A check valve having a housing (2, 4) and a ball (22) movably disposed therein on a guide member (28) and driven by a flowing medium, and able to come in contact with a seat (24) due to the force of gravity. The check valve is designed such that, even in case of low pressure differences or small back-flows of the flowing medium, a secure blocking is assured. To this end the guide means is configured as a ridge (28) of plastic which slopes toward the seat, on whose upper edge (30) the ball (22) can roll onto or into the seat (24), and the ridge (28) is disposed entirely within the first housing member (2).

The invention relates to a check valve with a housing and a ball disposed movably therein on a guide means, which can be entrained by a flowing medium and as a result of gravity can come in contact with a seat.
A check valve of this type is disclosed in Harbison et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,023 and has in a first housing member guiding means for a ball which can move in the flow passage. The two lateral guiding means are arranged substantially parallel to one another, extend into a second housing member, and are in contact with the substantially parallel inside lateral surfaces of the second housing member. The guiding means have guiding surfaces configured as curves for the ball, which are inclined inwardly and, when the check valve is installed in the horizontal position, downwardly. Above the flow passage the check valve contains a deflection chamber into which the ball is moved by the flowing medium and which necessitates a housing of comparatively large outside dimensions. The guiding means consist of the same material, namely metal, as the first housing member and it must be made comparatively large and stiff in order to avoid damage or even breakage during manufacture and assembly. This check valve cannot easily be provided with an internal lining of plastic, since lining the guiding means extending substantially freely into the second housing member would require a considerable enlargement of the outside dimensions of the check valve.
Furthermore, German Examined Application No. DE-AS 1,057,840 discloses a check valve which has two arcuate wires as tracks for guiding the ball. The ball is driven along these arcuate wires by the flowing medium into a bypass chamber. The bypass chamber requires the check valve to have relatively large outside dimensions. The check valve cannot easily be provided with a lining of plastic since the fixation and covering of the arcuate wires with a coating would entail considerable difficulty.


Touch sensing circuit arrangements include a touch sensor and a controller board. The touch sensor includes one or more sensing elements to generate touch-related signals responsive to a touch input to the sensor, and a memory device storing computer-executable firmware instructions for determining touch positions based on the touch-related signals. The controller board includes query logic executable by the controller board to cause the controller board to query for the computer-executable firmware instructions stored on the memory device of the touch sensor, and a processor circuit to determine touch positions by executing the firmware instructions loaded onto the generic controller board in response to the query.

Touch sensing devices allow a user to conveniently and directly interface with electronic systems and displays in an intuitive manner. For example, a user can carry out a complicated sequence of instructions by simply touching an on-display touch screen at a location identified by an icon. While the user physically interacts with the sensor portion of the touch system, controller electronics operate behind the scene to perform calculations based on received touch signals so that information such as touch position may be determined. The sensor portion and the controller electronics portion are designed to function together such that the signals generated by the sensor portion in response to a touch input may be used by the controller electronics to determine valid touch positions. Because the sensor and controller are designed to function together, replacing the sensor portion (for repair, upgrading, or other reasons) may require replacing the controller or manually uploading new firmware onto the controller.

Touch systems and methods utilizing customized sensors and genericized controllers


A loudspeaker is provided in which the outer diameter or foot of the spider is over molded with a standoff formed of a plastic material in an injection molding tool so that the spider and standoff form an integral unit. The standoff, in turn, is glued or otherwise affixed to the frame of the speaker to provide accurate centering of the voice coil relative to the magnetic gap of the motor structure.

Loudspeakers generally comprise a frame, a motor structure, a diaphragm, a lower suspension or spider and a surround or upper suspension. In one type of speaker, the motor structure includes a permanent magnet sandwiched between a top plate and a back plate, with a pole piece centrally mounted on the back plate so that both the top plate and magnet are concentrically disposed about the pole piece. A magnetic gap is formed between the pole piece and top plate within which a voice coil is axially movable. Preferably, the voice coil consists of a hollow, cylindrical-shaped former having an inner surface and an outer surface which mounts a winding of wire.
The voice coil is mounted within the magnetic gap by the upper and lower suspensions and the diaphragm. One end of the diaphragm is connected to the surround, which, in turn, is mounted to the upper end of the frame. The spider is connected at one end to the frame at a point between its upper and lower ends. The free ends of the diaphragm and spider are mounted to the outer surface of the former of the voice coil and support it for axial movement within the magnetic gap.
In the course of operation of speakers of the type described above, electrical energy is supplied to the voice coil causing it to axially move within the magnetic gap. The voice coil, diaphragm, surround and spider collectively form a "moving assembly" which reciprocates as a unit with the excursion of the voice coil.
To achieve highest magnetic efficiency in a loudspeaker, the magnetic gap must have a small area with tight tolerances. If the voice coil deviates appreciably from its axial path within the magnetic gap, the voice coil can contact the pole piece or top plate of the motor structure causing significant damage to the speaker. The spider permits free travel of the moving assembly while maintaining it in a centered position with respect to the magnetic gap. During excursion of the voice coil, the spider "tightens up" or stretches to an outer limit of displacement thus limiting the overall extent of excursion permitted and protecting the moving assembly from contacting other parts of the loudspeaker. Additionally, the spider is primarily responsible for exerting a restoring force on the voice coil so that it moves toward the "rest" position within the magnetic gap, i.e. where the voice coil is located when the speaker is not operating, which has a direct impact on distortion performance.
In most speaker designs, spiders are geometrically formed pieces of a cloth-like material. A resin is applied to the material before the forming operation in an attempt to ensure that the final shape of the spider is maintained. The shape of the spider is important because it determines the centering and excursion control performance of the spider.
The spider is typically glued along its inner diameter to the outer surface of the former of the voice coil. A generally flat ring section or foot is formed along the outer diameter of the spider, which, in most speaker designs, is glued to the frame. Typically, these gluing operations take place within the loudspeaker frame as an aid to fixturing the various parts in the proper spatial orientation. The spider-to-frame glue joint is especially critical because it provides the reference point for centering and axial movement of the voice coil as well as the rest of the moving assembly.
For various reasons, but most often as a result of shipping and handling, the spiders which are provided by manufacturers for assembly in loudspeakers may not be flat. That is, the attachment foot along the outer diameter of the spider often does not lie in the same plane. This geometric deformation of the spider foot not only compromises performance of the spider, but it can adversely affect the glue joint between the spider foot and frame. While some areas of the foot contact the frame and can be securely glued in place, other areas of the foot may be slightly separated from the frame resulting in a less glue-foot contact than is desired.
The problem of attaching a geometrically deformed spider foot to the speaker frame cannot be satisfactorily overcome by merely pressing the foot down onto the frame during assembly. Typically, a bead of glue is first applied to the frame and then the spider is brought into contact with the glue. Due to the nature of the glues used for the spider foot-frame joint connection, applying pressure to the foot to force it down onto the frame during assembly would cause the glue on the frame to "squirt out" from between the spider foot and frame. The displaced glue may cover the spider, thus comprising its performance, or spill onto other areas of the speaker. As a result, a relatively thick glue bead is typically used to try to ensure all areas of the spider foot are bonded to the frame. However, the glue bead itself can create geometrically uneven areas along the spider foot, particularly if the glue bead is applied unevenly to the frame.
Another problem with prior art speakers involves failure of the joint connection between the spider foot and frame. When the moving assembly approaches the limits of its excursion, a force is exerted on the spider-to-frame glue joint as the spider acts to pull the moving assembly back toward the neutral position. Since the spider is made of a cloth-like material, this glue joint is susceptible to "peel." Starting at the inner diameter of the frame glue joint, it has been found that the spider can gradually peel away from the surface of the frame particularly in high excursion speakers such as subwoofers. If the spider detaches in one area, it's just a matter of time until the loudspeaker fails.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Loudspeaker with integrated spider standoff ring


A method for pre-print visualization of a 3D object that represents opposite faces of a document is described. The method includes manipulating two 3D objects that represent opposite faces of a document in parallel such that they do not intersect while being animated in a folding operation.

