A computer-implemented method may include steps of providing a plurality of business document templates; providing a plurality of deviation rules and associating at least some of the plurality of deviation rules with each of the business document templates; storing the plurality of business document templates and the associated plurality of deviation rules; generating a business document (such as a contract, for example) based upon one of the stored plurality of business document templates, the generated business document including a plurality of clauses and business document terms; retrieving the plurality of deviation rules associated with the business document template upon which the business document is based and applying the retrieved plurality of deviation rules against the generated business document; identifying all business document terms of the business document that do not conform to one or more of the applied plurality of deviation rules, and generating a report that includes at least the identified non-conforming business document terms.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to computer-implemented methods and systems for identifying and reporting deviations of business document terms in business documents from established policies that govern business documents between the enterprise and third parties, such as vendors, suppliers, partners or customers, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
Conventionally, companies have many standard business documents that they use to define business relationships with their customers, vendors and partners. Most companies store these business documents (such as contracts, for example) as text documents on a file server. Some store hard copies in filing cabinets. To help define and enforce uniform standards across an enterprise and to effectively regulate the enterprise's dealings with its customers, vendors and partners, it is important to insure that the terms of the business document are compliant with pre-established corporate standards and policies, both to promote uniformity across its business document base and to insure that the business documents are not authored or modified on an ad-hoc basis by its procurement group, sales or marketing forces. Indeed, non-standard language and terms may expose a company to risk and have adverse financial impact especially in terms of revenue recognition. Recent regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley have underscored the need to maintain more control on the contracting process, so that management is aware of non-standard contracts and their financial implications. For example, company ABC may enter into a contract that specifies that company ABC will supply a predetermined number of widgets and that the customer will pay for such widgets on a NET-30 basis. Such payment terms may be mandated by company ABC's corporate policy, with the intent of maintaining control over the company's outstanding receivables. Moreover, to mitigate risk, company ABC's policy concerning such contracts may further specify that any contracts where payments terms are specified to be different than Net 30 must be identified and that such deviations from corporate contract policy require special approval. Company ABC's policy may also specify that that sales discounts cannot be greater than 10% off list price. Therefore, if a sales person on company ABC's sales force were to negotiate a contract that binds company ABC to supply widgets at a 15% discount, payable on a NET-45 day basis, such a contract would significantly deviate from company ABC's established policy for such contracts by violating at least the aforementioned discount and payment terms provisions thereof.
Currently, companies handle such deviations from corporate policies with manual processes. Employees involved in the contracting process (sales representatives, buyers, contract administrators, etc.) must be well trained in corporate policies and contracting practices, and must manually review and identify any business terms or contract clauses that do not adhere to standards in some way. Moreover, evaluating business documents manually is a wholly subjective process, as it is based upon the reviewer's interpretation and understanding of the business document clauses. Such subjective evaluations, moreover, are not likely to be uniformly applied across all business documents (or even within a single business document) that cross the business document administrator's desk. In fact, such manual processes are very error prone and in many cases result in business documents that may be signed without fully considering or understanding the risks posed by deviations from the pre-established business document policies. Moreover, business documents that do not conform to the enterprise's established policies may negatively affect the enterprise's supply chain or collections and may expose the enterprise to unwanted or undue legal liability.
From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that improved methods and systems for identifying and reporting such deviations from established policies for contracts, legal agreements and other legally binding business documents are needed.

Computer-implemented methods and systems for identifying and reporting deviations from standards and policies for contracts, agreements and other business documents


An object of the invention is to reduce an HC generated in a so-called fast idle period in which an engine and a catalyst are warmed up, stabilize a combustion and achieve an early activation of the catalyst, at a cold starting time of a cylinder injection type engine. In a control apparatus controlling a cylinder injection type internal combustion engine directly feeding a fuel into a combustion chamber by a fuel injection apparatus attached to a portion near an intake valve, the control apparatus controls the fuel injection apparatus so as to carry out an intake stroke injection, makes a lift amount of an intake valve smaller than a lift amount at a time of a high load, and controls such that an opening timing of the intake valve comes closer to an intake stroke side near an intake top dead center, in a fast idle period of the cylinder injection type internal combustion engine.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cylinder injection type engine directly feeding a fuel to a combustion chamber by an injector.
(2) Description of Related Art
As described in patent document 1 (JP-A-2006-132398), there is disclosed a control technique of a dual injection type internal combustion engine which can intend to stabilize a combustion after a cold start of an engine and can reduce an unburned fuel (hereinafter, refer to as HC) and can warm up a catalyst in an early timing, by delaying an opening timing of an intake valve, making a lift amount of the intake valve small, and feeding the fuel by both of an injector injecting the fuel to an intake port and an injector injecting the fuel to an inner side of the cylinder.
Further, as described in patent document 2 (JP-A-2000-8915), there is disclosed a technique of a cylinder injection type internal combustion engine which reduces the HC by controlling an opening timing of an intake valve and a fuel injection timing, forming a flow by an intake air within a combustion chamber by making a lift amount small, and suppressing a fuel attachment to a piston crowned face and a cylinder wall surface at a time of warming up.
Since the warm-up of the catalyst is not finished just after starting at a cold time of the engine, a processing capacity (a purifying capacity) of the catalyst is not sufficient. Accordingly, it is demanded to reduce the HC generated until the warm-up of the catalyst is finished, and activate the catalyst in an early time.
The technique described in the patent document 1 is the technique relating to the dual injection type internal combustion engine mounting both the injector injecting the fuel to the intake port and the injector injecting the fuel into the cylinder therein, and since the opening timing of the intake valve is delayed and a flow rate toward a piston direction is enlarged, a fuel attaching amount to the piston crowned face is large.
Further, in the technique described in the patent document 2, a flow of the intake air is slow in the case that a lift amount of the intake valve is equal to (larger than) the normal one, and it is impossible to sufficiently suppress a fuel attachment to a cylinder bore wall surface. In the case that the lift amount of the intake valve is made small, and the valve opening timing is delayed, the flow of the intake air heading for the piston direction becomes strong, the fuel attachment to the piston crowned face is much, and the generation of the HC is increased.

Control apparatus of cylinder injection type internal combustion engine


An access point in a wireless network transmits polling frames to node wherein the polling frame includes a traffic identifier (TID) value that corresponds to a particular stream or category of traffic. The polling frame prompts the receiving node to respond with its own data frames that correspond to the TID value. The node receiving the polling frame then responds to the polling frame with its own data frames that correspond to the TID value from the polling frame, if the node has any such frames with which to respond. Other features include the implementation priority levels that dictate which frames a node will transmit in response to the polling frame and a request traffic identifier (RTID) value that specifies whether or not the receiving node is to respond with frames that only correspond to the TID value in the polling frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wireless communications. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved control paradigm usable in a packet-based network. Still more particularly, the invention relates to conveying a traffic identifier value in a polling frame to a wireless node that is used by the node when responding to the polling frame.
2. Background Information
Initially, computers were most typically used in a standalone manner. It is now commonplace for computers and other types of electronic devices to communicate with each other over networks. The ability for computers to communicate with one another has lead to the creation of small networks comprising two or three computers to vast networks comprising hundreds or even thousands of computers. Networks can be set up to provide a wide assortment of capabilities. For example, networked computers can be established to permit each computer to share a centralized mass storage device or printer. Further, networks enable electronic mail and numerous other types of services. Networks have been established in a wired configuration in which each entity on the network has a direct physical electrical connection to the network. More recently, advances in wireless technology have made it possible for network devices to communicate with other devices via radio frequency (RF) or other types of wireless media.
In packet-based networks, data and commands are conveyed between nodes on the network in the form of pre-formatted packets (also called frames). In at least some types of packet-based networks, a node desiring to communicate with another node (e.g., to send data to such other node) cannot initiate the transaction. Instead, a central entity on the network (e.g., an access point) queries each node to determine whether any nodes have data to transmit. Upon being queried, a node can access the communication media to transmit its data. As the number of nodes implemented in a network increases, greater pressure is placed on the network to coordinate the use of the medium as efficiently as possible. Any improvement in this area is highly desirable.

Traffic identifier field usage in a polling frame in a packet-based wireless network


A database management system that supports multiple databases in an instance with controlled sharing between the databases. The invention can also support execution of procedures and other modules in the context of any principal possibly different from that of the caller. Trusted certificates can be employed to permit access to procedures (or other modules). The security context of the invention can enable the building blocks of building a pure trusted sub-system model of authorization.

