A method for the heating and joining together, preferably for welding, of workpieces by use of a generator. Where, during a heating interval the generator supplies high-frequency energy to at least two electrodes disposed on the workpiece and where the energy supply is controlled by a predetermined time-related curve, with respect to a target value. Accordingly, the energy supply is controlled with reference to the target value by monitoring a first parameter, e.g., high-frequency voltage, high-frequency current or generator anode current. Also, during the heating interval at least one further parameter is monitored, and in the event of an inadmissible divergence in the control system of the first parameter, a subsequent control of the energy supply is carried out.

The present invention takes as its starting point a method for the heating and joining together, more particularly for the welding together, of workpieces by using a generator. During a heating interval, the generator supplies high-frequency energy to at least two electrodes disposed on the workpiece, the energy supply being controlled with respect to a target value by means of a predetermined time-related curve.
Such a method is known from German Patent DE-PS 858 870. There, high-frequency energy is supplied from a generator via an adjustable capacitive impedance to the electrodes on a workpiece and the high-frequency voltage at the electrodes is monitored. When it diverges from a target value, the capacitive impedance is altered with the aid of a motor and a regulation to the target value is thus effected.
During the welding operation the characteristics of the workpieces disposed between the electrodes will generally be altered. Certain zones change their properties or characteristics during the resulting temperature increase, those changes will alter the high-frequency energy absorption. It is also possible for workpieces to change position due to the contact pressure of the electrodes and, thereby, absorb a larger or smaller volume of high-frequency energy. Individual workpieces may exhibit variable welding behavior. It is thus possible that an electric breakdown may take place, or that the material may be inadequately heated and that a poor joining and connection of the workpieces may result. This may occur even when the high-frequency voltage is controlled in accordance with a predetermined time-related curve.
Furthermore, on account of varying material compositions in the joining zone, one frequently moves within the boundaries of a safe manufacturing progress. Due to varying degrees of humidity, uneven weight per unit area or inhomogeneous resin distribution, high-frequency breakdowns readily occur.
Such high-frequency breakdowns also occur in the case of a critical course of the joining zones in contiguous workpieces, e.g., in the door trim or instrument board of a motor vehicle. Reclaimed material possessing unintentional but noticeable differences in physical properties may sometimes be used for workpieces, e.g., for the carpet linings of the underbodies of motor vehicles. High frequency breakdowns are especially common when pieces that have differing physical properties are joined. For example, if a carpet covering and an anti-slip cover are welded together, the carpet covering is particularly susceptible to breakdown and may possibly show damage caused by fire.
Similar susceptibilities to welding treatment result consequent to other factors, such as the application of an adhesive, the type of adhesive if applied, the type of textile, or the treatment of the textiles in question, etc. These susceptibilities may also give rise to problems in the joining process.
Certain applications for vehicle assembly have been set forth above. Additional areas of application exist in vehicle assembly, such as the covering of electric components of the instrument board. These components are mainly fabricated from ABS (alkylbenzole sulfonate) and, in part, are joined together with the aid of a high-frequency joining process. These molded parts may possess varying wall thicknesses within the joining zone. In this context as well, it is of prime importance that work is carried out below the high-frequency breakdown limit.
Another area which may be considered for high-frequency heating is the manufacture of visors. In this context, an extraordinarily high degree of accuracy in the power control must be employed. Similarly, in the fabrication of theft-proof packaging (produced from molded, hard PVC) the joining zones have varying material thickness, which can readily result in production of flawed joints. Furthermore, this method, involving the use of high-frequency heating, is particularly advantageous for the drying, gluing, sterilizing, etc. of workpieces.
It is the object of the present invention to develop a method such that the ideal parameters for a secure joining together of the workpieces are adhered to; the adherence to ideal parameters effected with sufficient accuracy so that flawless products can be manufactured despite critical limitations values of the materials. Accordingly, the part rejection rate can be drastically reduced.

Method for the high-frequency heating of dielectric workpieces


The present invention relates to a method of welding or cutting material ultrasonically while avoiding hammering motion between ultrasonic anvil and ultrasonic horn, so-called cobblestoning. The material web is welded or cut generally transversely to its direction of movement, wherein at least one elongated ultrasonic horn is positioned obliquely to the direction of web movement, and at least on anvil corresponding to the ultrasonic horn is arranged on a rotatable cylinder whose rotational axis is essentially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the ultrasonic horn.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for ultrasonically welding or cutting a moving web of material generally transversely to its the direction of movement, comprising at least one elongated ultrasonic horn and at least one anvil corresponding to said horn, the web being moved between the at least one horn and the at least one corresponding anvil. The invention also relates to a method of ultrasonic welding or cutting such a web.

Method of welding or cutting material ultrasonically


In an electronic component mounting method, a light-emitting element is temporarily fixed to a board by solder paste and adhesive, the adhesive is cured to fix a main body of the light-emitting element to the board, and solder is melted to bond a terminal of the light-emitting element to the board. The method includes: detecting a positional deviation of an emission portion in a top surface of the light-emitting element; detecting a position of the light-emitting element in a state in which the light-emitting element is held by an absorption nozzle; positioning the emission portion to a prescribed position on the board based on the positional deviation and the position of the light-emitting element; mounting the light-emitting element on the board at a position deviated from the prescribed position by the positional deviation; curing the adhesive; and heating the board to melt the solder.

1. Technical Field
One or more aspects of the present invention relates to an electronic component mounting system and an electronic component mounting method for mounting a light-emitting element as an electronic component on a board by soldering, and an electronic component mounting machine used in the electronic component mounting system.
2. Background Art
There is broad use of an illumination board serving as an illumination device in which light-emitting elements such as LEDs are mounted on a board. The illumination board is described, for example, in JP-A-2004-341108, JP-A-2012-42670, and JP-A-2012-243713. In the illumination board, since the emission light quantity of a single light-emitting element is small, many light-emitting elements are mounted on a board, and the illumination board is formed such that an optical array in which a plurality of light concentration elements are integrated on the element mounting surface, thereby increasing the efficiency of use of light beams emitted from the light-emitting elements.
In recent years, in an illumination board having the above configuration, soldering process is used for mounting (connecting) light-emitting elements on a board, such as mounting method for ordinary components. This method can reduce consumption of power by virtue of reduction of the resistances of connection of light-emitting elements to a board and reduce the manufacturing cost of the illumination board.

Electronic component mounting system, electronic component mounting method, and electronic component mounting machine

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


In an encoding device that creates an image in which data is embedded, an embedding unit divides an image into a plurality of blocks, and embeds data in the image based on a difference in value of characteristics of adjacent blocks; and a restriction information recording unit records use restriction information that restricts use of embedded data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoding device, a decoding device, and printed matter, which can prevent illegitimate falsification/use of coded information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, proprietors of supermarkets, convenience stores, and the like, issue coupons as cash vouchers to customers to increase the sale of products. These coupons are collected at the time of payment, when POS (point of sales) terminals and the like obtain information indicating discounted products from the coupons, and deduct predetermined amounts from these products that are targets of the coupons.
However, issuing coupons to customers is a considerably tiresome operation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-260099 discloses a system that two-dimensionally codes the information indicating the discounted products, transmits this two-dimensionally coded information to mobile telephones and the like belonging to customers, and, at the time of payment, the customers display the two-dimensionally coded information on the screens of their mobile telephones and the like, allowing the POS terminals and the like to read it and deduct predetermined amounts from the discounted products.
However, the two-dimensional code used in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-260099 has a problem in that it is standardized, and can be easily created by a third party. That is, there is a risk that a malicious third party can illegitimately create a two-dimensional code for discounting, and use this to obtain illegitimate discounts on non-discounted products.
The proprietor who issues the two-dimensional code does not assume in many cases that it can be used a plurality of times. However, the two-dimensional code used in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-260099 has no restrictions on its use and can be used unrestrictedly inside the store, leading to a problem that when the same customer uses the same two-dimensional code many times, though sales increase, the intended profit cannot be achieved.

Encoding device, decoding device, and printed matter


A signal to be displayed that is output from a display signal source is upconverted and transmitted in the form of a millimeter-wave which is in turn downconverted and supplied to a flat display and displayed there.

