At least two sets of ion-generating means are provided to face each other through a space having an insulating sheet. The first and second surfaces of the sheet are simultaneously irradiated with monopolar ion clouds substantially opposite to each other in polarity generated from the ion-generating means. The sheet is subsequently irradiated with monopolar ion clouds reverse in polarity to that of the previously applied ion clouds, to eliminate the positive and negative charges of both the surfaces of the insulating sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a static eliminator and a static eliminating method for eliminating charges from an insulating sheet. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing an insulating sheet using said static eliminator or said static eliminating method, and also to an insulating sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
The charges of an insulating sheet such as a plastic film can prevent the sheet from being processed as desired. As a result, it can happen that the quality of the processed sheet does not come up to the expected level. For example, in the case where a sheet having locally strong charges and discharge marks called static marks caused by electrostatic discharge is printed or coated with a coating material, the processed sheet has irregularity of the ink or coating material. In a process for producing a metallized film to be used, for example, in a capacitor or for packaging, the processed sheet can have static marks after completion of film processing such as vacuum evaporation or sputtering. The strong charges such as static marks cause the film to adhere to another member due to electrostatic force, hence causing such various problems as miscarriage, positioning failure and disarrangement of cut sheets.
The conventional static eliminators used to obviate such problems include the following: a self-discharge type static eliminator in which a grounded conductor shaped like a brush is brought close to the insulating sheet, to cause corona discharge at the tip of the brush for eliminating charges, and an AC or DC voltage application type static eliminator in which a power-frequency high voltage or DC high voltage is applied to a needle electrode to cause corona discharge for eliminating charges.
A conventional static eliminating method using corona discharge is described below. FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the principle of a conventional static eliminating method for an insulating sheet. In FIG. 1, a static eliminator 1 causes corona discharge by means of an ion generating electrode 1b connected to an AC power supply 1a and an earth electrode 1c, for generating positive ions 301 and negative ions 302 near the ion generating electrode 1b. Of the positive and negative ions, the positive ions 301 are attracted by an insulating sheet S due to the Coulomb force 700 acting between the positive ions 301 and the negative charges 102 of the sheet, to be balanced by the negative charges 102. As a result, the negative charges 102 of the insulating sheet S are eliminated.
However, actually, it is not rare that the charges of the sheet S are not eliminated according to the principle. The surface resistivities and volume resistivities of insulating sheets such as polyethylene terephthalate films, polypropylene films and aramid films used as photographic films, capacitor films and magnetic tape films are high. Therefore, the charges once generated in the sheet S can little migrate in the in-plane direction or in the thickness direction of the sheet. For this reason, if the potential of the sheet S rises with a large amount of negative charges accumulated, discharge can be caused between the sheet S and a grounded component used for carrying the sheet S or the like existing near the sheet S. In a sheet with a high surface resistivity and a high volume resistivity, since the migration of charges due to discharge is confined within local sites, it can happen that when discharge occurs, the local negative charges are excessively taken away to form sites having positive charges.
The discharge marks that are the marks of this discharge are static marks. If static marks are formed, there occurs a situation where positive charges 101 and negative charges 102 exist together in the sheet S. As shown in FIG. 2, if charges of positive polarity (positive charges 101) and charges of negative polarity (negative charges 102) are alternately formed at a small pitch, that is, if two kinds of charges with relatively high charge densities but opposite to each other in polarity exist close to each other, there occurs a phenomenon that the lines of electric force 500 attributable to the charges of the sheet S are closed between the respectively adjacent charged sites opposite to each other in polarity. Therefore, there occurs a situation where the Coulomb force 700 little acts on the ions near the static eliminator located a little away from the sheet S. As a result, ions are little attracted by the sheet S, and the charges 101 and 102 in the sheet S are little eliminated.
As shown in FIG. 3, there can be a case where positive charges 101, 201 and negative charges 102, 202 exist in both the surfaces of the sheet S. For example, in the case where a large amount of negative charges 102 exist in the first surface 100 of the sheet S, it can happen that discharge occurs between the sheet S and a grounded component (for example, a carrier roll) located close to the second surface 200 of the sheet. In this case, the negative charges 102 in the first surface 100 of the sheet remain also after discharge as they are, and the discharge causes sites having positive charges 201 to be formed in the second surface 200 of the sheet S. If such discharge occurs on both the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 of the sheet S, there occurs a situation where positively charged sites and negatively charged sites exist together in both the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 of the sheet S as shown in FIG. 3. Also in this case, the lines of electric force 500 attributable to the charges of the sheet S are closed between the negative charges 102 in the first surface 100 and the positive charges 201 in the second surface 200. So, Coulomb force does not act on the ions existing near the static eliminator either, and necessary ions cannot be attracted.
That is, in the case of a sheet having a fine charge pattern, i.e., a sheet where positively charged sites and negatively charged sites are alternately formed at a small pitch in one surface or where they exist together in both the surfaces, the lines of electric force 500 are closed near the sheet S. As a result, the Coulomb force 700 acting on the ions 301 and 302 located a little apart from the sheet S (near the static eliminator) is small, and the ions cannot be attracted toward the sheet S.
Measured charge densities of sheets having positively charged sites and negatively charged sites existing together in both the surfaces are stated in "Transactions on Fundamentals and Materials A (in Japanese), Vol. 112, No. 8, pages 735-740, The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, August 1992 (hereinafter called document DS1)." According to the measured charge densities stated in document DS1, the charge densities in the first surface of a film as an insulating sheet are about −23 μC/m2, and the charge densities in the second surface of the sheet are about +23 μC/m2. In document DS1, the charges of such a film are called "both-side bipolar charges."
On the other hand, the inventors confirmed the local charge densities at sites of sheets having a fine charge pattern such as static marks according to the method described later. As a result, it was found that there exist local sites having charge densities of about several to about 500 μC/m2 in absolute value in the respective surfaces, and that there exist some local sites in which the sums of the local charge densities of both the surfaces at the same sites in the in-plane direction of the sheet (apparent charge densities) were about 1 to about 40 μC/m2 in absolute value. These values are very large compared with the average charge densities generated due to the frictional electrification in an ordinary sheet production process. The average charge densities are said to be usually in a range from about 0.1 to about 1 μC/m2.
Especially it was found that in a fine charge pattern such as static marks, there were sites where the charge densities of the respective surfaces (for example, the charge density on the first surface 100 of a sheet was +500 μC/m2, while the charge density on the second surface 200 at the same position was −480 μC/m2) were far larger than the apparent charge densities (+20 μC/m2 in the above example) (usually about 1 to about 40 μC/m2 in absolute value). In the invention, the distribution of the quantities of charges in a sheet is mainly evaluated using the distribution of local charge densities. Unless otherwise stated, a charge density means the value of a local charge density of a sheet. As described above, in a sheet with a charge pattern such as static marks, the sums of charge densities of both the surfaces at the same site in the in-plane direction of the sheet (the apparent charge densities) are greatly different from the values of the charge densities of the respective surfaces at the same site.
In this specification, the sum of the (local) charge densities of both the surfaces at the same site in the in-plane direction of a sheet means the apparent charge density (the charge density identified without considering the distribution in the thickness direction) of the sheet at the site. This definition is important in the invention.
In the case where the apparent charge densities at the respective sites in the in-plane direction of a sheet are zero, the sheet appears to be non-charged, and in the case where they are not zero, the sheet appears to be charged. As described in document DS1, it has been known that an insulating sheet such as a film is bipolar-charged in both the surfaces. However, there is no report that has locally examined charge densities, and the description concerning static elimination relates to the apparent charges of a sheet. On the contrary, in discussing the statically eliminated state of an insulating sheet, the inventors have clarified that it is essentially important to examine both the apparent charge densities and the charge densities of the each surface.
For eliminating charges from an insulating sheet having such a charge pattern, usually a large quantity of the ions from a static eliminator are applied near to the sheet S without resorting to the Coulomb force acting due to the charges of the sheet.
As a technique for eliminating charges from an insulating sheet having such a charge pattern, a static eliminator as shown in FIG. 4 is known. The static eliminator 2 is disclosed in JP 2651476 C (hereinafter called document DS2). In FIG. 4, the static eliminator 2 consists of plural positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b connected with an AC power supply 2a and a planarly spread ion-attracting electrode 2d connected with an AC power supply 2c, and the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b and the ion-attracting electrode 2d are installed to face each other through a traveling insulating sheet S. In the static eliminator 2, the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b generate positive and negative ions, while high voltages opposite to the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b in polarity are alternately applied to the ion-attracting electrode 2d, so that the positive and negative ions generated by the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b can be attracted by the ion-attracting electrode 2d, to be forcibly irradiated to the sheet S.
As a result, positive and negative potentials are alternately induced in the sheet S, and the positive and negative ions from the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b are forcibly attracted by the surface of the sheet S. So, it is said that even a sheet with a fine charge pattern can undergo static elimination. It is said that the statically eliminating action of the static eliminator 2 can be confirmed with a negative toner powder (black fine powder) used in a copier or the like to be electrostatically deposited on the sheet.
In this case, since the sheet is a thin insulator, the toner powder is deposited on the sites where the apparent charge densities are high. That is, a site where no toner powder is deposited means a site where the sheet is apparently non-charged (where the apparent charge density is almost zero).
