A K-G1 spacing apparatus provides for spacing the dispenser cathode of a CRT electron gun a desired distance from an adjacent apertured grid electrode known as "G1." A probe has an outer shaft with a shoulder for registering with the G1 electrode. The probe includes an inner shaft having a tip on one end for contacting the face of the cathode, and at the opposite end, a linear velocity differential transformer (LVDT). When the cathode contacts the tip of the probe, the LVDT produces an electrical signal which is indicated on a calibrated column, and which denotes the location of the cathode face relative to the G1 electrode. When the desired K-G1 spacing has been attained, the cathode is fixed in permanent relationship with the G1 electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to color cathode ray picture tubes (CRTs), and is addressed specifically to an improved means for gaging the distance between the emitting surface of a cathode (K) and the facing surface of an adjacent electrode, commonly known as "G1", in the electron gun of a CRT. The distance between the cathode and G1 electrode is commonly known as the "K-G1 spacing." The function of the G1 electrode is to draw and form the electron beam from the electrons emitted from the cathode, and to control the intensity of the beam.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A system for gaging and establishing cathode to grid spacing in electron tubes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,609 to Wheeler. A spacer such as a Mylar shim is inserted between the cathode and the adjacent grid electrode, and is removed after the cathode is fixed in position. Another type of K-G1 gaging system known in the art relies upon the measurement of the capacitance between the cathode and the G1 electrode, with the K- G1 spacing being a function of the amount of capacitance. A system for the direct gaging of K-G1 spacing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,301 to Gruber. The basis for measurement is the height of the stack of the electrodes comprising the electron gun. The accuracy of the system is vitiated by the inevitable variances in the heights of the stacks of the guns being gaged, a variance that results from cumulative errors in the stacking process.
K-G1 spacing can be measured by an optical system, in which a light beam is projected through the K-G1 area. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,824 to Tsuneta et al, the light is optically magnified to provide an image of the K-G1 space, with the dimensions of the image being a function of the distance between the electrodes.
Yet another method for establishing K-G1 spacing is by air gaging, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,147 to Bauer et al. A jet of air is directed into one end of a transparent, calibrated tubular column. An outlet at the opposite end of the column leads to a tubular probe which extends through the aperture of the adjacent grid electrode. Air passing from the probe encounters the surface of the cathode, and the resulting back pressure is measured by means of a float in the calibrated column. The measurement is thus a function of the amount of resistance to the air flow against the cathode surface, as measured in relation to the G1 (or a G2) electrode. The system can measure K-G1 spacing with an accuracy of .+-.0.0002 inch. When the desired K-G1 spacing is attained, the cathode is fixed in place relative the G1 electrode by crimping and welding it to a cathode-supporting structure.
The air gaging system is well suited to gaging K-G1 spacing in guns having oxide-coated cathodes as no physical contact is made with the delicate oxide coating. Air gaging however is not practical in electron guns in which the G1 aperture diameter is smaller than 0.016 inch. The walls of an an air-jet probe capable of passing through a smaller aperture must made so thin that the probe becomes too fragile for practical use under manufacturing conditions. Also, as the probe orifice becomes necessarily smaller, the linearity, and hence the sensitivity of the measurement, is adversely affected.
In a gun having multiple beam channels to form and project multiple beams, the K-G1 spacing must be the same for the K-G1 interface in each beam channel. Otherwise, it will be difficult to "track" the three beams; that is, establish a common electrical K-G1 bias. A common negative bias is required to make the electron beams responsive to the dynamic picture signal operating each beam in conjunction with the common voltages of the electron gun which forms the beams. Otherwise, and by way of example, if the K-G1 spacing differs beyond tolerance among the beams, the picture signal may not sufficiently "cut off" a beam when it is not needed, thus degrading the picture.
Two types of electron-emitting cathodes are in common use in electron guns. One is the oxide-coated cathode which is essentially a metal cup covered with an electron-emitting oxide. A cathode of this type and its manufacture is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,168 to Wichman. The oxide-coated cathode is susceptible to damage, as the oxide can flake off under mechanical contact. Also, the number of electrons that can be drawn off from an oxide coating is limited.
The other type of cathode in common use is the dispenser cathode, which essentially comprises a round pellet of molybdenum impregnated with barium oxide. The pellet, which is very hard, is enclosed in a tungsten cup with an aperture pattern in its center for the release of the electrons which form the beam. The dispenser cathode is relatively immune from damage by physical contact.
Both types of cathode are caused to emit electrons by heating them to a high temperature by means of a filament enclosed in the cathode structure. The dispenser cathode can be heated to a higher temperature than the oxide-coated cathode, and hence will emit a greater number of electrons.
Because of its greater electron emission and longer life, the dispenser cathode is particularly favored in high resolution CRTs which require a smaller beam spot on the screen. To achieve this smaller spot size the beam needs a higher current density and hence, a smaller G1 aperture to form a more powerful focusing field for the beam. However, because of the smaller G1 spacing aperture, accurate gaging of the K-G1 spacing is made problematic.

K-G1 electrode spacing system for a CRT electron gun


An information processing apparatus accumulates one or more jobs sent from a terminal device connected via a network. The information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire user information for identifying a user who logs in on the terminal device and first identification information for identifying the terminal device; a determination unit configured to determine whether the first identification information corresponds to second identification information for identifying the terminal device which sends a job including the user information, the second identification information being included in the job; and an execution unit configured to execute the job to perform a predetermined process in a case where the determination unit determines that the first identification information corresponds to the second identification information.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosures herein generally relate to an information processing apparatus, an image processing apparatus, an information processing system and an information processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a technique by which authentication is performed by using a card for authentication, such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, upon using various functions such as printing, scanning or facsimile at an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral).
On the other hand, there is known a technique for preventing leakage of authentication information upon using an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 4765621). Moreover, there is known a technique for performing authentication without using a card for authentication by using a calling number of a mobile phone or the like (for example, see Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2001-285957).
However, in the related art described in Japanese Patent No. 4765621, although leakage of authentication information can be prevented, a user has to have the card for authentication in order to use the image forming apparatus such as an MFP, and it is inconvenient for the user. On the other hand, in the related art described in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2001-285957, although the card for authentication becomes unnecessary by using the calling number of the mobile phone or the like, there is a problem that the calling number is easy to be leaked, disguised or spoofed.

Information processing apparatus, image processing apparatus, information processing system and information processing method


A subsea tensioner system that includes a one or more spring activated piston return subsea tensioners. The subsea tensioner system can use a spring activated subsea tensioner because the subsea tensioner system uses non-toxic fluid to drive a piston disposed within the subsea tensioner, and when the piston reaches a second position a fluid release valve is opened thus allowing the fluid used to drive the piston to be emptied into the local underwater environment. The subsea tensioner system eliminates the need for topside trips to return the piston to an initial position to take another stroke.

A need exists for a subsea tensioner system that uses a mechanically activated piston return subsea tensioner. Traditional subsea tensioner systems have been unable to use a mechanically activated piston return mechanism such as a spring activated piston return mechanism on subsea tensioners because of the difficulty in returning fluid to the high pressure pump topside. Therefore, a need exists for a subsea tensioner system that releases the fluid locally in an underwater environment.
A need exists for a subsea threaded fastener tensioning system and method of using the bolt or stud tensioner that reduces or eliminates the necessity to return the subsea tensioners topside to retract the piston. A need exists for a subsea tensioner that is capable of repetitive strokes in a subsea environment.
The present embodiments of the invention meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.


In a laminating apparatus for a ceramic green sheet according to the present invention, cutting means and laminating means are positioned on a conveying path of a carrier film conveyed by conveying means. Specifically, cutting of the ceramic green sheet and lamination of sheet pieces are carried out on a single conveying path. Consequently, the reduction of production efficiency is prevented significantly. Furthermore, the position of the cutting means and the position of the laminating means are different. Therefore, even when cut scraps are generated when the ceramic green sheet is cut by the cutting means, the cut scraps are significantly prevented from entering between layers in a green sheet laminated body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminating apparatus for a ceramic green sheet used when making laminated electronic components such as a laminated ceramic capacitor, and a laminating method for such a ceramic green sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-205510 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-162364 a laminating apparatus for a ceramic green sheet in this technical field.
However, the ceramic green sheet laminating apparatus described above has the following problems to be solved. That is, in the laminating apparatus according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-205510 described above, cut pieces of a ceramic green sheet are laminated in succession at a position where the green sheet on a carrier film is cut with a cutter, thus cut scraps generated when cutting the ceramic green sheet enter between the laminated body of the ceramic green sheets. When the cut scraps enter into the green sheet laminated body, characteristic degradation of various electronic components (for example, decrease of the electrostatic capacitance, and the like) obtained by burning the green sheet laminated body, or delamination occurs.
As in the laminating apparatus according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-162364, by changing the cut position and the lamination position for the ceramic green sheet, it is possible to prevent cut scraps from being mixed into the ceramic green sheet laminated body. However, ceramic green sheets generally have a thickness of micron order, thus, when absorbing to convey the ceramic green sheet from the cut position thereof to the lamination position, the ceramic green sheet is transformed and/or broken. In addition, the conveying path for the ceramic green sheet is divided into a cut unit in which exists the cut position and a lamination unit in which exists the lamination position, thus adjustment of the positions before and after the conveying processing is complicated, resulting in the reduction of production efficiency.
The present invention is, therefore, contrived in order to solve the abovementioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a laminating apparatus and lamination method for a ceramic green sheet, which can prevent cut scraps from being mixed into a ceramic green sheet laminated body, without reducing production efficiency.