1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods of driving a flat display used as a thin display device, a wall-hung display device and the like and devices driving the same, and in particular to wirelessly connecting a display signal source and the flat display together and reducing the thickness, weight and cost of the flat display.
2. Description of the Background Art
A flat display used as a thin display device, a wall-hang display device or the like has been developed employing a thin film transistor (TFT), ferroelectric crystal liquid (FLCD), an STN liquid crystal display device, a plasma display or a combination of liquid crystal and a plasma display or PALC, electroluminescence (EL), a light emitting diode (LED) display, or the like, and it has also been increased in size and enhanced in definition year after year. The flat display is connected to a signal source, such as a personal computer, a TV set, Internet, a TV phone, a TV conference system. Wirelessly connecting the display signal source and the flat display has also been considered in order to alleviate the flat display""s circuit burden, weight and cost.
Table 1 represents a relationship between the flat display""s definition, clock frequency and displaying-color count.
It is apparent from Table 1 that with a panel resolution of VGA (640xc3x97480), 0.60 Gbps and 0.75 Gbps are required for 18- and 24-bit colors, respectively. To display a high-vision image with a resolution of 1920xc3x971080, 4.46 Gbps is required.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 9-294271 discloses a technique of sending image data from a personal computer to a liquid crystal projector through infrared transmission and storing the image data in the liquid crystal projector. Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 6-77086 also describes a technique of configuring a disc player and a liquid crystal display removably and communicating signals therebetween through a wire or wirelessly. The publications describing such techniques, however, do not fully describe any forms of transmitted and received signals, any configuration of a transmitter, any configuration of a receiver, or the like in detail.
Furthermore, while signal transmission rates of 0.75 Gbps and 4.46 Gbps are required for the VGA and high-vision panel resolutions, respectively, infrared only has a signal transmission rate of approximately at most 100 MBPS. This is a limitation in using infrared to wirelessly connect a flat display.
The present invention contemplates a method and device driving a flat display, capable of wirelessly coupling the flat display and a display signal source together.
Briefly speaking, the present invention provides a method of driving a flat display, including the steps of: upconverting a signal output from a display signal source to be displayed into a millimeter-wave and transmitting the millimeter-wave; receiving and downconverting the millimeter-wave to output the signal to be displayed; and supplying the signal to be displayed to the flat display.
The present invention, in another aspect, is a flat display drive device comprised of a display signal source, a first frequency converting circuit, a millimeter-wave transmission circuit, a millimeter-wave reception circuit, a second frequency conversion circuit, a signal separation circuit, a flat display, an x-direction driver, and a y-direction driver.
A display signal source generates a signal to be displayed. The first frequency converting circuit receives the signal to be displayed and converts it into a millimeter-wave. The millimeter-wave transmission circuit produces a radio-frequency (RF) wave for transmitting the millimeter-wave. The millimeter-wave reception circuit receives the radio-frequency wave to produce a millimeter-wave. Second frequency conversion circuit receives the millimeter-wave from the millimeter-wave reception circuit and converts it into the signal to be displayed. The signal separation circuit receives the signal to be displayed from the second frequency conversion circuit and separates it into an x-direction image signal and a y-direction image signal.
The flat display has a plurality of display elements arranged in a matrix, including an x-direction drive line arranged for each row of display elements and a y-direction chive line arranged for each column of display elements. The x-direction driver responds to the x-direction image signal by supplying to the x-direction drive line a voltage signal for driving a display element. The y-direction driver responds to the y-direction image signal by supplying to the y-direction drive line a voltage signal for driving a display element.
The present invention in still another aspect is a flat display drive device comprised of a display signal source, a signal separation circuit, a modulation circuit, a frequency converting circuit, a milliwave transmitter, a miniwave receiver, a demodulation circuit, a flat display, an x-direction driver, a y-direction driver, and first and second signal supply circuits.
The display signal source generates a signal to be displayed. The signal separation circuit separates the signal to be displayed into x- and y-direction signals for driving the flat display. The modulation circuit uses the x- and y-direction signals to modulate an intermediate frequency (IF) wave. The frequency converting circuit converts the IF wave modulated by the modulation circuit into a radio-frequency wave. The millimeter-wave transmitter generates a radio-frequency wave for transmitting a milimeter-wave. The millimeter-wave receiver receives the radio-frequency wave to produce a millimeter-wave. The demodulation circuit demodulates the millimeter-wave into x- and y-direction signals.
The flat display has a plurality of display elements arranged in rows and columns and also includes an x-direction drive line arranged for each row of display elements and a y-direction drive line arranged for each column of display elements. The x-direction driver supplies an x-direction signal to the x-direction drive line. The y-direction driver supplies a y-direction signal to the y-direction drive line. The first signal supply circuit supplies an x-direction signal to the x-direction driver. The second signal supply circuit supplies a y-direction signal to the y-direction driver.
The present invention in still another aspect is a flat display drive device comprised of a display signal source, a signal separation circuit, a modulation circuit, a millimeter-wave transmitter, a millimeter-wave receiver, a demodulation circuit, a flat display, an x-direction driver, a y-direction driver, and first and second signal supply circuits.
The display signal source generates a signal to be displayed. The signal separation circuit separates the signal to be displayed into x- and y-direction signals for driving the flat display. The modulation circuit modulates a millimeter-wave, depending on a signal obtained by time-division multiplexing the x- and y-direction signals. The millimeter-wave transmitter transmits via a radio-frequency wave a millimeter-wave corresponding to the milimeter-wave modulated by the modulation circuit, and the millimeter-wave transmitter incorporates a digital modulator therein.
The modulation circuit uses the x- and y-direction signals to modulate an intermediate-frequency (IF). The frequency converting circuit converts the IF wave modulated by the modulation circuit into a radio-frequency wave. The millimeter-wave transmitter generates a radio-frequency wave for transmitting a millimeter-wave. The millimeter-wave receiver receives the radio-frequency wave to produce a millimeter-wave. The demodulation circuit demodulates the millimeter-wave into x- and y-direction signals.
The flat display has a plurality of display elements arranged in rows and columns and also includes an x-direction drive line arranged for each row of display elements and a y-direction drive line arranged for each column of display elements.. The x-direction driver supplies an x-direction signal to the x-direction drive line. The y-direction driver supplies a y-direction signal to the y-direction chive line. The first signal supply circuit supplies an x-direction signal to the x-direction driver. The second signal supply circuit supplies a y-direction signal to the y-direction driver.
Thus a main advantage of the present invention is that since a display signal is transmitted and received in a millimeter-wave, ultra high-speed transmission of data greater in frequency than high-vision video signals can be achieved and the display signal""s bandwidth can be adequately covered to reduce transmission noise and modulation noise. Furthermore, since the display signal source and the flat display are coupled together wirelessly via a millimeter electric wave, the display signal source and the flat display can be arranged as desired to effectively enjoy the characteristics of the flat display, i.e., reduced thickness and weight.
Furthermore, millimeter-wave, harmless to the human body and also highly directional, allows the display signal source and the flat display to be readily matched in directionality. A millimeter-wave can also be damped significantly in the atmosphere, and it is thus advantageous in reduction of interference on other communication circuits and in reuse of a frequency space when it is used for relatively short distance communications, such as in a household, an office or the like.
Furthermore, since the transmitting side previously separates a signal to be displayed into x- and y-direction signals before it is transmitted, in the flat display the received x- and y-direction signals can be used to directly drive the x- and y-direction drive lines and a simple circuit configuration can thus be used to drive the display. Furthermore, in providing a 2-screen display, for example, the transmitting side is only required to transmit a signal to be displayed corresponding to a portion desired to be displayed and it is thus not necessary to transmit the data corresponding to the entire screen of the flat display, so that a transmission band can be used effectively.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method of driving a flat display capable of wireless connection and device for driving the same


