Apparatus and methods for forming optoelectronic devices such as an array of light emitting diodes or photovoltaic cells in one embodiment a roll-to-roll process in which a uniquely configured roller having a raised spiral coating surface is aligned with a plurality of first electrodes disposed on an angle on a substrate for coating a plurality of spaced-apart angled coated strips of optoelectronic materials along the cross-web direction of the substrate.

Organic electroluminescent devices (OLEDs) typically includes one or more light emitting layers disposed between two electrodes, e.g., a cathode and a light transmissive anode, formed on a light transmissive substrate. The light emitting layer emits light upon application of a voltage across the anode and cathode. Upon the application of a voltage from a voltage source, electrons are directly injected into the organic layer from the cathode, and holes are directly injected into the organic layer from the anode. The electrons and the holes travel through the organic layer until they recombine at a luminescent center. This recombination process results in the emission of a photon, i.e., light. Large area OLED devices typically combine many individual OLED devices on a single substrate or a combination of substrates with multiple individual OLED devices on each substrate. Applications for large area OLED devices include area lighting.
Electroluminescent layer patterning has been conventionally performed using stamping or laser ablation. In stamping, a pattern is imprinted upon the layer using mechanical force upon a patterned die or a stamping head, whereas in laser ablation, a patterned photomask covers the area to be patterned while the remaining area is selectively etched using a laser beam. Another approach includes inkjet printing.
A recent attempt for applying the patterned active electroluminescent layer is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0129977 by Poon et al., which includes a combination of a web coating using a roller having an elongated coating surface such as a micro gravure coating process and a solvent assisted wiping process for removing portions of the applied active electroluminescent web coated layer. U.S. Pat. No. 7,049,757 discloses an array of light devices connected in series.
Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices may be fabricated using similar materials and concepts as the OLED devices. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices typically include at least two layers of organic semiconducting materials disposed between two conductors or electrodes. At least one layer of organic semiconducting material is an electron acceptor, and at least one layer of organic material is an electron donor. An electron acceptor is a material that is capable of accepting electrons from another adjacent material due to a higher electron affinity of the electron acceptor. An electron donor is a material that is capable of accepting holes from an adjacent material due to a lower ionization potential of the electron donor. The absorption of photons in an organic photoconductive material results in the creation of bound electron-hole pairs, which must be dissociated before charge collection can take place. The separated electrons and holes travel through their respective acceptor (semiconducting material) to be collected at opposite electrodes.
There is a need for further deposition and patterning techniques in the fabrication of organic electronic devices.

Methods, apparatus, and rollers for cross-web forming of optoelectronic devices


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for efficiently processing dynamic length tensors of a machine learning model represented by a computational graph. A program is received that specifies a dynamic, iterative computation that can be performed on input data for processing by a machine learning model. A directed computational graph representing the machine learning model is generated that specifies the dynamic, iterative computation as one or more operations using a tensor array object. Input is received for processing by the machine learning model and the directed computational graph representation of the machine learning model is executed with the received input to obtain output.

This specification relates to constructing and processing computational graphs that represent machine learning models.
A machine learning model receives input and generates output based on its received input and on values of model parameters. A computational graph representation of a machine learning model defines sequences of operations by the types of operations, the data that is input into and output from each operation, and computational dependencies.


In a mobile radio network in which synchronous base stations and asynchronous base stations coexist, according to handover destination base station candidate information transmitted from a base station to a mobile station, effective time information indicating either an effective time during which it is guaranteed that a signal from a base station candidate included in the handover destination base station candidate information can be detected when, after a lapse of an integral multiple of a fixed time interval from a time when the mobile station could detect a reference signal which were transmitted at the fixed time intervals from the base station candidate, the mobile station detects the same base station candidate again, the effective time depending on the base station candidate, or an index for enabling the mobile station to drive the effective time is provided to the mobile station, and the mobile station carries out the detection by setting up the detection time intervals at which the mobile station detects a signal from the base station candidate on the basis of the effective time information.

For example, in a mobile radio communication system for mobile phones, an area where an electric wave from one base station can reach are of the order of about several hundred meters to several kilometers. Therefore, when a mobile station moves from the area of a base station to the area of another base station, the mobile station performs an operation of changing the base station on the other end of the communications, i.e., a so-called handover operation. When performing this handover operation, the mobile station performs a search operation of measuring the receive level (the field strength) of the base station with which the mobile station is currently communicating and the receive level of each base station located in an adjacent area, and detects a base station whose receive level is the highest from among base stations whose receive levels have been received. As a technology for such a handover operation, a method of a mobile station measuring the reception quality of a neighboring base station, and increasing or decreasing the frequency of a searching operation according to whether or not a searching operation is newly required, thereby reducing the power consumption of the mobile station is proposed by patent reference 1.
In a mobile radio communication system which implements this conventional technology, the length of time intervals at which candidates for handover destination base station are detected is determined dependently upon the original design of mobile stations. On the other hand, because as base stations for use in a mobile radio communication system, asynchronous base stations also exist in addition to synchronous base stations, and an influence of a drift of a system clock, and so on is added to this type of base stations, it is necessary to reduce the length of time intervals at which candidates for handover destination base station are detected for asynchronous base stations as compared with that for synchronous base station. A problem is therefore that when an asynchronous base station becomes a candidate for handover destination base station, a mobile station which independently determines the detection time intervals as mentioned above, like conventional mobile stations, cannot catch the candidate for handover destination base station.
[Patent reference 1] JP, 2001-28778, A
The present invention is made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mobile radio communication system which enables a mobile station to catch a candidate for handover destination base station certainly even if asynchronous base stations coexist in a mobile radio network in addition to synchronous base stations, a base station apparatus, a radio network controller, and a mobile station.

Mobile radio communication system, base station apparatus, radio network controller, and mobile station


A working unit control system includes a working unit, an operating tool, a work type determining part, and a drive controlling part. The operating tool is configured to receive a user operation to drive the working unit, and to output an operation signal in accordance with the user operation. The work type determining part is configured to determine to which of a shaping work and a cutting edge aligning work a work type of the working unit corresponds based on the operation signals. The drive controlling part configured to move the bucket along a designed surface when the work type corresponds to the shaping work, the drive controlling art being configured in a predetermined position set with reference to the designed surface when the work type corresponds to the cutting edge aligning work, the designed surface indicating a target shape of an excavation object.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a working unit control system including a working unit and a construction machine including the working unit control system.
2. Background Information
For a construction machine equipped with a working unit, a method has been conventionally known that a predetermined region is excavated by moving a bucket along a designed surface indicating a target shape for an excavation object (see PCT International Publication No. WO95/30059).
Specifically, a control device in PCT International Publication No. WO95/30059 is configured to correct an operation signal to be inputted by an operator for operating the bucket so that the relative speed of the bucket with respect to the designed surface is reduced as an interval is reduced between the bucket and the designed surface. Thus, the bucket is automatically moved along the designed surface by imposing a limitation on the speed of the bucket.

Working unit control system, construction machine and working unit control method


A fault processing system processes a fault which is generated in one or a plurality of producing points which design and produce products according to orders received from customers. The fault processing system includes a first producing point which is used as a center producing point, second producing points, and one or a plurality of communication networks coupling the first and second producing points. Each of the second producing points comprise a first device for detecting a fault generated in a program module of the second producing point and a second device for notifying the fault and information identifying program module in which the fault is generated to the first producing point responsive to the first device. The first producing point comprises a third device for analyzing the fault notified from the second producing point depending on whether the program module in which the fault is generated is a common program module or a particular program module based on the information. The common program module is used in common at a plurality of second producing points, and the particular program module is used exclusively in the second producing point to which the particular program module belongs.

The present invention generally relates to fault processing systems, and more particularly to a fault processing system for carrying out centrallized or decentrallized management of software faults which are generated at a plurality of producing points which produce and market products according to orders placed by customers.
Recently, there is a tendency for the producing points to become dispersed to distant locations including overseas locations. Under this situation, each program module which operates at the producing point may be particular to the location of the producing point or may be used in common among a plurality of producing points. For this reason, when coping with the software fault, it is necessary to correctly judge the type of program module before actually taking a countermeasure.
The contents of the program modules may have subtle differences among the dispersed producing points due to differences in the language, custom and the like of the regions in which the producing points are located. For this reason, the countermeasure against the software fault which is generated at a producing point is conventionally taken in that producing point. In other words, each producing point individually takes the countermeasure against the software fault which is generated therein.
Even when the producing points are dispersed, the program modules corresponding to the production management structure and the manufacturing management structure, for example, are in many cases used in common among the producing points. The programs modules are used in common among the producing points particularly when the producing points produce the same kind of products. However, the program modules corresponding to the marketing management structure are in many cases modified at each producing point to suit the region in which the producing point is located.
In the case of the program modules which are used in common among the producing points, a fault in such program modules is a common problem to the producing points. For this reason, a common countermeasure must be taken against such a fault. On the other hand, in the case of the program modules which are particular to the corresponding producing points, a fault in such program modules must be dealt with independently at each producing point. Therefore, when coping with the software fault, there is a demand to correctly judge the type of program module and to take an appropriate countermeasure depending on the judgement result.

