An animal mobility device to be used with an animal who lacks full functional use of its rear legs, providing the animal with two modes of operation, with the first mode of operation being active, whereby the animal propels itself by its front legs while having its rear portion supported by the device, and with the second mode of operation being passive, whereby a human operator propels the device while the entirety of the animal is supported by the device.

The present invention relates to mobility assist devices for animals having a disability. Specifically, the present invention relates to a combination animal wheelchair/animal stroller.
Animal wheelchairs are well known in the art. They typically are configured with a support component designed to support the rear portion of the animal, with wheels associated with that support component, and an animal engagement component to retain the device to the animal. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,444, "Walking Aids for Animals" (Jul. 6, 1993), issued to Hill, et al. (the rear of the animal is placed onto a cradle attached to a pair of wheels by a frame, with a plurality of straps located at the front of the frame to secure the animal thereto); and U.S. Pat. No. 9,179,646, "Walking Aid for Disabled Four-Legged Animals" (Nov. 10, 2015), issued to Shalom (the rear support and the forward animal engagement component are integrated into a single harness assembly). These devices are intended to provide a level of independent locomotion to a disabled animal. The animal actively contributes to its locomotion by moving its front legs, essentially pulling its rear portion behind it.
Similarly, animal strollers are well known in the art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 9,215,859, "Pet Stroller with Latchable Canopy Bar" (Dec. 22, 2015), issued to Jakubowski. These devices are very similar to strollers for human children, with some modifications to accommodate the anatomy of a dog or a cat. In these devices, the animal is placed within the stroller and moved about by a human operator. The animal does not actively contribute to its locomotion. Animal strollers are not used exclusively for disabled animals, but they do allow disabled animals to be transported from location to location by human operators.
While each of the aforementioned devices serves a function, neither combines the function of the other. That is, animal wheelchairs do not provide a means for a disabled animal to be transported once the animal becomes tired or otherwise unable to self-propel itself. Likewise, animal strollers do not provide a means for a disabled animal to self-propel.
It is therefore shown that an improved device is needed to combine the functions of an animal wheelchair with an animal stroller.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention is to provide a device that combines the functions of an animal wheelchair with an animal stroller.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that can easily switch modes between providing animal wheelchair functionality and providing animal stroller functionality.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is optimized to be used over different types of terrain in different environments.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a device that may be accessorized by animal and user friendly components.
Other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the description that follows.


A connection system includes a first connection module and a second connection module, which each have a first connection devices, the first connection module including a second connection device and the second connection module including a third connection device. There is a direct electrical connection between the first connection device of the connection module and the accommodated device and a direct mechanical connection between the connection module and the accommodated device. The first connection module can be locked directly to the third connection device such that the first connection module is electrically and mechanically connected to the second connection module. The third connection device is arranged such that, when the second connection device is locked to the third connection device, mechanical and electrical disconnection of the first connection module from the second connection module is prevented if the second connection module has received a device.

In industrial automation, functional and logical links between a plurality of devices are usually implemented by wiring the devices together. For this purpose individual connection points of the devices are interconnected by way of a wire in each case (individual wiring). However, such wiring runs the risk of wiring errors at initial installation, is considerably time-consuming to install initially, constitutes a failure risk in respect of the operated automation system (e.g. due to the cables vibrating loose from the connection points of the devices or due to wire contact problems at the connection point) and, in the case of screw terminals, requires maintenance (tightening of the screws at the connection points of the devices).
DE 37 40 290 A1 discloses a device for the open- and/or closed-loop control of processes in which a plurality of electronic building blocks are combined into sub-assemblies which are each disposed on a bus base module. The bus base modules are clamped to a top-hat rail and have laterally in each case a female multipoint connector which is of complementary design to a male multipoint connector having pins. The male and female multipoint connectors are disposed on opposite sides of the bus base module and are open to the front and back respectively of the bus base module. The bus base modules are connected in a movement perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the top-hat rail. A mechanical and electrical connection between two adjacent bus base modules is established when the latter are consecutively clamped to the top-hat rail.
The publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,048 A discloses a modular expandable peripheral unit having a self-establishing electrical connection, the device being suitable for controlling and monitoring a technical process. The peripheral unit comprises expansion module lower parts EMU and base module lower parts BMU which have a profile permitting side-by-side attachments. Disposed in the base module lower parts BMU are contact elements which project from the base module lower parts BMU as a male multipoint connector. Implemented in the expansion module lower parts EMU are openings through which individual pins of a male multipoint connector can be guided. Viewed from the side, the expansion module lower parts EMU and the base module lower parts BMU have an offset profile. The individual pins of the male multipoint connectors which are accommodated in the expansion module lower parts EMU are disposed in the region of an offset stage so as to prevent lateral pulling-apart of the base module lower parts BMU and expansion module lower parts EMU.
DE 71 13 834 A1 discloses a holder for a plurality of side-by-side disposed electrical equipment units which are each assigned a holder section. Each holder section comprises a base component, a surface of which has mechanical ways of detachably mounting the equipment units. In addition, on opposite lateral surfaces, each base component is provided with mutually complementary connection projections and insertion recesses which are connected to electrical line projections. The electrical line projections allow inserted equipment units to be supplied with electric power. Adjacent base units can be electrically interconnected by being plugged into one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,762 A discloses an expandable wiring backplane which is designed to accommodate and interconnect electrical equipment units. The wiring backplane comprises a plurality of essentially identical backplane modules which are provided on opposite lateral surfaces with centering pins and tubular recesses in a complementary manner. In addition, electrical blade contacts and contact strips are mounted on opposite side walls of a backplane module. When two backplane modules are pushed together, the centering pins in the tubular recesses ensure that the backplane modules are mechanical aligned to one another. The blade contacts and contact strips of adjacent backplane modules are implemented in alignment with one another so that, when the backplane modules are pushed together, an electrical connection is established between them. Equipment units which are inserted in the backplane modules at right angles to the backplane are supplied with power via this electrical connection. The equipment units inserted in the backplane modules are secured with screws during assembly and their footprint essentially covers the entire user-facing surface of the backplane module.
WO00/25560 A1 discloses a modular connection system for electrical devices which comprises modular mounting units 50 which are fastened to a top-hat rail. On their lateral surface, the modular mounting units have contacts which are designed to establish an electrical connection to an adjacent modular mounting unit. Connections for signal transmission are additionally implemented on the lateral surfaces of the modular mounting units. An electrical device can essentially be inserted perpendicularly to the top-hat rail on an individual modular mounting unit. The modular mounting units are each provided with a toothed rack and a driving pinion. The toothed rack and driving pinion of adjacent modular mounting units engage with one another and ensure interlocking of adjacent modular mounting units on the top-hat rail.
If a safety application is covered by the automation system (e.g. EMERGENCY-STOP shutdown, protective door monitoring or protection of presses or punches), the safety switching devices used in the safety application must fulfil heightened safety requirements. Such safety switching devices are e.g. the SIRIUS 3TK28 equipment made by SIEMENS. By way of such safety switching devices, the following safety oriented functions in particular can be provided:                monitoring of the safety functions of sensors,        monitoring of sensor lines,        monitoring of the correct operation of the safety switching device,        monitoring of actuators for standstill,        safety oriented shutdown of hazards.

Connection system with modular expansion units having two or more devices


The present invention provides a method for preparing a hair dermal papilla cell preparation comprising preparing a cell suspension by removing epidermal tissue from skin tissue and subjecting the resulting dermal tissue fraction to collagenase treatment, and cyropreserving the cell suspension to kill the follicular epidermal cells. The present invention also provides a composition for regenerating hair follicles comprising hair dermal papilla cell and epidermal cells, wherein the ratio of the number of hair dermal papilla cell to the number of epidermal cells is from 1:10 to 10:1.