However, the inventors confirmed that even if an insulating sheet is apparently non-charged by such static elimination, the sheet reveals its original charge pattern when it is processed to have a metalized film or to be coated. That is, it was found that the static eliminator 2 of document DS2 could not provide a sufficient static elimination effect. These can be actually confirmed since such defects as the irregularities of ink or coating material, static marks formed after such film processing as vacuum evaporation or sputtering, and disarrangement of cut sheets due to sliding failure actually occur. This is an essential problem, since the static eliminator of document DS2 can eliminate only the apparent charges described before.
This problem is described below in reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, an ion-generating electrode 2b is merely described to simplify the figure. It is assumed that in the sheet undergoing static elimination, positive charges 101 and 201 and negative charges 102 and 202 exist together in the respective surfaces 100 and 200 as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, when the voltage applied to the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b is positive while the voltage applied to the ion-attracting electrode 2d is negative, the positive ions 301 generated by the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b are attracted near to the sheet S along the lines of electric force 500 generated by the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b and the ion-attracting electrode 2d, and are deposited on the first surface 100 of the sheet S, to positively charge the sheet S.
In this case, if there sites negative charges 102 exist in the first surface 100 of the sheet S, the positive ions 301 attracted selectively more to the sites than to their surroundings, for eliminating the negative charges. The reason is that since the positive ions 301 are carried near to the sheet S and go into the space where the charges 101, 102, 201 and 202 form the lines of electric force 500 closed near the sheet S, Coulomb force 700 acts between the positive ions 301 and those charges.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the case where the positive and negative charges 101, 102, 201 and 202 exist together in the respective surfaces 100 and 200 of the sheet S, the positive ions 301 are attracted more at the sites where the apparent charge densities are negative. That is, in the case where the positive charges 101 do not exist in the first surface 100 of the sheet S at the same sites in the in-plane direction of the sheet or in the case where even if the positive charges 101 exist, their quantity is smaller than the quantity of the negative charges 102 in the second surface 200 in the in-plane direction of the sheet, the positive ions 301 are attracted not only at the sites where only the negative charges 102 exist in the first surface 100 of the sheet S but also at the sites where the negative charges 202 exist in the second surface 200 of the sheet S.
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, if the voltage applied to the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b is switched to be negative (the voltage applied to the ion-attracting electrode 2d is positive), the negative ions 302 generated by the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b are attracted near to the sheet S along the lines of electric force 500 generated between the positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b and the ion-attracting electrode 2d, and are deposited on the first surface 100 of the sheet S, to negatively charge the sheet S.
In this case, if there are sites having positive charges 101 in the first surface 100 of the sheet S, the negative ions 302 are attracted selectively more to the sites than to their surroundings, for eliminating the positive charges. Also in this case, the negative ions 302 are attracted more at the sites where the apparent charge densities of sheet S are positive.
Therefore, in the case where the negative charges 102 do not exist in the first surface 100 at the same sites in the in-plane direction of the sheet or in the case where even if the negative charges 102 exist, their quantity is smaller than the quantity of the positive charges 201 existing in the second surface 200 in the in-plane direction of the sheet, the negative ions 302 are attracted not only at the sites where the positive charges 101 exist in the first surface 100 of the sheet S but also at the sites where the positive charges 201 exist in the second surface 200 of the sheet S.
Since plural positive and negative ion-generating electrode 2b are installed in the traveling direction of the sheet, these actions are alternated, and the first surface 100 (the top surface in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the sheet S is alternately irradiated with positive and negative ions 301 and 302, to be positively and negatively charged, and accordingly the ions which are opposite in polarity to the apparent charges are selectively attracted, and eliminated apparently.
Since the irradiation quantities of positive and negative ions 301 and 302 depend, for example, on the capabilities of individual positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b and the phase of applied voltage, the total irradiation quantities of the positive and negative ions at the respective sites of the sheet S are different, and macroscopic positive and negative charge irregularity occurs in the sheet S (see FIG. 18 of document DS2). The macroscopic charge irregularity is the apparent charge irregularity and its state can be confirmed using a toner powder as apparent charges.
This occurs since the positive (or negative) ions 301 (or 302) are forcibly applied to the sheet S along the lines of electric force 500 generated by the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b and the ion-attracting electrode 2d. Since the voltage applied to the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b changes alternately, the cyclic irregularity of positive and negative charges occurs in the sheet S. The cycles of the charge irregularity are decided, for example, by the cycles of the applied voltage and the traveling speed of the sheet. The charge irregularity appears in the first surface 100 only of the sheet S. The reason is that the first surface 100 only of the sheet S is irradiated with the positive and negative ions 301 and 302, and this state shows that the sheet is apparently charged.
To eliminate the macroscopic charge irregularity, the static eliminator 2 of document DS2 must include DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f shown in FIG. 4. The macroscopic charge irregularity can be eliminated if such conditions as the applied voltage and installation positions of the DC and AC static eliminating members are optimized. If the sheet is wound without the DC and AC static eliminating members, the charges are so strong that discharge may occur on the sheet. Since the static eliminator 2 of document DS2 requires such DC and AC static eliminating members, the entire eliminator is large-sized and very costly, and it is difficult to add the eliminator to an existing sheet producing apparatus.
On the other hand, the charged state of the sheet treated to be free from the macroscopic charge irregularity by the DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f is as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a case where such conditions as the voltage and arrangement of the DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f are optimized and where the macroscopic positive and negative charge irregularity in the sheet is eliminated. As shown in FIG. 7, the charges in the sheet S are balanced in both the surfaces, and the sheet S is apparently non-charged. However, in the respective surfaces of the sheet S, almost equal quantities of positive and negative charges remain.
The reason why this occurs is that the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b are disposed only on the side of the first surface 100 (top surface in FIG. 5) of the sheet S, and hence that at every moment during static elimination, the charges in the second surface 200 (bottom surface in FIG. 5) of the sheet S cannot be decreased. This phenomenon occurs also in the case where the DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f are used. As a result, the charge densities in the first surface 100 of the sheet S can be eliminated only to such an extent that the charge densities balance the charge densities prevailing in the second surface 200 since before static elimination, i.e., to such an extent that the apparent charge densities become zero.
The inventors measured, according to the method described later, the charge densities remaining in the respective surfaces of the sheet static eliminated by the conventional static eliminator 2. The charge densities at the static mark sites of the second surface 200 were virtually the same as those prevailing before static elimination, i.e., tens of microcoulombs per square meter to about 500 μC/m2 in absolute value. The charge densities of the first surface 100 at the same sites (static mark sites) were almost equal to those of the second surface 200 in absolute value, though opposite in polarity, i.e., tens of microcoulombs per square meter to about 500 μC/m2 in absolute value though opposite in polarity.
In view of the effect of decreasing the charge densities in the respective surfaces, the static elimination is achieved only to such an extent that the apparent charge densities (several microcoulombs per square meter to 10 μC/m2 in absolute value) are made zero. So, it can be said that the static elimination effect is only up to less than 10% of the charge densities of the first surface 100. Rather, such a phenomenon was also confirmed that at a site where the charge density of the second surface 200 was larger than the charge density of the first surface 100 before static elimination in absolute value, the charge density of the first surface 100 increased to such a level that it became equal to the charge density of the second surface 200 after static elimination. It was found that the charges remaining in the first and second surfaces 100 and 200 were the causes of such defects as the irregularity of the coating material, static marks formed after film processing and sliding failure.
This problem is an essential problem peculiar to the static elimination performed only from one surface of a sheet, and even if such conditions as the voltage and arrangement of the DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f are optimized, the problem cannot be solved. The DC and AC static eliminating members 2e and 2f are provided only for making the macroscopic charge irregularity appear to be zero.
For example, two static eliminators of document DS2 (static eliminators 2 of FIG. 4) can be installed in the sheet traveling direction, and the two sets, each consisting of the positive and negative ion-generating electrodes 2b and the ion-attracting electrode 2d, can be arranged at positions facing each other, with the sheet kept between the electrodes 2b and the electrode 2d, and with one set reversed to the other set in position, in order that the first surface 100 of the sheet is irradiated with ions, and subsequently that the second surface 200 of the sheet is irradiated with ions. Even in this case, there is no effect of decreasing the charges existing in the respective surfaces. The reason is that the static eliminator of document DS2 (static eliminator 2 shown in FIG. 4) is a static eliminator intended for "apparent static elimination" only for eliminating apparent charges as described before. Even if static elimination is carried out for the second surface 200 after the "apparent static elimination" has been completed by the static elimination carried out for the first surface 100, the operation is quite meaningless.
On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 8, known is a static eliminator, in which ion irradiation devices, each consisting of an ion-generating electrode and an ion-accelerating electrode disposed to face each other, are installed reversely to each other in position on the first surface 100 side and the second surface 200 side of an insulating sheet. This static eliminator is disclosed in JP 2002-313596 A (hereinafter called document DS3).
The conventional static eliminator 3 includes an ion-generating electrode 3b connected with an AC power supply 3a and installed above the first surface 100 of a traveling insulating sheet S and an ion-accelerating electrode 3d connected with an AC power supply 3c and installed below the second surface 200 of the traveling insulating sheet S. The ion-generating electrode 3b and the ion-accelerating electrode 3d are installed to face each other with the insulating sheet S kept between them.