Laminating apparatus for ceramic green sheet and laminating method for same


The invention provides novel compounds represented by the general formula compound represented by the formula:

L-Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system which activates several subtypes of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. The ionotropic receptors can be divided into three subtypes, NMDA, AMPA and kainate receptors, based on structural and pharmacological differences.
Impairment of glutamatergic neurotransmission has been implicated in the learning and memory loss observed in numerous neurological disorders such as e.g. Alzheimer's decease, senile dementia, stroke (McEntee and Crook, Psycopharmacology 111:391–401 (1993)). It is widely accepted that learning and memory is related to the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) which is a stable increase in the synaptic strength following repetitive high frequency stimulations. Experimental studies have shown that increasing the synaptic response mediated by AMPA receptors enhances the induction of LTP (Arai and Lynch, Brain Research, 598:173–184 (1992)). For the reasons stated above, compounds that stimulates AMPA receptor response in the brain, may induce improvements in the intellectual behavior and performance.
Activation of AMPA receptors with L-glutamate or the selective agonist AMPA leads to a rapid receptor desensitization; i.e. the receptor channel fails to open despite the continued presence of agonist. It is therefore possible to obtain an increase of the synaptic strength by attenuating the AMPA receptor desensitization normally elicited by the endogenous neurotransmitter L-glutamate.
In 1990 Ito et al. reported (J. physiol., 424:533–543) that the nootropic drug aniracetam (N-anisoyl-2-pyrrolidinone) increased AMPA induced currents in oocytes injected with rat brain mRNA. In another study, it has been shown that 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylcarbonyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, a compound that enhances synaptic transmission mediated by AMPA receptors, is effective at improving memory in experimental animals at a very high dose 120 mg/kg (Staubli et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 91:11158–11162 (1994)).
The benzothiadiazide cyclothiazide is a more potent and efficacious modulator of AMPA receptor current in-vitro than aniracetam (Johansen et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 48:946–955 (1995)). The effect of cyclothiazide on the kinetic properties of AMPA receptor currents appear to be by a different mechanism to that of aniracetam (Partin et al., J. Neuroscience 16:6634–6647 (1996)). However, cyclothiazide has no therapeutic potential for AMPA receptor modulation as it can not cross the blood-brain-barrier following peripheral administration. The low potency of know compounds also meets with higher demands for a high solubility due to the higher doses used for administration.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compounds and their use as positive AMPA receptor modulators

Abstract: wherein                the bond represented by the broken line may be a single, a double bond or absent;        and if the bond is absent, then the nitrogen is substituted with a hydrogen and R2;        X represents SO2 or C═O or CH2;        Y represents —CH(R4)—, —N(R4)— or —N(R4)—CH2—, O;        and the meaning of R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 are as defined in the application

Abstract: The compounds are useful as positive modulators of the AMPA-receptor.


A pressure sensitive adhesive consisting of a polyurethane foam is used for adhering decorative parts to automobiles and other vehicles. The adhesive is characterized by high tensile strength and elongation, excellent peel strength and good thermal and mechanical stress tolerance.