Hair follicles are exceptional organs that repeatedly self-regenerate in a mature body throughout nearly the entire lifetime. Elucidation of the mechanism of this self-regeneration is expected to lead to clinical applications for which there are considerable needs, including hair loss therapy by tissue and cell transplant, and the construction of natural and functionally superior hair sheets containing hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Accompanying the growing interest in stem cell research in recent years, research on follicular epithelial stem cells (epidermal cells) has progressed rapidly, and the properties of hair dermal papilla cell serving as mesenchymal cells specific to hair follicles have gradually been determined. Hair dermal papilla cell fulfill the role of a so-called control tower, sending out activating signals to follicular epithelial stem cells for self-regenerating hair follicles, and have been determined to be indispensable along with follicular epithelial stem cells in evaluation of follicle reconstitution (Kishimoto et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1999); Vol. 96, pp. 7336-7341).
Hair follicle reconstitution experiments in animal models have been conducted using various methods for the purpose of hair follicle regeneration. Weinberg et al., J. Invest. Dermatol. (1993), Vol. 100, pp. 229-236 describes a hair follicle reconstitution method using a cell transplant method. The transplant system of Weinberg et al. has a complex constitution consisting of hair dermal papilla cell, newborn animal epidermal cells (including follicular epithelial stem cells) as well as the addition of mouse 3T3 cells. According to the method of Weinberg et al., hair follicles are regenerated without adding newborn animal epidermal cells containing follicular epithelial stem cells to the transplant system. However, this is thought to be phenomenon that occurred due to the difficulty in completely removing undifferentiated epidermal cells (follicular epithelial stem cells) and primordial hair follicles from the dermal cell fraction. Subsequently, Kishimoto et al. (op. cit.) succeeded for the first time in isolating and purifying hair dermal papilla cell, and as a result of conducting a hair follicle reconstitution experiment according to a cell transplant method in an animal model using the isolated and purified hair dermal papilla cell, hair follicles were reorganized and hair growth was observed when a cell fraction containing a combination of hair dermal papilla cell and epidermal cells was transplanted. However, it was found that hair growth is not observed when a cell fraction that does contain either hair dermal papilla cell or epidermal cells is transplanted.
The hair dermal papilla cell purification method according to Kishimoto et al. utilizes the fact that hair dermal papilla cell have the property of specifically expressing versicans (chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans). However, it carries out isolation and concentration by using the expression of versicans by a transgenic mouse model produced using DNA in which a reporter gene is linked to a versican gene as an indicator. Thus, this method requires the production of a transgenic mouse and purification of hair dermal papilla cell by a cell sorter. A large amount of hair dermal papilla cell are required to actually regenerate hair follicles and cause hair growth in hair follicle reconstitution methods in particular (for example, 5 million cells per transplant).
Consequently, this method requires the production of a large number of transgenic mice and the long-term use of a high-speed cell sorter, thereby resulting economic problems as well as problems in terms of work time and labor. Although the isolation of hair dermal papilla cell is also described in, for example, Prouty et al., American J. Pathol. (1996) Vol. 148, No. 6, pp. 1871-1885, this method has a complex procedure due to repeated fractionation by centrifugal separation, has a low level of purity and generates a low yield.
Thus, in previous methods for purifying hair dermal papilla cell, it was difficult to acquire an amount of isolated and purified active hair dermal papilla cell sufficient for transplant, for example, and the role of active hair dermal papilla cell in the regeneration of hair follicles was unable to be completely elucidated. In particular, it has been virtually impossible with purification methods of the prior art to determine the suitable ratio of hair dermal papilla cell and epidermal cells in follicle reconstitution systems for regenerating hair follicles.

Preparation method of a hair dermal papilla cell preparation, composition and method for regenerating hair follicles, and animal having regenerated hair follicles


The antifouling coating composition according to the present invention includes a silylacrylic copolymer including a structural unit (1) derived from triisopropylsilyl methacrylate (i), a structural unit (2) derived from triisopropylsilyl acrylate (ii) and a structural unit (3) derived from a polymerizable monomer having a polymerizable double bond (iii), which excludes the above (i) and (ii), the silylacrylic copolymer satisfies specific requirements. Thus, an antifouling coating composition that is excellent in long-term storage stability and gives a coating film excellent in long-term antifouling properties and long-term water resistance can be provided.

The surfaces of substrates such as ships, underwater structures and fishing nets that are exposed to water for a long term easily undergo the adherence thereto of various aquatic creatures including animals such as oyster, mussel and barnacle, plants such as layer, and bacteria. The propagation of these aquatic creatures on the substrate surfaces would cause various problems: where the substrate is a ship, for example, the surface roughness increases from the waterline to the bottom of a ship, resulting in the decrease in the speed of a ship and increase in fuel cost of a ship. Where the substrate is a fishing net such as a culturing net and a fixed net, the clogging of the mesh by aquatic creatures could cause serious problems such as the death of cultured creatures and caught fish because of oxygen deficiency. Where the substrate is a water supply and exhaust pipe for seawater of e.g., a thermal power plant and a nuclear power plant, it may happen that the water supply and exhaust pipe for seawater (cooling water) is clogged or flow rate is decreased to disturb circulation systems.
Regarding such problems, in order to prevent the adherence of aquatic creatures onto various substrates, the research and development of antifouling paints to be applied on the substrates (antifouling coating composition) are underway.
As a conventional antifouling coating composition, a coating composition containing a hydrolyzable resin as a resin component (binder component) is known. As a typical example thereof, a coating composition containing a hydrolyzable resin having a triorganosilyl group has been developed. Such a coating composition is applied on the bottom of ships and the like in order to prevent aquatic creatures from adhering thereto.
The hydrolyzable resins having a triorganosilyl group that are generally known are the ones obtained by (co)polymerizing as a monomer component triisopropylsilyl acrylate (TIPSA) and/or triisopropylsilyl methacrylate (TIPSMA). For example, the following Patent Literatures 1 to 7 disclose antifouling coating compositions containing these (co)polymers.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a coating composition composed of a copolymer containing 55 to 75 parts by weight of tri-i-propylsilyl (meth)acrylate (a), 2 to 20 parts by weight of methoxyethyl acrylate (b) and 43 to 5 parts by weight of other polymerizable monomer (c), with respect to of 100 parts by weight of total monomer components, and an antifouling agent.
Patent Literature 2 discloses an antifouling coating composition containing, as a vehicle, a copolymer obtainable from a specific triorganosilyl methacrylate monomer, a specific alkoxyalkyl methacrylate monomer and an ethylenic unsaturated monomer copolymerizable with these monomers.
Patent Literature 3 discloses an antifouling coating composition containing a copolymer obtained from a specific triorganosilyl methacrylate monomer and a specific methoxyalkyl methacrylate monomer, and rosin copper salt or a rosin derivative copper salt.
Patent Literature 4 discloses a coating composition containing, as essential components, a copolymer obtained from silyl-based monomer having an acryloyloxy group and a specific monomer, and an antifouling agent.
Patent Literature 5 discloses a coating composition containing, as essential components, a rosin-based compound, an organosilyl ester group-having polymer obtained from a silyl-based monomer having acryloyloxy group and the like, and an antifouling agent.
Patent Literature 6 discloses an antifouling coating composition containing a triisopropylsilyl (meth)acrylate copolymer obtainable by copolymerizing triisopropylsilyl (meth)acrylate, methyl methacrylate and another (meth)acrylic acid ester and having a specific glass transition temperature and a specific number average molecular weight; a rosin copper salt or a rosin derivative copper salt; and cuprous oxide.
Patent Literature 7 discloses an antifouling coating composition containing a polymer obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable unsaturated carboxylic triorganosilyl and having a number average molecular weight of 1000 to 20000, and a rosin zinc salt or a rosin derivative zinc salt.

Antifouling coating composition, antifouling coating film and antifouling substrate, and method for producing antifouling substrate


Ink delivery systems for an ink jet printer and methods for manufacturing the same. In an embodiment, the system comprises a separable ink tank, a printhead body having an opening, ink ejectors associated with the printhead body, and a retainer engaged with the tower portion of the printhead body and with an exit port of the ink tank. A filter is attached to least one of the printhead opening and the retainer, such as by insert molding or heat staking for example. A filter cover member, such as a wick or a septum for instance, is disposed adjacent the filter.