The next ion-generating electrode 3f connected with an AC power supply 3e and installed beside the ion-accelerating electrode 3d below the second surface 200 of the sheet S and the next ion-accelerating electrode 3h connected with an AC power supply 3g and installed beside the ion-generating electrode 3b above the first surface 100 of the sheet S, face each other.
In this static eliminator, an AC high voltage is applied to the ion-generating electrode 3b, to generate ions, and an AC high voltage opposite in polarity to the voltage applied to the ion-generating electrode 3b is applied to the ion-accelerating electrode 3d. The ions generated by the ion-generating electrode 3b are accelerated and attracted by the ion-accelerating electrode 3d, and as a result, the first surface 100 of the sheet S is forcibly irradiated with the ions. Then, an AC high voltage opposite in polarity to that applied to the ion-generating electrode 3b is applied to the ion-generating electrode 3f to generates the ions, while a high voltage opposite in polarity to that applied to the ion-generating electrode 3f is applied to the ion-accelerating electrode 3h. The ions generated by the ion-generating electrode 3f are accelerated and attracted by the ion-accelerating electrode 3h, and as a result, the second surface 200 of the sheet S is forcibly irradiated with the ions. According to this technique, since both the surfaces of the insulating sheet are forcibly irradiated with ions, it is said that the sheet can undergo static elimination even if the sheet has a fine charge pattern.
In this static eliminator, high voltages opposite in polarity to those applied to the ion-generating electrodes 3b and 3f disposed to face the ion-accelerating electrodes 3d and 3h respectively are applied to the ion-accelerating electrodes 3d and 3h restively. However, as shown in document DS3 (FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of the shape of the ion-accelerating electrodes and FIG. 9 shows the behavior of ions), since the ion-accelerating electrodes are not shaped to allow ion generation, they do not generate ions. This is the reason why the electrodes are called "ion-accelerating electrodes" in document DS3. In this constitution, the irradiation of the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 with ions is carried out alternately, not simultaneously.
According to the inventors' finding, since both the surfaces of the insulating sheet are irradiated with ions alternately, the static eliminator of document DS3 is basically equivalent to the case where two static eliminators of document DS2 described before (static eliminators 2 of FIG. 4) are disposed in the sheet traveling direction, to be reverse to each other in the static elimination side and the non-static elimination side. That is, even in the best mode, quantities of positive and negative ions necessary to make the apparent charge densities zero are merely supplied without greatly affecting the distributions of charge densities existing in the respective surfaces before start of static elimination. In other words, at sites where a fine charge pattern such as static marks exists, a charge pattern opposite in polarity to the static marks of the first surface is merely formed in the second surface for apparent static elimination. That is, even if the static eliminator of document DS3 is used, an effect of greatly decreasing the charges in the respective surfaces where fine charge patterns are formed cannot be obtained.
This is described below in more detail. With regard to the capability of the static eliminator of document DS3 (static eliminator 3 of FIG. 8) to eliminate the charges in the respective surfaces of the sheet S (locally strong charges such as static marks, especially the charges opposite each other in polarity in both the surfaces of the sheet), the following can be said.
It is considered that a case where static elimination is performed at a site of a sheet where a large quantity of positive charges 101 in the first surface 100 and a large quantity of negative charges 202 in the second surface 200 exist as shown in FIG. 9. If the first ion-generating electrode 3b close to the first surface 100 of the sheet S generates the negative ions 302 to be sufficiently irradiated to the first surface 100 of the sheet S, and subsequently the second ion-generating electrode 3f close to the second surface 200 generates the positive ions 301 to be sufficiently irradiated to the second surface 200 of the sheet S, then the charges in the respective surfaces of the sheet S can be eliminated.
However, actually in the sheet S having the respective surfaces strongly charged opposite to each other in polarity, in the case where the negative ions 302 are irradiated to the first surface 100 of the sheet S as shown in FIG. 9, the positive charges 101 of the first surface 100 are eliminated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the quantity of the negative charges 202 in the second surface 200 is excessive compared with the quantity of the positive charges 101 in the first surface 100.
In the case where a site of the sheet at which the absolute value of negative charge density of the second surface 200 is slightly larger, for example, 1 μC/m2 larger than the absolute value of positive charge density of the first surface 100 is placed in the space between the first ion-generating electrode 3b and the ion-accelerating electrode 3d, the potential is calculated to be in a range from −10 to −100 kV. This value range refers to a value range in the case where the electrostatic capacity of the sheet S placed in the space between the first ion-generating electrode 3b and the ion-accelerating electrode 3d is in a range from 10 to 100 pF.
Because of the excessively existing negative charges, the Coulomb force 700 in the direction to shove away the negative ions 302 from the sheet S acts on the negative ions 302, and the negative ions 302 cannot sufficiently reach the sites of the sheet S where the positive charges 101 still exist. Also in the case where the second ion-generating electrode 3f generates the positive ions 301 to be irradiated to the second surface 200 of the sheet S, the same phenomenon occurs. As a result, the positive charges 101 of the first surface become excessive, and the positive ions 301 reaching the sheet S decrease.
Even if the respective surfaces of the sheet S are charged to have charge densities of tens of microcoulombs per square meter to about 500 μC/m2 in absolute value, the quantity of ions per square meter that can reach the sheet S is as small as less than about 1 μC/m2, and can little eliminate the charges of the respective surfaces of the sheet S so strongly charged as to have static marks. However, at each site where the apparent charge densities of the sheet are not zero, the charges can be eliminated to such an extent that the apparent charge densities can be made zero.
As a mode of the static eliminator of document DS3, the following constitution is described in FIG. 2 of document DS3. Ion irradiation devices, each consisting of the ion-generating electrode 3b and the ion-accelerating electrode 3d facing each other, are arranged on both the surface sides of the sheet S, with the electrodes disposed alternately in reverse positions, and on the downstream side, two ion-generating electrodes are arranged to face each other on both the surface sides of the sheet S, one on the first surface 100 side and the other on the second surface 200 side. The ion-generating electrodes disposed downstream to face each other are disposed to eliminate the residual charges (same as the charges of macroscopic charge irregularities of static eliminator 2 of FIG. 4.) However, for example, the dimensions and applied voltages of the ion-generating electrodes disposed downstream to face each other are not disclosed at all in document DS3.
Even if a voltage considered to be appropriate is applied to the ion-generating electrodes disposed to face each other, based on the inventors' finding, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient static elimination effect. For example, if the ion-generating electrode placed on the first surface 100 side of the sheet S generates positive ions to be irradiated to the first surface 100, and the ion-generating electrode placed on the second surface 200 side generates negative ions to be irradiated to the second surface 200, then a static elimination effect can be obtained at sites where the first surface 100 is charged negatively while the second surface 200 is charged positively. However, no static elimination effect can be obtained at the sites where the first surface 100 is charged positively while the second surface 200 is charged negatively.
Since positive charges and negative charges exist together in the respective surfaces of the sheet S in most cases, the charges at all the sites in the respective surfaces of the sheet S cannot be decreased. There are sites where charges can be eliminated and sites where charges cannot be eliminated. Rather, it can happen that in the case where the polarity of charges of the respective surfaces of the sheet S is the same as the polarity of the ions irradiated to the respective surfaces, charges are increased. In the case where the voltages applied to ion-generating electrodes are AC voltages with a low frequency, static elimination effect irregularity and ion irradiation irregularity appear in the traveling direction of the sheet S. On the other hand, in the case where the voltages applied to ion-generating electrodes are AC voltages with a high frequency, the static elimination effect irregularity in the traveling direction of the sheet S is small.
However, in the case where the voltages applied to ion-generating electrodes are AC voltages with a high frequency, as in the case of a static eliminator for a copier described later, since the positive and negative ions generated from ion-generating electrodes are mixed and re-combined with each other before they reach the sheet S, the quantity of ions reaching the sheet S is remarkably decreased. Therefore, the static elimination effect per se is small. So, even if, for example, the dimensions of respective parts and the applied voltage are adjusted based on the inventors' finding, it is difficult to eliminate the positive charges and negative charges existing together in both the surfaces without the irregularity due to the positions in the traveling direction of the sheet S, if one set of ion-generating electrodes, one on the first surface 100 side of the sheet S and the other on the second surface 200 side, are merely disposed.
On the other hand, as a constitution in which static eliminators are disposed to face each other with a charged material positioned between them, a transfer sheet-carrying sheet and a transfer sheet (paper) static eliminator 4 of a copier shown in FIG. 11 is known. The static eliminator 4 is disclosed in JP 03-87885 A (hereinafter called document DS4) or JP 02-13977 A (hereinafter called document DS5).
FIG. 11 is a drawing showing the copier shown in document DS4, as a whole. In FIG. 11, A indicates a section for forming a toner image onto a photosensitive drum; B indicates a section for supplying a transfer sheet 4a; C indicates a section for transferring a toner image onto the transfer sheet 4a on a transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b wound around a transfer drum; and D indicates a section where the transfer sheet 4a having the toner image transferred from the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b is separated. The description of the details is not made here since it is not concerned with the present invention at all.
In the static eliminator 4 of FIG. 11, wire corotron electrodes positioned outside as corona dischargers 4c and 4d and wire corotron electrodes positioned inside as corona dischargers 4e and 4f are installed to face each other on both sides of the transfer sheet 4a as a charged material and the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b. The first purpose of the static eliminator 4 is to more easily separate the transfer sheet 4a from the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b, and the second purpose is to initialize the potential of the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b.
To achieve the first purpose, an AC voltage (500 Hz, 9.6 kV) is applied to the corona dischargers 4c and 4d, and a DC voltage (−4 kV) is applied as pulses to the corona discharger 4e, while a voltage different by 180° phase from that of the corona dischargers 4c and 4d is applied to the corona discharger 4f. The reason why a DC voltage is applied to the corona discharger 4e is that instead of superimpose a DC voltage as a bias on the AC voltage applied to the corona discharger 4f in opposite, it is intended to use two independent corona dischargers 4f and 4e.
