807/2001, for example, the basic structure of such a phase-change optical disk is composed of a protective layer formed over a substrate, a recording layer (or film), such as a GeSbTe alloy, another protective layer, and a reflective layer. A multilayer phase-change optical disk of up to four layers is reported to be currently under development.
On the other hand, optical disks utilizing organic material, which are used as a CD-R and DVD-R disk, have been produced for practical commercial use. These disks comprise a recording layer containing pigments that absorb the light wavelengths of the recording light source. Recording is performed on these disks by irradiating a laser light to induce a change in the material on the substrate surface in contact with that recording layer.
Besides a magnetic disk formed of a thin magnetic film, a method was also disclosed utilizing fine magnetic particles, such as FePt, in [Patent document 1] JP-A No. 344807/2001. The medium based on this method preferably has multiple layers for increasing the effective recording density (effective surface density). However, at three or more layers, the transmittance ratio and the recording sensitivity have a tradeoff relationship (one improves while the other becomes worse), so that one of either the reproduction signal quality or the recording sensitivity is sacrificed (becomes worse) at the expense of the other.

Information recording method and information recording apparatus


An exemplary signal processing system determines vector mismatch between a plurality of signal paths. Advantageously, the system can determine mismatch across a range of frequencies. A signal generator of the system can provide a periodic calibration signal having a plurality of frequency components. The system frequency can translate the calibration signal to provide a first set of observed samples. The first sample set can be compared to a second set of samples, which can be modeled by a function of parameters including an estimated vector mismatch and a plurality of basis functions. A value of vector mismatch can then be determined (at least to an estimate) that minimizes the difference between the first sample set and the second sample set. Methods and other systems with different advantageous configurations are also described.

Communication systems frequently separate signals by using a plurality of signal paths that have a predetermined vector relationship. By suitably combining the signal paths, such systems can cancel out undesired signals by mathematically exploiting predetermined phase and amplitude relationships between respective signal vectors of each signal path.
Quadrature image rejection receivers employ signal paths having a quadrature relationship to discriminate between signals having positive frequency (above DC) and negative frequency (below DC). Quadrature direct conversion receivers separate points in a two-dimensional signal space using the orthogonality of quadrature signals to define axes of the signal space. Array processors couple signal processing circuitry to array elements (e.g., antennas, ultrasonic transducer elements, etc.) via signal paths having particular phase and amplitude relationships to define a desired beam pattern. For example, an array beamformer may provide signal paths to antenna elements of an array with equal phase and a windowed (i.e., tapered) distribution of amplitudes to define a broadside beam having superior sidelobe rejection. The beamformer may vary the gain and/or phase between elements to steer the beam to a particular deviation from broadside.
Many communication systems require precise vector matching between signal paths to achieve a high degree of separation between desired and undesired signals. To obtain 50 dB of quadrature image rejection, for example, an in-phase and quadrature signal are required to have no more than about 0.6% amplitude mismatch and about +0.4 degrees of phase mismatch from quadrature. Comparable levels of vector matching are required between elements of an array having 50 dB of sidelobe rejection.
Conventional communication systems employ digital signal processing to determine vector mismatch between signal paths and correct the mismatch. The precision to which such systems can correct mismatch is limited, however, because the mismatch often varies with frequency and is difficult to determine with enough precision to achieve high separation between desired and undesired signals. Consequently, the need remains for determination of vector mismatch across a range of frequencies and with greater accuracy.


This invention provides a fluid control device capable of making compact a fluid control device in which a valve and a limit switch are combined. A valve 6 includes a piston 26 as a moving member which includes a protruding portion protruding from an opening of a casing 21, and which linearly moves according to opening and closing of the valve 6 so as to abut against a limit switch 7. The limit switch 7 is made to face the piston 26 and is attached via a limit switch positioning unit 8 so as to be adjustable about its position. The limit switch positioning unit 8 includes a first bolt 42 fixed to a body 2, a second bolt 43 fixed to the limit switch 7, and a connection screw 44 which connects both the bolts 42, 43. The first bolt 42 and the second bolt 43 have different pitches from each other.

As a flow rate control apparatus to which this invention is directed, in Patent Literature 1, there is proposed an apparatus including a body in which a required fluid passage is formed, a control valve, a sensor and a selector valve attached to the body, a first orifice disposed at an outlet passage from the control valve, a second orifice disposed at an outlet passage from the selector valve, and a control unit. The flow rate is controlled at the first orifice when the selector valve is closed, and the flow rate is controlled at the second orifice when the selector valve is opened (range changeable-type flow rate control apparatus).    Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.