The present disclosure relates to a method for document production visualization (DPV), and more particularly, to a method for the animated viewing of 3D images of a document, either in a final state or at several stages of the production of the document, so as to provide a representative illustration of the document for use in proofing the document before production, as well as during and after production.
One aspect of document production visualization (DPV) is the virtual rendering of the document being described by standardized input. This virtual rendering has the advantage of being able to "see" and manipulate in 3D, the document before time and materials are committed to the production process. The document can be viewed, as it should appear in a final, finished form, or at any stage of a production process.
Tilman Buchner, Kinematics of 3D Folding Structures for Nanostructured Origami, (December 2003), describes that 3D Optical Systems Group at MIT investigates Nanostructured Origami™ 3D fabrication and assembly. The idea is to assemble complex hybrid (chemical or biological reactors, optical sensing, digital electronic logic, mechanical motion) systems in 3D by using exclusively 2D lithography technology. The 3D shape is obtained by folding the initial 2D membrane in a prescribed way, in a manner reminiscent of the Japanese art of origami (paper-folding). The patterning method (2D nanolithography, nanoimprinting and other techniques) as well as the actuation principle (Lorentz force actuation), which is responsible for initializing the folding process, have already been developed and established. The primary objective of this thesis is to determine the motions required to reach the goal (folded state) from the given initial state (unfolded). A combination of bodies, which are connected by joints, is used to describe the crease structure. As a result, the crease structure is represented in terms of a closed-loop Multi Body System (MBS) with the property that a change of relative motion at one location induces a change of relative motion elsewhere. To describe this system, a mathematical method, called screw calculus, is applied. By cascading several screws together, one can describe the motion of articulated rigid body systems, such as robotic manipulators and, in this case, origami.
Philip J. Mercurio, 3-D Hardcopy: The Hosoya Cube, (March-April 1991), describes that in print, 3-D structure can be communicated in a number of ways. A few well-chosen views of the structure can be presented, using perspective, shading, transparency, and other rendering techniques to enhance the photorealism of each view. Stereoscopic pairs of images can be printed, to further aid the perception of the 3-D structure. The choice of views is made by the researcher, who may unintentionally bias the viewer towards a particular perception of the structure. Another approach, commonly seen in architectural graphics, is to present top, side, and front views of the same structure. Here, the choice of views is taken out of the hands of the presenter, providing the viewer with a standard visual framework to aid perception of the structure. However, the 3-D relationships between the three views, printed side-by-side on one flat sheet of paper, still need to be mentally reconstructed by the viewer. The approach suggested here is to print six views of an object, the six faces of a cube encompassing the structure, in such a manner that a paper cube can easily be constructed from the printed sheets. The advantage of the paper cube is its physicality—the viewer can readily perceive the spatial relationships between parts of the structure as seen in the six views, because the relationships between the views is encoded by their positions on the surface of the cube. The paper cube is a cheap, portable, reproducible means of delivering some of the interactive advantages inherent in a 3-D workstation display.
Currently, there is interactive development environment for design and placement of tiered geometrical objects, such as objects used in pop-up card designs. Relations between objects are represented mathematically, allowing computerized modeling and enforcement of design constraints. For example, in the context of pop-up cards, a card that cannot close will not be allowed. A dependency hierarchy is used to track different objects of a card. Card objects are instantiated as related to other card objects so that changes to one card object can be appropriately propagated to related objects. If all card objects are defined with respect to a base card, an entire card design can be animated by only adjusting, for example, "opening" and "closing," the base card. A graphical interface provides drag-and-drop and manual forms of placing card parts. For drag-and-drop, design constraints can be used to automatically determine proper positioning of card pieces. Graphics can be associated with card parts, and such graphics are automatically adjusted, for example, adjusting perspective for proper viewing of the image on a particular card piece.
In addition, there are also methods and systems for computer-aided design and more particularly computer-aided design of sheet parts. The methods include defining a feature in a definition view based on a specification defined by a user and generating the feature in the definition view. The alternative view is then updated. This updating includes analyzing the defined feature to determine if it can be made available to an alternative view, and representing the defined feature in the alternative view. The definition view and the alternative view include a folded view and an unfolded view.
Further, there are systems and methods for pre-print visualization of a job to be printed are described. The methods include submitting the content of the printing job, and associated printing environment data, in order to create a virtual rendering of the job in 3D on a user interface. In one embodiment, the rendering may be a low-resolution rendering and in another embodiment or later step, the virtual rendering would employ print-quality representations of content. The virtual rendering further allows a user to observe job-specific aspects and change a point of view relative to the rendering, including selecting and viewing individual pages of the print job. The methods and systems may be employed to facilitate obtaining user approval for production of the print job before forwarding the job for production.
However, viewing of folding of a 3D object that represents two faces of a document is currently problematic.
In 3D modeling, objects that make up faces of a document are defined by vertices. These vertices are manipulated to give an appearance to a user that the document is being folded. However, an act of manipulating these vertices to simulate a fold operation can easily allow the faces to appear to cross or intersect with one another, producing an unrealistic folding operation. The difficulty in performing this folding operation is to keep two independent 3D objects that represent two sides of the document from intersecting or becoming too close to one another and introducing unrealistic folding conditions or artifacts.
For example, with reference to FIGS. 3-6, the edge of a fold 202 on an inner-side page object 204 may pierce through an outer-side page object 206 at certain angles of folding unless corrective action is taken. Also, points 208 and 212 of inner-side page object 204 may pierce through points 210 and 214 of outer-side page object 206 unless corrective action is taken. Also, if the page objects are too close together while in a semi-parallel state, a computer's graphics card can have trouble determining which face is nearer a viewer, potentially causing random switching between the two faces until they are moved further apart (that is, a Z-buffer problem in computer graphics).

Methods for removing imaging artifacts when folding 3D objects that represent duplex media


An apparatus for providing an oscillating signal to a load comprises: a phase locked loop, PLL, comprising a feedback loop; a power control means for manipulating oscillating signal power; an isolator for isolating the feedback loop from the load; and a mode selector coupled to the power control means and the isolator, for controlling the power control means and the isolator so that in a steady state power mode, oscillation power is supplied to the load and in a reduced power mode, power is isolated by the isolator from the load to the feedback loop so that phase lock is maintained when the oscillation power is reduced.

Mobile communication transceivers, for example a mobile telephone, generally comprise a single frequency-synthesizer which serves as a local oscillator for both the transmit and receive sides of the transceiver. Such frequency-synthesizers typically comprise one or more phase-locked loops (PLLs) that can be programmed to lock onto a specific frequency.
In a dual standard phone, for example one that is capable of working in both a WCDMA environment (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and a GSM environment (Global Standard for Mobile communication), it is likely that two separate radio frequency (RF) sections will be required. Following conventional design procedures, each RF section would incorporate a respective frequency synthesizer and the two RF sections would be required to operate in close proximity to each other.
The frequency synthesizer of one RF section will be a possible source of RF interference to the other RF section, and likewise the other RF section will be a possible source of interference to the one section. One method to alleviate this contribution of mutual interference is to turn off each PLL when it is not in use. Unfortunately, returning the synthesizer to its steady state mode of operation takes time and there is therefore a delay between turning the synthesizer back on and being able to work. This time delay may be detrimental to the operation of the dual standard phone.
In a dual standard phone it is not unusual to have to pause operation in one standard (e.g. WCDMA) while measurements are made of the system in the other standard (e.g. GSM). If this pause in operation is too long the interruption can become perceptible to the user. Plainly this is undesirable because the quality of service is degraded. Indeed, if the pause is too long, the phone may find itself disconnected from the original service. Under these circumstances, the economic value of a multiple standard phone is severely reduced.
Additionally, power consumption in mobile communication transceivers is a continuing concern for designers and developers. Reductions in power consumption directly contribute to the usefulness of mobile phones.
The invention was made with the above discussed problems in mind and aims to address the related problems.

Apparatus for providing an oscillating signal to a load


A device for sampling drill cuttings includes a frame, an inclined perforated member mounted on the frame, a sprayer for washing cuttings down over the perforations, and a removable open-topped cuttings collector mounted under the perforated member, the perforated member cooperating with the downstream end of a vibratory screen over which the cuttings pass before translating onto the perforated screen.