The present invention relates to an improved adherence of decorative parts to vehicles, such as body side moldings and exterior ornamentation on automobiles and aluminum skins on truck trailers. More particularly, the present invention relates to adhering such decorative parts by means of a polyurethane foam especially designed to have sufficient adhesive capacity, suitable high and low temperature physical properties, stress-relieving properties and other functional characteristics previously achieved only with a combination of acrylic adhesive and sealing foam.
Polyurethane foam sealants have traditionally been prepared using a polyol precursor material having 100% diol content, or a mixture of diols and triols and less than 1% monol content. This polyol material is reacted with an isocyanate precursor material to form a variety of polyurethanes. See, xe2x80x9cOptimizing Properties of Urethane Sealants,xe2x80x9d Adhesives and Sealants Industry, June/July 1994, pp. 38-42. Such polyurethane sealants have essentially no tack or resistance to peel and are not useful for adhering decorative parts to vehicles.
Polyurethane adhesives of various types are well known and typical compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,779,794, 4,624,996, 4,625,012, 5,102,714, and 5,227,409. However, while these products may exhibit good adhesiveness and other desirable physical properties for use in attaching automotive and decorative parts, none have also been found to have completely suitable stress-relieving capability and low temperature properties. In an attempt to overcome these problems of polyurethane adhesives, adhesive and foam combinations have been suggested. For example, EP-A-0,601,582 teaches the use of a foam elastomer substrate in combination with a pressure-sensitive adhesive to provide high adhesion to rough surfaces.
Current commercially available adhesive foam combinations, while having improved stress-relieving capability, have not had an adequate overall combination of adhesiveness, peel strengths on multiple surfaces, resistance to degradation at low temperature, elongation, and the like to meet the demands of the marketplace. These deficiencies are particularly notable in the demanding systems existing in the automotive industry. Painted steel or fiber reinforced plastic composite vehicle surfaces and decorative trim manufactured from thermoplastic polymers, such as olefins and polyvinylchloride, having poor wettability characteristics are widely used in the industry.
As a result, much of the adherence of automotive parts today is accomplished by coating both sides of a foam strip with expensive acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive layers so adhesive contacts the vehicle and the decorative trim or part. In view of the ongoing desire to both simplify and reduce the cost of the manufacture of automobiles, trucks, boats, trailers, trains and other vehicles, research and development continues to seek improved adhesive systems. The present invention is a result of that ongoing research.
This invention provides a method for adhering a decorative part to a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
(a) applying a pressure sensitive adhesive consisting of a polyurethane foam having a density of about 20 to 55 lbs/cu ft to an inner surface of the decorative part; and
(b) joining the decorative part to the vehicle by means of a bond formed by the polyurethane foam, wherein the bond between the decorative part and the vehicle is substantially free of any adhesive other than the polyurethane foam and the bond has an ASTM D-1000-87 peel test strength of at least 2 lbs/inch.
The polyurethane foam of the invention comprises a reaction mixture of:
(a) 100 parts of a substantially linear polyether polyol having a monol molecule content greater than about 3 weight %, a functionality of less than 2, a functional molecular weight of about 3,000 to 5,000 and a viscosity of about 700 to 1,500 centipoise at 25xc2x0 C.;
(b) 12-18 parts of a modified polyisocyanate, comprising about 40-50 weight % 4,4xe2x80x2-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, about 15-25 weight % 2,2- and 2,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanates, about 10-20 weight % oligomers of the diphenylmethane diisocyanates, and less than about 2 weight % phenyl isocyanate, and having an isocyanate molecule content of about 25-30 weight %, a viscosity at 25xc2x0 C. of about 100-200 mPa, and an equivalent weight of about 140-170;
(c) 0.1-1 parts of a thermal urethane catalyst;
(d) 1-5 parts of a silicone surfactant; and
(e) 8-15 parts of a foam generator, wherein sufficient gas is introduced into the mixture by the foam generator to yield a density of 20 to 55 lbs/cu ft.
The polyurethane foam may also comprise at least one component selected from the group consisting of 1-5 parts of chain extender, 0.03-3 parts of pigment, and 0.1-1 parts of epoxy stabilizer. In a preferred composition, the urethane catalyst is an organo-tin catalyst, the chain extender is a dialkylene-glycol and the epoxy stabilizer is a Bisphenyl A epichlorohydrin.
If the decorative part comprises an annodized aluminum surface and the polyurethane foam is adhered to the annondized aluminum surface, then the bond between the vehicle and the decorative part has an ASTM D-1000-87 peel test of at least 6 lbs/inch, without the use of an added layer of a pressure sensitive adhesive or a primer.
If the decorative part consists of a thermoplastic olefin polymer, or otherwise is difficult to wet with the polyurethane foam, then the method of the invention includes the further step of adding an interlayer composition, such as an acrylic adhesive, or an acrylic polymer primer, or a primer blend of acrylic polymer/hydroxy terminated polyvinyl chloride or a silane coupling agent, between the polyurethane foam and the vehicle part to provide a bond between the vehicle and the decorative part having a peel test strength of at least 6 lbs/inch. However, the amount of adhesive required in combination with the polyurethane foam of the invention is about 10-60% less than the amount required by prior art combinations.
The polyurethane foam used in the present invention is the reaction product of a reaction mixture containing a hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane prepolymer, a modified polyisocyanate, a urethane catalyst, a surfactant, and optionally, a chain extender, an epoxy stabilizer and a pigment, wherein components are reacted in the presence of glass microbubbles or some other foam generator or with a process which creates a foam in the polyurethane product.
In a preferred aspect, the present invention utilizes a hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane prepolymer. The prepolymer is prepared from a substantially linear polyether polyol having a high monofunctional molecule (monol) content, i.e greater than about 3 weight %, a functionality less than 2, and preferably a molecular weight of about 3,000 to 5,000 and a viscosity of about 1,200 to 1,800 centipoise. A suitable polyether polyol is sold by Bayer, Inc., under the Multranol 9111 tradename. The polyol is reacted with a small amount of modified polyisocyanate to yield the prepolymer.
The modified polyisocyanate is preferably an isocyanate mixture such as one containing about 40-50 wt % 4,4xe2x80x2-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), about 15-25 wt % 2,2- and 2,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanates, about 10-20 wt % higher oligomers of these MDIs, and less than about 2 wt % phenyl isocyanate, and having an isocyanate molecule (NCO) content of about 25-30%, a viscosity at 25xc2x0 C. of about 100-200 mPa, and an equivalent weight of about 140-170. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other isocyanates such as toluene diisocyanates (TDI) or various isocyanate terminated prepolymers can also be used.
The urethane catalyst is a thermal or other delayed action urethane catalyst, (i.e. activated by heat), preferably a tin catalyst, more preferably an organo-tin, such as stannous dioctoate which is optionally dissolved in an organic solvent such as dioctylphthalate, or polyglycols, or various polyether or polyester polyols. The urethanes herein represent elastomeric products which are characterized by a segmented structure of the primary chain. The two segments are referred to as hard and soft segments. Soft segments are formed from the high molecular weight polyol and are characterized by high flexibility and low glass transition temperatures. The hard segments formed from a chain extender lend tensile strength and toughness to the elastomer.
The chain extender material is used in minor amounts, especially if the polyol is nominally difunctional. As used herein, xe2x80x9cchain extendersxe2x80x9d include compounds having about 2-4 active hydrogen containing groups per molecule and an equivalent weight from about 30 to 500, preferably about 50 to 100. Better tack is maintained if the functionality is in excess of about 2.2 and the compound has the preferred equivalent weight. Preferred amounts of chain extended are about 1-5 parts, by weight, based on 100 parts of the polyol prepolymer described herein. The chain extender lends tensile strength and toughness to the elastomer. The chain extender is preferably a dialkyleneglycol, such as dipropylene glycol.
The polyurethane reaction mixture must be foamed prior to or during curing. Any method known in the art may be used, provided appropriate foam density, tensile strength, elongation and adhesion characteristics are maintained. Physical means, such as frothing the composition, may be used. A gas, such as air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or some other inert gas, is whipped into the reaction mixture to create cells of gas. Chemical blowing agents may be used. Suitable blowing agents include, but are not limited to, low boiling alkanes, halogenated alkanes, azo blowing agents, and other materials, such as water, which generate a gas under reaction or curing conditions encountered in making the polyurethane foam.
The foam preferable contains glass microbubbles to generate a foam, wherein the diameter of the microbubbles ranges from 1 to 150 micrometers, and most preferably from about 15 to about 30.
The surfactant is preferably a silicone surfactant. Any surfactant may be used which ensures good wet out of the various ingredients and good coating characteristics on the release paper. The amount of surfactant is preferably 0.5-1 parts, by weight, based on 100 parts of the polyol prepolymer. If mechanical means are used to foam the composition, surfactant content is increased 2-3 times.
The adhesive may also contain a pigment (optional) to tint the foam in color desirable for specific applications. Examples of pigments include carbon black, TiO2 Titanium Dioxide, and Fe2O3 Iron Oxide.
The foam also has an epoxy stabilizer which stabilizes it against heat degradation. Epoxy stabilizers useful herein include, but are not limited to, epoxidized soybean oil and Bisphenol A/epichlorohydrin, which may be used at 0.1-1 parts, by weight, based on 100 parts of polyol prepolymer.
Other optional components, such as are known for use in adhesives and polyurethane foams, may be utilized provided their use does not detract from the tensile strength, elongation, thermal and mechanical stress stability and adhesion characteristics of the polyurethane foam.
The polyurethane foam may be formed by mixing the components and applying the mixture to a substrate where it is cured to a polyurethane foam. Application of the reaction mixture may be with a doctor blade, or any convenient manner to form a layer on the substrate. Curing is preferably done through the application of heat, but may be by any other convenient manner. Heat is applied for a sufficient time to utilize substantially all isocyanate, e.g., for up to about 2 hours at about 90xc2x0 to 200xc2x0 C., and the completion of the cure may be monitored by measuring free isocyanate groups.
If a polyol prepolymer is not formed at the beginning of the process, the viscosity of the reaction mixture prior to curing will be too low for handing on a release paper in conventional manufacturing processes. In the case of a low viscosity reaction mixture not containing the prepolymer, the polyurethane foam may be cured, e.g., in a mold lined with release paper, rather than on the surface of the release paper to yield a sheet or strip of the foam.
Thus, while the pressure-sensitive polyurethane foam adhesive of this invention may be made from the specific components by using conventional urethane technology, a preferred procedure entails first forming a prepolymer of the polyol and a portion of the modified polyisocyanate by reacting them in the presence of the polyurethane catalyst at room temperature under agitation for several hours, preferably 3-5 hours, to produce a hydroxyl-terminated prepolymer having a viscosity of about 8,000-15,000 centipoise. To form the prepolymer, 100 parts of high monol polyol is reacted with about 2-3 parts of the modified polyisocyanate. Thereafter, 67.5 parts of the prepolymer are combined with about 32.5 parts high monol polyol, 12-16 parts additional modified polyisocyanate, about 8-15 parts glass microbubbles, about 1-5 parts chain extender, up to about 3 parts pigment, about 0.1-2 parts surfactant, and about 0.1-1 parts epoxy stabilizer, and uniformly mixed. The uniform mixture is then coated unto a release paper at the desired thickness, generally about 0.4 to 3 mm, and cured by exposure to heat, for example 350xc2x0 F. (176.7xc2x0 C.) for about 3 minutes.
Unlike conventional foam mounting tapes which must be coated with one or more adhesive layers, the method of the present invention enables the foam substrate to directly adhere to the surface of an automotive part. The advantages to this are lower cost and improved efficiency.
Foams for use herein are pressure-sensitive adhesives which are capable of joining/mounting both similar and dissimilar materials. Generally, suitable materials include any metallic or plastic materials ordinarily used for automotive parts. Such materials include aluminum, stainless steel, polyvinylchloride (PVC), thermoplastic olefins (TPO) and acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS) and preferred materials include, anodized aluminum or primed PVC or TPO.
The foams exhibit a high elongation, preferably greater than about 500%, more preferably greater than about 700%. The foams have a low tensile strength, preferably of about 30-120 psi, more preferably 40-80 psi. The foams have a medium density of about 20-55, preferably about 25 to 45, pounds per cubic foot. The capacity of the foam to adhere to various substrates may be determined by a standard test such as the ASTM D-1000-87 180xc2x0 peel test. The foam exhibits a 180xc2x0 peel to anodized aluminum of at least about 6.0, preferably at least about 7.0, pounds per inch width.
In addition, the adhesion at elevated temperature as determined by performing a dead load shear test at 190xc2x0 F. (87.8xc2x0 C.) is greater than 72 hours, preferably greater than 96 hours. The dead load shear test is performed by attaching a 1 kilogram weight to a specimen composed of two 25 by 75 mm by 0.4 mm aluminum pieces joined by a 25 mm by 25 mm piece of pressure sensitive foam.
Under low temperature stress, the foam meets the cold flex requirement ESBM3G89C2 of Ford Motor Company at a temperature of xe2x88x9222xc2x0 F. (xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C.).
Although generally not necessary for most applications, enhanced adhesion may be obtained by adding, to one or both sides of the foam, a layer of a conventional acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive. A foam having such a secondary adhesive layer and adhered through the secondary layer to stainless steel will commonly exhibit a 180xc2x0 peel of at least about 7.0, preferably 10.0 pounds per inch width.

