The present invention relates to an improved process for preparing polyalkenylsuccinimides having a sediment level less than 0.1 vol % comprising the steps of:                (a) preparing a polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent by                    (i) reacting a polyalkylene with an unsaturated acidic reagent in the absence of a strong acid until at least 25% of the polyalkylene is converted to a polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent;            (ii) continuing the reaction with an excess of the unsaturated acidic reagent in the presence of a strong acid to convert at least some of the unreacted polyalkylene to additional polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent; and            (iii) removing the unreacted unsaturated acidic reagent;                        (b) reacting the unfiltered product of step (a) with a polyamine having at least one basic nitrogen atom;        (c) diluting the product of step (b); and        (d) subsequently filtering the polyalkenylsuccinimide product.

Hydrocarbyl succinimides, such as those derived from polyalkylene polyamines, are known materials which have been widely used as fuel detergents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,803 describes the use of alkenyl succinimides in gasoline to reduce engine deposits. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,357 discloses additive mixtures for diesel fuels which include a hydrocarbyl succinimide or succinamide and the reduction of coke deposition by the use of these additive mixtures.
Additives are an important means of maintaining engine performance either by cleaning and/or lubricating moving parts of the engine. It is well known in the art to prepare hydrocarbyl substituted succinylating agents, and specifically polyisobutenyl succinic anhydrides (PIBSAs) by the reaction of a polyisobutene with maleic anhydride and to convert the PIBSAs to the corresponding succinimides by reaction with a polyethylene polyamine as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,001. These succinimides are used as fuel additives for their ability to clean and/or maintain in a clean condition carburetors, manifolds, inlet valve ports, fuel injectors and the like in an internal combustion engine.
The polyisobutenyl succinic anhydride intermediate may be produced following two main processes. The first process consists of a direct thermal condensation reaction between maleic anhydride and polybutene and is often referred in the art as the thermal ene reaction. Elevated temperatures above 200° C. are required to obtain good reaction yields. These high temperatures lead to the formation of resin (sediment) which is believed to be due to the polymerization and/or decomposition of maleic anhydride. The formation of those insoluble resin or sediment in significant amounts requires a filtration stage before the PIBSA can be used as an additive or as an intermediate in the preparation of other products, e.g. succinimides for instance. Furthermore, according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,001, those undesirable resin, induce not only a significant discrepancy between the real and apparent succinylation in the maleinised product (due to the presence of resinified and/or unreacted maleic anhydride) but also adversely affect the detergency properties of such additives.
In the second type of process, the chlorination of the polybutene is first carried out, followed by the condensation of the chlorinated polybutene with maleic anhydride. This process can be carried out at lower temperature, than the thermal ene reaction process, with high yield and without the formation of substantial amounts of sediment. However, the polyisobutenyl succinic anhydride obtained with this process contains residual chlorine and environmental concerns related to chlorine-containing materials and potential formation of hazardous products, such as dioxins, that may arise under the conditions prevalent in an internal combustion engine, make the use of the second process undesirable. Furthermore, chlorine is also known to be a poison for the catalysts used for exhaust gas after treatment systems, i.e. as in catalytic converters.
As mentioned in the discussion above, the production of thermal PIBSAs and the corresponding succinimides normally results in resin and various other side products. Removing the resin and other side products require a filtration step, generally performed on pressure filters, e.g. Schenk-type filters, using a filter aid. Furthermore, the viscosity of PIBSAs and the corresponding succinimides makes this filtration step industrially difficult. Thus, prior dilution generally with mineral oil is generally performed to increase the filtration rate. After filtration, the resin saturated filter cake is disposed. However, a significant amount of desired product remains adsorbed on the filter cake as well and therefore results in reduced yield of the product.
As a consequence, there have been important development efforts made to reduce the amount of sediment formed during the ene process. The nature of the polyalkene plays a key role in the efficiency of the ene reaction and the amount of sediment formed during the reaction. Polybutene having a high concentration of terminal vinylidene bonds (greater than 50 wt %) are more reactive and leads to higher conversion and lower sediment. Those polybutenes, also called "reactive polybutene" have been achieved by BF3-catalyzed polymerization of isobutylene. Conventional polybutenes, formed by cationic polymerization using aluminium chloride catalyst have a relatively low content of terminal double bonds (less than 20 wt %).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,919 discloses a process for preparing substituted succinic acylating agents by reacting an acidic reactant such as maleic anhydride with a substantially aliphatic polymer comprised principally or entirely of polyisobutenes in a mole ratio of acidic reactant:polymer of at least 1:1, provided that at least 50% of the polyisobutene content of the polymer has terminal vinylidene end groups and the reaction is maintained under super-atmospheric pressure during at least a substantial portion of the reaction period. The patent discloses that reaction product mixtures formed by this process contain little or no tars.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,022 which discloses the thermal ene reaction of ethylene-α-olefin polymers having a high terminal ethenylidene (i.e., vinylidene) content with monounsaturated carboxylic reactants in the presence of a catalyst system comprising at least one metallocene and an alumoxane compound. The patent discloses that the ethylene-α-olefin polymers readily undergo thermal ene reactions under conditions in which the formation of sediment or other byproducts contributing to product haze is greatly minimized or avoided altogether. It is further disclosed that the resulting ene reaction product mixture can be employed, without filtering, centrifuging, clarification, phase separation or other conventional product purification treatments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,355 discloses a process for production of an alkenyl anhydride or polyalkenylsuccinic anhydride without forming resin by an ene-synthesis reaction between an olefin or a polyolefin, particularly polyisobutenes that have a content of external double bonds of more than 50%, and maleic anhydride in an aromatic solvent that is selected from toluene and xylenes.
Reagents have also been employed in the thermal ene reaction in order to reduce the formation of tars and sediment. It has been shown that the addition of a strong acid (such as sulfonic acid) to the process of preparing a polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent results in a faster rate of reaction, higher conversion, less sediment, and a lower succinic ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,025 discloses a process for preparing polyalkenyl derivatives of monosaturated C4 to C10 dicarboxylic acid compounds containing insignificant amounts of sediment by reacting the dicarboxylic acid producing compound with a polyalkylene at high temperature and under high inert gas partial pressure above 2 atmospheres in the presence of a sediment-inhibiting amount of hydrocarbyl substituted sulfonic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,850 discloses a process of reacting a polyalkene having a Mn of at least 300 with an unsaturated acidic reagent at elevated temperatures in the absence of a strong acid until at least 25% of the polyalkene is converted to a polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent, continuing the reaction of the polyalkene with an excess of the unsaturated acidic reagent at elevated temperatures in the presence of a strong acid to convert at least some of the unreacted polyalkene to additional polyalkenyl derivative of an unsaturated acidic reagent, and removing the unreacted unsaturated acidic reagent. The process may be conducted at atmospheric, sub-atmospheric or super-atmospheric. Preferably, the pressure is super-atmospheric. There is no disclosure in the patent that the process results in a product having low sediment, particularly a sediment level less than 0.1 wt %.

Process for preparing polyalkenylsuccinimides


A brake disk includes an annular body, a plurality of first heat dissipation holes and a plurality of second heat dissipation holes. The annular body has two opposite side surfaces, an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall. The first heat dissipation holes are formed on at least one of the two side surfaces. The second heat dissipation holes penetrate through the annular body between the inner circumferential wall and the outer circumferential wall. A surface within any of the second heat dissipation holes is formed with irregular structures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake disk, and more particularly to a brake disk with good heat dissipation efficiency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is ordinary to use a car for traveling and the car usually equips with a disk brake device for a brake system. A brake disk of the disk brake device is fixed on a wheel of the car, and a caliper of the disk brake device clamps the two side surfaces of the brake disk to induce friction and makes the brake disk and the wheel stop while braking. Moreover, heat is induced when the caliper rubs against the brake disk, and thus the disk brake device works in low efficiency and the life of usage shortens. Thus, a plurality of heat dissipation holes are formed on the brake disk to increase the surface area of the brake disk and to make the heat dissipation performance better. This kind of brake disk is disclosed in TWM382275, TWM263432 and so on.
However, the heat dissipation holes are only formed in axial direction on the brake disk in conventional techniques. The forwarding direction of the brake disk is perpendicular to the direction of the heat dissipation holes, so there is inefficient air convection acting upon the heat dissipation holes. The performance of the brake system is bad because of bad heat dissipation performance, and this disadvantage is needed to be improved.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.