As stated by Barrett in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,289 which issued Jan. 12, 1988 for a Drill Cuttings Sample Collector, exploratory wells are drilled to evaluate penetrated rock formations for producible hydrocarbons. In drilling such wells (and in drilling production wells), circulation fluid is pumped down a string of drill pipe and through a drill bit at the lower end thereof. Such fluid thereafter circulates upwardly in the annulus between the drill pipe and the wellbore and thus flushes drill cuttings, such including drilled rock grains and fragments, from the wellbore.
In the usual operation, the drill cuttings are separated from the circulation fluid at the surface of the wellbore. The circulation fluid is thereafter recirculated through the drill string. Typically, such separation is done by a vibratory screening device; what is referred to in the industry as a shale shaker. The shale shaker comprises one or more vibrating screens. Fluid containing the drill cuttings is poured onto the screen(s) which permit the fluid to pass therethrough for recirculation. The screen(s) are inclined and vibrate the drill cuttings off one end, that is the lower end thereof. The drill cuttings are disposed of by burial on land or maybe put in a barge when drilling offshore.
Samples of drill cuttings which are separated from circulation fluid as described above are examined by geologists to evaluate the penetrated rock formations. Such examination is particularly important in connection with exploratory wells which are drilled for the purpose of determining the nature of the formation. It is important to collect samples from all penetrated depths so that the lithology of the formations from the surface of the well to the bottom of the bore may be accurately determined. The importance of such samples are increased when, after drilling is complete, a wireline log cannot be acquired or is of poor quality because of a damaged bore. In such cases, the cutting samples and related hydrocarbon records are the only results to show for the expense of drilling the well. It is desirable to screen out larger cuttings, which are typically referred to as cavings, and which are less likely to have been drilled during the interval of interest. Smaller sized cuttings are more likely to have been transported up the annulus at the same rate as the drilling fluid, the lag rate of which can be determined by the geologist.
As reported by Barret, in the past drill cuttings samples were collected by placing a container in the flow of drill cuttings which fell from lower end of the shale shaker. The container was periodically emptied and collected samples examined. Such prior art sample collectors suffered from several disadvantages. First, the container in which the samples accumulated would often fill to the top and overflow. Drill cuttings falling from the shale shaker when the container was full were not sampled and the record for such drill cuttings lost. This was especially true in the case of a drilling operation which was drilling at a fairly rapid rate and thus generating a high volume of drill cuttings per unit time.
Loss of drill cutting samples may also occur when fluids are accidentally introduced into the container collecting the samples. Such may occur as a result of a blinded shaker screen; that is, the screen becomes clogged and permits circulation fluid to flow with the drill cuttings into the container. Samples may also be lost as a result of water from a hose, which is used to clean the shale shaker, entering the container. In addition, heavy rain and, in offshore drilling operations, waves may introduce water into the container, thus greatly reducing or destroying the information obtainable from the samples.
The present invention addresses the problem in the prior art where often drill cuttings are allowed to accumulate in a stationary collector underneath the downstream end of the shale shaker, the problem being that sampling from such a collector quite often means an assistant merely scooping cuttings from the top of the collector or digging into the layered contents of the collector, whether or not mixed so that the actual sample taken by the assistant is not necessarily representative of the particular drilling interval which it is desired to sample.
As disclosed by Barrett in his patent referred to above, it is known to place a container under the outflow end of a so-called shale shaker, itself conventionally used in the art for removing drilling fluid from drilling cuttings. The container of Barrett is placed so as to capture drilling cuttings falling from the end of the shale shaker which as known in the art is a vibratory inclined screen conveyor which transports drill cuttings down along the inclined surface by means of vibrating the otherwise stationary surface of the screen whilst allowing circulation fluid to pass through the vibratory surface for collection and reuse. What Barrett fails to disclose, and which is one object of the present invention to provide, is an improved method and apparatus for screening, filtering or culling a selectively smaller volume of the drill cuttings exiting the shale shaker so that the sample still represents a uniform sampling of the desired drilling cross-section exhibited by the drilling cuttings exiting the shale shaker.
Other prior art of which applicant is aware include:
Canadian Patent No. 1,280,740 which issued to Hoeft on Feb. 26, 1991 for a Chip Sampler. Canadian Patent No. 1,079,229 which issued to Huff on Jun. 10, 1980 for a Mud Metering Testing and Cleansing System. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,962 which issued to Georgi on Nov. 5, 1996 for a Method and Apparatus for Analyzing Drill Cuttings. U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,037 which issued to Butt on Dec. 13, 1994 for Soil Sampling Apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,255 which issued to Morris on Feb. 16, 1971 for an Apparatus for Collecting and Washing Well Cuttings. U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,685 which issued to Tanner on Jun. 2, 1964 for a Device for Collecting Cutting Samples From Well Drilling Operations. U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,539 which issued to Gilbert on Dec. 14, 1943 for a Sampling Device.


A control system for adjusting levels of emissions exiting an engine includes a NOx sensor that generates a NOx signal in response to oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in an exhaust gas and a control module that communicates with the cam phaser. The rotational position of the cam phaser controls an actuation time when the camshaft opens the exhaust valve during rotation of the camshaft. The control module further receives the NOx signal, and calculates a NOx level of the exhaust gas based on the NOx signal. The control module compares the NOx level to a predetermined threshold range and adjusts the cam phaser to achieve a rotational position that releases a desired level of NOx from the engine when the NOx level exceeds the predetermined threshold range. The control module further stores the rotational position in a storage device when the NOx level is within the predetermined threshold range.

Engine operation involves combustion that generates exhaust gas. During combustion, an air and fuel (air/fuel) mixture is combusted inside a cylinder to drive a piston. The piston rotatably drives a crankshaft that ultimately rotates one or more camshafts. Exhaust gas is created from combustion and is released from the cylinders into an exhaust system. The amount of exhaust gas released is regulated by the opening and/or closing positions of an exhaust valve that is mechanically actuated by a cam lobe coupled to the camshaft. The exhaust gas may contain residuals such as, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO).
Retaining exhaust gas inside the cylinder during the exhaust stroke, also known as exhaust gas retention, burns increased levels of NOx during the following combustion stroke and may decrease levels of emissions exiting the engine. Specifically, retaining exhaust gases in the combustion chamber of the cylinder dilutes the air/fuel mixture and slows the burn rate. The reduced burn rate results in increased combustion chamber temperatures for a longer period of time and burns greater amounts of NOx to reduce emissions.
Exhaust gas retention can be accomplished by adjusting the rotational position of the exhaust camshaft to vary the timing of the exhaust valve. The valve timing determines the amount of exhaust that remains in the cylinder during the exhaust stroke. Levels of NOx retained at various speeds and loads are predetermined and programmed in a static reference table.
Although design differences and component wear can effect engine operation, exhaust gas retention is typically limited to the static reference table.

Adaptive NOx emissions control for engines with variable cam phasers


This invention relates to methods, compositions, and apparatuses for producing macrocyclic compounds. First, one or more reactants are provided in a reaction medium, which are capable of forming the macrocyclic compound through a desired reaction pathway that includes at least cyclization, and which are further capable of forming undesired oligomers through a undesired reaction pathway that includes undesirable oligomerization. Oligomerization of such reactions in the reaction medium is modulated to reduce formation of undesired oligomers and/or to reduce separation of the undesired oligomers from the reaction medium, relative to a corresponding unmodulated oligomerization reaction, thereby maximizing yields of the macrocyclic compound. The macrocyclic compound so formed is then recovered from the reaction medium. Preferably, the macrocyclic compound spontaneously separates from the reaction medium via phase separation. More preferably, the macrocyclic compound spontaneous precipitates from the reaction medium and therefore can be easily recovered by simple filtration.