Method for adhering decorative part to a vehicle


A facsimile transmission control procedure for a relay use to relay facsimile communication via a public telephone network between mobile communication control units placed at different places from one another in which such facsimile communication is implemented by the use of a radio link wherein non-standard facilities signal NSF and non-standard facilities set-up signal NSS defined by the Recommendation T.30 are used to identify another communicating party; if the other communicating party can apply a transmission control procedure of the invention, communication is conducted in accordance with such independent transmission control procedure, while if it is not, the communication is made based on the standard Recommendation T.30; and in the independent transmission control procedure, a time margin of each preamble, which is to be added to each of all the binary code signals used in the communication on and after an exchange of NSF and NSS between transmission and reception sides was executed, is reduced to a predetermined time.

An example of such facsimile communication system as described above is shown in a schematic block diagram of FIG. 1. Since the communication system shown in FIG. 1 is the same as an outlined system configuration to which the present invention is to be applied, the prior art will be described hereinafter by referring to FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, facsimile terminals 1, 2, 3, and 4 are those standardized in accordance with ITU-T Recommendations T.4 and T.30, and these facsimile terminals conduct facsimile communications with each other through mobile terminals 5, 6, and 7, a multiplexed radio link, mobile communication control units 8, and 9, and a public telephone network 10.
The mobile terminal 5 functions to connect the facsimile terminal 1 to the mobile communication control unit 8. The mobile terminal 5 transmits to and receives from the facsimile terminal 1 transmission control procedure signal as well as image signal of analog signal. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 5 converts these analog signals transmitted from the facsimile terminal 1 into radio signals as a result of encoding digitally these signals, and transmits these encoded signals to the mobile communication control unit 8 through the multiplexed radio link. On one hand, the mobile terminal 5 receives facsimile transmission control procedure signal and image signal of radio signal, which have been digitally encoded and transmitted from the mobile communication control unit 8. These signals received are converted into analog signals to be transmitted to the facsimile terminal 1 in the mobile terminal 5. The same operations as that described above are implemented also in the mobile terminals 6 and 7, respectively.
The mobile communication control unit 8 is connected with the facsimile terminal 4 and the mobile communication control unit 9 through the public telephone network 10. The mobile communication control unit 8 implements a digital facsimile communication via a multiplexed radio link, while it makes an analog facsimile communication with the facsimile terminal 4 through the public telephone network 10. The mobile communication control unit 9 conducts also the same operations as that described above in the mobile communication control unit 8.
In the mobile communication control unit 8, radio communication equipment 81 receives facsimile transmission control procedure signals and image signals, which have been digitally encoded, of radio signals transmitted from the mobile terminal 5 through a multiplexed radio link, and transmits these signals to a communication control device 82. Furthermore, the radio communication equipment 81 receives facsimile transmission control procedure signals and image signals, which are transmitted from the communication control device 82 and have been digitally encoded, and converts these signals into radio signals to transmits to the mobile terminal 5 via a multiplexed radio link.
The communication control device 82 is connected with the facsimile terminal 4 through a trunk circuit 84 and the public telephone network 10, and transmits to and receives from the facsimile terminal 4 facsimile transmission control procedure signals and image signals of analog signals. Moreover, the communication control device 82 receives facsimile transmission control procedure signals and image signals of analog signal, which are transmitted from the facsimile terminal 4, and converts these signals into digitally encoded signals to deliver the encoded signals to the radio communication unit 81. Besides, the communication control device 81 converts facsimile transmission control procedure signals and image signals, which are delivered from the radio communication equipment 81 and have been digitally encoded into analog signals defined by the Recommendations T.4 and T.30 to transmit these analog signals to the facsimile terminal 4.
There are three types of connection mode in which facsimile terminals are connected with each other. A first connection mode is the one wherein the facsimile terminal 1 is connected with the facsimile terminal 4 through the mobile terminal 5, the mobile communication control unit 8, and the public telephone network 10. A second connection mode is the one wherein the facsimile terminal 1 is connected with the facsimile terminal 3 through the mobile terminals 5 and 7, the mobile communication control units 8 and 9, and the public telephone network 10. A third connection mode is the one wherein the facsimile terminal 1 is connected with the facsimile terminal 2 through the mobile terminals 5 and 6, the mobile communication control unit 8, and the public telephone network 10.
In case of the third connection mode, the facsimile terminals 1 and 2 are connected with the communication control units 82 and 83, respectively, and the trunk circuits 84 and 85 are connected with each other via the public telephone network 10. Such turn-back connecting mode of trunk line involves two types of manner, i.e., one of them is a case wherein the trunk line is turned back in a separate network (the public telephone network 10 in this example) outside the mobile communication control unit 8, and the other is a case wherein the trunk line is turned back in the mobile communication control unit 8 as shown in FIG. 1.
In the first connection mode, a facsimile transmission control procedure between the communication control device 82 and the facsimile terminal 4 must be based on the Recommendation T.30. In the second and the third connection modes, there is no recommendation defined specifically as a standard relating to a facsimile transmission control procedure for relay use passing through a trunk circuit, but a procedure based on the Recommendation T.30 is usually employed. In such connection modes, however, there is a delay derived from influences due to erroneous redelivery control and the like between a transmission and its response in a mobile communication control unit including a radio link. Accordingly, when the procedure based on the Recommendation T.30 is used with no modification, there is a possibility of a breakdown in communication.
The present invention provides a facsimile transmission control procedure for relay use for solving the problem described above, and it relates to a facsimile transmission control procedure for relay use passing through a trunk line in the second and the third connection modes.
In the following, a facsimile transmission control procedure for relay use in the above-described second and third connection modes in a conventional mobile communication control unit will be described by referring to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the case where a procedure based on the Recommendation T.30 is used as the one for facsimile transmission control for relay use between mobile communication control units.
After connecting a communication line via mobile communication control units 8 and 9 including a radio link, and a public telephone network 10 between a transmit terminal (a facsimile terminal 1 in this case) and a receive terminal (a facsimile terminal 3 in this case), the transmit terminal delivers a calling signal CNG (hereinafter referred to as "CNG tone"), while the receive terminal transmits a called subscriber identification signal CED (hereinafter referred to as "CED tone").
Such CNG tone and CED tone are relayed in the mobile communication control units 8 and 9, and they are transmitted to the receive terminal and the transmit terminal, respectively. These tones are not relayed inside the mobile communication control units 8 and 9 as they are, but they are relayed in both the units 8 and 9 after they were converted into digital signals, which indicate that these tones were detected by the communication control devices 82 and 92 in both the units. The receive terminal delivers NSF, CSI, and DIS constituted into frames, respectively, following to the CED tone.
It is to be noted that these NSF, CSI, and DIS are signals defined by the above-described Recommendation, and these signals in addition to the other names of signals are indicated in FIG. 13 by their full spellings and facilities.
The term DIS means a signal for notifying all the facilities, i.e., a facsimile group number, transmission and reception facilities, a terminal constant and the like involved in a receive terminal to a transmit terminal. It is to be further noted that operations of from line connection to reception of DIS by a transmit terminal must be completed within a period of time T1. The transmit terminal transmits NSS, TSI, and DCS to a side of the receive terminal after receiving the NSF, the CSI, and the DIS, and appoints a facility selected from among facilities indicated by DIS by the use of DCS. In this case, operations of from line connection to reception of DCS by a receive terminal must be completed within the period of time T1.
The transmit terminal transmits a training check signal TCF after transmitting DSC, and checks whether or not the other facsimile terminal by which an image signal (facsimile message signal) is to be received can communicate at a transmission rate selected by DCS.
The mobile communication control unit 8 is not allowed to pass TCF through its system, but does relay only NSS, TSI, and DCS. The mobile communication control unit 9 produces TCF to transmit it to a receive terminal after transmitting DCS to the receive terminal. When the receive terminal receives normally TCF and completes a preparation for receiving a message, it delivers CFR being a response signal representing to the effect that a delivery of message may be started.
The mobile communication control unit 8 transmits CFR to the transmit terminal in the case when the mobile communication control unit 8 receives normally the TCF transmitted from the transmit terminal and receives the CFR from the receive terminal. In this case, it is to be noted that operations of from transmission of the TCF to reception of the CFR in the transmit terminal must be completed within a period of time T4. When the transmit terminal does not receive any CFR within the time T4, it delivers again NSS, TSI, and DCS. The number of times for redelivery of CFR is fixed up to two, and when the transmit terminal does not receive CFR within the time T4 after a second time redelivery of CFR, in other words, a third time transmission of CFR, the transmit terminal transmits DCN to stop the communication.
The transmit terminal transmits an image signal based on the Recommendation T.4 within a period of time T2 after receiving CFR. When completing transmission of the image signal, the transmit terminal delivers EOP and notifies a completion of a page of the image signal as well as a fact to the effect that there is no other documents to be transmitted. The receive terminal waits EOP for the time T2 after receiving the image signal, and disconnects the line in the case where no EOP is received within the time T2.