Fluid control device and flow rate control apparatus


A wireless information recording medium including a reversible thermal recording medium, a cushioning material layer provided on the reversible thermal recording medium, an information recording section including an information recording element and an antenna circuit configured to receive and transmit information for the information recording element, and a support layer configured to support the information recording section, and provided on the cushioning material layer. The support layer is stacked on the cushioning material layer and the cushioning material is stacked on the reversible thermal recording medium in a step-wise configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wireless information recording medium which includes a reversible thermal recording medium having an information recording section.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wireless information recording medium, that is a reversible thermal recording medium having an information recording section, includes a reversible thermal recording medium and an information recording section on the reversible thermal recording medium.
When information is re-written and stored in the information recording section, visual images corresponding to the information can be displayed on the reversible thermal recording medium.
FIGS. 1, 1A, and 1B show an example of a conventional wireless information recording medium. FIG. 1 is a top view of an example of a conventional wireless information recording medium 100. FIG. 1A is a sectional view at a line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 1B is a sectional view at a line B-B line in FIG. 1.
The wireless information recording medium 100 includes a reversible thermal recording medium 1, an adhesive layer 8, an information recording section 200, and a protection layer 7.
The adhesive layer 8 adheres the information recording section 200 to the reversible thermal recording medium 1.
The protection layer 7 covers the information recording section 200. The protection layer 7 includes a material of self-adhesiveness, in which the material can be adhered on a counterpart member by applying pressure to the material.
The information recording section 200 includes a support layer 3, an antenna circuit 4, and an information recording element 5.
The information recording element 5 includes an IC (integrated circuit) chip.
The antenna circuit 4 receives and transmits information for the information recording element 5.
The antenna circuit 4 and the information recording element 5 are provided on the support layer 3, and the information recording element 5 contacts the adhesive layer 8.
FIG. 2 shows another example of a conventional wireless information recording medium 101. FIG. 2A is a sectional view of the wireless information recording medium 101, similar to the FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B is a sectional view of the wireless information recording medium 101, similar to the FIG. 1B.
The wireless information recording medium 101 has substantially the same structure as the wireless information recording medium 100 in FIG. 1 except for the following.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the wireless information recording medium 100, the information recording element 5 of the information recording section 200 contacts the adhesive layer 8.
However, as shown in FIG. 2, in the wireless information recording medium 101, the support layer 3 of the information recording section 200 contacts the adhesive layer 8.
Therefore, it can be said that the information recording section 200 in the wireless information recording medium 100 is upside down in FIG. 2 compared to FIG. 1.
The above-described wireless information recording mediums 100 and 101 are transported in a direction shown by an arrow in FIGS. 1 and 1B or FIG. 2B, respectfully, and inserted into a re-writable recording apparatus (not shown).
In the re-writable recording apparatus, the reversible thermal recording medium 1 is configured to receive image deleting and recording processes.
During the image deleting and recording process (i.e., deleting and printing of images) to the above-described wireless information recording medium 100 or 101, the reversible thermal recording medium 1 is pressed to a heating device (not shown) such as a thermal head, deleting bar, deleting roller, or deleting plate in the re-writable recording apparatus.
As for the above-described wireless information recording medium 100 or 101, an outer periphery face of a layered structure formed with outer periphery faces of the protection layer 7, the support layer 3, and the adhesive layer 8 has a flush face and has a right angle with respect to a surface of the reversible thermal recording medium 1 as shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 2B. Therefore, the reversible thermal recording medium 1 is unevenly pressed by the above-described heating device (not shown).
Accordingly, a convex shape corresponding to a shape of information recording section 200 may be formed on the reversible thermal recording medium 1. For example, the deleting roller rotates and presses a surface of the reversible thermal recording medium 1 at first, then the deleting roller runs upon the outer periphery face of the above-described layered structure having a flush face in one action, and presses the layered structure toward the reversible thermal recording medium 1.
When the deleting roller runs upon the layered structure, the deleting roller applies pressure to the layered structure in a direction which is opposite of the medium transport direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. In other words, a force which peels off the layered structure from the reversible thermal recording medium 1 may be applied from the deleting roller to the layered structure.
Accordingly, the reversible thermal recording medium 1 may not be uniformly heated by the heating device (not shown), thereby when printing images, a heat conduction in the reversible thermal recording medium 1 may not be uniformly conducted. Therefore, unevenness may happen to images recorded on the reversible thermal recording medium 1.
Furthermore, when deleting image information, the heating device (not shown) may unevenly contact the reversible thermal recording medium 1, thereby an insufficient image deletion may happen.
Furthermore, a convex shape corresponding to the shape of the information recording element 5 may be observed on the reversible thermal recording medium 1.
Because the information recording element 5 is pressed by the heating device (not shown) via the reversible thermal recording medium 1, the information recording element 5 may be peeled off from the reversible thermal recording medium 1 or may be damaged.
Furthermore, if the reversible thermal recording medium 1 becomes too large such as when an A4-sized sheet is used, an entire surface of the reversible thermal recording medium 1 may not be used effectively for image deleting and recording. Therefore, there is a limit on the size of the reversible thermal recording medium 1 that can be used.
In order to cope with the above-described drawbacks, some background arts have been developed. However, such background arts may have some drawbacks such as the wireless information recording medium (reversible thermal recording medium having information recording section) may become thicker and harder.
If such a medium (e.g., a card) is used, there may be a drawback that an information re-writing and storing to the information recording element and an information re-writing and storing to the reversible thermal recording medium may not be conducted simultaneously by a re-writable recording apparatus used for reversible thermal recording.


The invention relates to an inspection apparatus and a method for inspecting a sample, such as a lithographic patterning device or mask, for anomalies, such as contamination particles or defects. The inspection apparatus includes a support structure constructed and arranged to support the sample, and a radiation system constructed and arranged to radiate a sample with a radiation beam. The radiation system is provided with a first polarizer. The apparatus also includes a detection system constructed and arranged to detect radiation that is reflected from the sample with a detector. The detection system is provided with a second polarizer.

A lithographic system applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic system can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive compound (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned.
Being able to guarantee defect-free imaging in extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) lithographic systems may be necessary for a successful introduction and acceptance in the market of EUV lithographic systems. Particles on the patterning device are one of the main sources of imaging defects, because the EUV patterning device is not covered by a membrane or pellicle (as is common for deep ultraviolet light (DUV) patterning devices) which keeps any contamination out of focus. For the next generation lithography tools, particles with a diameter of 30 nm and larger may be detrimental. Inspecting the patterning device before moving the patterning device to an exposure position is a desired aspect of a patterning device handling process for extreme ultraviolet patterning devices.

Inspection apparatus, lithographic system provided with the inspection apparatus and a method for inspecting a sample


A hospital gown for permitting attachment of different portions of the hospital gown together to make it more convenient when performing various functions. The garment includes a hospital gown with an elongate main slit located on the back of the hospital gown and extending between the top neck opening and the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The outer side of the front of the hospital gown has spaced apart first, second and third attachment regions. The first attachment region is positioned adjacent the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The second attachment region is positioned between the top neck opening and the first attachment region and the third attachment region is positioned between the first and second attachment regions. The first attachment region is detachably attachable to the second and third attachment regions. The outer side of the back of the hospital gown has fourth and fifth attachment regions positioned on the outer side of the back of the hospital gown adjacent the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The fourth and fifth attachment regions each are detachably attachable to the second and third attachment regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hospital gowns and more particularly pertains to a new hospital gown for permitting attachment of different portions of the hospital gown together to make it more convenient when performing various functions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of hospital gowns is known in the prior art. More specifically, hospital gowns heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art hospital gowns include U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,159; U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,086; U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,477; U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,467; U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,864; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,278.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new hospital gown. The inventive device includes a hospital gown with an elongate main slit located on the back of the hospital gown and extending between the top neck opening and the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The outer side of the front of the hospital gown has spaced apart first, second and third attachment regions. The first attachment region is positioned adjacent the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The second attachment region is positioned between the top neck opening and the first attachment region and the third attachment region is positioned between the first and second attachment regions. The first attachment region is detachably attachable to the second and third attachment regions. The outer side of the back of the hospital gown has fourth and fifth attachment regions positioned on the outer side of the back of the hospital gown adjacent the bottom edge of the hospital gown. The fourth and fifth attachment regions each are detachably attachable to the second and third attachment regions.
In these respects, the hospital gown according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of has fasteners positioned at various locations to permit attaching different portions of the hospital gown together to make it more convenient when performing various functions.