Fault processing system for processing faults of producing points


A modular multifunction device designed to take full advantage of its strategic placement as mounted on a toilet's water tank to automate various toilet area functions of which any one or number of its capabilities can be utilized. The apparatus can either be attached to an existing toilet in a structure as an aftermarket product or manufactured in combination with a toilet. The modular nature of this invention allows a wide range of configuration options which helps make it universally applicable to virtually any toilet and any bathroom. One primary function of its modular case is to function as an automatic toilet ventilator, which vacuums objectionable odor from the toilet bowl and exhausts it to the sewer discharge line or to other optional depositories. A unique seat and seat lid is designed to function as an inconspicuous ventilation duct that draws the air from the circumference the toilet bowl to a vacuum pump that is camouflaged as mounted inside a modular case which is shaped to blend in with the existing toilet design. Other functions of this invention include the mechanisms and the automatic electronic control circuitry for features such as motors and related linkage to open and close the toilet seat and seat lid, automatic flush control, automatic ventilator control and convenience power outlet control.

The present invention relates in general to toilet automation and ventilation systems and more particularly to a new modular multifunction apparatus that mounts onto most standard toilets to provide the capability to automate numerous toilet related functions. Although its primary purpose is intended to function as an automatic toilet bowl ventilation system, the device can be fitted without the ventilation components since its modular nature allows it to be configured with any one or all of its other features, such as an automatic flushing system, seat and seat lid motion system and sound generation system.
The conventional method of bathroom ventilation involves the removal of bathroom odors after the odors departure from the toilet bowl and dispersion in the ambient air. Modern bathrooms tend to be small windowless rooms with tiny, inadequate exhaust fans mounted in the ceiling with ducting leading to the outdoor air. Upon activation, said systems attempts to draw odorous air out of the bathroom. Because the odor is removed after its dispersion from the toilet, said systems require lengthy operation time to ventilate the entire bathroom area and are thus are often ineffective in removing the odor. The ineffectiveness these ceiling exhaust fans has encouraged the development of ventilating means which draws the unwanted gases and odors directly from the toilet bowls before the odors can disperse into the surrounding air. These systems then expel the odorous air into an air filtration unit or to the outdoors through a ventilation duct. Over the years, numerous of such ventilation systems have been designed to solve the bathroom odor problem. Prior art includes a multitude of methods for removing odors from toilet bowls. However, these designs suffer from a number of problems, as discussed below.
Many of the prior art toilet ventilation systems disclosed in the patents are technical in complexity and relatively high cost to manufacture, requiring a whole new toilet installation. This kind of prior art has the major disadvantage or drawback of not being adapted for easy mounting or compatible with the wide variety of existing toilet configurations and designs. Examples of such systems that are complicated and/or would require a new toilet installation include U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,040 (Alba), U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,782 (Sim) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,544 (Barry).
Many of the prior art toilet ventilation systems require a dedicated wall ventilation duct near the toilet. As many bathrooms do not have such an available duct, this type of ventilated toilet installation would require expensive structural modification of the building to provide for the ventilation conduits. Examples of prior art that need a dedicated bathroom ventilation duct can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,091 (Ellis), U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,009 (Sakar), U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,553 (Loewen), U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,282 (Taggart) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,900 (Ware).
Many of the prior art have designs that use weak battery operated fans that cannot possibly move enough air on a regular basis to effectively perform the job of removing odors from the bowl before they escape into the bathroom. Examples of battery operated units can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,538 (Hunnicutt), U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,534 (Stone) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,567 (Kuzniar).
Other prior art designs incorporate air duct passageways that are far too small to move enough air to make the units effective. Even if enough air was to somehow be pulled through their tiny passageways, unacceptable obnoxious noise would be produced. A common approach of units that use inadequate ventilation ducting and then suffer from insufficient airflow volume to adequately ventilate the toilet can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,449 (Wolfe), U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,682 (Johnson) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,023 (Smith).
Many of the prior art are rather unsightly in the bathroom, using bulky components that are visible to a person using the toilet, which detracts from the overall appearance of the bathroom. Examples of these kinds of prior art can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,262 (Littlejohn), U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,361 (Sanstrom) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,808 (Olson).
Many prior art designs use devices that present cleaning and odor problems that is inherent when the units mount on or adjacent to the toilet since these designs use ductwork passages that are exposed to the toilet bowl and can easily become contaminated. Keeping these toilet area parts clean can be a challenge, considering the normal toilet bowl environment. Since they can be very hard to clean, infectious waste can collect there and can then produce more odor to the bathroom environment than the system is trying to eliminate. Ventilation units of this design can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,255 (Drummond), U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,459 (Ivancevic) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,226 (Shoptaugh).
In general, none of the existing ventilation systems for removing odors directly at the toilet have been commercially successful. There is still a need for an economical toilet ventilation system that is easily connectable to the toilet bowl and works efficiently. It would also be beneficial to have a ventilation system that has a similar appearance to a standard toilet seat and toilet bowl and had minimal cleaning and maintenance requirements.

Toilet modular system with ventilation and automation devices


A computer system receives a command to initiate setting a display mode of its corresponding display screen to one in which received input commands (e.g., mouse input, keyboard input, etc.) are directed to multiple display applications running on the computer system instead of only a single display application in a foreground (e.g., a “topmost” window presented to a user) on the computer display screen. For example, based on input from a user, an auxiliary application herein receives an identification of at least a first display application and a second display application that each display information on different respective windows of the display screen. Thereafter, the auxiliary application duplicates received input commands and forwards the received input commands to both the first display application and the second display application, alleviating the user from having to separately apply the same commands to each of the first and second display applications.

Computer systems are capable of storing vast amounts of data and information. To store such information, a typical computer system maintains a logical data structure called a file system that serves as an index of individually accessible data repositories commonly known as files. A typical file system may provide a hierarchical arrangement of directories, sometimes referred to as folders. Each directory or folder maintains the identity of individual files stored within that directory or folder.
Contents of certain types of files stored in a file system can be displayed via a display application running in a respective computer system. For example, based on selection of a display application by a user, a respective computer system can initiate execution of the display application. When up and running, the display application enables a user to retrieve a file for viewing respective contents of the file on a display screen. After opening a file in a display application, the user typically applies display commands (e.g., scrolling, editing, zooming, etc.) to the display application to modify how the file appears in a window on a respective display screen.
In certain cases, a file can be read and displayed by more than one type of display application. As an example, a text file typically can be viewed in Word™ as well as Word Perfect™. Consequently, a user can operate a respective computer system to view the same file in two different types of display applications at the same time by simultaneously displaying the file via multiple running display applications. Different display applications sometimes present contents of the same file in a different way for viewing by the user.
One purpose of displaying the same file in two different display applications is to compare how two side-by-side windows associated with respective display applications display the same file. During such a display process, when a file being displayed is relatively large and a respective display application cannot display contents of an entire file all at once, the user must manually provide input to each of two or more different display applications and toggle between these each time to synchronously scroll through the file for comparison purposes. For example, a user must manually jump back and forth between two windows and input the same set of display commands to both display applications to synchronously scroll in the side-by-side windows.

Methods and apparatus for displaying information


A hydraulic connector type (“Titus”) may be used in oil production and extraction operations in the seabed. The hydraulic connector type (“Titus”) may be able to provide a connection between cylindrical bodies such as Christmas tree and a wellhead. The hydraulic connector type (“Titus”) may have a locking system including a hydraulic circuit and the unlocking system has a hydraulic circuit. Additionally, a pre-load adjustment system may be performed through an adjustment ring. The hydraulic connector type (“Titus”) contains a set of jaws, one actuator hydraulic piston, pressurization chambers, sealing elements, external jacket, bottom cap, adjustment ring and hydraulic fluid lines.

Submarine hydraulic connectors have the function of making a rigid connection between two equipment and building the consequent sealing between them. The locking of the connector is accomplished by driving a hydraulic piston which, through a force transmission mechanism, generates a connector design preload required for its proper operation.
Currently there are two basic concepts of connectors. The first connector concept utilizes a parallel locking system where interference is generated through a mounting adjustment system. This interference produces the preload defined in the connector design for a proper functioning. This concept is applied to the connectors disclosed in the prior art documents CA1224410, US2003/0151254 and US2005/0001427.
The second connector concept currently used has a self-locking friction system for locking and the consequent rigid connection between two equipment. This type of connector requires fewer components and is much more dependent on friction between surfaces for applying preload of connector design. Prior art documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,516,795, 6,070,669, 7,614,453 and 8,474,537 disclose this type of hydraulic connector.
The third concept for connector combines self-locking through friction with parallel locking and is the object of International Patent PCT/BR2016/050045 also pertain to FMC Technologies. Such connector comprises jaws settled up and preloaded by a hydraulic piston actuated through pressurization chamber having redundancy on unlocking through secondary hydraulic piston, and pressurization chambers. Said connector still has a top split cap secured to external jacket and to connector's tip cylindrical body through a split ring whose portions are fixed each other by suitable means.
As well known to those skilled in the art, wellhead connectors are designed for connecting BOP (Blow Out Preventer) to the wellhead, either directly or indirectly via flow-line.
Typically, such connectors include an annular main body that is aligned and axially connected to the subsea wellhead. In order to design the connection, the connector is commonly provided with a cam ring moving radially due to a hydraulic actuator, usually a hydraulically actuated piston, forcing the cam ring and hence the tongs for locking or unlocking purposes.
One configuration used for connection to wellheads consisted of a generally "C" shaped clamp with a single contact surface. Subsequently, connections with H4 profiles were designed which are characterized by better distributing the stresses compared to those used with single surface.
Among examples of the prior art, we may specifically mention U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,172 which discloses a connector comprising jaws driven by a cam ring moving in parallel to the locking ring, being connected to piston rods in cylinders, for example. through an annular plate. The pistons are actuated remotely and preferably by hydraulic fluid lines.
GB2480571 also illustrates a multiteeth profile connector that scales the load by profile imposing better connection reliability and less connector wear. U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,999 exemplifies a connector with a single contact surface profile.
Other examples of connectors may differ in size, shape, number of teeth, types of hydraulic actuators, locking systems etc.
Parallel locking connectors have, among others, a major technical drawback, which is the extreme dependence on a large number of components that allow the adjustment of the pressure required for mounting the equipment, also leading to a major drawback of installation, manufacture and assembly costs. On the other hand, friction self-locking connectors have extreme dependence between the preload and the friction coefficient between the surfaces of the various connector components. In addition, the self-locking friction connector has a high sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances, making the connection susceptible to accidental unlocking, especially in the presence of vibration, obligating the connector to include a safety system in order to prevent accidental unlocking for obtaining greater reliability. This requirement for extra components generates a great technical drawback, which additionally promotes a significant increase in manufacturing, assembly costs, and consequently the cost of operation.
It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic connector, notably for wellhead application in oil production and extraction operations, notably in the subsea bed, which advantageously solves the above mentioned technical drawbacks and economic disadvantages.