At a time when the small-molecule pipeline of the pharmaceutical industry is beginning to run dry, the number of macrocycles has increased in an explosive manner. This fast-growing phenomenon is due to the discovery of an impressive number of new families of natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic compounds, which possess extraordinary properties. The macrocyclic structure is a particularly desirable feature for the pharmaceutical industry. The cyclic structure stabilizes the molecule against destruction by the human body and increases its effectiveness in comparison with its linear analog, by constraining it to a biologically active form. Accordingly, macrocycles constitute a major class of pharmaceutical agents that are currently under wide-spread clinical investigation.
Moreover, macrocycles are key components in many other fields, including nanotechnology. Nanoscale devices such as chemical noses for the detection of land mines, sensors for the detection of chemical weapons, light rods for solar energy conversion, photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes, magnetic materials, multi-bit storage devices, and semi-conducting materials have already been fashioned using macrocyclic compounds.
In spite of their great potential, however, macrocycles have remained relatively under-explored and unexploited. Current methods used for the preparation of macrocycles severely limit their use in medicine and other important industries. While some of these compounds are available from biological sources in quantities sufficient for basic research or initial clinical studies, others need to be produced by semi- or total synthesis. The present methodologies for producing macrocycles require hundreds of man-hours of work, produce large amounts of toxic waste, require expensive manufacturing facilities, and still produce frustratingly low quantities of the desired material. Low production yield renders the profit margins of these molecules too small for commercial production. Consequently, due to the high costs and low profit margins associated with production of macrocycles by conventional chemical manufacturing approaches, many important discoveries are not commercialized. More importantly, the staggering potential of macrocyclic research and development is largely unrealized, as the result of the inability of the art to provide a practical method for making such compounds.
Thus, the inability to obtain large quantities of macrocyclic molecules has been, and still is, the major stumbling block for their commercial exploitation, as well as the stimulus for efforts to improve existing methods or to discover new ones.
Conceptually, the synthesis of cyclic molecules begins with the preparation of open-chained starting materials which are cyclized by a ring closure reaction. In contrast to the efficient formation of five- or six-member rings, however, problems are encountered when cyclization of compounds of other sizes, both smaller and larger, is carried out in practice: yields of small rings (3-4 atoms) are low and even lower for medium rings (8-12 carbon atoms) and macrocycles (>12 atoms). Due to ring strain effects, small rings are less stable than five- or six-member rings, and thus they are more difficult to obtain. However, most macrocycles are unstrained and their enthalpy of formation is comparable to that of five- or six-member rings. Thus, there are no thermodynamic barriers to the formation of unstrained macrocycle. Nonetheless, the kinetics of the formation of macrocycles greatly complicates their formation. For entropic reasons, it is more difficult to synthesize macrocycles than small and medium ring compounds because macrocyclic ring formation involves a low probability for coincident positioning of the two ends of the open chain starting material, as required for cyclization to occur. Further, intermolecular reactions of the reactive ends of the linear precursor compete with the cyclization reaction. Such intermolecular reactions lead to formation of undesired oligomers and polymers.
In order to circumvent these undesirable oligomerization reactions, cyclization is generally carried out under relatively dilute conditions (typically less than 10 mM). The rationale for the high dilution synthesis method is that if the concentration of the reactants is sufficiently low, then the ring closure reaction will be favored, since the reactive ends thereby are isolated from the reactants and therefore more likely to react in an intramolecular fashion to effect ring formation. However, the high dilution principle is most effective if the cyclization reaction is an irreversible reaction and the rate of cyclization is greater than the rate of polymerization. In contrast to this kinetic approach, in a thermodynamically controlled, reversible reaction, the relative stabilities of all products, macrocyclic or acyclic, determine the product distribution. If the macrocycle is the most stable compound in such reversible reaction system, then the macrocycle will be formed in good yield. Indeed, some examples exist where macrocycles are in fact formed as the most stable products in a reversible reaction. However, in most cyclization reactions, macrocycles and undesired oligomers and polymers are of comparable thermodynamic stabilities and therefore, all of them will exist as a complex mixture, which requires extensive and complicated purification procedures in order to obtain the desired macrocyclic material. Furthermore, high dilution methods can only provide limited quantities of the macrocyclic material and are therefore inappropriate for high-volume commercial production.
In order to overcome or mediate the above-described difficulties and complications, a wide variety of modifications and improvements have been made to the high dilution methods, by adapting such methods to the individual requirements of specific target molecules. These approaches have achieved a wide variety of levels of success, on a molecule by molecule basis. For example, it is now possible to prepare modest quantities of certain macrocycles by appropriate choice of starting material, solvent, temperature, catalyst and dilution conditions, often with the assistance of other effects, e.g., the template effect, the rigid group principle, and other pseudo-dilution phenomenon.
In supramolecular chemistry, for example, the use of an appropriate template can greatly improve cyclization steps. For those examples where the building blocks for the macrocycle and its oligomers are the same, an organic or inorganic guest material (i.e., a template) may be found which binds complementarily into the cavity formed by the macrocycle. Under reversible conditions, the resulting supramolecular complex will be more stable than the macrocyclic component and thus favored, which is known as the template effect. In addition to mixtures in equilibrium, the template effect can also be useful in kinetically controlled reactions when the template facilitates the intramolecular reaction by pre-organizing the reactive ends. Important features in high yield template-assisted cyclization reactions include the geometry of the template material, and the number of heteroatoms in the interior cavity of the macrocycle that are available for coordinating with the template.
In addition to template materials that bind to a cavity formed by the macrocycle, other materials with microporous structures can pre-organize the reactive ends of the reactants and thereby facilitate the ring closure reaction, by providing a localized environment defined by the microporous structure that is highly favorable to the ring closure reaction. For example, Smectite clays have been used to provide substantial improvements in yield and/or selectivity of macrocyclic compounds. The predetermined architectures of the microporous structures in the clays can be effectively used to pre-organize the reactive substances in a manner that controls the extent of oligomerization and the geometry of the macrocycle so formed. Subsequently, the final macrocyclic product can be removed from the clay framework.
Further, some structural elements have emerged that show a propensity to bend linear structures and form pre-organized ring structures, suggesting that such pre-organization can be used to favor intramolecular processes over the intermolecular ones and provide simple routes for the preparation of macrocyclic structures. This predisposition of certain molecules to bending or folding has been widely studied, e.g., the Thorpe-Ingold effect, and several structural elements, such as urea and proline residues, have been identified as being associated with the formation of U-turns in natural products. Consequently, sterically encumbering groups can be added to acyclic precursors to effectuate bending thereof and to facilitate ring closure, when the target macrocyclic compound does not normally contain such sterically encumbering groups.
Recent years have witnessed a renaissance in the field of peptides. At present, more than 40 peptides are on the market, many more are in registration processing, hundreds are in clinical trials and more than 400 are in advanced preclinical studies. The enhanced biological specificity, activity, and metabolic stability of cyclopeptides in comparison with those of the linear peptides, as a result of the constrained structural features of the cyclic peptides, have attracted much attention. Cyclic peptidomimetic scaffolds and templates have been widely used to assemble a wide variety of spatially defined functional groups for molecular recognition and drug discovery. There is a vigorous, on-going effort to device and develop commercially applicable synthetic methods for preparation of cyclic peptides and peptidomimetics.
Cyclic peptides can be synthesized from partially protected linear precursors formed in solution or by solid-phase techniques involving cyclization of such linear precursors in solution under high or pseudo-dilution conditions. Alternatively, cyclic peptides can be prepared by solid-phase assembly of the linear peptide sequence, followed by cyclization while the peptide remains anchored to a polymeric support. This method takes advantage of the pseudo-dilution phenomenon attributed to the solid-phase, which favors intramolecular reactions over intermolecular side reactions. More recently, chemical ligation methods have also shown some success in the formation of cyclic peptides, specifically in the formation of backbone peptide bonds. Unlike other methods, chemical ligation methods do not require coupling reagents or protection schemes, but are achieved through a variable chemoselective capture step followed by an invariable intramolecular acyl transfer reaction.
Despite the development of the above-discussed synthesis techniques and other high-dilution or pseudo-dilution methods, however, the practical aspects of the synthesis principle, viz., the selection of starting materials and reaction parameters, still have to be determined empirically, and the cyclization step still remains as the fundamental synthetic challenge. The requirements for complex multi-step processes, specific reaction conditions, templates, selective protection/deprotection steps, and high dilution of the reaction materials continue to restrict commercial production of macrocyclic compounds, even after extensive optimization, and the modified or improved methods still suffer from many limitations of the original high-dilution procedure.
A general method that does not depend on high dilution of the reaction materials or otherwise suffer the deficiencies of high dilution techniques and is useful for synthesis of a wide variety of macrocyclic compounds on a commercial scale would be of immense value.

Methods, compositions, and apparatuses for forming macrocyclic compounds


A control device is provided for a compression ignition engine, which controls so that partial compression ignition combustion of A/F-lean mixture gas is carried out in a specific range where an engine load is low. In a first range of the specific range, a normal ignition in which sparks are generated in a late period of compression stroke or an early period of expansion stroke to start SI combustion, and a preceding ignition in which sparks are generated at a timing included in intake stroke or compression stroke and earlier than the normal ignition by a given amount or more are performed, and fuel is injected at a timing where fuel is present before the preceding ignition inside the combustion chamber. In a high-load side second range of the specific range, at least the normal ignition is performed and the execution of the preceding ignition is limited.