Disclosed herein are golf products, such as golf balls and/or components thereof, including the product of a fast-chemical-reaction mixture comprising a polyol and an isocyanate. The component is formed by reaction injection molding the reaction mixture. In the reaction mixture, the stoichiometry of the reactants is imbalanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf equipment comprising a fast-chemical-reaction-produced component. The component is made from a reaction injection molding process in which the stoichiometry between reactants is imbalanced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reaction injection molding ("RIM") is a process used to make golf equipment or products such as golf balls and/or components thereof, including covers, cores, inner layers, etc. Highly reactive liquids are injected into a closed mold, mixed usually by impingement and/or mechanical mixing in an in-line device such as a "peanut mixer", and polymerized primarily in the mold to form a coherent, one-piece molded article. When used to make a polyurethane or polyurea article, RIM usually involves a rapid reaction between two types of reactants: (a) a polyol or other material with an active hydrogen, such as a polyfunctional alcohol or amine (hereinafter referred to as "polyol"); and (b) an isocyanate-containing compound (hereinafter referred to as "isocyanate"). The reactants are stored in separate tanks prior to molding and may be first mixed in a mix-head upstream of a mold and then injected into the mold. The liquid streams are metered in the desired weight to weight ratio and fed into an impingement mix-head, with mixing occurring under high pressure, e.g., 1500 to 3000 psi. The liquid streams impinge upon each other in the mixing chamber of the mix-head and the mixture is injected into the mold. One of the liquid streams typically contains a catalyst for the reaction. The reactants react rapidly after mixing to gel and form polyurethane or polyurea polymers. Such mixtures, typically reacting in five minutes or less, are herein referred to as "fast-chemical-reaction" mixtures.
RIM offers several advantages over conventional injection and compression molding techniques. For example, the reactants are simultaneously mixed and injected into the mold, forming the desired component. In conventional techniques, the reactants must first be mixed in a mixer separate from the molding apparatus, and then added into the apparatus. In such a process, the mixed reactants first solidify and must later be melted in order to properly mold the desired component.
Additionally, the RIM process requires lower temperatures and pressures during molding than injection or compression molding. Under the RIM process, the molding temperature is maintained from about 90 to about 180° F., and usually at about 100-160° F., in order to ensure proper injection viscosity. Compression molding is typically completed at a higher molding temperature of about 320° F. (160° C.). Injection molding is completed at an even higher temperature range of 392-482° F. (200-250° C.). Molding at a lower temperature is beneficial when, for example, the cover is molded over a very soft core so that the very soft core does not melt or decompose during the molding process.
Moreover, the RIM process creates more favorable durability properties in a golf ball component than conventional techniques. For example, a golf ball cover produced by a RIM process has a uniform or "seamless" cover in which the properties of the cover material in the region along the parting line are generally the same as the properties of the cover material at other locations on the cover, including at the poles. The improvement in durability is due to the fact that the reaction mixture is distributed uniformly into a closed mold. This uniform distribution of the injected materials reduces or eliminates knit-lines and other molding deficiencies which can be caused by temperature differences and/or reaction differences in the injected materials. The RIM process results in generally uniform molecular structure, density and stress distribution as compared to conventional injection molding processes, where failure along the parting line or seam of the mold can occur because the interfacial region is intrinsically different from the remainder of the cover layer and, thus, can be weaker or more stressed.
Furthermore, the RIM process is relatively faster than conventional techniques. In the RIM process, the chemical reaction usually takes place in under 5 minutes, typically in less than two minutes, sometimes in under one minute and, in many cases, in about 30 seconds or less. The demolding time may be 10 minutes or less. The molding process for the conventional methods itself typically takes about 15 minutes. Thus, the overall speed of the RIM process makes it advantageous over the injection and compression molding methods.
The term "demold time" generally refers to the mold release time, which is the time span from the mixing of the components until the earliest possible time at which the part may be removed from the mold. At that time of removal, the part is said to exhibit sufficient "green strength." The term "reaction time" generally refers to the setting time or curing time, which is the time span from the beginning of mixing until the time at which the product no longer flows. Further description of the terms setting time and mold release time are provided in the "Polyurethane Handbook," edited by Gunter Oertel, Second Edition, ISBN 1-56990-157-0, herein incorporated by reference.
Polyurethane and/or polyurea polymers are typically made from three reactants: alcohols, amines, and isocyanate-containing compounds. Both alcohols and amines have a reactive hydrogen atom and are generally referred to as "polyols". They react with the isocyanate-containing compound, which is generally referred to as an "isocyanate."
Several chemical reactions may occur during polymerization of isocyanate and polyol. Isocyanate groups (—N═C═O) that react with alcohols form a polyurethane, whereas isocyanate groups that react with an amine group form a polyurea. A polyurethane itself may react with an isocyanate to form an allophanate and a polyurea can react with an isocyanate to form a biuret. Because the biuret and allophanate reactions occur on an already-substituted nitrogen atom of the polyurethane or polyurea, these reactions increase cross-linking within the polymer. The stoichiometry of a polyurethane reaction is usually defined as the number of equivalents of active hydrogen groups divided by the number of equivalents of isocyanate groups multiplied by 100. In shorthand, the formula is [—OH or —NH2]/[—NCO]*100. Typical systems utilize a stoichiometry of 95 to 105. A stoichiometry of 95 represents a 5% excess of isocyanate, which ensures that all of the polyol, or soft component, is reacted, providing a fully cured material. A stoichiometry of 105 may be used to obtain a slightly softer material, with the excess polyol acting as a plasticizer. A stoichiometry of 95 to 105 shall be considered balanced. An imbalanced stoichiometry shall be considered to be less than 95 or greater than 105.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Golf products produced by a stoichiometrically imbalanced rim system


The invention comprises a trampoline including a flexible mat, a plurality of resiliently flexible rods each having a lower end retained in a frame of the trampoline and an enlarged upper end, and a plurality of fittings coupled to the mat about a periphery of the mat and including on or in an underside of each fitting a socket cavity which receives the upper end of a flexible rod so that the upper ends of the flexible rods are pivotally connected to the periphery of the mat, the fitting also including an entry into the socket cavity for the enlarged upper end of the flexible rod through an upper side of the fitting and a restricted entry towards the socket cavity for a part of the flexible rod below said enlarged upper end and through which the rod upper end cannot pass, to one side of the fitting and defined between opposed side or underside parts of the fitting.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,174 discloses a form of soft-edged trampoline in which the mat of the trampoline is supported by a plurality of resiliently flexible rods received in a frame of the trampoline at the lower ends of the rods and coupled to the periphery of the bouncing mat of the trampoline at their upper ends, and which avoids the need for a solid frame about the exterior of the bouncing mat and exposed springs between the frame and periphery of the mat.
PCT patent publications WO 03/043704 and WO 04/105886 relate to improved edge fittings for such soft-edged trampolines, for coupling the upper ends of the rods to the periphery of the mat. The fittings have a cavity on the underside of the fittings into which a ball-shaped upper end of a rod fits to connect the rod to the peripheral edge of the trampoline to form a coupling between the ends of the rods and the mat.


In one aspect of the present invention a drill bit assembly comprises a working portion opposite a shank of the bit. The working portion has a plurality of cutting elements. The drill bit assembly also has a central axis eccentric to its axis of rotation. A jack element protrudes from an opening formed in the working portion and has a distal end that is adapted to contact a formation at the axis of rotation.