An organic light emitting display includes a substrate; a first pixel electrode disposed on the substrate; a second pixel electrode disposed on the substrate; a hole auxiliary layer disposed on the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode; a first organic emission layer disposed on the hole auxiliary layer in correspondence with the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode; a blue organic emission layer disposed on the hole auxiliary layer in correspondence with the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode, the blue organic emission layer being further disposed on the first organic emission layer; a non-doping blue organic emission layer disposed on the blue organic emission layer; an electron auxiliary layer disposed on the non-doping blue organic emission layer; and a common electrode disposed on the electron auxiliary layer.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to display technology, and, more particularly, to organic light emitting displays and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Discussion
Conventional organic light emitting devices typically include two electrodes and an organic emission layer disposed therebetween. One of the two electrodes injects holes and the other injects electrons into the organic emission layer. The injected electrons and holes are combined to form excitons that emit light as discharged energy. It is noted that the organic emission layer may be configured to emit the light in at least one range of wavelengths, such as, for example, red, green, and blue color wavelengths. To this end, various methods may be utilized to fabricate such organic emission layers, such as, for instance, laser induced thermal imaging and laser-induced sublimation transfer techniques.
Laser induced thermal imaging (LITI) is a laser addressed thermal patterning technique for exposing a mask pattern with a laser beam to generate a patterned laser beam that is irradiated onto a donor film including a base film and a transfer layer. Exposed regions of the transfer layer may be released from the transfer layer, and, thereby, adhered to a portion of the organic light emitting display to form an emission layer of the organic light emitting display. It is noted that LITI enables each emission layer to be precisely patterned and placed using a "dry" manufacturing process.
Blue organic emission layers, however, may be vulnerable to heat transfer, which typically occurs when a blue organic emission layer is irradiated with the patterned laser beam. As such, blue organic emission layer may be vacuum deposited on a larger surface than intended for the blue organic emission layer. That is, when forming an organic light emitting layer using LITI, a blue organic emission layer may be formed in association with other colored pixels, such as red pixels and green pixels, in addition to a blue colored pixel. This may be referred to as an organic light emitting display including a blue common layer (BCL) structure. It is noted, however, that the red organic emission layer and the green organic emission layer may require higher driving voltages due to the presence of the blue organic emission layer formed thereon. In this manner, luminous efficiency may be decreased and life-span may be deteriorated.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Organic light emitting display and method of manufacturing the same


The invention provides a clamping device which removably secures a body to a cable, the clamping device comprising a toothed, tapered cable gripping insert which fits into a stepped, tapered recess slot in the body. The cable gripping insert is retained in position by a T-shaped latching bar on the top of the insert which fits into transverse grooves in the body on either side of the recess slot. A clamped cable exits the recess slot at right angles to its entry, providing pivoting action. The cable attaching device is particularly suited for use with an attachment for use with a float switch assembly. Such an attachment may be used as a weighted pivot for a float switch or alternatively as an unweighted float for extending the range of an existing float switch assembly.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the general art of cable attaching devices and more particularly to a cable clamp for use with an attachment intended for use with a float switch assembly, the attachment providing in one embodiment a weighted pivot and in another embodiment, an additional float to extend the range of the float switch assembly to which it is attached.
II. Description of the Related Art
Cable clamps exist wherein the cable is held by a toothed tapered wedge. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,906 issued to Werner on May 25, 1992 relates to a feed-through connection which connects an electric power transmission cable to a transmission tower. The connection has a serrated wedge which clamps the cable. The wedge is positioned by pins and driven into the body of the connection by hammering or a propellant power tool, to immovably fix the cable into the connection. Further, the connection is designed to prevent the cable from making sharp bends, the channel being curved at a 65 degree angle.
British patent 24,287 issued to Witham et al on Oct. 23, 1913 relates to an end fastening device for ropes in which the rope exits the clamp at 90 degrees from the entrance.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,474,498 issued to Schwabe on Jun. 28, 1949 discloses a fishing float with a vertical slot in which a fishing line is held by a key. The key is held by a spring brass annular ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,504 issued to Williams on Apr. 20, 1976 discloses an electric cable stress transfer device with a collar and wedge with ratchet teeth which permit forward movement of the wedge into the collar and limit rearward movement of the wedge out of the collar. The teeth do not contact the electric cable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,036 issued to Aho on Nov. 22, 1983 discloses a fastening means for a wrist strap of a ski pole which includes a toothed wedge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,671 issued to Ito et al. on Jan. 19, 1988 discloses a strap connector which includes a core with grooves which is inserted in a connector body, said grooves exerting a pinching force on two pieces of strap, thereby holding them in the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,824 issued to Colson et al. on Nov. 6, 1990 discloses a cord equalizer for gripping two or more cords of a shade which includes a molded insert member which is permanently wedged into a body member. The molded insert member has a single ridge which urges the cords against the inner surface of the body member, thereby compressing the cords and holding them in the body member.
There still exists a need for a simple trustworthy clamp for attaching a body to a cable. Particularly in the art of float switches, there is a need for a simple trustworthy clamp for an attachment which removably secures the attachment to a cable. The present invention provides a toothed, tapered cable gripping insert which is constructed and arranged to fit into a stepped, tapered recess slot in an attachment. A clamp cable exits the recess slot at right angles to its entry, providing pivoting action to a float switch assembly, allowing the float switch assembly to adapt to changing water levels. The cable gripping insert is retained in position by a T-shaped latching bar on the top of the attachment.
External weight assemblies in the art require that the cable be threaded through the weight and thus become an integral part of the assembly. The present invention provides an independent component that may be attached to the cable of a float switch assembly when weighting or alternatively, extension of the range of the float, is a requirement. Further, most weights are composed of cast iron or lead and are therefore unsuitable for use in potable water absent the use of special sealants. The present invention, however, provides an attachment which is sealed and is therefore suitable for use in potable water.
Operation with a sump pump requires equipment that will assure certainty of operation over long periods of time. This invention also fulfills a need for an improved weight attachment for use with a current float switch assembly, which, when weighted, is heavy enough to prevent the float switch assembly from rising in the fluid. The weight attachment is removable, which simplifies adjustment of the position of the attachment on the cable. In its most preferred form it also provides a pivot for a float switch assembly to adapt to changing water levels, thereby assuring a longer operating life, greater reliability and less wear and tear on parts of the switch assembly. An alternative embodiment provides an unweighted float attachment to extend the range of the float switch assembly.


A tone signal generator includes a tone signal data generating device, a signal data generating device, and a sound effects imparting device, such as a digital signal processor. The sound effects are imparted to the tone signal data based on the signal data in such a way that the digital signal processor processes the tone signal data and the signal data by repeatedly multiplying and adding them. In the process, a signal data supplying device supplies the tone signal data to the signal data generating device so that the tone signal data is used in place of the signal data. The digital signal processor processes the first tone signal data generated by the tone signal generating device and the second tone signal device supplied by the signal data supplying device so that the sound effects are imparted to the first tone signal data based on the second tone signal data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tone signal generator which can generate tone signals to which various specialized sound effects such as modulation and pitch change are provided, along with musical tones and normal sound effects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
TV game instruments for entertainment in practical use have a tone signal generator. In this instrument, data of tone signals stored in a game cartridge provided by a ROM or a CD-ROM is supplied into an internal RAM of the game instrument, and the data is read according to progress of a game program carried out for generating musical tones with the normal sound effects and the musical tones as back ground music.
The above musical tones for the TV game instruments or the like involve various specialized sound effects, such as modulation, for entertainment of the game. In order to obtain advantages of the sound effects, some coefficients supplied to the tone signal generator are required. The coefficients are used for deciding a level of the sound effects and drifting the level thereof.
The prior tone signal generators have been provided with LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and modulation signal generation circuits used for only generating the coefficients.
Generally, a DSP (digital Signal Processor) chip is used to generate the sound effects. In the DSP, it is necessary to prepare signal data to be parameters for filtering and modulating. For example, in case of modulating, the signal data for the modulating is required. Therefore, the prior tone signal generators have been provided with a circuit which has many functions to generate various kinds of the signal data.
Furthermore, it is possible to prepare a plurality of groups of coefficients in advance for filtering, and to change the present group dynamically to allow the tone signal generator to generate various sound effects. Therefore, the prior tone signal generators are provided with a filter device using a DSP chip schematically shown in FIG. 18.
In FIG. 18, a plurality of filter coefficients (a to d) are supplied from a filter coefficient register R to a DSP 71, and the DSP 71 uses a set of the coefficients for filtering to a filter input signal Si in one sample process time. In dynamically changing the filter coefficients, a CPU 70 changes the coefficients stored in the coefficient register R with time. In this case, writing the coefficients from the CPU 70 to the coefficient register R is performed successively in time series according to a process clock of the CPU 70. Therefore, a certain extent of time is required to replace the present set of the coefficients in the coefficients register R with a new set of the coefficients.
The prior tone signal generators, however, have disadvantages in that they need discrete hard circuits, such as the LFO and the modulation signal generation circuit, resulting in complex constitution of a whole circuit, large-sized LSI, and cost-up. Still more, it is difficult to obtain complex sound effects. Therefore, there is a limitation of the sound effects in each game program.
Furthermore, the prior tone signal generators having a circuit for the functions of generating various kinds of the signal data have another disadvantage in that the whole circuit becomes more complex, larger and more expensive.
Still more, in the filter configuration of the prior tone signal generator, re-writing of the coefficients causes conflicts of the filtering process. For instance, if the group of coefficients a-d is changed to the group of coefficients e-h in the coefficient register R, the coefficients of the two groups are mixed till the whole coefficients changing is finished. This mixed state makes the DSP wrong filtering process, therefore causing noises into a filter output signal So and oscillations of the DSP.