With this constitution, the average potentials of the transfer sheet 4a and the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b can be decreased. Since the transfer sheet 4a is positively charged in the previous step, a negative voltage is used as the DC voltage to allow easier separation of the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b. To achieve the second purpose, an AC voltage only is applied to the corona dischargers 4d and 4f. With regard to the charges of the transfer sheet-carrying sheet 4b, it is not necessary to eliminate the charges of both the outer surface and the inner surface. If the charges of the outer surface balance the charges of the inner surface to reduce the apparent potential to almost zero, the purpose can be achieved.
As can be seen from the above description, the technique described in document DS4 is not intended to eliminate charges from a sheet having positively charged sites and negatively charged sites alternately formed at a small pitch in the same plane or a sheet having fine patterns with such sites existing together in both the surfaces. In the paper as a transfer sheet of a copier, such charge patterns are unlikely to be formed.
In the case where such a high frequency is used, the electric field between the top and bottom electrodes little has the capability of forcibly irradiating the sheet with ions. The positive and negative ions 301 and 302 generated by the corona dischargers 4d and 4f are mixed in the gap between the corona discharger 4d and the corona discharger 4f. The size of the gap is not clearly stated in document DS4, but according to other documents and the like relating to static eliminators of copiers, it is usually about 20 mm. According to document DS5, it is 22 mm.
Since an AC voltage with a high frequency of 500 Hz is applied in an electrode gap of about 20 mm as described above, a monopolar ion cloud cannot be formed. Since the frequency is high, the positive and negative ions 301 and 302 are mixed with each other, before they reach the first surface 100 and the second surface 200 of the sheet. For this reason, though the sheet is seldom forcibly charged positively or negatively, most of the positive and negative ions 301 and 302 are recombined with each other and vanish, and the quantity of the ions capable of contributing to static elimination becomes very small. That is, in the static eliminators shown in documents DS4 and DS5, though the corona discharger 4d and the corona discharger 4f are disposed to face each other with a sheet kept between them, a large quantity of ions can be little forcibly irradiated near to the sheet.
As a result, these static eliminators of copiers, like the static eliminator 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, are very low in the capability of eliminating the charges of the respective surfaces of a sheet having positively charged sites and negatively charged sites alternately formed at a small pitch in the same plane or a sheet having such sites existing together on both the surfaces. The techniques can be applied in the case where the sheet traveling speed is as low as several to 10-odd m/min and can be applied to a transfer sheet or paper from which it is not required to eliminate the fine charge patterns in either of the surfaces. The static elimination techniques cannot be applied as techniques for eliminating charges from an insulating sheet such as a film that travels at a high speed of about 50 to about 500 m/min and from which it is necessary to eliminate fine charge patterns in both the surfaces.
Furthermore, in the static eliminators for copiers shown in documents DS4 and DS5, the width of the transfer sheet or paper undergoing static elimination is about 500 mm at the largest, and it is not necessary to consider, for example, the vibration, strength and sagging of electrodes. For this reason, a high voltage is applied to wire electrodes extending in the in-plane direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the sheet, for causing discharge to generate ions. However, in the case where an insulating sheet such as a film undergoes static elimination, its width is about 1 m at the smallest, and there is even an insulating sheet with a width of about 7 m. When wire electrodes are used for such a wide sheet, the vibration of the electrode and the sagging of the electrode between both the ends cause discharge strength irregularity in the sheet width direction.
For example, in the case where it is intended to increase the ion irradiation dose for the sheet undergoing static elimination, for example, by further shortening the distance between the corona discharger 4d and the corona discharger 4f, or raising the voltage to be applied, or using a lower frequency, the vibration of the wires increases, and discharge is concentrated at the portion where the distance between the wires facing each other is shortest due to inaccurate parallelism or loosening of wires. As a result, a static elimination effect stable over the entire width of the material undergoing static elimination cannot be obtained. Furthermore, in the case where the voltage is raised, spark discharge occurs between the discharge electrodes (wire electrodes) of the corona dischargers 4d and 4f or between a discharge electrode and a shield electrode, not allowing a sufficient static elimination capability to be obtained.
In the static eliminators for copiers shown in documents DS4 and DS5, corona dischargers are disposed to face each other, but the principle of static elimination is quite different from the principle that a strong electric field in the direction normal to the insulating sheet is used to forcibly irradiate ions onto the sheet. Therefore, the static elimination irregularity in the traveling direction of the sheet is hard to occur, and no countermeasure against it is discussed at all. For example, in the static eliminator shown in document DS4 (the static eliminator 4 of FIG. 11), two sets of corona dischargers facing each other are installed one after another in the traveling direction of the material undergoing static elimination (transfer sheet or paper), but as described before, this constitution is intended to provide different functions of easier separation and potential initialization, and is not employed to give any effect, for example, against the static elimination effect irregularity in the traveling direction of the sheet.
In recent years, insulating sheets such as polyester films are used in many applications as magnetic recording materials, various photographic materials, insulating materials and various process materials, since they have excellent properties such as heat resistance, chemicals resistance and mechanical properties. For this reason, they are required to have surface properties suitable for respective applications, and they are covered with various materials. For example, the sheets are thinly coated on their surfaces with a magnetic paint, ink-like paint, lubricating paint, releasing paint, or hard coating material, to form a coating layer.
For the coating process for forming such a coating layer, it is proposed to install a static eliminator in any of various coaters such as roll coater or gravure coater, for eliminating the charges from an insulating sheet before start of coating, or to eliminate charges from the sheet and a coating solution simultaneously before the coating solution applied as a paint is dried after coating. These proposals are described in JP 08-334735 A (hereinafter called document DS6) and JP 10-259328 A (hereinafter called document DS7). As the quantity of charges of a sheet for obviating the occurrence of coating irregularities, document DS6 states it is preferred that the surface potentials of the sheet are in a range from 0 to 80 V, and document DS7 states it is preferred that the surface potentials of the sheet are in a range from 0 to 2 kV.
In these conventional techniques, the surface potential refers to a value measured while the sheet is carried in air. Hereinafter this surface potential is called an aerial potential. In the state where a sheet is carried in air, since the thickness of the sheet is sufficiently small compared with the distance between the sheet and a grounded component, the surface potential corresponding to the sum of charges is measured without discriminating the charges of the first surface of the sheet from the charges of the second surface. That is, in these conventional techniques, the aerial potential relates to apparent charges (the apparent charge densities). Therefore, in the conventional techniques, the charge densities of the respective surfaces of a sheet are not taken into account at all.
The visual field of a general electrostatic voltmeter used for measuring the aerial potential is usually a virtually circular area portion having a diameter of tens of millimeters to tens of centimeters, and the value of the measured potential is detected as an average value of potentials in the visual field. This matter is described in the catalogue (in Japanese) for Digital Low Potential Measuring Instrument KSD-0202 produced by Kasuga Electric Works Ltd (hereinafter called document DS8). In a dense charge pattern having positive and negative charges existing together peculiar to an insulating sheet, the positive and negative charges are averaged within the range of the visual field, and the aerial potential appears to be almost zero. With these as causes, even in a sheet having a low aerial potential according to the conventional techniques, it can happen that numerous positive and negative changes exist in the sheet actually, and in this case, coating irregularity occurs in the coating layer.
As described above, even if the above-mentioned sheet having positively and negatively charged sites alternately formed at a small pitch or having such sites existing together in both the surfaces has its charges controlled in reference to the aerial potential, the control is not sufficient. Much less, the coating irregularity can never be prevented.
The following describes why an apparently non-charged sheet having both the surfaces equally charged though opposite in polarity (in this case, the aerial potential is also zero) poses a problem and why coating irregularity occurs.
In a coating process, for example, when a die coater is used, the sheet travels, for example, with its second surface kept in contact with a backup roll. In this state, a coater roll is used to coat the first surface of the sheet. Since the sheet is kept in contact with the backup roll, stable traveling is assured to stabilize coating work, and a coating layer having uniform thickness can be formed. As the material of the backup roll, a metallic material is often used since the roll is required to be mechanically precise and to have durability such as wear resistance. Therefore, one surface of the sheet is kept in contact with the metallic surface of the backup roll, and the other surface is coated to have a coating film.
It is considered that a sheet having the first surface and the second surface charged equally though opposite in polarity (apparently non-charged sheet). The charges of the second surface in contact with the metallic surface induce an equal quantity of charges opposite in polarity in the surface of the metal that is a conductor. The induced charges opposite in polarity apparently cancel out the charges in the second surface. On the other hand, the charges in coating surface (the first surface) also induce charges opposite in polarity in the surface of the metal. However, since the surface of the metal is far in this case, the quantity of charges induced is smaller. Therefore, the induced charges opposite in polarity do not perfectly cancel out the charges of the first surface, and the charges actively exist in the coating surface (the first surface).
In this way, "the apparently non-charged" sheet have charges actively existing in the first surface above the backup roll during coating. Therefore, coating irregularity occurs. That is, even in an apparently non-charged sheet, as far as charges exist in the respective surfaces of the sheet, coating irregularity can occur. This phenomenon occurs also similarly in the carrier roll or drying roll used after coating.
As described above, even if the aerial potential of a sheet is kept low as in the prior art, and furthermore, even if apparent charges are used for control, the prior art cannot prevent coating irregularity.

