A semiconductor device is disclosed having improved vertical gain symmetry, and which includes thick, lightly-doped regions which are dielectrically isolated and provided by at least two separately processed semiconductor wafers which are bonded together and further processed to provide the finished device. Alternate embodiments include buried layers exhibiting very low resistance. Further alternate embodiments provide high voltage and/or high current devices which are fabricated together with low-power circuitry as an integrated circuit.

Typical vertical bipolar transistors exhibit greater current gain in a direction downward from the top surface of the semiconductor into the bulk of the semiconductor, than the current gain in a direction upward from the bulk of the semiconductor to the surface. This asymmetry in vertical current gain is related to the ratio of the injected current collected by the collector region to the injected current recombined in the base region and which does not reach the collector.
One reason for this asymmetry in current gain arises from the area difference or ratio of the top junction area to the bottom junction area. Since the top surface of a typical vertical bipolar device must contain both the emitter and base contacts, the emitter area must necessarily be smaller than the collector area, which may fully occupy the opposite surface, in order to accommodate the base contact. As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a greater number of carriers 54 injected by an emitter 52 disposed on a surface which includes the base 58, are collected than are collected when injected (60) by a region 56 occupying the entire surface. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, when the top emitter 52 is injecting carriers 54, the collection of the injected carriers by the collector 56 is relatively unaffected by the base regions 58. By contrast, when the carriers 60, 62 are injected by the collector 56 whose area is not diminished by other semiconductor regions, only those carriers 60 which are injected under the emitter 52 are collected by the emitter 52. The carriers 62 which are injected under the base 58 are recombined in the base 58, adding to the base current and thus lowering the current gain of the transistor 50. If the base 58 contacts are made as small as possible to minimize this effect, the base resistance increases, thus reducing other transistor performance characteristics.
A second reason for asymmetry in current gain arises from the difference in the doping of the top emitter and the underlying collector. The doping of the collector and emitter and the relative doping differential between adjacent N and P regions affects the ability of the emitter and collector to inject carriers. While the top-disposed emitter may be doped to the solid solubility limit of silicon by solid state diffusion, typically in the order of 10.sup.21 cm.sup.-3, the doping of the collector is limited to a lower concentration, typically 10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3 by the crystal growth process. The diffusion of dopant is graphically illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein the emitter region 52A is more highly doped than the collector region 56A. Process steps which enhance the concentration of dopant in the collector by solid state diffusion are diminished in subsequent process steps. The dopant concentration gradient is further degraded through sublimation, also known as "autodoping," during epitaxial growth of the lightly doped region. As a result, the concentration of dopant in the emitter 52 is typically several orders of magnitude higher than the collector, further contributing to the asymmetrical current gain of the vertical transistor.

Inverted epitaxial process semiconductor devices


An outwardly opening receptacle constructed of flexible water impervious material. The receptacle includes a bottom and upstanding peripheral sides and is generally ellipsoidal in plan shape. The upstanding peripheral sides include successive reversely foldable upper marginal zones selectively foldable inwardly and outwardly relative to the peripheral sides of the receptacle and the marginal zones taper in width, oppositely, toward the opposite ends of the receptacle. The opposite ends of the receptacle include flexible drain tube portions opening outwardly therefrom and the outer end portions of the drain tube portions include closed reservoir defining end portions. Tie members are carried by the drain tube outer end portions inwardly of the reservoir defining end portions and the drain tube portions are capable of being readily cut by scissors, or the like.

In many instances persons requiring medical care are themselves soiled or must await medical assistance while lying upon unclean surfaces. Accordingly, a need exists for some structure whereby a soiled accident victim, or the like, may be placed within a suitable receptacle for treatment in an emergency room, or the like, in such a manner that the immediate areas of the emergency room are not contaminated. Such a receptacle may also be utilized for accident victims on the roadside awaiting medical care to protect the accident victim therewithin against unclean surfaces upon which the accident victim may be resting.
Such a receptacle may be readily constructed of lightweight water impervious material and may be carried in a compact state and discarded after usage.
Although various forms of sanitary sheets and body coverings and supports have been heretofore provided, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 590,188, 3,108,293, 3,791,962, 3,791,382, 3,986,505, 4,002,330 and 4,006,017, these previously known structures are not specifically designed for use in containing an accident victim for protection of the victim against contamination from unclean surroundings or for containing an accident victim against contamination of adjacent clean areas.


A modular engine assembly includes a cylinder bore block, a cylinder head disposed above the cylinder bore block, and a crankcase assembly disposed below the cylinder bore block. The crankcase assembly includes an upper carrier and a lower carrier each having a plurality of bearing portions therein being integral, unitary, and one-piece.

It is known to provide an engine such as an internal combustion engine for a vehicle such as a motor vehicle. The modern two and four cycle internal combustion engines are an elegant and increasingly fuel-efficient machine. Because of the wide ranging needs of vehicle owners, engines of widely different torque and power outputs must be produced. But each different engine size (or displacement) is of complicated construction and requires a large investment to design and manufacture.
In simplest terms, these internal combustion engines typically include a plurality of pistons reciprocating within cylindrical bores and connected to a crankshaft with connecting rods. The crankshaft is supported in the engine block by individual bearing caps. During a combustion pressure induced power stroke, each piston applies torque to the crankshaft to provide the motive power of the engine. The torque and power delivered through the crankshaft is a function of the pressure surface area of the pistons and the length of their power strokes.
This assembly of pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and bearing caps is housed in an engine block. The engine block defines the cylinders in which the pistons reciprocate and it locates and supports the crankshaft, connecting rods, and bearing caps or bearing support surfaces. It is open at the bottom. The pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and bearing caps or bearing support surfaces are assembled from the bottom of the block after inverting it. Finally the bottom of the block is closed with an oil pan. The engine block also contains engine coolant and lubricating oil passages. A cylinder head closes the tops of the cylinders in the block to define therein each respective combustion chamber with the enclosed piston head. The cylinder head also contains one or more air or fuel/air inlet ports and valves, one or more exhaust gas ports and valves, a spark plug and, often, a fuel injector. It also contains coolant and oil passages. Both the engine block and the cylinder head are metal castings of complex design because of integrated features such as coolant and oil passages. Each casting must be designed for the specified displacement of the engine.
As observed, it is very expensive to manufacture such engines with specifically designed and cast engine blocks and cylinder heads. The complex casting requires a high capital investment manufacturing facility for both casting and machining. As a result, making changes to the design of the engine block are, therefore, difficult to implement.
Further, the bearing caps or bearing support surfaces are made separately and machined to close tolerances. The bearing caps or bearing support surfaces are pre-assembled in the crankcase to enable machining such as by flush grinding of the final bearing surfaces, and then disassembled for inserting the crankshaft and for final crankshaft assembly.
Therefore, it is desirable to realize a large savings in the manufacture of automobile engines if the design and manufacture of the engine block could be simplified. It is also desired to provide a modular approach to making the engine structural components that contain the pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and bearing caps or bearing support surfaces. It is further desirable to separate the cylinder block portion of engine construction from the crankcase containing and assembling portion of the engine. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a simplified modular engine assembly that meets these desires.