Tone signal generator having a sound effect function


A light string includes an illumination device, a first wire, a second wire, soldering material, and transparent adhesive. The illumination device includes two soldering portions. The conductors of the first wire and the second wire are partially exposed to form a first soldering section and a second soldering section. Soldering material is used to attach the first soldering section and the second soldering section to the two soldering portions. The transparent adhesive forms a layer over, and covers, the illumination device, the first soldering section and the second soldering section, and extends to partially cover other portions of the first wire and the second wire.

A light string that includes plural light sources directly soldered onto electric conductors at intervals, so as to form a string-shaped illumination device without a lamp holder, is known in the art. An example of such a light string is found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,397,381, entitled Method of Manufacturing Light Set with Surface Mounted Light Emitting Components. Light strings having many small-sized light sources, such as small bulbs that include light emitting diodes (LEDs), are commonly known. A light string is as flexible as the electric wire is, such that the light string is easily arranged in any configuration to comply with requirements for special illumination or decoration.
In the art, light sources are soldered to the copper core or conductor after the insulating layer of the electric wire or wire is removed, and then an electrical insulating treatment is performed on the solder joints. In this approach, light sources obviously stick out on the electric wire and are configured to have high-directivity. When arranging a light string, which may include pulling the light string, the light sources may be subject to forces and shocks that result in solder joints cracking. Furthermore, usually electric wires are flexible, but the soldering material is not as flexible. Thus, when the electric wire of the light string is pulled or bent, stress concentration often occurs at the soldering joints and results in soldering joints cracking.
In addition, in a light string, light sources are typically electrically connected in series or electrically connected in parallel. In parallel, precise driving voltage is required to drive the light source and prevent the light sources from being damaged by over-current. In a series connection, the number of the light sources is determined by the output voltage of the power source, with the number and type of light source being selected to ensure that every light source is driven by an appropriate voltage with an allowable voltage difference. This means that the number of the light sources is restricted by the output of the power source such that the number cannot be changed at will. Meanwhile, one damaged light can result in failure of the whole light string.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An electric heating device that provides additional heating for motor vehicles includes several heating elements assembled to form a heating block, and a controller for controlling the heating elements. The controller forms a constructional unit together with the heating block. Contact and/or cooler elements extend between the controller and the heating block. The controller is held at a control means support. Between the controller support and a heating block housing accommodating the heating block, sealing elements are provided through which the contact or cooler elements project and which are sealed by clamping between the controller support and the heating block housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electric heating device for heating air which is in particular suited to be employed as additional electric heating in motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the employment in motor vehicles, in particular those with engines of which the consumption is optimized, electric heating devices are used to heat the passenger compartment andor the engine. An additional electric heating is in particular required after the starting of the engine as long as the internal combustion engine does not yet provide sufficient thermal energy. Internal combustion engines of which the consumption is optimized even principally require the use of an additional electric heating.
However, the use of such heating devices is not restricted to the field of motor vehicles; they are also suited for a plurality of other applications, for example in the field of domestic installations (room air conditioning), industrial plants and the like.
An electric heating device for motor vehicles is known from EP-A1-1 395 098. The described heating device comprises several heating elements assembled to a heating block. The heating block is held in a common frame together with a control means for controlling the heating elements. The control means thus forms a constructional unit together with the heating block held in the frame. The control means comprises power electronics with electronic switches which are provided each with a heat sink. The control means is arranged such that a portion of the air flow to be heated flows against the control means, in particular the cooler elements for cooling the electronic switches.
The electronic switches, in particular in the form of power transistors which control the current that is supplied to the heating elements, are mounted directly on a printed circuit board with one side. To dissipate the thermal loss generated by the power transistors, a cooler element is provided on the opposite side of the printed circuit board. Such a cooler element which directly contacts the power transistor can dissipate the thermal loss of the power transistor in a simple manner and in a sufficient amount.
In the above-mentioned prior art, a U-shaped heat sink with cooling fins or fingers, respectively, which project from a base, is employed. A pin is provided at the bottom side of the heat sink and can be inserted in the printed circuit board to contact the power transistor. However, a cooler element in the sense of the present invention can be any component which is suited to dissipate heat from the power transistors by heat conduction and emit it effectively to the air flowing around it by heat transfer. To this end, the cooler element is exposed to the air which is to be heated by the electric heating device, i.e. which flows in a channel leading to the electric heating device. However, it cannot be excluded that moisture collects in the channel which is either directly introduced with the inflowing air or is condensed from the air that has flowed in.

Electric heating device, in particular for motor vehicles


Animals are trained to stand and stay with all four feet on the ground in the desired position by placing the animal's feet on four stable, elevated, immobilized supports, then praising the animal for standing in the desired position. This process is repeated until the animal has learned the meaning of the command to stand and stay. It is essential that the supports be immobilizable and sturdy enough to support the animal without the animal being afraid it will fall. In the preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the supports are approximately the same size as, or only slightly larger than, the animal's foot, and is covered with a non-slip surface. The support is designed to elevate the animal's foot so that it does not want to remove the foot to the surface on which the support is immobilized. The supports must be immobilizable relative to each other so that the animal is forced to stand in the desired position.

Training animals to stand for an examination or presentation in a show ring has traditionally involved a certain amount of negative reinforcement, i.e., stern voice correction, choke chain correction, and/or physical correction. An animal considers standing as anything other than sitting or laying down, and does not understand the concept of not moving a single foot. When asking an animal to stand and stay on level ground, it means to the animal to remain upright in a non-sitting or non-lying position. If the animal receives a negative correction for moving its foot, the animal loses its enthusiasm and willingness to respond to the handler.
To date, no other means for teaching an animal to stand stay, without any negative corrections, has been available.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a kit for training an animal such as a dog or horse to stand.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for training an animal to stand stay without negative reinforcement.


The present invention relates to methods of breeding Brassica campestris var. pekinensis Hongbaechoo grown by deriving interspecific hybrids with Hongssamchoo using Korean Cabbages as breeding plants and executing line acclimation test, self-incompatibility test and seed productivity test and reproduced by asexual propagation through tissue culturing method.

Korean Cabbages are one of most important vegetables in Korea in viewpoints of their history, acreage under cultivation, and usage. Korean Cabbages are a sort of green vegetables with phychrophilic properties. At a low temperature, flower buds of Korean Cabbages are differentiated and undergo anthesis and fructification. Korean Cabbages have seed vernalization types and are roughly classified into; heading breed, semiheading breed and no heading breed according to their heading shapes. The place of origin of Korean Cabbages is the north of China. The period of the introduction of Korean Cabbages into Korea is not clearly known, however considering the fact that Korean Cabbages were recorded in "Emergency Remedies using Country-bred Herbage" published in Year 23 of Emperor Gojong, Goryeo(Korean Dynasty) (1236 A.D.), Korean Cabbages are presumed to have been cultured before this publication.
When Korean Cabbages are cultivated for 60˜80 days, they will have 40˜90 leaves and become fully marketable if conditions for growth are met. Korean Cabbages are the most widely used vegetables in Korea as a main ingredient of Kimchi in Korea. Korean Cabbages have very high water content and substantial amount of calcium and vitamin C, and are source of fibroid material. Korean Cabbages can be eaten all the year round but in winter when frost forms, their fibroid material will be softened and flavor of Korean Cabbages will be intensified so Korean Cabbages become tasty all the more. Korean Cabbages can be stored easily. In winter season Korean Cabbages can be preserved for two or three weeks by erecting them at a cool place after wrapping them with old newspapers. In summer, Korean Cabbages are stored in a refrigerator after wrapping with wrappers. Korean Cabbages are appropriate vegetables for various recipes such as pot stews, fries, parboiled dishes, simmered dishes, kimchi, etc.
Cultivation styles of Korean Cabbages can be mainly divided into springtime seeding cultivation, high altitude cool region cultivation, Thanks-giving day Korean Cabbages cultivation, kimchi-making Korean Cabbages cultivation, winterization Korean Cabbages cultivation, and house cultivation. After germination, when the temperature becomes below 12 of low temperature, bolting (stalking) is activated. If a floral axis is formed, raceme develops. The flower is yellow and there are four stamens around one pistil. Korean Cabbages can be crossed easily since it has a distinct self-incompatibility, which is used for gathering seeds of F1 hybrid. Korean Cabbages are sensitive to high temperature, so it is difficult to culture Korean Cabbages in the middle of the summer. When the temperature exceeds 21˜22, growth rate will be decreased and if heading starts at high temperature period, bacterial soft rot prevails, which is difficult to control.
Therefore researchers in the present invention have continued the research to develop new varieties of Korean Cabbages that may be used for rice wrapping vegetable, green vegetable juice and salad as well as kimchi, using such Korean Cabbages as breed breeding plants, and in consequence, the present invention was completed with the success of breeding Brassica campestris var. pekinensis Hongbaechoo by deriving interspecific hybrids between Korean Cabbages and Hongssamchoo and executing line acclimation test, self-incompatibility test and seed productivity test.