This invention relates to drill bits, specifically drill bit assemblies for use in oil, gas and geothermal drilling. Various methods have been devised for passing a drill bit assembly through an existing cased borehole and permitting the drill bit assembly to drill a new portion of the borehole that is of a larger diameter than the inside diameter of the existing borehole. However, bi-center drill bits often experience bit whirl because of the harsh conditions as well as the lack of stability when drilling below the earth's surface.
The prior art has addressed issues dealing with the stabilization of drill bits, specifically bi-center drill bits. Such issues have been addressed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,223 to Duster, which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains. The '223 patent discloses a method and apparatus for reaming or enlarging a borehole using a bi-center bit with a stability-enhanced design. The cutters on the pilot bit section of the bi-center bit are placed and oriented to generate a lateral force vector longitudinally offset from, but substantially radically aligned with, the much larger lateral force vector generated by the reamer bit section. These two aligned force vectors thus tend to press the bit in the same lateral direction (which moves relative to the borehole sidewall as the bit rotates) along its entire longitudinal extent so that a single circumferential area of the pilot bit section gage rides against the sidewall of the pilot borehole, resulting in a reduced tendency for the bit to cock or tilt with respect to the axis of the borehole. Further, the pilot bit section includes enhanced gage pad area to accommodate this highly-focused lateral loading, particularly that attributable to the dominant force vector generated by the reamer bit section, so that the pilot borehole remains in-gage and round in configuration, providing a consistent longitudinal axis for the reamer bit section to follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,577 to Fielder which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a drilling tool operational with a rotational drive source for drilling in a subterranean formation where the tool comprises a body defining a face disposed about a longitudinal axis, a plurality of cutting elements fixedly disposed on and projecting from the tool face and spaced apart from one another, and one or more stabilizing elements disposed on the tool face and defining a beveled surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,312 to Eppink, et al. which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a drilling assembly that includes an eccentric adjustable diameter blade stabilizer and has a housing with a fixed stabilizer blade and a pair of adjustable stabilizer blades. The adjustable stabilizer blades are housed within openings in the stabilizer housing and have inclined surfaces which engage ramps on the housing for cramming the blades radically upon their movement axially. The adjustable blades are operatively connected to an extender piston on one end for extending the blades and a return spring at the other end for contracting the blades. The eccentric stabilizer also includes one or more flow tubes through which drilling fluids pass that apply a differential pressure across the stabilizer housing to actuate the extender pistons to move the adjustable stabilizer blades axially upstream to their extended position. The eccentric stabilizer is mounted on a bi-center bit which has an eccentric reamer section and a pilot bit. In the contracted position, the areas of contact between the eccentric stabilizer and the borehole form a contact axis which is coincident with the pass through axis of the bi-center bit as the drilling assembly passes through the existing cased borehole. In the extended position, the extended adjustable stabilizer blades shift the contact axis such that the areas of contact between the eccentric stabilizer and the borehole form a contact axis which is coincident with the axis of the pilot bit so that the eccentric stabilizer stabilizes the pilot bit in the desired direction of drilling as the eccentric reamer section reams the new borehole.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,207 to Hoffmaster, et al. which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a bi-center drill bit which includes a bit body having pilot blades and reaming blades distributed azimuthally around the body. The blades have cutting elements disposed thereon at selected positions. The body and blades define a longitudinal axis of the bit and a pass-through axis of the bit. In one aspect, selected ones of the pilot blades include thereon, longitudinally between the pilot blades and the reaming blades, a pilot hole conditioning section including gage faces. The gage faces define a diameter intermediate a pilot hole diameter and a pass-through diameter defined, respectively, by the pilot blades and the reaming blades.


Provided is a cap (41) for a button, of which material is a polygonal plate. The cap (41) includes a main surface covering portion (42) formed substantially at the center of the polygonal plate and a plurality of holding piece portions (44) formed by bending corners of the polygonal plate from an outer peripheral end of the main surface covering portion (42) to a rear surface side of the main surface covering portion (42). Provided between the main surface covering portion (42) and the plurality of holding piece portions (44) is a lateral side covering portion (43) around the outer peripheral end of the main surface covering portion (42).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a button cap for covering an outer surface of a button, a fixing member for fixing a button main body to a fabric and a button using the button cap or the fixing member, which are for buttons for holding mating portions of a garment or ornamental buttons mainly used for decorative purposes.
2. Description of Related Art
Buttons include buttons for holding mating portions of a garment and ornamental buttons mainly used for decorative purposes. Such buttons each include a male button and a female button which are fitted to each other. Generally, the male button is attached on one of the mating portions of a fabric and the female button is attached on the other mating portion such that the male and female buttons face each other. By fitting the male button in the female button, the mating portions of the fabric are held together.
The male and female buttons each have a button main body attached on a mating surface of the fabric and a fixing member for fixing the button main body to the fabric by holding the button main body from the other side of the mating surface of the fabric.
FIG. 9 shows a button main body 10 and a fixing member 20 of a prior art female button.
The button main body 10 includes a base cylindrical portion 11 to abut to a fabric 1 and a fitting cylindrical portion 13 integrally formed so as to extend from the base cylindrical portion 11. The fitting cylindrical portion 13 has a cylindrical shape and a larger diameter than that of the base cylindrical portion 11. An opening 12 is formed at the center of a surface of the base cylindrical portion 11, the surface abutting to the fabric 1. The fixing member 20 is inserted through the opening 12 and engaged therein, so that the button main body 10 is fixed to the fabric 1. A male button insertion hole 14 is formed in the fitting cylindrical portion 13 on the opposite side of the mating surface of the fabric 1. Male button engaging springs 15 are accommodated in the fitting cylindrical portion 13.
As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing member 20 includes a fixing member main body 21 and a cap 31 to cover an outer surface of the fixing member main body 21.
The fixing member main body 21 includes a flange portion 22 substantially in a circular plate shape, a connecting cylindrical portion 23 and an engaging axial portion 24 integrally formed from the flange portion 22 via the connecting cylindrical portion 23 at the center of the flange portion 22.
The cap 31 includes a main surface covering portion 32 in a circular plate shape to cover an outer surface of the flange portion 22 and a holding portion 34 to be bent inward in an arc shape from an outer periphery of the main surface covering portion 32 to hold an outer periphery of the flange portion 22.
As one example of such a fixing member, a metal female hock disclosed in JP-63-148205-U is known.
As shown in FIG. 11, the cap 31 has been conventionally manufactured by blanking a circular plate blank 36 out of a plate material with a press machine and then drawing the circular plate blank 36 into a short cylindrical cap 31 with the press machine. The cap 31 has been manufactured to have a short cylindrical shape with the main surface covering portion 32 of the circular plate shape as a bottom wall and the holding portion 34 of the cylindrical shape as an outer peripheral wall.
The flange portion 22 of the fixing member main body 21 is placed in the cap 31 and an end of the cylindrical holding portion 34 is curled inward and clinched, thereby manufacturing the fixing member 20.
The prior art manufacturing method of the cap contains the following disadvantages.
(a) In a blanking process of the circular plate blanks 36 out of the plate material, when the circular plate blanks 36 with the outer circumferences contacting to each other, the outer circumferences may be deformed, so that the blanked-out circular plate blanks 36 are not accurate. To prevent this problem, the adjacent circular plate blanks 36 are disposed with a margin of about 1 mm therebetween in the blanking process of the circular plate blanks 36. After the blanking process, the margin portion is left in a frame shape in the plate material. Thus, the deformation of the outer circumference of the blank 36 is avoided of the blanked in a contacting state with no bridge, such circular plate blanks 36 cannot be accurate. However, providing the margin may reduce the material use efficiency.(b) When clinching the short cylindrical cap 31 obtained by drawing the circular plate blank 36 to a component of the button (for example, the fixing member main body 21), the end of the holding portion 34 continuously extending from the outer periphery of the main surface covering portion 32 needs to be curled inward. In other words, the entire circumference of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical holding portion 34 needs to be clinched, requiring a large load. Hence, a punch or a die used for clinching may be damaged.(c) When a garment with the above-described button is soaked in a liquid for washing or decoration, the liquid may remain in the cap 31 especially in an inner space of the curled portion of the cylindrical holding portion 34, which may cause discoloration or degradation of the garment.(d) In a state in which the cap 31 is clinched to the fixing member main body 21, the entire circumference of the cylindrical holding portion 34, that is, the entire circumference of the clinched portion is curled inward to abut to the fixing member main body 21. Accordingly, when the fixing member main body 21 or the cap 31 has a circular shape, the cap 31 may easily rotate relative to the fixing member main body 21. Hence, when the cap 31 has an image pattern or a character thereon, the orientation of the image pattern or the character may vary. It is not preferable in terms of design.