When the receive terminal receives EOP within the time T2, it delivers to the transmit terminal MCF representing a fact that the image signal has been completely received in an acknowledgement of the EOP. It is to be noted that operations of from transmission of EOP to reception of MCF in the transmit terminal must be completed within the time T4. The transmit terminal redelivers EOP in the case when it receives no MCF within the time T4. The number of times for redelivery of EOP is fixed up to two, and when the transmit terminal does not receive MCF within the time T4 after a second time redelivery of MCF, in other words, a third time transmission of MCF, the transmit terminal transmits DCN to stop the communication.
When the transmit terminal receives MCF, it transmits DCN to the receive terminal to disconnect the line. Operations of from transmission of MCF to reception of DCN by the receive terminal are effected within the time T2.
As is apparent from the above, a strict temporal restriction from transmission of a command signal to reception of a response signal (T1 through T4) is requested in a facsimile communication in accordance with a transmission control procedure based on the Recommendation T.30, and at the same time, when it acts against such temporal restriction, a command signal is retransmitted, whereby it coops with communication troubles such as disappearance of a procedure signal due to data errors arising on a transmission path or an outage of line.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a format of a procedure control signal represented by binary code signals. In FIG. 9, although NSF, CSI, and DIS have been shown, but the other procedure control signals are the same as the former procedure control signals described above. The format shown in FIG. 9 is composed of preambles and control signals represented by binary code. In FIG. 9, the binary code is composed of respective frames of NSF, CSI, and DIS. The DIS frame contains a flag sequence (F) indicating a start and a completion of the frame; an address field (A), a control field (C), a facsimile control field (FCF), a facsimile information field (FIF), and a frame check sequence (FCS).
It is to be noted herein that a preamble, which is shown in FIG. 9 and constituted by flag patterns is added inevitably to a head of each control signal for about one second. For instance, a delivery time of CFR frame is about 0.2 second, and about one second of preamble is added thereto. In a series of facsimile transmission control procedure sequence, a time expended for these preamble transmissions is about six seconds in, for example, a sequence shown in FIG. 8, because six preambles are added to eight procedure signals (see FIG. 9). A reduction of such expended time is also a problem in view of a total reduction for a time of transmission control procedure.
In the case when a procedure based on the Recommendation T.3 is employed for a facsimile transmission control procedure for relay purpose through a public telephone network in such event where a facsimile communication is relayed between mobile communication control units each of which involves a radio link, and they are disposed at different places from one another, there is such a problem as described hereinafter. The problem is in that there is a possibility of breakdown of communication by transmission delay due to redelivery control of data in the case when data error arises on a radio link during a transmission and a response thereof in mobile communication control units each including such radio link. Such problem mentioned herein will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing such a situation that CFR transmitted by a receive terminal 3 is relayed with a time delay to a transmit terminal 1 as a result of an influence of transmission delay in a phase B of a facsimile transmission control procedure (see FIG. 8), so that a starting time of a phase C deviates remarkably in the transmit terminal 1 and the receive terminal 3.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing such a situation that a time condition defined by the Recommendation T.30 comes to be not satisfied finally in a phase D of the transmit terminal 1 because of the deviation of starting time of the phase C in the transmit terminal 1 and the receive terminal 3 shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a problem involved in a time length of procedure signal defined by the Recommendation T.30.
As shown in FIG. 10, there may be such a case where a first time redelivery of NSS, TSI, DCS, and TCF has been executed because of an elapse of time for a period of T4 (three seconds) after transmission of TCF in a mobile communication control unit 8 at such a time that the NSS, TSI, and DCS, which are transmitted from a transmit terminal 1, reach a receive terminal 3 with a delay time involved, and CFR is transmitted after receiving these signals by the receive terminal 3. In this case, a mobile communication control unit 9 is in a state of reception for these signals from the mobile communication control unit 8, so that the mobile communication control unit 9 cannot transmit the CFR received from the receive terminal 3 to the mobile communication control unit 8. The mobile communication control unit 9 transmits the CFR at the time when reception of these signals was completed from the mobile communication control unit 8, and a mobile terminal 5 intends to transmit CFR to a transmit terminal 1.
At which time, there may be a case where the transmit terminal 1 is in the process of a second time redelivery of NSS, TSI, DCS, and TCF. In this case, the mobile terminal 5 transmits CFR to the transmit terminal 1 after receiving the second time redelivery of these signals from the transmit terminal 1. The transmit terminal 1 transmits an image signal after receiving the CFR. At this occasion, there may be a case where the mobile communication control unit 8 is in making the second time redelivery of NSS, TSI, DCS, and TCF with respect to the mobile communication control unit 9. This is because a communication is stopped in the mobile communication control unit 9 in the case when no image signal is received thereby within a period of time T2 after transmitting CFR. In order to avoid such stop of communication, these signals are to be redelivered.
In case of an example of FIG. 10, NSS, TSI, DCS, and TCF are redelivered from the mobile communication control unit 8 in the case where a preparation for transmitting an image signal is not completed within four seconds after receiving CFR from the mobile communication control unit 9. Accordingly, although the mobile communication control unit 8 has received an image signal from the mobile terminal 5 at this occasion, the mobile communication control unit 8 is also in making the second redelivery of these signals, so that the image signal is transmitted to the mobile communication control unit 9 after completing the redelivery.
When a preparation for delivering an image signal is not completed within four seconds after receiving CFR from the receive terminal 3 in also a mobile terminal 7, NSS, TSI, DCS, and TCF are redelivered to the receive terminal 3. Accordingly, there may be such a case where the second delivery of these signals is made at the time when the image signal is received from the mobile communication control unit 9. In this case also, the mobile terminal 7 starts to transmit the image signal to the receive terminal 3 after completing the redelivery of these signals.
As described above, there is such a possibility that a remarkable time deviation arises at a starting time of a phase C in the transmit terminal 1 and the receive terminal 3. How much degree of time delay arises is dependent upon a degree of delay due to a processing time at each node on a transmission path, or that of a delay due to redelivery control derived from data error on a radio link. However, it has been confirmed that it is about four seconds from a transmission of an image signal by the transmit terminal 1 until the mobile communication control-unit 8 starts to transmit the image signal, and it is about eight seconds until the receive terminal 3 starts to receive the image signal in accordance with a situation of actual measurement (without accompanying any appearance of data error on a radio link).
In the following, a situation wherein a time for transmission control procedure in a phase D is affected by a deviation of starting time of a phase C will be described by referring to FIG. 11. When transmission of an image signal is completed, the transmit terminal 1 transmits EOP, while the mobile communication control unit 8 is yet in the process of transmitting the image signal because of a delay in starting the phase C described relating to FIG. 10. After a lapse of a certain period of time corresponding to that of the delay in starting the phase C, the mobile communication control unit 8 completes transmission of the image signal, and transmits EOP.
The receive terminal 3 transmits MCF after receiving the image signal and EOP following thereto. When the MCF is received by the mobile communication control unit 8, it transmits the signal to a side of the transmit terminal 1. At this occasion, however, there may be such a case where the transmit terminal 1 completes a second time redelivery of EOP, i.e., a third time transmission of EOP. In this case, a response of MCF is in time by only a narrow margin with respect to the third time EOP, which is transmitted from the transmit terminal 1. Under the situation as described above, when a transmission delay due to redelivery control derived from data error on a radio link is added, the MCF response is not in time with respect to the third time EOP, which is transmitted from the transmit terminal 1, so that there is a high possibility of appearing an abnormal communication.
Referring to FIG. 12, a procedure signal defined by the Recommendation T.30 involves a margin of about one second. Thus, there appears a transmission delay, because the procedure signal is received at each node on a transmission path, and the signal is relayed successively to the following section. Due to this transmission delay, since a redelivery sequence for the procedure signal is conducted, a further time delay appears, whereby the communication may be failed. Such an occasion mentioned herein will be described in conjunction with FIG. 12 wherein MPS and MCF are used as procedure signals, and an explanation will be made relating thereto.
As shown in FIG. 12, when the transmit terminal 1 transmits MPS, a mobile terminal 5 transmits the MPS after receiving the same to the mobile communication control unit 8. Since the MPS has a margin of time for about one second, when the signal is relayed by the mobile terminal 5, a delay of about one second appears. Such situation is found also in the mobile communication control units 8 and 9 as well as in the mobile terminal 7.
When this MPS is received by the receive terminal 3 with a transmission delay on a radio link, the receive terminal 3 returns MCF as a response to the reception of the MPS. In this case, however, the mobile communication control unit 8 cannot obtain the response within a period of time T4 after transmitting MPS to the mobile communication control unit 9. Accordingly, there may be a case where the mobile communication control unit 8 redelivers MPS. For this reason, the mobile communication control unit 9 cannot transmit MCF in spite of the fact that the MCF has been received from a side of the receive terminal 3, so that the mobile communication control unit 9 transmits the MCF after completing reception of MPS. The mobile communication control unit 8 receives MCF after completing a redelivery of the MPS, and transmits the MCF to the mobile terminal 5. At this occasion, there may be such a case that the transmit terminal 1 is in the process of a second time redelivery of MPS, i.e., a third time transmission thereof. Under the circumstances, the mobile terminal 5 returns MCF that is a response to the third time transmission of MPS.
Under the situation as described above, when a transmission delay due to redelivery control derived from data error on a radio link is added, the MCF response is not in time with respect to the third time MPS, which is transmitted from the transmit terminal 1, so that there is a high possibility of appearing an abnormal communication.