A method and device for reducing the size of tissues and/or other materials contained within an intracorporeally positioned organ or artificial containment sac. In one embodiment, the device comprises an elongate cutting tool having a rotatable cutting head or impactor positioned on the distal end of the tool and, optionally, having one or more aspiration/infusion lumens extending longitudinally through the elongate shaft of the tool. In a second embodiment, the device may comprise (a) a separate guide/aspiration/infusion cannula initially insertable into the organ or sac and (b) a separate elongate cutting device which is insertable through and extractable from the prepositioned guide/aspiration/infusion cannula. An automatically deployable protective assembly may be positioned at the distal tip of either embodiment of the device so as to form a protective cage around the rotatable cutting head or impactor. Such protective cage is configured to prevent the cutting head or impactor from causing damage to the surrounding organ or sac. This invention also includes an artificial containment sac which may be inserted into a body cavity through a natural opening or small incision and which may subsequently be utilized as a bag-like container for tissues, organs, tumors, calculi or other materials which are to be treated by the device of the invention and removed from the body.

The development of modern endoscopic instrumentation has significantly affected the manner in which many surgical procedures are performed. Indeed, many procedures which have traditionally required large surgical incisions (e.g. laparotomy) may now be performed endoscopically, by inserting an endoscopic viewing device (e.g. a laparoscope, arthroscope, bronchoscope, etc.) along with various surgical instruments through natural body openings or small incisions.
The development of modern endoscopic surgical procedures has enabled surgeons to perform major operative procedures at relatively low risk, without the need for deep muscle relaxation and with minimal blood loss and minimal post-operative discomfort.
In particular, recent advancements in laparoscopic technology have enabled surgeons to perform various intra-abdominal surgical procedures through one or more relatively small (e.g. 1 cm) laparoscopy incisions rather than through the traditional, relatively large (e.g. 5-20 cm) laparotomy incision. Although the laparoscopic technology is advanced enough to permit surgeons to laparoscopically excise various tissues and/or organs within a body cavity, (e.g. tumor removal, appendectomy, nephrectomy, cholecystectomy, etc.) the ultimate success and feasibility of such laparoscopic surgery is often confounded by the fact that the excised tissue, organ or other matter may simply be too large to be extracted from the body cavity through the relatively small (e.g. 1 cm) laparoscopy incision. In such instance, it may be necessary to enlarge the laparoscopy incision in order to effect extraction and removal of the excised tissue or other matter. Such need for enlargement of the laparoscopy incision partially negates the benefits of performing the procedure laparoscopically because enlargement of the incision is likely to cause additional post-operative discomfort and is likely to increase post-operative recovery time.
Similar problems in extracting and removing tissue or organs may be experienced in other contemporary endoscopic surgical procedures, including those which are performed through natural body openings such as the oral cavity, urethra, vagina, rectum, etc.
The present invention may be used with any type of endoscopic surgical procedure wherein it is desired to remove a mass of tissue or other matter from the body through a relatively small opening. Because the present invention is particularly applicable to intra-abdominal laparoscopic surgical procedures, the invention will be described herein with particular reference thereto. The making of such particular reference to laparoscopic surgical procedures shall not, however, constitute a limitation on the overall description and intended application of the present invention. In fact, in addition to intra-abdominal laparoscopic procedures, the present invention may be usable in many other types of procedures, including but not limited to transurethral removal of bladder stones, standard cholecystotomy and a modified cholecystotomy procedure known as "mini-cholecystostomy" wherein the gallbladder is, under laparoscopic guidance, displaced and sutured onto the peritoneal wall with subsequent formation of an incision or stoma through the abdominal wall, directly into the stone-containing gallbladder. Furthermore, the device of the present invention may be inserted into an organ to reduce and/or remove the contents thereof without the need for initial excision of the organ. For example, the device of the present invention may be inserted directly through the abdominal wall and into the gallbladder, urinary bladder or other sac-like structure wherein the device may be utilized to reduce the size of and/or remove aberrant material (e.g. calculi) contained within the organ, without the need for excision and removal thereof.

Method and device for intracorporeal device for intracorporeal morselling of tissue and/or calculi during endoscopic surgical procedures


A portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface is provided and includes a housing for movement along the surface. A solution container is mounted to the housing and contains a solution. A dispensing nozzle is provided on the housing and is fluidly connected to the solution container. The dispensing nozzle dispenses solution beyond the edge of the housing. In one aspect, an edge cleaner is provided at an edge of the housing and includes a plurality of pliable elements for agitating the surface, wherein the pliable elements contact the surface beyond the edge of said housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning machine for cleaning a surface with edge cleaning capability.
2. Background Information
It is known to have cleaning machines for cleaning a surface. Generally, these machines utilize a suction nozzle and/or brush assembly to clean the surface. Yet, many of these cleaning machines due to their compact design cannot clean confined areas such as edges and corners and other difficult to reach areas of the surface. Such edge cleaning capability has been implemented in cleaning machines of the upright vacuum cleaner types such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,514,356 and 5,911,261. The present invention improves edge-cleaning performance on cleaning machines that distribute cleaning solution on the surface. The present invention also provides a cleaning machine that imparts movement or rotation to an edge cleaner connected thereto for improved edge cleaning performance.

Cleaning machine for cleaning a surface with edge cleaning capability

Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited


There is provided an acoustic vibratory plate having at least first to third laminated bodies layered. In the acoustic vibratory plate, the first and third laminated bodies are formed of a polymer material, and the second laminated body is formed of a polymer material different from the polymer material forming the first and third laminated bodies in dynamic internal loss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acoustic vibratory plate used in a speaker or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
While a reproduction frequency of an acoustic vibratory plate was about 20 kHz in the past, in recent years, the reproduction of up to about 100 kHz has been enabled with improvement in performance of acoustic equipment. Consequently, the improvement in damping property, which is one of dynamic properties, has been required in an acoustic vibratory plate of a speaker, a headphone or the like.
Hereinafter, properties required of a vibratory plate material are described, taking an acoustic vibratory plate of a speaker for instance. For a vibratory plate material of an acoustic vibratory plate of a speaker, three factors that influence a frequency response of the speaker most are important: (1) high elastic modulus, (2) high internal loss, that is, high damping property, and (3) small density.
Relationships between these properties and a reproduction frequency response of the speaker are shown in FIG. 6. The elastic modulus influences a piston vibration band B1 and the internal loss influences peak-dip of a split vibration band B2. Furthermore, for flattening, a high internal loss, that is, high damping property is required.
More specifically, by making the elastic modulus higher, the piston band B1 is enlarged in a direction X1 in which the frequency becomes larger. Furthermore, by increasing the internal loss, a resonance peak P is reduced in a direction X2 in which a sound pressure becomes lower. In addition, by increasing the damping property, that is, by making the internal loss higher, a curve profile indicating the frequency response becomes smoother, so that the flattening is improved.
Furthermore, the density influences a reproduction sound pressure level. More specifically, by making the density lower, in other words, by making the material more light-weighted, sensitivity (level) is improved in a direction X3 in which the sound pressure becomes higher.
As is clear from FIG. 6, in order to reproduce a high frequency, it is required that a material with a high elastic modulus be used to enlarge the piston band B1 toward the high frequency band side as much as possible.
In the related art reproduction at 20 kHz, there has been used a technique of using a material of as large Young's modulus as possible to enlarge the piston band B1 and setting the split vibration band B2 to 20 kHz or higher so that split vibration does not influence the reproduction.
Furthermore, in order to alleviate the influence of the split vibration, a damping material with a high internal loss such as a damping agent has been applied to a surface of the vibratory plate, by which peak-dip of the split vibration is flattened.
However, in the reproduction at 100 kHz in recent years, it is very difficult to perform the reproduction at 100 kHz with only the piston band B1 and thus, a reproduction technique of using the split vibration band B2 is required, which makes the flattening of peak-dip of the split vibration band B2 critical issue.
In the past, although a method of applying a damping agent has been used in order to flatten the peak-dip, this method of applying the damping agent has only moderately beneficial and does not bring about a sufficient damping property. Therefore, a technique for increasing the damping property that flattens the peak-dip in the split vibration has been sought.
A related art example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 1-223898, for example.