An ink jet printer typically includes a printhead and a carrier. The ink jet printhead can comprise a printhead body, nozzles, and corresponding ink ejection actuators, such as heaters on a printhead chip. The actuators cause ink to be ejected from the nozzles onto a print medium at selected ink dot locations within an image area. The carrier moves the printhead relative to the medium, while the ink dots are jetted onto selected pixel locations, such as by heating the ink at the nozzles.
In some such systems, the ink reservoir comprises a removable or separable tank, such that the tank can be separated from the printhead, and replaced or refilled, when the ink is low. The printhead components can then be re-used. In such ink tank systems, a separable fluid connection between the tank and the printhead body is needed, in contrast to systems where the printhead body is integral with the ink reservoir. The connection permits ink to flow to the nozzles from the tank, but is separable such that the ink tank can be removed when empty.
The printhead assembly can also include a filter within an ink passageway leading from the ink reservoir to the nozzles, for isolating any contaminants or debris from the ejectors and nozzles. The filter is typically swaged onto a tower or passage leading to the nozzles. However, when the tank is installed in this manner, the filter edges can rub against the tank entrance, thereby abrading the raw filter edges and creating the possibility that the filter becomes damaged, and allowing loose particles to reach the nozzles and create clogging issues.
In some manufacturing techniques, the sides of the filter are swaged onto the tower, and the filter edges are encapsulated in plastic. However, such a process can require tight tolerances for precise placement of the filter that are difficult to achieve and require significant manufacturing time. Swaging also can place cut edges of the filter inside a pocket during the swage operation, and in a position for any particles that shed from the filter edge to be pushed under the filter. Particles from the edges can then travel to the chip and clog the nozzles on the chip.
In addition, some designs do not protect the filter when the tank is removed, such that ink on the filter can dry out, or the filter can otherwise be damaged, prior to the installation of the replacement tank. The dried ink can permanently clog the filter and ruin the printhead.
Accordingly, improved ink tank connections, printhead filter systems and methods of manufacturing the same are desired.

Printhead filter systems and methods for manufacturing the same


A liquid-control optical element is provided herein. The optical element includes two liquids with different phases. The two liquids are immiscible and have different optical index. By applying a voltage through electrodes to form an electric field, the slope of an interface between the two liquids is changed. The purpose of changing the slope is to change the shape of the interface or the moving or rotating direction. Thus, according to the law of total internal reflection or the law of refraction, the liquid-control optical element can be used as a liquid shutter device, or a liquid scanner device if a scanning is performed after penetrating the element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical element, and more particularly to an optical element that utilizes electrodes to apply a voltage to change the slope of an interface between two liquids with different phases so that the light path of a light beam is changed.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to current demands for camera phones, a wave of upstream business opportunity for materials and device components of mobile phones is likely to appear. In particular, camera modules are going to be one of the most important developing items. According to a developing trend of the mobile phones, most of the mobile phones have a camera module with digital focusing function. Because mobile phones have to occupy a small volume, the digital focusing is a convenient selection. However, the digital focusing cannot completely satisfy the demands of consumers anymore. Yet, optical focusing module, when applied to a camera phone, has the setback of occupying a relatively large volume. As a result, the optical focusing module having a small volume is now one of the goals in research. The French Company Varioptic and the Dutch Company Philip have separately developed small volume liquid-control automatic optical focusing modules. The French Company Varioptic has authorized the Korean Company Samsung to apply the technique to the camera module of the camera phone. However, the liquid lens technique is mainly applied to optical focusing. In fact, the only function of the liquid lens is to change the focus and nothing else.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,954 with the title 'LENS WITH VARIABLE FOCUS', a variable zoom lens is proposed, as shown in FIG. 1. The variable zoom lens includes a chamber 12 filled with a first liquid 13 and a second liquid 11 in the form of a drop disposed on a connecting area 15 of an inner surface of the chamber 12. The inner surface of the chamber 12 and the area surrounding the connecting area 15 have specially treated surfaces 14 for maintaining the drop configuration of the second liquid 11. The liquids 11 and 13 are transparent and immiscible and have different optical indexes. On the outer surface of the chamber 12, electrodes 16 are laid around the connecting area 15 and another electrode 17 is electrically connected to the first liquid 13. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes 16 and 17, a corresponding electric field is produced so that the shape of the liquid drop 11 is changed. Thus, by using two layers of the liquids 11 and 13 with two different phases and applying a voltage to change the interface curvature (from curvature A to curvature B in FIG. 1), the focus of an incident light beam is changed. The mechanism is mainly applied to an optical lens. In this patent, there is a change in the curvature of the interface between the two liquids after a voltage is applied. Hence, a change of focus of an incident light beam is facilitated. However, this structure only changes the focus points and provides no other functions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,603,444 with the title 'DISPLAY ELEMENT AND DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING IT', a type of display element to be used in a display device is proposed. The display elements are assembled as pixels of the display device. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the display elements are enclosed within the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102. An active element array substrate 103 disposed therebetween is regarded as a first electrode. Furthermore, the display elements further include an insulating layer 104, a surface treatment layer 105, a first liquid 106, an electroconductive electrolyte solution 107, a second liquid, an inverting electrode 108 and a mask 109. This patent uses different voltages to change the curvature of the liquid interface so that light beams are allowed to penetrate through the focusing points. Other than the focusing points, the light beam can be blocked. Therefore, by using a suitable voltage to control the focusing points, the penetration of an incident light beam can be controlled to form bright and dark dots in the display device. For example, when 0(V) volt is applied as shown in FIG. 2A, dark dots 120 appears on the display device. On the other hand, when V0 (V) volt is applied as shown in FIG. 2B, bright dots 122 appears on the display device. However, the main function in the present case is to change the focus in order to control brightness and darkness while other functions are not provided. In other words, it is purely an application of curvature modification to change the focusing point of an incident light beam.

Liquid-control optical element and manufacturing method thereof and device having the same

Industrial Technology Research Institute


There is provided a method to manufacture a diffuser plate with better productivity and exhibiting an excellent diffusion property and having excellent durability with respect to light having large coherence, the microlens array diffuser plate including: a microlens group positioned on a surface of a transparent substrate. The diffuser plate includes two or more unit cells that are continuously set in array, the unit cell includes a plurality of microlenses positioned on the surface of the transparent substrate, and ridge lines between the microlenses adjacent to each other are nonparallel to each other, and are nonparallel to the transparent substrate.

A diffuser plate that scatters incoming light to various directions is widely utilized in various devices, for example, a display device such as a display, a projection device such as a projector, and various types of lighting devices. An incoming light diffusing mechanism in this diffuser plate is roughly classified into a mechanism that utilizes light refraction resulting from the surface shape of the diffuser plate and a mechanism that utilizes scattering by a substance existing inside a bulk body and having different refractive index from the circumference. One of the diffuser plates which utilize the light refraction resulting from the surface shape is what is called a microlens array diffuser plate including a plurality of microlenses having sizes of approximately several tens of micrometers and located on the surface of the bulk body.
For a microlens array diffuser plate, various methods of suppressing occurrence of diffracted light by making the lens shape or lens location irregular have been proposed as in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 below, for example. Patent Literature 1 below discloses a diffuser plate for a reticle, and such a diffuser plate is designed to have variations in pitches and heights of microlenses. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 below discloses that a microlens pitch P is set at 8 μm≤P≤30 μm and a microlens height H is set at 0.01×P≤H≤0.1×P. In addition, Patent Literature 2 below discloses a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses are located irregularly, and discloses that boundary regions of the plurality of microlenses are composed of a surface of a curvature having a different sign from that of a plane curvature of the microlenses.
In the case of actually manufacturing a structure of irregular location as described above, it is general to perform drawing by laser or an electron beam in production of a transfer mold or a photomask. On this occasion, in the case where the entire surface of a drawing region is a pattern having no repetition, there is a problem in that the amount of data becomes enormous. In addition, also when evaluating a drawn product, there is also a problem in that the production cost increases, such as, for example, requiring an enormous time for overall evaluation as a result of an inability to narrow down evaluation spots because the pattern has no repetition.
In order to resolve the problems in productivity as described above, Patent Literature 3 below, for example, discloses a manufacturing method of a focusing screen that performs an exposure of a large area by a step and repeat method using a reticle pattern composed of a random pattern. This Patent Literature 3 mentions preventing the pattern on the peripheral portion of the reticle from becoming discontinuous at joints. In addition, this Patent Literature 3 also mentions suppression of diffracted light components while paying attention to functional properties as a focus plate, such as bokeh and brightness.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Diffuser plate, designing method of diffuser plate, manufacturing method of diffuser plate, display device, projection device, and lighting device


A non-contact coding device working in a magnetic field, for use with a liquor bottle stopper and electromagnetic valve system. The stopper can be provided with a secondary coil and a diode bridge/rectifier circuit for powering a serial number identifier chip, which serially varies the impedance of the secondary coil. A primary coil on activator unit is coupled with the secondary coil to provide power and read the serial number. The activator unit can also be provided with a number of Hall effect transducers, and the stopper a number of metal peg holes, such that when the transducers are aligned on top of the holes, the presence/absence of metal pegs can be read to reproduce the serial number.

Beverage dispenser coding devices are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,149 (Fortino et al.) describes a liquor bottle stopper and electromagnetic valve system which has three metal bands on the spout of the stopper whose presence can be detected by use of three detector coils, when the activator coil is energized. This system allows detection of up to seven different kinds of liquor.
In the prior art systems, it is difficult to efficiently detect a large number of different bottles.