In recent years, Homogeneous-Charged Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion in which gasoline fuel mixed with air is combusted inside a combustion chamber by self-ignition has attracted attention. Since HCCI combustion is a mode in which a mixture gas combusts at a plurality of positions simultaneously, it is said that the combustion rate of the mixture gas is fast, and it is very advantageous with respect to fuel efficiency (thermal efficiency), compared with SI combustion (jump-spark ignition combustion) adopted in normal gasoline engines. However, HCCI combustion has problems such as the combustion start timing of the mixture gas (a timing at which the mixture gas self-ignites) changes largely by external factors such as temperature, and it is difficult to be controlled during a transitional operation in which the load changes suddenly.
Thus, it is proposed that, without combusting all the mixture gas by the self-ignition, a portion of the mixture gas is combusted by a jump-spark ignition using an ignition plug. That is, a portion of the mixture gas is forcibly combusted by flame propagation which is triggered by the jump-spark ignition (SI combustion), and the remaining mixture gas is combusted by the self-ignition (CI combustion). Below, such combustion is referred to as partial compression ignition combustion.
As one example of the engine which adopts the partial compression ignition combustion, JP2018-084183A is known as follows. In detail, in the engine disclosed in JP2018-084183A, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate inside a combustion chamber, a timing of a jump-spark ignition by the ignition plug, etc. are controlled, during an execution of the partial compression ignition combustion (in this document, it is referred to as "SI-CI combustion"), so that a SI ratio which is a ratio of an amount of heat release caused by SI combustion to the total amount of heat release in one cycle reaches a target value (target SI ratio) determined according to the engine load (target torque).
On the other hand, an improvement in thermal efficiency of an engine by another method without using compression ignition combustion has also been proposed. For example, JP4691373B2 discloses a jump-spark ignition engine in which an ignition plug performs two jump-spark ignitions in one cycle. In detail, this jump-spark-ignition engine performs during a compression stroke a preceding ignition (preliminary preceding ignition), which gives a small electric discharge energy with which an ignition and combustion of the entire mixture gas inside a combustion chamber do not take place (a source of a flame may be formed locally), and then performs a normal ignition (main ignition) which gives a larger electric discharge energy than the preceding ignition at a proper timing which is later than the preceding ignition. Thus, by forming the source of the flame by the preceding ignition in an earlier stage than the normal ignition, a misfire of the mixture gas can be prevented and the combustion rate can be increased.
Here, in the partial compression ignition combustion, the combustion rate of CI combustion influences thermal efficiency. Since CI combustion is a phenomenon in which a fuel component carries out a spontaneous chemical reaction, it can be said that its combustion rate is originally faster than SI combustion in which a combustion area expands gradually by flame propagation. However, for example, if the fuel can be modified to be highly reactive fuel before the CI combustion, the combustion rate of CI combustion further increases to further improve thermal efficiency, thereby establishing both fuel efficiency and torque performance.
The fuel property modification for increasing the reactivity may be achieved, for example, by increasing the temperature of the mixture gas to a given temperature range. That is, the high temperature of the mixture gas causes the fuel component (hydrocarbon) to be cleaved, and an intermediate product containing highly reactive OH radicals can be generated. As a way of increasing the temperature for such a fuel property modification (the generation of the intermediate product), the present inventors considered that the temperature of the mixture gas is increased by performing a plurality of jump-spark ignitions, i.e., performing the auxiliary preceding ignition before the normal ignition, for example, similar to JP4691373B2. However, according to the research of the present inventors, when the energy at which the portion of the mixture gas combusts is given by the preceding ignition like JP4691373B2, it is discovered that most of the intermediate product is consumed by the combustion, and therefore, the effect of speeding up the combustion rate of CI combustion cannot fully be acquired.

Control device for compression ignition engine


A foam-air mattress includes a mattress housing, including a top layer and a bottom layer; a plurality of air chambers, disposed between the top layer and the bottom layer, wherein the plurality of air chambers are configured to be connected to a pumping system via a tubing assembly; and a plurality of compartments formed by the mattress housing and the plurality of air chambers, configured to accept foam inserts. The plurality of air chambers, when inflated by the pumping system, are configured to compress foam inserts disposed within the plurality of compartments so as to increase the density of the foam inserts. This arrangement has applications in both the consumer and medical airbed contexts, as well as in other support system contexts, such as seat cushions for chairs.

Commercial airbeds have been growing steadily in popularity. Many types of airbeds have been developed for a variety of applications over the years, ranging from simple and inexpensive airbeds that are convenient for temporary use (such as for house guests and on camping trips), home-use airbeds that replace conventional mattresses in the home, to highly sophisticated medical airbeds with special applications (such as preventing bedsores for immobile patients). With respect to home-use and medical airbeds, more and more consumers are turning to these types of airbeds for the flexibility in firmness that they offer, allowing consumers to adjust their mattresses to best suit their preferences.
An airbed system typically includes an air mattress that is connectable to a pumping system for inflating one or more air chambers within the air mattress. The level of pressure of the air within the air chambers provides a user with a corresponding feeling of firmness. If the air mattress has different zones corresponding to different air chambers within the air mattress, different parts of the air mattress can have different levels of firmness.
Foam mattresses are another type of mattress popular with consumers. Consumers generally have a choice between different levels of firmness for foam mattresses. The firmness of foam is based on the type of foam, the density of the foam, and the Indention Load Deflection (ILD) rating associated with the foam.