Polarization effects are managed to provide differential timing information for localizing disturbances affecting two or more counter-propagating light signals on one or more optical waveguides passing through a detection zone. Activity can be localized to a point for a security perimeter. Events causing optical disturbance can be mapped to points along a straight line, a perimeter or arbitrary pattern or an array. Events cause local changes in optical properties in the optical waveguide, in particular an optical fiber. Short term local changes are distinguishable from phase changes of light travel in the waveguide, by managing the polarization state of input and output beams, combining orthogonal polarization components and other aspects. The changes in the states of polarization of the counter-propagating light signals are determined and the temporal spacing of corresponding changes in polarization state are resolved to pinpoint the location of the event along the optical fiber.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a detection and location apparatus and method. Polarization effects are managed and used as the parameter that permits detection of an event that produces a local disturbance in optical characteristics, and determination of the location of the disturbance, to a point along the length of an optical waveguide that forms a distributed sensor.
In one embodiment, a polarization change is developed by establishing two counter-propagating light signals carried by at least one waveguide. The counter-propagating light signals are locally affected by the substantially same disturbance. The effect of the disturbance on the counter-propagating light signals is detected, with a temporal shift, after the light signals have propagated in opposite directions to a detector. The temporal shift is used to calculate the location at which the disturbance affected the light signals.
The waveguide can be an optical fiber or two or more optical fibers or plural modes in a given fiber, in each case supporting propagation of a beam in the waveguide. The opposite light signals can originate from different light sources and/or can be subdivided beams from a same source. Although propagating in opposite directions, the two light signals are affected by the disturbance in substantially the same way.
Polarization aspects of the at least two counter-propagating light signals are established using polarization sensitive beam splitter/combiner elements coupled to the counter-propagating signal channels. A phase difference between beams for each of the counter-propagating light signals is established. In the detection zone, a localized event can cause a disturbance in optical transmission properties such as the refractive index. The changes that result in the two signals are temporally resolved to determine the location of the disturbance to a point along the waveguide, at least to a tolerance.
Physical disturbances such as pressure or stress from moving masses and other events of potential security interest cause polarization altering changes in both of the counter-propagating optical signals. Such changes are detectable according to the invention with sensitivity and precision. The optical fiber waveguide medium is insensitive to electromagnetic interference, intrinsically safe, stable and reliable. However, at the scale of the wavelength of the light signals, momentary stresses and the like produce variations that are readily detectable as phase variations leading to a change in polarization states.
Although the disclosed technology can be applied to various position sensing situations, this disclosure uses the example of optical fiber based perimeter security as a non-limiting example. Inasmuch as an optical waveguide is easily placed to follow various paths, the same technique can be used to extend a detection path between arbitrary zones, to provide a two or three dimensional detection area, etc.
2. Prior Art
A security system should detect and provide information about any intrusion into a protected area or facility. An advantageous system should discreetly detect even modest physical disturbances, and report the location of the disturbance so as to permit corrective action to ensue promptly. If a security system is not visible or otherwise apparent to an intruder, it is more difficult for the intruder to proceed undetected than if elements of the security system are not concealed. There may be a deterrence benefit, however, in making it known that a facility is equipped with security devices.
Some optical sensors rely on gross effects of an intruder's presence, such as the intruder interrupting a beam that is aimed from a source to a sensor. Other sensors rely on proximity or the like. Whether the effect is gross or subtle, there is a need to know not only that a disturbance has occurred but also to know where the disturbance occurred. With one signal path, it may be possible from changes in the received signal to determine that a disturbance has occurred, but not to know where. One technique for localizing a disturbance is by determining the difference in timing between the appearance of effects of a disturbance, in two signals that are both affected by the disturbance. A relative delay in appearance of the disturbance in a signal propagating on one path versus another path, indicates a longer propagation distance from the disturbance to the detector, where the signal is detected. If there are two or more operative paths, measuring the delay can permit one to calculate an apparent location of the disturbance. This technique is described in British Patent GB 1,497,995—Ramsay, entitled "Fiber Optic Acoustic Monitoring Arrangement."
Optical fiber has inherent advantages, such as low loss, immunity to electromagnetic interference and other characteristics, that are useful in remote sensing. Optical fiber interference sensors as in Ramsay have the additional advantages of geometric versatility (i.e., the fiber can follow almost any desired route), wide dynamic range, and high sensitivity, partly due to the very short wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation (light energy) that is carried in an optical fiber. The measurement of the delay in Ramsay and other similar detectors is the phase difference between light from a given source, received over two different paths, such as counter-propagating paths, of potentially different length. The phase difference is detected at the receiving end of both paths, by causing the light from the two fibers to interfere, i.e., to add constructively or destructively at a summing node. As the signals move in and out of phase, the intensity of the interference sum varies between a maximum and a minimum.
Example of an interference sensor is the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, which has been applied to acoustic sensing, magnetic sensing, temperature sensing, pressure sensing, structure monitoring, etc, including using optical fibers, as described in "Overview of Mach-Zehnder sensor Technology and Applications" by Anthony Dandridge and Alan D. Kersey, Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors VI, Proc. SPIE Vol. 985, pp. 34–52 (1988).
In addition to GB 1,497,995—Ramsay, cited above, the publication "Fiber Optic Distributed Sensor in Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Configuration" by Bogdan Kizlik, TCSET'2002 Lviv-Slavsko, Ukraine proposes location fixing techniques. Recent US Patents and publications including U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,947 and US2003198425 teach the possibility of a perimeter defense system based on the same principle.
These prior art teachings rely on interference techniques to produce a variation in intensity that reflects the parameter that is needed to determine a location from a difference in propagation time over two distinct signal paths. There is a problem, however, when attempting to use optical fiber waveguides and the like for location detection because polarization effects and polarization induced phase delays can defeat the ability of an interferometer to produce a robust and dependable signal.
For light waves to interfere, there must be some correspondence in polarization alignment. Two light waves that are plane polarized and orthogonally aligned cannot interfere. Over plural paths between a light source and two or more detectors, each passing a point of disturbance, the birefringence of different fibers inside an optical path can change the polarization alignment and phase characteristics of the light beams. The birefringence of an optical fiber may be small compared to its refractive index. Nevertheless, an accumulated polarization effect arises, particularly over a long distance, and can be a large effect on a wavelength scale. An interferometer-based system cannot perform consistently, and in some circumstances will not perform at all if polarization effects cause the polarization states of the intended interfering counter-propagating optical signals to vary between alignments in the signals are more or less parallel and orthogonal at different times.
Adverse effects on interfering beams due to polarization state changes in a single light path is known as polarization-induced fading. The problem is described, for example, in "Polarization-Induced Fading in Fiber-Optic Sensor Arrays" (Moshe Tur, Yuval S. Boger, and H. J. Shaw, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 13, No. 7, p1269, 1995). This publication seeks to enhance the visibility of the interference beam in a single-channel fiber based interferometer, where the light travels along a single direction.
An interferometer produces an intensity response by causing phase varying signals to add or to cancel at different phase positions (i.e., to interfere), and as a result, the effect of polarization fading and polarization induced phase shift can be quite detrimental, leading to system failure if precautions are not taken. Occasional or uncontrollable system failure is unacceptable for a system deployed for security purposes. GB 1,497,995—Ramsay (supra) and other known fiber based perimeter security systems as described, detect variations in intensity from interfering two beams and are subject to fading and phase shift with changes in polarization of beams passed through a fiber interferometer in opposite directions. This limits effectiveness of such systems.
The present invention avoids fading and phase shift problems by establishing conditions that provide a robust response notwithstanding time changing polarization transformation characteristics such as birefringence. According to an advantageous aspect, using changing polarization characteristics as the parameter that is sensed and from which location information is resolved, as opposed to using intensity changes in interfering signals, the invention not only provides a versatile and effective disturbance detection system but also solves the prior art difficulty with polarization fading and polarization induced phase shift. This makes the invention practical and effective in perimeter security systems, as well as distributed sensing for various other purposes.

Distributed fiber sensor with detection and signal processing using polarization state management


A manhole embodiment that includes a metal top ring, metal removable cover, and a flexible sheet steel skirt welded to the top ring. The skirt has a stiffening and footing flange rolled laterally inwardly or outwardly from the bottom rim of the skirt to increase the manhole lateral strength and provide a footing for the very bottom of the manhole.