A clamp for a tube having particular application to a nose trumpet for use with a transnasal TEE probe. The clamp includes a generally circular band for encircling the tube and a tongue disposed on one end of the band and a pair of jaws disposed on the other end. The tongue is adapted to penetrate the space between the pair of jaws. Teeth disposed on the upper surface of the tongue are adapted to mesh with teeth disposed on the lower surface of the upper jaw to prevent withdrawal of the tongue. A pair of handles extend outwardly away from the interior of the band and are adapted to be pushed toward one another to cause penetration of the tongue and into the jaws. An arm hinged to the band is affixed to the upper jaw and upon pivoting of the arm, the upper jaw is lifted away from the tongue to disengage the teeth.

This invention relates generally to hose or tube clamps, and more particularly to an easily releasable clamp having medical applications.
Clamps for flexible tubes or hoses are well-known and are widely used throughout medicine and industry. Many of such clamps include an adjustable band which is adapted to be disposed around an associated tube or hose end to clamp the tube or hose end around an associated structure, such as a tubular connector or the like.
Various types of prior art hose or tube clamps include a band equipped with fittings of various kinds including worm drive devices and single ratchet-type dog-tooth devices for contracting the band to tighten it and clamp the band about a hose or tube which it encircles. These types of prior art clamps suffer disadvantages of one sort or another including being difficult or time consuming to apply, being unreliable in service, being insufficiently strong to sustain the pressures to which the hose or tube and the clamp may be subjected in use, being expensive to manufacture or becoming unserviceable after use. Other types of prior art clamps include an integral helical wire in which the clamp uses an over-center toggle link connected to the helical wire.
Another well-known type of hose or tube clamp includes a pair of cooperating interconnectable jaws, each having a plurality of serrations or teeth adapted for interconnecting engagement. Typically, the teeth are angled such that pushing the jaws toward one another is permitted and tightens the clamp, while the angle of the teeth prevents the jaws from being pulled away from one another to loosen the clamp. These clamps using serrated jaws are often very difficult to loosen, because of the angular orientation of the teeth. In one type of device, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,740, a screwdriver is required to lift a lever for release and this mechanism requires the application of considerable force. In another embodiment, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,502,186 and 4,663,807, lateral movement of one jaw with respect to another is required for release, thus distorting the clamp. Other clamps require the lifting of a handle for release which results in the application of force to the clamp or to the hose or tube being encircled by the clamp.
Examples of these clamps are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,157,815; 1,579,719; 1,441,154; and 4,511,164.
None of the foregoing prior art clamps is particularly suitable for medical applications in which secure clamping is desired, but in which it may be undesirable to apply a force to the clamp or tube or hose during removal of the clamp. The application of such a force could damage or break the tube or connector which is being clamped if it is either fragile or easily damaged. Moreover, the application of such a force could cause discomfort or injury to the patient.
A nasal trumpet is one application in which a clamp is desired that can be easily applied and removed without the use of a tool and without the application of a force to the portion of the clamp which encircles the tube or hose. A nasal trumpet is a device that acts as a guide into the nasal passage of a patient to allow easier and more comfortable insertion of a transnasal transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe. The nasal trumpet includes a tube formed of a soft, elastomeric material which passes through and is bonded to a support structure for the tube. The support structure in turn is firmly attached to the patient""s head. Typically, the distal end of the tube is inserted into the patient""s nasal passage and the proximal end is secured and supported by the support structure. One device used to secure the support structure to the patient""s head is an elastic band which extends around the back of the patient""s head and which is attached to the support structure. The distal 30-40 cm of the transnasal TEE probe is inserted into the proximal end of the tube that extends from the support structure and that protrudes slightly from the patient""s nose.
Presently, there is no suitable clamp available for securing the trumpet to the transnasal TEE probe. Such a clamp should be capable of providing sufficient clamping force to prevent movement of the probe with respect to the nasal trumpet without damaging the insertion tube of the probe. Such a clamp should also be easy to apply and release without causing injury or discomfort to the patient, and should be capable of accommodating variations in size of the trumpet and insertion tube.
The present invention relates to a tube clamp that overcomes the disadvantages of prior art clamps and that meets the needs of a transnasal TEE probe and nasal trumpet assembly. In one aspect, the tube clamp of the present invention includes a band formed in an open-ended band or loop for encircling the tube. One end of the band terminates in a pair of jaws, while the opposite end of the band terminates in a tongue which is structured to extend between the pair of jaws. The tongue contains a set of serrations or angled teeth on its upper surface which are adapted to mesh with facing, confronting serrations or angled teeth disposed on the lower surface of the upper jaw of the other end of the loop.
In a further aspect, the clamp includes an arm extending outwardly away from the encircling band of the clamp. The arm is affixed to the upper jaw and is pivotable about a hinge section. Pivoting of the arm about its hinge raises the upper jaw away from the tongue to disengage the serrations from one another to permit loosening of the clamp.
In another aspect, the serrations are angled such that movement of the tongue into the jaw is permitted, but withdrawal of the tongue from between the jaws is prevented by interlocking of the serrations on the tongue with the serrations on the upper jaw. The tongue preferably has a spring bias that urges it toward the upper jaw.
In another further aspect, the clamp also includes two spaced handles. A leaf spring may also be provided on one of the two handles and the spring engages the top surface of the upper jaw to urge the upper jaw toward the tongue to urge the serrations on the upper jaw into engagement with the serrations on the upper surface of the tongue. This leaf spring is permitted to flex upwardly away from the upper jaw in response to pivoting of the arm about the hinge to raise the upper jaw. Clamping of a tube is accomplished by squeezing the two handles toward one another to urge the tongue between the jaws until the desired clamping force is obtained. If the arm and the other of the two handles are squeezed together, or if the two handles are moved away from one another, the arm is caused to pivot about its hinge to raise the upper jaw away from the tongue to permit loosening of the clamp. Preferably, the clamp is a one-piece clamp formed of a molded polymeric material.
When the above clamp is used with a transnasal TEE probe, the tube of the trumpet is inserted into the nasal passage of the patient. The support for the tube is affixed to the patient""s head using an elastic band or the like. The outer portion of the proximal end of the tube already contains the clamp loosely positioned. The distal end of the tube is inserted down the nasal passage and into the esophagus of the patient. The transnasal TEE probe is then inserted into the proximal end of the tube of the trumpet until it is in the desired position. At that point, the first and second handles of the clamp are squeezed together to urge the tongue between the jaws until the desired clamping force about the probe tube has been achieved. When the examination is complete, the clamp is removed by squeezing together the first handle and the arm to pivot the upper jaw upwardly away from the tongue to disengage the serrations to permit the first and second handles to be pulled apart to loosen the clamp. The foregoing structure permits the clamp to be readily applied and removed without excessive force on the tube or hose being clamped, or on a patient. The clamp need not be cut or distorted for removal, and no tool is required. These features are particularly important for use in conjunction with a nose trumpet.


An emergency lighting system is configured to activate a plurality of emergency lights in response to a determination of an emergency condition, wherein the determination of the emergency condition includes determining if the system is not receiving power from a power source and/or determining if an amount of ambient light proximate the system is below a predetermined threshold. Moreover, the emergency lighting system is configured to reduce an amount of power provided from a battery to the one or more emergency lights when an emergency condition is determined in order to maximize a battery life of the system.

Light sources are widely used in residential, commercial, and military structures to provide an amount of light for persons to perform a wide variety of daily tasks without the necessity of natural light sources. Such structures generally receive electrical power through established electrical grids to provide a requisite amount of electricity to operate such light sources. Due to certain events, such as storms, hurricanes, wars, or other natural or man-initiated disasters, receipt of electrical power from such outside sources may be disrupted for extended periods of time. For example, in response to certain natural phenomenon, electrical grids may be down for weeks or even months.
Emergency lighting systems are known to be mounted in structures to provide lighting when electrical power to the structures has been disrupted. These lighting systems are generally optimized to provide a maximum amount of brightness to assist in, for example, emergency ingress and egress from such structures. However, certain problems may exist with this configuration. For example, as these emergency lighting systems are known to be optimized to provide a maximum amount of brightness, the battery life of such systems may be limited. More particularly, in certain situations, users may continue to occupy the structure awaiting power restoration or evacuation. In such a case, the existing emergency lighting systems may not last long enough to provide light until electrical power may be restored to the structure, or in the event of a wide scale natural disaster, until rescue teams may provide for evacuation of the structure. Additionally, as the known emergency lighting system are configured to be mounted to, e.g., a wall or a ceiling, they may not be widely available in residential or other situations where ease of installation and aesthetics are of greater concern.
Accordingly, an emergency lighting system optimized to extend battery life would be beneficial. Moreover, an emergency lighting system that may easily be installed and may blend with a décor of a room would be particularly useful.