An improved catalyst for the hydrogenation of maleic acid, maleic anhydride or other hydrogenatable precursor to 1,4-butanediol and tetrahydrofuran has been discovered. This hydrogenation catalyst comprises palladium, silver, rhenium and at least one of iron, aluminum, cobalt and mixtures thereof, all on a carbon support.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved catalyst for the hydrogenation of maleic acid, maleic anhydride or other hydrogenatable precursor to 1,4-butanediol and tetrahydrofuran. The catalyst comprises palladium, silver, rhenium and at least one of iron, aluminum, cobalt and mixtures thereof, all on a carbon support. The use of this catalyst in processes for the hydrogenation of maleic acid, maleic anhydride or other hydrogenatable precursor to 1,4-butanediol and tetrahydrofuran is characterized by higher overall activity to reaction products and by higher yields of 1,4-butanediol with minimal formation of gamma-butyrolactone by-products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that tetrahydrofuran, gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol are obtained by the catalytic hydrogenation of maleic anhydride and related compounds. Tetrahydrofuran is a useful solvent for natural and synthetic resins and is a valuable intermediate in the manufacture of a number of chemicals and plastics. Gamma-butyrolactone is an intermediate for the synthesis of butyric acid compounds, polyvinylpyrrolidone and methionine. Gamma-butyrolactone is a useful solvent for acrylate and styrene polymers and also a useful ingredient of paint removers and textile assistants. 1,4-butanediol (a.k.a. 1,4-butylene glycol) is useful as a solvent, a humectant, an intermediate for plasticizers and pharmaceuticals, a cross-linking agent for polyurethane elastomers, a precursor in the manufacture of tetrahydrofuran, and is used to make terephthalate plastics.
Of particular interest in the instant invention are hydrogenation catalysts comprising palladium, silver, rhenium and at least one of iron, aluminum, cobalt and mixtures thereof, all on a carbon support, which are useful for the hydrogenation of maleic anhydride, maleic acid and related compounds to tetrahydrofuran, gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol.
British Patent No. 1,534,232 teaches the hydrogenation of carboxylic acids, lactones or anhydrides using a hydrogenation catalyst consisting of palladium and rhenium on a carbon support. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,185 and 4,609,636 teach a process of making tetrahydrofuran and 1,4-butanediol by hydrogenating maleic acid, maleic anhydride or other hydrogenatable precursor in the presence of a catalyst comprising palladium and rhenium on a carbon support wherein the palladium and rhenium were present in the form of crystallites having an average palladium crystallite size of about 10 to 25 nm and an average rhenium crystallite size of less than 2.5 nm. The preparation of this catalyst is characterized by the deposition and reduction of the palladium species on the carbon support followed by the deposition and reduction of the rhenium species on the palladium impregnated carbon support.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,572 teaches a process for the catalytic hydrogenation of a carboxylic acid or an anhydride thereof to the corresponding alcohol and/or carboxylic acid ester using a catalyst comprising rhenium, palladium and at least one other metal capable of alloying with the palladium, all on a carbon support. The preferred metal capable of alloying with the palladium is silver but gold, copper, nickel, rhodium, tin, cobalt, aluminum, manganese, gallium, iron, chromium, and platinum also are taught. The preparation of this catalyst is characterized by the simultaneous deposition of palladium and silver on the carbon support followed by a high temperature (600.degree. C.) heat treatment. Rhenium is then deposited on the palladium/alloying metal impregnated carbon support. The resulting catalyst is then reduced.
WO 92/02298 discloses a hydrogenation catalyst comprising palladium and rhenium and one or more metals selected from the group consisting of rhodium, cobalt, platinum, ruthenium, iron, thulium, cerium, yttrium, neodymium, aluminum, praseodymium, holmium, hafnium, manganese, vanadium, chromium, gold, terbium, lutetium, nickel, scandium and niobium, on a support.
Generally, in the hydrogenation of maleic acid, maleic anhydride or other hydrogenatable precursor the above discussed catalysts have the propensity to produce more tetrahydrofuran and gamma-butyrolactone than 1,4-butanediol. An object of this invention is a process and a catalyst which will maximize 1,4-butanediol production and minimize gamma-butyrolactone production.

Catalysts for the hydrogenation of maleic acid to 1,4-butanediol


An automated system for preparing cards for further processing includes an envelope feed hopper configured to receive a plurality of envelopes, each having contents including a card carrier and one or more cards attached thereto. The systems also includes an envelope opener configured to receive envelopes from the hopper and create an opening into each envelope. The system further includes a contents parser configured to separate a card carrier and card attached thereto from an envelope. The system also includes a card carrier alignment device configured to unfold a card carrier and align the carrier for further processing and a separation mechanism configured to receive card carriers from the alignment device and separate the card from the carrier. The system also includes a controller programmed to control operation of the system.

This invention relates generally to the field of card destruction. More specifically, the invention relates to automated systems and methods for preparing cards for destruction.
A variety of organizations issue cards to their customers. For example, such organizations may issue credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, loyalty cards and the like to their customers. Often, such organizations contract with another company to produce and mail such cards to the end consumer. For a variety of reasons, once produced some of the cards may need to be destroyed. For instance, some cards may be returned by the postal service as being undeliverable, the customer's account may be closed, or the like.
While such cards can be manually destroyed, such a process is time intensive and can make it difficult to produce reliable records of the destruction. Hence, this invention relates to systems and techniques to facilitate card destruction in a more efficient and reliable manner.

Card stripper for removing cards from card carriers


Bromocriptine citrate administered to a vertebrate, animal or human, can be used for any purpose including, e.g., the long-term modification and regulation of metabolic disorders, including prediabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and/or, e.g., the treatment of other medical disorder(s) including immune or endocrine disorders or diseases. Bromocriptine citrate is administered over a limited or extended period at a time of day dependent on re-establishing the normal circadian rhythm of central dopaminergic activity of healthy members of a similar species and sex. Insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia, T2DM, prediabetes, MS or all, can be controlled in humans on a long term basis by such treatment inasmuch as the daily administration of bromocriptine citrate resets neuronal activity timing in the neural centers of the brain to produce long term effects.