The present invention relates to manholes and more specifically to new manhole designs that give rise to stronger and less costly manholes compared to conventional manholes.
The art of manhole design is about one century old. Today, manholes come in a vast variety of shapes, sizes, and materials and serve a great many purposes. A manhole comprises three basic parts, namely, a closed skirt that at least partially embeds in the ground or concrete surface layer, a closed ring connected to the top of the skirt and a lid or cover that removably cooperates and permits access to the interior of the chamber defined by the skirt.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a typical conventional, circular manhole 10 is shown that comprises a cylindrical skirt 12, a closed cast metal or rolled steel top ring 14, and a removable circular metal lid 16. Skirt 12 is commonly formed from flexible sheet steel, cut and welded at a seam to form the cylinder. Flexible skirted manholes of this type were first introduced in about 1975. Top ring 14 is typically made in two circular parts, closed L-shaped lower ring 17 and cylindrical top ring 18. Ring 17 is welded to the top of skirt 12 and ring 18 is welded to the top of ring 17, generally as shown. Cover 16 rests on ring 17 when in the closed position.
In practice, manholes are fabricated at a works location and delivered with the skirt 12 and ring 14 welded in place. Installation includes usually preparing a bed of small stones 20 below ground surface, placing the manhole with the bottom rim of skirt 12 resting on stones 20 so that the top of ring 18 defines a predetermined ground plane or surface above stones 20. Concrete 22 is then poured on to stones 20 to a predetermined depth, such as a standard 8 or 16 inches.
Conventional manholes create a number of problems in the field. For example, the skirts of manholes greater than 24 inches in diameter provide insufficient lateral strength giving rise to bending or other deformation of the skirt during handling. For example, manholes are often placed or impacted on their sides during delivery from a truck or flatbed trailer, thereby resting on or impacting one point of the bottom of skirt 12. The weight of the parts or impacting lateral force thus deforms skirt 12 causing deformation of the top ring, problems with installation of the manhole itself, or the placement of equipment to be housed in the chamber.
In addition, the bottom rim of skirt 12 tends to penetrate the bed of small stones 20, thus reducing the vertical distance available for the thickness of concrete 22. This sometimes leads to the concrete depth being below required specifications which is very costly to correct.
Also, the conventional fabrication of the rings 17 and 18 on the top of skirt 12 requires many process steps and welds or connections, thus increasing the manufacturing costs of the assembly.
Another problem results during installation after the manhole is in place. The flow of concrete laterally against the skirt, if not carefully controlled, exerts lateral forces that bend the bottom of the skirt inward resulting in a distortion of the circular top ring. In this case, if the manhole cover is on during concrete pour, the ring distortion locks it on and the cover cannot be removed. If it is forced off, it will not re-seat due to the distorted ring.
Thus, there is a longfelt need in the art of making manholes with rolled steel or flexible skirts to solve the foregoing problems without increasing the cost or weight characteristics of the manhole. In addition, weight and cost benefits would result from the redesign of the double top ring manhole design to a single top ring.


In dynamic dispatching of integrated circuit wafer lots in an integrated circuit fabrication plant, determine the Stage Achievement Rate (SAR) of descendant stages for each candidate stage to be processed by the fabrication plant. With the loading of descendant stages for each candidate stage, determine the Adjusted Loading (AL), where AL=SAR*(Loading of descendant stages for each candidate stage). Determine the Picked Probability (PP) equal to Normalized 1/AL of grouped descendant stages. Determine the Estimated Loading (EL) of descendant stages for each candidate stage. Determine the Estimated Achievement Rate (EAR) of descendant stages for each candidate stage. Next, determine the Estimated Adjusted Loading (EAL) of descendant stages for each candidate stage. Then determine the Total Estimated Adjusted Loading (TEAL) for each candidate stage. Finally, determine the Dynamic Dispatching Order (DDO) of the wafer lots.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to process control of manufacturing of integrated circuit (IC) chips and more particularly to dispatching of work to the various processing stages in a fabrication plant.
2. Description of Related Art
The traditional dispatching rules (e.g. First in First Out (FIFO), Earliest Due Date (EDD), Critical Ratio (CR), etc.) cannot meet the requirements of Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing due to the complexity of the fabrication process (above 300 process steps) and the limited resource in IC plants. Inappropriate dispatching rules cause higher cycle times and reduce machine utilization rates, resulting in decreased customer satisfaction and reduced flexibility in product life cycle. The net result is increased capital investment cost.

Manufacturing method and system for dynamic dispatching of integrated circuit wafer lots

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with a framework for compliance report generation are described. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a data source definition of a set of data sources comprising data for populating compliance reports. The example method may also include retrieving a compliance report definition for a compliance report for a reporting entity. The example method may also include constructing and rendering a user interface populated with a set of user interface elements generated based upon the set of data sources and the compliance report definition. The example method may also include generating the compliance report according to the compliance report definition. The compliance report is populated with data from the set of data sources. The compliance report is sent over a computing network to a remote computing device of the reporting entity.

Many businesses, such as financial institutes, are required to report certain data to compliance reporting agencies. For example, a bank may do business in multiple countries. Each country has one or more compliance reporting agencies to which the bank is required to report compliance data, such as suspicious activity reports. Unfortunately, each country and/or reporting agency can have different compliance report formats, such as compliance reports having different extensible mark-up language (XML) structures. For example, a reporting agency in the United States may require submission of compliance reports according to a first structure of 10 data fields. However, a reporting agency in France may require submission of compliances reports according to a second structure of 7 data fields. Thus, data fields and/or document structures and layouts can differ from reporting agency to reporting agency and from country to country. Accordingly, the bank must write custom code and programs to handle each type of compliance report format, which is inefficient, requires extensive coding knowledge, and wastes substantial amounts of computing resources to development, store, and maintain multiple programs and user interfaces for each different compliance report format.

Computing framework for compliance report generation

Oracle Financial Services Software Limited


A railcar damping device includes: a tank storing a liquid; a first opening/closing valve provided in a first passage connecting a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber, which are defined by a piston, to be capable of opening and closing the first passage; a second opening/closing valve provided in a second passage connecting the piston side chamber and the tank to be capable of opening and closing the second passage; a pump that is driven to rotate at a predetermined normal rotation speed in order to supply the liquid from the tank to the rod side chamber; and a temperature determination unit that determines a temperature of the liquid supplied to the actuator, wherein a rotation speed of the pump is reduced below a normal rotation speed when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature of the liquid is lower than a predetermined temperature.

A known example of a conventional railcar damping device is interposed between a vehicle body and a truck of a railcar and used to suppress left-right direction vibration relative to an advancement direction.
JP2010-65797A discloses a railcar damping device including: a cylinder coupled to either a truck or a vehicle body of a railcar; a piston inserted into the cylinder to be free to slide; a rod inserted into the cylinder and coupled to the other of the truck and the vehicle body and to the piston; a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber defined within the cylinder by the piston; a tank storing a liquid that is supplied to the cylinder; a first opening/closing valve provided midway in a first passage that connects the rod side chamber to the piston side chamber; a second opening/closing valve provided midway in a second passage that connects the piston side chamber to the tank; a pump that supplies working oil to the rod side chamber; an exhaust passage that connects the rod side chamber to the tank; and a variable relief valve that is provided midway in the exhaust passage and has a modifiable valve opening pressure. By driving the pump, the first opening/closing valve, the second opening/closing valve, and the variable relief valve, an actuator can generate thrust in both an expansion direction and a contraction direction, and vibration of the vehicle body is suppressed by this thrust.


A method carried out by a control device, the method holding a valve EGR completely opened during a determined short time after a starting phase of a diesel engine, which is provided with an EGR recirculation, and controlling the valve EGR in a partially closed state during the starting time of the engine to increase the engine speed to a threshold speed corresponding to the end of the starting phase. The control is progressively carried out according to a determined closing instruction via a calibration by using data representative of engine speed and ambient temperature. The dynamically controlled recirculation makes it possible, in particular, to accumulate more fuel at the staring phase without increasing injected quantities, to increase the speed of engine actuated by a starter, and to avoid engine blocking.

As is known, the principle of recirculating the burnt gases (EGR) lies in introducing a given amount of exhaust gases in place of some of the fresh air on the inlet side of diesel or gasoline engines. External EGR systems use a valve to do that, which valve taps off some of the exhaust gases and reintroduces them into the inlet side. This principle makes it possible to limit the emissions of NOx (the greater the fraction of gas recirculated, the greater the reduction in emissions) but reduces engine performance.
It is necessary to draw distinctions between two methods by which this solution is employed: high-pressure recirculation and low-pressure recirculation. While low-pressure recirculation consists in tapping exhaust gases off after the turbine and reintroducing them before the charge air compressor (the gases sometimes also being reintroduced upstream of the intercooler that follows the compressor), high-pressure recirculation (turbocharged engines) on the other hand consists in tapping exhaust gases off upstream of the turbine and reintroducing them downstream of the compressor. High-pressure recirculation therefore has the advantage, over low-pressure recirculation, of requiring a shorter circuit (just one valve, rapid system response). The pressure difference between the exhaust and the inlet side is used as the driving force, the flow rate being regulated by the valve.
At the present time, in the case of a high-pressure EGR circuit associated with a diesel engine that has low compression ratios of no higher than 16, it is becoming increasingly difficult to perform a cold start because of the inferior thermodynamic conditions (lower temperature and pressure) in the cylinder. In the text which follows, a cold start is to be understood as being a start performed in a range of temperatures starting from −30° C. There is therefore a need to improve the starting of the most recent-generation turbocharged diesel engines with low compression ratios.
Exhaust gas recirculation capable of adapting to low temperature conditions in low engine speed phases is known from document EP 1 138 928. That document preferably envisions starting the engine with the EGR deactivated, the opening of the EGR valve being initiated when the engine is receiving a sufficient charge. Alternatively, the EGR valves can be left open during starting. However, in such cases, the engine often stalls through lack of oxygen just after it has started. Even if the valves are left open just a small amount in order to reduce the recirculation, the engine cannot then run in a stable manner at idling speed.
Because of the various difficulties encountered, the prior art therefore envisions closing the EGR valve when cold, as per the teachings of document EP 1 101 917 in particular.
Other solutions, for engines with low compression ratios, consist in using a high-speed ceramic glow plug or in enhancing the technical design of the inlet side. These solutions are still not well enough optimized to guarantee that the engine will make a problem-free cold start.