Hydraulic connector and process for performing hydraulic connection


Herein disclosed is an apparatus comprising an expandable tubular; and at least one section of the expandable tubular having a larger outer diameter than the remainder of the expandable tubular, forming at least one complete centralizing ring or at least one partial centralizing ring. In an embodiment, at least one complete centralizing ring or at least one partial centralizing ring is configured to centralize the expandable tubular when the tubular is in use; and wherein at least one complete centralizing ring or at least one partial centralizing ring has the same diameter as the expandable tubular after the tubular is radially expanded. Also disclosed herein are method of using and method of making the apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to expandable tubular with at least one centralizer. More particularly, the present invention describes an expandable tubular with at least one centralizer as an integral part of the tubular, its uses, and methods of making. Furthermore, this invention relates to a downhole tubular or downhole assembly, e.g., for use in an oil/gas well or a water well, and a method of completing a well.
2. Background of the Invention
In recent years, the use of expandable tubulars has become more common in the drilling and completion phases of well bore construction. In these phases, it is necessary to protect tubulars (e.g., casing, tubing, and/or seal bores) from scarring; and/or to protect sealing and anchoring devices; and/or to prevent the tubulars from being scarred while being run down hole. In some situations, it is desirable to preventing the tubulars from bending and/or egging when being handled.
In some cases, due to the limits of expansion of the expandable tubulars (e.g., casings and tubings), the outside/outer diameter (OD) of the tubular is as close as possible to the inside/inner diameter (ID) of the wellbore or casing. Rubber rings and other devices are either molded or attached to the expandable tubular to act as centralizers and seals after the tubular is expanded. The rubber rings may also serve to keep anchoring devices (anchors) attached to the tubular from scarring the casing and/or seal bores. During the expansion process, the anchoring devices (anchors) are pressed into the casing and hold the tubular in place; and the rubber rings or other devices would function as seals.
Because the OD of the tubing and seals and anchors is very close to the casing ID, if the tubing or seals touch the casing, the seals will compress below the tolerance of the anchors and damage the casing and/or seal bores. The anchors can also be dislodged causing more damage. In addition, the tubing and casing can be scared causing it to split. When the tubulars are being handled, because the tubular material has little memory due to the high carbon content, it often eggs out of shape when it is picked up by a sling.
Accordingly, there is continuing need and interest to develop expandable tubulars/assemblies with improved centralizers.

Expandable tubular with integral centralizers


A spinner means and method for forming spiral grooves on the interior surface of tubing including a groove forming means having a plurality of external spiral teeth which contact the tubing forming the grooves wherein said spiral teeth extend in the forward direction and have a helix angle which continually decreases in the forward direction. The method for forming the spiral grooves subjects the tubing interior surface of the tubing to the spinner means having teeth crests which engage the tubing surface when the tubing is being reduced in diameter using only radial forces acting on the crests of the teeth.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an improved method and apparatus for forming thin spiral grooves in the inner surface of metal tubing, and more particularly, to an inner grooving process and apparatus for metal tubing which tubing is suitable for heat transfer of a heat exchanger, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heat exchange tubing, such as copper tubing and the like, used in an air conditioner or a refrigerator, can be provided with internal grooves to enhance the heat transfer characteristics of the tubing. Many methods and apparatus are known for forming grooves on the inside surfaces of the tubing.
Known commercial tube drawing machines and processes of producing inner grooved metal tubing include tube reducing and grooving processes wherein grooves are formed on the inner wall of metal tubing during the processing of the metal tubing after it is reduced in diameter. The inner grooves can be formed by a grooved plug or spinner mounted within the tube. However, particular difficulties have been encountered in providing an efficient method and apparatus for use in commercial drawing machines that will form internal grooves in thin wall metal tubing without rupturing the thin tubing wall.
The present inventor, Francis J. Fox, A.K.A. Francis J. Fuchs. Jr., in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,702,960; 4,942,751 and 4,947,669 provided improvements over the prior art in the method and apparatus for forming such internally grooved tubing. The present invention is an improvement over these and other prior art methods and apparatus.

Method and apparatus for forming spiral grooves internally in metal tubing


A SPDT switch includes an antenna port. A transmitter section is coupled to a transmitter port. The transmitter section includes a plurality of transistors that are coupled in series relative to each other. A receiver section is coupled to a receiver port. The receiver section includes a plurality of transistors that are coupled in series relative to each other, so that when the transmitter section transmits high power to the antenna port, the receive section is effectively off to provide isolation to the receive port. The receiver port is coupled to the receiver section using at least one external capacitor. The at least one external capacitor is used to improve the power handling capability and harmonic performance of the switch.

The invention relates to the field of RF wireless applications, and in particular to a novel 2V SPDT design for high power RF and microwave applications.
In a GSM wireless communication system, a basic transmit/receive (T/R) switch is required to have high linearity to prevent adding noise in the form of harmonic distortion. This is particularly difficult when transmitting at full power with low battery voltage.
For a traditional GaAs switch, the maximum linear input power Plin,max is limited by the DC control voltage Vctrl, the number of gates n, and pinch-off voltage Vp of the switch FET, which is defined as
                              P          lin_max                =                                            1                              2                                                  Z                  0                                                                                [                              2                                                  n                                                        (                                                                  V                        p                                            -                                              V                        ctrl                                                              )                                                              ]                                2                                    Eq        .                                          1            The equation 1 provides a first order estimate of the maximum linear input power of a typical SPDT switch designed with a multiple gate GaAs FET.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are a circuit diagram of a traditional SPDT and a graph of the gate-to-drain voltage and gate-to-source voltage of the FETs used in the traditional SPDT, respectively. FIG. 1A is a schematic of a traditional SPDT dual-gate switch 3. The SPDT dual gate switch 3 includes FETs 1 and 2. FETs 1 and 2 include a gate (g), drain (d), and source (s). Also, the SPDT dual-gate switch 3 includes a receive port Rx, transmitter port Tx, and two DC control voltages Vctrl. The transmitter port Tx is connected to the drain of FET 1. The source of FET 1 is connected to the antenna port. Two resistors with values of R are connected in parallel, where one end of the parallel resistors is connected to the gate of FET 1 and the other end is connected to one of the two DC control voltages.
The drain of FET 2 is connected to the antenna port Ant, and the source is connected to the receiver port Rx. A second set of parallel resistors R is connected to the drain of FET 2. The other end of the second set of parallel resistors is connected to the second DC voltage control source Vctrl.
If the required Plin,max is 35 dBm, n=3, Vp=−0.3 V, and Z0=50 ohms, the highest Vctrl is 3.3 V. This means that the traditional GaAs FET T/R switch cannot handle an input power of 35 dBm without compression at the receive section of the SPDT switch, as shown in FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1B is a graph demonstrating that in the first half signal period the gate-to-drain voltage (Vgd) of the FET 1 and the gate-to-drain voltage of the FET 2 is greater than the pinch-off Vp, and in the second half signal period the gate to source voltages (Vgs) of the FETs 1 and 2 are also greater than the pinch-off voltage Vp. The problem is that whenever the Vgd or Vgs is greater than the pinch-off voltage Vp for the FETs in the off branch, the FET switch may be conducting a RF signal to ground (RF bleeding). This causes high insertion losses and power compression, which leads to the creation of harmonic distortions.
To improve the linearity at low control voltages and high power conditions, a multiple dual gate transistor structure is needed in the final design to obtain high isolation and low insertion loss at GSM and DCS frequencies.

2V SPDT switch for high power RF wireless applications


A rectifier includes two input paths configured to receive an alternating input voltage, two output paths configured to provide a direct output voltage, and an auxiliary output path configured to provide an auxiliary output voltage. At least two rectifying paths are connected between each of the input and output paths. At least two rectifying paths are switched-mode rectifying paths that are connected to the same output path. The two switched-mode rectifying paths are configured to connect one output path to one input path during one half wave of the input voltage, and to connect the one output path to the other input path during the other half wave. The two switched-mode rectifying paths each comprise two semiconductor elements with controllable paths that are series-connected with each other by an auxiliary output node. At least one rectifier element is connected between the auxiliary output and the two auxiliary output nodes.