With the increasing popularity of computing devices, more and more data gets stored in relational databases. Information stored in databases routinely gets accessed via the Internet. Today, users access data stored in databases via personal computers (PCs), handheld computers, smart phones and the like. Accordingly, many companies provide for services whereby a vendor can upload database information thus allowing authorized customers and clients to access resources from those databases.
Both commercial (e.g., Oracle-brand, Sybase-brand, DB2-brand) and non-commercial (e.g., Exodus-brand, Postgres-brand) database management systems (DBMSs) are being used to provide for access to such resources. Unfortunately, mechanisms are not provided that isolate and control sharing between resources in these disparate databases within the same server, under security execution contexts different from that of the caller.
As more and more information gets stored in DBMSs, applications built over these DBMSs begin to function as trusted sub-systems. A trusted sub-system based security model differs from an access-control-against-the-end-user based security model in that in the former, security checks are performed at the point-of-entry. After the security check is successful, the trusted subsystem elevates to a privileged context and accesses data in that context.
Traditionally, DBMS products, which act as a platform for data-centric applications, support an access control based model. Unfortunately, this model falls short of its ability to perform complex operations as illustrated in the SAP-brand, BaaN-brand and PeopleSoft-brand of products. Consequently, those applications frequently implement a trusted sub-system based model completely separate from the database system. In other words, conventionally, these trusted sub-system based models are implemented in a disparate process. This separation causes the transport between the database system and the application process to be very secretive and often results in an abuse of the security capabilities of the DBMS.
Conventional systems do not provide a specification and implementation of a security execution context within a DBMS that autonomously supports capabilities to build trusted sub-system based applications. Accordingly, these traditional systems do not provide an implementation of a security authorization model that independently allows for these isolation and controlled share features to simultaneously ensure that the newly impersonated context is sand-boxed to the correct privilege levels.

Security execution context for a database management system


A method of inhibiting corrosion of metal reinforcement structures embedded within cured concrete. The method comprises providing a plurality of exteriorly-accessible generally uniformly distributed openings in the concrete. Thereafter, a plurality of containers is provided, with each container having therein a migrating corrosion inhibitor and having a wall structure which is permeable to the migrating corrosion inhibitor. One container is placed in each of a sufficient number of openings in the concrete such that a sufficient quantity of migrating corrosion inhibitor exits from the respective containers and migrates through the concrete to the embedded metal reinforcement structures to thereby inhibit corrosion.

This invention relates generally to corrosion inhibition of metal reinforcement structures such as reinforcing rods in concrete, and in particular to methodology wherein a plurality of permeable containers containing a migrating corrosion inhibitor are situated in a respective plurality of openings in the concrete.
Concrete structures such as highways, bridges, parking structures, housing, commercial buildings and the like typically have metal reinforcing means embedded therewithin to provide stability and additional strength to the concrete. This reinforcing means can be in the form of reinforcing rods, mesh, metallic fibers and the like, and is usually situated in regular intervals within the concrete by pouring wet concrete therearound or, in the case of metallic fibers, adding during the concrete mixing operation, for subsequent curing. Over time, unfortunately, this metal has a tendency to corrode as external elements such as moisture, atmospheric pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulfide, road treatment chemicals and the like permeate through the concrete structure and reach the metal. If left untreated, the metal reinforcement structures within this concrete may eventually corrode and thereby lose their structural integrity, resulting in untoward degradation of the concrete.
The combining of migrating corrosion inhibitors with wet concrete has been taught as a means for inhibiting corrosion of metal reinforcement structures within concrete. While such inclusion of corrosion inhibitors with wet concrete is initially effective, eventually the corrosion inhibitors become expended in the subsequently-cured concrete and corrosion inhibition disappears. Further, of course, metal reinforcement structures within concrete which had no formative inclusion of corrosion inhibitors during its blending can begin to corrode almost immediately. Thus, it is apparent that a need is present for on-going corrosion protection for such metal substrates embedded within cured concrete.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide methodology whereby corrosion inhibitor material can be made available over the long term to metal reinforcement structures embedded within the concrete.
Another object of the present invention is to provide methodology whereby fresh corrosion inhibitor material can be introduced on a regular schedule into cured concrete having metal reinforcement structures embedded therewithin.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide methodology whereby corrosion inhibitor material is made available in a readily-usable form to thereby permit convenient removal of spent corrosion inhibitor compositions and replacement with fresh compositions.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description which now follows.

Method of inhibiting corrosion of concrete reinforcements


A method for handling an overflow condition in a processor is disclosed. A first plurality of signal data is packed into a first memory location so as to form a first word. A second plurality of signal data is packed into a second memory location so as to form a second word. A bitwise operation is then performed between the first word and the second word to produce a result. The result of the operation is then stored in a k bit memory location so as to form a third word. The third word is then shifted left (k-9) bits. A bit mask is then obtained by arithmetic shifting the third word right (k-1) bits. A logical OR operation is then performed between the bit mask and the result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for handling an overflow condition in a processor.
2. Background of the Invention
Modern computers having a superscalar architecture are able to execute several instructions concurrently. The superscalar approach, however, depends on the ability to execute multiple instructions in parallel. The instructions following a branch instruction have a procedural dependency on the branch instruction and cannot be executed until the branch is executed. This is true regardless of whether the branch is taken or not.
Known bottlenecks to issuing multiple instructions include such control dependencies. Parallel processing is extremely important in operation intensive processes, particularly in real time digital video and audio processing. For example, in a conventional system, operations on two 8-pixel vectors are typically performed one pixel at a time. However, this method requires multiple clock cycles to complete.
Graphics and video processing are operation intensive. At the same time, high-speed processing is particularly important in the areas of video processing, image compression and decompression. Furthermore, with the growth of the "multi-media" desktop, it is imperative that processors accommodate high-speed graphics, video processing, and image compression/decompression to execute multimedia applications. With the rise in demand for these electronic devices, large quantities of data must be manipulated.
Signals requiring manipulation often contain an enormous amount of information. For example, a digital NTSC signal generates approximately 10.4 million pixels per second. Since each pixel contains information for three colors, the total amount of information is more than 30 million pieces of data per second. At a CPU clock rate of 200 MHz, only 20 clock cycles are available for processing each pixel. This results in less than seven clock cycles available per color component. Moreover, in order to provide a smooth transition during real-time video processing, it is necessary to process each frame prior to its display. Therefore, processing speed is particularly important in real-time signal processing applications.
Manipulation of video and image signals is required in many applications, including video and image processing functions. When video signals are manipulated, the result may exceed a desired upper range signal magnitude. For example, in many applications, acceptable pixel values range from 0 to 255. Therefore, an "overflow" occurs when the magnitude of a resulting video signal is greater than 255.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a flow diagram illustrating a method for handling overflow in saturation mode during the processing of video signal data according to the prior art is shown. At step 10, a data byte from a first group of video image data is loaded into a first memory location. At step 12, a data byte from a second group of video image data is loaded into a second memory location. Next, at step 14, the data byte from the first group of video image data is added to the data byte from the second group of video image data. At step 16, the processor causes the result of step 14 to be written into a third memory location. Next, at step 18, the result is compared with an upper range signal magnitude. If the result exceeds the upper range signal magnitude, the upper range signal magnitude is transferred to the third memory location at step 20. If the sum does not exceed the upper range signal magnitude, execution of the final write operation is bypassed at step 22. The step following the branch, or comparison step, has a procedural dependency on the branch and cannot be executed until the branch is executed. This is true regardless of whether the branch is taken or not. A need exists in the prior art for a method for handling an overflow condition in a processor without the use of a branch.

Method for handling an overflow condition in a processor


The invention provides a support structure with torque transfer function including a link member having an upper end and a lower end; a pair of main brackets located on a surface of a base member and being pivotally connected to the lower end of the link member through an intermediate hinge. The link member is rotatably pivoted between the two main brackets. The base member has a pair of auxiliary brackets located at one side of the pair of main brackets. A base hinge is socketingly connected to a resilient support and disposed between the main brackets and the auxiliary brackets. A torque transfer device having upper and lower rotation parts pivoted to the intermediate hinge and the base hinge so as to move synchronously together and a connecting part linking the upper and lower rotation parts to rotate in the same direction, thereby forming a torque transmission path.

The support structure is to connect with a supporter, a platform for example, on which objects, notebook computer for example, can be rested. As a result, the support structure is said to have a receiving function. The platform on the top is usually capable of being adjusted in height with respect to the base on the bottom. When in use, the height between the platform and the base is adjusted appropriately to meet users' demand, whereas, when not in use, the platform is lowered to the lowest position to save space.
Recently flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, LCD TVs, or plasma TVs, have the advantages of lightweight, thinness, and radiation-free and thus have gradually replaced conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. Consequently, a support structure has become an essential accessory for flat panel displays. Since there is a limit of the view angle for liquid crystal display and plasma TVs, at least a hinge structure is usually disposed between the support structure and the base such the tilting angle of flat panel displays can be adjusted with respect to the base.
However, this practice cannot provide flat panel displays in height and along forward/backward direction. Therefore, a parallel-arranged auxiliary connection device has been developed; for example, the tops of two linkage bars are connected to a main hinge on the top and a base hinge at the bottom of a connection member, respectively. For example, an invention "Monitor Improved in a Tilting Structure" applied for Chinese patent and authorized on Mar. 8, 2006 (correspond to U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,857), a pairs of auxiliary link member to connect the main and base hinges are connected to form a four bar linkage, which in turn transform the rotation of the link member with respect to the base member into the tilting movement of the monitor main body. In other words, when the height of the monitor is be adjusted by moving the link upward and downward direction to tilt the monitor, only the link member and the second and third frictional springs (bushes) rotate about the third and fourth hinge pins, such that the monitor body maintain its tilting angle during the height control.
For the aforementioned support device, it is preferably that the friction force between the base hinge and the connection device is larger than the torque induced by the weight of the monitor main body. A torsion spring, disposed between the base hinge and the connection device, is on one end connected to the connection device and on the other end connected to a bracket of the base hinge. Therefore, the torque generated in the torsion spring will be in the opposite direction to that of the base rotating downward along the connection device. The torque in the torsion spring is preferably to roughly equal to the torque induced by the weight of the monitor main body; therefore, the torques can be cancelled out. Consequently, users need only exert a small amount of force to rotate the connection device with respect to the base.
Since the torsion spring has long been disposed between the base hinge and the connection device, the style design of the entire support structure is limited and dull. if the torsion spring can be moved to other place of the support structure, a torque transfer mechanism is required for the torsion spring and the base hinge, which demands urgent attention.