Cap for button, fixing member and button


A method is provided for fabricating integrated electronic components. According to the method, an initial structure is produced on the surface of a first substrate. This initial structure incorporates a defined pattern formed from volumes of differentiated materials. At least part of the initial substrate that includes the defined pattern is transferred onto a second substrate, preferably by inverting the first substrate against the second substrate and then removing the first substrate. An additional structure is then produced on the second substrate. This additional structure includes volumes of material placed in correspondence with some of the volumes of differentiated material of the defined pattern. The electronic components thus produced may have a suitable configuration in accordance with technological or geometrical constraints. In a preferred method, a selective treatment is applied to the transferred part of the initial structure, so as to make a distinction between the volumes of differentiated material of the pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating integrated electronic circuits, and in particular to the production of complex structures intended to constitute parts of electronic components on the surface of a semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
The production of electronic components on the surface of a semiconductor substrate results in general from a complex process which is subject to constraints of various types. Such constraints relate, for example, to the arrangement of the various components, or parts of components, with respect to one another, in order to allow these components to operate in the desired manner. Other constraints, of a geometrical nature, result from the technological trend pertaining to this type of component towards ever higher levels of integration. This trend necessitates the design of more compact arrangements of components, which cannot be achieved by standard fabrication processes for integrated circuits. Yet other constraints may be of a mechanical nature, associated with the deformation liable to occur when the components are heated.
Moreover, when several levels of components or parts of components are superposed on top of the surface of a substrate, the lower levels (those closest to the surface of the substrate) are generally produced first, before the upper levels (those furthest from the surface of the substrate). The reason for this order of production is that it is expedient to be able to have access to each level of the components, during its production, via a free face of the component during production, in general the face on the opposite side to the substrate. However, certain materials incorporated into upper levels may have to be subjected in situ to heat treatments at high temperature, whereas materials incorporated into lower levels would be degraded by such heat treatments.
In practice, a compromise must often be accepted between certain characteristics of the final components and constraints such as those mentioned above.
It is known to produce components or parts of components on a first substrate and then to transfer them onto the surface of a second substrate. To do this, an initial structure corresponding to parts of components is produced on a surface of the first substrate. This first substrate is then inverted and applied against a surface of the second substrate via the initial structure. After the two substrates have been bonded together, the first substrate is removed, leaving at least part of the initial structure on the second substrate. The forming of electronic components can then be continued with the production of an additional structure on top of the initial structure portion that was transferred from the first substrate to the second.
The process of bonding the first substrate to the second substrate, by bringing a portion of the initial structure into contact with a portion of the surface of the second substrate, is known. Such a process is called molecular bonding, or wafer bonding. The surface portions of the initial structure and of the second substrate which are brought into contact with one another in such a process are usually silicon or silica portions, which are able to exhibit good adhesion between themselves when they contain no trace of foreign elements.
Removal of the first substrate, which occurs after the wafer bonding step, is carried out so as to leave at least part of the initial structure on the second substrate. This removal may be achieved by various known methods. In particular, the first substrate may be removed by polishing and/or by plasma etching. In other words, the two steps—wafer bonding and removal of the first substrate—allow the initial structure to be transferred onto the second substrate after the initial structure has been produced on the first substrate.
Such a process makes it possible to transfer, onto the surface of the second substrate, first materials that have undergone beforehand a heat treatment at high temperature, on top of second materials that would degrade at such a temperature. For this purpose, the heat treatment is applied to the first materials while they are supported by the first substrate, during production of the initial structure, and while the materials liable to be degraded have not yet been covered by the initial structure.
Such a process also makes it possible to provide, within the arrangement of the components or parts of components, volumes left empty of material, which affect the electronic behavior of the components.
One drawback of these types of methods which proceed by transferring an initial structure between two substrates appears during the continuation of the production of the structure on top of the initial structure portion that is transferred. This is because there is a need for a step of alignment between the second substrate supporting the initial structure portion transferred and a tool intended to produce the aforementioned additional structure. In practice, this step often involves positioning a photolithography mask in relation to the initial structure portion. However, this mask positioning step is complex and often requires several adjustments in order to obtain sufficient alignment precision.
Furthermore, the high levels of integration currently sought, corresponding for example to 0.12 micron or 0.10 micron technologies, or yet even finer technologies, appear to be incompatible with an intervening positioning step while certain of the components are only partly produced. This is because the alignment uncertainty currently obtained is on the order of, or even greater than, the dimensions of certain parts of components included in the initial structure portion that is transferred between the two substrates. As an example, the most precise methods currently used to align a photomask with respect to a substrate have a residual uncertainty of 60 nanometers. Even if this residual uncertainty were to be reduced, for example down to 45 nanometers, it would remain too great for already envisaged technologies for fabricating transistors having gates 30 nanometers in width.

Electronic components and method of fabricating the same


A vehicle behavior analysis system performs an analysis of vehicle operation by displaying behavior data in an organized and analyzed form. A vehicle behavior data collecting unit records information on the vehicle's driving as behavior data and an analysis unit analyzes a recorded content of the vehicle behavior data collecting unit. A recorded data unit obtaining part obtains the recorded data units recorded in a memory of the vehicle behavior data collecting unit and a displaying part displays the content concerning at least a predetermined item among the contents shown by obtained each recorded data unit in a form of a table sectioned for each recorded data units and arranged at a side of the analysis unit, and a risk degree calculated based on the content shown by each recorded data units is contained in the predetermined item displayed by the displaying part.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle behavior analysis system that records behavior or a surrounding situation of a motor vehicle during a certain period before and after a time of an accident or a time when a driver feels concern because he or she is close to being involved in an accident even though this situation does not result in an accident and that makes an after-the-fact analysis why the motor vehicle got involved in the situation.
2. Related Art
Recently, a vehicle-mountable driving recorder has been developed as a vehicle behavior data collecting unit that can automatically record an image of outside or inside of a motor vehicle (an automobile) while driving and make an after-the-fact analysis on an objective situation consequently of a driver's driving tendency at a time of an accident or at a time when a driver feels concern because he or she is close to being involved in an accident. There is a trend that this kind of a driving recorder should be mounted on, for example, a taxi in order to prevent an accident by making the after-the-fact analysis on a usual driving or to investigate an objective evidence of a cause of an accident when the accident occurs.
The vehicle behavior data collecting unit of this type sequentially and chronologically records behavior data such as image data of both outside and inside the vehicle while the vehicle is driving, acceleration data, speed data or position data in a memory. An objective analysis of an accident can then be made by reference to the behavior data stored in the memory by the use of another device, see Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. 5-197858.
However, it takes time and labor to secure the desired data from chronologically consecutive and lengthy behavior data in the case of trying to make a timely analysis of the recorded behavior data after the fact. This is because it is very troublesome to judge what has happened and the place where it happened at a glance just by surveying the lengthy behavior data.