A bridge rectifier is a type of electrical circuit in which four rectifying paths are connected between each of two alternating current (AC) input paths and each of two direct current (DC) output paths to provide the same polarity of output for either polarity of input (half wave). The rectifying paths usually include one or more diodes, which are quite inefficient and considerably reduce the overall efficiency of power conversion from AC energy to DC energy. The inefficiency arises from the forward voltages of the diodes, which may be up to 1 volt or more. As at least two diodes are connected in series at any time during operation of a bridge rectifier, the voltage loss caused by the diodes may approximately be between 0.8 and 2.5% in common power supply circuits with an input voltage between 85 and 265 volts (V). In various applications, an additional auxiliary voltage is required for supplying, e.g., control circuits, stand-by circuits, start-up circuits etc. without involving the whole bridge rectifier. Known auxiliary voltage supply circuits exhibit a considerable power consumption. In combination with bridge rectifiers, auxiliary voltage supply circuits typically increase the overall inefficiency of rectifier systems that also provide auxiliary voltages. The inefficiency caused by the auxiliary voltage supply circuits is often considered to be critically.


The present invention provides cosmetics comprising (1) hydroxyproline, an N-acylated hydroxyproline derivative or a salt thereof and (2) at least one component selected from the group consisting of water-soluble vitamins, oil-soluble vitamins, high molecular peptides, high molecular polysaccharides, sphingolipids and seaweed extracts.