Support structure torque transfer function


Provided are a semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of strings, wherein each of the plurality of strings includes a first memory cell group, and a second memory cell group and peripheral circuits configured to generate a first precharge voltage applied to the first memory cell group and a second precharge voltage applied to the second memory cell group when a channel precharge operation is performed during a program operation, and generate a program voltage to apply the program voltage to the memory cell array when a program voltage application is performed.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an electronic device, and more specifically, to a semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor memory device is a memory device implemented using a semiconductor, such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), etc. The semiconductor memory device can be generally classified as a volatile memory device or a nonvolatile memory device.
A volatile memory device is a memory device in which data stored therein is erased when power supply is cut off. Volatile memory devices include a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc. A nonvolatile memory device is a memory device in which data stored therein is retained even when power supply is cut off. Nonvolatile memory devices include a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a phase-change RAM (PCRAM), a magnetic RAM (MRAM), a resistive RAM (ReRAM), a ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), etc. Flash memories are widely classified into a NOR-type and a NAND-type.
A flash memory device may be classified as a 2-dimensional semiconductor device in which strings are formed on a semiconductor substrate in a horizontal direction, or a 3-dimensional semiconductor device in which strings are formed on a semiconductor substrate in a vertical direction.
The 3-dimensional semiconductor device is a memory device developed to overcome a limitation of a degree of integration of the 2-dimensional semiconductor device, and thus includes a plurality of strings formed in a vertical direction on the semiconductor substrate. The strings include a drain select transistor, memory cells and a source select transistor connected in series between a bit line and a source line.

Semiconductor memory device being capable of reducing program disturbance and program method thereof


The electrical connector includes a body having a terminal-receiving area, at least one terminal disposed in the corresponding terminal-receiving area, a cover sliding along a sliding route and assembled on the body. The top surface of the cover has an insertion area with holes. When the cover slides to a position, the insertion area is corresponding to the terminal-receiving area for pins of a chip module passing through the insertion area and terminal-receiving area to electrically connect with the terminal. At least one receiving plane is disposed on the top of the cover for holding. The receiving plane is higher than the insertion area. The two opposite sides of the cover outside the insertion area have a lateral protrusion protruding upwards. The lateral protrusions are parallel to the sliding route of the cover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, in particular to an improved electrical connector with good electrical connection.
2. Description of Related Art
Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a traditional connector for electrically connected with a chip module (a) and a printed circuit board (not shown in the figure). The traditional connector usually includes a body (b), at least one terminal (not shown in the figure) disposed in the body (b), and a cover (c).
The chip module (a) has a loading plate (a1), a chip unit (not shown in the figure) disposed on the loading plate (a1), at least one pin (a2) disposed under the loading plate (a1) and electrically connected with the chip unit. The body (b) includes at least one terminal-receiving hole (b1) for receiving the corresponding terminal (not shown in the figure).
The cover (c) includes at least one through hole (c1) for inserting the pin (a2) of the chip module (a). A receiving plane (c2) for receiving the chip module (a) disposed on the up surface of the cover (c). A protruding portion (c3) for against the chip module (a) disposed in the center of the cover (c). A pressing portion (c4) with a height the same as the receiving plane (c2) and the protruding portion (c3) is disposed around the edge of the receiving plane (c2). The receiving plane (c2), the protruding portion (c3), and the pressing portion (c4) press against the loading plate (a1) of the chip module (a) together. The area of the loading plate (a1) is bigger or equal to the receiving plane (c2).
The cover (c) is pushed by a driving device (not shown in the figure) to make the cover (c) level move relative to the body (b). Therefore, the relative position of the body (b) and the cover (c) is changed to make the chip module (a) electrically connected with the printed circuit board (not shown in the figure).
In order to make sure the pin (a2) of the chip module (a) passes through the through hole (c1) of the cover (c) and is partially received in the terminal-receiving hole (b1) of the body (b), the thickness of the cover (c) must not be chosen too thick, and the height of the receiving plane (c2) of the cover (c), the protruding portion (c3) and the pressing portion (c4) must not be too high. Then the protruding portion (c3) and the pressing portion (c4) can only hold the chip module (a) but can not increase the strength of cover (c).
When the chip module (a) is assembled on the electrical connector, because the cover (c) is thin, its mechanical strength is low, when the pin (a2) of the chip module (a) is inserted into the through hole (c1) of the cover (c), the cover (c) can not assure a better flat. Therefore, it would lead the cover (c) easy to deform and influence the pin (a2) of the chip module (a) to insert in the through hole (c1) of the cover (c) to electrically connected with the terminal of the connector (not shown in the figure).
Besides, when the cover (c) is pushed by the driving device (not shown in the figure) to move relative to the body (b), the cover (c) is received a thrust along the movement direction of the cover (c) by the driving device and a resistance opposite to the movement direction of the cover (c) by the pin (a2). The two stresses (thrust and resistance) are at the two opposite sides of the cover (c) and parallel to the movement direction of the cover (c). Because the area of the loading plate (a1) of the chip module (a) is bigger or equal to the receiving plane (c2) of the cover (c), and the width of the two opposite sides of the cover (c) is limited, the two stresses are focused on the two opposite sides of the cover (c).
When the number of pin (a2) of chip module (a) increases, the resistance opposite to the movement direction of the cover (c) by the pin (a2) of the chip module (a) increases, the corresponding thrust will increase too. As a result, the stresses generated at the two opposite sides of the cover (c) are concentrated easily, the two stresses would lead the cover (c) to deform and bend. The pin (a2) of the chip module (a) cannot completely come into contact with the terminal (not shown in the figure) of the electrical connector. It will lead to electric contact failure and can not use normally. After the electrical connector is used for a long time, the cover (c) will become deformed or broken. Thus, the life of the electrical connector is shortened.
Therefore, it is necessary to design an improved electrical connector to overcome the above-mentioned problems.


A negative pressure ventilation system comprising a dynamically movable, multi-component artificial rib cage configured to fit snugly around the patient's own chest wall and abdomen is disclosed. The shape, dimensions and the dynamic movement of the artificial rib cage are designed to mimic those of the patient's own chest wall. The artificial rib cage includes an artificial spine to which are connected artificial ribs for forming an artificial chest wall including a sternum component. An abdominal component for placement on the patient's abdomen is connected to the chest wall component through a translating element which allows the abdominal component to move towards and away from the chest wall component. The chest wall and abdominal components cooperatively interact to allow the ventilator to move both the chest wall and abdomen during inspiration and expiration, mimicking the patient's own natural breathing pattern.