Simplified engine architecture and assembly


A telecommunications system and method for reserving time slots for dialup access to Internet Service Providers. The present invention utilizes an Advanced Intelligent Network to collect reservation requests from subscribers and to process the dial-up connections during the reserved time slot. The present invention provides uses the telecommunications network infrastructure to generate bills for subscribers utilizing the reservation system. Subscribers are billed on a per use basis or may pre-purchase reservation slots which may be scheduled in the future.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an advanced intelligent network system that provides reservation services for Internet Service subscribers.
2. Background of the Invention
Over the last ten years, use of the Internet has grown rapidly. A large segment of this growth stems from an increase in individual dial-up subscribers. These dial-up subscribers use the public switched telephone network (xe2x80x9cPSTNxe2x80x9d) to establish connections to their Internet Service Providers (xe2x80x9cISPsxe2x80x9d). FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating how these dial-up subscribers, or users, connect to their ISPs using PSTN 10. To support multiple connections, ISPs must maintain numerous telephone lines connected to modems. Rather than advertising a different telephone number for each telephone line, ISPs generally advertise a limited number of telephone access numbers. Each telephone access number corresponds to one or more telephone lines. These telephone lines may be made up of, e.g., individual POTS lines, one or more T1 lines, or Primary Rate ISDN (xe2x80x9cPRIxe2x80x9d) lines. For simplicity, the figures and discussion herein show the connection to be made up of PRI lines 21, as shown in FIG. 1.
PRI lines 21 lead to the ISP 20 where they are connected to multi-line hunt group (xe2x80x9cMLHGxe2x80x9d) 22 as shown in FIG. 1. MLHG 22 is a modem pool allowing multiple simultaneous connections and is controlled by access server 23. MLHG 22 takes incoming subscriber calls and routes them to the first open modem in the modem pool. When caller 30 dials the telephone access number for ISP 20 (using computer 31, modem 32 and subscriber line 33), PSTN 10 processes the call like any other call. That is, the call is routed between caller 30 and called party (in this case, ISP 20) through one or more switches. If the ISP""s lines are all busy, or xe2x80x9coff-hookxe2x80x9d, i.e., there are no voice communications paths available, the caller gets a busy-signal, which is provided by the PSTN. On the other hand, if lines are available, the ISP""s switch will terminate the call and it is the ISP""s responsibility to answer the call, verify the user authorization to access the ISP""s system, and setup the caller""s connection to the Internet.
From the ISP""s point of view, several intervening steps must be accomplished before granting the caller access to the Internet. For example, when a call reaches ISP 20 via PRI lines 21 and MLHG 22, access server 23 answers the call. After answering the call, access server 23 must determine whether or not the caller should be granted access and if so, to which services. Access server 23 queries caller 30 for information such as a username and password for use in identifying caller 30 and caller 30""s authorized services. The dialog between caller 30 and access server 23 is usually performed automatically between access server 23 and communications software operating on computer 31.
Generally, ISPs use centralized servers to store and manage their subscriber databases. Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (xe2x80x9cRADIUSxe2x80x9d) server 24, having database 24a, shown in FIG. 1, is functionally connected to access server 23 and provides this centralized management. Thus, access server 23 collects username and password information from caller 30 and passes it on to RADIUS server 24. After RADIUS server 24 verifies caller 30""s username and password, it provides access server 23 with configuration information specific to caller 30. Access server 23 uses the configuration information to provide the authorized services to caller 30. Access servers and RADIUS servers are described in more detail in commonly assigned U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/133,299, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional information on access servers and RADIUS servers may be found in Rigney et al., Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS), Network Working Group, January, 1997, or in Rigney et al., RADIUS Accounting, Network Working Group, April, 1997.
It is well known in the art that not all subscribers connect to their ISPs at the same time. Additionally, not all subscribers connect every day, nor do they connect for the same length of time each session. For this reason, it is not practical or realistic for ISPs to provide a 1:1 ratio of lines to subscribers. ISPs must pay their local telephone service providers for each telephone line maintained. Instead, ISPs have developed formulas to determine the appropriate number of telephone lines required. In general, a telephone line to user ratio of at least 1:10 provides an acceptable level of service. However, as Internet usage continues to grow, it is becoming more difficult to predict the requirements for telephone lines into an ISP.
As discussed above, a significant number of Internet subscribers connect using dial-up connections from their homes. These subscribers typically connect before or after work or school. As a result, there are certain peak times for accessing ISPs via the PSTN. During these peak times, subscribers may not be able to connect to their ISPs because all of the ISP""s telephone lines are busy. As described above, ISPs cannot reasonably support every subscriber with simultaneous connections. However, if an ISP does not provide sufficient telephone lines to minimize subscriber frustrations due to failed connections, the ISP could lose current or future subscribers to competing ISPs. Thus, ISPs must balance their need to reduce costs against their subscribers"" need for adequate access to the Internet.
One way to balance these competing interests is to obtain flexible access to increased telephone lines from local telephone service providers. Another means of balancing these interests is to provide a system and method for subscribers to reserve time slots with their ISPs. ISPs could create such a reservation by limiting access to reserved subscribers"" accounts during peak periods. In such a system, subscribers would reserve a time slot, and the ISP would program its computers to allow log-ins only by those subscribers having reservations.
Such a reservation system may be effective for limiting the number of subscribers trying to access the ISP network. This may reduce the load on the ISP""s systems and help ensure adequate processing speed for those subscribers already connected. However, such an ISP-based reservation system does not address the real problem of allocating the ISP""s telephone and modem resources. This is true because non-reserved subscribers are not prevented from attempting access to the ISP""s system. ISPs generally have no way of monitoring or scheduling telephone access to their systems. Every attempted login ties up a telephone line and modem for as long as it takes the ISP""s authentication process to determine that the subscriber does not have a valid reservation. Additionally, significant changes to the existing billing structure employed by ISPs may be required. Thus there is a need for a more efficient reservation system directed to controlling use of the ISP""s telephone access resources.
The present invention utilizes an Advanced Intelligent Network (xe2x80x9cAINxe2x80x9d) to provide an automated service for scheduling Internet time slots for ISP subscribers. AIN systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,301 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,533 which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. FIGS. 2a through 3 show the key components of the AIN used in the present invention. FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts detailing the two primary stages comprising the present invention: reservation setup and reservation processing. The steps described herein can be performed by computer-readable program code operating on the various AIN components and other computer systems, as described below.
The present invention is an AIN-based system and method that allows Internet subscribers to reserve time slots for accessing their ISPs via dial-up telephone connections. The system provides three alternatives that subscribers can use to make a reservation on the system. In all three cases, the subscriber identifies the time slot requested and the system returns a confirmation number if the reservation is successfully placed.
The first alternative allows pre-subscribed users, or xe2x80x9cfeature code users,xe2x80x9d to have their billing and other information such as the name of their ISP pre-entered into a system database. A suitable AIN trigger is provisioned on the pre-subscribed users"" telephone lines. Such feature code users can use a simplified process for making their reservations. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, feature code users may pre-pay for a designated number of reservation slots per month. When a pre-subscribed caller uses the assigned feature code to access the reservation system, a Service Control Point (xe2x80x9cSCPxe2x80x9d) checks the customer database to determine the number of reservation slots the caller has available and processes the reservation request if slots are available.
In the second alternative, the present invention provides reserved Internet access to infrequent users, or xe2x80x9ccasual users.xe2x80x9d These casual users must provide billing and ISP information at the time of each use. Casual users access the reservation system by dialing a telephone access number assigned to the system. This access number for the reservation system is provisioned with a suitable AIN trigger. When a casual user calls the reservation system telephone access number, the trigger is activated and the call is temporarily suspended. This trigger initiates a database query to the SCP to determine which Service Node (xe2x80x9cSNxe2x80x9d) should handle the reservation request. Alternatively, the telephone access number of the reservation system could correspond to a line physically assigned to a particular SN. However, using an AIN trigger and database query is preferable, because in that case the system can grow or be re-configured in a manner that is transparent to the subscribers. That is, any SN in the telephone network system can be used to collect the subscriber""s reservation request without changing the telephone access number for the reservation system and without making the subscribers aware of the change. The SN collects the required information from the caller, then returns control of the call back to the SCP, together with the data collected. After processing the reservation request, the reservation system charges the subscribers for the service and relays the reservation details to the ISP.
The third alternative of the present invention allows both pre-subscribed and casual users to make their reservations, while online, through their ISP. Subscribers requesting a reservation time slot via the Internet are prompted for the same information required of a casual user. Such information includes the reservation time slot requested and the telephone number that will be used to initiate the call. The information is collected by the ISP and transmitted to a gateway server maintained by the telephone service provider. The gateway server sends the reservation request to the AIN components that process the request and return a reservation confirmation number. The ISP server relays the confirmation number to the subscriber, together with any special access instructions.
The reservation system database resides on the SCP and has records for each ISP with fields such as the ISP""s capacity for reserved time slots and the ISP""s telephone number for reserved access. Each time a caller reserves a time slot for an ISP, the SCP updates the database with the caller""s telephone number, selected time slot and a confirmation number generated by the SCP. The caller is provided with the confirmation number for verification purposes in the event a reservation must be cancelled. Additionally, in an alternate embodiment, the confirmation number could be used by subscribed users for xe2x80x9croamingxe2x80x9d access, i.e., access from a telephone number not in the SCP""s database.
The ISP sets aside at least one telephone access number for use by subscribers having reserved time slots. When the subscriber""s time slot arrives, the subscriber dials the ISP""s reserved telephone access number. This reserved access number has a suitable AIN trigger assigned that activates a database query to the SCP. After confirming that the caller""s telephone number is in the database for that time slot and for the particular ISP, the SCP responds by sending a Continue message and a Termination_Notification request to the SSP. Upon receiving the response, the SSP terminates the call to the ISP. The SSP subsequently notifies the SCP if the line is busy, was answered, or if the caller hung up before the call was answered. The SCP uses this information to determine the billing status for the call.
In an alternate embodiment, the SCP initiates the call between the customer and the ISP when the reserved time slot begins. In this embodiment, the SCP waits until the reserved time slot arrives, then issues a Create_Call message with a Termination_Notification request to the caller""s SSP instructing the SSP to establish a call between that customer and the customer""s ISP. As discussed above, the SSP notifies the SCP if the call is answered, busy or disconnected before answer.
If the line is busy, the SCP ensures that the caller is not billed for the reservation. Similarly, if the call is properly connected, and later disconnected for any reason, the caller may re-connect during the reserved time slot without being billed for a new reservation. Once the caller is connected to the ISP, the call can be disconnected when the time slot has expired using alternate methods.
For example, the ISP could ensure that the user is disconnected by hanging up the call at the appropriate time. The ISP could also transmit periodic warnings to the caller warning the caller of the impending disconnection. The ISP could also instruct the caller to disconnect and reconnect using a non-reserved telephone access slot, if one is available. Alternatively, the ISP could allow the caller to purchase additional time slots if slots are available, so that the caller is not forced to end the session.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automated system for providing reservations for dial-up access to Internet Service Providers (xe2x80x9cISPsxe2x80x9d).
It is a further object of the present invention to use an Advanced Intelligent Network to provide billing support for Internet reservation systems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for increasing Internet subscribers"" chances of obtaining a connection to their ISPs.