Diabetes, one of the most insidious of the major diseases, can strike suddenly or lie undiagnosed for years while attacking the blood vessels and nerves. Diabetics, as group, are far more often afflicted with blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, hearing loss, gangrene and impotence. The total costs of diagnosed diabetes were estimated by the American Diabetes Association to be $245 billion in 2012 alone, an increase of over 40% over a five-year period (compared to 2007) and a figure that represents about 20% of all health care spending in the United States.
Diabetes adversely affects the way the body uses sugars and starches which, during digestion, are converted into glucose. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas makes the glucose available to the body's cells for energy. Insulin is a hormone with a multitude of biological activities, many of which are tissue specific. For example, insulin can augment milk production in the mammary gland, stimulate fat synthesis in the liver, promote the transport of glucose into muscle tissue, stimulate growth of connective tissues, and the like. The effects of the insulin molecule in one tissue are not necessarily dependent upon its effect in other tissues. That is, these insulin activities can be and are molecularly separate from each other. In muscle, adipose (fat) and connective tissues, insulin facilitates the entry of glucose into the cells by an action on the cell membranes. The ingested glucose is normally metabolized in the liver to CO2 and H2 (50%), glycogen (5%) and fat (30-40%), which is stored in fat depots. Fatty acids are circulated, returned to the liver and metabolized to ketone bodies for utilization as a source of energy by various tissues. Fatty acids are also metabolized by other organs, fat formation being a major pathway for carbohydrate utilization. The net effect of insulin is to promote the storage and use of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Insulin deficiency is a common and serious pathological condition in man.
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, and insulin must be injected daily for the survival of the diabetic. In type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the pancreas produces insulin, but the amount of insulin is insufficient, or less than fully effective due to cellular resistance, or both. In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the fundamental defects to which the abnormalities can be traced are: (1) a reduced entry of glucose into various "peripheral" tissues, and (2) an increased liberation of glucose into the circulation from the liver (increased hepatic glucogenesis). There is therefore an extracellular glucose excess and an intracellular glucose deficiency which has been called "starvation in the midst of plenty." There is also a decrease in the entry of amino acids into muscle and an increase in lipolysis. These result, as a consequence of the diabetic condition, in elevated levels of glucose in the blood, and prolonged high blood sugar which is indicative of a condition which will cause blood vessel and nerve damage. Obesity, or excess fat deposits, is often associated with increasing cellular resistance to insulin which precedes the onset of frank diabetes. Prior to the onset of diabetes, the pancreas of the obese are taxed to produce additional insulin, but eventually, perhaps over several years, insulin productivity falls and diabetes results.
Obesity and insulin resistance, the latter of which is generally accompanied by hyperinsulinemia or hyperglycemia, or both, are hallmarks of T2DM. Hyperinsulinemia is a higher-than-normal level of insulin in the blood. Insulin resistance can be defined as a state in which a normal amount of insulin produces a subnormal biologic response. In insulin-treated patients with diabetes, insulin resistance is considered to be present whenever the therapeutic dose of insulin exceeds the secretory rate of insulin in normal persons. Insulin resistance is also found in the setting defined by higher-than-normal levels of insulin—i.e., hyperinsulinemia—when normal or elevated levels of blood glucose are present. Despite decades of research on these serious health problems, the etiology of obesity and insulin resistance is unknown.
Metabolism is a complex orchestration of biochemical processes among cells and tissues of the body all working in concert to ensure the survival of the organism as a whole. The central nervous system plays a major role in integrating these metabolic activities to maintain normal biological homeostasis within the body. Environmental and genetic perturbations to this central nervous system control of metabolism can manifest as a range of metabolic disorders.
Additionally, since metabolic processes have profound effects on the entire body, diseases and disorders affecting metabolism generally affect other areas of the body as well. For example, individuals suffering from T2DM often experience problems with several body organs and systems. Typically, plasma glucose levels are elevated in T2DM as a result of the body's resistance to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin as well as a decreased ability to secrete appropriate amounts of insulin after a meal. T2DM is associated with damage to various organs such as the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. The disease is also associated with substantially increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetics.
Multiple circadian central neural oscillations govern the regulation and coordination of multiple physiological (e.g., metabolic) events in the periphery as a function of their circadian phase relationship, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,755 and herein incorporated in entirety by reference. One such circadian rhythm governing metabolic status is the central (hypothalamic) circadian rhythm of dopaminergic activity. It has previously been observed that phase shifts in the circadian rhythm of central dopaminergic activities influence the status of metabolic diseases such as obesity or diabetes. Phase shifts away from the healthy normal circadian rhythm of central or hypothalamic dopaminergic activity by environment, diet, stress, genetics and/or other factors are, further, also operative in a much different and broader physiological regulatory system and potentiate and lead to the multiple complex metabolic pathologies of and associated with metabolic syndrome (MS—a syndrome defined as a composite of any three of hypertriglyceridemia [plasma triglycerides at >150 mg/dl], hypertension [blood pressure at >130/85], central obesity, hyperglycemia of fasting plasma glucose >110 mg/dl, or low plasma HDL cholesterol of <about 35 mg/dl and often to include the presence of insulin resistance, fatty liver, and systemic low grade inflammation;) as described herein. The circadian peak of central dopaminergic activity is diminished in individuals with metabolic disease. The timed administration of bromocriptine citrate is intended to reestablish the normal circadian peak of central dopaminergic activity. Furthermore, resetting these aberrant central dopaminergic circadian rhythms back towards that of the healthy normal state results in simultaneous improvements in the multiple complex pathologies of and associated with MS as described herein. As described above, MS and its associated pathologies represent a different pathology from diabetes or obesity, the cause of which is unknown. However, subjects with MS have much greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than subjects without the syndrome. Inasmuch as obesity and T2DM are not always associated with MS and vice versa, it is clear that this major health risk represents a separate and unique metabolic state with unique characteristics.
Adjusting the circadian rhythm of central dopaminergic activities by various means (including, e.g., the administration of central dopamine agonist(s)) may be employed to reduce the many pathologies of and associated with this syndrome, e.g., aberrant vascular tone, vascular health, endothelial function, glucose and lipid metabolism, immune system functions specifically influencing the vasculature, insulin action, and blood coaguability. That is, administration of dopamine agonists can act centrally to readjust towards "normal" those aberrant (circadian) neuroendocrine events controlling peripheral metabolism in subjects with metabolic disease. This same circadian dopaminergic resetting methodology may also be utilized to treat cardiometabolic risk, a cluster of physiological pathologies of common or discordant origin that converge to increase risk of cardiovascular disease. These risk factors include those of MS, but also inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes (including T2DM), prediabetes, obesity, smoking, gender, and age. Further, rather than just increasing dopaminergic activity with central dopamine agonists to improve MS, cardiometabolic risk and their associated pathologies, one may better influence these conditions by timing the administration of such dopamine agonists to coincide with the daily peak in central dopaminergic activities of healthy subjects of the same (or similar) species and sex to derive maximal benefit from such dopamine agonist therapy in treating these conditions. Central acting dopamine agonists are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, e.g., bromocriptine, quinpirole, quinerolane, talipexole, ropinirole, apomorphine, lisuride, terguride, fenoldopam, dihydroergotoxine (hydergine), erfotoxine, dihydroergocryptine, 6-methyl 8 β-carbobenzyloxy-aminoethyl-1O-α-ergoline, 8-acylaminoergoline, 6-methyl-8-α-(N-acyl)amino-9-ergoline, dihydro-alpha-ergocriptine, dihydro-alpha-ergotoxine, 6-methyl-8-α-(N-phenyl-acetyl)amino-9-ergoline, ergocornine, 9,10-dihydroergocornine, any D-2-halo-6-alkyl-8-substituted ergoline, D-2-bromo-6-methyl-8-cyanomethylergoline, and combinations thereof. Of these, bromocriptine, lisuride, or other ergot-related compounds with little or no serotonin 5HT2b receptor agonist activity are most preferred.
Because of its unique central mechanism of action, dopamine agonist (e.g., bromocriptine) therapy may be effectively combined with various peripheral acting agents that target specific peripheral biochemistry operative in manifesting particular elements of metabolic disease that may not be fully alleviated by dopamine agonist therapy, e.g., HMGCoA reductase inhibitors to reduce elevated plasma cholesterol, anti-hypertensives to reduce blood pressure by mechanisms different from those of dopamine agonist therapy, and anti-diabetes agents that augment the resetting effect of dopamine agonists on glucose metabolism such as postprandial insulin secretagouges or insulin itself, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-coagulative agents. Examples of such agents are known in the art and are disclosed in, e.g., Int'l. Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2009/091576 A2.
Use of such centrally acting dopamine agonists for treatment of the metabolic and non-metabolic vascular disorders described herein may be potentiated by their administration in a formulation that, upon administration, acts to re-establish the central nervous system circadian rhythm of dopaminergic activity as observed in healthy individuals of the same species and sex. One way to achieve this objective is to administer the bromocriptine citrate formulations disclosed herein within 2 hours after waking.Circadian rhythms of dopaminergic activity within the central nervous system, and particularly the phase relations of these dopaminergic neuronal rhythms with other circadian neuronal activities such as serotonergic neuronal activities have been demonstrated to regulate peripheral glucose and lipid metabolism in a manner dependent upon the phase of the daily peak in circadian central dopaminergic activity. Centrally acting dopamine agonists (e.g., bromocriptine) may be administered to effect a peak of dopamine agonist in the circulation that can be used to impact a circadian neuro-oscillator system (e.g., suprachiasmatic nucleus) in the brain to positively influence its regulation of metabolism via output control over other metabolism regulatory centers in the brain to thereby improve peripheral metabolism immediately followed by a brief (1-3 hours) sustained lower level of release of dopamine agonist into the circulation for a determined period of time that can directly influence other metabolism regulatory centers in the brain to improve metabolism.
Consequently, increases in dopaminergic activity at particular times of day versus others produce maximal effectiveness in improving metabolic diseases and disorders such as T2DM, obesity, prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiometabolic risk, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hepatic steatosis, renal disease, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease and biomarkers of impending vascular disease. If (and only if) the dopamine agonist therapy is used at the appropriate dosage(0.05 μg to 0.5 mg/kg of body weight) and at the appropriate time of day(within 2 hours of awakening) so that its levels are not elevated throughout a greater portion of the day but are confined to a discrete daily interval of the day that approximates the natural daily circadian peak of central nervous system dopaminergic activity in healthy individuals without either metabolic disease, vascular disease or increased levels of metabolic or non-metabolic biomarkers of vascular disease and given to a subject in need of treatment for cardiovascular disease, then dopamine agonist therapy decreases the severity of metabolic disease, vascular disease and adverse vascular events.
As such, maximized successful treatment of these aforementioned pathologies and abnormalities may be accomplished by appropriately timed daily administration of centrally acting dopamine agonist(s) that result in the re-establishment of the natural central circadian rhythm of dopaminergic activity. Because such dopamine agonist therapy attacks a root cause of these metabolic disorders (central dysregulation of global peripheral metabolism) it is possible to effectuate improvements in several metabolic pathologies in a simultaneous fashion that is not generally achievable by other conventional means that attack particular specific symptoms of metabolic disease, e.g., hypertension, high cholesterol, and/or hyperglycemia, fatty liver, non-alcoholic steatotic hepatitis (NASH), by acting at specific downstream peripheral targets such as biochemical pathways within liver or muscle. Moreover, central dopamine agonist therapy may be coupled with direct or indirect peripheral acting therapeutic agents, e.g., anti-diabetes agents, antihypertensive agents, cholesterol lowering agents, anti-inflammatory agents, or anti-obesity agents to produce additive or synergistic improvements in metabolic disease such as obesity or T2DM or particular aspects of metabolic disease, e.g., hypertension associated with obesity or T2DM.
In accordance with this invention, the use of dopamine agonists, in particular the dopamine D2 agonist bromocriptine ((5′α)-2-bromo-12′-hydroxy-2′-(1-methylethyl)-5′-(2-methylpropyl)-ergotaman-3′,6′,18- trione, CAS Registry No. 25614-03-3) or a salt formulation thereof, to treat the multiple complex pathologies of and associated with MS (including, e.g., obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia), non-metabolic pathologies associated with MS (e.g., a pro-inflammatory state, a pro-coagulative state, pro-oxidant state, and/or endothelial dysfunction), arteriosclerosis, and/or cardiovascular disease, all in subjects with or without T2DM, is applied during specific daily intervals to maximize the effectiveness of such treatment. See e.g. published US patent application 2008-0293735 A1.
Bromocriptine is typically formulated as a mesylate salt (referred to as bromocriptine mesylate) in pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of a variety of metabolic, reproductive, and endocrine disorders. Solid oral bromocriptine mesylate preparations are commercially available (e.g., CYCLOSET® tablets containing a total therapeutic dose of 0.8 mg bromocriptine mesylate or PARLODEL® tablets or capsules containing a total therapeutic dose of 2.5-5.0 mg bromocriptine mesylate). Mesylate salts are generally known in the art to confer more favorable interactions with water relative to other salts, including, e.g., the formic, esylate, bisulfate, citrate, napsylate, besylate, phosphate, tartrate, tosylate, oxalate, and hydrochloride salts.
However, the mesylate salt of bromocriptine nevertheless exhibits very poor (in absolute terms) water solubility and is additionally very susceptible to water degradation, two properties that significantly limit the optimization of the stability of bromocriptine formulations and their use in clinical medicine. As a result of the high susceptibility of the mesylate salt of bromocriptine to water degradation, the shelf life of the compound is limited in micro and macro environments that may contain water of any sort. Bromocriptine mesylate is further susceptible to heat degradation, particularly in aqueous/water environments. Additionally, as a direct result of the very poor water solubility of the mesylate salt of bromocriptine, this compound exhibits poor absorption across biological cellular membranes (e.g., epithelia). To compensate for these limitations of bromocriptine mesylate in an in vivo context (i.e., a warm, aqueous environment where drug effectiveness is reliant on absorption/diffusion across biological cellular membranes), higher dosages than would otherwise be necessary have been required.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Composition and method for treating metabolic disorders