A bi-folding spa cover and lift for installing and removing the spa cover are disclosed. The cover includes a pair of cover members which each cover about one-half of the spa. Each cover member consists of a pair of structural plastic panels pivotably secured together so that the cover members can outwardly fold in opposite directions. A flat bottom surface of the panels rests on and overlaps a rim of the spa. A flat rubber gasket secured to the bottom of the panels engages the rim and seals the spa cover to the spa. The lift includes a pair of lift assemblies, each connected to an associated one of the cover members. Each lift assembly includes a pair of vertically extending and horizontally spaced-apart rails positioned beside the spa, a pair of blocks each linearly movable along the rails, and a pair of hinges each secured between an associated one of the blocks and the associated one of the cover members. Whereby the cover members are pivotable relative to the blocks about the hinges between a generally horizontal cover position located over the spa and a generally vertical intermediate position located adjacent and above the spa and linearly movable along the rails with the blocks between the intermediate position and a generally vertical storage position located adjacent and beside the spa. Each hinge preferably has a spring element associated therewith to provide a lift assist when pivoting the cover members from the cover position to the intermediate position. Each block preferably has a gas spring associated therewith to provide a lift assist when raising the cover members from the storage position to the intermediate position and to dampen movement along the rails.

The present invention is generally directed to a cover and lift for a spa or hot tub and, more particularly, to such a cover which is bi-folding and a formed of structural plastic.
It is desirable to cover the open top of a spa or hot tub to prevent dirt or other debris from falling into the spa water and to help retain heat of the spa water which is typically 100+ .degree.F. One conventional spa cover employs a foam material which is covered with fabric. Such conventional spa covers are formed of one piece to cover the entire upper or top surface of the spa. As such, these conventional spa covers are bulky and difficult to move both onto and off of the spa. Also, the foam material tends to absorb water after being placed upon the spa, further adding to the bulkiness of the cover and limiting the usefulness of the cover by making manipulation thereof difficult. Furthermore, such foam spa covers do not have good insulating properties and therefore are not generally useful to help maintain the temperature of the spa water.
In order to avoid some of these disadvantages presented by one-piece foam spa covers, numerous removable covers have been developed. Typically, these covers are modifications of the solid or one-piece cover to permit the cover to be more easily removed and replaced. Such covers typically have a link or arm mechanism to facilitate manipulation of the cover relative to the spa. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,853,985, 4,991,238, 5,471,685, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,703, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a spa cover which is easy to manipulate onto and off of the spa, is conveniently stored when not in use, has good heat insulating properties, fits spas of various sizes and/or is easily adapted to fit spas of numerous sizes, has a relatively long useful life, and is easy to assemble and repair.


A fusion protein formed of an antigenic inhibin peptide inserted into hepatitis B capsid protein is expressed from a chimeric gene forming an effective immunogen which induces anti-inhibin antibodies when administered to a host animal.

The inhibin protein family includes dimeric glycoproteins produced by the gonads which act in an endocrine fashion to suppress secretion of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland. Since FSH is the major hormone involved in stimulation of ovulation and sperm production, inhibin-induced suppression of FSH diminishes the rates of ovulation and sperm production. Inhibins are therefore natural suppressers of the reproductive process.
Active immunization of farm animals against inhibin increases the rates of ovulation and sperm production, demonstrating that inhibin-based immunogens are important agents to enhance fertility in farm animals, including swine, bovine, ovine, and equine animals. See, for example: Brown, et al., J.Reprod.Fertility 90:199-205, 1990; King, et al., J.Animal Science 71:975-982, 1993; Morris, et al., J.Reprod.Fertility 97:255-261, 1993; McCue, et al., Theriogenology 38:823-831, 1992; Voglmayer, et al., Biol.Reprod. 42:81-86, 1990; Martin, et al., Biol.Reprod. 45:73-77, 1991.
The immunization of gilts with a small peptide fragment of the bovine inhibin .alpha..sub.c.sup.1-26 subunit chemically conjugated to human alpha globulin (HAG) and mixed with Freund's adjuvant resulted in a minor increase in FSH during the follicular phase and a decrease in FSH during the luteal phase, without effect on serum concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, or luteinizing hormone (King, et al., J. Animal Science 71:975-982, 1993). Despite the relatively minor increase in FSH during the follicular phase and decrease during the early luteal phase, immunized gilts had a 39% greater ovulation rate as compared with controls. In addition, lifetime proliferacy of the immunized gilts was enhanced.
While the above described merits of using the antigenic inhibin peptide to neutralize inhibins and enhance fertility are known, a commercially useful vaccine is not available.
The development of vaccines based on small antigenic epitopes is hampered by the inability of the small antigen to elicit a good immune response in a host animal. The use of carrier immunogens provides some assistance in the immune response, but often decreases the specific activity and yield of the response against the desired antigen. Methods for conjugation of antigens to carrier agents are costly, and generally utilize hazardous chemicals. Covalent coupling of antigen to a carrier protein is inherently variable, resulting in an antigen with an imprecise structure, compromising vaccine potency. The use of adjuvants also tends to decrease the yield of specific antibodies and can be harmful to the animal host, causing abscesses, skin lesions, and hypersensitivity. These factors are unacceptable for the production of a commercially useful vaccine.
These disadvantages are overcome in the present invention by using recombinantly produced fusion proteins as immunogens, whose structure is well defined. Synthesis of the inventive immunogens does not require hazardous chemical treatments, and the molecules are herein demonstrated to induce a desired anti-inhibin immune response, even in the absence of additional adjuvants.


A rotary electric shaver including a cutter unit 16 for holding an outer cutter 14 in an outer cutter frame 18 mounted on the shaver main body 10 and for rotationally driving an inner cutter 40 installed inside the outer cutter 14 by a rotational drive shaft 26 while pressing the inner cutter 40 elastically toward the outer cutter 14; and the shaver further including a swivel case 48 which swivels freely and moves up and down freely with the outer cutter 14, a movable panel 92 for pushing this swivel case 48 upward with a return spring 70 in between, and a push-up mechanism 94 for changing the height level (position) of the movable panel 92, so that the push-up force on the outer cutter 14 from the inner cutter side is controllable by changing the height level (position) of the movable panel 92 by the push-up mechanism 94.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary electric shaver in which an inner cutter rotates while sliding against a substantially disc-shaped outer cutter, thus cutting hair (whiskers, etc) advanced into slits formed in the outer cutter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric shavers of this type are commonly known in which the feel of the shave is enhanced by making the outer cutter capable of floating up and down (capable of sinking in). In such cases, if the outer cutter is made so that it not only moves in the up-and-down direction but also tilts in any direction, so as to tilt along the curvature of the shaving surface, the tightness of the outer cutter against the shaving surface is enhanced, and the feel of the shave is further enhanced.
Making the outer cutter floatable in the up-and-down direction and also tiltable in any direction is described in Japanese Patent Application National Publication (Kohyo) PCT (WO) H9-503424/1997 U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950. Here, a skin supporting rim (outer cutter ring) that encloses the outer circumference of the outer cutter is provided, a protrusion that protrudes outward of the outer cutter is provided in that skin supporting rim, and that protrusion is made to engage, so that it can turn, in an engagement surface on the side of an outer cutter holder (outer cutter frame). In other words, the skin supporting rim (outer cutter ring) enclosing the outer cutter is made swivel (or pivotable) relative to both the outer cutter and the outer cutter holder. That skin supporting rim functions, when the outer cutter is forcefully pressed against the skin, to prevent the outer circumferential edge of the outer cutter from burying deeply into the skin so that the shave becomes excessive or the skin is harmed.
In the shavers of Japanese Patent Application National Publication (Kohyo) PCT (WO) H9-503424/1997 U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950, the outer circumferential side of the skin supporting rim enclosing the outer circumference of the outer cutter is made to engage the outer cutter holder so that it can turn. In other words, the skin supporting rim turns about an axis that passes through the center of the outer cutter and is parallel to the upper surface of the outer cutter (designated by K, A, A1, and A2). Moreover, the outer cutter is held so as to be movable up and down in the skin supporting rim, and the outer cutter is also pushed upward with the constant force in which the rotating shaft pushes the inner cutter up.
In general, the upward pushing pressure of the outer cutter influences both the burning sensation remaining in the skin when the hair has been shaven, and the occurrence of deep shaving. The desirable pressure varies greatly depending on personal preference and the condition of the skin and the like, so that it is undesirable to set the pressure at some universal value. Conventionally, however, that pressure (the upward pushing force on the outer cutter) has been set, model by model, at a fixed value, and that has not necessarily always agreed with the preference of the user. For that reason, dissatisfaction has arisen, with that pressure being either too strong or too weak, depending on the user. This has resulted in a limitation on the degree to which shaving comfort could be enhanced.