System and method for internet reservation service

BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation


An ink retaining flexible polyurethane foam is prepared by reacting a polyether polyol with from 50 to 80 parts by weight, based on the weight of polyol, of a polyisocyanate component having one or a mixture of methylene diisocyanates. The foam has pore sizes above 70 pores per linear inch, preferably in the range of 70 to 90 pores per linear inch in an uncompressed state. The foam is reticulated to improve liquid holding capacity, and, depending upon cell size, compressed into a container. The foam absorbs and retains ink, and is resistant against attack from ink, producing less than 2.0% solvent extractables.

In the art of thermal ink jet printing, various multi-cellular materials have been used to store and deliver ink to a printing head. Included among these materials are conventional polyether polyurethane foams, reticulated cellulose, polyethylene foams and melamine-formaldehyde condensate foams. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,295; 4,794,409; 4,306,245 and 4,929,969.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,295 discloses a thermal ink jet pen body that includes a controlled pore-size reticulated polyether polyurethane foam. Reticulation breaks the walls of the small membranes within the foam material creating more passages through which liquids, such as ink, may flow. Prior to insertion into the pen body, the foam is compressed to reduce the pore size and increase the foam density, thus better controlling the capillarity of the foam. The ""295 patent does not disclose particular foam compositions and does not consider potential contamination of the ink by materials extracted from the foam when the ink is held in contact with the foam for extended periods of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,579 discloses an inkjet container filled with a compressed polyurethane foam ink absorbent member. The patent notes problems caused by impurities that may be extracted from the foam and contaminate the ink. When more than 0.04% by weight per gram of ink of the impurities are present in the ink, the surface tension and other properties of the ink are affected adversely. To solve such problems, the ""579 patent proposes washing the foam with an organic polar solvent to extract the impurities from the foam before inserting the foam into an ink jet printer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,501 discloses an ink delivery medium formed from a high density, fine pore, open cell polyester polyurethane foam. The patent states that prior melamine foams emit dust that can clog the ink channel, such that melamine foams must be pre-cleaned and used in conjunction with a fine filter. The patent also states that particles break away from the prior polyurethane foams when such foams are reticulated, and that these particles must be removed from the foams with a pre-cleaning step before these foams can be used in an ink jet printer. In addition, the patent notes that most foaming processes use surfactants, and that excess surfactants must be removed from the foams with a pre-cleaning step before the foams can be used in ink jet applications. Unlike the prior melamine foams, reticulated foams and foams formed using surfactants, the particular foam disclosed in the ""501 patent is stated to be made without surfactants so that it is substantially free of residual foaming surfactants and loose particles. As a result, pre-cleaning is not required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,731 discloses ink retainers made with compressed, preferably reticulated, flexible polyurethane foams with cell sizes above 20 cells/inch prepared with a polymeric polyol having styrene and/or acrylonitrile grafted thereto. Using at least 20% by weight of the polymeric polyol is said to reduce the swelling of the foam when the foam is in contact with solvents present in the ink, which in turn prevents organic matter in the foam from leaching into the ink.
The prior art ink retainers made with polyurethane foams formed with conventional polyols and surfactants emit extractable material, such as low-molecular urethane, excess unreacted surfactants, excess catalysts, antioxidants and plasticizers, when in contact with ink solvents. These extractable materials and particles can leach into the ink or ink solvent and either contaminate the ink with particles that may clog the pen, or change the surface tension of the ink and the resulting print quality. The industry is searching for less expensive foams that can be used as ink retainers in conjunction with ink jet printers without significant pre-cleaning to remove extractable materials. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to produce polyurethane foams that emit significantly less extractable materials.
According to the invention, an ink retainer suitable for use inside an ink container for an ink jet printing system is formed from a polyether polyurethane foam that is stable to retain and supply ink and produces very low solvent extractables, less than 2.0%, preferably less than 1.5%, most preferably less than 1.1%. The foam is prepared by reacting a polyether polyol with from about 50 to 80 parts by weight, based on 100 parts polyol, of a polyisocyanate component. The polyisocyanate component is one or a mixture of polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanates, wherein the functionality is from 2.1 to 2.5 and the % NCO is from 28 to 32%. The isocyanate index is in the range from about 103 to 120, preferably 105 to 115. The polymeric methylene diphenyl isocyanates preferably are mixtures of the 4, 4xe2x80x2 isomer, the 2, 4xe2x80x2 isomer, and/or the 2, 2xe2x80x2 isomer of methylene diisocyanate and higher molecular weight oligomers. Some toluene diisocyanate may be incorporated into the polyisocyanate component, but preferably in an amount not exceeding 17 percent by weight, based on the weight of the polyol.
The polyurethane foam so produced has foam pore sizes above 70 pores per linear inch, preferably in the range of 70 to 90 pores per linear inch (measured by pressure drop techniques). The foam is reticulated, preferably by thermal reticulation, to remove substantially all foam cell membranes. The foam may also be felted, i.e., compressed between heated plates until the foam has a permanent compression set. When placed in a container for ink, the foam may be compressed at a compression ratio by volume of from 1 to 2 up to from 1 to 20. When the foam has smaller pore sizes, a lower compression ratio by volume is used, preferably 1 to 2 to 1 to 5.
Foam densities for polyurethane foams according to the invention are generally from 1.2 to 3.0 pounds per cubic foot, preferably 1.2 to 2.0 pounds per cubic foot. Higher or lower densities may also be suitable so long as the foam is stable to retain and supply ink and emits low extractables.


A bridge is movable transversely to its longitudinal direction. A carrier extends in the longitudinal direction and is mounted on the bridge to be movable in said longitudinal direction. An inclined pole is connected to the carrier and extends upwardly to a top end of the pole from a point of the carrier which is nearer to the mid-point than to each end point of the carrier. A plurality of lower rope holders are provided on the carrier on opposite sides of the mid-point and spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of ropes are associated with and connected to respective ones of the lower rope holders. A plurality of vertically spaced apart upper rope holders are secured to the pole. One of the upper rope holders is disposed near the top end. Each of the upper rope holders is connected to two of the ropes which are connected to lower rope holders provided on opposite sides of the mid-point in such a manner that none of the ropes crosses another between the upper and lower rope holders. Drive devices are provided for reciprocating the carrier in the longitudinal direction.

This invention relates to a scraper-conveyor apparatus for use in dumps, mixed-bed installations or the like, comprising a bridge, which is movable to be close to an end face of the dump and extends parallel to and approximately throughout the length of the base of the dump end face and carries a transverse conveyor, particularly an endless scarper chain, further comprising scraping means, which include a frame, that is connected to the bridge, and scraping ropes, which are connected to said frame and reciprocable parallel to the dump end face by drive means.
The known slope scraper-conveyor apparatus can be divided into three groups, namely:
(a) Slope scraper-conveyor apparatus in which the scraping means comprise a rigid harrow having rigid teeth and substantially covering the dump end face which is to be scraped. That harrow is reciprocated over a short distance along the dump end face;
(b) Slope scraper-conveyor apparatus in which the scraping means also comprise a rigid harrow which is set with rigid teeth but is narrow and must be moved over a distance corresponding to the length of the base of the dump end face;
(c) Slope scraper-conveyor apparatus having scraping ropes which at their upper end are secured to a frame and at their lower end are secured to a slide. The known slope scraper-conveyor apparatus of that kind comprise only a few ropes, which are tensioned by counterweights. For this reason the slide must be reciprocated virtually throughout the length of the dump end face.
The slope scraper-conveyor apparatus of groups (a) and (b) are not satisfactory in operation because when used with dumped materials which do not easily trickle because they are moist and tend to cake the teeth of the harrows form only grooves or narrow trenches in the dump end face and the resulting layers break off as soon as the grooves or trenches have a certain depth. As a result, the material is scraped off in a very irregular manner. This is highly undesirable because the transverse conveyors, which serve for the lateral conveyance of the material and in most cases consist of endless scraper chains, are then irregularly loaded with layers varying in thickness. Because with slope scraper-conveyor apparatus of group (b) the narrow harrow must move a long distance to act throughout the dump end face, the rate at which material is scraped off is unsatisfactorily low. A more uniform scraping action is performed by the slope scraper-conveyor apparatus of group (c) but they also do not act uniformly when handling dumped material which does not trickle easily and they cannot scrape off material at a sufficiently high rate because the movable rope ends must move other long distances. Besides, the reciprocating ropes are moved over long distances in the direction of conveyance of the transverse conveyor and opposite thereto in alternation so that the flight spaces of the conveyor are irregularly filled.