Method and device for controlling a valve for recycling gases burned during an engine starting phase


A foldable USB connection port includes a body and a plurality of USB ports. The body includes a plurality of first connection parts and the USB ports respectively have a second connection part. The second connection parts of the USB ports are respectively and movably installed on the first connection parts of the body. The body is a USB hub or a laptop. Thereby, the user can movably adjust the angle of the USB port to avoid the problem that two adjacent USB ports cannot be plugged with the peripherals simultaneously due to the dimensions of the peripheral.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable USB connection port. In particular, this invention relates to a foldable USB connection port that is installed to a USB hub or a laptop and the angle of the USB port is adjustable.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the USB hub 1a of the prior art is disclosed. A plurality of USB ports 12a are installed on an appropriate location of a housing 11a, and there is a USB control circuit (not shown in the figure) in the housing 11a. The USB ports 12a are respectively and electrically connected with the control circuit. The USB port 12a can be movably plugged with a peripheral 2a, such as an MP3 portable disk or a USB optical mouse, etc. Then, the USB hub 1a is linked with a laptop 4a via one of the USB ports 12a and a USB transmission line 3a. In this way, the peripheral 2a of the laptop 4a is expanded.
However, the USB hub 1a and the laptop 4a only can be movably plugged with the peripheral 2a and the USB transmission line 3a, etc. When a large sized peripheral 2a is plugged with one of the USB ports 12a, the adjacent USB port 12a cannot be plugged with another peripheral 2a due to the large sized peripheral 2a. Therefore, the number of the expanded peripherals 2a is restricted. Furthermore, the function of expanding the peripheral 2a of the USB ports 12a is limited due to the dimensions of the peripheral 2a.


A fuel supply system of the present invention is characterized by including: a fuel reformer (4) for producing a reformed gas-containing fuel by causing discharge in a raw liquid fuel; and a fuel supply device (8) for supplying the reformed gas-containing fuel or a mixture of the reformed gas-containing fuel and the raw fuel into a combustion chamber of an engine (5).

In recent years, various researches and developments have been conducted regarding production of hydrogen-containing gas by fuel reforming in order to utilize the hydrogen-containing gas for various industrial purposes such as a fuel of a fuel cell and hydrogenation of a variety of organic compounds.
As a fuel for producing the hydrogen-containing gas, hydrocarbons such as methane and gasoline and alcohols such as methanol are used in general. In a fuel reforming reaction, there are steam reforming, partial oxidation reforming, and autothermal reforming in which the steam reforming and the partial oxidation reforming are combined. Reaction formulas in the case of performing the partial oxidation reforming and the steam reforming for methane are shown below.
Partial oxidation reaction: CH4+1/2O2→2H2+CO
Steam reforming reaction: CH4+H2O→3H2+CO
Heretofore, in order to produce the hydrogen-containing gas by using the above-described fuel, a method for producing the hydrogen-containing gas has been generally used, in which the fuel and water are first mixed together in a predetermined ratio, and thereafter, the resultant mixture is vaporized, and the resultant gas is supplied to a reformer including a reforming catalyst. However, in the conventional method by means of the reforming catalyst, which is as described above, it is necessary to advance the above-described reaction at a temperature as high as 700 to 900° C. Therefore, a concentration of carbon monoxide in the hydrogen-containing gas thus obtained has sometimes risen due to equilibrium. As a result, there has been a problem that a shift reactor for removing the carbon monoxide, which is installed at a subsequent stage of the reformer, is enlarged. Moreover, it is necessary to heat up the reforming catalyst to a predetermined temperature, and there has been a problem that startability and responsiveness of an apparatus for use in this method are inferior. Moreover, since the reforming catalyst which is expensive is used, there has also been a problem that cost of the production is increased.
In order to solve the problems as described above in the conventional method, there is proposed a method for producing the hydrogen-containing gas in a vapor phase by using plasma generated by an electric discharge (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H07-292372 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-167784). However, it is necessary to vaporize the fuel in order to reform the fuel in the vapor phase by using the discharge plasma. Hence, a vaporizer for vaporizing the fuel in a liquid state must be installed, and in addition, heat energy for vaporizing the fuel is also necessary. Therefore, there has been a problem that the apparatus is enlarged in the case of being applied to a fuel cell vehicle and the like. Moreover, such problems as extension of a starting time and a response time and an increase of starting energy, which are caused by the vaporization of the fuel, have also occurred. Furthermore, there has occurred such a problem that, at a time of cold start or an output variation from a low output to a high output, a necessary quantity of heat for the vaporization cannot be collected to be recovered, thereby a plasma treatment cannot be performed.
In order to solve such problems as described above, the inventors of the present invention have disclosed, as means capable of achieving the reforming in a liquid phase without vaporizing the liquid fuel, a fuel reformer capable of generating the hydrogen-containing gas by the discharge plasma, in which an insulating film including a pinhole is provided between a pair of electrodes (refer to Proceedings of 13th Conference of The Japan Institute of Energy, p. 228).


There is disclosed a balun for dividing an input electrical signal to produce first and second output electrical signals which are substantially out of phase, the balun including: an input port for receiving the input electrical signal; an input line for coupling the input electrical signal to a slotline; and an output line for coupling the first and second output electrical signals to, respectively a first output port and a second output port, the output line having a junction with the slotline; wherein the slotline couples the input electrical signal to the junction, and the junction acts as a divider to produce the first and second electrical signals; in which at least one of the input line, slotline and output line has a width and a length wherein the width varies over the length.

Baluns are well-known passive electrical devices. The term "balun" is derived from the abbreviation of the two terms 'balanced' and 'unbalanced'. Baluns are 3-port devices which convert signals from an unbalanced transmission line to a balanced transmission line and vice-versa. The two balanced ports should provide a signal equal in amplitude with a 180 degree phase difference.
Microwave balun devices can be implemented in various ways, such as in transformer-type arrangements, coupled transmission lines and transmission line junctions. It is known from US2005/0105637 and Bialkowski and Abbosh (M E Bialkowski and A M Abbosh, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, Vol. 17, No. 4, April 2007) how to implement baluns using microwave techniques involving microstrips and slotlines. However, it would be desirable to improve the performance characteristics of these devices. In particular, it would be desirable to achieve a wider frequency range over which useful operation of the device can be achieved.


A semiconductor memory device that steps up word lines, each of whose length is short enough to stay within one of the blocks that is formed by dividing a memory cell array into multiple blocks. The device includes multiple memory cells connected to pairs of bit lines and word lines at intersections of the pairs of bit lines and the word lines. Multiple memory cell array blocks are formed by dividing the region where the memory cells are arranged into blocks. A first step-up line is commonly used in stepping-up the word lines. A step-up circuit is constructed of a step-up capacitor, which is connected to the first step-up line and a switching transistor, which precharges the step-up capacitor. The semiconductor memory device also has a step-up control circuit that outputs a precharge control signal, which precharges the step-up capacitor by ON driving the switching transistor, and a step-up driving signal, which changes the potential of the negative terminal of the step-up capacitor of the step-up circuit. Further, a second step-up line is provided in each memory cell array block. During operation, a single memory cell array block is selected by a block selective circuit and a single word line is selected by row selective circuits. In this manner, the single selected word line within the single selected memory cell array block is stepped up by means of the first and second step-up lines.