A method and apparatus for measuring gas flow are provided. In one embodiment, a calibration circuit for gas control may be utilized to verify and/or calibrate gas flows utilized for backside cooling, process gas delivery, purge gas delivery, cleaning agent delivery, carrier gases delivery and remediation gas delivery, among others.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for measuring gas flow. More specifically, embodiments of the invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for measuring gas flows that are provided to a semiconductor processing chamber and related utilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Accurate control of gas flows is an important process control attribute critical to many microelectronic device fabrication processes. Providing gas between a substrate and a substrate support in a semiconductor processing chamber is a well-known method for improving heat transfer between the substrate and the substrate support, thereby enhancing the precision of substrate temperature control and uniformity. Additionally, precise control of process gas flows into the processing chamber are required in order to obtain desired processing results, particularly as critical dimensions and film thicknesses shrink. Furthermore, gases may be added to processing chamber effluent streams to mitigate the environmental impact of substrate processing. Good control of the gases added to the effluent stream is necessary to ensure both cost effective and proper remediation.
Conventional gas delivery systems used with semiconductor processing chambers generally include a mass gas flow meter (MFC) as the primary flow regulation device. However, the accuracy of MFC's may be affected by a plurality of factors that contribute to an uncertainty of the actual gas flow. For example, the accuracy of the MFC will typically vary with changes in temperature, line pressure and volume. Deviation from the gas flow set point due to MFC inaccuracy may contribute to processing defects, poor emission control and inefficient waste of costly gases.
Although conventional pressure control systems have proven relatively reliable, field experience with the existing technology has increased the demand for more accurate measurement of flow. For example, poor control of gas flows used in backside substrate cooling applications may result in poor substrate temperate control, thereby causing poor film deposition or etching results, which cannot be tolerated in next generation circuit designs.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for measuring gas flows so that the delivery of gases in a semiconductor processing system may be performed with greater confidence and accuracy.

Method and apparatus for gas flow measurement


A rotating irradiation apparatus includes a rotating gantry 3 including a front ring 19 and a rear ring 20 and is provided with a beam delivery device 11 and an irradiation device 4. The beam delivery device 11 delivers an ion beam used for particle radiotherapy. Radial support devices 61A and 61B support the front ring 19 and radial support devices 61A and 61B support the rear ring 20. Each radial support device includes a linear guide 41, an upper support structure disposed above the linear guide 41, and a lower support structure disposed below the linear guide 41. The upper support structure is movably mounted on the lower support structure and is movable in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotating gantry 3.

The present invention relates to a rotating irradiation apparatus, and more particularly to a rotating irradiation apparatus suitable for irradiating an affected area with an ion beam.
An ion beam irradiation system is a particle radiotherapy system used to irradiate an affected area with a proton beam or an ion beam of carbon ions, etc. to treat cancer. The ion beam irradiation system includes a rotating gantry, which is a rotating irradiation device. For example, the rotating gantry includes a front ring, a rear ring, and a gantry body connected between the front and rear rings, as indicated in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-47287. The gantry body is provided with an irradiation device (or irradiation nozzle) and a beam delivery device (or beam path) for guiding an ion beam. The front and rear rings are supported by their respective radial support devices each including a plurality of rotatable rollers. More specifically, each roller provided in each radial support device supports the front or rear ring. Some of the rollers supporting the rear ring are rotated by a motor to rotate the rotating gantry. This rotation of the rotating gantry contributes to directing the irradiation device in an ion beam irradiation direction to irradiate an affected area with an ion beam.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-140134 discloses a rotating gantry for a particle radiotherapy system, in which the rear ring is supported by a support device including rollers, and the front ring is supported through a rotating ring by the front support frame mounted on the base portion. The rotating ring allows the front ring to be rotatably mounted on the front support frame. The front support frame, in turn, is mounted on a leg portion rotatably connected to the base portion by pins. These pins enable the leg portion to be tilted in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotating gantry. Therefore, the rear ring also can be tilted in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotating gantry. A bed is mounted on the front support frame. This arrangement can prevent misalignment between the bed and the rotating gantry.
Japanese Patent No. 3599995 also describes a rotating gantry for a particle radiotherapy system. This rotating gantry includes two rotating rings each supported by rollers. Further, in order to maintain the rotational center position of this rotating gantry within a predetermined tolerance over an extended period of time, at least one of these rotating rings is rotated by a pair of drive rollers that sandwich the rotating ring and that are in contact with respective sides of the rotating ring.
The particle radiotherapy system is designed to irradiate a target position on an affected area with an ion beam for treatment. To increase the accuracy of treatment, it is desirable that the irradiation position does not change as the rotating gantry rotates. In reality, however, as the rotating gantry rotates, the ion beam irradiation position moves three-dimensionally in a whirl due to the distortion of the rotating gantry caused by the weight of the deflection electromagnet, etc. provided on the rotating gantry. The center of this three-dimensional whirl of the irradiation position is referred to as the "isocenter" or "irradiation target center". One of the fundamental performance requirements for the particle radiotherapy system is that the ion beam irradiation position only moves, or whirls, within a sphere with a diameter of a few millimeters centered at the isocenter as the rotating gantry rotates.
One method for maintaining the ion beam irradiation position close to the isocenter to thereby satisfy the above requirement is to reduce the distortion of the gantry body connected between the front and rear rings by constructing it such that it has a highly rigid structure. This greatly reduces the three-dimensional whirling of the ion beam irradiation position.
There is another factor in causing an error in the irradiation position. This factor cannot be removed by increasing the rigidity of the rotating gantry body. For example, if the rotational axes of the rotatable rollers of the radial support devices are fully parallel to those of the front and rear rings, the rotating gantry does not move in the axial direction on its own when it rotates. In reality, however, the rotational axes of the rollers of the radial support devices are not fully parallel to those of the front and rear rings due to the following factors: (a) errors in the machining and assembly of components of the rotating gantry; (b) adjustment errors during installation of the rotating gantry; (c) deterioration of the building with age; and (d) small variations in height, etc. due to wear of the rings and rollers. Thus, there is a certain degree of misalignment between the rotational axes of the rollers and the rings. As a result, the gantry tries to move in the axial direction due to the axial component of the rotational force applied to the engagement surfaces of the rollers, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C. (This movement is referred to as a "skewing movement".) Assume that a roller A (corresponding to a rear ring 20 described later) is rotating in contact with a roller B (corresponding to a roller 22 described later) having a smaller diameter than the roller A, as shown in FIG. 1A. In this case, if P denotes the weight of the roller A and μ denotes the friction coefficient between the rollers A and B, then the roller rotational force produced in the direction as indicated in FIG. 1A is P*μ. If the rotational axis of the roller A is displaced by an amount e as shown in FIG. 1B due to the reasons stated above, then the axial component of the roller rotational force P*μ is P*μ*θ, as shown in FIG. 1C (where θ denotes the angle at which the rotational axis of the roller A is displaced from that of the roller B). This axial component force P*μ*θ causes the roller A to move in the axial direction.
The radial support devices described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-47287 are fixed to the mounting base portion, which prevents them from moving in the axial direction of the rotating gantry. As a result, the rotating gantry itself moves in the axial direction or a horizontal direction as it rotates, resulting in increased three-dimensional whirling of the irradiation position.
In one method for reducing the movement of the rotating gantry in the axial direction, the rotating gantry is mounted between two thrust support devices. These thrust support devices press the outer sides of the front and rear rings against the rotating gantry in the opposite axial directions to restrain the movement of the rotating gantry in the axial direction. With this method, however, the thrust support devices receive large reactive force, making it necessary to considerably increase their rigidity. Furthermore, the larger the axial thrust force applied by the thrust support devices, the larger the friction between the rings of the rotating gantry and the thrust rollers of the thrust support devices and hence the larger the required rotational driving force. Further, an increase in the axial thrust force results in an increase in the wear of the thrust rollers of the radial support devices and the front and rear rings, promoting the movement of the rotating gantry in the axial direction.
In another method for reducing the movement of the rotating gantry in the axial direction, the rollers of the radial support devices do not have the ability to rotate the rotating gantry. Instead, the apparatus is provided with a mechanism for performing both a rotational driving function and a braking function, as indicated in Japanese Patent No.3599995. Thus, to reduce the "skewing movement" of the rotating gantry, the radial support devices are dedicated to supporting the weight of the rotating gantry, while the drive mechanism rotates the gantry. However, this method still cannot prevent occurrence of skewing due to the factors (a) to (d) above.
For example, in the case of the structure shown in FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent No. 3599995, gear teeth are formed on the peripheral portion of a rotating ring and engaged with the pinion coupled to the motor to rotate the rotating gantry. In this structure, however, there is a backlash in the mesh between the gear teeth and the pinion even right after they are installed, and furthermore this backlash increases with time due to their wear. As a result, it is difficult to maintain sufficient rotation angle accuracy of the rotating gantry (for example, a stopping accuracy of ±0.25 degree or better). Further, there is an increasing need for an inching function to adjust the rotational position of the rotating gantry by rotating the gantry by a small angle based on positional information obtained from an image of the affected area portion after positioning of the rotating gantry at a predetermined angle. However, due to the above backlash, the rotation angle of the rotating gantry needs to be adjusted each time the rotational direction of the gantry is reversed, making it difficult both to achieve a rotation angle accuracy of ±0.25 degree or better without spending time and to achieve the inching function.
Skewing occurs due to the factors (a) to (d) above even with the gantry structure shown in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-140134, as well as with the structure shown in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent No. 3599995 in which drive rollers are brought into contact with the sides of the rotating rings to rotate the rotating gantry.
In order to increase the irradiation beam positioning accuracy of the rotating gantry (that is, to maintain the irradiation position close to the isocenter), and maintain the increased accuracy, it is important to provide the rotating gantry with capabilities to remove the factors (a) to (d) above.
Specifically, the capability to accommodate dimensional errors due to the factors (a) and (b) as much as possible allows accurate alignment to be easily achieved. Further, the ability to quickly detect and easily correct misalignment between the rotational axes due to the factors (c) and (d) (or changes that may slowly occur over a long period of time) allows reducing the installation adjustment and maintenance time of the rotating gantry. Therefore, a rotating irradiation apparatus employing a rotating gantry with these capabilities can achieve high throughput.