Adjustable mattress with foam inserts and air chambers


The present invention relates to a model house (10) having a transparent roof (12) and plurality of columns each securely mounted to a base (20). At least three first floor left-right beams (14LRA) which support at least four first floor back-front beams (14BFA). A flooring (24) is securely fastened onto the at least four first floor back-front beams (14BFA). At least two back-front lower beams securely fastened to at least two roof left-right lower beams. A roof left-right center beam (16LRC) is securely fastened to a top distal end of the left-middle-center column (18LMC) and the right-middle-center column (18RMC) by fasteners (22). A roof left-back support beam (16LBD) is securely fastened at a lower distal end to the roof left-right-back lower beam (16LRBL) and the roof back-front-back left lower beam (16BFLL). A roof left-front support beam (16LFD) is securely fastened at a lower distal end to the roof back-front-back left lower beam (16BFLL) and the roof left-right-front lower beam (16LRFL). A roof right-back support beam (16RBD) is securely fastened at a lower distal end to the roof left-right-back lower beam (16LRBL) and the roof back-front-back right lower beam (16BFRL). A roof right-front support beam (16RFD) is securely fastened at a lower distal end to the roof left-right-front lower beam (16LRFL) and the roof back-front-back right lower beam (16BFRL). The model house has a transparent roof (12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to model houses. More particularly, the present invention relates to model houses having translucent and/or transparent roofs to allow a person to view the insides of the house.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Miniature houses are well known in the art. The construction of model homes and buildings is increasing in popularity as a hobby and craft. Kits or pre-built miniature homes are commonly sold in the United States. In addition, doll houses of various types having varying interiors provide a recreational and educational structure. Miniature houses can teach builders a new construction to minimize construction time as well as exhibit a new house prior to construction to a potential client.
Numerous innovations for miniature houses have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,196, titled, MODULAR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, by inventor, O'Bryan, modular structural elements found by cutting, scoring and folding multiple layer corrugated paperboard sheets which can be used singly and in combination in the construction of a building structure is described. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,988, titled, INTERCONNECTING BUILDING TOY PANELS, by inventor, McMurray, a creative building playtoy, for children which allows rapid interlocking and disconnecting panels is disclosed. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,848, titled, MODEL HOUSE, by inventor, Ahlstrand, a model house that can be erected from a combination of parts without tools or fasteners and then can be easily knocked down for shipment or storage is described and claimed. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,336, titled, MINIATURE HOUSE CONSTRUCTION, by inventor, Misterka, an L-shaped member which provides a support for the exterior wall sections and the ground flooring in the construction of miniature homes is described and claimed. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,772, titled, SEGMENTED TOY HOUSE CONSTRUCTION, by inventor, Kennard et al., a toy house configured for construction to include a plurality of segmented members inter-fitting relative to one another to effect an erected structure is disclosed. The above described patented inventions differ from the present invention because they lack a transparent roof, left-right beams supporting back-front beams, roof back-front-back lower beams, roof left-right lower beams, roof left-right center beam, roof left-back support beam, roof left-front support beam, roof right-back support beam, roof right-front support beam, and a plurality of columns securely fastened to a base having a base column support by a plurality of fasteners.
Numerous innovations for model houses have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A segment-type friction material has blocks each composed of four segment pieces. Five blocks are stuck by adhesion to a core metal 2 along an entire circumference thereof so as to constitute one surface of the segment-type friction material. Gaps are provided between the five blocks to form oil grooves that make an automatic transmission fluid (ATF) to flow. Five oil grooves are formed in total on one surface as a whole of the segment-type friction material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wet friction material that generates a torque by applying a high pressure to an opposite surface while being immersed in an oil. In detail, this invention relates to a segment-type friction material made by joining segment pieces made of a friction material substrate on one or both of opposite surfaces of a core plate or a core plate of a flat ring shape along an entire circumference thereof. Each of the friction material substrates is cut into a segment piece shape. Particularly, this invention relates to a segment-type friction material that enables yield to be improved while making heat-resistance better.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent year, a segment-type friction material as a wet friction material is under development in order to improve material yield with resultant cost reduction and to lessen drag torque with resultant high fuel efficiency in a vehicle. The segment-type friction material has a core plate of a flat ring shape and segment pieces. The segment pieces are made by cutting a friction material substrate along the ring shape or a circumferential direction of the core plate. A set of the segment pieces are arranged and joined with an adhesive on a front surface of the core plate side by side along an entire circumference of the core plate with a gap to be an oil groove. Another set of the segment pieces made by cutting the friction material substrate are joined with the adhesive to a rear surface of the core plate, too. Such segment-type friction material is applicable to a friction material clutch device that has a single or plural friction plates and that is used in an automatic transmission, which may be referred to as "AT" hereafter, of automobiles or a transmission of motorcycles or the like.
A ring-type friction material is used at another portion of the automatic transmission. The ring-type friction material is made by cutting a friction material substrate into a ring shape and sticking it to a core plate of a flat ring plate shape by an adhesive. However, there is a problem that the ring-type friction material has very low yield in the friction material substrate. Therefore, it is proposed to make very small an interval between the segment pieces of the segment-type friction material or remove the interval thereof. In this case, it is guessed that the segment-type friction material has a similar friction property to that of the ring-type friction material.
Thereby, it is expected that the segment-type friction material shows similar characteristics to that of the ring-type friction material in supplying an automatic transmission fluid (may be referred to as simply "ATF" hereafter). However, in a conventional manufacturing apparatus, there is still a problem that it is impossible to arrange and stick the segment piece on the core metal without an interval between the adjacent segment pieces.
In view of the above, the inventors provide an improved segment-type friction material and its manufacturing method as shown in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2005-299731. In this segment-type friction material, the interval between the adjacent segment pieces is made very small or removed. Thereby, the segment-type friction material is given a similar friction property to that of the ring-type friction material, while reducing costs.
Still, the segment-type friction material is required to have a variety of friction characteristics according to use. In order to satisfy various requirements, the segment-type friction material is manufactured such that an interval is provided between the segment pieces as an oil groove. Then, the manufactured segment-type friction material makes a number or position of the oil grooves changed in different manners, thereby satisfying a required frictional property. Moreover, in case of lessening the number of the oil grooves, segment pieces are cut out into a long size or into a wide angled arc. Then, a few number of the long segment pieces are stuck on the core metal so as to cope with the requirement.
In punching out the segment pieces from a band-shaped friction material substrate, a radius of an inner circumference of the segment piece is set equal to a radius of an outer circumference thereof. This is to enable the segment pieces to be cut out successively from an upper side to a lower side (in a longitudinal direction) of the band-shaped friction material substrate. With such cutting operation, no unused portion is remained between the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the adjacent punched-out segment pieces. However, in case of cutting out the long-sized or wide-angled segment pieces, there is a disadvantage that a size in a direction perpendicular to a circumferential direction of the segment piece becomes shorter toward circumferentially opposite ends. Consequently, the yield of the friction material substrate is lowered and a lining area of the segment piece becomes small.
In addition, the segment pieces are to be cut out or punched out into different shapes according to a required position and a required number of the oil grooves for satisfying a certain frictional property. For example, some oil grooves may be arranged to each other at a large distance or at a large angle in one area of the segment-type friction material, while other oil grooves being arranged to each other at a short or medium distance or at a small or medium angle in another area thereof. In this case, it is necessary to prepare two or three kinds (long, medium, short) of segment pieces having a different circumferential length or a different arc angle. That is, one of the segment pieces should have a long size or a wide arc angle so as to be disposed in the one area where the oil grooves are positioned at the large distance. The other of the segment pieces should have a short or medium size or a small or medium arc angle so as to be disposed in the other area where the oil grooves are positioned at the short or medium distance. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to design and make two or three types of cutting edges for punching out the two kinds of segment piece having different sizes, respectively, in accordance with the size difference (long, medium, short) of the segment pieces. Moreover, the cut-out segment pieces are arranged on the flat ring-shaped core metal, respectively, while rotating the core metal at a prescribed angle by a core metal rotating unit. However, in this case, the core metal rotating unit should be designed and fabricated such that it rotates the core metal at different two or three intervals in accordance with the size difference of the segment pieces. As described above, it is indispensable to design and form different cutting edges and different core metal rotating units in order to cutting out different shapes of segment pieces and to rotate the core metal at different angles for adhesion of the segment pieces. Such design and manufacture may increase costs and make a manufacturing efficiency worse.
The above description relating to "number and position of the oil grooves to obtain a desired frictional property" is not a description as prior art. It is explained herein just as a technique related to an object of the present invention. The applicants do not admit the description as prior art.


A method for determining a current gaze direction of a user in relation to a three-dimensional (“3D”) scene, the 3D scene sampled by a rendering function to produce a two-dimensional (“2D”) projection image of the 3D scene, the sampling performed based on a virtual camera in turn being associated with a camera position and camera direction in the 3D scene. The method includes determining, by a gaze direction detection means, a first gaze direction of the user related to the 3D scene at a first gaze time point. The method includes determining a time-dependent virtual camera 3D transformation representing a change of a virtual camera position and/or virtual camera direction between the first gaze time point and a second sampling. The method includes determining the current gaze direction as a modified gaze direction calculated based on the first gaze direction and an inverse of the time-dependent virtual camera 3D transformation.

It is known to detect an eye and its gaze direction. This can be done, for example, by illuminating a region in which the eye is sought with infrared radiation; capturing an image of the region; and detecting bright spots in the image that derive from the pupil and cornea of the eye. This approach exploits the bright-eye or "red-eye" effect known to photographers, whereby light enters the eye and is reflected or absorbed and re-emitted through the pupil, making the pupil appear brighter than the rest of the eye and the face. A separate, smaller bright spot (also referred to as a glint) is created by the cornea. The relative positions of the pupil and the corneal glint can be used to determine the direction of the gaze of the eye. More details are given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,563.
Alternatively, or in addition thereto, a similar technique may be used whereby infrared illuminators are spaced from an image sensor, thus an image captured by the image sensor has a non-bright pupil, otherwise known as a "dark pupil" effect.
This gaze tracking technology may be implemented in a remote gaze tracker located adjacent a display for example, or in a wearable device such as a pair of glasses, a virtual reality headset, an augmented reality headset, a helmet or the like.
Such gaze tracking technology can be used to determine if a user is looking at a particular object or an area on a screen (these objects or areas are generically referred to as 'zones' in the present application). This could be as part of a game, for example, allowing users to interact with images on a screen by looking at them (the act of looking at the image having a predetermined result) or by a combination of looking at an image and another control (e.g., a user pressing a key on a keyboard or mouse whilst their gaze is directed at the image).
When determining where in relation to a 3D scene the gaze of a user is currently directed, consideration must be taken to the physical gaze direction of the user, in relation to a physical viewing region such as a screen. However, consideration must also be taken to the current state of the 3D scene itself, and to the virtual camera's current virtual 3D space position and direction.
It has turned out that, due to various latencies, the user experience will typically be less than perfect in, for example, dynamic game situations where all these parameters may change quickly.
For instance, consider a user watching a particular object in a virtual 3D scene as shown on a monitor screen. The watched object is then present at a particular location on the said screen. Then, the virtual camera used to render the 3D scene into the 2D image viewed on the screen is rotated and/or translated, and as a result the viewed 2D image changes correspondingly. However, because of latency, the gaze point of the user on the said screen will remain the same until the user's eyes have reacted to the virtual camera shift, by the user moving her gaze so as to again focus on the said object, which has previously moved as a result of the virtual camera shift. Thereafter, hardware latency results in a time delay before the game controller (or similar) detects the changed user gaze point on the screen, so that a user interaction function can react appropriately.
As the 3D scene changes in itself, such as by the said object moving through the virtual 3D scene, similar latency effects will result, even if the virtual camera position or direction does not change.
These problems result not only in a poorer user experience, but also limit the time-wise granularity with which a user interaction with the 3D scene can be implemented.
Particular problems arise for GTOM (Gaze To Object Mapping) implementations, in which a system attempts to detect a movable object on the screen as a currently focussed object which the user follows with her gaze.
These problems may be partially overcome by providing faster hardware and more efficient software. However, this is expensive and doesn't solve all of the problems.
Hence, there are a number of problems regarding how to efficiently implement gaze tracking in dynamically updated 3D scenarios. The present invention aims to at least partially overcome these problems.