Static eliminator and a static eliminating method for an insulating sheet, a method for producing and insulating sheet, and an insulating sheet


A crankshaft supporter having a support member which is attached to a cylinder block of an engine so as to support a crankshaft and which is formed of an aluminum alloy matrix with a preform cast inside. The support member includes a mounting surface, bolt holes and a dowel hole. A penetrated section of the preform has a through hole defining the bolt hole. The support member has a recess section formed of the matrix. The recess section is positioned between the mounting surface of the support member and an opposing surface of the penetrated section that faces the mounting surface so as to shape the dowel hole therein.

In vehicle engines, a crankshaft is supported in a lower part of a cylinder block by a crankshaft supporter as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 shows an engine 102, a cylinder block 104, a crankshaft 106, and a crankshaft supporter 108. The crankshaft supporter 108 includes, in the cylinder block 104, a bearing section 110, mounting sections 112 adjacent the sides of the bearing 110, and outer walls 114 outward of the mounting sections 112.
The bearing section 110 in the cylinder block includes a bearing metal 116. The mounting sections 112 in the cylinder block have bolt screw holes 120 which are opened to a mounting surface 118 of the cylinder block. As shown in FIG. 12, the mounting surface 118 defines therein a knock-pin (dowel) hole 122 that opens to the mounting surface 118 and in coaxial alignment with the bolt screw holes 120.
The crankshaft supporter 108 is mounted to the cylinder block 104 of the engine 102 so as to support the crankshaft 106, and includes a lower crankcase 128 that is formed of aluminum alloy as a matrix 124 and that has a preform (core material) 126 cast (embedded) therein.
The lower crankcase 128 is provided with a bearing section 130 opposed to the bearing section 110 in the cylinder block, mounting sections 132 located adjacent both sides of the bearing section 130 and attached to the mounting sections 112 in the cylinder block, and outer walls 134 outward of the mounting sections 132 to correspond to the outer walls 114 in the cylinder block.
The bearing section 130 in the lower crankcase is equipped with a bearing metal 136 corresponding to the bearing metal 116 in the cylinder block. The mounting sections 132 in the lower crankcase include bolt holes 140 which correspond to the bolt holes 120 and which are opened to a mounting surface 138 of the lower crankcase. A dowel hole 142 opened to the mounting surface 138 is defined in coaxial alignment with the bolt hole 140.
The preform 126 includes a support section 144 that is cast in the bearing section 130, and penetrated sections 146 adjacent both sides of the support section 144 to be cast in the mounting section 132 in the lower crankcase. The penetrated sections 146 include opposing surfaces 148 facing toward the mounting surface 132 in the lower crankcase, and through holes 150 which define the bolt holes 140. The preform 126 is formed by firing alumina fibers, and the matrix 124 of aluminum alloy penetrates the preform during casting to form a fiber-reinforced metal (FRM) section 152.
In the crankshaft supporter 108, the crankshaft 106 is disposed between the bearing metals 116, 136, and is aligned by inserting a dowel sleeve 154 into the dowel holes 122, 142. By threadedly inserting coupling bolts 156 through the holes 140 and dowel sleeves 154 into the bolt screw holes 120 while contacting the mounting surfaces 118, 138 with each other, the lower crankcase 128 is fixedly mounted to the cylinder block 104 so as to support the crankshaft 106 therebetween. An oil pan (not shown) is mounted to a bottom of the lower crankcase 128.
A crankshaft supporter as disclosed in JP 2000-337348 includes a supporting structure to support a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine, and a holding section to support the support structure, wherein the supporting structure is made of porous material, and material of the holding section flows into pores in the supporting structure.
According to a crankshaft supporter disclosed in JP 2001-71117, a cylindrical preform having a certain volume is set in a cavity in a mold, and molten metal is poured into the cavity so as to cast a cylinder block with the preform embedded therein. The preform has a part, on a side where the molten metal is poured, that is more rigid than the other part.
A crankshaft supporter disclosed in JP 2002-61538 includes: a main body of a cylinder block; a bearing below the main body; a crankshaft rotatably supported by bearing sections that are formed in a lower part of the main body and in a bearing section; aluminum alloy layer in a sliding section of the bearing section; and a composite material around the layer having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the layer in the sliding section.
In the conventional crankshaft supporter 108 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the cylinder block 104 and the lower crankcase 128 are positioned by inserting the dowel 154 into the dowel holes 122, 142 formed in the cylinder block 104 and the lower crankcase 128. When the lower crankcase 128 has the preform 126 cast within the matrix 124 of aluminum alloy, the dowel holes 142 need to be subjected to a cutting process so as to be opened to the mounting surface 134 of the lower case after casting.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, not only the matrix 124 but also the FRM section 152 in the lower crankcase 128 needs to be cut after casting to a depth "b" for the dowel, as measured from the mounting surface 138, to form the dowel hole 142 in the lower crankcase. This depth "b" is greater than depth "a" of the matrix, as measured from the mounting surface 138 of the lower crankcase to the opposing surface 148 of the penetrated section 146 of the preform 126. However, the FRM section 152 is rigid (i.e. hard) due to the matrix 124 of aluminum alloy which has penetrated into the preform 126 during casting. The dowel hole 142 is formed by cutting the FRM section 152 that is more rigid (i.e. hard) than the matrix 124 of aluminum alloy after the casting process, which cutting is hard to process and severely wears the blades of the cutting tools.
In order to obviate or minimize the above-mentioned inconvenience, the present invention provides a crankshaft supporter having a support member which is attached to a cylinder block of an engine so as to support a crankshaft and which is formed of a matrix of aluminum alloy with a preform cast inside. The support member includes a mounting surface in contact with a mounting surface on the cylinder block, a bolt hole corresponded to a bolt hole in the cylinder block and opened to the mounting surface of the support member, and a dowel hole in coaxial alignment with the bolt hole and opened to the mounting surface of the support member. In the crankshaft supporter, a penetrated section is formed in the preform and a through hole defining the bolt hole is formed therein, and a recessed section formed of the matrix to shape the dowel hole is positioned between the mounting surface of the support member and an opposing surface of the penetrated section that faces the mounting surface.
According to the present invention, due to the recessed section for shaping the dowel hole made of the matrix and positioned between the mounting surface of the support member and an opposing surface of the penetrated section, only the matrix of aluminum alloy must be cut to permit forming of the dowel hole after casting, which eliminates cutting of the FRM section that is more hard than the aluminum alloy matrix.