A fluorine-containing boronic acid ester represented by the general formula:

Organic boronic acids or ester compounds thereof are stable in water and air, and are utilized in cross-coupling reactions using a transition metal complex as a catalyst. Particularly, the reaction using a palladium compound as a catalyst is known as the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, which is industrially used in pharmaceutical synthesis, pesticide synthesis, liquid crystal material synthesis, and the like. (see Non-Patent Document 1).
Moreover, recently, aromatic diboronic acids or ester compounds thereof are often used in the investigation study of OLED and conductive polymer materials. However, it is difficult to purify aromatic diboronic acids because many of them contain boroxine as an impurity. There is another drawback that aromatic diboronic acids or ester compounds are converted into boroxine by heating, thereby reducing the reactivity. In contrast, it is easy to purify aromatic diboronic acid ester compounds; however, many of them are poorly soluble in organic solvents and have a very high melting point.

Fluorine-containing boronic acid ester compound and method for producing the same

Abstract: (R1 is a linear or branched divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, R2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms or phenyl group, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and m is an integer of 0 to 4) having an improved solubility in organic solvents is produced by reacting a fluorine-containing 3,5-dihalogenoanilide derivative represented by the general formula:

Abstract: (R2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms or phenyl group, X is a halogen atom, n is an integer of 1 to 3, and m is an integer of 0 to 4) with a dialkoxyborane represented by the general formula:

Abstract: (R1 is a linear or branched divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms).


Devices and methods are provided for using an interactive wrapper for media content. A method may include identifying, by a first device, a software container including a call to action. The method may include identifying non-interactive advertising content. The method may include generating an interactive advertisement by adding the advertising content to the software container, and sending the interactive advertisement to a second device for presentation. The method may include receiving an indication of a user interaction with the interactive advertisement, and determining, based on the user interaction, an action. The method may include sending data associated with the action to the second device or a third device for presentation.

People increasingly are using more devices. However, content presented using different devices may not be formatted to allow user interaction. For example, digital and radio advertisement creatives may not allow for user interaction with the advertisement creatives. There is therefore a need for interactive content to be presented using devices.
Certain implementations will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementations and/or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the figures refer to like elements throughout. Hence, if a feature is used across several drawings, the number used to identify the feature in the drawing where the feature first appeared will be used in later drawings.

User interactive wrapper for media content


Temporary increased broadband bandwidth services for high speed access and download of Internet websites are provided to end user DSL subscribers by a system and method to increase speed of accessing certain Internet websites to incentivize the end user DSL subscribers to purchase higher speed broadband services and to incentivize content providers to pay for the temporary increased broadband services. The speed category of a customer premises equipment turbo modem is controlled by either a wired or wireless serving center computer processor, based on either the wired or wireless serving center computer processor determining whether to download Internet and video content at a predetermined selected speed category.

Generally, end user broadband subscribers using their home and/or business computers to access Internet websites and content have unpleasant experiences trying to access Internet websites and content. Numerous low-speed (i.e., 256 kbs and 1.5 kbs) digital subscriber line (DSL) users experience long access times when accessing Internet websites and content. These DSL users would benefit from "temporarily" accessing certain Internet websites and content at much higher download speeds. As an example, a customer/subscriber can be provided the ability to quickly download and view a short (data intensive) video instantaneously when clicking on certain advertisements on sites such as GOOGLE™, YAHOO!® or other product, service and content provider's websites.
Furthermore, the end user home and business DSL customers/subscribers pay the broadband service provider and do not receive any price offset for the slow access capability. In addition, the end user DSL customers/subscribers would have to pay the broadband service provider more, in order to obtain faster broadband service. Also, Internet applications are becoming more bandwidth demanding, thus increasing the frustrations of end user DSL customers/subscribers with slower and slower Internet website access times.
Therefore, the need exists for a system and method for providing end user DSL customers/subscribers a service for temporarily accessing certain Internet websites and content at much higher download speeds. Higher speed access would provide the end user customers/subscribers a more pleasant customer experience.
Furthermore, the need exists for a system and method of offsetting the cost to the end user subscriber for faster Internet website access. Combined with the faster access times, a reduction in cost would provide the end user customers/subscribers with a good customer viewing experience; and the good customer experience would be an incentive for the end user customers/subscribers to purchase faster broadband service capabilities from the broadband service provider.

Methods, systems and computer products to incentivize high speed internet access


A method for achieving clock timing closure in an integrated circuit (IC) design includes designing an IC using one or more component cells selected from a cell library to produce the design. A timing analysis of the design is performed to determine if timing constraints are satisfied. When a given time constraint is not satisfied, a component cell selected from the cell library is replaced with a replacement cell that has the same function and the same footprint as the replaced component cell, but has a different timing characteristic based on the phase relationship of the signal being capacitively coupled to enhance the likelihood of meeting the given time constraint. The timing analysis is repeated with the replacement cell. The process of replacing component cells and performing timing analysis may be iterative.

The present invention relates generally to the design and fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits, and more particularly to a method to achieve timing closure of a digital circuit design.
Very large integrated circuits, which are often referred to as systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), are designed by dividing the design into multiple modules. The modules are designed concurrently with coordination among the module design groups. Until the modules are stitched together, there is uncertainty as to whether the overall design will meet the specified design criteria, such as the frequency of operation and other timing constraints.
In some SoCs, a clock signal is generated by an oscillator and distributed throughout the SoC. When the clock signal, which may be routed on more than one metal layer of the integrated circuit, is distributed on a single conductor, referred to as a common path, variations on the common path influence the clock signal provided to the clock-signal-recipient components throughout the SoC. When the clock signal is distributed on a network of conductors, each bifurcation typically includes a buffer in each bifurcated branch conductor, which results in (i) a pre-bifurcation clock signal branch and (ii) each of the post-bifurcation clock signal branches having clock signals with slightly different variations. Thus, the clock signals provided to different clock-signal-recipient components throughout the SoC may be skewed. On-chip variations (OCV), such as process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations, compound clock signal variations. Clock signal variations are less tolerable in higher frequency applications due to the shorter clock period for signals to propagate. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to test a SoC for clock signal variations.

Configurable cell design using capacitive coupling for enhanced timing closure


A plurality of single port memories are provided for use with a single instruction multiple data processor. These are operable as a multi-port memory with simultaneous access to the plurality of single port memories. The apparatus is operable to send an access request for a plurality of memory locations to the locations in a known order. This request is then reordered to be suitable for application to the single port memories. The memories are then accessed and the data reordered to conform with the access request format.