Apparatus for removing bulk material from a dump

Pohlig-Heckel-Bleichert Vereinigte Maschinenfabriken Aktiengesellschaft


An intake control device includes: an air cleaner disposed above an engine; a pair of right and left intake ducts projecting toward a front of a vehicle body from the air cleaner to take an outside air in the air cleaner; and a sensor unit coupled to a throttle cable extended from a throttle grip, and detecting an operation amount of accelerator, in which the sensor unit is disposed between the pair of right and left intake ducts at a position above the engine and below the air cleaner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intake control device of a motorcycle, and particularly relates to an intake control device that electronically controls an intake amount of engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as an intake control device, there has been known one in which an accelerator position sensor is disposed on a throttle body (refer to Patent Document 1, for example). In the throttle body described in Patent Document 1, a valve stem rotatably supporting a throttle valve is provided, and there is provided a sensor unit adjacent to the valve stem. In the sensor unit, there are provided a throttle pulley coupled to an accelerator operating part via a throttle cable, and an accelerator position sensor that detects an operation amount of the accelerator operating part.
In the sensor unit, the throttle pulley is rotated in conjunction with the operation of the accelerator operating part, and the rotation of the throttle pulley is detected, as the operation amount of the accelerator operating part, by the accelerator position sensor. The operation amount of the accelerator operating part is output to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) from the accelerator position sensor, and an opening degree of the throttle valve is calculated in the ECU. By the control of the ECU, an electric motor coupled to the valve stem is driven, and the opening degree of the throttle valve is adjusted, resulting in that an intake amount of engine is electrically controlled.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-336638
However, in the intake control device described in Patent Document 1, the throttle body was provided on a cylinder head, and the sensor unit was disposed in an atmosphere of high temperature in the vicinity of the cylinder head. For this reason, there was a problem that a detection error becomes large due to an influence of temperature characteristics of the accelerator position sensor. Further, since there was a need to extend the cable to the throttle body (throttle pulley) of the engine from the accelerator operating part, the throttle cable became long, resulting in that there was a chance of adversely affecting an operationality of the accelerator operating part.


A flexible circuit is presented having a flexing (cyclic bending) section of lower stiffness than adjacent parts of the circuit. The lower stiffness in the flexing section is achieved by reducing the thickness of the flexing section, either by omitting or removing some or all of the dielectric material of the flexible circuit in the flexing section, or by replacing conventional dielectric material in the flexing section with a polymer of lower modulus of elasticity.

This invention relates to the field of flexible circuits. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of flexible circuits in which an area of the circuit is subjected to repeated flexing to accommodate the movement of a component to which the flexible circuit is connected. As used herein, the term "flexing" refers to cyclic bending of a predetermined portion of the flexible circuit.
The field of computer disc drives is one to which this invention is particularly pertinent, so that field will be discussed for purposes of illustration of the features, utility and advantages of this invention. However, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to circuits for disc drives; rather, this invention is generally suitable for any application in which it is desired to facilitate flexing of a flexible circuit.
In computer disc drives the read/write head scans the disc, i.e., moves over the surface of the memory disc, to perform its read/write function. A flexible circuit connects the read/write head to the computer system for signal transmission between the disc and the computer. The flexible circuit flexes, generally in what is referred to as a "rolling" or "roll flexing" mode, to accommodate and permit linear movement of the read/write head in a radial direction with respect to the memory disc. A certain amount of energy is, of course, required to flex the flexible circuits. The flexing action of a flexible circuit can be viewed and analyzed as analogous to cyclic beam bending, and the amount of energy consumed to effect flexing is a direct function of the stiffness of the flexible circuit in the area where the bending occurs. As disc drive technology has evolved, disc diameter has gotten progressively smaller, going from 8" to 51/4 to 31/2, and now looking to about 2" for the next generation of disc drives. This has led to a reduction in the length (and generally the overall size) of the flexible circuit and a reduction in the section of the flexible circuit that is subjected to dynamic flexing, and hence an increase or concentration of stress in that flexing section. Also, for newer disc drive applications it appears that designers are favoring what is referred to as the "book binding" approach rather than the traditional "roll flexing" in the design of the bending mode of the flexible circuit. This "book binding" approach results in a more compact circuit design with a shorter segment of the circuit which is subjected to the flexing action, thus further concentrating the area of stress.
A further related factor to be considered is that as computer systems become smaller and/or portable (e.g., lap top), it becomes increasingly important to reduce the amount of energy required to flex the flexible circuit to conserve the battery.
Other factors to be considered are the mass of the flexible circuit and the mechanical resistance to change in direction of movement of the head, i.e., inertia, imposed on the system by the stiffness of the flexible circuit. These factors affect the problem of overshoot and "ringing" or "hunting" in positioning the head at the desired location over the disc, and thus these factors relate to access time. Access time is particularly important in that in some cases access time determines the overall time necessary to complete an application.
Thus, there is a need for a flexible circuit that reduces the amount of energy required to effect flexing, accommodates flexing in a small segment of the circuit, and reduces overshoot and ringing to reduce access time.

Flexible circuit having flexing section of reduced stiffness, and method of manufacture thereof


In order to uniformly dry a large number of electronic components such as multilayer capacitors with high thermal efficiency in a short time, a vat, whose bottom wall is formed by a net, receives a plurality of electronic components. In a closed housing, hot air which is heated by a heater is forced to pass through the plurality of electronic components and the bottom wall of the vat by attraction by an air attracter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a component drier which is employed for drying components such as electronic components, and more particularly, it relates to a component drier using hot air.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 3 shows a conventional component drier 1 using hot air for drying electronic components such as multilayer capacitors, for example.
Referring to FIG. 3, the component drier 1 comprises a housing 2, a rack 3 which is arranged in the housing 2, and a vat 5 which is provided on the rack 3 for receiving a plurality of components 4 to be dried. A heater 6 is arranged in the housing 2 for generating hot air, which is fed into the housing 2 by a fan 7 as shown by arrows. The housing 2 is provided with an openable damper 8, for discharging wet air.
The hot air is supplied to the components 4, which are received in the vat 5, along the arrows. The components 4 in the lower part of the vat 5 take longer to dry than those provided in a relatively upper portion of the vat 5.
In the component drier 1 shown in FIG. 3, however, it takes much time to dry the components 4 which are around the bottom surface of the vat 5, since the components 4 are dried after those in a relatively upper portion.
Further, the hot air, which is merely supplied rather indirectly to the set of the components 4, has low thermal efficiency and consumes relatively high energy for drying the components 4.


The present disclosure relates to semiconductor tool monitoring system having multiple sensors configured to concurrently and independently monitor processing conditions of a semiconductor manufacturing tool. In some embodiments, the disclosed tool monitoring system comprises a first sensor system configured to monitor one or more processing conditions of a semiconductor manufacturing tool and to generate a first monitoring response based thereupon. A redundant, second sensor system is configured to concurrently monitor the one or more processing conditions of the manufacturing tool and to generate a second monitoring response based thereupon. A comparison element is configured to compare the first and second monitoring responses, and if the responses deviate from one another (e.g., have a deviation greater than a threshold value) to generate a warning signal. By comparing the first and second monitoring responses, errors in the sensor systems can be detected in real time, thereby preventing yield loss.

Over the past three decades, the semiconductor manufacturing industry has continually decreased the size of semiconductor devices to achieve improved integrated chip performance. Modern day semiconductor manufacturing processes are able to achieve integrated chips having minimum features sizes that are on the order of tens of nanometers (e.g., gate sizes of about 10-20 nm). As minimum feature sizes have decreased, the manufacturing processes used to make integrated chips has become more complex and challenging to implement.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A battery cell housing includes a housing shell and a housing cover. A bearing surface and a first connecting surface separate thereto are present on the housing shell (16) on at least two mutually facing side walls or on all side. A contact surface on the housing cover is associated with each bearing surface and a second connecting surface on the housing cover is associated with the first connecting surface. The relative position of the second connecting surface and of the contact surface is adapted to the relative position of the bearing surface and of the first connecting surface. The contact surface and the second connecting surface can thus be spaced apart in the vertical direction (H) and/or the second connecting surface is present on an edge side strip extending downwards in the vertical direction (H) to a bottom of the housing shell.

A battery cell housing made of plastic material has been known from Publication DE 69705174 T2. It comprises a housing shell and a cover that are welded to each other. To accomplish this, a resistance heating element is interposed between the cover and the housing shell. By applying a voltage to the resistance heating element, it is possible to weld the housing cover and the housing shell together at a location that is not accessible from the outside. Likewise, publication JP 11260326 A describes a battery cell housing in which a housing cover is connected to a housing shell by means of resistance welding.
Publication DE 10 2013 219 246 A1 discloses a battery cell with a battery cell housing having the shape of a cuboid that is disposed to accommodate an electrolyte solution. The housing comprises a housing shell with a housing opening. The housing opening is closed in a fluid-tight manner by means of a housing cover, in which case the housing cover may be welded to the housing shell.
Welding the housing cover to the housing shell is expensive. In order to be able to carefully and tightly seal the inner space enclosed by the battery cell housing, it is necessary to ensure the precise positioning of the housing cover on the housing shell before or during welding, in particular if the parts to be welded together are joined by laser beam welding within a highly limited focal range.