The present invention relates to cosmetics having the activities to inhibit the skin aging and to improve the skin, in addition to the moisturizing function.
So far, aging-preventing materials have been widely employed in cosmetics for the purpose of obtaining cosmetic effects such as prevention of the skin aging and the skin deterioration which cause skin troubles such as wrinkles, sags and dry skin.
The aging-preventing materials employed in cosmetics are broadly classified into peroxide lipid inhibitors and cell activators.
Examples of the materials having the activity to inhibit peroxide lipid are xcex1-hydroxy acid, vitamin A, xcex2-carotene, vitamin B12, vitamin E, pigments such as dimethylaminostyryl heptyl methyl thiazolium iodide and platonin, scutellaria root, rutin, sesame extract and tea extract. As the cell activators, Quaternium-45, glycolic acid, xcex3-amino acid, sialic acid, royal jelly, extract of Swertia japonica (Schult.) Makino, Japanese chirata, ginseng extract, etc. are known.
Known cell activators also include materials which promote collagen synthesis and materials having the activity to improve the skin.
Examples of the materials which promote collagen synthesis include ascorbic acid, various growth factors such as transforming growth factor xcex21, platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factor 1, and silk protein.
Examples of the materials having the activity to improve the skin include allantoin, aloe extract, ginseng extract, placenta extract, bovine blood freed of protein, and fermentation metabolites.
There is a report that hydroxyproline derivatives can be used as components of cosmetics to keep the skin elasticity by their activity to increase the oxygen consumption of disrupted mouse liver (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 131107/89). However, the report contains neither description of the relationship between the increase in oxygen consumption of disrupted mouse liver and the effect on the human skin nor data concerning the effectiveness of compounds as components of cosmetics. Accordingly, it is not possible to conclude from the report that the hydroxyproline derivatives are effective as components of cosmetics. There has been no report that a significant improving effect on the skin can be obtained by using hydroxyproline or a derivative thereof in combination with a water-soluble vitamin, an oil-soluble vitamin, a high molecular peptide, a high molecular polysaccharide, a sphingolipid or a seaweed extract.
There are reports on cosmetics comprising mucin (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 339140/93) or glycine betaine and pyrrolidone carboxylic acid or its salt (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 87126/97) in combination with amino acids aimed at enhancing the moisturizing effect. There is also a report on a cosmetic comprising one or more components selected from the group consisting of glycyrrhetinic acid, a derivative thereof, glycyrrhizic acid and a salt thereof in combination with proline, etc. aimed at improving rough skin (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 139951/99). In the reports, hydroxyproline is mentioned as one of the examples of amino acids and proline derivatives, but no data is given concerning the effect of a cosmetic comprising hydroxyproline in combination with a water-soluble vitamin, an oil-soluble vitamin, a high molecular peptide, a high molecular polysaccharide, a sphingolipid or a seaweed extract.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cosmetic having the activities to inhibit the skin aging and to improve the skin, in addition to the moisturizing function.
The present invention relates to cosmetics comprising (1) hydroxyproline, an N-acylated hydroxyproline derivative or a salt thereof and (2) at least one component selected from the group consisting of water-soluble vitamins, oil-soluble vitamins, high molecular peptides, high molecular polysaccharides, sphingolipids and seaweed extracts.
Hydroxyproline widely occurs in nature as a major amino acid component of collagen and as an amino acid component of elastin. It is known that there exist eight kinds of stereoisomers of natural hydroxyproline, which are distinct in the following points: proline is the D-form or the L-form, the hydroxyl group is at the 3-position or the 4-position, and the stereoisomer is the cis-form or the trans-form.
Usually, trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline is common, but the presence of the other stereoisomers are extremely limited in nature.
Hydroxyproline can be obtained by subjecting collagen derived from animals such as pig and cow to acid hydrolysis and then purifying the hydrolysis product according to a conventional method. In obtaining hydroxyproline from such natural materials, it is necessary to be very careful about contamination with animal-derived viruses, prion, which is a causative protein of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, etc.
In the present invention, any hydroxyproline obtained by the above method can be used. However, hydroxyproline produced using microorganisms, which does not contain contaminants such as animal-derived viruses and prion, is preferably used.
Useful microorganisms include microorganisms carrying a proline 3-hydroxylase gene or a proline 4-hydroxylase gene derived from a microorganism belonging to a genus selected from the group consisting of the genera Amycolatopsis, Dactylosporangium and Streptomyces. Introduction of a proline 3-hydroxylase gene or a proline 4-hydroxylase gene derived from a microorganism belonging to a genus selected from the group consisting of the genera Amycolatopsis, Dactylosporangium and Streptomyces into a microorganism can be carried out according to the methods described in Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1989), Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley and Sons (1987-1997), etc.
Further, trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline can be produced using proline 4-hydroxylase isolated from a microorganism of the genus Amycolatopsis or Dactylosporangium (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 313179/95), and cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline can be produced using proline 3-hydroxylase isolated from a microorganism of the genus Streptomyces (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 322885/95) [Bioindustry, 14, 31 (1997)].
The acyl moiety of the N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives used in the present invention includes straight-chain or branched acyl groups having 2-23 carbon atoms, for example, acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, isobutyryl, valeryl, hexanoyl, heptanoyl, octanoyl, decanoyl, eicosanoyl and lauroyl. Preferred are acetyl and propionyl.
The N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives can be produced according to a known method.
That is, the N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives can be prepared by N-acylating hydroxyproline in an aqueous medium or an organic solvent by the use of an active derivative (acid anhydride, acid chloride, etc.) of a fatty acid having an alkyl group having preferably 1-22 carbon atoms.
The obtained N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives can be purified by conventional methods of purification such as crystallization and chromatography.
Examples of the salts of hydroxyproline or N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives include alkali metal salts such as sodium salt and potassium salt, alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium salt and calcium salt, ammonium salts such as ammonium salt and tetramethylammonium salt, and organic amine addition salts such as salts with morpholine and piperidine.
In the cosmetics of the present invention, hydroxyproline such as cis/trans-4-hydroxy-L/D-proline or cis/trans-3-hydroxy-L/D-proline, the N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives or the salts thereof can be used alone or as a mixture.
The content of hydroxyproline, the N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives or the salts thereof in the cosmetics may vary in a wide range according to the desired effect.
The cosmetics of the present invention are formulated to contain hydroxyproline, the N-acylated hydroxyproline derivatives or the salts thereof preferably in an amount of 0.01-5 wt %, more preferably 0.1-5 wt %, most preferably 0.5-3 wt % based on the total weight.
As the water-soluble vitamin, any cosmetically acceptable water-soluble vitamins may be employed. Examples of preferred water-soluble vitamins are vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, pyridoxine, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin H. Also useful are their salts (e.g., thiamine hydrochloride and sodium ascorbate) and derivatives (e.g., ascorbic acid-2-phosphate sodium salt and ascorbic acid-2-phosphate magnesium salt). The water-soluble vitamins can be obtained by conventional methods such as conversion by a microorganism, purification from a culture of a microorganism, the enzymatic method and chemical synthesis.
As the oil-soluble vitamin, any cosmetically acceptable oil-soluble vitamins may be employed. Examples of preferred oil-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, carotene, vitamin D2, vitamin D3 and vitamin E (e.g., dl-xcex1-tocopherol, d-xcex1-tocopherol and d-xcex4-tocopherol). Also useful are their derivatives (e.g., ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl stearate, ascorbyl dipalmitate, dl-xcex1-tocopherol acetate, dl-xcex1-tocopherol nicotinate vitamin E, DL-pantothenyl alcohol, D-pantothenyl alcohol and pantothenyl ethyl ether). The oil-soluble vitamins can be obtained by conventional methods such as conversion by a microorganism, purification from a culture of a microorganism, the enzymatic method and chemical synthesis.
As the high molecular peptide, any cosmetically acceptable high molecular peptides may be employed. Examples of preferred high molecular peptides are collagen, hydrolyzed collagen, gelatin, elastin, hydrolyzed elastin and keratin. The high molecular peptides can be obtained by conventional methods such as purification from a culture of a microorganism, the enzymatic method and chemical synthesis. The high molecular peptides can be obtained usually by purification from natural materials such as the dermis of pig, cow, etc. and silk fibers of silkworm.
As the high molecular polysaccharide, any cosmetically acceptable high molecular polysaccharides may be employed. Examples of preferred high molecular polysaccharides are hydroxyethyl cellulose, xanthane gum, sodium hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate and its salts (e.g., sodium salt). Chondroitin sulfate, its salts, etc. can be obtained usually by purification from mammals or fish.
As the sphingolipid, any cosmetically acceptable sphingolipids may be employed. Examples of preferred sphingolipids are ceramide, phytosphingosine and sphingoglycolipid. The sphingolipids can be obtained usually by purification from mammals, fish, shellfish, yeast, plants, etc. according to conventional methods or by chemical synthesis.
As the seaweed extract, any cosmetically acceptable seaweed extracts may be employed. Examples of preferred seaweed extracts are brown alga extract, red alga extract and green alga extract. Also useful are carrageenan, alginic acid, sodium alginate and potassium alginate obtained by purification from these seaweed extracts. The seaweed extracts can be obtained by purification from seaweed by conventional methods.
The components selected from the group consisting of water-soluble vitamins, oil-soluble vitamins, high molecular peptides, high molecular polysaccharides, sphingolipids and seaweed extracts are contained in the cosmetics of the present invention preferably in an amount of 0.0001-10 wt %, more preferably 0.005-5 wt %, most preferably 0.01-3 wt % based on the total weight.
The cosmetics of the present invention may be formulated to contain other components usually employed in cosmetics, as may be required, in addition to the above essential components.
The additional cosmetically acceptable components include fat and oil components, moisturizers, emollients, surfactants, organic and inorganic pigments, organic powders, ultraviolet absorbents, preservatives, disinfectants, antioxidants, plant extracts, pH regulators, alcohols, pigments, perfumes, blood-circulation promoters, refrigerants, antiperspirants and purified water.
The fat and oil components include ester fats and oils, hydrocarbon fats and oils, silicone fats and oils, fluorine fats and oils, and animal and plant fats and oils.
Examples of the ester fats and oils include esters such as glyceryl tri(2-ethylhexanoate), cetyl 2-ethylhexanoate, isopropyl myristate, butyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, ethyl stearate, octyl palmitate, isocetyl isostearate, butyl stearate, ethyl linoleate, isopropyl linoleate, ethyl oleate, isocetyl myristate, isostearyl myristate, isostearyl palmitate, octyldodecyl myristate, diethyl sebacate, diisopropyl adipate, isoalkyl neopentanoate, glyceryl tri(capryl-caprinate), trimethylol propane tri(2-ethylhexanoate), trimethylol propane triisostearate, pentaerythritol tetra(2-ethylhexaonate), cetyl caprylate, decyl laurate, hexyl laurate, decyl myristate, myristyl myristate, cetyl myristate, stearyl stearate, decyl oleate, cetyl ricinoleate, isostearyl laurate, isotridecyl myristate, isocetyl palmitate, octyl stearate, isocetyl stearate, isodecyl oleate, octyldodecyl oleate, octyldodecyl linoleate, isopropyl isostearate, cetostearyl 2-ethylhexanoate, stearyl 2-ethylhexanoate, hexyl isostearate, ethylene glycol dioctanoate, ethylene glycol dioleate, propylene glycol dicaprinate, propylene glycol di(capryl-caprinate), propylene glycol dicaprylate, neopentyl glycol dicaprinate, neopentyl glycol dioctanoate, glyceryl tricaprylate, glyceryl triundecanoate, glyceryl triisopalmitate, glyceryl triisostearate, octyldodecyl neopentanoate, isostearyl octanoate, octyl isononanoate, hexyldecyl neodecanoate, octyldodecyl neodecanoate, isostearyl isostearate, octyldecyl isostearate, polyglycerol oleic acid ester, polyglycerol isostearic acid ester, triisocetyl citrate, triisoalkyl citrate, triisooctyl citrate, lauryl lactate, myristyl lactate, cetyl lactate, octyldecyl lactate, triethyl citrate, acetyltriethyl citrate, acetyltributyl citrate, trioctyl citrate, diisostearyl malate, 2-ethylhexyl hydroxystearate, di(2-ethylhexyl) succinate, diisobutyl adipate, diisopropyl sebacate, dioctyl sebacate, cholesteryl stearate, cholesteryl isostearate, cholesteryl hydroxystearate, cholesteryl oleate, dihydrocholesteryl oleate, phytosteryl isostearate, phytosteryl oleate, isocetyl 12-stearoylhydroxystearate, stearyl 12-stearoylhydroxystearate and isostearyl 12-stearoylhydroxystearate.
Examples of the hydrocarbon fats and oils are squalane, liquid paraffin, xcex1-olefin oligomer, isoparaffin, ceresin, paraffin, liquid isoparaffin, polybutene, microcrystalline wax and vaseline.
Examples of the silicone fats and oils are polymethylsilicone, methylphenylsilicone, methylcyclopolysiloxane, octamethylpolysiloxane, decamethylpolysiloxane, dodecamethylcyclosiloxane, dimethylsiloxane-methylcetyloxysiloxane copolymers, dimethylsiloxane-methylstearoxysiloxane copolymers, alkyl-denatured silicone oil and amino-denatured silicone oil.
An example of the fluorine fats and oils is perfluoropolyether.
Examples of the animal and plant fats and oils are avocado oil, almond oil, olive oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, apricot kernel oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, grape seed oil, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, kukui nut oil, wheat germ oil, rice germ oil, shea butter, evening primrose oil, macadamia nut oil, meadowfoam seed oil, egg yolk oil, beef tallow, horse oil, mink oil, orange roughy oil, jojoba oil, candelilla wax, carnauba wax, liquid lanolin and hardened castor oil.
The moisturizers include water-soluble low molecular moisturizers, fat-soluble low molecular moisturizers, water-soluble high molecular moisturizers and fat-soluble high molecular moisturizers.
Examples of the water-soluble low molecular moisturizers are serine, glutamine, sorbitol, mannitol, pyrrolidone-sodium carboxylate, glycerin, propylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol (polymerization degree n=2 or more), polypropylene glycol (polymerization degree n=2 or more), polyglycerin (polymerization degree n=2 or more), lactic acid and lactate.
Examples of the fat-soluble low molecular moisturizers are cholesterol and cholesterol ester.
Examples of the water-soluble high molecular moisturizers are carboxyvinyl polymers, polyaspartate, tragacanth, xanthane gum, methyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, water-soluble chitin, chitosan and dextrin.
Examples of the fat-soluble high molecular moisturizers are polyvinylpyrrolidone-eicosene copolymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone-hexadecene copolymers, nitrocellulose, dextrin fatty acid ester and high molecular silicone.
Examples of the emollients are long-chain acylglutamate cholesteryl ester, cholesteryl hydroxystearate, 12-hydroxystearic acid, stearic acid, rhodinic acid and lanolin fatty acid cholesteryl ester.
The surfactants include nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and amphoteric surfactants.
Examples of the nonionic surfactants are auto-emulsified glycerin monostearate, propylene glycol fatty acid ester, glycerin fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, POE (polyoxyethylene) sorbitan fatty acid ester, POE sorbitol fatty acid ester, POE glycerin fatty acid ester, POE alkyl ether, POE fatty acid ester, POE hardened castor oil, POE castor oil, POE-POP (polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene) copolymers, POE-POP alkyl ether, polyether-denatured silicone, alkanolamide laurate, alkylamine oxide and hydrogenated soybean phospholipid.
Examples of the anionic surfactants are fatty acid soap, xcex1-acylsulfonate, alkylsulfonate, alkylallylsulfonate, alkylnaphthalenesulfonate, alkyl sulfate, POE alkyl ether sulfate, alkylamide sulfate, alkyl phosphate, POE alkyl phosphate, alkylamide phosphate, alkyloylalkyltaurine salt, N-acylamino acid salt, POE alkyl ether carboxylate, alkylsulfosuccinate, sodium alkylsulfoacetate, acylated hydrolyzed collagen peptide salt and perfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid ester.
Examples of the cationic surfactants are alkyltrimethylammonium chloride, stearyltrimethylammonium chloride, stearyltrimethylammonium bromide, cetostearyltrimethylammonium chloride, distearyldimethylammonium chloride, stearyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride, behenyltrimethylammonium bromide, benzalkonium chloride, diethylaminoethyl-stearamide, dimethylaminopropyl-stearamide and lanolin derivative quaternary ammonium salt.
Suitable amphoteric surfactants are those of the following types: carboxybetaine, amidobetaine, sulfobetaine, hydroxysulfobetaine, amidosulfobetaine, phosphobetaine, aminocarboxylate, imidazoline derivative and amidoamine.
The organic and inorganic pigments include inorganic pigments such as silicic acid, silicic acid anhydride, magnesium silicate, talc, sericite, mica, kaolin, iron oxide red, clay, bentonite, titanium-coated mica, bismuth oxychloride, zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, aluminium oxide, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, iron oxide, ultramarine blue, chromium oxide, chromium hydroxide, carmine, carbon black, and complexes thereof; organic pigments such as polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, vinyl resin, urea resin, phenol resin, fluororesin, silicone resin, acrylic resin, melamine resin, epoxy resin, polycarbonate resin, divinyl benzene-styrene copolymer, silk powder, cellulose, CI pigment yellow and CI pigment orange; and complexes of these inorganic pigments and organic pigments.
Examples of the organic powders are metal soaps such as calcium stearate; alkylphosphoric acid polyvalent metal salts such as sodium zinc cetylphosphate, zinc laurylphosphate and calcium laurylphosphate; acylamino acid polyvalent metal salts such as N-lauroyl-xcex2-alanine calcium salt, N-lauroyl-xcex2-alanine zinc salt and N-lauroylglycine calcium salt; amidosulfonic acid polyvalent metal salts such as N-lauroyl-taurine calcium salt and N-palmitoyl-taurine calcium salt; N-acyl basic amino acids such as Nxcex5-lauroyl-L-lysine, Nxcex5-palmitoyllysine, Nxcex1-palmitoylornithine, Nxcex1-lauroylarginine and Nxcex1-hardened beef tallow fatty acid acylarginine; N-acylpolypeptides such as N-lauroylglycylglycine; xcex1-amino fatty acids such as xcex1-aminocaprylic acid and xcex1-aminolauric acid; polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, divinyl benzene-styrene copolymer and ethylene tetrafluoride.
Examples of the ultraviolet absorbents are para-aminobenzoic acid, ethyl para-aminobenzoate, amyl para-aminobenzoate, octyl para-aminobenzoate, ethylene glycol salicylate, phenyl salicylate, octyl salicylate, benzyl salicylate, butylphenyl salicylate, homomenthyl salicylate, benzyl cinnamate, 2-ethoxyethyl para-methoxycinnamate, octyl para-methoxycinnamate, glyceryl mono(2-ethylhexanoate) dipara-methoxycinnamate, isopropyl para-methoxycinnamate, diisopropyl-diisopropylcinnamic acid ester mixtures, urocanic acid, ethyl urocanate, hydroxymethoxybenzophenone, hydroxymethoxybenzophenonesulfonic acid and salts thereof, dihydroxymethoxybenzophenone, sodium dihydroxymethoxybenzophenonedisulfonate, dihydroxybenzophenone, tetrahydroxybenzophenone, 4-tert -butyl-4xe2x80x2-methoxydibenzoylmethane, 2,4,6-trianilino-p -(carbo-2xe2x80x2-ethylhexyl-1xe2x80x2-oxy)-1,3,5-triazine, and 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)benzotriazole.
Examples of the preservatives are methylparaben and propylparaben.
Examples of the disinfectants are hinokitiol, triclosan, trichlorohydroxydiphenyl ether, chlorhexidine gluconate, phenoxyethanol, resorcin, isopropylmethylphenol, azulene, salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, benzalkonium chloride, photosensitizing dye No. 301, sodium mononitroguaiacol and undecylenic acid.
Examples of the antioxidants are butylhydroxyanisole, propyl gallate and erythorbic acid.
Examples of the plant extracts are extract of Angelica keiskei (Miq.)Koidz., avocado extract, extract of Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. subsp. serrata (Thunb.) Makino var. thunbergii (Sieb.)Makino, althaea extract, arnica extract, aloe extract, apricot extract, apricot kernel extract, gingko extract, fennel extract, turmeric extract, oolong tea extract, extract of fruits of memorial rose, Echinacea leaf extract, extract of scutellaria root, extract of Phellodendron bark, extract of Japanese coptis, barley extract, extract of Hypericum erectrum Thunb., extract of Lamium album var. barbatum (Sieb. et Zucc.) Franch. et Savat, watercress extract, orange extract, chamomile extract, carrot extract, extract of Artemisia capillaris Thunb., licorice extract, hibiscus flower extract, extract of Pyracantha fortuneana, kiwi fruit extract, cinchona extract, cucumber extract, extract of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis forma grandiflora (Lour.) Makino, extract of Sasa veitchii (Carr.) Rehd., extract of Sophora flavescens Aiton, walnut extract, grapefruit extract, clematis extract, chlorella extract, mulberry extract, gentian extract, black tea extract, common confrey extract, collagen, cowberry extract, extract of Asarum sieboldii Miq., bupleurum extract, salvia extract, soapwort extract, bamboo grass extract, crataegus extract, zanthoxylum extract, shiitake mushroom extract, extract of Rehmannia root, extract of lithospermum root, perilla extract, extract of Tilia japonica (Miq.) Simonkai, meadowsweet extract, peony extract, extract of calamus root, white birch extract, extract of Equisetum arvense L., extract of Hedera helix L., English hawthorn extract, European elder extract, yarrow extract, peppermint extract, sage extract, tree mallow extract, cnidium extract, extract of Swertia japonica (Schult.) Makino, soybean extract, extract of fruits of common jujube, thyme extract, tea extract, clove extract, cogon extract, extract of dried orange peel, ligusticum extract, common marigold extract, peach kernel extract, bitter orange peel extract, extract of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., tomato extract, ginseng extract, garlic extract, wild rose extract, hibiscus extract, extract of roots of Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker. Gawl., parsley extract, honey, hamamelis extract, Parietaria extract, extract of Isodon japonicus (Burm.) Hara, bisabolol, loquat extract, coltsfoot extract, butterbur flower extract, tuckahoe extract, butcher""s-broom extract, grape extract, propolis, luffa extract, safflower extract, extract of big leaf European linden, tree peony extract, hop extract, pine extract, horse chestnut extract, extract of Lysichiton camtschatcense (L.) Schott, extract of Sapindus mukurossi Gaertn., Melissa extract, peach extract, bluebottle extract, eucalyptus extract, extract of Saxifraga stolonifera Meerb., extract of Citrus junos Sieb. ex Miq., coix seed extract, mugwort extract, lavender extract, apple extract, lettuce extract, lemon extract, Chinese milk vetch extract, rose extract, rosemary extract and Roman chamomile extract.
Examples of the pH regulators are citric acid, sodium citrate, malic acid, sodium malate, fumaric acid, sodium fumarate, succinic acid, sodium succinate, sodium hydroxide and disodium hydrogenphosphate.
The alcohols include higher alcohols such as cetyl alcohol.
The additional components mentioned above are merely illustrative, and not limitative. Any of the above components can be employed in such range that the object and the effect of the present invention are not impaired. The suitable content thereof is preferably 0.01-5 wt %, more preferably 0.01-3 wt % based on the total weight.
The cosmetics of the present invention may take the forms of solution, emulsion, paste mixture, etc.
There is no specific restriction as to the form of cosmetics as products and suitable examples are emulsion, cream, lotion, pack, foundation, enriched lotion and hair-care cosmetic.