A multi-size wrench is defined with an engaging hole in a head thereof, and an inner surface of the engaging hole of the head is formed by six arc-shaped engaging concaves and six arc-shaped connecting convexes which are alternatively connected to each other in such a manner that between each two neighboring engaging concaves is connected a connecting convexes. An angle between the connecting lines from two ends of the respective arc-shaped engaging concaves to the center of the engaging hole is 50 degrees, and an angle between the connecting lines from the center of the engaging hole to a middle connecting point of each arc-shaped connecting convexes and to a connecting end of the connecting convex is 5 degrees. By such arrangements, the multi-size wrench is applicable to a Metric hexagonal fastener, an English hexagonal fastener and a torx fastener which are correspondingly sized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand tool, and more particularly to a multi-size wrench which is capable of driving different types of fasteners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the coming of automation, most of the works or assembling operations can be done automatically by machines. However, there are still some small assembly procedures that need to be done by hand tools, and also because they are easy to use, that's why the hand tools are developed constantly and becoming more and more perfect and practical. Let's take wrench as an example, although the jaw of an adjustable wrench is adjustable to fit different fasteners, the adjustable wrench is not so light and small that a user can carry it conveniently. Hence, a small and light conventional (nonadjustable) wrench is very useful in many circumstances; however, the operating size of such a wrench is fixed and unchangeable. Hence, Taiwan Pt 349458 discloses a hand tool 10, as shown in FIG. 1, which is defined in its work head 11 with a big engaging groove 111 and a small engaging groove 112 which correspond to the nominal fastener sizes in English and Metric units. As shown in FIG. 2, a 10-mm fastener A in Metric units is engaged in the big engaging groove 111, and as shown in FIG. 3, a ⅜-inch fastener B in English units is engaged in the small engaging groove 112, and thus the work head 11 of the hand tool 10 is adapted to fasteners in both metric and English units. However, Metric and English systems are not the only two systems appeared on the market, so the hand tool 10 won't be useful when it comes to the fasteners in other systems.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.


A single crystal diamond grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition has a hardness of 50-90 GPa and a fracture toughness of 11-20 MPa m1/2. A method for growing a single crystal diamond includes placing a seed diamond in a holder; and growing single crystal diamond at a temperature of about 1000° C. to about 1100° C. such that the single crystal diamond has a fracture toughness of 11-20 MPa m1/2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to diamonds, and more particularly, to a tough diamond produced using Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPCVD) within a deposition chamber.
2. Description of Related Art
Large-scale production of synthetic diamond has long been an objective of both research and industry. Diamond, in addition to its gem properties, is the hardest known material, has the highest known thermal conductivity, and is transparent to a wide variety of electromagnetic radiation. It is valuable because of its wide range of applications in a number of industries, in addition to its value as a gemstone. However, a diamond can have low fracture toughness that will makes it unsuitable for many applications, such as a high impact machine tools.
For at least the last twenty years, a process of producing small quantities of diamond by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been available. As reported by B. V. Spitsyn et al. in "Vapor Growth of Diamond on Diamond and Other Surfaces," Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 52, pp. 219-226, the process involves CVD of diamond on a substrate by using a combination of methane, or another simple hydrocarbon gas, and hydrogen gas at reduced pressures and temperatures of 800-1200° C. The inclusion of hydrogen gas prevents the formation of graphite as the diamond nucleates and grows. Growth rates of up to 1 μm/hour have been reported with this technique.
Subsequent work, for example, that of Kamo et al. as reported in "Diamond Synthesis from Gas Phase in Microwave Plasma," Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 62, pp. 642-644, demonstrated the use of Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPCVD) to produce diamond at pressures of 1-8 Kpa in temperatures of 800-1000° C. with microwave power of 300-700 W at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. A concentration of 1-3% methane gas was used in the process of Kamo et al. Maximum growth rates of 3 μm/hour have been reported using this MPCVD process.
In the above-described processes, and in a number of more recently reported processes, the fracture toughness of the diamonds is better in some instances than natural diamond. In particular, higher-growth rate processes that only produce or grow polycrystalline forms of diamond are known to produce diamond having a fracture toughness higher than natural diamond. Other than some high pressure high pressure (HPHT) synthetic diamonds, which have been annealed, most diamonds have a fracture toughness of less than 11 MPa m1/2.

Tough diamonds and method of making thereof


A market research system and method are provided. A plurality of cooperating establishments are included in a market research test area. Each cooperating establishment is adapted for collecting and storing market research data. A computer system remotely located from the plurality of cooperating establishments stores market research data collected from the cooperating establishments. The collected market research data includes monitored retail sales transactions and captured video images of retail customers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for the collection of market research data from a plurality of cooperating retail stores.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various arrangements have been employed for the collection, summarization and forwarding of Point-Of-Sale purchasing information from retail stores for purposes of market research since the advent of Point-Of-Sale (POS) optical scanners and the widespread use of the Universal Product Code (UPC) to identify retail products. Typically, retail purchase data is summarized by an in-store POS controller or by a separate store computer attached to the POS controller in the store or, if the store is part of a large retail store chain, by a central or host computer at the headquarters of the retail store chain. The summarized retail purchase data is then typically forwarded to the users of the data by any one of a number of different data storage and transmission techniques, for example, by magnetic tape or disk or diskette or by telephonic data transmission or by over-the-air data transmission.
For example Daniel Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,504 issued Nov. 20, 1990 and assigned to the present assignee, discloses a marketing research system and method for obtaining retail data on a real time basis.
The identification of frequent shoppers and analysis of their purchases can be important to retailers since frequent shoppers may be the most valuable of customers. In order to determine what steps might increase the loyalty of frequent shoppers, a retailer may wish to study the distribution of times between visits of frequent shoppers and average purchase amount for frequent shoppers as compared to infrequent shoppers. Market research studies of frequent shopper behavior may also be of interest to packaged goods manufacturers and advertising agencies.
To date technological limitations on identifying people for in-store market research studies have dictated the use of identification methods that both require a high degree of cooperation and that incidentally provide unique identification, such as identification cards that are issued to cooperating panelists and that can be read by barcode-reading equipment installed in a grocery store checkout counter. For example, a panelist study is disclosed by Eskin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,973. Other studies have used panels of cooperating shoppers who paid for their purchases with personal checks and automatic check-reading equipment, of the sort commonly used in banking, was used at the point of sale to read the panelist's bank account number and to identify the panelist.
Another method and apparatus for identifying individual members of a marketing and viewing audience are taught by David A. Kiewit U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,011, issued May 29, 1990 and assigned to the present assignee. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,011 is incorporated herein by reference. Kiewit's disclosed system includes small radio transmitters that broadcast uniquely coded identification signals to be detected by data collection equipment at monitored locations within retail establishments and homes.
The use of special physical identification devices, such as cards, limits a market researcher's ability to accurately measure a panelist's shopping behavior. In the first and third cases described above, a shopper will not be counted if he or she forgets to carry the identification card or radio transmitter. In the second example a shopper will not be identified if payment is made in cash rather than by personal check. An automatic identification system that could recognize people who had previously shopped at the store and that could log the frequency and temporal distribution of their shopping trips would be valuable for retail market research studies.
Identification methods that provide an input to a retail store's computer system or that can be used to correlate the panelist and with his or her purchases are particularly advantageous to market researchers.
A number of known prior art methods of partially automatic individual identification require active cooperation on the part of the person to be identified. Some of these, such as the measurement of characteristic features of the hand, as taught by Kondo in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,441, or of the retina, as taught by Flom and Safin in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,349, have proven to be useful for regulating access to secure areas. Partially automatic facial image recognition systems have been taught by Felix et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,189, who describe a personal access control system using a combination of speech recognition and an analysis of characteristic shapes of the speaker's mouth. Goldman, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,408, teaches the use of identification cards bearing at least one portion of the image indicia. Gotanda, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,103, teaches an identification card or key with a password, and requires a human operator to perform the face recognition portion of the identification work.
Daozheng Lu, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,228, issued Jul. 9, 1991 and assigned to the present assignee, discloses an image recognition system and method for identifying a pattern of a plurality of predetermined patterns in a video image. A plurality of feature image signatures are stored corresponding to each of the plurality of predetermined patterns. A universal feature image signature is stored that includes each of the stored feature image signatures. A predefined series of portions of a captured video image is sequentially compared with the universal feature image signature to identify matching portions. Each of the identified matching video image portions is compared with the stored feature image signatures to identify the predetermined pattern.
Daozheng Lu, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,000, issued Aug. 15, 1989 and assigned to the present assignee, discloses an image recognition method and system for identifying predetermined individual members of a viewing audience in a monitored area. A pattern image signature is stored corresponding to each predetermined individual member of the viewing audience to be identified. An audience scanner includes audience locating circuitry for locating individual audience members in the monitored area. A video image is captured for each of the located individual audience members in the monitored area. A pattern image signature is extracted from the captured image. The extracted pattern image signature is compared with each of the stored pattern image signatures to identify a particular one of the predetermined audience members. These steps are repeated to identify all of the located individual audience members in the monitored area. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,000 and 5,031,228 are incorporated herein by reference.