An internal tieback connector for a subsea wellhead housing has a body which lands on the wellhead housing. A funnel extends over the wellhead housing. An internal connector element carried by the body will engage a profile in the wellhead housing. A connector actuator when moved axially downward will actuate the connector element. A tube extends downward from the connector actuator and engages the bore of a casing hanger. A locking device employs slips to allow downward movement of the actuator but prevent upward movement. The locking device can be released. A running tool is hydraulically actuated for moving the actuator downward and releasing the actuator to disconnect the tieback connector.

1. Field of the invention:
This invention relates in general to subsea well equipment, and in particular to an apparatus for tying back a wellhead housing located at the sea floor to the surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
One type of subsea well employs a wellhead housing located at the sea floor, and a production Christmas tree located at the surface on a platform. Large diameter casing will be lowered from the surface down toward the wellhead housing. A tieback connector will connect the wellhead housing to the riser.
One type of tieback connector has a downward facing funnel that slides over the wellhead housing. The tieback connector has a body with an internal connector device. The connector device will connect to grooves or threads formed in the wellhead housing. Normally, the connection is handled by lowering a running tool and rotating portions of the connector device to move it to a locked position.
While successful, improvements are desired for tieback connectors and running tools wherein large bending forces may be exerted, such as with tension leg platforms.


A fly-back type synchronous rectifying switching power supply device in which a rectifying element is turned off before the main switch is turned on even when the on-time of a main switch element is lengthened due to sudden variation of a load. The synchronous rectifying switching power supply device is equipped with a synchronous rectifying element connected to a secondary winding of a transformer in series and driving means including an auxiliary winding for turning on the synchronous rectifying element complementarily with a main switch element between output terminals. A transistor serving as interrupting means for turning off the synchronous rectifying element is provided between the gate and source of the synchronous rectifying element. An off-timing at which the synchronous rectifying element is turned off by the interrupting means is set within a timing range which corresponds to a fixed time after the main switch element is turned on and also is as near as a fixed driving period of the main switch element.

In a conventional fly-back converter which is a switching power supply device having a synchronous rectification type rectifying circuit, a series circuit comprising a DC power source and a main switching element is connected to a primary winding side of a transformer, and a synchronous rectifying element is provided to a secondary winding of the transformer in series, and further connected to an output terminal through a rectifying circuit as disclosed in JP-A-2000-116122. The fly-back converter controls to turn on/off the main switch element of a MOS-FET. When the main switch element is turned off, the MOS-FET which is a synchronous rectifying element of the secondary side circuit of the transformer is turned on, and an output capacitor of the rectifying circuit is charged by a fly-back voltage occurring at the secondary winding. Thereafter, the synchronous rectifying element is turned off before the main switch element is turned on, and this operation is repeated to supply power to the output side.
In the case of the synchronous rectifying type fly-back converter as described above, when the off-timing of the synchronous rectifying element is missed and thus the main switch is turned on under the state that the synchronous rectifying element is still turned on, the circuit at the secondary side of the power supply device falls into a short-circuited state, and thus a large surge current flows into the main switch element, so that the main switch element, the synchronous rectifying element, etc. may be broken.
Therefore, as disclosed in JP-A-2000-116122, there is known a switching power supply circuit in which in order to prevent the simultaneous on-state of the main switch element and the synchronous rectifying element, in response to turn-off the main switch element, a timing capacitor is charged with current determined by a voltage induced at an auxiliary winding and a timing resistor after the synchronous rectifying element is turned on, and an auxiliary transistor is turned on after a fixed time to turn off the rectifying element.
In the case of the synchronous rectifying type switching power supply device of the prior art described above, the fixed time Tc of the timing capacitor is set to be prior to the on-timing of the main switch element to some degree by providing a dead time td so that the rectifying element is necessarily turned off before the main switch element is turned on as shown in FIG. 1. The dead time td is set by the time constant of the timing capacitor so that the rectifying element is turned off within an off-time of the main switch element which is determined by an input voltage, an output voltage and a turn ratio of the transformer.
However, in the case of the conventional synchronous rectifying type fly-back converter, there is a case where load current increases rapidly and the main switch element is turned on for a time longer than the on-time of the main switch element determined by the input/output voltage and the turn ratio of the transformer. In such a case, there is a case where the voltage of the timing capacitor does not reach the threshold voltage of the auxiliary transistor element for turning off the synchronous rectifying element within a fixed on/off period of the main switch element as indicated by a broken line of FIG. 1. In such a case, there is a problem that the main switch element is turned on before the rectifying element is turned off, and a very large surge current flows into the main switch element, so that the circuit at the secondary side of the power supply device is kept short-circuited and thus through current flows into the secondary side circuit, resulting in breaking of the main switch element, the synchronous rectifying element, etc.
During the period of the dead time td, the rectifying operation is carried out by a diode connected to the synchronous rectifying element in parallel or a body diode of MOS-FET serving as the synchronous rectifying element. The loss during the rectifying period of the diode is larger than that during the period when the rectifying element of the MOS-FET is turned on. Accordingly, the dead time is required to be as short as possible, however, there is a problem that it is impossible to shorten the dead time td in order to surely turn off the synchronous rectifying element before the main switch element is turned on. Furthermore, the switching frequency cannot be increased because the dead time td cannot be shortened, which also prevents miniaturization and lower cost to produce the device.
In addition, there is also a problem that when a voltage not less than a set voltage is applied between the output voltage terminals from the external or when power supply is stopped in a case where a large-capacity external capacitor is provided between the output terminals, the synchronous rectifying element at the secondary side cannot be turned off and thus through current flows, or self-excitation oscillation occurs in the secondary side circuit by the power of the large-capacity external capacitor connected between the output terminals.
The invention has an object to provide a fly-back type synchronous rectifying switching power supply device which can surely turn off a synchronous rectifying element before a main switch is turned on even when the on-time of the main switch element is lengthened due to sudden variation of a load.
Furthermore, the invention has an object to provide a fly-back type synchronous rectifying switching power supply device which can prevent through current of a switching power supply circuit and self-excitation oscillation irrespective of sudden variation of a load or external equipment connected between the output terminals.