A system for implanting an implant and method thereof is disclosed. In general overview, the system includes an implant, an envelope enclosing the implant, a delivery assembly and an attachment piece for attaching the envelope or implant to the delivery assembly. The envelope may include a drug coating, positioning aids, and means to ease envelope removal. In one embodiment, the delivery assembly is employed for implant and/or envelope delivery inside the patient's body. In another embodiment, the delivery assembly and an attachment piece are employed to deliver the implant or the envelope inside the patient's body.

The use of a surgical mesh for the repair and restoration of living tissue is well known. For example, surgical mesh may be used to support and/or reinforce a damaged or weakened portion in the body of a patient. In this regard, the surgical mesh must additionally be sufficiently porous to allow for growth of tissue through the mesh after implantation. The healing tissue grows through porous openings in, for example, an implanted synthetic mesh, thereby assimilating the tissue with the mesh and adding structural integrity to the tissue.
Surgical meshes may be produced with yarns including monofilament and multifilament yarns. Multifilament yarns have small void areas or interstitial spaces between the yarn filaments. The yarns in the surgical mesh may be made of materials such as polypropylene, polyesters, and co-polymers thereof. Such polymeric materials typically do not have surface structures that are absorbent or adsorbent; thus, meshes made out of such materials are unable to absorb drugs.
The crevices and voids of the surgical mesh may harbor bacteria or other pathogens that contaminate the surgical mesh during implantation. Following implantation of the surgical mesh in the patient, the bacteria or other pathogens harbored in the mesh are introduced to the anatomical site where the surgical mesh is implanted. Typically, the anatomical site being repaired is poorly accessible to antimicrobial drugs applied intraoperatively to combat bacteria or other pathogens that may be picked up and introduced to the anatomical site during the surgery to implant the mesh.

System for implanting an implant and method thereof


Technologies are generally described for systems and methods effective to provide a gesture keyboard that can be utilized with a virtual display. In an example, the method includes receiving sensory information associated with an object in proximity to, or in contact with, an input device including receiving at least one level of interaction differentiation detected from at least three levels of interaction differentiation, interpreting a command from the sensory information as a function of the at least one level of interaction differentiation, and outputting an action indication based on the command.

As the uses and complexity of computing systems have evolved, so has the desire to provide a computing system that is easy to operate and enjoyable for the user. Many computing systems employ a keyboard and a display. As input is entered into the keyboard, a corresponding output can be presented on the display. Some of the input is entered as a command for a corresponding action to be output. However, the entering of commands has traditionally been through the keyboard and/or a mouse and can be cumbersome to implement. For example, to input some commands, in some instances, multiple keys on the keyboard are depressed in a certain order, or else the desired input is not achieved.
Some computing systems utilize a touch-screen for the entry of commands. However, the touch-screen makes use of a 2-dimensional input space, which cannot make use of the 3-dimensional space above the touch surface. Therefore, motions by a user toward or away from the touch-screen do not have any effect. Further, in some computing systems, the keyboard is separate from the display, such that commands related to typing, e.g., shift lock, cursor movements, and so forth, are not practical to place within the display. This is because the display is too far away from the keypad, and thus, a user's hand(s) move too far to enter such commands.
The above-described deficiencies of conventional approaches to gesture-based computing systems are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional approaches and techniques, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with conventional systems and techniques, and corresponding benefits of the various non-limiting embodiments described herein may become further apparent upon review of the following description.