Patients experiencing respiratory failure often require assisted ventilation from external devices or systems to facilitate ventilation (i.e., exchange of respiratory gases) and lung expansion and thereby prevent lung collapse. One known manner for facilitating breathing in these patients is to intermittently apply negative pressure around the chest wall, creating a negative pressure in the lungs and generating inward flow of air and/or other respiratory gases into the lungs. The energy stored in the lungs and the chest wall during inspiration is utilized to move respiratory gases out of the respiratory system as the lungs and chest wall recoil during expiration. The concept of negative pressure ventilation has been known since 1670, when John Mayow first introduced a prototype of a negative pressure ventilator. The prototype consisted of a box within which a patient could sit. Attached to the box was a bladder and bellows for moving air into and out of the box. The mouth of the bladder was sealed around the patient's neck to form a closed system. Thus, movement of the bellows created a negative pressure around the patient, helping to move air into and out of the patient's lungs.
Over the years, several other ventilator models were subsequently developed based on Mayow's principle of negative pressure ventilation. In the early 1930's, the Drinker "Iron Lung" model gained wide popularity and was considered at the time to represent the state of the art for ventilation technology. By 1992, several improved portable iron lung models had been developed and manufactured. Commonly referred to as the Spencer-DHB iron lungs, these new negative pressure ventilators proved to be difficult to use due to their enormous size and weight. Prior to the 1980's, all negative pressure ventilators controlled the patient's ventilatory pattern. By the 1980's, the Emerson Company had developed a ventilator which provided assisted negative pressure ventilation. This allowed the generation of negative pressure to be coordinated with a patient's inspiratory effects, which greatly improved patient comfort and synchrony with the negative pressure ventilator. At the same time, interest in negative pressure ventilators diminished after Dominic Robert of France introduced the concept of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation via a nasal mask in the early 1980's. Robert's approach allowed assisted ventilator support with small, lightweight, portable ventilators, a significant improvement over the negative pressure ventilators available at the time.
Since Robert, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation has become increasingly popular for the provision of ventilatory support for patients with either acute or chronic ventilatory failure. The wide acceptance of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation is based in part on the many conveniences this type of ventilation offers: small size (requiring only a small dedicated floor space) simplicity of operation, and easy physical access to the patient, thereby allowing closer attention to wounds, pressure points, various catheters, intravenous injections, and bedclothes. Yet despite these benefits, noninvasive positive pressure ventilators suffer from several drawbacks. For example, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation prevents the patient from easily communicating, results in facial and oral sores, makes eating difficult, and can cause gastric distention. Although tolerated by many patients, this ventilatory approach is liked by few.
In contrast, whole body negative pressure ventilation is vastly superior in patient comfort. Whole body negative pressure ventilators allow the patient to communicate verbally and do not require sedation either to apply the ventilator itself or during its operation. Patients ventilated with these devices do not "fight" ventilatory support. Furthermore, the machine with its large capacity readily and comfortably overrides asynchronous respiratory efforts. Most importantly, negative pressure ventilation provides physiological advantages over noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. Whole body negative pressure ventilation improves the patient's cardiac output rather than reducing it, as occurs with positive pressure ventilation. During negative pressure ventilation, mean intra-thoracic pressure is decreased and venous return is facilitated. Whole body negative pressure ventilation also improves the matching of the patient's ventilation and perfusion, since gas moves into the lungs in a pattern similar to the patient's natural unassisted spontaneous breathing pattern. More importantly, as compared with positive pressure ventilation, negative pressure ventilation is better able to facilitate clearance of airway secretions, avoiding repetitive airway suctioning and bronchoscopy as well as tracheal intubation, thereby avoiding the hazards of bacterial superinfection.
Currently available negative pressure ventilation systems have been hampered by their large size and weight, lack of physical access to patients by caregivers, and limited patient comfort. The portable negative pressure ventilators presently available are not as efficient as whole body ventilator. They are difficult for the patient to attach, air leakage is very common about the seals at the neck, arms, and hips, and they cause air to be drawn across the patient's body, leading to an undesired cooling effect. These portable negative pressure ventilators also prevent patient mobility and are uncomfortable for the user. There is thus a need for a refined negative pressure ventilation system that is smaller in size, lighter in weight, easier to operate for both the caregiver and the patient, and more comfortable for the patient than currently available systems. Also desirable is a negative pressure ventilator that has more automated features to vary the breathing pattern.

Negative pressure ventilation and resuscitation system


A closure assembly for a shipping and storage drum where the drum includes an internally threaded plastic outlet for receipt of the closure assembly includes a plastic closure having a generally cylindrical main body portion which is externally threaded and which constitutes the leading edge of threaded engagement into the outlet. Disposed at the upper end of the main body portion and integral therewith is an annular, peripheral flange the underside of which is shaped with an annular groove which is designed to receive an elastomeric gasket. The annular groove has an outwardly inclined outer wall and a generally cylindrical inner wall. The gasket is held in position as part of the closure by an interference fit between the inside surface of the gasket and the inner cylindrical wall of the groove. The plastic outlet of the shipping and storage drum includes a generally cylindrical raised rib and outward thereto and concentric therewith a generally cylindrical raised wall. Upon full threaded engagement of the closure into the outlet, the raised rib presses into the central area of the elastomeric gasket and the upper surface of the closure is seated within the raised wall and is below the top surface of the wall. The external threads of the closure arranged with two threaded portions, one portion being a straight thread and the lower or leading edge portion being a tapered thread. The thread pitch is the same and the threads are continuous with each other.

The present invention relates in general to externally threaded plastic closures for plastic drums of the type where the opening(s) in the drum have standard two inch (5.08 cm) NPS threads. More particularly, the present invention relates to plastic closures which have a gasket encapsulating structure in the closure flange and external threads arranged with a straight portion and a lower tapered portion.
Drum manufacturers and plastic drum reconditioners have the majority of their processing problems either manufacturing or servicing the two inch (5.08 cm) NPS threaded opening. Because of the inherent design of the NPS thread (originally designed for steel pipe fittings), drum manufacturers have a very difficult time manufacturing a drum which will perform to the required Department of Transportation and United Nations regulations. Typically the first area to fail is the two inch (5.08 cm) NPS threaded opening. Reconditioners have significant problems with the NPS opening ovalizing and shrinking to the point where a plastic drum closure cannot be screwed into the opening in the drum end. However, drum users want to maintain the NPS thread due to adaptability of existing pumps and faucets.
The present invention provides an improvement and solution to the foregoing problem by a unique thread configuration and gasket encapsulating structure. The present invention addresses the problems of ovalization and shrinkage at the reconditioners and performance problems at the drum manufacturers. In the present invention the external threads on the closure are configured with one portion which is straight, exhibiting a constant pitch diameter, while the bottom most portion (bottom three threads) is tapered, or has a reducing pitch diameter. The pitch of both the straight and tapered threads is constant and this feature allows the closure to be installed in drum openings which have ovalized or shrunk, problems which are typically experienced by drum reconditioners. This opening or outlet distortion is caused by the temperature of cleaning solutions involved in the reconditioning process. Distortion is promoted due to the relaxation of material stresses which are introduced in the original manufacturing process of the plastic drum and its opening.
The gasket encapsulating feature of the present invention improves the performance of a plastic drum with respect to maintaining a seal when pressurized. When a plastic drum is pressurized there is noticeable distortion and it may radically change shape. Typically this distortion causes the drum closures to leak because there is not constant pressure exerted on all areas of the sealing gasket. The present invention is designed to flex in cooperation with the distortion of the opening and the gasket encapsulating means disclosed by the present invention keeps the relative softer gasketing material in proper placement so as to effect a liquid-tight seal. Without the gasket encapsulating arrangement as part of the closure flange, a gasket would tend to deform outwardly when the container is exposed to higher internal pressures. Attempts to restrict this gasket movement using only the configuration of the drum outlet has proven to be ineffective. However, putting the gasket encapsulating feature of the present invention on the closure flange has solved the problem of gasket movement.
There is one additional benefit to the design of the present invention which is a result of the required manufacturing method. Due to the relationship of the undercut groove in the flange (gasket encapsulated feature) and the threads, the plastic closure of the present invention must be unscrewed from a mold cavity. Typically, external threads are molded using some arrangement of collets or half moon split blocks which are closed in the molding position and opened in the ejection process. With normal tooling wear this causes flash at the interfaces of the collet jaws or split block mating surfaces. Flash which is formed is likely to break off from the closure when the closure is applied to the drum outlet. Any flash which does break off will likely land in the drum, contaminating the contents of the drum with minute plastic particles. Since the threads on the present invention are unscrewed from the mold cavity, there are no mating tool surfaces to wear in a manner that permits flash and thus there is no flash in the threaded area nor in the container.
Over the years a number of closure designs have been invented to address specific problems and concerns. In many of these earlier designs some type of seal member is provided in order to assist in sealing the interface between the container outlet and the closure. In some of these earlier designs there are special threads or modified threads, again, intended to address or solve some specific problem. The following list of patent references is believed to be a representative sampling of these earlier closure and mating thread designs:
______________________________________ Patent No. Patentee Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,190,171 Kulle et al. 2-26-80 2,008,245 Curtis et al. 7-16-35 2,906,429 Marchyn 9-29-59 3,346,278 Yocum 10-10-67 3,027,042 Graves 3-27-62 2,025,852 Dillhoefer, Jr. 12-31-35 3,664,540 Witkin 5-23-72 3,589,550 Rossmann 6-29-71 3,487,442 Rossmann 12-30-69 3,405,837 Carpenter, Jr. 10-15-68 3,380,618 Phillips 4-30-68 3,891,118 Laurizio 6-24-75 2,339,255 Dodson 1-18-44 2,445,802 Robinson 7-27-48 1,324,896 Hettinger 12-16-19 4,078,696 Crisci 3-14-78 3,122,262 Hagmann et al. 2-25-64 4,005,799 Mannaerts 2-1-77 5,211,304 Stolzman 5-18-93 4,146,207 Rofe 3-27-79 2,769,566 Thompson 11-6-56 2,291,706 Frease 8-4-42 GB 2 227 736 A UK-Christy 8-8-90 352256 Switzerland 2-15-61 ______________________________________
While the array of concepts and features represented by the foregoing listed patent references covers a wide variety of structures, the specific features and combination of features of the present invention are not anticipated. Further, in view of the focused and specific nature of the list of references and the inability to compatibly combine various features, the present invention is such that it would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the listed patent references.