This invention discloses and claims diary heterocycles of formula (I)

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to substituted diaryl heterocycles and to their pharmaceutically acceptable salts and physiologically functional derivatives. The invention also relates to providing compounds which bring about a weight reduction in mammals and which are suitable for the prevention and treatment of obesity.
2. Description of the Art
Compounds having a pharmacological effect and similar in their overall structure to the diaryl heterocycles described herein have already been described in the prior art (such as, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,590A).

Substituted diaryl heterocycles, process for their preparation and their use as medicaments

Abstract: and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of using said compounds of formula (I) for the treatment or prevention of excessive weight or obesity, and for treatment of Type II diabetes, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, anxiety neuroses, and schizophrenia. Methods for treatment of excessive weight or obesity and for treatment of Type II diabetes with a mixture of a compound of formula I and antiobesity agents or appetite-regulating active ingredients, or with a mixture of a compound of formula I and antidiabetics or hypoglycemic active ingredients are also disclosed and claimed.


The present invention relates to methods and systems for electronic countermeasures, and particularly to methods and systems for electronic countermeasures that employ radar jamming devices.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems for electronic countermeasures, and particularly to methods and systems for electronic countermeasures that employ radar jamming devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The word "radar" is an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging that was coined by the U.S. Navy in the 1940's when the technology was in its infancy. Essentially, a radar system is one that alternately transmits radio frequency (RF) signals into a given search volume and then listens for reflections. By properly processing the radar returns, a radar system can determine the direction, range, altitude and/or speed of a target. Currently, radar is used in a wide variety of different ways. For example, weather researchers use radar to track rain and snow storms. Police use radar to determine the speed of motorists. Civil aviation uses radar for air traffic control purposes. The military uses radar to track aircraft, ships, terrain and missiles. Needless to say, this is a small list of examples.
For example, when military aircraft enter the airspace of a hostile power or nation, there is a high probability that they will come under surveillance by one or more enemy radars and thus become a target for radar guided weapons such as missiles, fighter aircraft, cannon, and other such weapons. In light of this threat, military aircraft must be equipped with effective electronic countermeasures and stealth mechanisms to prevent being detected, intercepted, and/or destroyed.
One type of countermeasure that is routinely used is commonly referred to as "jamming." Briefly stated, jamming refers to the use of RF signals to interfere with the hostile radar system's ability to detect and track targets. The jamming signal is designed to deceive or disable the hostile radar receiver. Jamming signals may be directed toward the main radar beam or the radar side lobes. Note that a target is detected when the RF energy of the main lobe hits the target and is reflected back to the radar receiver. Thus, the jammer must be aligned with the main lobe of the radar when main lobe jamming is performed. For side lobe jamming, the jammer is off-axis and aligned with the radar side lobes. The jamming is nonetheless effective because it disrupts the radar processing and may result in the radar detecting false targets. Another type of jamming is referred to as barrage jamming in which jamming signals consist of broadband noise. In response to jamming countermeasures, radar systems are now equipped with their own counter-countermeasures to defeat various types of jamming systems as well as other sources of interference.
For example, some radar systems have "adaptive sidelobe canceling" capabilities. Often, the radar system will include an auxiliary antenna that is configured to receive and process jamming signals. Essentially, the jamming signal in the radar main antenna channel and that in the auxiliary channel are applied in determining combining weights that upon application to received signals cancels the jamming without degrading the target return signal. Another approach that is used to neutralize a jammer, and other coherent interference, is referred to as blanking. A blanker also includes a dedicated receive antenna and the object is to reduce or eliminate the effects of sidelobe signals that mimic the radar waveform. Essentially, if the processor determines that the sidelobe signal exceeds the main beam signal, the signal output obtained from the main beam is rejected (blanked).
Indeed, jammers are used as an electronic counter measure ("ECM") technique to degrade radar sensitivity performance by effectively raising the noise floor through the sidelobes of receive beams. However, jammer energy entering through the receive beam sidelobes is particularly challenging because it varies as a function of angle relative to the jammer. This requires a separate cancellation filter to be calculated and applied for each predefined scan beam angle, and more importantly for each arbitrary track beam angle.
Description of the Related Art Section Disclaimer: To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section or elsewhere in this Application, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed patents/publications/products are prior art for patent law purposes. For example, some or all of the discussed patents/publications/products may not be sufficiently early in time, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough in time and/or may not be sufficiently enabling so as to amount to prior art for patent law purposes. To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section and/or throughout the application, the descriptions/disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety(ies).
Accordingly, there is a continued need for sidelobe cancellation systems and methods that account for and surmount the limitations inherent in current systems.

Passive listening pulse adaptive sidelobe canceller


The invention provides methods of manufacturing stainless steel tubing, pipe and shafts by utilizing air hardenable stainless steel. Such pipe, tubing and shafts have the important characteristics of low weight, shaft flex, torque, bend point and strength and have many uses. The shafts include a plurality of air hardenable metal segments of selected length, thickness and shape that are assembled into a shaft. This assembly is subsequently contacted with a brazing material and then placed into a controlled, non-oxidative atmosphere furnace of a sufficient temperature such that the assembly is simultaneously brazed and hardened. The tubing can include having a brazed lock seam which provides strength. The present invention further provides reinforcing members that are also brazed within the shaft, tubing or pipe while the outer piece is hardened.

Hollow metallic shafts are ubiquitous in our society. They are used in products where lightness and strength are required. Products which utilize such hollow shafts include the more esoteric, such as sporting goods, to the more utilitarian, eg. cantilever street light poles and furniture of all types. With respect to sporting goods, they may be used for golf clubs, bicycle frames, ski poles or for the vertical supporting members of volleyball nets.
The materials presently used to construct hollow metallic shafts include the following: aluminum, low and high carbon steels, as well as stainless steels and coated steels, including, but not limited to galvanized steel, composites and graphite. However, these materials have limitations and may be objectionable for numerous reasons, including, but not limited to, weight, rigidity, flexibility and, in their use in sporting goods, torque resistance. What is needed is a hollow shaft which is light, strong and flexible.
Shafts which are presently used with sporting goods comprise metallic as well as composites and graphite materials. While composite and graphite shafts are light and are strong, they have minimal flexibility so they tend to snap. Aluminum is light, but lacks the strength of steel. Steel is usually too heavy and corrosive. Indeed, the increased use of composites and aluminum clearly suggest that the use of steel is inappropriate.
Lightness, strength, and flexibility are not the only characteristics that one desires in a hollow shaft used in a manner suggested above. An additional desirable characteristic would be if these shafts are corrosion resistant, thereby extending the lifetime of the products made with these shafts. Graphite, composites and stainless steels are all effective in their resistance to corrosion.
With respect to the steels, the use of alloy steels, in particular stainless steels, have been utilized in the manufacture of hollow shafts. The stainless steels comprise the ferritic, martensitic and austenitic structures. Of these, the austenitic stainless steel is the most widely used, this steel being characterized by its high nickel content and hence its being non-magnetic. The austenitic stainless steels are further characterized as essentially non-hardenable through the application of heat. Only martensitic stainless steel is hardenable by heat treating. Stainless had heretofore been the choice in many products where the use of a shaft that was light, flexible and strong. However, there was no ability to fashion the stainless steel to provide strength where needed, yet eliminate the weight where such strength was not needed. The present invention solves this problem.
With respect to the use of metal shafts for sporting goods, the prior art suggests numerous, but unsatisfactory, remedies of these problems: reinforcing tubular shafts with compressible tubular materials having a plurality of reentrant portions extending longitudinally and separated by longitudinally extending ribs, filling the hollow shaft with plastic materials or rubber, etc. The present invention provides an improved hollow shaft which can be crafted so as to provide the strength in the appropriate locations, whether the shaft is to be load bearing or used to strike a projectile.


An enclosed transparent display case for sports balls comprising a base section removably attached to rounded top section which incorporates rotatably affixed handle calipers to secure and suspend the sports ball within the display case. The display case provides the ability to suspend the ball within the interior of the display case and allow the ball to be rotatably controlled by a viewer and observe the ball with a clear view and a normal viewing angle without picking up the display or removing the ball.

The present invention relates generally to the viewing and displaying of various sports balls such as basketballs, footballs, and baseballs, and in particular, to holding and securing such sports balls within a display case. More particularly, this invention relates to securing a sports ball within a viewing case and providing a means to definably rotate the ball within the display case to enhance visibility of the ball.
Standard display cases of all types generally comprise various protective enclosures to contain the item being displayed. These display cases are often constructed completely of a transparent material or a transparent window area is incorporated to allow viewing of the displayed item.
The function of a display case is to protect the displayed item from harmful external elements while retaining the ability to view and enjoy the item while it is enclosed. Displayed items are protected from the immediate harm caused by occurrences such as dropping or spilling material on to the item, as well as the harmful long-term effects of exposure to smoke and dust. This allows the condition and value of a displayed item to be maintained for a longer period of time than if unprotected.
Sports balls obtain their value and significance both financially as collectors items and as mementos based primarily upon the relation of the ball to a particularly significant game, specific player, or player signature(s) on the ball. In many instances, these factors can give a sports ball substantial financial value over the inherent value of the ball itself. Indeed, signed sports ball, or balls used in the winning score of a game or championship, have sold for thousands of times their inherent purchase price. Additionally, this value customarily increases over time. The function of a sports ball display case protects the condition of these value enhancing factors.
Because sports balls are predominately cylindrical in shape, sports ball display cases are either form-fit to the shape and size of the particular sports ball and secured to a flat base for stability, or they are rectangular in shape and the display is provided a stable base by one side of the case. In each method, the ball is staticly mounted or secured within the display.
While each of these methods provides protection to the ball, they can often limit visibility due to an opaque bottom secured to the base, or to the impaired visibility caused by viewing through the corner edges of a rectangular case made of transparent material. Therefore, to fully view the ball in most display cases the case must be picked up and removed from its base. Alternatively, a displayed ball must be removed from the display case entirely.
Picking up the display case risks dropping the case or dislodging the ball. Removing the ball from the display case subjects the surface of the ball, and any signatures on it, to oils from the skin. These oils can substantially tarnish the appearance of the ball and value of the ball. Because of this, it is desirable to permanently maintain the ball within the enclosure of the display case to avoid all contact.
While existing display cases provide the protection necessary to display valuable sports balls, they do not provide an easy method to fully, and safely, view the entire ball. The present invention provides a way to obtain the benefits of protection, and full visibility of the ball, without removing it from the display case or incurring the risk of dropping the display case itself.
The present invention comprises a secured transparent case with rotating calipers which suspend the ball within the interior of the display case and allow the ball to be rotatably controlled by a viewer. In this way, the present invention allows a viewer to observe the ball with a clear view and a normal viewing angle without the distortions that are caused by viewing through the square corners of transparent material.