Gesture based user interface for augmented reality


A method for converting a diesel engine to a natural gas fueled engine, the method comprising the steps of providing new cam profiles on a cam shaft portion of the diesel engine, the new cam profiles being operative to close intake valves of cylinder heads of the engine during intake strokes, operative to close exhaust valves of the cylinder heads, and operative no earlier than the exhaust valves closures to open associated intake valves, modifying portions of the cylinder heads to adapt the cylinder heads to accept spark plugs, fixing spark plugs in the cylinder heads, providing means for conveying natural gas fuel to the intake valves, providing a blower for supplying air under pressure to the intake valves, and providing an after-cooler for cooling the air supplied by the blower prior to the air reaching the intake valves.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and is directed more particularly to a method for converting a four-stroke cycle diesel engine to a spark ignition natural gas fueled engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conversion of diesel engines to natural gas engines is generally known. Such conversions have involved replacing the diesel fuel injectors with spark plugs connected to a suitable ignition system, and providing a carburetor on the intake manifold. In U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,145, reissued Jan. 24, 1967, to James F. Friddell, such conversions are discussed, along with an improvement for no-load or low-load applications.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,124, issued Mar. 27, 1990, to John R. M. Bennett, there is described rocker and fulcrum mechanism by which the opening of the exhaust valves of the engine is reduced to minimize reflux of exhaust gases into the combustion chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,138, issued Mar. 19, 1991, to John R. M. Bennett, is directed to a method for installing spark plugs in a diesel internal combustion engine for converting the engine for use with gaseous fuel.
Such prior art conversions typically require modification of the piston or cylinder head to reduce the compression ratio to a value suitable for natural gas. The effort and expense required to develop a new piston and/or cylinder head can be substantial and, once done, will not be generally applicable to a variety of engines.
Further, in turbo-charged diesel engines, wherein air is forced under pressure into an intake manifold and thence into the cylinder, the valve timing is such that scavenging occurs at the end of the exhaust stroke and the beginning of the intake stroke. If left unremedied in conversion to gas, such timing leads to loss of fuel directly to the exhaust, affecting the thermal efficiency of the engine and emissions.
It therefore would be beneficial to have available a method by which a diesel engine could be converted to run on natural gas, without the requirement of substantial modification or replacement of the cylinder heads and/or pistons, and which would provide for proper timing of exhaust valve and inlet valve operation.

Method for converting a diesel engine to a natural gas fueled engine


A method of detecting optical crosstalk in a LIDAR system includes selectively activating and deactivating light sources of a light source array; triggering a measurement of the field of view (FOV) during which at least one targeted region of the FOV is illuminated by the light source array and at least one non-targeted region of the FOV is not illuminated by the light source array; generating electrical signals based on at least one reflected light beam being received by a photodetector array, where the photodetector array comprises a targeted pixel group corresponding to the at least one targeted region of the FOV and a non-targeted pixel group corresponding to the at least one non-targeted region of the FOV; and detecting optical crosstalk that appears at at least one portion of the non-targeted pixel group based on electrical signals from the targeted pixel group and the non-targeted pixel group.

Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to one or more objects in a field of view. In particular, light is transmitted towards the object. Single photodetectors or arrays of photodetectors receive reflections from objects illuminated by the light, and the time it takes for the reflections to arrive at various sensors in the photodetector array is determined. This is also referred to as measuring time-of-flight (TOF). LIDAR systems form depth measurements and make distance measurements by mapping the distance to objects based on the time-of-flight computations. Thus, the time-of-flight computations can create distance and depth maps, which may be used to generate images.
LIDAR systems that use a one-dimensional scanner have a weak point in optical crosstalk. For example, in a situation where a highly reflective target, such as a license plate, a traffic sign, or other type of retro-reflector, is in the field of view, the LIDAR receiver detects target reflections across extended portions or even an entire portion of the Field of View (FOV) due to glare and scattering produced by the retro reflectors. This reflection produces a glare artefact that blocks the LIDAR receiver from seeing essential parts of the scene resulting in a shadowing effect. Thus, objects located in the FOV covered by this glare artefact or "shadow" may go undetected leading to inaccuracies in imaging and ultimately in safety issues in the field of autonomous driving.
Therefore, an improved device that mitigates optical crosstalk due to artefacts caused by highly reflective objects may be desirable.

Optical crosstalk mitigation in LIDAR using digital signal processing


Disclosed is an underwater robot based on flapping comprising: an actuator including a smart material and directional material, wherein the smart material is changed in its shape according to an external signal, and the directional material restricts a deformation in a specific direction; a body connected with the actuator; and a controller which makes the actuator perform a first stroke in a direction, and a second stroke in another direction being different from that of the first stroke; wherein the actuator performs at least one deformation of bending and twisting according to position of the smart material and directionality of the directional material, and furthermore enables to simultaneously perform the smooth bending and twisting motion with the simple structure by adjusting the position of the smart material functioning as the active component, and the directionality of the directional material functioning as the passive component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an underwater robot based on flapping, which includes an actuator prepared with a smart material and directional material.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Through recent studies, smart materials are widely used for various problems related with an active or passive control of structure. The material may be shape memory alloy. The smart materials may be directly attached to the structure, or may be inserted into another material to be used as an actuator.
Among the various smart materials, researches for preparing a shape memory alloy embedded composite may be as follows: Roger (Craig A. Rogers, "Active vibration and structural acoustic control of shape memory alloy hybrid composites: Experimental results," The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 88, No. 6, pp. 2803-2811, 1990); Baz (A. Baz, T. Chen, and J. Ro, "Shape control of NITINOL-reinforced composite beams," Composites: Part B, Vol. 31, pp. 631-642, 2000); Jung (B. S, Jung, M. S. Kim, Y. M. Kim, W. Y. Lee, and S. H. Ahn, "Fabrication of smart air intake structure using Shape Memory Alloy wire embedded composite," Physica Scripta, accepted, 2010); and Villanueva (A. A. Villanueva, K. B. Joshi, J. B. Blottmanm, and S. Priya, "A bio-inspired shape memory alloy composite (BISMAC) actuator," Smart Materials and Structure, Vol. 19, pp. 1-17, 2010).
There are researches for studying a small-sized robot using the shape memory alloy, for example, Kim (B. K Kim, M. G Lee, Y. P Lee, Y. I Kim and G. H Lee, "An earthworm-like micro robot using shape memory alloy actuator", Sensors and Actuators A 125 (2006) 429437); Koh (J. S Koh and K. J Cho, "Omegabot: Biominetic Inchworm Robot using SMA Coil Actuator and Smart Composite Microstructures (SCM)", International Conference on Robotics and Biominetics, Dec. 19-23, 2009, Guilin, China); and Kim (M. S. Kim, W. S. Chu, J. H. Lee, Y. M. Kim, B. S. Jung and S. H. Ahn, "Manufacturing of inchworm robot using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) embedded composite structure," International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, accepted, 2011).
Other smart structures may be multi-stable complex structures, and shape memory alloy composites.
The multi-stable complex structures may be a bi-stable morphing airfoil proposed by Diaconu (Diaconu, C. G., Weaver, P. M., Mattioni, F., Concepts for morphing airfoil sections using bi-stable laminated composite structures, Thin-Walled Structures 46 (6), pp. 689-701, 2008), and a multi-stable morphing wing proposed by Iannucci (L. Iannucci and A. Fontanazza, Design of Morphing Wing Structures, 3rd SEAS DTC Technical Conference, Edinburgh, 2008). These multi-stable complex structures are maintained in the deformed state without additional energy. However, these multi-stable complex structures are disadvantageous in that they can be deformed only in the designed shape, that is, it is difficult to change the structures to the various desired shapes.
The shape memory alloy embedded composites are most generally known as the smart structure, which have been actively studied by Lagoudas et al. 1994, Kawai et al. 1999, Murasawa et al. 2004, Khalili et al. 2007a, b, Yongsheng and Shuangshuang 2007, Zhou et al. 2004, Dano and Hyer 2003, and etc. These kinds of smart structure can be controlled to be deformed in the desired shape, but it needs additional energy. The aforementioned smart structures are limited only to hard matrix.
As mentioned above, the smart materials are widely used for various problems related with the active or passive control of structure.
However, even though the various results, deformation in most of the structures using the smart material is limited to linear deformation or out-of-plane bending deformation, and the degree of deformation is too low, thereby causing the limited utilization. Also, since the actuator occupies too large space in the entire structure, it is difficult to obtain a small-sized structure.
Furthermore, it needs a complicated structure for realizing the smooth and continuous motion (for example, the increased number of motors, and the increased number of joints).


A measuring system for determining the distance to a magnetic alternating field source, with a magnetic sensor arrangement, by means of which a characteristic magnetic alternating field signal of the magnetic alternating field source can be recorded, and an evaluation device connected with the magnetic sensor arrangement and by means of which the characteristic magnetic alternating field signals of the magnetic alternating field source recorded by the magnetic sensor arrangement can be evaluated and converted into the distance between the magnetic alternating field source on the one hand and the magnetic sensor arrangement on the other.

A measuring system for determining the distance to a magnetic alternating field source is for example known from the DE 10 2006 046 372 63, where a reference field source associated with the magnetic alternating field source is provided, which is arranged at a fixed distance to the magnetic alternating field source or to the magnetic sensor arrangement provided for measuring the distance.