The present invention provides aqueous formulations containing an anti-infection agent, a biocompatible polysaccharide, an osmotic pressure regulator, a pH regulator, and water, wherein a gel containing the therapeutic agent is formed in situ upon instillation of the formulations onto the skin and a body cavity of a subject. The formulations of this invention are useful for treating infectious diseases of skin or a body cavity (e.g., eye, nose, or vagina) of a subject.

Infectious conjunctivitis is an ophthalmic disorder characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva secondary to invasion of a microbe. Microbes capable of causing conjunctivitis in humans include bacteria (including Mycobacteria sp), viruses, fungi, and amoebae. Current treatments for bacterial conjunctivitis consist of antibiotic drops. Because antibiotic drops are ineffective against viral conjunctivitis, treatments for such infections can only relieve symptoms. Treatments for fungi and amoeba conjunctivitis consist of a small selection of medications which lack sufficient anti-bacterial or anti-viral activity and are sometimes toxic to the ocular surface.
Diagnosis of the various causative agents, such as bacteria, virus, or fungus, in infectious conjunctivitis is not economically feasible because accurate diagnosis requires sophisticated laboratory culture not easily integrated into the average healthcare practice. Because accurate diagnosis is impractical, most conjunctivitis is presumed to be bacterial without culturing and is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment is suboptimal because it is ineffective against viral or fungal conjunctivitis. In summary, there is currently no ophthalmic antimicrobial drug that has broad activity against all the causes of conjunctivitis or keratitis and can be safely used in infectious conjunctivitis or keratitis that can potentially be viral or fungal in origin.
Ophthalmic topical drug delivery is one of the important methods of application, but the existence of cornea barrier, tear dilution and lacrimal passage drainage effect limit the treatments and bioavailability of many topical ophthalmic preparations. The conventional liquid ocular formulation is eliminated from the precorneal area immediately upon instillation because of lachrymation and effective nasolacrimal drainage. See, e.g., VHL Lee et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1979; 68: 673-84. Various preparations, such as ointments, suspensions, inserts, and hydrogels, have been developed for ophthalmic delivery system not only to slow down the drug elimination but also to lengthen the residence time of the vehicle on ocular surface. See W. I. Higuchi, J. Pharm. Sci., 1962; 51: 802-4; M. B. McDonald et al., Optometry, 2009; 80: 296-7; A. S. Mundada et al., Curr. Eye Res., 2008; 33: 469-75; and J. W. Sieg et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1975; 64: 931-6. However, they have not been used extensively because of some drawbacks, such as blurred vision with ointments or low patient compliance with inserts. See, e.g., B. K. Nanjawade et al., J. Contr. Rel., 2007; 122: 119-34.
An ideal ophthalmic formulation should be administrated in eye drop form, without causing blurred vision or irritation. This problem can be overcome using in situ gel-forming drug delivery systems prepared from polymers that exhibit sol-to-gel phase transitions due to a change in a specific physicochemical parameter in the cul-de-sac. See, e.g., S. Ganguly et al., Int. J. Pharm., 2004; 276: 83-92.
In the past few years, an impressive number of pH- (e.g., cellulose acetate phthalate and Carbopol), temperature- (e.g., Poloxamer), and ion- (e.g., gellan gum and alginate) induced in situ forming systems have been reported to sustain ophthalmic drug delivery. See, e.g., S. C. Miller et al., Int. J. Pharm., 1982; 12: 147-52; R. Gurny et al., J. Contr. Rel., 1985; 2:353-61; A. Rozier et al., Int. J. Pharm., 1989; 57:163-8; and H. R. Lin et al., J. Contr. Rel., 2000; 69: 379-388. These in situ gel-forming systems could prolong the precorneal residence time of a drug and improve ocular bioavailability. See, e.g., H. W. Hui et al., Int. J. Pharm., 1985; 26: 203-213; Y. D. Sanzgiri et al., J. Contr, Rel. 1993; 26:195-201; G. Meseguer et al., Int. J. Pharm., 1993; 95: 229-234; J. Carlfors et al., Eur. J. Pharm. Sci., 1998; 6: 113-119; Y. X. Cao et al., J. Contr. Rel., 2007; 120:186-194; S. Miyazaki et al., Int. J. Pharm., 2001; 229: 29-36; Y. Liu et al., AAPS PharmSciTech, 11 (2), June 2010, 610-620; CN Patent No. ZL 02109503.5 (2007) to G. Wei et al.
The choice of a special hydrogel depends on its intrinsic properties and envisaged therapeutic use, Deacetylated gellan gum (DGG, an exocellular polysaccharide of microbial origin, commercially available as Gelrite®) is an interesting in situ gelling polymer that has been tested since it seems to perform very well in humans. See, A. Rozier et al., Supra; Y. Liu et al., Supra; and S. A. Agnihotri et al., Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm., 2006; 63: 249-261. Preparations of Geirite are dropped into eyes; gel formation takes place, induced by the electrolytes of the tear fluid. See, e.g., J. Balasubramaniam et al., Acta Pharm., 2003; 53: 251-261. The other in situ gelling compound examined, sodium alginate, is widely used in pharmaceutical preparation. See, e.g., B. J. Balakrishnana et al., Biomaterials, 2005; 26: 6335-6342; and Z. Liu et al., Int. J. Pharm., 2006; 315: 12-17.
Similarly, aqueous solutions of alginate (a natural polysaccharide extracted from brown sea algae) also form gels when instilled into the eye. It was previously reported that Joshi et al. used a combination of polymers in the delivery system to reduce total polymer content and improve gelling properties. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,318, to Joshi et al. They demonstrated that aqueous compositions reversibly gelled in response to simultaneous variations in at least two physical parameters (e.g., pH, temperature, and ionic strength) can be formed by using a combination of polymers that exhibit reversible gelation properties. Many authors, on the basis of this finding, have developed the similar delivery system to improve patient compliance and therapeutic activity. See, e.g., H. R. Lin et al., Biomacromolecules, 2004; 5: 2358-2365; T. Pongjanyakul et al., Int. J. Pharm., 2007; 331: 61-71; and C. J. Wu et al., Yakugaku Zasshi, 2007; 127: 183-191.
Povidone iodine (PVP-I) is a complex of polyvinylpyrrolidone and iodine. It is also called iodophor and contains 9-12% effective iodine. It is a powerful disinfectant with a broad spectrum of applications and is strongly effective against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and mold spores. It causes little irritation on skin and has low toxicity and lasting effect, and can be used safely and easily. It basically does not cause irritation on tissue and is widely used for skin and mucous membrane disinfection, e.g., for pre-surgical cleaning and disinfection of surgical site and wound. The principle of sterilization is mainly through the release of hydrated iodine which has bactericidal effect. Povidone is hydrophilic and can carry iodine to cell membrane. When the complex arrives at the cell wall, the iodine is released and then complexes with amino acids of bacterial protein to denature it and, at the same time, oxidize the active groups of the bacteria's protoplasmic protein so that the bacteria dies rapidly. PVP-I is a very good bactericidal agent with no antibiotic resistance. In common use, povidone iodine's concentration is between 0.1% and 10%. Current PVP-I preparations are in the forms of gel, suppository, cream, and solution, with concentration ranging from 1% to 10%. See Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 Edition. PVP-I eye drops have been widely used for the treatment of ocular infection basically with high concentrations of 5% with toxic effects that cannot be ignored. Grimes and others treated infected eyes repeatedly with 0.02% PVP-I eye drops which have the same germicidal effects as one with concentration of 5.0% PVP-I but without the toxic affection and irritation. See, e.g., S. R. Grimes et al., Mil. Med., 1992, 157:111-113. In order to retain the PVP-I eye drops' sterilizing effect, but also eliminate its toxicity to eyes, clinical operation usually use PVP-I eye drops with concentration of 0.04% to disinfect eyes with no noticeable toxicity. We have previously reported a low concentration PVP-I in combination with dexamethasone eye drops as potential treatment for acute conjunctivitis, and currently the drug candidate has finished phase II clinical trials. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,767,217 B2. However, at a low concentration, PVP-I will degrade quickly, and its concentration cannot be effectively maintained during storage or at the infected site due to the tear barrier effects. Therefore, in order to reduce the toxic effect on the eyes by PVP-I at a high concentration while maintaining its pharmaceutical effect at the infected site, it is often necessary to prepare formulations with low toxicity and long-lasting effect.
However, as a result of strong oxidizing potential and acidity of water-soluble PVP-I polymer material, it is difficult to prepare PVP-I extended release formulation from common slow release technologies such as ointments, microsphere, or hydrogels. We have developed a PVP-I alginate microsphere technology (see, US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0322345 or WO 2013/078998 A1) and successfully developed a PVP-I alginate microsphere cured by CaCl2; however, it was also observed that an in-situ gel formulation of alginate and PVP-I cannot be achieved. We suspect such non-gel formation was due to acidity of PVP-I resulting on low gel strength of alginate in-situ gel. Therefore there is a need to develop stable hydrogel PVP-I formulations which have good gel strength, slow-releasing properties, and non-irritation to the eye.
Developing long-acting and good compliance ophthalmic preparations has always been an important challenge for the current ophthalmic rational drug use. The in situ gel delivery system is a novel dosage form that utilizes the property of the polymer to be sensitive to environmental factors and is administered in the form of a solution, forming a gel in local. This combines both the advantages of the solution and the gel and avoids both disadvantages and shows an ideal application prospect.
The mechanism of in situ gel formation is to utilize polymer materials' features of changing dispersion or conformation under different environmental conditions, resulting in a significant increase of solution viscosity, thus forming a gel-state drug reservoir in drug administration sites. Correspondingly, the in situ gel can be categorized into three main types: temperature-sensitive, ion-sensitive and pH-sensitive in situ gels.
Deacetylated gellan gum (DGG), an anionic deacetylated extracellular polysaccharide secreted by Pseudomonas Elodea, is tetra-saccharide repeating units formed by polymerization of one molecule of α-L-rhamnose, one molecule of β-D-glucuronic, and two molecules of β-D-glucoses. Deacetylated gellan gum has temperature-dependent and cation-induced gelation properties, and a certain concentration of deacetylated gellan gum solution can form a moderate viscosity and strong water-holding gel with the cations in the tears. (Ophthalmological composition of the type which undergoes liquid-gel phase transition. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,760 to C. Mazuel et al.) Merck's Timoptic-XE®, a long-acting ophthalmic timolol maleate formulation, has been shown to improve ocular bioavailability and reduce the frequency of drug administration. Comparing non-gelled polymer solutions with Timoptic-XE®, it was discovered that the gelation mechanism is an important factor for improved efficacy. Rheological studies showed that the 0.5% to 1% Gelrite® aqueous solution only need 10%-25% of the ions in the tears to transform into a gel, in which Na+ plays the most important role to promote the gel formation. In vitro release assay showed that indomethacin in situ gel ophthalmic solution can sustain release drug for 8 hours. Comparing with the traditional ophthalmic preparation, the ion-sensitive in situ gel has the obvious advantages, such as long residence time in cornea, thus improved bioavailability; good histocompatibility and dosing accuracy; ability to stay in flowing liquid state before use, thus easy to fill, and easy for industrial production.
Gellan gum concentrations of 0.5% to 1% (w/w) are required for in situ gel formation in all marketed products containing gellan gum. Moreover, since gellan gum is ion-sensitive, the inorganic salt such as sodium chloride cannot be added as osmotic pressure regulator in its formulation.
The present invention provides an in situ gel-formation ophthalmic formulation containing povidone iodine ("PVP-I"). PVP-I is a polymer drug with significantly different physical and chemical properties, such as strong acidity, water-solubility, ion complex equilibrium, comparing to all reported small molecule drugs, which potentially affect gellan gum's gel-forming ability. However, we have surprisingly discovered that povidone iodine's addition into polysaccharide natural polymer materials such as deacetylated gellan gum, reduces the required gellan gum concentration in order for gel-formation significantly. Gellan gum's concentration can be less than 0.5% (w/w) in compositions containing PVP-I when mixing with the simulated tear to form a gel. Although gellan gum has an ion-sensitive property, its viscosity does not increase at physiological temperature (34° C.) due to the dilution of simulated tear after mixing with simulated tear. Therefore gellan gum itself cannot form in-situ gel in the eye upon instillation. However, we surprisingly found that the viscosity of the gellan gum solution containing PVP-I is significantly increased at physiological temperature (34° C.) which shows a typical in-situ gel property after mixing with simulated tear.
Moreover, we surprisingly discovered that adding an appropriate concentration of sodium chloride as osmotic pressure regulator into compositions containing povidone-iodine and gellan gum will cause a significant thixotropy of the formulation. The composition will transform into a semi-solid gel state after sitting still for a few hours, but it can quickly turn into a free-flowing fluid with a gentle shake of the container. In addition, the addition of appropriate concentration of sodium chloride in PVP-I and gellan gum compositions makes the composition more sensitive to tear ions to form gel when mixing with tears. The composition not only extends PVP-I's retention time in the conjunctival sac with slower dissolution and extended release of the drug, but also can reduce povidone iodine's irritation to the eye. The stability of such extended release in situ gel PVP-I composition is improved over its corresponding solution formulation, making it more suitable for clinical applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pharmaceutical formulations that form gel in situ