In British patent application number 0226732.6 an architecture is described which supports demodulation of a wide range of analogue and digital signal formats. One key element of that architecture is a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) programmable processor which is closely coupled to a memory unit which provides access to multiple data words in each clock cycle. In one embodiment of the invention, it is necessary to read or write four independent data values in each clock cycle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,010: "cascaded two-stage computational SIMD engine having multi-port memory and multiple arithmetic units", a number of SIMD processor arrangements are described which consist of a number of arithmetic units and multi-port memories. This patent does not describe how to build a suitable multi-port memory using single-ported Memories.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,073: "Method of emulating dual-port memory device using an internally-cached static random access memory architecture", a hierarchical caching arrangement of memories is described which gives dual-port access to a large single-port memory. This arrangement is not suitable for an SIMD processor such as the one described in British patent application number 0226732.6.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,674: "Multi-port memory architecture with direct data flow", an arrangement is described which gives multi-port access to a large single-port memory which has wider data bus width and faster cycle time than the memory ports. This arrangement is not suitable for an SIMD processor such as the one described in British patent application number 0226732.6.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,505: "Multi-port memory and a data processor accessing the same", an arrangement is described which gives dual-port access to two independent single-port memories by allocating each of the two input ports to each of the two memories on successive clock cycles. This arrangement is not suitable for an SIMD processor such as the one described in British patent application number 0226732.6.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,607: "Multi-ported memory architecture using single-ported RAM", an arrangement is described which gives multi-port access to a number of independent single-port memories using a combination of bus grant signals, interrupts and mailboxes. This arrangement allows multiple processing devices to share a common memory area, but the arrangement is not suitable for a SIMD processor such as the one described in British patent application number 0226732.6.
The preferred embodiment of the invention described here provides an efficient structure for implementation of the multi-port memory required in a processor of the type described in British patent application number 0226732.6 using a plurality of single-port memories.
A SIMD processor such as the one described in British patent application number 0226732.6 requires a multi-port memory providing N independent accesses to memory in one clock cycle. A conventional multi-port semiconductor memory allowing N simultaneous independent accesses per clock cycle is in general larger than N independent single-port semiconductor memories with the same total storage capacity as the multi-port memory. The larger size is due to the extra circuitry required to provide multiple independent accesses to each memory cell. In a semiconductor chip which requires a multi-port memory it is desirable to minimise the chip area occupied by the memory. An arrangement that provides multi-port access to a plurality of single-port memories can provide a significant reduction in chip area for a given memory storage capacity.

SIMD process with multi-port memory unit comprising single-port memories


Composite or plastic molded articles used in a grand piano action. A piano action actuates in response to depression on a piano key to swing a hammer into a piano string. The articles are assembled to form a piano action with significantly less dynamic mass which is much more responsive to the touch. In addition, the new action provides the valuable collateral benefits of increased efficiency of manufacture and maintenance. The invention also provides the capability to achieve true half stroke design in both the sharp and white keys. Additionally, the application discloses a universal composite grand piano action that is capable of being installed into any brand of grand piano.

This invention relates to key operated percussion devices such as grand pianos and, more specifically, to the "actions" of such devices. A piano action transmits motion from the pianist's fingers to the piano strings.
The grand piano is a mature product that has remained relatively unchanged for nearly 100 years. Pianists, in general, must spend many years playing a piano in order to develop their technique. As a result, pianists, generally, prefer traditional piano actions because they learned to play on traditional piano actions which have remained unchanged. Traditional piano actions are made of wood. Typically, hornbeam or maple is used.
Relative to more modern materials, such as composites or plastics, wood is an inefficient raw material from which to manufacture piano action components. Wood action pieces must be drilled to produce the holes required for pivotal connections and assembly with other action components. The hole-drilling process is a laborious and costly process as compared to the production of molded piano action pieces with holes accurately formed therein during the initial molding process.
Wood is hydroscopic, i.e. wood swells or shrinks as its moisture content changes in response to the environment. This can cause binding in the action. Additionally, after repeated occurrences, this causes compression of the wood leading to failure of the piano action component. For instance, wood flanges often crack due to expansion from a rise in moisture content, as the screw crushes the wood in the flange where it is fastened to the rail. Moreover, wood has different strengths in different directions, complicating manufacturing processes, also resulting in reduced manufacturing efficiencies. Additionally, the production of any finished wood piece necessarily involves relatively large quantities of wasted material in the form of saw dust, which is inherent in any wood-working process. Finally, the lifespan of wood piano action components is limited as compared to that of other materials such as composites or plastics because wood eventually crumbles into dust after a certain amount of environmental cycles. On the other hand, composite piano action components would eliminated all the preceding drawbacks and result in more efficient manufacture and maintenance of a piano. Composite is defined as an engineered material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties and which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure.
Thus far, all but one attempt to use composite piano action components has met with less than satisfactory market acceptance. This is because composite material is heavier than wood. Thus far, manufacturers have simply replaced traditional wood components with similarly designed and shaped composite components, resulting in heavier or, at best, equivalent mass composite action members. Our experimentation shows that, in all cases, current composite grand piano actions do not decrease and generally increase moments of inertia as determined by touch weight on the piano keys.
An increase in overall moment of inertia of a piano action is unacceptable to the pianist. Playing the piano requires a great deal of hand strength. This requirement is amplified when the pianist is playing difficult musical pieces that require the key to respond very quickly for both volume and repetition. It is probably true that virtuosic piano pieces require strength and agility at the very limit of the abilities of the human hand. A pianist who depends on a key to move with a certain amount of finger strength will reject a piano action that requires more strength to produce the same key motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,801 (Yoshisue I) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,728 (Yoshisue II) have met with limited market acceptance. The object of Yoshisue I is to increase the efficiency of manufacture and maintenance and to extend the lifespan of a grand piano action mechanism. In every claim, Yoshisue I is limited to piano actions with at least one component of the action made of "synthetic resin having electrical conductivity at least on the surface thereof". The goal of this limitation is to eliminate static charge, thereby reducing the tendency of foreign particles to adhere to the action members as the particles cause wear, thereby increasing the lifespan of the action mechanism. Yoshisue I did not include the object of reducing the moment of inertia of the piano action. Yoshisue I teaches away from the use of plastic with a non-conductive surface in a piano action.
The object of Yoshisue II is to increase rigidity of the repetition base of the piano action. Increased rigidity can decrease the moments of the action when the rigidity increase is paired with certain changes in centers of mass of rotating action members and reductions in overall mass of certain action members. The repetition base in Yoshisue II, on the other hand, is without substantial change in repetition base center-of-mass and its overall mass is the same or heavier than the counterparts of this invention. Thus, the moment of the repetition base of Yoshisue II and the overall moment the whole piano action is significantly larger than those of this invention. Yoshisue II and this invention may seek to cure the same problem, i.e. reduce the energy requirements to cycle a grand piano action or improve the performance of the action; however, Yoshisue II failed at this object because it failed to discover and address the main source of the problem, which is inertia, dynamic mass, or moment analysis.


A storage system includes plural types of storage devices that define a plurality of virtual volumes and a plurality of logical volumes. A storage controller is configured to manage the plurality of virtual volumes and the plurality of logical volumes, the plurality of virtual volumes defining first storage areas and the plurality of logical volumes defining second storage areas. A second storage area of the plurality of logical volumes is allocated to a first storage area of the plurality of virtual volumes. The storage controller is configured to determine whether data of a first storage area of a swap file is to be stored in the first tier storage device or the second tier storage device based on access information from an application server that manages a swap file information of the swap file.

The present invention relates to an input/output (I/O) device and data image management systems for servers and storage converged systems. A storage converged system is a system that integrates server, storage, and networking management.
In recent years, thin provisioning has become popular. Thin provisioning includes methods for allocating area for a storage system that receives a write command to an unallocated area and allocating physical devices in response to the write commands, thereby increasing the efficiency of a system. Thin provisioning storage systems may reallocate frequently accessed allocated area to fast and expensive media and reallocate rarely accessed allocated areas to slower and less expensive media.
An example of reallocation is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which illustrate thin provisioning systems, where pages define storage areas in virtual volumes and logical volumes. As shown in FIG. 1, virtual volumes V-VOL A includes pages 1 to 4 that are mapped to a plurality of pages in logical volumes in Pool A. In particular, page 2 is mapped to page 200 on tier 2. When the number of accesses to page 2 increases, the storage controller copies data from page 200 on tier 2 to page 101 on tier 1, and copies data from page 101 on tier 1 to page 200 on tier 2. As seen on FIG. 2, the system changes the mappings of the pages, i.e., the link between page 2 and page 200 to a link between page 2 and page 101, and changes the link between page 1 and page 101 to a link between page 1 and page 200. Thus, more frequently accessed data is allocated to higher performance media in order to increase the performance of the system.
In a conventional thin provisioning system, an OS program and an application program are running on a server. The OS program and the application program use virtual memory that is mapped to a memory on the server. If the OS program and the application program use all area of the memory, the OS program moves rarely accessed areas of the memory to a swap file on a storage volume. The OS program allocates area on the memory that is not used to the OS program or the application program and changes links between the virtual memory and the memory, and the virtual memory and the swap file. At this time, performance decreases because I/O latency to memory is substantially shorter than I/O latency to a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) on the storage volume.
When there is free space on the memory, there is no need to access the swap file on the storage volume. Therefore an area that includes the swap file is located on a lower tier. When there is no free space on the memory, there are many accesses to the swap file in order to move data on the memory to the swap file. It takes long time to move the data because the area that includes the swap file is located on lower tier (see FIG. 2). Consequently, performance in such a system is compromised.
As disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2011/0202705, an administrator can locate a specified object to a specified tier. A storage subsystem gets location information of the specified object and moves pages that include the object based on the location information. Therefore, the administrator can locate the swap file on a higher tier. However, unless there is no free space on the memory on the server, the area of the higher tier that includes the swap file is not used. The cost of media on a higher tier is higher than the cost of media on lower tiers. As a result, cost performance of such a system is low.