Battery cell housing and method for producing same


A surgical apparatus includes a needle having an outer surface and an anchor bar disposed in sliding engagement with the needle. A suture has a first end attached to the anchor bar and a second end extending laterally of the anchor bar and outwardly of the needle. A pusher is movable coaxially of the needle to engage the anchor bar and to separate the anchor bar from the needle to form an anchor relative to a body wall. The anchor bar may have an outer surface with an inclined relationship to its longitudinal axis in order to facilitate axial insertion of the anchor bar through the body wall. An associated method for anchoring a pair of body walls includes the step of attaching a bolster to the second end of the suture and separating the anchor bar from the needle with the anchor bar and the first end of the suture disposed on one side of the body wall and the second end of the suture disposed on the other side of the body wall.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to surgical attachment devices and more specifically to T-anchors adapted for maintaining body walls in proximity.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A T-anchor is a surgical device used for moving two body walls into proximity and for maintaining those two walls in proximity for an extended period of time. Such an apparatus could be valuable for many surgical procedures such as the installation of a feeding tube into the stomach of a patient as disclosed and claimed by applicant in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,598 issued on Jul. 4, 1995, and entitled Surgical Access Device and Procedure. In this procedure, a T-anchor could be used to move the wall of the stomach into proximity with the abdominal wall prior to installation of a feeding tube.
The T-anchor typically consists of an anchor bar having a longitudinal configuration and a suture attached to the bar and extending laterally from the bar. An introducer can be used to pass the anchor bar through the two walls and to deploy the anchor bar on the far side of the second wall. The suture is left to extend through the two walls, and is provided with a bolster on the near side of the two walls which is slidable along the suture. As the suture is pulled and the bolster is pushed, the anchor bar seats against the second wall which is drawn into proximity with the first wall. A knot tied in the suture on the proximal side of the bolster maintains the anchor in this operative position with the two walls in close proximity.
In the past, the T-anchor has been loaded into the proximal end of a hollow needle which has been inserted through the two walls. The anchor bar was then expelled using a guidewire, from the lumen of the needle on the far side of the second wall. In this system the suture attached to the anchor bar, extends proximally through the entire lumen of the needle. After the anchor bar has been deployed, the needle is withdrawn backwardly through the two walls and along the suture. The bolster is then threaded onto the suture and the procedure completed as previously noted.
In this embodiment of the T-anchor assembly, the lumen of the needle or introducer must be sufficiently large to accommodate not only the diameter of the anchor bar, but also the diameter of the suture. Both of these elements must occupy space side-by-side within the lumen. This requirement for an increased inside diameter of the lumen has of course demanded a larger outside diameter for the needle.
It is always of interest to simplify apparatus and procedures for medical application since this ultimately results in reduced time, trauma and cost. It is also of interest to reduce the size of incisions or punctures required by various procedures in order to promote healing and reduce trauma for the patient.

T-anchor suturing device and method for using same


Tight seal system for the packaging of products comprising a transverse welding station (14) of packaging sheets comprising: a first pair of discs (100) connected centrally to a first axis (101); said first pair of discs (100) rotating about said first axis (101); at least one first bar (102, 103) is positioned peripherally between said first pair of discs (100); a first welding jaw (111) is associated with said at least one first bar (102, 103); said first bar (102, 103) rotating so that said first jaw (111) is always facing in the same direction; a second pair of discs (130) connected centrally to a second axis (131); said second pair of discs (130) rotating about said second axis (131); at least one second bar (132, 133) is positioned peripherally between said second pair of discs (130); a second welding jaw (136) is associated with said at least one second bar (132, 133); said second bar (132, 133) rotating so that said second jaw (136) is always facing in the same direction; said first jaw (111) and said second jaw (136) are facing each other so that, rotating said first pair of discs (100) and said second pair of discs (130), said first jaw (111) and said second jaw (136) come into contact with each other and can perform welding of said packaging sheets; said first welding jaw (111) is associated with said at least one first bar (102, 103) by means of a plurality of pins (112) passing through said first bar (102, 103); two pins (120) secured inferiorly to said first bar (102, 103) support a third bar (121) parallel to said first bar (102, 103); a plurality of springs (122) are placed between said plurality of pins (112) and the inner surface of said third bar (121).

There are known automatic flow wrapper machines for packaging and sealing packages.
In the normal operation of automatic flow wrapper machines 6 main stations are used.
The infeed station for manual or automatic loading of the product, equipped with interconnected pushers and driven by a chain or by an endless conveyor belt.
The film station for unwinding the material used to wrap the product wrapping from a reel.
The forming station (or folding box) for conveying the film towards the subsequent station, establishing the form of the final bag inside which the packaged product will be contained.
The longitudinal welding station (consisting of one or more pairs of wheels closed at constant pressure and heated to a predetermined temperature) for the first welding of the film, parallel to the surface on which the product slides along its direction of feed, so as to produce a sort of continuous open tunnel.
The transverse welding station (consisting of one or more pairs of jaws closed cyclically under pressure and heated to a predetermined temperature) for the second welding of the film, orthogonal to the direction of feed of the product, so as to produce a closed bag sealed for the whole of its length and at its ends. A shear blade is inserted inside the welding jaws to enable simultaneous separation of two adjacent products.
The outfeed station for ejecting the product packaged in a bag.
The product, loose or transported in supporting containers arriving from the infeed unit, reaches the folding-box forming unit pushed by carriers on a moving chain or conveyed on a specific belt. A photocell detects the presence of the product according to a predefined position and frequency, suitably adjusting the film unwinding speed around the forming unit and the driving speed of the longitudinal sealing wheels, cyclic and instantaneous closing of the transverse sealing jaws is synchronized with feed of the product, ensuring a final package wrapped around the product according to the real length and width measurements.
Each time it is necessary to operate with products that require extended preservation and consequently modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), the tightness of the weld in time under the effect of the internal pressure exerted by the gas mixture is an important element.
The tightness of the tight seal is a very important specification in order to ensure the tightness of the package inside which the product, generally preserved in modified atmosphere, is contained.
The transverse sealing station is particularly important.
There are two solutions relating to the transverse sealing station, namely the rotary type and the box-motion type, based mainly on the coupling of two jaws with opposite and parallel faces between which the packaging film is blocked and welded.
In the first case, the welding period is almost instantaneous, namely the fraction of second in which the two circumferences, described by the trajectories of the ends of its masses, touch in their point of tangency.
An example of a transverse sealing station of rotary type is described in the document EP 1 810 922.
In the second case, the sealing period is longer, as the coupled jaws trace a linear line in space, parallel to the packaging plane and opposite the direction of feed of the product, so that the combination of the sealing path with the jaws closed and the reverse path to return to the initial position with the jaws open defines a parallelepiped in space, giving rise to the term box-motion.
Alternatively, in the D-CAM type solution two distinct movements are performed, namely a translational movement and a rotational movement.
A suitable combination of pressure, temperature and sealing time enables a correct melting process of the adhesive surface of which the film used for packaging is composed.
The temperature and pressure variables depend on the constructional characteristics of sizing, respectively electrical and mechanical, while a somewhat critical variant in this type of application is the sealing time, as it is strictly linked to the production capacity of these machines: high production rates and consequently a high number of cycles implies a proportional reduction in the duration of the period in which the welding surface is heated and pressed at high temperature.
The main criticalities of transverse sealing solutions are largely related to the effect of the mechanical vibrations that derive therefrom.
This leads to lower performance, due to structural and mechanical limits, to mechanical oversizing to make the structure as a whole more stable, to increased complexity in the construction and control of the transverse welding unit, to a consequent increase in the quantity and costs of the materials used, to less flexibility and capacity to adapt to the sizes of the product without significant operations to reconfigure the machine, and to increased complexity in terms of maintenance and cleaning.
Therefore, as it is only possible to act on the sealing time, the pressure and the temperature being closely linked to the constructional and sizing characteristics of the machine, a suitable transverse welding unit must be used.
In the case of Box-Motion and D-CAM solutions, the two welding jaws are forced to perform a sequence of translational movements that transmit strong vibrations to the machine, which it may not be able to withstand mechanically as productivity increases; to date, machines with QS of the Box-Motion or D-CAM type reach a maximum tested productivity of around 100-120 packages per minute.
Therefore, the possibility of tracing a smoother continuous movement in space, not deriving from a sequence of broken lines, but which nonetheless has a certain rectilinear line in which the two jaws are coupled under pressure and at a temperature for an extended (not instantaneous) time would allow the mechanical vibrations on the machine to be limited and an increase in productivity, at this point highly dependent only on the type of material used.


An endoscope objective lens comprises, successively from the object side, a first lens group G.sub.1 constituted by a first lens L.sub.1 made of a planoconcave lens having a concave surface directed onto the image side and a second lens L.sub.2 made of a convex meniscus lens having a convex surface directed onto the object side, a stop 1, and a second lens group G.sub.2 having a positive refracting power, wherein the image-side surface of the first lens L.sub.1 is formed as a diffraction optical surface. This endoscope objective lens further satisfies the following conditional expressions: EQU E>0 (1) EQU -2.0<f.sub.N /f<-0.3 (2). where E is the coefficient of the second-order term of the phase difference function of the diffraction optical surface; f.sub.N is the focal length of the lens having the diffraction optical surface and the strongest negative refracting power in the first lens group; and f is the focal length of the whole lens system. This endoscope objective lens favorably corrects chromatic aberration in magnification in particular, and reduces adverse effects of unnecessary diffracted light, flare light occurring due to errors in manufacture or the like, and so forth, thus being applicable to the achievement of a higher resolution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an objective lens disposed at a front end portion of an endoscope; and, in particular, to an objective lens for an endoscope, which matches a high-resolution imaging device used for transmitting image information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a lens having a wide angle of view and a long back focus is required as an objective lens for an endoscope. Also, for carrying out highly accurate viewing and precise diagnosis, it is important to correct chromatic aberration. For example, an objective lens for an endoscope has already been disclosed in commonly-assigned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-188709 as one satisfying the requirements mentioned above.
Recently, however, as CCD devices and image fibers used for image transmission have been attaining higher resolutions, lenses with higher resolutions have been demanded. In view of a higher resolution in the device used for image transmission, the endoscope objective lens disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-188709 needs to further improve its chromatic aberration in magnification.
On the other hand, there has been known an objective lens using an optical system equipped with a diffraction optical surface (hereinafter referred to as "diffraction optical element") as means for correcting chromatic aberration. The diffraction optical element has an Abbe number of .nu..sub.d =-3.45, whereby its dispersion is greater than that of a normal glass lens by one digit while having an opposite polarity. Hence, it is advantageous in that chromatic aberration can effectively be corrected to an extent which is unpredictable from the normal lens. An example of such an endoscope objective lens is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-197806.
The endoscope objective lens disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-197806, however, may be disadvantageous in that diffracted light of different orders forming unnecessary light in terms of design generated due to the use of a diffraction optical element, flare light occurring due to errors in manufacture or the like, and so forth affect the achievement of a higher resolution.