A client sends a state information message such as an error message or a state information manipulation request to a logging system server. The logging system server prioritizes the messages and requests, and sends them to the appropriate components. A notification engine and a notification manager control notifying the user of the state information message. A plugin server and plugins control logging the state information message and control other state information manipulation such as generating statistical analysis data and paging a user. The plugin server enables additional plugins to be added to the system. An external notification manager sends the state information message and possibly other information such as the statistical analysis data to an external system such as technical support. A system fatal error controller locks up the system during a system fatal error to prevent any additional data corruption.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly to a system and method for logging and manipulating system state information.
2. Description of the Background Art
At the current stage of computer technology, occasional system and application program errors are unavoidable. There are four basic types of program errors: the informational, the warning, the fatal, and the system fatal. An informational error is caused by a benign condition, such as "printer out of paper." A warning error is caused by a correctable condition, such as a printer unexpectedly going "off-line," a failure of an application program to locate a configuration file or an abnormal termination of an application program, which if left unattended could compromise system stability. A fatal error is caused by a condition which indicates an unstable system, such as server shutdown or a corrupt system file data structure, and thus warrants system rebooting. Lastly, a system fatal error is caused by a condition which indicates a totally unusable system, such as unexpected page faults by the microkernel, failure of the primary hard drive, or abnormal termination of a critical operating system server, and thus warrants system shut down to avoid additional problems.
Conventional operating systems, such as the VMS.RTM. operating system produced by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Mass. and the Windows NT.RTM. operating system produced by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., are generally limited to storing in a system log a coded message representing each error. When users contact technical support for assistance, technicians can review the coded messages, but typically find the messages insufficiently descriptive for desired diagnostic purposes. Thus, technicians resort to troubleshooting. Therefore, a system and method are needed for preserving more descriptive messages in a system log and for enabling further manipulation of the messages.

System and method for logging and enabling further manipulation of system state information


A subsea pipe laying system is mounted on a ship and comprises a fabrication station where lengths of pipe are welded together to form a pipeline. The pipeline is then guided to a pipe laying zone where including a straightener under the control of a tensioner/clamping arrangement the pipeline is straightened and laid on the sea bed. The straightener and the tensioner/clamps are mounted on a ramp which can be tilted whereas the fabrication zone is on the deck of the vessel. The pipeline can either be fabricated in a forward direction and then have its direction and movement reversed to lay over the stern or be fabricated in an aft direction and laid over the stern.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to pipeline laying and more particularly to the laying of a pipeline on the sea bed.
2. Brief Review of the Prior Art
It has been proposed previously to lay a pipeline on the sea bed either by unwinding the pipeline from a reel carried on a vessel or by welding lengths of pipe on the vessel to form the pipeline and then laying the pipeline on the sea bed. The use of a reel requires a comparatively low tension in the pipeline so reducing the thrust requirements of the vessel. This allows the pipeline to be laid in very deep water. This method is, however, limited by the capacity of the reel, which may, for example, be 20 km of 305 mm (12 inch) pipe. In order to obtain further pipeline for laying, the vessel must travel to one of the scarce dedicated bases for the fabrication of pipeline, moor and take onto the reel a fresh length of pipeline.
The welding of a pipeline from lengths of pipe has been achieved in two different ways. In one way, the pipeline is fabricated on the vessel and then bent elastically over a stern structure commonly known as a stinger before being allowed to assume the natural catenary between the vessel and the sea bed. This requires very high tensions to be maintained in the pipeline and consequently very high thrust from the vessel, in order to avoid buckling of the pipeline at the end of the stinger as it is laid overboard. Even the most modern of vessels can only lay pipeline to a depth of 600 metres by this method but it has the advantage that the vessel can be re-supplied with pipe lengths while laying the pipeline so that the length of pipeline that can be laid in a stretch is almost limitless.
An alternative is to prefabricate a number of pipe lengths (say three or more) into a pipe stalk which is then loaded into a generally horizontal ramp extending along the vessel and pivoted about the stern of the vessel. By tilting the ramp the pipe stalk may then be aligned with a separate ramp, also pivoted about the stern, which is adjustably fixed at the angle of the top end of the pipe catenary. The pipe stalk is then welded to the pipeline and passed over the stern. In this method there is no bending of the pipe either at the top end of the catenary, or on board the vessel, but the ramp must be more than 150 m long in order to accommodate sufficiently long pipe stalks to achieve sensible lay rates.