Method and apparatus to pin page based on server state


Spiral springs (20) pressing a lift member (30) in an upward direction is arranged so that wound-up portions (20b) thereof move up and down along lift paths (13a, 13b) according as the lift member (30) moves up and down. In each lift path (13a, 13b) is provided a push-fit portion (40) of which a width is narrower than an outer diameter of the wound-up portion (20b) of the spiral spring (20), and in which according as the lift member (30) is lowered, the wound-up portion (20b) is fitted in such a manner that the wound-up portion becomes radially compressed. Accordingly, a cost-efficient and universally applicable display elevation adjusting apparatus can be provided which can make the operation feeling at the time of raising adjustment constant and can attain adjustment to suit the preference.

Conventionally, as a display supporting device for use with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") and a television receiver, a supporting device 100 for a liquid crystal monitor as shown in FIG. 12 is known. As shown in FIG. 12, this supporting device 100 includes: a base portion 101; a supporter 102 installed on and directed upward from this base portion 101; an elevator 103 installed in, and allowed to move up and down relative to, this supporter 102; and a movable unit 104 that is installed on an upper portion of this elevator 103, tiltably about a support shaft 103a in directions indicated by arrows Y2 in FIG. 12.
A helical spring 102a is contained inside the supporter 102, and by this helical spring 102a, the elevator 103 is pressed in an upward direction (indicated by an arrow Y1 in FIG. 12). An attachment 104a to which a display D is to be attached is provided on the movable unit 104, and by this attachment 104a, the display D is held rotatably in directions indicated by an arrow Y3 in FIG. 12.
According to such a supporting device 100, the elevator 103 can be slid upwardly and downwardly relative to the supporter 102, and the height of the display D can be changed so as to suit the preference of a user. At that time, since the elevator 103 is being pressed in the upward direction (as indicated by the arrow Y1 in FIG. 12) by the helical spring 102a, the operation for moving the display D in the upward direction can be smoothly performed with a light operation force (for example, refer to Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3063920, pages 6 and 7, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).
However, the conventional supporting device 100 has the following known problems. Since the supporting device 100 uses the helical spring 102a as a pressing force applying means, the pressing force would correspond to the height of the elevator 103 (the compression state of the spring). For this reason, the operation feeling at the time of the raising adjustment would correspond to the compression state of the spring and could not be adjusted to the operation feeling fit to the preference of the user.
Also, the operation feeling at the time of the raising adjustment could not be made constant, irrespective of the height of the elevator 103. For example, the raising operation force required when the display D is located at a higher position is stronger than that required when the display D is located at a lower position.
With this in view, as a countermeasure for making the operation feeling at the time of the raising adjustment constant, the use of a spiral spring instead of the helical spring 102a could be conceived. Generally speaking, although the pressing force of the spiral spring is constant as compared with the helical spring, the pressing force is still not strictly uniform irrespective of the unwound quantity; as the unwound quantity is increased, the pressing force is made stronger nevertheless. For this reason, even if the spiral spring is employed instead of the helical spring 102a, when the elevator 103 is located at a lower position, the unwound quantity of the spiral spring becomes greater, which would quite likely increase the pressing force. Thus, this countermeasure cannot make the operation feeling at the time of the raising adjustment constant.
Considering the universal applicability of the supporting device 100, it would be advantageous that a single type of the supporting device 100 is designed to be usable for various types of display D. However, when the displays D that may be different in production weight from one model to another are supported equally by the same type of supporting device 100, there is a fear that the operation feeling at the time of the raising adjustment is different for each model. For this reason, the necessity of taking a countermeasure, such as preparation of the helical spring 102a adjusted for each model, would arise, which increases the cost accordingly.


The present invention relates to a pallet comprising at least two stringers in the form of elongate main profiles 10 which extend along a longitudinal direction L, are connected to each other and are located at a distance from each other; the main profiles have a cross section which comprises a bottom 11 and two side surfaces 12a, 12b extending from the bottom and provided with through-openings through both side surfaces 12a, 12b in order to form a channel that permits introduction of a fork. In one embodiment, the pallet comprises at least one elongate stiffening profile 20 extending above and past said opening on both sides. The pallet may comprise a load-transferring end element, which at least partially covers an end of one of the main profiles, a load-transferring stiffening element that extends in direct proximity to and along a vertically extending edge of one of the openings and a filler profile which extends along the underside of the load deck.

Pallets are commonly used in situations where various types of loads are stored or transported. Pallets are available in many different designs. The traditional pallet is made of wood and comprises a load deck on which the load is intended to be placed. To allow the pallet to be lifted, the pallet is provided with two or three parallel stringers on which the load deck rests. The stringers comprise a longitudinal lower board and two or more pallet-deck spacers between said board and the load deck. In this way, a space is formed between the underside of the load deck and the ground, or between the top side of the board and the underside of the load deck, for access by forks of a fork-lift truck or the like. There are pallets of a similar design that are made of plastic or metal.
Pallets not made of wood are becoming more common now. These pallets have advantageous properties such as a longer useful life and less risk of damage and are more hygienic compared to pallets made of wood. For example, these pallets can be made of plastic or metal. However, there are also disadvantages or difficulties in constructing pallets from plastic or metal. For example, when constructing pallets from metal, it is necessary to use relatively thin plate in order to ensure that they are sufficiently light in weight and that they have a reasonable price in relation to their service life. However, a pallet made from thin plate can make handling difficult, since the pallet, compared to a pallet made from thicker plate, is not as durable when handled by trucks, for example. A pallet made from thin plate is quite easily damaged during such handling.
WO 2007/141154 describes a typical pallet made of metal and having a plurality of stringers and a load deck. The stringers are tubular and are formed in one piece with those parts of the load deck that connect the stringers to one another. The side surfaces of the stringers have punched-out openings through which a fork can be introduced in order to lift the pallet.
Depending on how the pallet is intended to be used, it will be exposed to different kinds of loading scenarios. If the pallet is intended to be used in a uniform and well-defined manner, it is possible to construct the pallet for a limited number of loading scenarios. An example of such a use is when the pallet is to be owned by a company that intends to use the pallet in one way or in a limited number of different ways. If the pallet is intended to be used in an open system in which pallets are interchanged, account has to be taken of a large number of different loading scenarios.
A typical loading scenario is one in which a pallet is placed in a pallet stand. A pallet stand in most cases has a front and a rear transverse beam for supporting the pallet. If a heavy load is placed on a pallet positioned in a pallet stand, the pallet tends to bend downwards between the transverse beams. This downward bending can lead to permanent deformations or, in the worst case, to the pallet breaking and falling from the pallet stand.
Another typical loading scenario is when pallets are stacked on top of one another. When stacking pallets, a superstructure is almost always used that generally comprises one or more pallet collars placed on top of one another. The upper pallet is placed such that it is supported by the superstructure. If a pallet with U-shaped stringers (as are common in a pallet made of metal) is stacked with a heavy load, the sides of the stringers (the legs of the U-profile) bend outwards.
Similar deformation also arises when a pallet with U-shaped stringers (as are common in a pallet made of metal) stands on the ground and is loaded with a heavy load.
Another typical loading scenario is when the pallet is loaded with an uneven or unbalanced load. This can lead to uneven loading of the pallet, which in turn can cause the central part of the stringers to sag. Stacking a pallet on top of a pallet with an uneven load can create deformation of this kind even at relatively low loads.
It may thus be said that there is a need for a pallet with improved load resistance in at least one of the described loading scenarios.
In addition, it is important that the pallet is sufficiently resistant to collisions and impacts, which it can be exposed to from trucks or other equipment used for lifting and moving pallets.