Market research method and system for collecting retail store and shopper market research data


A stamping die for hot stamping a material includes a profiled stamping surface, wherein the stamping die includes at least one thermally insulating substrate, on which an electrically conductive structure having a heating resistor is arranged, and wherein the electrically conductive structure is covered by an electrically insulating film. The surface of the electrically insulating film includes the profiled stamping surface and the electrically insulating film covers at least the heating resistor such that the electrically insulating film with the stamping surface can be electrically heated by the heating resistor. A method for hot stamping a material using such a stamping die includes heating the resistor to a temperature between 100° C. and 800° C.

The invention relates to a stamping die for hot stamping a material, comprising a profiled stamping surface.
The invention also relates to a method for hot stamping a material using such a stamping die and to a method for producing such a stamping die.
Hot stamping methods are used to form, inscribe, and label various materials, in particular plastics. In doing so, the material is oxidised, formed or pyrolysed.
A device for stamping a film during a thermoforming process is known from DE 10 2004 025 568 A1 and comprises a positive stamping die. The stamping die is heatable in order to achieve flawless stamping without distortion or damage of the film.
DE 38 29 297 A1 discloses a stamping die with metal resistor tracks on a printed circuit board as heating device, on which a profiled die body formed from a rubber mixture is arranged. The arrangement is lined on the underneath with a pressure pad. The design is bulky, wherein the total volume ultimately has to be heated, and additionally can only be used for specific applications due to the soft design.
WO 03/049 915 A1 discloses a heatable hot stamping tool for microstructuring a thermoplastic material in a continuous method. The hot stamping tool is soldered together from segments, wherein the solder has material properties different from the segments. Stamping occurs at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the plastic to be stamped. At the same time, a pressure is applied, wherein the film to be stamped is cooled under pressure.
Such heatable stamping dies are usually fabricated from metal and are heated externally by means of heating cartridges or gas burners.
A disadvantage of this is that at least the entire stamping die has to be heated, whereby a lot of energy has to be applied accordingly. In addition, in particular in the case of an inscription, clear delimitations of the stamped shapes are desirable. When assembling such a heatable stamping die, the high temperature thereof and the thermal loading of the assembly location must additionally be considered. Skin contact with parts of the stamping die or the regions in the vicinity may lead to burns. The larger the thermal capacity of the heated stamping die, the more time is required before the stamping die will have cooled to such an extent that it can be disassembled or replaced safely. In order to achieve cooling when stamping, the stamping die must either be actively cooled or a sufficient time must elapse before the stamping process is complete.


Configuration information settings for a storage device are made highly reliable and facilitated. The storage device includes a service processor for setting storage device configuration information, and a terminal device connected to the service processor via a private line to send a command group, received from an operator and related to the storage device configuration information, to the service processor. The service processor also includes a device for determining approval or denial of execution of the command group prior to execution of the command group received from the terminal device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of setting the configuration information of an information processing apparatus, and more particularly, to setting and modifying storage configuration information. The invention also relates to a storage device capable of setting such configuration information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information processing devices and the like in system environments continually become more complex, and various proposals have been presented to simplify the setting operations of such complex information processing devices. Setting the configuration information (for example, path definition, creation of logic volume, physical format, security information) of a storage device in an information processing system involves the risk of data loss due to an increase in the number of setting operations and in wrong settings made by supervisors, because the devices have become large and complex.
JP-A-5-128032 proposes, as a method of solving such problems, a technique for settings in a network environment, which can be set by end users of average skill. Another Japanese patent application, JP-A-6-175827, proposes a technique of automatically creating settings of a network environment in which a program is implemented on a computer, to eliminate the need for end users to make the difficult settings for an environment. Further, JP-A-11-161604 discloses a technique in which the settings for a network environment with connected clients are preserved as a script file in a server connected to the network and automatically downloaded for setting the environment.
Even with a Graphical User Interface (GUI), setting modifications can cause unexpected equipment trouble even with supervisors performing the setting operations. To prevent such unauthorized operation, JP-A-2000-181687 discloses a method in which system management information is preserved in two memories and errors are avoided by referring to one of the memories when an error occurs after system management information in the other memory is edited. JP-A-2000-181687 also discloses a method in which a password is required when setting information is edited. These methods ensure that system management information is safely preserved.
However, when the settings for the environment and structure of an information processing device are modified, operations in the modified environment are sometimes incompatible with those performed in the previous environment and structure. For example, when the structure of storage areas in a storage device is modified, concern arises that the operations may call for data being written into areas in positions essentially unsuitable for writing.
In particular, in structural modification, such as setting the storage areas of a storage device, the integrity of written data must also be guaranteed for subsequent structural modifications. Password management as disclosed in JP-A-2000-181687, in which it suffices to divide an environment to provide environments that users cannot use, cannot resolve this problem. Moreover, in order to avoid the risk of data loss or the like, confirmation of whether the script is composed of data created for setting modification and generating a command group must be guaranteed in the operation.
In cases where returning to a previous state is desired for some reason, and in situations in which device environments enlarge, for example, storage devices, errors allow past data to be released. With such occurrences, there is also a requirement to return to that environment/structure at a time when the data being released was accumulated.

Storage device and method of setting configuration information of same


Space time transmit diversity (9, 14, 17, 19) is applied at the block level to an original block of bits (12) in order to reduce the effects of fading in wireless communication systems that use nonlinear modulation schemes (13, 33). At the receiving end, fading parameters (α1, α2) are estimated (αE1, αE2) and the properties of complex conjugates are utilized (28, 29, 201, 202) to produce a result (r1, r2) that is representative of the original block of bits.