In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method for outputting a confirmation message at a gaming device is presented. The method comprises determining whether a trigger condition has occurred, outputting a confirmation message at a gaming device, determining a response to the confirmation message, and initiating play at the gaming device.

Gaming devices (e.g., reeled slot machines, video poker machines) generate more than $15 billion per year in revenue for casinos in the United, States alone. This figure accounts for more than half of the gaming revenue for a typical United States casino. The situation is similar in other countries and regions in which gaming devices are popular, such as Australia and Europe. Accordingly, casino operators are interested in increasing the enjoyment of playing gaming devices in order to maintain or increase this level of revenue.
Since casino profits are directly proportional to the amount wagered by patrons, casinos are highly motivated to expand and retain share within their given market. Increased playing duration, average wager, and rates of play by players are all factors that contribute to the profitability of the slot floor of a casino.
One way in which casinos have sought to boost profitability associated with such factors is to make the machines as entertaining as possible. Many techniques are currently used to entertain players at a slot machine, such as attractive colors and graphics, sound effects associated with winning payouts, and jackpots or bonus rounds that offer players the chance to win a large amount of money for only a small wager.
While such efforts have made modern slot machines more entertaining, some types of games have also become more complex. The variations of games and features of all the different game machines available at a single casino can be overwhelming to players. Some types of multi-line and multi-coin formats, for example, may require considerable player experience before the player feels comfortable. Further, to keep experienced and frequent players interested, casinos continually modify and upgrade game machines. While learning a new game, some players may make mistakes such as making a larger wager than intended, or misunderstanding the rules.

Method and system for managing game confirmations


Computer-implemented method and system automatically detects an out-of-view CT scan by receiving a voxel density file, determining a threshold iso-value of density between air density and a material density of one or more scanned objects in the voxel density file, and evaluating, using the threshold iso-value of density, one or more horizontal slices of the voxel density file to determine whether at least a portion of the one or more scanned objects is out of view.

A computed tomography scan ("CT scan") typically involves placing a physical object on a rotating platform inside a Computed Tomography scanner (CT scanner) between an x-ray source and x-ray detector and rotating the object around an axis of rotation to generate radiographs from the x-rays detected by the detector. Conventionally, the CT scanner can tomographically reconstruct the radiographs into a 3D representation of the object scanned ("CT reconstruction"). One example of CT reconstruction can be found in, for example, in the publication Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging (A. C. Kak and Malcolm Slaney, Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging, IEEE Press, 1988), the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. Other types of CT reconstruction can also be performed.
For proper tomographic reconstruction, relevant portions of the physical object ideally experience x-rays that are detected at every rotational position as the object is rotated during scanning. When the one or more physical objects are placed in the scanner, they may be shifted laterally or vertically so that relevant portions of the object to do not encounter x-rays that hit the detector at every rotational position. If relevant portions of the object do not encounter x-rays that hit the detector at one or more of the object's rotational positions, then the tomographic reconstruction can be missing, inaccurate, and/or difficult to see. Conventionally, it can be challenging to empirically determine whether the physical object was placed within the x-ray field of view to encounter x-rays that hit the detector at every rotation position.

James R. Glidewell Dental Ceramics, Inc.


A grass collecting system having a grass collecting duct for transmitting grass clippings reaped by a mower to a swingable grass catcher. The grass collecting duct includes top and side plates for guiding grass clippings from the mower unit to the grass catcher. An outlet portion is defined by an end of a space surrounded by the top and side plates. The grass collection system also having a grass clippings discharge path for transmitting grass clippings received from the mower, from the outlet portion into the grass catcher, and a bottom plate unit disposed in the outlet portion that is swingable about a pivot shaft from a guide position to an upstanding position. The bottom plate unit has a shortening mechanism for shortening a distance between a forward end of the bottom plate unit projecting into the grass collecting duct and the pivot shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a grass collecting system for a lawn mower having a grass collecting duct for transmitting grass clippings reaped by a mower unit to a grass catcher, the grass catcher being supported by a lift mechanism to be vertically movable relative to the mower unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an environment where grass clippings reaped by the mower unit cannot be discharged directly, it is necessary to store the grass clippings temporarily in the grass catcher through the grass collecting duct. The lawn mower having such a grass collecting system, when a certain amount of grass clippings accumulates in the grass catcher, runs to a predetermined grass clippings dump area, and discharges the grass clippings from the grass catcher. In time of discharge, the grass clippings could fall off from the opening of the grass catcher and scatter outside grass clippings dump area before the grass catcher reaches a predetermined position. Various contrivances have heretofore been proposed with a view to avoiding such inconveniences.
For example, a grass collecting apparatus has a lid for closing an opening of a grass catcher, and a guide switchable by the lid. In time of grass cutting operation, the lid is closed, and grass clippings from a duct are collected in the grass catcher through the guide in a guiding position. In time of grass clippings discharge, the grass catcher is detached from the grass collecting duct of the lawn mower, and carried to a grass clippings dump area. Then, the lid is swung open, and the guide also is swung to an open position, to expose the large opening through which the grass clippings are discharged from the grass catcher (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication H03-004714, pages 2–3 and FIG. 1, for example).
Instead of a grass catcher being carried by personnel to a grass clippings dump area, a lawn mower may move to the grass clippings dump area and discharge grass clippings from a grass catcher. This lawn mower includes a main container body connected to a lift link mechanism to be swingable about a transverse support axis to switch between a grass collecting position and a grass discharge position. The main container body has an open/close lid swingable about a transverse support axis for opening and closing an opening formed in the rear end of the main container body. A hydraulic cylinder extends between the lift link mechanism and the main container body for position switching of the main container body. A link mechanism is interposed between the lift link mechanism and open/close lid for switching the open/close lid as interlocked to position switching of the main container body. Grass clippings are discharged from the grass catcher by switching the grass catcher from the grass collecting position to the grass discharge position at a high level spaced from the grass collecting duct (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2001-275438, paragraphs 12–17, FIG. 5, for example). With this lawn mower, backlash or the like could occur in the link mechanism for switching the open/close lid as interlocked to position switching of the main container body, whereby the grass clippings leak from between the main container body and the open/close lid while the lawn mower is running.
A further known example of lawn mowers includes a movable flap disposed in a region between a grass collecting duct and a grass catcher. When the grass catcher moves up away from the grass collecting duct, the movable flap is displaced to a position for closing an opening of the grass catcher, thereby to prevent grass clippings from inadvertently falling from the opening of the grass catcher (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,072, Col. 4–6, and FIG. 3, for example). With this lawn mower also, unless the displacement mechanism of the movable flap is manufactured accurately, grass clippings could leak from between the closed movable flap and opening of the grass catcher.

Grass collecting system for a lawn mower


A structural reinforcement for a hollow section at least part of at least one of whose surfaces is the internal surface of an external panel comprising a rigid reinforcing member having a shape that substantially conforms to the cross section to be reinforced. An expandable adhesive material is provided over a portion of the surface of the rigid reinforcing member and the shape of the rigid reinforcing member and the amount and location of the expandable adhesive is such that upon foaming the foam contacts and bonds to the internal surfaces of the hollow section other than the interior surface of the external panel. In this way deformation of the external body panel during the foaming and/or cooling of the foamed expandable material is reduced or prevented.