Synchronous rectification switching power supply


A mass production method of hermetic coating optical fiber where a bare fiber drawn from a preform is hermetically coated by CVD method in a reactor vessel, wherein a liquid flushes solid particles or by-products sticking to the reactor inner wall. The liquid may be supplied continuously or intermittently, to flush carbon particles generated during carbon coating process. The invention enables to produce a long hermetic coating optical fiber without choking the reactor, and improves a yield rate and productivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a hermetic coating optical fiber, and more particularly to such a method and an apparatus suitable for mass production.
2. Related Background Art
A hermetic coating for an optical fiber is effective to prevent ambient gases such as water, hydrogen etc. from adhering to the optical fiber or permeating through the optical fiber. Generally, inorganic materials such as metals including alloys and carbon etc. are used as coating materials. Above all, carbon coating is one of the most excellent ones in term of its chemical stability and fine grained structure etc. and one of the coating processes is chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in which reactant gas reacts chemically to deposit coating material on the optical fiber surface, because it is advantageous in terms of coating speed and quality of the layer.
Conventional apparatuses for performing the above mentioned technologies, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,625 or European Patent Application No. 0,308,143. In those apparatuses or methods, the reactor vessels typically have a seal gas inlet port, reactant gas inlet port and waste gas discharge port from the upper to the lower. And a formed fiber of high temperature is hermetic-coated thermo-chemically in the reactor vessel between the reactant gas inlet port and the waste gas discharge port.
Usually in those processes, an optical fiber is drawn from a preform in a draw furnace, before it is provided with hermetic coating. The temperature (about 1300.degree. C.) necessary for formation of the coating particles at the fiber surface maintained at the fiber surface without the need for additional heating means.
In those conventional apparatuses, solid particles such as carbon generated in a vapor phase tended to be deposited on the inner wall, of the reactor vessel. When a fiber was tried to be coated in a long length, the solid particles gradually are deposited on the inner wall of the reactor vessel so that the vessel is clogged in a long period of time requiring the process. Consequently, fiber forming becomes impossible. Without solving the problem, a yield rate of the optical fiber could not be improved and high productivity could not be attained.

Method of manufacturing hermetic coating optical fiber


A LGF roll-to-roll manufacturing includes the steps of: preparing a first optical layer with a first surface and a second surface; mechanically extruding a first integrated microstructure on the first surface of the first optical layer; subsequently coating a second optical layer on the first or second surface of the first optical layer; and curing the second optical layer to directly form a second microstructure on the first or second surface of the first optical layer. The first integrated microstructure and the second microstructure are separately formed at a time to provide a light guide film structure. In an embodiment, an additional optical layer is provided on the first optical layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a LGF (light guide film) roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing method and a structure thereof which is applied to a LCD (liquid crystal display) backlight module. More particularly, the present invention relates to the LGF roll-to-roll manufacturing method utilizing mechanical extrusion and UV curing non-synchronously or synchronously and the structure manufactured thereby.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,223, entitled "Thin and flexible light guide element," discloses a thin and flexible light guide element and a manufacturing method thereof. The thin and flexible light guide element comprises: a first optical layer composed of a flexible transparent material; a second optical layer formed on the lower side of the first optical layer and having a light-adjusting structure to change the light path; and a third optical layer formed on the upper side of the first optical layer and having a convex-concave structure to homogenize the light emitted from the first optical layer. The first and second optical layers have different refractive indices.
The second optical layer is formed by a first composition coated on the lower-side surface of the first optical layer. The first composition includes a mixture of a UV curing resin monomer and a photo initiator. Furthermore, the third optical layer is formed in the same way by a second composition coated on the upper-side surface of the first optical layer. The second composition includes an anti-static agent, a UV curing resin, organic particles and an additive. The additive is selected from a thermal setting resin, a thermal plastic resin and a mixture thereof.
Accordingly, the first and second optical layers have relatively different refractive indices. In manufacturing, the second and third optical layers are continuously produced by a series of roll-to-roll (R2R) procedures. Namely, each of the second and third optical layers is separately formed by a curing process on each of the lower-side and upper-side surfaces of the first optical layer.
In order to form the second and third optical layers on the different two sides of the first optical layer, several coating and curing processes are required in different sides. However, the double-side coating and curing processes applied to a single thin film are complex and difficult. Disadvantageously, this results in an increase of the manufacturing cost.
Consequently, there exists a need of providing a simplified method for producing such a thin and flexible light guide element. U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,223 is incorporated herein by reference for purposes including, but not limited to, indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.
As is described in greater detail below, the present invention provides a simplified LGF roll-to-roll manufacturing method and a structure thereof. A first integrated (extruded) microstructure is extruded to form a first surface of an optical layer, and a second microstructure is formed on the optical layer non-synchronously or synchronously in such a way to mitigate and overcome the above problem.

LGF roll-to-roll manufacturing method and structure thereof


A connector for connecting a fluid passage device, such as may be provided by a luer taper, and an injection site having a thin diaphragm, and method of forming a medical coupling site connection between the fluid passage device and the injection site. The connector includes a reduced diameter cannula for engaging the thin diaphragm sufficiently to open the thin diaphragm to establish an open fluid passage. The connector is further disclosed as including an enlarged annular land portion surrounding the cannula for forming an interference fit within a retention portion of the injection site.

The present invention relates to a medical site connection for use in medical applications and more particularly, to a connector for forming a connection to a needleless injection site, which may include an elastomeric valve body having a thin diaphragm with a diametrically extending slit. A method of providing such a connection is also provided.
There is a recognized need for eliminating needles for use with injection sites in order to avoid the disadvantages therewith including the possibility of medical personnel receiving a puncture wound and the progressive deterioration of the diaphragm resulting from repetitive puncturing of the diaphragm.
As discussed in the background of U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,708, there have been several proposed solutions to fulfill this need. One proposed solution for eliminating needles at coupling sites includes providing a valve member having a slit for receiving a blunt cannula therethrough wherein the slit is biased to a closed position such that a fluid-tight seal is formed at the valve member when the cannula is removed.
Both the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have recognized standard dimensions for both male and female luer taper fittings. Thus, the fittings formed on the ends of syringes, as well as fittings for the majority of fluid connections used in medical applications throughout the world, conform to the ANSI and ISO standards.
Additional considerations involved with needleless injection sites include certain physical design limitations associated with a valve element which will both receive a luer taper as well as reliably reseal after the luer taper is removed. Several prior art valves for receiving a luer taper provide a thick disk or septum, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,489, wherein the disk or septum is formed with a sufficient amount of resilient material around the slit to close the slit when a cannula is not present. Space must be provided in order to accommodate the distortion of material around the slit as the cannula is inserted and this space must either be provided within the fluid passage area for receiving the cannula or within the housing supporting the disk or septum, such as may be provided by an annular space directly adjacent to the outer periphery of the disk or septum.
Alternatively, the slit may be formed in a relatively thin diaphragm, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,588 to Atkinson, wherein sufficient space for receiving the distorted portions of the diaphragm around the slit is provided within a space defined by the tubular body portion for receiving the luer taper. Additional improvements to providing a medical coupling site having a relatively thin diaphragm are also found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,708 to Atkinson.
As there are many design constraints associated with connecting medical devices, such as syringe luer locks, and needleless injection sites, a connector adapting the medical device to the injection site may be desirable to provide an improved coupling site connection.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved medical fluid path coupling site connection for attaching a needleless injection site to a medical device, such as on a standard syringe.


A steering system for a tractor and trailer includes first and second sender cylinders which are turned 180° with respect to each other, and first and second receiver cylinders which are turned 180° with respect to each other. First and second front link members connect the first and second sender cylinders to a front equalizer arm, and first and second rear link members connect the first and second receiver cylinders to a rear equalizer arm. The pistons of the cylinders travel in straight paths experiencing no side loads, and each piston travels the same distance as the tractor turns with respect to the trailer.