Method and system for determining a current gaze direction


A dual roll laminating film cartridge includes a body defining a first end supporting first ends of first and second rolls of continuous translucent laminating film. The body further defines a second end supporting second ends of the first and second rolls, wherein facing surfaces of the films extended from the first and second rolls in an advancing direction are coated with a heat-activated adhesive. A bridge extends between the first and second ends of the body at a position between the first and second rolls, the bridge defining an article chute for the reception of articles to be laminated by the films of the first and second rolls. The cartridge further includes a code indicative of one or more characteristics of the film of the first and second rolls, the code comprising a predetermined flag pattern of coding tabs that project outward from the body.

The present disclosure relates to laminating systems for laminating paper, cards, photos, or the like within a pair of transparent films by applying pressure and heat. Such machines are provided with adjustable settings for ensuring acceptable lamination results with a variety of different films having different specifications such as thickness, which may require different settings. This not only provides an opportunity for error in setup and poor results, but can be burdensome where the user(s) may need to switch among film types for various jobs.

Laminating system with coded film cartridge


A method and apparatus for forming a stack of composite layers into a desired shape is present. The stack of composite layers may be positioned on a tool and a number of compressible supports such that the stack of composite layers may be substantially flat on the tool and the stack of composite layers may be substantially flat on the number of compressible supports. A flexible sheet may be placed on top of the stack of composite layers. A vacuum load may be applied on the stack of composite layers on the tool and the number of compressible supports using the flexible sheet such that consolidation of the stack of composite layers occurs to form a desired shape on the tool and the number of compressible supports compress during forming of the desired shape.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to composite materials and, in particular, to manufacturing composite parts. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for forming shapes in layers of composite materials.
2. Background
Aircraft are being designed and manufactured with greater and greater percentages of composite materials. Composite materials may be used in aircraft to decrease the weight of the aircraft. This decreased weight improves performance features such as payload capacities and fuel efficiencies. Further, composite materials provide longer service life for various components in an aircraft.
Composite materials are strong, light-weight materials created by combining two or more functional components. For example, a composite material may include reinforcing fibers bound in a polymer resin matrix. The fibers may be unidirectional or may take the form of a woven cloth or fabric. The fibers and resins are arranged and cured to form a composite material.
Further, using composite materials to create aerospace composite structures potentially allows for portions of an aircraft to be manufactured in larger pieces or sections. For example, a fuselage in an aircraft may be created in cylindrical sections. Other examples include, without limitation, wing sections joined to form a wing or stabilizer sections joined to form a stabilizer.
In manufacturing composite structures, layers of composite material are typically laid up on a tool. The layers of composite material may be comprised of fibers in sheets. These sheets may take the form of fabrics, tape, tows, or other suitable forms. In some cases, resin may be infused or pre-impregnated into the sheets. These types of sheets are commonly referred to as prepreg.
The different layers of prepreg may be laid up in different orientations and different numbers of layers may be used depending on the thickness of the composite structure being manufactured. These layers of prepreg may be laid up by hand or using automated lamination equipment such as a tape laminating machine or a fiber placement system.
A stack of the layers of preform composite material may be placed onto a tool for processing. This stack of composite layers may be referred to as a stack of composite layers and may take the form of a prepreg or preform. The stack of composite layers may be flat and may be placed onto a tool to shape the drape into a desired shape for a composite part.
A layer of flexible material in a flexible sheet may be placed over the stack of composite layers. This flexible material may be an elastomer vacuum bag. A vacuum may then be drawn to apply a vacuum load on the stack of composite layers. When the vacuum is applied, the flexible sheet may be pulled down through the vacuum around the tool to cause the stack of composite layers to change from a substantially flat shape to a desired shape for the composite part.
Oftentimes, the repeated forming of shapes from stacks of composite layers may result in the flexible sheet not performing as desired after a period of time. For example, the flexible sheet may fail while forming a shape from a stack of composite layers. Repeated stress from being stretched over a tool may result in a tear or opening occurring in the flexible sheet. This failure may result in the tool being unavailable for use until the flexible sheet can be replaced with a new flexible sheet.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


A lens is described that produces a columnar focus comprised of a continuum of focal points at varying distances from the principal plane of the lens aligned along the axis of the lens. The lens refracts an incident wavefront with a focal length that is dependent upon the radial distance from the axis of the lens. The radii of curvature of the primary surface of the lens is dependent upon the desired length of the focal column.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of optical lenses, and in particular to a lens that produces a columnar focus with the axis of the focal column perpendicular to the principal plane of the lens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The concept of utilizing a plasma generated by laser guided electric discharges in the atmosphere as the conducting element of an antenna was introduced by Vallese (U. S. Pat. No. 3,404,403) in 1968. By 1970 Vaill had succeeded in producing a laser guided streamer (J. R. Vaill, D. A. Tidman, T. D. Wilkerson, D. W. Koopman, "Propagation of High-voltage Streamers Along Laser-induced Ionization Trails," Appl. Phy. Ltrs., Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 20-22, Jul. 1, 1970). The principal objective was the development of an antenna with no physical structure, but with large effective area. While the basic theoretical and experimental work for laser antennas has been successfully accomplished, the goal of producing an ionized column of atmosphere for use as an antenna, or to direct lightning strikes, has proved to be elusive. The main difficulty in the production of a viable plasma antenna lies in the tendency of the plasma initially created to block the radiation required to maintain the plasma in a columnar geometry. Various strategies have been used to overcome this difficulty. For example, Dwyer used a laser to weakly ionize an atmospheric column and then discharged a marx generator through the weakly ionized column to achieve a sufficiently high free electron concentration (T. J. Dwyer et al, "On the Feasibility of Using an Atmospheric Discharge Plasma as an RF Antenna," IEEE Trans. on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. APPLICATION-32, No. 2, pp. 141-146, February 1984).

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Crystalline aripiprazole Form B can be formed by crystallizing from a solvent selected from 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile or a combination thereof.

The present invention relates to processes of making crystalline 7-[4-[4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-1-piperazinyl]butoxy]-3,4-dihydrocarbostyril, also known as aripiprazole, to populations of crystalline particles thereof, and to pharmaceutical compositions containing the same.
Aripiprazole is a compound of the formula (1).
It is a commercially marketed, pharmaceutically active substance useful for treatment of schizophrenia. It is disclosed in EP 367141/U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,528. The commercially marketed product contains the compound (1) as the free base; i.e., not as an aripiprazole salt.
Solid state aripiprazole was prepared in U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,528 by a two-fold recrystallization of crude aripiprazole from ethanol resulting in colorless flake crystals having a melting point of 139-139.5° C. In an article of Aoki (Study on Crystal Transformation of Aripiprazole, The Fourth Japan-Korea Symposium on Separation Technology, p. 937 ff (1996)), this solid state form was designated as Type I aripiprazole and identified as an anhydrate. Aoki also teaches that the Type I aripiprazole may be converted into a Type II aripiprazole by heating at 130-140° C. for 15 hours. This product is an anhydrate as well with a melting point of 150° C. When both Type I and Type II aripiprazole were recrystallized from an alcoholic solvent containing water up to 20%, the product is an aripiprazole hydrate labeled as Type III by Aoki. Type III aripiprazole can be converted into Type I by heating at 80° C.
WO 03/26659 (EP 1330249) teaches that Type I aripiprazole, the alleged original solid form of aripiprazole, is significantly hygroscopic. In an effort to find a form of aripiprazole having reduced hygroscopicity and better processing qualities, seven crystalline forms (A-G) were described.
Hydrate Form A is taught as a useful intermediate for making anhydrate forms. Hydrate Form A can be prepared by milling Aoki's hydrated Type III. Contrary to the conventional Form III hydrate, the Hydrate Form A does not exhibit sharp dehydration endothermic peak at 123.5° C. at TGA, but has a gradual endothermic peak between 60-120° C.
Anhydrous Form B, which seems to be the preferred crystalline form, is not hygroscopic; i.e., less than 0.4% water uptake in 24 hours, and is a stable crystalline form. It can be prepared by heating the Hydrated Form A, preferably at 90-125° C. for 3-50 hours or by heating the Type I/Type II aripiprazole at 90-125° C. Although the Anhydrate Form B of WO 03/26659 is not hygroscopic, it suffers from being unsuitable for milling. Specifically, if milling is attempted in order to create small particle sizes such as 50 microns or less, the milled substance tends to adhere to the milling machine making an industrial process difficult. To overcome this problem, WO 03/26659 teaches forming Hydrate Form A aripiprazole, milling the Hydrate Form A to the desired size and then heat converting to Anhydrate Form B.
The other anhydrate forms disclosed therein are briefly summarized below:
Form C: Prepared by heating an aripiprazole anhydrate to 140-150° C. Endothermic peak around 150.2° C.
Form D: Prepared by recrystallization of aripiprazole anhydrate from toluene. Endothermic peaks at 136.8 and 141.6° C.
Form E: Prepared by double heating, dissolving, and crystallizing aripiprazole in acetonitrile with crystallization at about 70° C. Endothermic peak at 146.5° C.
Form F: Prepared by heating a suspension of aripiprazole anhydrate in acetone. Endothermic peaks at 137.5 and 149.8° C.
Form G: Prepared by putting glassy state of aripiprazole anhydrate in a sealed vessel and keeping it at room temperature for at least 2 weeks. Exothermic peak at 122.7° C., endothermic peak at 141.0° C.
As an anhydrous, non-hygroscopic form of aripiprazole is advantageous, it would be desirable to form such a crystalline form without the need for a heat treatment or heat conversion. In particular, it would be desirable to find an alternate, economically more advantageous process, which does not require long-term exposure to high temperatures.