The invention is a saddle lock that is inexpensive to manufacture and can be used with different style and/or size saddles.

Field
The invention pertains to saddle locks. More particularly, the invention pertains to a saddle lock that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to transport, and can be used to lock a Western saddle or an English saddle.
Background
One of the most expensive pieces of equipment that a horse riding enthusiast has is a saddle. Whether the saddle is English style or Western style, it is typically quite expensive, with prices commonly of many thousands of dollars. These saddles are often left in tack rooms at barns and riding establishments, where they can easily be stolen. Also, equestrians often need to travel with their saddles, putting them in the backs of pickup trucks or carrying them to horse shows or rodeos, etc, where they can be easily accessed by others. Due to their significant value, portability, and usage in public places, saddle theft is a common problem.


In implementations of systems for generating layouts of text objects, a computing device implements a layout system to receive input data describing a sequence of text and the layout system represents the sequence of the text as a number of text objects. A candidate layout for the text objects is identified from layout data describing a plurality of layouts, the candidate layout identified at least partially based on the number of the text objects. The layout system generates a binary tree having leaf nodes and at least one parent node representing the candidate layout. An arrangement of the text objects in the candidate layout is generated for display in a user interface based on the binary tree.

Text is commonly used to visually communicate information in digital content. Words and/or glyphs are represented as text objects, which in turn are arranged and styled as part of the digital content to augment information conveyed by the substance of the text. These arrangements or layouts of text objects can be used to improve aesthetics of the digital content, convey a mood or theme, emphasize portions of the text, draw attention to specific aspects of the digital content, and so forth.
Conventional techniques for generating layouts of text objects involve a user manually adjusting and readjusting alignments and styles of the text objects to improve a visual appearance of the text objects relative to a background or other objects within the digital content. Accordingly, these conventional techniques are prone to error, inefficient, and constrained by a design aptitude of the user. Although conventional techniques have subsequently been developed to provide suggestions for layouts, these suggestions are limited to examples of other layouts of text objects depicted in digital content to serve as a guide for the user. Thus, the user of these conventional techniques in both instances is tasked with manually creating the layout for the text objects and evaluating the aesthetics of the layout which includes maintaining a readability of the substance of the text.

Systems for generating layouts of text objects


Backrests of a rear seat system are attached to a cross member which extends between the wheel housings of the rear structure of a motor vehicle. Owing to this indirect attachment of the backrests, instead of a direct attachment to the rear structure, the intermediately connected cross member is in a position to absorb a large part of the impact force to which the backrests are exposed in a rear-end collision, and to dissipate this force by means of a parallelogram-like deformation. As a result, the rearward displacement of the backrests is reduced, thus improving the interior protection of the occupants.

The invention relates to a device for attaching a backrest of a vehicle seat.
As shown in FIG. 1, the known backrests of a rear seat (not illustrated) of a motor vehicle are attached in the region of the wheel housings 2, exterior to the vehicle, via backrest support panels 1, and via a center bearing 3 on the rear structure of a motor vehicle, collectively designated as reference numeral 4. The force acting on a vehicle occupant in a rear-end collision is transmitted to the rear structure via the backrest. As shown in greater detail in FIG. 8, this causes a relatively severe deformation of the backrest support panels 1 and the center bearing 3, resulting in a great change in the angle α of the backrest 5 of approximately 30°. This subjects the vehicle occupants 6 to relatively high stress due to the displacement in the upper body area and in particular the head area.
The object of the invention is to design the device for attaching the backrest of a motor vehicle seat in such a way that stress on a vehicle occupant is reduced in the event of a rear-end collision.
This object is achieved by use of a device having the features of claim 1.
The core concept of the invention is to attach the backrest of a motor vehicle seat via a crossmember on the rear structure of the motor vehicle in such a way that in a rear-end collision the acting forces are largely dissipated in the crossmember. It is essential to the invention that the crossmember which dissipates energy is connected between the body of the motor vehicle and the support for the backrest in such a way that a significant portion of the collision energy may be dissipated. In a rear-end collision this reduces the angle by which the backrest is displaced opposite the direction of travel. In particular for compact vehicles, this prevents the head of a rear passenger from coming into contact with a rear window frame located behind the rear seat assembly.
A crossmember which extends transversely over the width of the vehicle for supporting a motor vehicle seat is known from DE 100 54 586 A1. In contrast to the present invention, however, the known crossmember supports seat rails for attaching the entire rear seat assembly. The known system does not provide an attachment solely of the backrest with an advantageous design for beneficial energy absorption in a rear-end collision.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, front and rear boundary walls of the crossmember extend substantially in parallel in approximately vertical transverse planes of the vehicle. As a result of this design of the crossmember, in a rear-end collision the crossmember is deformed in the manner of a parallelogram essentially over its entire extension in the direction transverse to the vehicle, resulting in correspondingly high dissipation of energy in the crossmember. This reduces the proportion of the collision energy which must be dissipated by the supports for the backrest, resulting in less deformation of the supports and thus a smaller change in the angle of the backrest. The extent of the change in the angle of the backrest is also reduced by the fact that in a vehicular collision, as a result of the parallelogram-like deformation the crossmember is displaced primarily in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Only limited twisting of the crossmember occurs.
The supports for the backrest, which are designed as bearing blocks, are preferably provided in the form of swivel bearings to allow the backrests of the rear seat assembly to be folded down, thus increasing the storage space in the trunk in the region of the rear seat assembly. For a two-part backrest of a rear seat it is particularly advantageous to provide in addition to the two exterior swivel bearings a center bearing which takes over the support of the two backrest sections.
Even though the invention is described primarily in conjunction with backrests of rear seats, in principle the device may also be used on front seats of motor vehicles.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the subclaims.
One possible exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and described in greater detail below. The drawings show the following:

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A method of forming a weft knitted fabric upholstery cover having a wale-wise extending flap on its reverse side in which method the excess fabric is knitted coursewise into the cover and is gathered into a flap on the reverse side of the fabric and sewn along its length. The coursewise length of the cover is sufficient so that after gathering to form the flap, the cover is substantially an exact fit over the core.

It has recently been found possible to knit one-piece upholstery covers for covering three-dimensional objects. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,308,141 and 5,326,150 disclose a method for knitting one-piece covers for the base and/or back cushions of motor vehicle seats.
In the above-referenced U.S. patents, there is disclosed a method of forming integral tubular flaps which are knitted into the cover to serve as anchorage devices. The tubular flaps described in the above document generally extend in a course-wise direction in the knitted fabric.
U.S. Ser. No. 08/619,052, filed Mar. 20, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,169 and assigned to the assignee of this application, describes how a wale-wise extending tube can be knitted in weft knitted double jersey fabric. A weft knitted double jersey fabric may be machine knitted on a weft knitting machine having independently operable needles arranged in two needle beds, for example, a flat "V" bed machine. A wale-wise extending tubular portion can be formed between the two layers of the double jersey fabric by slipping stitches on selected needles so that there are no interlocking stitches between the two double jersey layers on particular needles lines, so forming a wale-wise extending tube.
However, there is to date no convenient means of producing a wale-wise extending flap in a central location in a knitted material. This is especially so for a three-dimensional knitted cover where the cover is dimensioned so as to be a substantially exact fit on the object to be covered.


A vessel with a mooring recess on the bottom of the hull moors to a submerged buoyant mooring element anchored to the ocean bottom by hoisting the mooring element from a stowed position at a depth of net neutral buoyancy of the mooring element and its anchoring system into contact with the mooring recess. The mooring operation is completed safely, quickly, and positively by rapidly withdrawing seawater into the hull through an opening in the mooring recess so as to reduce the hydrostatic pressure acting on the top of the mooring element as the element comes into contact with the hull of the vessel. The pressure reduction is sufficient to shift the mooring element and its anchoring system from a net negative to a net positive buoyancy condition at the keel depth of the vessel. The seawater may be withdrawn by a high capacity pump that is either specifically installed for this purpose or is part of a bow thruster system of a type commonly found on large vessels. Alternative, or additional, seawater suction apparatus includes an evacuated hermetic chamber having a valve opening into the mooring recess. The mooring recess may be coaxial with a vertical well in the hull, in which case water in the well may be drained into an empty hold through a valve opening into the well near the bottom of the hull. The mooring element has an upper part that makes sealing contact with the hull of the vessel and a lower part that is connected to the anchor lines. At least one bearing mounted between the parts permit the upper part to rotate relative to the lower part, so that the vessel may weathervane in response to wind, wave, and current forces.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the mooring of oil tankers or other vessels in unprotected waters. More particularly the invention relates to a mooring system which combines a submerged buoyant mooring element anchored to the sea bed by catenary lines and a vessel provided with hoisting apparatus for raising the mooring element into engagement with a mooring recess in the bottom of the vessel hull.