Compositions and methods for the treatment of depression and psychoses in humans are disclosed. More particularly, the invention is directed to formulations containing antipsychotic and/or antidepressant medications and also containing an NMDAR antagonist. The present Invention Is also directed to methods tor the treatment of humans suffering from depression and other psychoses, including, schizophrenia, by administration of the inventive compositions in antidepressant and/or antipsychotic effective amounts.

Schizophrenia is a clinical syndrome associated with psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, as well as a decline in function in such areas as work, social relation or self care.
Diagnosis of schizophrenia may be determined using standard textbooks of the art, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association. Symptoms of schizophrenia are typically measured using rating scales such as the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).
Symptoms of schizophrenia are treated with antipsychotic medications, which function primarily by blocking dopamine D2 receptors.
Antipsychotics may be divided into typical (e.g. chlorpromazine, haloperidol. perphenazine) vs. atypical (e.g. amisulpride, aripiprazole, asenapine, bioanserin, bifeprunox, cariprazine, clotiapine, clozapine, iloperidone, lurasidone, mosaproamine, olanzapine, paliperidone, perospirone, quetiapine, remoxipride, risperidone, sertindole, sulpiride, ziprasidone, zotepine) based upon receptor binding, preclinical effects and side effect profile. Clinically effective doses of antipsychotic medication typically produce >60% occupancy of dopamine D2 receptors. Atypical antipsychotics may be partial or full D2 antagonists and may also have activity at additional catecholamine and serotonin receptor types, including 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors and adrenergic alpha1 and alpha2 receptors. Atypical antipsychotics may also affect other receptor types, such as such as muscarinic cholinergic receptors.
Major depression is a clinical syndrome that includes a persistent sad mood or loss of interest in activities, which persists for at least two weeks in the absence of treatment. Symptoms of major depression are typically measured using rating scales such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) or the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In addition to including symptoms relevant to depressed mood, the HAM-D also contains symptoms sensitive to psychosis, including items for guilt, depersonalization/derealization and paranoia. Major depression may also be associated with symptoms of anxiety, which may be measured with rating scales such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). Depressive disorders are divided in major depression (MDD) and bipolar depression (BPD), which may be diagnosed using criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), which provides as well additional description of mental disorders. Major depression may also occur with and without melancholic features. In addition, depressive symptoms may occur in the context of anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, dissociative disorders, personality disorders or adjustment disorders with depressed mood (DSM-IV).
Current treatments for major depression consist primarily of older antidepressants, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (e.g. imipramine, amitryptiline, desipramine, clomipramine) that were first developed in the 1960's, and newer agents such as tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), e.g. amoxapine, setiptiline, maprotiline, mianserin, mirtazapine), serotonin (SSRI) and serotonin/norephinephrine (SNRT) reuptake inhibitors (e.g., fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, duloxetine, venlafaxine, dapoxetine, indalpine, valzodone). These agents work by modulating brain levels of monoamines, in particular norepinephrine and serotonin, and/or by blocking 5-HT2A receptors. MAOls and TCAs are considered "broader spectrum" agents than SSRIs; SNRIs that were developed subsequently MAGI, TCAs, TeCAs, SSRls. and SNRIs may collectively be considered traditional antidepressants.
Antipsychotics may also be effective in treatment of depression. Potentially beneficial antipsychotic medications include but are not limited to risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, clozapine, iloperidone, sertindole, asenapine, lurasidone, cariprazine.
Other antipsychotics and antidepressants in development include Valdoxan (agomelatine, AG0178) (Servier, Novartis), Lu AA21004 (Lundbeck, Takeda), F2695, levomilnacipran (Forest, Pierre Fabre), SEP-227162 (Sepracor), LuAA24530 (Lundbeck, Takeda). SEP-225289 (Sepracor), Epivanserine (Sanofi-Aventis), SR463 9 (Sanofi-Aventis). LY12624803, HY10275 (Lilly, Hypnion), TI-301/LY156735 (Tikvah Therapeutics), Lonasen (bioanserin, Dainippon), LU-31-130 (Lundbeck), SLV313 (Solvay).Edivoxetine (LY2216684, Lilly), OPC-34712 (Otsuka/Lundbeck), Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine, Shire), BCI-224 (sacomeline, BrainCells), BCI-540 (clouracetam, BrainCells), BMS-82036 (BMS/AMRI).
However, current treatment approaches have severe limitations. Only 60-65% of patients respond to the initial regimen and among those responding, less than half either reach remission or become symptom-free. Individuals not responding to a first course of antidepressant treatment are often switched to a different drug, with results that are generally modest and incremental.
5-HT2A receptors are a type of receptor for the neurotransmitter serotonin. 5-HT2A antagonists are compounds that inhibit effects of agonists such as serotonin on 5-HT2A receptors. Inverse agonists are compounds that, in addition, reduce activity below basal levels. 5-HT2A receptor antagonists can be non-selective for 5-HT2A vs. other serotonin receptors (e.g. 5-HT2C), or selective for 5-HT2A receptors. Selective 5-HT2A antagonists can be developed and characterized using standard assay procedures, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,713,995 issued on May 11, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Agents that act as non-selective serotonin receptor antagonists include ritanserin. ketanserin, seganserin, and ICI-169369. Agents that act as selective 5-HT2A antagonists or inverse agonists include volinanserin (MDL100.907, also known as M100907), pruvanserin (EMD281014), eplivanserin, CYR-101 and pimavanserin (ACP-103). Selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonists and inverse agonists are presently under development for treatment of both depression and psychosis and are viewed as potential antidepressant/antipsychotic agents.
Additional 5-HT2A receptor antagonists or inverse agonists are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,875,632 which was issued on Jan. 25, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,868,176 issued on Jan. 11, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,863,296 issued on Jan. 4, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,820,695 issued Oct. 26, 2010; and/or U.S. Pat. No. 7,713,995 issued May 11, 2010 which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Treatment-refractory depression refers to a form of depression that responds poorly to currently available treatments (e g,
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/trials/practical/stard/index.shtml June 2011) and which may have different underlying etiopathological mechanisms compared with other forms of depression. Combinations of antidepressants have not been shown to be superior to monotherapy for refractory depression and typically increase risk of side effects and are not recommended.
Risk for suicide is significantly increased in depressive disorders, but may respond differentially to medication versus depressive symptoms as a whole. When suicide occurs, it is often accompanied by feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, as well as recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation and guilt is an accepted proxy for suicide. While the risk of suicide increases in subjects with a depressive disorder, medications used to date to typically treat depressive disorders paradoxically increase suicidal tendencies.
A major limitation in use of antipsychotic and antidepressant medications is the liability to produce behavioral side effects, especially anxiety, agitation, and akathisia. These can be differentiated from symptoms of the illness by consideration of both time course and specific patterns of symptoms.
In addition to akathisia, antipsychotics also produce extrapyramidal symptoms such as stiffness, tremor or dyskinesia. Akathisia, however, is differentiated from extrapyramidal symptoms and shows differential treatment response. At present, there are no approved treatments for antipsychotic-induced akathisia.
Use of antidepressants is also limited by liability to produce anxiety, agitation, and akathisia.
Limitations of antidepressants are summarized in a "black box" warning required by the FDA, as follows: The following symptoms, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and non-psychiatric. Although a causal link between the emergence of such symptoms and either the worsening of depression and/or the emergence of suicidal impulses has not been established, there is concern that such symptoms may represent precursors to emerging suicidality" (Trivedi et al., J Clin Psychiatry. 72.765-774, 2011).
As with antipsychotic-induced akathisia, there are at present no known treatments for antidepressant induced anxiety, agitation, or akathisia.
Anxiety and akathisia may be studied in animal models, such as the rat defection or restlessness models, as described, for example, in Schdev & Brune, Animal models of acute drug-induced akathisia—a review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 24:269-277. 2000).
Antipsychotics and antidepressants, including 5-HT2A receptor antagonists, may also be used therapeutically in the treatment of bipolar disorder (manic depressive psychosis), Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, dementia, anxiety disorders, pain and developmental disorders including autism.
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are a type of receptor for the brain neurotransmitter glutamate. NMDAR participate in a range of brain functions including sensory processing, cognition, and emotion regulation.
NMDAR are comprised of multiple subunits termed GluN1, GluN2 and GluN3 (formerly NR1, NR2, NR3). Multiple forms of GluN1 GluN2 and GluN3 exist. In particular, GluN2 subunits are divided into GluN2A-D subforms, which are also termed NR2A-D subunits. NMDAR may consist of various combinations of GluN1, GluN2 and GluN3 subunits in various amounts. Agonists and antagonists may affect all NMDAR equivalently, or may be selective for NMDAR containing specific subunit types.
NMDAR contain binding sites for both the neurotransmitter glutamate and for the endogenous modulatory amino acids glycine and D-serine.
The glutamate binding site also selectively binds the synthetic glutamate derivative N-methyl-D-aspartate with high affinity. This site is alternately referred to as the glutamate recognition site of the NMDA recognition site of the NMDAR.