In a semiconductor memory device, the data stored in memory cells may be incidentally destroyed by alpha rays, noise, or the like. This type of data destruction occurs more often when the amplitude of the data stored in the memory cells (i.e., the difference between the voltage of H level and L level) is decreased. Therefore, the influence of such data destruction is more important now that low voltage semiconductor memory devices are in greater demand.
Accordingly, Japanese Patent Laid-open Application Showa 58-169958 discloses a device in which the amplitude of the data in memory cells is widened as much as possible within the limit of a given power voltage. This conventional device will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a step-up circuit for a conventional static RAM. As shown, a memory cell 10 is composed of four N-channel MOSFETs ("NMOS transistors") T20-T23 and two high resistance loads R1 and R2. Multiple memory cells 10 are arranged in matrix form and each memory cell 10 is connected to a word line WL and a pair of bit lines BL and /BL (a bar of BL). Each word line WL is long enough to be connected to 256 memory cells, and there are 512 word lines, for example. The pair of bit lines BL and /BL are used to write data in or read data out of the memory cells 10, and there are 1024 pairs of bit lines BL and /BL, for example.
Data buses DB and /DB are coupled to the pair of bit lines by means of a column gate 12, which is composed of four transistors T14-T17 controlled by row selective signals Y and /Y. Bit line load transistors T18 and T19 are connected between a power source (not shown) and the bit lines BL and /BL, respectively. A write-in circuit 14 is composed of two P-channel MOSFETs ("PMOS transistors") and two NMOS transistors T10-T13. An inverter composed of PMOS transistor T8 and NMOS transistor T9 functions as a word line driver 16, and there are as many word line drivers as the number of word lines WL. The word line driver 16 is driven by the output of a row selective decoder 18.
Further, a step-up control circuit 20 is composed of three PMOS transistors T1, T3, and T4, three NMOS transistors T2, T5, and T6, and a delay circuit 22. Additionally, a step-up circuit 24 is composed of a step-up capacitor C1 and a PMOS transistor T7.
Next, the operation of the conventional device will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 2. In the device of FIG. 1, when data is written in the memory cell 10, the write-in signals IN and /IN are illustratively input to the write-in circuit 14, which is composed of four transistors T10-T14, so that the write-in signals IN and /IN go to logic L and H, respectively, at a time when the write enable signal /WE is set to a low level. In this case, the data bus /DB is raised up to the voltage of power source line Vdd when the write enable signal goes to logic L, as shown in FIG. 2. Further, the bit line /BL is also raised up to nearly Vdd, because the PMOS transistors and NMOS transistors that form the column gate 12 are connected in parallel and the bit line load transistor is a PMOS transistor.
Additionally, the write enable signal /WE is input to the step-up control circuit 20 and inverted to the write enable signal WE by means of transistors T1 and T2, which form an inverter. The write enable signal WE is supplied to the gates of the transistors T4 and T5. The write enable signal /WE is also delayed by the delay circuit 22 for a predetermined period to form the signal /WEd, which is supplied to the gates of transistors T3 and T6. The transistors T3-T6 form a NOR gate, so that node D goes to logic H only when both signals /WE and /WEd are at logic L. The transistor T7 turns on when node D is at logic L to charge the step-up capacitor C1 to the power source voltage Vdd. Therefore, when node D goes to logic H, the transistor T7 turns off, and the sum of the voltage of node D and the charged voltage of the step-up capacitor C1, (i.e., an electrical potential which is equal to or higher than the power source voltage Vdd) is supplied to the word line driver 16. In this manner, the electrical potential X of the word line WL is temporarily raised to a voltage level equal to or higher than Vdd after the write-in has been completed. Thus, the voltage of node B in the memory cell 10 is drastically raised to Vdd after the write-in has been completed.
In the above-described conventional device, the step-up circuit 24 must step-up the potential of the step-up lines having a very large capacitance, because the step-up signals are directly supplied to the positive power source terminal of the word line driver 16 to step-up the corresponding word line WL. Therefore, the scale of the step-up circuit 24 must be very large, and thus, there is an increase in the layout area and power consumption of the device.
Additionally, in the conventional device, the step-up pulse is generated on detection of the rising edge of the write enable signal /WE (i.e., at the end of writing). Therefore, there is a drawback in that the step-up operation is not performed when the write enable signal /WE is fixed in the state of logic L (i.e., when the address signals and input data vary in the write cycle).
Moreover, in the conventional device, the step-up of the word lines is performed after write-in is completed (i.e., after the write enable write enable signal /WE goes to logic H from logic L). Due to this, there is another drawback in that the precharge and equalizing operation of the pair of bit lines cannot be performed immediately after the write-in, so it takes a very long time to transfer from a write cycle to a read cycle.
To reduce the capacitance of the step-up lines, the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application Heisei 4-212788 (by this applicant) has been proposed. In this device, the word lines are divided into multiple blocks in the direction of the word lines, and the region where the memory cells are positioned is divided into blocks corresponding to the divided word lines. This forms the multiple memory cell array blocks used in the device, as shown in FIG. 21 of the Official Gazette. Also, the step-up circuits, which are shown in FIG. 5 of the Official Gazette, are positioned in each of the blocks, and the step-up operation is performed in every block by one of the step-up circuits based on the block selective signals.
However, in the device of Japanese Patent Laid-open Application Heisei 4-212788, as many step-up circuits (including step-up capacitors) are required as the number of blocks, so there is an increase in the layout area for the step-up circuits as a whole.
Further, Japanese Publication Application Showa 62-28516 and 62-28517 also discloses semiconductor memory devices in which the region for arranging the memory cells is divided into blocks. However, there is no disclosure with respect to the step-up operation.

Semiconductor memory device and a method for stepping up its word lines


Compositions which have substantial weatherability and impact resistance comprise a substantially uniform physical blend of an uncross-linked acrylonitrile/styrene copolymer and a cross-linked alkyl acrylate/graft (meth)acrylate copolymer. Methods for making such compositions include forming a substantially uniform physical blend of such copolymers. The compositions preferably are substantially free of cross-linked acrylonitrile/styrene copolymer.

The present invention relates to compositions comprising acrylonitrile/styrene/acrylic ("ASA") polymeric materials and methods for making such compositions. More particularly, the present invention relates to compositions comprising ASA polymeric materials which include physical mixtures of polymers and to methods for making such physical mixture-containing compositions.
Acrylic/styrene/acrylonitrile polymeric resins are known and have been used in various applications which taken advantage of the weatherability of such resins. As used herein, the term "weatherability" refers to the ability or property of a material to effectively withstand the conditions of an out-of-doors environment over a long period of time, for example, at least five years and preferably at least seven years, with substantially no degradation or decomposition. In general, such resins have been terpolymers of an acrylate monomer, styrene monomer and acrylonitrile monomer. See, for example, Yu et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,631, Ting U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,079 and Ting U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,414.
In the past, such resins compositions have been produced in accordance with sequential polymerization processes in which one or more monomers are polymerized followed by one or more further polymerizations of an additional monomer or monomers in the presence of the product of the first polymerization. Such sequential polymerization processes have certain drawbacks. For example, it is relatively difficult to consistently control the various polymerization steps involved. This can lead to the economically wasteful production of materials which do not meet product specifications. In addition, such sequential polymerization processes often occur in large scale, expensive and relatively complex equipment.
It would be advantageous to provide compositions including ASA polymeric materials which have substantially uniform and controlled compositions, e.g., which consistently meet product specifications, and can be produced in a cost effective and straightforward manner.

Acrylonitrile/styrene/acrylic polymeric materials and methods for making same


A cam follower includes a roller on which a cam rolls. A material ratio Rmr (C) (C: a section level %) of an radially outer surface of the roller is set to relations of 0%<Rmr (10%)≦10%, a Kurtosis Rku of a roughness profile of the outer surface is set to 4≦Rku≦10, an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the outer surface is set to 0<Ra≦0.15, and a compression stress S of the outer surface is set to 800 MPa≦S≦1,100 MPa.

The present invention relates to a cam follower for constituting a valve mechanism of an engine.
In recent years, a valve mechanism for transmitting the motion of a cam, which is fixed on a cam shaft to rotate together with the crankshaft of an engine, to a valve is reduced in frictional loss to a low level by assembling a cam follower into the valve mechanism thereby to change the friction at the running time of the valve mechanism from a sliding friction to a rolling friction.
Here, of the engine parts, lubricating property of the cam portion is severe, and its contact face is called the boundary lubricant area. In the cam follower with the roller to be used under this condition, the roller basically makes a rolling contact with the cam, but the pure rolling contact is impossible because of the change in the rotational speed of the roller due to the cam shape or the abrupt fluctuation of the load acting on the roller. Thus, the cam follower makes a rolling contact accompanied by the slip. In relation to the lubricating conditions (on quantity and temperature of oil and on a foreign substance) and the surface roughness of the mating cam, the peeling phenomenon arises on the outer rolling face of the roller, thus raising a problem that the cam follower has a short lifetime.
In order to improve the durability of the radially outer surface of the roller of the cam follower to make the rolling or sliding contact with the cam in use, various inventions (as referred to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example) have been known on the improvements in the surface properties.
In Patent Document 1, an arrangement in which the radially outer surface of the roller is prevented from being peeled, by forming a number of small recesses for oil reservoirs is disclosed.
In Patent Document 2, an arrangement in which the durability is improved to prevent the peeling by enhancing the hardness on the radially outer surface of the roller is disclosed.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2,594,339    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3,125,434
However, the arrangements of Patent Documents 1 and 2 could prevent the peeling of the roller, but still have a problem that the cam surface is worn if the cam is made of a material weaker than that of the roller.
In the arrangement of Patent Document 1, specifically, the radially outer surface of the roller is made rough by a machine such as a centrifugal barrel of high working power, so that the roughness becomes seriously coarse. When the roller makes the rolling or sliding contact with the cam, the roughness of its radially outer surface wears the cam surface. At the time of barreling treatment, moreover, the roughness is formed not only on the radially outer surface but also on the radially inner face of the roller. This raises another problem that the member to be contacted by the radially inner face of the roller, such as the rollers of a bearing are worn.
In the arrangement of Patent Document 2, on the other hand, the radially outer surface of the roller is made so drastically hard as to increase the difference in hardness from that of the cam surface. This raises another problem that the cam surface is worn.
The arrangement of Patent Document 1 may be modified such that the radially outer surface is subjected to an SF (Super Finishing) treatment thereby to reduce the surface roughness and to improve the coarseness. However, the axial end faces of the roller are not subjected to the SF treatment so that they are rough. This raises a problem that the inner wall of the holder of the cam follower to be contacted by the axial end faces of the roller is worn out.