Compositions of recombinant HSV-2 proteins and an agonist of the innate immune system, such as an adjuvant, are provided as a vaccine. Proteins include an envelope glycoprotein and a structural protein other than an envelope glycoprotein, e.g., a capsid or tegument protein. The vaccine is for use in either HSV-2 seropositive or seronegative subjects.

HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus-2) is a member of the family Herpetoviridae, a group of DNA viruses that often result in skin lesions (e.g., chickenpox and fever blisters) and are characterized by latent and recurrent infections. HSV-2 is the leading cause of genital ulcers, which can manifest as a cluster of small fluid-filled blisters that rupture and form painful sores, taking several weeks to heal. Additional symptoms may include fever, general sick feeling, muscle aches, painful urination, vaginal discharge, and enlarged, tender lymph nodes in the groin area. Recurring outbreaks are likely. The virus can exist in nerve cells for the life time of the infected subject and reactivate, forming skin ulcers, at irregular intervals. Even in the absence of actual ulcers, the virus can be produced and spread from individual to individual. It is presently incurable.
Genital herpes is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease. In the United States, over 16% of the population, or about one out of six people, is infected with HSV-2, with a disproportionate burden on women—approximately 20% of women and 12% of men—and on African-Americans—about 40% of the population and nearly 50% of African-American women. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59: 456-459, Apr. 23, 2010). Altogether, about 50 million people in the U.S. are infected, of which about 80% are unaware of their infection, but may still be infectious. Elsewhere in the world, HSV-2 also attains epidemic proportions. A WHO team estimated that in 2003, 536 million people world-wide were infected, and new infections were occurring at about 23 million yearly (Looker et al., Bull World Health Organ. 86: 805-812, 2008). Although prevalence varied by region, generally prevalence increased with age and was higher among women than among men. In addition, HSV-2 prevalence is higher in developing countries than in developed countries—with the exceptions of North America, which has a high HSV-2 prevalence, and south Asia, which has a relatively low HSV-2 prevalence. The highest prevalence is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 80% of women and 45% of men are infected with HSV-2. Other regions, notably eastern Asia and south-east Asia, approach this level. In addition to sexual transmission, HSV-2 can be transmitted from a woman to a baby, typically at the time of delivery. Concomitant with the HSV-2 epidemic in the adult U.S. population, the incidence of neonatal infection has also dramatically increased. About 1,800 cases of neonatal HSV infection occur yearly in the U.S., which is a higher number of cases than neonatal HIV infection.
The health implications of HSV-2 infection are staggering. Although the vast majority of infected individuals are asymptomatic, virus can still be transmitted. Those with symptoms suffer painful sores on their genitals and anal region and often flu-like symptoms such as fever and swollen glands. Unfortunately, those with a first outbreak of HSV-2 are likely to have several additional outbreaks (typically four or five) within the first year alone. Regardless of the severity of symptoms, knowledge of infection often causes stress and can negatively impact quality of life (Rosenthal, et al., Sex Transm Infect. 82: 154, 2006; Crosby et al Sex Health, 5:279-283, 2008). In neonates infected with HSV-2, neonatal encephalitis from HSV infection has a mortality of >15% even with treatment, and the neurological morbidity among HSV-2 infected infants is an additional 30-50% of surviving cases Coupled with the high prevalence of HSV-2, there is a stark realization that HSV-2 infection substantially increases the risk for HIV-1 acquisition and transmission. Data from Africa show that HSV-2 infection can increase the risk for HIV transmission by as much as seven-fold and that up to one-half of newly acquired HIV cases are directly attributed to HSV-2 infection. Overall, the relative risk of HIV acquisition increases more than two-fold in HSV-2-infected individuals. The synergistic effect on HIV acquisition is greater for HSV-2 than for any other sexually transmitted infection, underscoring the need for an effective public health strategy capable of minimizing the effects of the current HSV-2 epidemic.
The increasing prevalence of HSV-2 in the adult and pediatric populations persists despite the widespread use of pharmacological intervention. Antiviral medication, such as acyclovir, given at high doses early in infection can reduce HSV transmission, but this does not prevent latent infection of the neuronal ganglion. Antiviral therapy has many drawbacks, including as side effects nausea, vomiting, rashes, and decreased kidney function, and should be used with caution because they can be teratogenic as well as be toxic to developing embryos. Furthermore, continuous suppressive administration with valcyclovir reduced HSV transmission by less than 50% despite early intervention. Even if this level of effect were acceptable, the approach is impractical considering the high cost and that 80% of those infected are unaware of their status. Alternatives to antiviral drugs, such as topical microbicides are unproven clinically, and physical barriers (e.g., condoms) have marginal "real-world" efficacy. For these reasons, vaccination is essential for combating and diminishing the health impact of HSV-2 infection.
The first vaccine for HSV was developed in the 1920s, and since then, a variety of vaccine approaches have been tried—all to no avail. The conventional, time-honored types of vaccines including whole, inactivated virus, attenuated live virus, modified live virus, and cell culture-derived subunits were largely unsuccessful or had low efficacy (Stanberry, Herpes 11 (Suppl 3) 161A-169A, 2004). With the advent of recombinant DNA technology, recombinant subunit vaccines have been developed. These vaccines comprised one or two of the envelope glycoproteins in combination with adjuvants. The glycoproteins were attractive candidates mainly because they are the targets of neutralizing antibodies and they are highly conserved among HSV-2 strains. In the last decade, extensive clinical trials on two candidate vaccines, one developed by Chiron and the other by GlaxoSmithKline, were both halted due to insufficient efficacy. Chiron's vaccine comprised truncated forms of two HSV-2 glycoproteins, gD2 and gB2, in combination with the adjuvant MF59. The vaccine at best provided transient protection against HSV-2 although high titers of antibodies to HSV-2 were generated (Stanberry, ibid). GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) developed and tested a similar vaccine; however it contained only a single glycoprotein, gD2, and alum and MPL as adjuvants. Following eight years of studies and clinical trials, GSK pronounced it as a failure in October 2010. The vaccine was unsuccessful in preventing infection in seronegative women, the only group in early clinical trials that had seemed to benefit.