The invention provides a high-pressure discharge lamp incorporating an outer envelope storing a pair of electric terminals a plurality of arc tubes which are respectively stored in this outer envelope and electrically connected in parallel, and a plurality of ignition aids available for assisting operating of these arc tubes, where these ignition aids are provided for each of these arc tubes and contain potentials different from each other. In addition, the invention also provides a lighting system for operating the high-pressure discharge lamp. The lighting system comprises the first and second power supply lines which respectively provides mutual connection between a pair of terminals of the high-pressure discharge lamp, a ballast which is at least provided for either of the first and second power supply lines, a power switch which is provided for either the first or the second power supply line, a pulse generating means which generates either the positive or the negative ignition pulses to be superimposed on AC power voltage output from an AC power supply source, and a control circuit which alters polarity of the ignition pulses output from the pulse generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-pressure discharge lamp incorporating a plurality of arc tubes in the outer envelope and the method of operating.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the operation of a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp like a high-pressure sodium lamp or a metal halide lamp, for example, normally the internal pressure of the arc tube rises beyond 1 atmospheric pressure. As a result, after once turning the above mentioned discharge lamp off, in order to again light up the discharge lamp, the controller needs to wait a certain period of time to initiate discharge until the arc tube is cooled off to some extent allowing the mercury and luminous metal to condensate and decrease pressure in the arc tube. For example, in order to re-start a high-pressure sodium lamp with an external ignitor, normally it takes about one minute. On the other hand, in order to reactivate a metal halide lamp, normally it takes more than 10 minutes, and yet, even after being reactivated, at least several minutes are required until the luminous output is fully stabilized.
As a result, when power service is momentarily interrupted, unlike an incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp capable of quickly reaching full luminous condition, an interval of at least 10 minutes is required for any conventional high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps before it can again recover full luminous power.
To solve this problem, as is typically described in the publication of U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,454, a high-pressure sodium lamp is provided, which comprises a pair of arc tubes in an outer envelope which are electrically connected in parallel with each other. When the proposed high-pressure sodium lamp normally lights up, one arc tube in the pair of arc tubes remains lit. When power service is resumed after a momentary interruption, the other arc tube containing a low pressure lights up. In this case, while the former arc tube remains lit, the latter arc tube has a slightly raised internal pressure due to the preliminarily applied heating effect. As a result, this arc tube can start and reach its full output in a few minutes. In other words, the high-pressure sodium lamp cited above fully restarts in a very short period of time, thus offering much convenience for constantly illuminating highways and tunnels.
Furthermore, even when one of the arc tubes cannot light up itself, the other arc tube lights up. This in turn significantly extends the life of the high-pressure sodium lamp cited above. Theoretically, the service life of this high-pressure sodium lamp is twice as long as that of a conventional high-pressure sodium lamp merely housing a single arc tube.
On the other hand, when operating such a high-pressure sodium lamp incorporating a pair of parallel connected arc tubes in the outer envelop, the arc tube in the pair of arc tubes which has a lower starting voltage lights up. In other words, due to unexpected irregularities incidental to the manufacturing process, starting voltages may be slightly uneven between the two arc tubes. As a result, the arc tube with the lower starting voltage lights up first. Hence, when activating the high-pressure sodium lamp cited above, either one of the arc tubes, whichever has a lower starting voltage, always lights up first. In other words, whenever operating the high-pressure sodium lamp with a pair of arc tubes cited above, the arc tube with the lower starting voltage tends to light up first. This means that the arc tube with a lower starting voltage often light up itself, thus resulting in dissipation of the sodium filled in this arc tube. If this symptom occurs, then the lamp voltage of the arc tube rises to cause the luminous characteristic of the lamp itself to quickly degrade.
When either of these arc tube is no longer available, the other one can be operated. Since one arc tube of the pair of the arc tubes cannot instantaneously light up again, the high-pressure sodium lamp can no longer maintain the objective discussed above.
Mostly, the rise of voltage in the arc tube accounts for the generation of disabled arc tubes caused by unilateral operating. Consequently, during the latter half of the service life of the high-pressure sodium lamp, the arc tube that tends to initially light up frequently extinguishes. When this arc tube is extinct, the other arc tube starts lighting up in turn. After the former arc tube is subject to repeated extinction, leakage eventually occurs in it, thus causing the rare gas in it to leak into the outer envelope. As a result, the leaked rare gas absorbs the ignition pulse to prevent the other arc tube from being activated. For example, even when the arc tube is operated, as a result of heat dissipation by the rare gas, neither temperature nor voltage rises in the arc tube, thus lowering luminous efficiency. In the same way, the high-pressure discharge lamp incorporating a plurality of arc tubes is adversely affected by those symptoms described above.

High-pressure discharge lamp and lighting method

Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation


A remote monitoring system is disclosed. In one such embodiment, a system may comprise a first measuring unit disposed within a structure, a first processor disposed in operative communication with the first measuring unit, and a second processor disposed within the structure. The first measuring unit may comprise a first sensor adapted to detect a first parameter. The first measuring unit may be adapted to output a first signal associated with the first parameter. The first processor may be adapted to receive the first signal and to control the first measuring unit. The second processor may be disposed in operative communication with the first measuring unit and the first processor.

Excessive humidity and temperature extremes may place stress on the integrity of building structures. Such temperature and moisture extremes can cause building materials to shrink and swell thereby deforming the structure. The strain on building materials is particularly detrimental on those structures, such as windows and doors, that provide an interface between the inside and outside of a building. Also, windows and doors typically include a variety of different materials and/or parts which need to be able to move in relation to each other while maintaining the overall integrity of the unit. Under conditions of extreme humidity and temperature, both windows and doors may develop leaks where air or moisture can enter a building. Excessive humidity and temperature extremes may result in loss of integrity to the point that the window or door needs to be repaired or replaced.
A variety of monitoring systems have been developed to detect specific parameters of interest. For example, monitoring systems are described to monitor environmental conditions such as rainfall, smoke, or carbon monoxide (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,892,690, 5,914,656, 6,570,508, and 6,452,499). Still, these systems are designed as one-way conveyors of information and thus, do not allow for a user remote from the point of data collection to modify the system, or to remotely interact with the system in a proactive manner.
Monitoring systems may be used in buildings to monitor moisture and temperature (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,138 and 6,377,181). Known monitoring systems may include a relative humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, and a microprocessor and memory (e.g., HOBO® data logging unit manufactured and sold by Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, Mass.). In general, such systems must be locally accessed for data retrieval. Also, such systems do not allow for remote control of the system (i.e., such as allowing the user to change the measurement parameters). Thus, such systems require that a specially trained individual visit each monitoring station to obtain the data required for analysis. Thus, while such systems may provide the historical data necessary to perform a forensic analysis, such systems may be ineffective in detecting and providing notification of the risk of a future water intrusion event.
Thus, what is needed is a system for the non-destructive monitoring of a building that allows changes in humidity and/or temperature associated with a loss of structural integrity to be assessed. Also, what is needed is a system that is able to compile and simultaneously analyze data from a plurality of sensors such that the conditions in one building may be compared to conditions at similarly situated buildings. In this way, changes prognostic of a loss of building integrity may be detected and repaired in a cost-effective manner.


A sensor comprises a housing; and a lead frame comprising at least three elongated leads having an exterior portion extending from the housing; and a magnetic sensor circuit disposed in the housing and connected to the lead frame. The housing comprising at least two recesses or at least two lateral protrusions arranged on two opposite sides of the housing, for allowing the sensor to be mounted to the support. A component assembly comprising said sensor mounted on a support, the support comprising a plurality of first and second posts and a plurality of electrical contacts. A method of producing said component assembly, comprising the step of arranging said sensor with its elongated leads adjacent the first posts, and arranging its lateral protrusions and/or lateral recesses adjacent the second posts, and connecting the elongated leads to the electrical contacts.

Sensors are widely used in electronic devices to measure attributes of the environment and report a measured signal value. In many applications, the exact location of the sensor within the sensor system is an important element of the overall sensor system.
Some conventional electronic devices assembled on printed circuit boards comprise leads (electrical connection pins) extending from a device housing. An electronic circuit, for example an integrated circuit, is disposed in the housing and conventionally adhered to a lead frame with leads extending through the housing to provide electrical connections exterior to the housing to the integrated circuit within the housing. Contacts on the integrated circuit die are electrically connected to the leads with wire bonds inside the housing. The exterior portion of the leads extending from the housing can be inserted into holes in the printed circuit board or in a socket with socket pins inserted into holes in the printed circuit board. For example, dual inline packages (DIPs) and sockets having two rows of connection pins are commonly used, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,226.
Printed circuit boards frequently include connectors soldered into holes to provide access to the devices on the printed circuit boards (see, for example U.S. Pat. No. 8,480,411). In other applications, multiple boards, for example daughter cards are sometimes stacked together, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,890,281 and 7,220,135.
In more recent years, surface-mount packages and assembly techniques have dispensed with connection pins and simply rely on electrical connections provided on the housing and positioned on a printed circuit board. The electrical connections are subsequent soldered to circuit board contact pads to electrically connect and locate the surface-mount electronic devices on the circuit board.
One method used to locate devices with respect to a surface uses guide pins. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,229 describes guide pins positioned in the corners of a socket that mate with non-standard holes on a circuit board. A related method is used to stack and electrically connect integrated circuits. Each circuit has projecting pins on the bottom and receiving holes on the top, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,880,291 and 6,476,476.
These prior-art techniques do not always provide the precision needed for locating electronic devices, such as magnetic sensors, in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space within an electronic system. Furthermore, prior-art techniques do not always provide accurate z-axis location (orthogonal to the typical x and y dimensions defining the surface of a printed circuit board) and are not necessarily suitable for systems in which the electronic devices are not disposed on a printed circuit board.
There is a need, therefore, for alternative positioning methods and structures for electronic devices within electronic systems.