The glycine/D-serine binding site has been referred to as the glycine modulatory site, the allosteric modulatory site or the glycine-B receptor.
NMDAR form an ion channel that is blocked by several drugs of abuse, such as phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine or dizocilpine (MK-801). These compounds bind to a site that has been termed the PCP receptor. Agents that block the NMDAR-associated ion channel are collectively termed noncompetitive NMDAR antagonists, or NMDAR channel blockers. Blockade of NMDAR by channel blockers leads to a clinical psychotic state that closely resembles schizophrenia.
Other compounds that block NMDA receptors via the channel site include AZD6765 (AstraZeneca) and Glyx-13 (Naurex). NRX-1059 (Naurex)
Other NMDAR antagonists are described in U.S. Patent appl. #20110306586 published Dec. 15, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Low affinity NMDAR antagonists, such as memantine, may be distinguished from high affinity antagonists such as PCP, ketamine or dizocilpine. In general, low affinity NMDAR antagonists do not induce schizophrenia-like psychosis or PCP-like behavioral effects in rodents.
NMDAR may also be inhibited by antagonists that bind to the glutamate recognition sites, the glycine recognition site, or the channel binding site.
Selfotel (CGS19755) is an example of an antagonist that binds to the glutamate recognition site. Several such compounds were developed for CNS indications such as stroke or epilepsy. When used at doses sufficient to significantly inhibit NMDAR, these compounds, like channel blockers, lead to clinical psychotomimetic symptoms.
Additional compounds that functions as antagonists of the glutamate recognition site include aptiganel (Cerestat, CNS-1102) and related compounds as described in Reddy et al., J Med Chem 37:260-7, 1994.
Additional compounds that function as antagonists of the glutamate recognition site include alpha.-amino-carboxylic acid and phosphonic acid functionalities separated by a variety of spacer units. An unembellished example is 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5) (Watkins, J. C; Evans, R. H., Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1981, 21, 165), which contains a saturated carbon chain. More complex examples, which contain elements enhancing structural rigidity and therefore potency, include CPP, cis-4-(phosphonomethyl)-2-piperidinecarboxylic acid (CGS-19755) (Lehman, J. et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 1988, 246, 65), and (E)-2-amino-4-methyl-5-phosphono-3-pentenoic acid (CGP-37849) (Schmutz, M. et al., Abs. Soc. Neurosci. 1988, 14. 864). See U.S. Pat. No. 7,345,032, issued Mar. 18, 2008 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,103, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
NMDAR may also be inhibited by antagonists that bind to the glycine recognition site.
D-cycloserine is a compound that acts as a partial glycine-site antagonist. D-cycloserine doses may be divided into low doses (0-250 mg), moderate (≥250-500 mg) or high (≥500 mg). At low dose, D-cycloserine may function as a net NMDAR agonist. At high doses, D-cycloserine may function as a net NMDAR antagonist. Plasma concentrations associated with moderate or high dose administration are >25 microgram/ml.
Felbamate is another example of a compound that may act via the glycine binding site. When administered to humans, felbamate produces psychotic effects that limit its clinical utility (e.g. Besag F M, Expert Opin Drug Saf 3:1-8, 2004).
Gavestinel (GV-150,526) is another example of a glycine binding site antagonist. Other compounds are described in DiFabrio et al., J Med Chem 40:841-50, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Other examples of glycine site antagonists that are suitable for use in the pharmaceutical compositions and methods of this invention are those referred to in the following: U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,317 which was issued on Dec. 23, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,743 which was issued Jun. 27, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,108, which was issued on Nov. 23, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,540, which issued on Aug. 24, 1999; World Patent Application WO 99/34790 which issued on Jul. 15, 1999; WO 98/47878, which was published on Oct. 29, 1998; World Patent Application WO 98/42673, which was published on Oct. 1, 1998; European Patent Application EP 966475A1, which was published on Dec. 29, 1991; World Patent Application 98/39327, which was published on Sep. 11, 1998; World Patent Application WO 98/04556, which was published on Feb. 5, 1998; World Patent Application WO 97/37652, which was published on Oct. 16, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,705, which was issued on Oct. 9, 1996; World Patent Application WO 97/20553, which was published on Jun. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,018, which was issued on Mar. 23, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,183, which was issued on Sep. 1, 1998, World Patent Application WO 95/07887, which was issued on Mar. 23, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,461, which was issued on Nov. 11, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,952, issued Apr. 22, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,509, which was issued on Mar. 25, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,367, which was issued on Apr. 23, 1996; European Patent Application 517,347A1, which was published on Dec. 9, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,324, which published on Nov. 9, 1993. The foregoing patents and patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Other examples of glycine site antagonists that can be used in the pharmaceutical composition and methods of this invention are N-{6,7-dichloro-2,3-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-quinoxalin-5-yl)-N-(2-hydroxy-ethyl)-methanesulfonamide and 6,7-dichloro-5-[3-methoxymethyl-5-(1-oxypyridin-3-yl)-[1,2,4]triazol-4-yl]-1,4-dihydro-quinoxa-line-2,3-dione.
Additional NMDAR antagonists are described in Schiene et al., U.S. Pat. Appl. No. U52001/0306674 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and include without being limited thereto, N-containing phosphonic acids, such as norvaline (AP5), D-norvaline (D-AP5), 4-(3-phosphono-propyl)-piperazine-2-carboxylic acid (CPP), D-(E)-4-(3-phosphonoprop-2-enyl)piperazine-2-carboxylic acid (D-CPPene), cis-4-(phosponometyl)-2-piperidine carboxylic acid (Selfotel, CGS 19755), SDZ-220581, PD-134705, LY-274614 and WAY-126090; quinolinic acids, such as kynurenic acid, 7-chloro-kynurenic acid, 7-chloro-thiokynurenic acid and 57-dichloro-kynurenic acid, prodrugs thereof, such as 4-chlorokynurenine and 3-hydroxy-kynurenine; 4-aminotetrahydrochinolin-carboxylates, such as L-689,560; 4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-ones, such as L-701,324; quinoxalinediones. such as Itcostinel (ACEA-1021) and CGP-68.730A; 4,6-dichloro-indole-2-carboxylate derivatives such as MDL-105,519, gavestinel (GV-150.526) and GV-196.771A; tricyclic compounds, such as ZD-9,379 and MRZ-2/576, (+)-HA-966, morphinan derivatives such as dextromethorphan and dextrophan; benzomorphans, such as BIII-277CL; other opioids, such as dextropropoxyphene, ketobemidone, dextromethadone and D-morphine; amino-adamantanes, such as amantadine and memantine; amino-alkyl-cyclohexanes, such as MRZ-2 579; ifenprodil and ifenprodile-like compounds such as eliprodil and PD-196,860; iminopyrimidines; or other NMDA-antagonists such as nitroprusside, D-cycloserine. 1-aminocyclopropane-carboxylic acid, dizocilpine (MK 801) and its analogs, phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine ((R.S)-2-(2-Chlorphenyl)-2-(methylamino)cyclohexan-1-on), (R)-ketamine, (S)-ketamine, remacemide and its des-glycinyl-metabolite FPL-12.495, AR-R-15,896, methadone, sulfazocine, A 19/AVex-144, AN2/AVex-73, Besonprodil, CGX-1007, EAB-318. Felbamate and NPS-1407. N DA-Antagonists are, for example, disclosed in "Analgesics," edited by H. Buscmann, T. Christoph, E. Friderichs, C. Maul, B. Sundermann, 2002, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany, in particular pages 389-428. The respective parts of the description are hereby incorporated by reference and form part of the present disclosure.
Antagonists may be selective for the GluN2B (NR2B) containing subtype. Examples of compounds that are slective for NR2B containing receptors include ifenprodil, traxoprodil (CP-101.606). besonprodil, Ro25-6981MK-0657 and EVT-101.
Along with identified NMDAR antagonists, additional can be identified using well-validated electrophysiological assays such as modulation of NMDA-receptor mediated responses to NMDA glutamate-site agonists, or radioreceptor assays, such as modulation of binding to the NMDA PCP-receptor channel binding site. Glycine site agonists and antagonists can also be distinguished based upon both electrophysiology and receptor binding from compounds such as phencyclidine (PCP) or ketamine that bind to the channel site. Partial agonists are defined as compounds that have reduced efficacy for inducing conformational change in receptors (typically 40-80%) relative to full agonists, and which may induce agonist effects at low dose but antagonist effects at high dose.
The NMDAR antagonist ketamine is currently approved as an anesthetic agent. It has also been reported to show beneficial effects in treatment resistant depression in small scale clinical trials. However, its utility is limited by psychotomimetic effects. The low affinity NMDAR antagonist memantine is approved for use in dementia. Otherwise, NMDAR antagonists have no established clinical utility.
In general, NMDAR antagonists are considered contraindicated for use in schizophrenia or depression. For example, the NMDAR antagonist D-cycloserine is contraindicated by FDA for use in depression, severe anxiety or psychosis.
Here we show unexpectedly that NMDAR antagonists unexpectedly reduce akathisia and anxiety associated with antidepressant and/or antipsychotic treatment.
Here we show unexpectedly that antidepressants prevent psychotic symptoms associated with NMDAR agonist usage.
These findings provide a method for improved treatment of humans requiring treatment with an antipsychotic, antidepressant, or NMDAR antagonist medication.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Composition and method for treatment of depression and psychosis in humans


A multilayer structure designed to overcome the shortcomings of previously known thermoformed sheet structures. Articles may be formed by a method of the present invention having an attractive outer appearance associated with polyolefin films containing inert inorganic fillers while having the advantageous processing properties of oriented films. The present invention is directed to multilayer structures, methods for forming the multilayer structures as well as shaped articles formed from the multilayer structures. The multilayer structure has at least a first sheet layer comprising a polyolefin and preferably an inert organic filler, and a film layer which advantageously comprises an oriented polyolefin or polyester. The present invention may comprise one or more of each of the above described sheet and film layers.