As trailers and trailer loads have gotten larger, it has become increasing more difficult to steer the trailers. The larger loads in combination with the typical 40-80 foot trailer length produce increased steering-related forces and often result in scuff steering and pavement damage. This is true for both standard highway trailers and 20 foot wide heavy haul trailers, and for both fifth wheel connections and tow bar connections. To improve steering characteristics, some tractor/trailer combinations utilize a sender/receiver hydraulic system wherein steering is sensed at the tractor and hydraulically transmitted to the trailer's steering axles. However, a problem exists with these steering systems. Because of their mechanical configuration the two sending hydraulic cylinders (and the two receiving hydraulic cylinders) do not have equal travel and thereby hinder the performance characteristics of the steering system and can result in system "sponginess" and significantly increased hydraulic pressure. Further, as loads have gotten bigger in size, trailers need to be developed with an improved steering system that would help reduce tare weight (due to less steering-related forces) and have the added benefit of being more pavement-friendly due in part to less resistance in and out of turns.

Steering system for a tractor and trailer


In some embodiments of the present invention, applications presenting user information streams at a service access point (SAP) to AAL-2 above the Common Part Sublayer (CPS) may provide values for predefined parameters that may determine how frames of information in the user information streams are segmented in run-time into CPS packets and packed into CPS protocol data units (CPS-PDU), each of which forms the payload of an ATM cell. These parameter values may be defined per channel identifier (CID) or for a group of CIDs.

The ATM Adaptation Layer type 2 (AAL-2) standard, as defined in the ITU-T I.363.2 recommendation, provides for bandwidth efficient transmission of low-rate, short, and variable length packets in delay sensitive applications. AAL-2 enables multiplexing of different user information streams into a single logical connection (ATM-VCC). These user information streams may include voice, compressed voice and data, real-time user information and non-real-time user information, which have different quality of service demands, such as transfer delay and latency.
The Service Specific Segmentation and Reassembly Sublayer (SSSAR) segments (and reassembles) complete frames of information from user information streams into Common Part Sublayer (CPS) service data units (CPS-SDU) that form the payload of CPS packets. CPS packets originating from different applications have different channel identifiers (CID) and may be multiplexed into the same CPS protocol data unit (CPS-PDU) for transmission in a single ATM cell.
The AAL-2 standard sets the maximum length of a CPS-SDU to be either 45 octets (the default) or 64 octets. However, the standard neither specifies the actual length of the segments nor does it specify how to determine this length. Typically, the segment length is set as a general parameter that is predefined during the establishment of a channel (ATM-VCC). Using a fixed segment length per logical ATM connection is a compromise that balances the traffic stream (user information), the current and average connection bandwidth utilization and the quality of service demands of the voice and high-priority data. It may lead to frequent use of the "split" and "part" state variables, which in turn may result in difficulty meeting jitter and delay demands of a voice application. It may also lead to inefficient utilization of the bandwidth, and, in some cases, may cause extra processing power to be spent segmenting and reassembling unnecessary CPS-SDUs.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

Method and apparatus for dynamic bandwidth allocation for voice and data multiplexing over AAL-2 connections


An LDO circuit with a current sink stage reduces significantly overshooting of the output voltage due to sudden changes of output current. The activation of the current sink stage is independent of the overshoot percentage of the regulated output voltage. The disclosure doesn't require large output capacitors to avoid the possibility of brownouts of chips supplied by the LDO.

Technical Field
The present document relates to DC-to-DC converters. In particular, the present document relates to a current sink stage for low drop-out (LDO) regulators.
Background
LDOs are traditionally unidirectional power supplies i.e. they can either sink or source current.
In case of an LDO sourcing current there is either no sink capability or very small current sink capability, which would be triggered only if the voltage at output overshoots a certain percentage more than the expected regulated voltage. The voltage at the output of LDO can overshoot in an event of sudden removal of load.
If the voltage at output overshoots but is within the specified tolerance the current sink would usually not be enabled. This results in skewing of the potential at internal nodes of the LDO and slower response to a load transient (sudden requirement of current by the load), a slower response translating to a larger dip in the regulated output voltage, which may generate a brown-out condition for the chip being powered by LDO, this is especially true for ICs requiring low voltages
A common way to reduce the dip in the output voltage is to increase the output decoupling capacitor which means a larger footprint on the very expensive PCB real estate especially in the case of handheld devices.
Current sinks are also needed to avoid back powering of the battery if current is pushed into the output of LDO by some source external to a PMIC.
Using bi-directional push-pull LDOs may be a solution but they are very complex to compensate and require additional quiescent current. The additional current eats into a very tight power budget for a PMIC in low power mode.
A current sink is implemented using either a comparator or an amplifier. Both have advantages and disadvantages. An amplifier would regulate the voltage at the output by regulating the current it sinks depending on the current sourced into the output of LDO, but are difficult to compensate. Comparators on the other hand don't require any compensation but may suffer from chattering and they don't regulate the output voltage if current pushed into the LDO output is less than the current sink capability of the comparator.
FIG. 1 prior art shows a simplified schematic of an implementation of an LDO with a current sink or over-voltage sink.
P1 is the pass device and A1 is an amplifier controlling the gate of P1. R2, R1 & Rprot form a feedback resistor divider network for regulating the output voltage. C1 is an external decoupling capacitor. The load is an external IC powered by the LDO
A2 and transistor N1 form an over-voltage sink. A2 can be configured as a comparator or as an amplifier. Under normal operation Vov is lower than the reference voltage Vref and the gate of N1 is pulled to ground, so no current is sunk from the output. In an overvoltage condition, if the voltage at Vov is higher than or equal to Vref, the current sink is activated. The gate of N1 is driven by A2 to sink the current from output voltage VOUT.
If A2 is configured as a comparator, the gate of N1 is driven either to supply or ground. If A2 along with N1 and capacitor C1 is configured as an amplifier, the gate of N1 is regulated depending on the difference between Vov and Vref
FIG. 2 prior art shows a plot of a response of the LDO of FIG. 1, wherein A2 is configured as a comparator and a current of 1 mA is sourced into the output of the LDO. As the current sourced is lower than the sink capability of comparator we observe a 20 mV of saw tooth at the output of LDO. The gate of N1 swings between ground and supply voltage. If such an LDO has to power a sensitive analog chip, such a saw tooth response at the output is undesirable. The output voltage, when the sourced current is removed, raises nearly 35 mV above the regulated target voltage and all the internal nodes of LDO are completely skewed at this point.
FIG. 3 prior art shows a plot of a response of the LDO of FIG. 1, wherein A2 is configured as an amplifier and a current of 1 mA is sourced into the output of the LDO. As FIG. 3 shows, the output voltage of the LDO is regulated and the gate of N1 is regulated to sink 1 mA of current. The output voltage, when the sourced current is removed, is nearly 10 mV higher than the regulated target voltage and all the internal nodes of LDO are completely skewed at this point.
It is a challenge for designers of LDOs to achieve LDOs, wherein activation of current sink is independent of the percentage overshoot above the regulated output voltage, that regulate the output voltage to a defined output voltage if the current sourced into LDO is less than the current sink capability, wherein a dip in the output voltage is within a minimal load transient specification, any possibility of brown-out condition is avoided, and which don't require larger capacitors at the output to avoid a possibility of brown-out condition.
Solutions are desired to avoid the drawbacks mentioned above.