A deformable, pad-type filter is provided which does not have a frame but instead uses two filter elements, at least one having a non-planar configuration in a stress-free condition, which are preferably joined along an outer edge to form an inner chamber. A connector is located in and attached to one of the filter elements, the connector having a rigid connector platform which projects radially outward from the connector to enable a user's fingers to grasp the perimeter of the connector platform to twist or otherwise manipulate the filter for connection or disconnection to a respirator facepiece without damage to the filter material.

Air-purifying respirators are worn on a user's face for protection against gases, vapors and particulates. They filter the air breathed by a user to remove the noxious gases, vapors and particulates while enabling oxygen in the atmosphere to reach the user. An air-purifying respirator typically consists of three parts: a facepiece, a filter, and a head harness. The facepiece can be a full mask, covering the entire face and forming a seal therewith; or it can be a half-mask, covering only the nose and mouth and forming a seal there-around. The head harness typically consists of a yoke with straps attached thereto. The yoke is attached to the facepiece such that when the straps are worn, the head harness keeps the facepiece sealed against the face. The filter is connected to the facepiece and removes the noxious substances from the air as it is inhaled into the facepiece. The facepiece also often includes an exhalation valve which permits expired air to be vented directly to the outside of the facepiece, but which remains closed during inhalation so that all inhaled air passes through the filter. Examples of typical air-purifying respirators are the Advantage.RTM. 200 half-mask respirator and the Advantage.RTM. 1000 full-mask respirator made by Mine Safety Appliances Company ("MSA") of Pittsburgh, Pa. and described in MSA Data Sheet No. 10-00-05 (1998) and MSA Bulletin No. 1012-06 (1998). The Advantage.RTM. 200 respirator is also shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,937.
Respirator filters come in various shapes, sizes and materials. Some are in the form of rigid cartridges, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,126. Some are in the form of flexible filter pads, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,062. Other's are somewhere in between such as the filter pad with a rigid perimeter such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,695. These filters are the result of trade-offs between competing design considerations such as increased efficiency, lower breathing resistance and durability.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,062, the filter consists of two filter pads secured along their outer edges to face in opposing directions. The filter pads are separated by a porous layer which forms an interior region in which the air may be drawn through the filter pads. A connector is provided through one of the pads to connect this interior region with the inlet valve of the respirator facepiece. As the user inhales, air is drawn through the surfaces of both filter pads into the porous layer and then through the connector into the facepiece via the inlet valve.
While this two-pad design is useful in reducing breathing resistance without significantly detracting from filtration efficiency, a need remains in the art to develop even better designs having improved performance and use characteristics. For instance, this flexible, pad-type filter is generally secured to and disconnected from the respirator facepiece by attaching the connector to the respirator using a threaded or bayonet-type fitting. In doing so, the user must grasp and touch the filter pads and twist or otherwise manipulate the filter to make the connection. This means that any soil on the user's hands can contaminate the filter pad thus reducing filtration efficiency. Moreover, in twisting or otherwise manipulating the filter pad for connection or disconnection with the respirator facepiece, the pliable filter material tends to be rotated or turned further than the relatively stiff connector to which it is attached, thereby placing stress on the filter material surrounding the connector. This relative rotational stress on the filter material can potentially lead to tearing or other damage of the material and possibly even separation of the filter material from the connector.
From the above it is clear that minimizing and even preventing user contact with the filter material, preventing bending of the filter material during removal and attachment, and preventing relative rotation between the filtration material and the connector are desirable objectives to enhance the overall performance and durability of a flexible pad-type filter. Of course, it is still necessary to maintain filtration efficiency while reducing breathing resistance, preferably by to increasing the overall filtering surface area while making the filter relatively compact so as not to obstruct the user's view or otherwise frustrate the user's ability to work when wearing the respirator.
The filter shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,695 uses an internal rigid frame with an outer peripheral band to keep the filter pads separate and to overcome some of the problems discussed above with regard to preventing bending of the filter material during removal and attachment and preventing the relative rotation between the filter material and the connector. In doing so, however, this filter is no longer flexible, but is rigid.
It would be very desirable to overcome the attachment and rotation problems described above without having to sacrifice the flexibility of the pad-type filter. A flexible or deformable filter is a very desirable feature, especially since such a filter can easily fit under a welding shield by conforming to the shape of the shield as it is raised and lowered.


A touch display device includes a display panel, a conductive layer disposed on the display panel, a touch electrode disposed adjacent to the conductive layer and on the display panel, a routing line coupled to the touch electrode, and a polarizer disposed on the touch electrode and the conductive layer, where the conductive layer and the touch electrode are formed of the same material.

Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a touch panel, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device with an embedded touch panel, in which touch electrodes are formed on a substrate each with divided electrode pieces, and each of which has a touch sensing function by sensing a touch without a button for selecting a particular function, and a method for manufacturing the same.
Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, as the society enters into a fully information oriented society, an industry area relating to display devices for visually expressing electric information signals have rapidly developed. As a result, different flat display devices which are favorable for making the display devices thinner, lighter and to consuming less power have been developed, rapidly replacing existing cathode ray tubes.
As examples of the flat display devices, there are liquid crystal display ("LCD") device, plasma display panel ("PDP") device, field emission display ("FED") device, and electro luminescence display ("ELD") device, all of which essentially require flat display panels for producing pictures. The flat display panel is provided with one pair of transparent substrates bonded to face each other, with a unique light emission material or polarizing material layer disposed therebetween.
Of the flat display devices, the liquid crystal display device controls light transmissivity of liquid crystals by using an electric field for displaying a picture. To do this, the liquid crystal display device is provided with a display panel having liquid crystal cells, a backlight unit for directing light to the display panel, and a driving circuit for driving the liquid crystal cells.
The display panel includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines formed to cross each other to define a plurality of unit pixel regions. Each of the pixel regions has a thin film transistor array substrate and a color filter array substrate facing each other, spacers positioned between the two substrates for maintaining a fixed cell gap, and liquid crystals filled in the cell gap.
The thin film transistor array substrate includes the gate lines and the data lines, a thin film transistor formed as a switching device at every crossed portion of the gate lines and the data lines, a pixel electrode and so on formed at every liquid crystal cell connected to the thin film transistor, and an alignment film coated on the above elements. The gate lines and the data lines have signals supplied thereto through relevant pads.
The thin film transistor supplies a pixel voltage signal from the data line to the pixel electrode in response to a scan signal from the gate line.
The color filter array substrate has a color filter formed at every liquid crystal cell, a black matrix for dividing the color filters and reflecting an external light, a common electrode and so on for supplying a reference voltage to the liquid crystal cells in common, and an alignment film coated on above elements.
Fabrication of the display panel is finished as the thin film transistor array substrate and the color filter array substrate formed individually are aligned and bonded to face each other, and the liquid crystals are injected therebetween.
Recently, demands have been on the rise for the addition of a touch panel to the liquid crystal display device, for perceiving a touched portion made by a hand or additional input means, and provide information in response. Currently, the touch panel is applied to the liquid crystal display device in a fashion in which the touch panel is attached to an outside surface of liquid crystal display device.
In the touch panel may be categorized as a resistive type, a micro capacitive type, an infrared type, and so on according to the type of touch sensing mechanisms used. Taking convenience of fabrication and sensing capability into account, recently the micro capacitance type is gaining attention in smaller sized models.
A related art liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a section of a related art liquid crystal display device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the related art liquid crystal display device 1 is provided with a first substrate 10 and a second substrates 20 faced to each other, a thin film transistor array formed on the first substrate 10, a black matrix layer 21 and a color filter layer 22 formed on the second substrate 20, and a liquid crystal layer 15 filled between the first and second substrates 10 and 20.
The color filter layer 22 includes a red color filter layer 22a, a green color filter layer 22b, and a blue color filter layer 22c.
The first and second substrates 10 and 20 have a first polarizing plate 31 and a second polarizing plate 32 formed on backsides (outer surfaces) thereof, respectively.
If the liquid crystal display device has an IPS mode (In Plane Switching mode) configuration in which the liquid crystal display device is driven by a lateral electric field, a transparent conductive film 35 is formed on the outer surface of the second substrate 20 for shielding static electricity.
In this case, the transparent conductive film 35 is directly sputtered onto the outer surface of the second substrate 20, on which the second polarizing plate 32 is formed.
In this instance, the transparent conductive film 35 is grounded.
However, the related art liquid crystal display device has the following problems.
If the related art liquid crystal display device is produced as a large sized model of a TV set, buttons are separately provided on an outside case at a periphery of the panel for selection of volume or channel, or so on. However, the existence of the outside case which occupies a certain area of a periphery of the panel for providing such buttons impedes production of a narrow bezel or a borderless structure. That is, the area of the outside case, which is not used for actual display, increases.
In order to improve upon the above, an effort is suggested in which the buttons are not separately mounted to an outside case, but provided functionally in the panel.
Accordingly, there has been an effort for providing particular function keys in the panel as particular keys for user's selection while omitting the buttons.

Liquid crystal display panel with embedded touch panel and method for manufacturing the same