Present telecommunication system technology includes a wide variety of wireless networking systems associated with both voice and data communications. An overview of several of these wireless networking systems is presented by Amitava Dutta-Roy, Communications Networks for Homes, IEEE Spectrum, pg. 26, December 1999. Therein, Dutta-Roy discusses several communication protocols in the 2.4 GHz band, including IEEE 802.11 direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and frequency-hopping (FHSS) protocols. A disadvantage of these protocols is the high overhead associated with their implementation. A less complex wireless protocol known as Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) also operates in the 2.4 GHz band. This protocol has been developed by the HomeRF Working Group and is supported by North American communications companies. The SWAP protocol uses frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology to produce a data rate of 1 Mb/sec. Another less complex protocol is named Bluetooth after a 10th century Scandinavian king who united several Danish kingdoms. This protocol also operates in the 2.4 GHz band and advantageously offers short-range wireless communication between Bluetooth devices without the need for a central network.
The Bluetooth protocol provides a 1 Mb/sec data rate with low energy consumption for battery powered devices operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) band. The current Bluetooth protocol provides a 10-meter range and a maximum asymmetric data transfer rate of 723 kb/sec. The protocol supports a maximum of three voice channels for synchronous, CVSD-encoded transmission at 64 kb/sec. The Bluetooth protocol treats all radios as peer units except for a unique 48-bit address. At the start of any connection, the initiating unit is a temporary master. This temporary assignment, however, may change after initial communications are established. Each master may have active connections of up to seven slaves. Such a connection between a master and one or more slaves forms a "piconet." Link management allows communication between piconets, thereby forming "scattemets." Typical Bluetooth master devices include cordless phone base stations, local area network (LAN) access points, laptop computers, or bridges to other networks. Bluetooth slave devices may include cordless handsets, cell phones, headsets, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, or computer peripherals such as printers, scanners, fax machines and other devices.
The Bluetooth protocol uses time-division duplex (TDD) to support bi-directional communication. Frequency hopping permits operation in noisy environments and permits multiple piconets to exist in close proximity. The frequency hopping scheme permits up to 1600 hops per second over 79 1-MHZ channels or the entire 2.4 GHz ISM spectrum. Various error correcting schemes permit data packet protection by ⅓ and ⅔ rate forward error correction. Further, Bluetooth uses retransmission of packets for guaranteed reliability. These schemes help correct data errors, but at the expense of throughput.
The Bluetooth protocol is specified in detail in Specification of the Bluetooth System, Version 1.0A, Jul. 26, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In wireless communication systems such as described above, the well-known disadvantageous phenomenon of fading is encountered. Conventional transmit diversity techniques can provide several dB's of gain to thereby at least partially overcome the fading problem. Some known transmit diversity schemes require an estimate of the channel at the transmitter, which estimate can be made from previous receptions at the same frequency. However, because the operating environment is not totally static, such estimates are sometimes not very accurate.
Another known technique for overcoming fading is antenna space time transmit diversity. An example of this technique is disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 09/205,029 filed on Dec. 3, 1998 and incorporated herein by reference. The space time transmit diversity disclosed therein is bit level space time transmit diversity for use with linear modulation schemes such as QPSK modulation. However, bit level space time transmit diversity cannot be used in wireless communication systems that utilize non-linear modulation schemes, for example the GFSK modulation scheme utilized in Bluetooth systems.
It is therefore desirable to apply space time transmit diversity techniques in wireless communication systems that utilize nonlinear modulation.
The present invention applies space time transmit diversity to achieve diversity gains in wireless communication systems that utilize nonlinear modulation schemes. In particular, space time transmit diversity (STTD) is applied at the block level to an original block of bits advantageously to reduce the effects of fading in wireless communication systems that use nonlinear modulation schemes. At the receiving end, fading parameters are estimated and the properties of complex conjugates are utilized to produce a result that is representative of the original block of bits.

Block level space time transmit diversity in wireless communications


A telecommunications system having a packet-switching communications network, and to a method for operating such a telecommunications system, wherein at least a first subscriber is connected to a packet-switching communications network, a network element of a circuit-switching communications network is connected to the packet-switching communications network using an interface unit, and a first signaling information is transmitted between the network element and the subscriber, the first signaling information corresponding to a signaling standard of a circuit-switching communications network.

The present invention relates to a telecommunications system having a packet-switching communications network in which at least a first subscriber is connected to a packet-switching communications network. The present invention also relates to a method for operating such a telecommunications system.
There are various types of communications networks for transmitting voice, video data and further data. Different services and features have been developed for each of these communications networks by virtue of the various ways in which these communications networks can be used. Conventional communications networks for the transmission of voice are generally circuit-switching communications networks and communications networks for transmitting other data are usually packet-switching communications networks; for example, a local computer network (Local Area Network; LAN) or the Internet. Presently, however, at present voice, data and video services of both types of communications networks can be made available. It is therefore possible, for example, to connect a subscriber to the circuit-switching communications network via a packet-switching communications network. Supplementary services such as call pick-up, three-way conferencing, large-scale conferencing, holding, displaying of toll information, closed user group, call number identification, automatic callback when busy, automatic callback when no reply, call barring, call waiting and call forwarding which are made available in known circuit-switching communications networks also can, to a certain extent, be used in packet-switching communications networks. Standards, for example in the series of Recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T Recommendation) based on H.323, are defined for packet-switching communications networks. These standards include, in particular, the Standards H.323, H.225 and H.450.
An H.323 architecture for supplementary services in which there is a possibility of interaction of the services between circuit-switching and packet-switching communications networks is also known. For example, it is known that user-channel-related signaling messages for activating, deactivating, requesting and controlling services and features in the circuit-switching communications network are mapped onto signaling packets which are used in the packet-switching communications network. Preferably, "DSS1 messages", which are defined in the ITU Standards Q.931 and Q.932, are used in the circuit-switching communications network. Preferably the standardized H.225 signaling protocol is used for transmitting the signaling packets in the packet-switching communications network; in particular, over the Internet. Service features and features which to be used require user-channel-related signaling messages are, for example, call pick-up, three-way conferencing and large-scale conferencing, holding, displaying of toll information, closed user group and call number identification services. Signaling which is independent of a user connection or a user channel is necessary for status interrogations and for activating or deactivating service features; for example, call divert, automatic callback when busy, automatic callback when no reply and call waiting.
Components such as terminals, gateways and gatekeepers are provided and defined for transmitting voice according to the H.323 Standard. Terminals are terminating devices which are connected to the packet-switching communications network. In packet-switching communications networks it is necessary for the subscriber to log on with his/her terminal. A gateway is used as an interface for converting the data protocols between the packet-switching communications network and the circuit-switching communications network. A gatekeeper is used to administer and to check user services and network capacities of a packet-switching communications network according to the H.323 Standard. The addressing of an incoming call also takes place in the gatekeeper in the packet-switching communications network. Each subscriber has an address in the packet-switching communications network. The telephone number which is selected by a calling subscriber is converted by the gatekeeper to the address of the called subscriber in the packet-switching communications network. In this way, the H.323 Standard can be used to transmit telephone calls over the Internet and in networks based on an Internet protocol.
Large packet-switching networks provide the possibility of enabling a number of employees who do not work in the same office, or do not work in the same office continuously, to use common functions via the network. This is sensible, in particular, if employees have to travel often or work as teleworkers at home. These employees are then connected to an external data network; for example, the Internet. This Internet provides these employees with access to an internal data network of the company, for example an Intranet, and to a telecommunications network of the company, e.g. the voice network. Employees who work, for example, for a department or on a project are combined into groups, which are known as CENTREX groups, in particular for the sake of better accessibility. CENTREX is a special service which is made available using a network node of a telecommunications network. CENTREX can be used to provide some of the connected subscribers, for example the employees of the department or of the project, with a range of functions corresponding approximately to the range of functions of a private branch exchange, even though they are not all connected to the same private branch exchange. Using the CENTREX service it is possible, for example, for an incoming call for one employee in the group also to be made visible and available to other preset subscribers. Thus, with the CENTREX service there is also the possibility of presetting a team call or a call transfer. Here, when there is an incoming call to a subscriber line in the group a message is generated which is transmitted to the other subscriber lines which are preset in this group. Each subscriber of the group can then receive this call. Each of the subscribers in the group can also receive calls parked in the system. The subscribers of the CENTREX group can also have a common call number schedule which can be used by all the subscriber lines. However, with the prior art, it is possible to use the CENTREX service and other services known on voice connections, such as three-way conferencing, call forwarding, call playback, subscriber cut-in, recorded announcement services and private call number schedule only in a circuit-switching communications network. According to the H.323/H.450 Standards, these services are not supported for voice connections using the packet-switching communications network, or at least not to the same extent.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to disclose a telecommunications system having a packet-switching communications network, and a method for operating such a telecommunications system, which provides a subscriber of the packet-switching communications network with services and features of a circuit-switching communications network.

Telecommunications system having a packet-switching communications network and method for operating such a telecommunications system


Scheduling a given event, in one aspect, may include obtaining a set of one or more business rules, obtaining analytics, and obtaining an event specification. The event specification may include at least one content specification and two or more transmission modes. The event may be scheduled based on the event specification, the analytics and the business rules. The scheduling may be indicated by a tuple comprising event content, one or more communication modes selected from the two or more transmission modes, and timing of the scheduled event.

Methodologies exist that generally manage collecting of data and scheduling of events. Other known methodologies target advertisements for types of targeted consumer devices. Yet other methodologies exist for predicting outcomes, e.g., related to the payment of the healthcare patient account. Still other methodologies integrate active and simulated decision making process.

Event scheduler based on real-time analytics and business rules

International Business Machines Corporation