A presentation system and a user device for use as a presentation aid is disclosed. The system comprises presentation means (5) for presenting images that associate with a presentation. Pointer means (4) are used for provision of a pointer on an image (11) presented by means of the presentation means. Detector means (8) are for detecting the pointer on the image and for determining the location of the pointer relative to the image. Control means (6) are adapted to provide at least one control function for the presentation based on information from the detector means.

Various presentations may need to be given in different occasions. For example, a person may need to give a speech, an introduction or a lecture or to comment something and so on. A person giving a presentation will be referred to in this specification as a presenter.
The presenter may use various technical devices to, for example, visualise the matter he or she is talking about e.g. by means of slides or similar illustrations. The various visualising illustrations will be referred to herein by the term image. An image may be displayed by projecting the image on an appropriate surface by a projecting device. For example, the image may be projected on a surface such as screen or wall. A display of a TV screen type device may also be used for displaying an image. The image presentation means may include devices such as overhead projectors, video guns or screens and other display apparatus.
Computer controlled presentation aids have also been introduced. Examples of these include systems employing the PowerPoint™ presentation software or Interlink Remotepoint RF presentation system.
If a computer controlled presentation aid is used for a presentation the presenter may use, for example, a laptop computer and the keyboard or mouse thereof to control the way how various images of the presentation are shown to the audience. The presenter may also draw the viewer's attention to a specific point of the image by means of a pointer device such as a simple stick like device or a laser or infra-red pointer The different pointers are known in the art and will thus not be explained in any more detail herein.
The prior art presentation systems may require the presenter to move forward and back to a specific location to be able to control the way how the illustrative material that associates with the presentation is shown to the audience. For example, the presenter may need to move next to a computer keyboard in order to be able to operate the computer.
The control features of the prior art presentation systems may be limited to such control features which only enable the presenter to select the slides he or she wishes to show and/or the order of presenting the slides. It might be advantageous in some instances if the presenter could be provided with more sophisticated control features. The inventor has also found that the prior art solutions may not allow the presenter to control the presentation by pointing a location or object on a displayed image by means of a handheld device.

Handheld portable user device and method for the presentation of images


Provided are an adhesive resin composition that is halogen-free, has good adhesiveness, solder heat resistance, and flame retardancy, and has good flow characteristics, and a laminate and a flexible printed wiring board using the same. The adhesive resin composition contains a phosphorus-containing epoxy resin and/or a phosphorus-containing phenoxy resin, a phosphorus-containing polyester resin having a weight-average molecular weight of more than 20,000 and 150,000 or less, another thermoplastic resin, and a curing agent. The adhesive resin composition preferably further contains a benzoxazine compound. Preferably, substantially no inorganic filler is mixed in the adhesive resin composition.

In general, flexible printed wiring boards (flexible printed circuit boards) have a basic structure in which a copper foil or the like is bonded with an adhesive to one surface or both surfaces of an insulating film functioning as a base, the insulating film being composed of a heat-resistant film such as a polyimide film. As such an adhesive, hitherto, an adhesive obtained by mixing a flame retardant with a blend resin of a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin and a thermoplastic resin such as an acrylic resin, a polyamide, or a polyester resin has been used.
As the flame retardant, halogen flame retardants have been hitherto used because high flame retardancy corresponding to the VTM-0 class or the V-0 class in the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)-94 standard is required. Recently, however, in view of the problems of environmental pollution, phosphorus flame retardants such as phosphoric acid esters, phosphoric acid ester amides, melamine polyphosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide and derivatives thereof, and phosphazene compounds have been used instead of the halogen flame retardants.
However, in order to satisfy high flame retardancy corresponding to the VTM-0 class or the V-0 class in the UL-94 standard by using only such phosphorus flame retardants, it is necessary to mix a large amount of a phosphorus flame retardant as compared with the case where a halogen flame retardant is used. This results in a problem that, with an increase in the amount of phosphorus flame retardant mixed, the adhesiveness decreases.
In order to solve this problem, recently, it has been proposed that the amount of phosphorus flame retardant mixed be reduced by using a resin that utilizes a flame retardant effect of phosphorus.
For example, PTL 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-176470) has proposed that the phosphorus content in a composition is controlled to be 2% by weight or more by using a phosphorus-containing epoxy resin and further using a phosphorus-containing phenoxy resin as a portion of a thermoplastic resin.
In addition, PTL 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-53989) discloses a flame-retardant adhesive resin composition containing a blend resin of a halogen-free epoxy resin and a phosphorus-containing polyester resin, a phosphazene compound functioning as a flame retardant, and inorganic filler such as magnesium hydroxide or aluminum hydroxide. It is described that flame retardancy and solder heat resistance can be satisfied by controlling a content ratio of phosphorus element to the resin component to be in the range of 1.8% to 5% by weight even without using a phosphoric acid ester. Also, PTL 2 describes that a phosphorus-containing polyester resin having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 50,000 can be used, and discloses Examples in which VYLON 537 (weight-average molecular weight: 140,000) and VYLON 237 (weight-average molecular weight: 30,000) manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd are used.
Furthermore, PTL 3 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-254659) has proposed an adhesive resin composition for a flexible printed wiring board, the adhesive resin composition containing a blend resin of a phosphorus-containing epoxy resin and a thermoplastic resin having a solubility parameter of 8 to 16 and, as a flame retardant, a phosphorus-containing polyester resin that has a weight-average molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000 and that is soluble in an organic solvent. PTL 3 discloses that a sufficient adhesive force can be ensured by using the phosphorus-containing polyester resin having a weight-average molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000 without impairing solder heat resistance and flame retardancy, as compared with the case where a phosphoric acid ester flame retardant or a phosphoric acid ester amide flame retardant is used. It is described that, on the other hand, a phosphorus-containing polyester resin having a weight-average molecular weight exceeding 20,000 has poor solvent solubility.

Adhesive resin compositions, and laminates and flexible printed wiring boards using same

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC PRINTED CIRCUITS, INC.


According to one implementation, a carburetor includes an intake bore, a throttle valve, a main fuel nozzle, an accelerator device and a fuel passage. The throttle valve is movable between an idle and wide open positions and includes a shaft rotatably supported around an axial line extending across the intake bore. The accelerator device may be operable to increase an amount of fuel that flows through the main fuel nozzle when the throttle valve is moved toward its wide open position, and may include a fuel reservoir constructed and arranged to store fuel. The fuel passage communicates with the main fuel nozzle and the fuel reservoir is provided upstream of the main fuel nozzle such that fuel flows through the fuel reservoir before being delivered to the main fuel nozzle.

Some small internal combustion engines for handheld power tools such as chain saws, grass trimmers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers, and the like have carburetors with an internal accelerator pump which supplies additional fuel to the operating engine as the throttle valve of the carburetor is opened from its essentially closed or idle position toward its wide open throttle position. The accelerator device can temporarily increase the amount of fuel delivered to the engine when the throttle valve is opened fully for improving the acceleration of the engine. This additional fuel is needed to smoothly and rapidly accelerate the engine without stumbling, particularly when the engine is under a load.


A fan includes a housing containing a receiving space and having one side containing a plurality of receiving recesses each connecting to the receiving space, a circuit board received in the receiving space and including a plurality of elongated extension pieces each secured in one of the receiving recesses, an axial sleeve mounted on the circuit board and received in the receiving space, a bearing mounted in the axial sleeve, a stator mounted on the axial sleeve and received in the receiving space, and fan blades rotatably received in the receiving space and including an axle rotatably mounted in the bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fan used in a notebook computer, and more particularly to a fan with a reduced thickness.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional fan in accordance with the prior art shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is used in a notebook computer and comprises a housing (20) containing a receiving space (201) therein, four holes (203) one in each corner of the housing (20), a support base (202) mounted in the housing (20) and including a tube (204) received in the receiving space (201), a bearing (23) mounted in the tube (204), a circuit board (21) mounted on the tube (204), a stator (22) mounted on the tube (204), and a fan rotatably mounted on the stator (22) and an axle (241) rotatably mounted in the bearing (23). Each of four locking bolts (not shown) in turn extends through one of the corresponding holes (203) so as to secure the housing (20) to a radiator board (not shown) of the notebook computer. In such a manner, the fan blades (24) can be used to dissipate the heat produced by the central processing unit (not shown) of the notebook computer, thereby achieving a effect. However, it needs to additionally provide the support base (202) in the housing (20) to support the bearing (23), the circuit board (21), the stator (22), and the fan blades (24), thereby increasing the total thickness and weight of the fan. The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantage of the conventional fan.

No. 6, East Section, Chiao Nan Li, Industrial 6th Rd.