System and sensor for measuring a distance to a magnetic alternating field source


A magnetic recording medium having magnetic dots that can achieve high density recording is disclosed. The magnetic recording medium comprises at least an underlayer, a magnetic recording layer, and a protective layer sequentially laminated on a nonmagnetic substrate. The underlayer is composed of ruthenium or an alloy of mainly ruthenium and has an undulating structure formed with ridge lines in a predetermined pitch on the surface of the underlayer. The magnetic recording layer contains at least ferromagnetic crystal grains and a nonmagnetic component. Magnetic dots composed of crystal grains with a grain size not smaller than 4 nm in the magnetic recording layer are aligned on a surface of the underlayer along the ridge line, and each of the magnetic dots s separated by the nonmagnetic component from each other. A simple manufacturing method for this medium also is disclosed.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic recording media installed in various magnetic recording devices, and to a method of manufacturing the media.
B. Description of the Related Art
Recently, "a perpendicular magnetic recording system" has been applied in practical use in place of conventional "longitudinal magnetic recording system" for enhancing the magnetic recording density. The recording magnetization is perpendicular to the medium surface in the perpendicular magnetic recording system. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium (hereinafter also simply referred to as "a perpendicular medium") is mainly composed of a magnetic recording layer of a hard magnetic material, an underlayer for perpendicularly orienting the recording magnetization in the magnetic recording layer, a protective layer for protecting the surface of the magnetic recording layer, and a backing layer of a soft magnetic material for concentrating a magnetic flux generated by a magnetic head used for recording onto the magnetic recording layer.
In both longitudinal and perpendicular systems currently, the materials of the magnetic recording layer assume "a granular structure" in which ferromagnetic grains are separated by a nonmagnetic component. Preferable specific materials are CoPtCr alloy, and this alloy with an additive of oxide, for example, CoPtCr—SiO2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-190552, which corresponds to US 2005/0142387 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-227740).
The perpendicular magnetic recording system has such advantages that the magnetization is more stable when recording density becomes higher, resistance to thermal fluctuation is better than in a longitudinal system, and signals are stably maintained even in small recording bits. In a medium of the granular structure, the grain size is controlled by an underlayer, and one magnetic crystal grain grows on one underlayer crystal grain to reduce magnetic interaction between magnetic grains and enhance the recording density, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-190552, which corresponds to US 2005/0142387, for example.
However, since one bit is made up of a plurality of grains, "transition noise" due to a zigzag configuration between the bits along the grains causes a significant problem of degradation in signal quality. This problem is common in both longitudinal and perpendicular systems, and is a critical factor that limits recording density in the perpendicular magnetic recording system.
As a means to overcome this problem, "patterned media" in which one dot (one grain) is one bit are considered promising for a recording medium of the next generation. Because one bit is composed of one dot, the problem of "transition noise" is eliminated. So, the patterned media are expected to achieve higher recording density.
Several techniques appeared recently for manufacturing the patterned media. A typical example utilizes techniques in semiconductor processing, in which a substrate or a magnetic film is worked out to a dofted configuration using a resist film, and through a planarizing process such as polishing, a magnetic recording medium is produced (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-16623, for example). Another technique forms extremely small holes (nanoholes) and fills the holes with magnetic material to form magnetic dots (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-175621, which corresponds to US 2002/0086185 and US 2005/0031905, for example).
All the patterned media having regularly arranged dots as mentioned above involve a serious problem in the manufacturing process thereof. The problem is how to form and arrange the dots in a simple process. In a disk substrate as practically employed at present, it is very difficult to regularly arrange the dots in circumferential and radial directions. It is possible to make a dot pattern using a semiconductor process as described above, however, it requires a tremendous processing time. Moreover, it is very difficult to form every fine dot having a dot size less than 30 nm, for example, with sufficient accuracy. Processing of a magnetic film raises a problem of degradation of magnetic property due to thermal damage. Formation of nanoholes at the present state of the art presents difficulty in compatibility between minimization and regular arrangement. In addition, the process is complicated because a planarizing treatment of the surface is needed after filling the holes with magnetic material.
As described thus far, the proposed techniques of dot formation in the patterned medium are complicated and involve various problems in manufacturing the patterned medium. In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic recording medium having magnetic dots achieving high density recording, and to provide a method of manufacturing such a magnetic recording medium in a simple process, and the present invention is directed to overcoming or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.

Magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same


The disclosure relates to a hybridized fragmenting projectile having slots with divergent surfaces that intersect at a joint having a curved proximal portion. The projectile fragments effectively upon impact with a target after being fired from a firearm at either subsonic or supersonic speed, regardless of environmental conditions or whether the firearm user adjusts the firearm to change between supersonic operation and subsonic operation.

Expanding projectiles are generally designed to spread apart upon impact—e.g., mushrooming projectiles or projectiles having petal fragments that separate and shear away from a base portion. Fragmenting projectiles direct significant power at a target. Supersonic projectiles, which discharge from a weapon at greater than about 1120 fps, are propelled with sufficient force to fragment when hitting virtually any target regardless of the projectile's profile or geometry. The propulsion force of subsonic projectiles, however, is typically insufficient to effectively cause a fragmenting projectile to break apart upon impact with a target. Some fragmenting projectiles have been designed to fragment at subsonic speeds (i.e., below 1120 fps and generally between 750 fps and 1150 fps) or supersonic speeds (i.e., above 1120 fps and generally between 1800 fps and 4500 fps). Thus, there is a need for a hybridized fragmenting projectile that can perform effectively at a wide range of speeds that encompasses both subsonic and supersonic speeds.


Systems and methods are disclosed with respect to using a blockchain for managing the subrogation claim process related to a vehicle collision, in particular, utilizing evidence oracles as part of the subrogation process. An exemplary embodiment includes receiving recorded data from one or more connected devices at a geographic location; analyzing the recorded data, wherein analyzing the recorded data includes determining that an collision has occurred involving one or more vehicles; generating a transaction including the data indicative of the collision based upon the analysis; and transmitting the transaction to at least one other participant in the distributed ledger network.

The insurance claim process may involve a tremendous number of communications and interactions between parties involved in the process. Potential parties to the claim process may be insurance companies, repair shops, lawyers, arbitrators, government agencies, hospitals, drivers, and collection/collections agency. Sometimes the costs of repairs may be disputed and parties may pursue subrogation for particular charges. As an example, when an insured person suffers a covered loss, an insurer may pay costs to the insured person and pursue subrogation from another party involved in the loss. If an insured vehicle is involved in a collision and suffers a loss, the insurer may compensate the vehicle owner according to an insurance agreement. If, for example, the vehicle owner was not at fault in the collision, the insurer may pursue damages from another party, such as the insurer of the party who was at fault in the collision. An insurance agreement may include an obligation of an insured to assign the insured's claim against a party at fault to the insurer, who may then collect on the claim on the insured's behalf.
Settling a subrogation payment may be a lengthy, complicated process. The various parties (e.g., parties at fault in a vehicle collision, owners of the vehicles, insurers, etc.) may need to exchange information relating to the collision to determine which party was at fault. Sources of information relevant to a fault information and/or subrogation payment may include information regarding parties involved in a loss, forensic data regarding the loss, vehicle data regarding a loss, etc. The various parties may verify and share information from a variety of sources, including information held by parties involved in a loss and their insurers, and information obtained from third parties (e.g., governmental entities, independent contractors, etc.).
The parties to a subrogation payment (e.g., insurers) may make proposals to one another to settle the subrogation claim. A proposal may include an accounting of damages, such as the costs to a vehicle owner whose vehicle was damaged. If an insured person suffered an injury in a collision, the injured person's health care costs may be included in the accounting of damages. One or both of the parties to a subrogation claim may rely on independent third parties to assess costs, such as a repair cost estimate by an authorized automotive repair services provider for damage incurred in a collision. To settle the subrogation claim, the parties may indicate acceptance or approval of damages calculations and a payment amount that is agreed between the parties to settle the claim. Parties may rely on a third-party intermediary to handle subrogation negotiations and resolution (e.g., validate information relating to a loss and facilitating communications between the insurers) at added expense.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY


A method apparatus and POS system for processing credit card transactions associated with POS sales to inhibit illegal credit card use. The method involves reading magnetic stripe information including the credit card number from the magnetic stripe on a credit card and comparing the result with stored credit card transaction history of the credit card user to determine whether to scan and image further personal identification from the credit card user such as a drivers license and if so to image the driver license. This is primarily based on a comparison of the transaction amount with stored transaction history information.

1. Field of Technology
This application relates in subject matter to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/932,181 filed by applicant on Sep. 1, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and POS system for processing credit card transactions associated with POS sales using a credit card to inhibit illegal credit card use.
2. Description of Related Art
Illegal credit card use due to theft and forgery has become a major problem. One method of preventing such illegal use at the point of sale in a retail store, for example, requires the credit card user to present a driver license or other photo ID. The checkout clerk then visually confirms (1) that the names match and (2) that the credit card user is the person shown on the photo ID. Problems with this method are that illegal users cannot be identified if the driver license was also forged, and no evidence that the driver license was forged remains.
Some businesses also have the clerk enter the driver license number from the keyboard of the POS terminal for evidence in case the credit card was abused, but data entry errors occur and the value of the entered driver license number as evidence is therefore low relative to the data entry work involved.
Considering this problem, Image Data LLC in the United States offers a personal identification system for confirming a person's identity based on a credit card presented by a user by referencing a database of personal identification information containing the credit card information and user photographs. See Japanese Published Patent Application H11-509015 (FIG. 1).
The problem with this system is that a common nationwide database of personal information about an unknown number of people does not exist, and the infrastructure enabling on-line verification of a person's identity also does not exist. This system therefore offers little practical benefit at this time.

Method, apparatus and POS system for processing credit card transactions associated with POS sales