Process of making crystalline aripiprazole


A retractable ladder includes telescoping rail sections each having left and right side rail members. Each side rail member has two aligned locking holes. A control device includes a shaft disposed rotatably between the side rail members of one of the rail sections, and two locking units each having a controlled piece fixed to and rotatable along with the shaft, two abutment plates, two locking pins, and two spring members biasing the abutment plates to abut respectively against two opposite sides of the controlled piece. The controlled piece is rotatable between a pushing position to push the locking pins to project outwardly from the locking holes in said one of the rail sections and engage respectively the locking holes in the adjacent rail section, and a non-pushing position, where the locking pins are permitted to extend inwardly so as to disengage from the locking holes in the adjacent rail section.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ladder, more particularly to a retractable ladder.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ladder is commonly used for retrieving an article that is stored in a high place or for repairing something that is positioned at a substantial height. A conventional ladder mainly includes two spaced-apart upright rods, and a plurality of spaced-apart cross plates fixed between the upright rods. Although this kind of ladder can achieve its intended purpose, it cannot be folded for storage, so that the conventional ladder is either leant vertically on a wall or is placed horizontally on the ground, thereby occupying a substantial space when not in use. Further, people passing by the conventional ladder may easily trip over the ladder and get injured. Moreover, because the conventional ladder is long and is not retractable, it cannot be placed inside a trunk or passenger compartment of a car. Hence, the conventional ladder is very inconvenient to store, transport, and carry. Additionally, since the conventional ladder is not retractable, the user must purchase ladders of different heights so as to be prepared for various height circumstances.


An apparatus and method for instant message transmission includes a message center coupled to one or more servers and to an event engine by a network. An instant message is transmitted to the message center by the event engine over the network. An algorithm determines the optimum path for the transmission of the instant message. Users may share identical data via instant messaging, and may make changes to the data as it is streamed in real-time to designated users over the network. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

A paramount concern in a modern enterprise is the ability to quickly respond to changing information. Electronic messaging systems such as instant messaging and e-mail have provided convenient tools for contacting people or groups of people efficiently. These systems provide a fast and inexpensive method for individuals to communicate and collaborate. Reliance on electronic communication has increased markedly in recent years. As technology advances, it is certain that organizations will become more dependent on immediate access to information to excel in a competitive environment.
It is also important for members of an organization to be able to effectively share identical screen images in real-time, such as text and graphics, among one or more client computers. Users typically share these images with one another using e-mail or instant message attachments. A practice known as "screen sharing" or "window sharing" is also used to allow for the display of identical information on computer screens or windows which are mutually connected in a distributed system. Nevertheless, these solutions have shortcomings.
For one, instant messaging is not used for screen sharing. Instead, users are typically connected via a slow connect medium, which adversely affects the instantaneous quality of instant messaging. Furthermore, when users send large attachments, there is an overall slowdown in the speed and reliability of their networks as server capacity is consumed at high levels. In addition, instant messaging systems are generally not scalable. There is typically only one path for a message to take over a network, and past systems have lacked the intelligence to find a more optimum path for the instant messages. Consequently, if there is too much traffic on a particular path, the recipient of an instant message may be subjected to a substantial delay.
Still another major shortcoming of existing instant messaging systems is that they do not provide a secure medium for confidential communication. Instant messaging has been traditionally conducted over the Internet, with communications sent via clear text. This type of insecure forum is often unacceptable for high-security business information. Finally, most instant messaging systems cannot track the presence of an individual throughout an organization. If an emergency happens within the organization, for example, there is no way to automatically alert the proper individuals using existing instant messaging technology.
What is needed is a comprehensive instant messaging system that allows for encrypted communication, collaborative screen sharing using the instant messaging system, and extensibility. Furthermore, an instant messaging system that is able to track the presence of individuals within an organization and to alert those individuals automatically if a predetermined event occurs would also be beneficial.

Apparatus and method for instant messaging collaboration


A software distribution system for sewing machine includes a server and a sewing machine. The server generates authentication key data dedicated for a sewing machine only upon initial transmission of medium identification data and sewing machine identification data from a terminal and stores the authentication key data in mapping with the medium identification data. If a valid medium identification data and an invalid sewing machine identification data are thereafter transmitted to the server, the stored data is not updated and the authentication key data is transmitted to the terminal. If determined that a control program transmitted from the terminal is not free of charge based on a version information thereof, calculated identification data corresponding to the sewing machine identification data is generated based on the authentication key data transmitted from the server, whereupon successful verification of calculated identification data with the sewing machine identification data, the control program is invoked.

Conventionally, software distribution systems have been provided that allow electronic data distributed in the form of a CD-ROM purchased by the user to be downloaded to the user's (client) terminal, in other words, a personal computer. In such systems, various technologies have been suggested to prevent unauthorized use of distributed data by users who have not purchased the CD-ROM.
For example, pages 8 to 12 and FIG. 2 of JP 2002-132365 A (hereinafter referred to as patent document 1) discloses an electronic data distribution management system (electronic data distribution management unit) in which "authentication code", "software type", and "amount" are transmitted to a software management server from a web server when "user specific information" and "software request information" are transmitted to the web server from the client terminal. Then, an e-mail with an attachment file containing software embedded with authentication code management module is sent to a mail server. Thereafter, when the client terminal attempts to retrieve e-mails from the mail server, the e-mail with the attachment file is sent to the client terminal from the mail server. Thus, even if unauthorized third person who did not purchase the electronic data acquires the software, in other words, the electronic data, such user will not be able to use the software despite acquisition of valid authentication code since encryption code is arranged to vary depending on when data encryption was executed.
A control program that prevents unauthorized copying of software products is disclosed in pages 7 to 9 and FIG. 2 of JP 2002-258963 A (hereinafter referred to as patent document 2). The disclosed control program generates user ID and password for entering online shopping sites to unauthorized users as well. Authorized users are allowed to shop or utilize other services by using the credit awarded as authorized user privileges. However, if an authorized user allows an unauthorized user to use his/her credit, the authorized user who is the original proprietor of such privileges is penalized by being denied further use of the credit.
As described earlier, patent document 1 discloses a technology that prevents unauthorized use in an electronic data distribution management system in which electronic data requested by the client terminal is sent to the client terminal from the server; whereas patent document 2 discloses a technology that prevents unauthorized use in a control program for preventing unauthorized copy of software products in which the authorized user him/herself is psychologically pressured so as not to allow unauthorized use by penalizing the authorized user for permission of unauthorized use.
Nowadays, sewing systems have been suggested in which terminals are connected to various types of sewing machines and sewing operation is executed by sending sewing data to the sewing machines from the terminals. The same approach is employed when updating the version of the control program used in controlling the drive of the sewing machine. To describe specifically, an update control program provided in the form of a CD-ROM is transmitted to the sewing machine from the terminal to render the program update to take place in the sewing machine.
In such case, the technologies disclosed in patent documents 1 and 2 for preventing unauthorized use are ineffective in preventing unauthorized execution of the update control program on the sewing machine. Thus, it is not possible to prevent unauthorized third-party use of the update control program provided in the form of a CD-ROM. This becomes a significant risk factor especially when the update program is not free of charge. In such instances, the developer of the update control program will not be able to collect its expense.

Software distribution system for sewing machine, sewing machine and storage medium