The use of inorganic fillers to improve certain properties of products is known in the art. For example inert inorganic fillers such as clay, talc, asbestos fibers, silica, barium sulfate and calcium carbonate have been used with polyolefins in caulking and sealing compounds. The use of these inert inorganic fillers has also been taught to be useful for increasing the dielectric strength of non-elastomeric thermoplastic materials.
The use of polyolefins in forming sheet material is also known. Thermoplastic material which has been extruded into sheets has been found suitable for subsequent thermoforming into various types of products such as containers. The use of thermoplastic materials in forming such products has been found to be desirable from a manufacturing and expense perspective. Known materials, however, suffer from the problem of sagging when they are thermoformed as wide sheets. Furthermore, some known materials have lacked consumer appeal due to their appearance such as having a low gloss when formed into final products.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a thermoplastic sheet capable of thermoforming into end products such as containers, cups, trays, and the like, having an increased resistance to sagging while providing a finished surface having an attractive high gloss. The reduction of sheet sag allows for better process control and for wider sheets to be used which means more parts/min. and improved manufacturing economics.


Multi-variable regulator having at least four mechanical ports having a linear transfer function between at least two of the ports. The multi-variable regulator has a body which is movable in three dimensions. Joint structure connect the body to the ports at three different points on the body. A pneumatic converter controls the position of the body.

The invention relates to a multi-variable regulator. Such multi-variable regulators are used in i.a. regulating engine variable and in the processing industry. In general these multi-variable regulators are multi-variable electric regulators having several inlet and outlet ports.
The object of the invention is to provide a type of multi-variable regulator which can function purely mechanically, and which is still able to process a sufficient number of variables to provide an output signal dependent on said variables, which output signal can be used directly for influencing a regulating means, such as a valve.

Multi-variable regulator having at least four mechanical ports and system provided with such a regulator


In one embodiment, a method that receives a manifest for plural encoded representations of a single content stream, each representation fragmented into plural chunks, each representation comprising a different quality level, the manifest listing a plurality of representations, each representation comprising the plural chunks at one of a plurality of quality levels, and requests one of the plural chunks based on selection of one of the plurality of quality levels explicitly indicated in the manifest.

Transmission of media content (e.g., video, audio, and/or data, etc., collectively or individually referred to herein also as content) between different nodes on a network may be performed in a variety of ways. The type of content that is the subject of the transfer and the underlying network conditions usually determine the methods used for communication. For instance, for a simple file transfer over a lossy network, one emphasis is on reliable delivery. The packets may be protected against losses with added redundancy or the lost packets may be recovered by retransmissions. In the case of audio/video content delivery with real-time viewing requirements, one emphasis is on low latency and efficient transmission to enable the best possible viewing experience, where occasional losses may be tolerated.
The structure of the packets and the algorithms used for real-time content transmission on a given network may collectively define a chosen content streaming protocol. Although various content streaming protocols available today differ in implementation details, they can generally be classified into two main categories: push-based protocols and pull-based protocols. In push-based streaming protocols, once a connection is established between a server (e.g., server device or server software) and a client (e.g., client device or client software), the server remains active on the session and streams packets to the client until the session is torn down or interrupted for example by a client pausing or skipping in the content. In pull-based streaming protocols, the client is the active entity that requests the content from the server. Thus, the server response depends on the client request, where otherwise the server is idle or blocked for that client. Further, the bitrate at which the client wishes to receive the content is determined entirely by the client. The actual rate of reception depends upon the client's capabilities, the load on the server, and the available network bandwidth. As the primary download protocol of the Internet, HTTP is a common communication protocol upon which pull-based content delivery is based.
In pull-based adaptive streaming, the client makes a decision about which specific representation of any given content it will request next from a server, where each representation may be received at the client in the form of a plurality of requested segments or chunks (e.g., 2-10 seconds in duration, such as a plurality of video frames of a given scene). Such a decision may be based on various parameters and/or observations, including the current (observed/available) bandwidth and the amount of data currently residing in a client buffer. Throughout the duration of a given viewing experience, the client may upshift or downshift (e.g., switch to a representation using a higher or lower bitrate) or stay at the same bitrate based on the available bandwidth and buffer conditions, among other factors. As a result of the bitrate transitions, encoded video quality as seen by the client's decoder may change considerably, most notably with scenes of high motion compared to more static scenes (e.g., in constant bitrate implementations). Even in variable bitrate encoding schemes, despite an advertised (e.g., via a manifest) long-term average encoding bitrate, each of the chunks of a given representation may vary considerably in bitrate. In other words, while the long-term average quality and bitrate behave as conjugate variables, over the temporal chunking intervals (as used in adaptive streaming), quality and bitrate may diverge significantly.
Adaptive streaming (e.g., adaptive video streaming) generally structures a content stream as a multi-dimensional array of content chunks (e.g., piece of content, where a chunk may be one or more Groups of Pictures (GoP) as known in MPEG-compatible systems, or a "fragment" in MPEG-4 (MP4) systems, or other suitable sub-divisions of an entire instance of content, also can be called a fragment or a segment). A chunk represents temporal slices of the content (e.g., 2-10 seconds in duration), which has been encoded or otherwise processed to produce differing levels of quality, different resolutions, etc., and in particular, has different sizes requiring different amounts of bandwidth to deliver to one or more client devices. Virtually all current adaptive streaming systems today use a two-dimensional matrix, with one dimension consisting of the time, and the other dimension consisting of (target) encoding rate. In addition, current adaptive streaming systems use a variety of storage structures for the content, such as directories with individual files for each chunk, fragmented MP4 files (e.g., a standardized file format), or custom packaging schemes. The structure of the content matrix, along with associated metadata describing each chunk, is contained in a separate structure, generally referred to as a manifest. The manifests are typically divided into representations each of which describes one row of the content matrix (e.g., all the chunks encoded at a bitrate X). There exist various schemes and emerging standards for the manifests.
Continuing the overview, during the bitrate transitions, the encoding quality may change. In particular, if an encoder adopts a constant bitrate (CBR)-based encoding scheme to exactly match the advertised (e.g., via the manifest) bitrates for each representation, the quality may vary widely over time within each representation. When the client stays at the same bitrate, the quality may vary from a high-motion or high-complexity scene to a low-motion or low-complexity scene.
In variable bitrate (VBR) encoding schemes, the bitrate is allowed to vary in the short term to keep quality close to constant. The representation bitrate in VBR systems consists of longer-term, average encoding bitrates. For example, at a 1 Mbps representation, some of the chunks may be encoded at 500 Kbps, whereas some of the chunks may be encoded at 1.5 Mbps and these chunks might have a comparable quality level. In such VBR systems, large bitrate variations among the chunks belonging to a given representation are observed. However, schemes to address quality fluctuations in the context of representation changes (e.g., upshifts and downshifts) are not presently known.
Accordingly, certain embodiments of adaptive streaming systems address these and/or other issues.


An apparatus for activating a wellbore tool may include a first sub, gas transfer sub, and a second sub. The first sub has an igniter that generates a flame output that ignites a power charge. The power charge generates a high pressure gas when ignited by the flame output. The gas transfer sub has a first end receiving a portion of the power charge, a longitudinal bore, and a plurality of flow passages radiating from the longitudinal bore. The flow passages provide fluid communication between the longitudinal bore and the first sub. The second sub includes a shaft having a first end connectable with the gas transfer sub.

1. Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for actuating a downhole tool with a pressurized gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the construction, completion, recompletion, or work-over of oil and gas wells, there may be situations wherein one or more well tools may need to be mechanically actuated in situ. One known method for actuating a well tool is to generate a pressurized gas using a pyrotechnic charge and then convey the pressurized gas into a device that converts the pressure into mechanical energy, e.g., a piston-cylinder arrangement that converts the pressure into motion of a selected tool or tool component. In certain situations, the energetic material used to generate the pressurized gas may also produce debris in sufficient size and volume to partially or completely plug the passages that convey the pressurized gas to the actuator. In aspects, the present disclosure addresses the need for devices and methods for reducing the occurrence of plugging of these passages by the debris associated with deflagration of energetic materials.

Devices and related methods for actuating wellbore tools with a pressurized gas