Structural reinforcement can be provided by the provision of a reinforcing member within a hollow structure such as part of an automotive frame. It is known that the reinforcing member may comprise a core, typically a hollow core of metal or rigid plastic, carrying a structural adhesive foam. In the known processes the foam is expanded when heated to bridge the small gap between the core and the hollow structure so that the core is bonded to the hollow structure. Typically the nature of the structural adhesive foam is chosen so that it expands at the temperatures used to bake the coating that is applied to the hollow structure during the e-coat anti-corrosion coating technique widely used in the automobile industry.
It has not however been possible to apply these techniques to provide satisfactory reinforcement to those areas of an automobile where the reinforcement is to be provided behind the internal surface adjacent to external panels of the vehicle. This problem, sometimes known as read through, has arisen because the foam tends to shrink as it cools after foaming which can cause unsightly deformation of the external panels of the vehicle which tend to be made of thin flexible sheet metal.
The invention therefore provides a system whereby reinforcement can be provided to external panels of automobiles without causing deformation of the external surface of the external panel.
European Patent 1256512 addresses this problem and provides a cap to cover the foam in the areas that it contacts the outer panels. This cap is however expensive and can make the production and assembly of the part complicated.
The trends in motor vehicle design are towards lighter vehicles to improve fuel consumption. At the same time the safety standards and requirements are becoming more rigorous as indicated by the European Union requirements and the Euro-NCAP impact testing. The use of lighter materials such as aluminum to produce the hollow cross-sectional members that are used as vehicle sub frames has lead to the need for additional reinforcement. There is also a need for reinforcement behind external panels in various locations in the vehicle such as in window and door surrounds particularly in cavities between window and door frames and external panels such as in the reinforcement of hatchback doors and windscreen pillars where they connect with the roof of the vehicle.
There are four main types of application where structural reinforcement is required in vehicles. Crash protection where the prevention of vehicle body deformation is important to provide protection for the occupants. Energy absorption to enhance performance after yield. The reduction of flexing or body movement in the vehicle structure particularly to improve durability and reduce stress cracking and the point mobility problems requiring the reduction of resonance by the provision of stiffening. The need for reinforcement is present irrespective of the materials that are used to produce the vehicle structure and the need varies from material to material according to the nature of the reinforcement that is being provided. The reinforcing parts can also reduce the noise created by the motion of a vehicle by having a sound deadening effect as a result of blocking air paths in cavities.
It is known to provide longitudinal reinforcing structures within the hollow cross sections of vehicles. For example, PCT Publication WO97/43501 provides a beam, which can be mounted within the cross section to provide reinforcement along one axis in a hollow structure. The beam is provided with an expandable adhesive on two surfaces, which can be foamed upon heating to bond the beam to two opposed walls of the cross section. This technique is not suitable for use in the electrocoat process. Furthermore, the beam will only provide significant reinforcement along the axis of the beam. In WO97/43501 the beam with foamable material on opposed surfaces is placed in the cavity and subsequently foamed under the action of heat. This will result in uneven foaming and to non-uniform foam structures since on the underside the foam must raise the weight of the beam whereas expansion on the topside is free.
It is also known to provide foamable plastic molding within the hollow cross sections, these moldings can be foamed upon application of heat, such as is provided by the baking step in the electrocoat process, to provide a foamed baffle that fills the cross-section to provide sound adsorption. Such systems are described in European patent applications 0383498 and 0611778. The foam baffle provides sound deadening and vibration resistance. In these systems the entire insert is foamable and it is proposed that the foamable material be chosen so that it will foam during the baking process, which follows the electrocoat process typically used in vehicle manufacture to provide resistance to metal corrosion. The materials of these patents are not however reinforcing materials but are used to provide acoustic baffles and seals.
In the electrocoat process a vehicle structure is immersed in a bath of coating fluid from which an anticorrosion coating is deposited on the metal by electrolysis. The vehicle metal structure is subsequently heated to bake the coating on the metal. The electrocoat process is typically applied to complete vehicle structures in which hollow sections have been capped. Accordingly reinforcing structures are preferably provided within hollow sections prior to the electrocoat. It is therefore important that the reinforcing structure have minimal impact on the operation and efficiency of the electrocoat process.
A problem associated with both the reinforcing materials and the baffles is that if they are provided to produce foam adjacent to an external metal panel the shrinkage of the foam as it cools after expansion can cause undesirable deformation of the metal panel leading to imperfections in the outer surface of the vehicle.
There is therefore a need to provide structural reinforcement for the hollow cross-sections of vehicles, which is easily supplied, works well within the bounds of the electrocoat process, provides effective reinforcement to the vehicle both during operation and as crash protection and does not cause deformation of the external body panels of the vehicle during its manufacture.


The present invention also provides a dynamic on-line order gathering system that enables sellers to offer one or a combination of goods whose availability (production and/or shipping) may be economically linked in some ways with other items and which facilitates aggregation of demand across related items so as to enable the ability to reach critical mass of demand for the related goods by a more efficient means than currently available.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to techniques for producing, selling, and distributing articles of manufacture which is especially well suited for nonperishable articles but which could find applicability to perishable manufactured articles as well. The present invention depends upon an automated aggregation of orders and the visual representation of standardized shipping volumes such as containers and pallets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, the manufacturers of non-perishable goods have obtained enormous economic and commercial advantage by having the non-perishable goods manufactured in remote locations, where economic, legal, regulatory, and labor conditions are favorable to manufacturers, resulting in relatively lower costs than can be obtained in other production markets. One primary example of this phenomenon is the increasing importance of The Peoples Republic of China and other less-developed Asian countries for the production of non-perishable consumer goods which are shipped to, and consumed by, first-world economies such as the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. The strong preference for this remote, third-world manufacturing is a primary factor for trade imbalances which exist between the United States and China. The consumer in the first world eventually benefits from this manufacturing scenario, but the immediate and primary benefit goes to the producers, distributors, and retailers of the nonperishable goods. As the product choices available to the consumer expand, consumers will typically begin viewing particular non-perishable goods as commodities. For example, television sets, stereo equipment, and computers are in large part viewed by most consumers as commodity items, and consumers are accordingly quite price sensitive. This is typically only true after the novelty of a particular item no longer commands a premium, and as competitive items are offered which include the desirable product features and functions.
Under this conventional manufacturing, sales, and distribution scenario, the consumer may or may not benefit from the relative advantages of the low cost of manufacturing the nonperishable goods; to the extent that the consumer does benefit, it is usually late in the product life, with the greatest consumer advantage typically being obtained as newer models or versions of the non-perishable goods are "rolled out" in order to replace older versions. In other words, the greatest economic advantage can be derived by the consumer by buying the non-perishable articles as they are being obsoleted by other products and newer versions of the same product. Many consumers are aware of this fact, and tend to purchase expensive items such as automobiles, computers, and the like, at the end of a product's life cycle in order to obtain the best commercial terms.
Additionally, under conventional sales and distribution techniques, relatively hefty margins are required for the non-perishable articles in order to take into account the time value of the capital which is "tied up" in products in the supply chain. Additionally, conventional distribution systems require a significant number of product units in order to fill a supply chain at all levels including the distribution level and the retail level. Of course, there is great danger for the manufacturer insofar as it may over-estimate demand and thus over-produce products which results in an "over-shoot" condition which generally results in steep discounting toward the end of the product life in order to deal with the "remainder" of the products which have not been sold. For example, this is a non-trivial aspect of book publishing, wherein remainder after markets are robust and are noteworthy for the steep (and sometimes below cost) discounting which must occur in order to deplete remaining inventory. Conversely, should the manufacturer underestimate the product acceptance and/or product demand, it generates an "under-shoot" condition, wherein there is not enough product to fill the supply chain and demand goes either unmet or is deferred until additional production runs can refill the supply chain. This is an undesirable condition insofar as fickle consumers may lose interest in a product before additional production runs are completed and product delivered to the retail outlets, or competitors may move in to fill the demand which can not be met for the product. Additionally, it is undesirable insofar as a series of successive production runs is inherently less efficient than a smaller number of large production runs, which results in an increase in the cost of goods sold and typically manifests itself as an increase in price or a reduction in profits. As a result of these factors and considerations, most manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers follow a simple pricing plan in which new products are introduced at an initial price which is, in some cases, the highest price that will ever be charged for the product, and proceed to repeatedly discount the price in order to deplete supply. Of course, this approach severely punishes those consumers who are "early adopters" or early purchasers of products, and can result in pricing strategies which are so aggressive that consumer interest and demand is essentially squelched before it can begin.
Additionally, in conventional commerce, goods that are manufactured off-shore are placed in intermodal containers and are transported (by combinations of air, boat, rail, and surface transport such as trucks) to warehouses where the containers are broken down and products are routed to wholesale distribution centers which further break down the products and deliver them to retail outlets. Again, in the allocation and distribution of products there can occur serious "over-shoot" and "under-shoot" conditions. An over-shoot condition is represented by the relative over supplying of products to any particular geographic region or commercial channel of trade. Conversely, an under-shoot condition is the disproportionate allocation of products which results in insufficient products in any particular geographic region or channel of trade. These distributions over-shoot and under-shoot scenarios are expensive to remedy since they require the repackaging and reshipping of product to different geographic locations or different channels of trade. Frequently, there are ancillary paperwork and accounting actions which must be performed in parallel with the decision making and transfer process. Of course, sales may be lost and consumers may be frustrated during such reallocation or reshuffling operations, or better organized and/or agile competitors may move in to fill the demand.

Method of producing, selling, and distributing articles of manufacture through the automated aggregation of orders and the visual representation of standardized shipping volumes


A method of using a container for a phase change ink cartridge includes inserting the cartridge in the container, transporting the container with the inserted cartridge to an ink jet printer, taking the cartridge out of the container and operatively connecting the cartridge to the printer, and operatively connecting the container to the printer to enable collecting of waste ink produced by the printer in the container. A container for a phase change ink cartridge is also provided for use in a phase change ink jet printer. The container has an inner shape and an outer shape. The inner shape constitutes a fitting enclosure for the cartridge and the outer shape provides a profile for operatively engaging a matching profile of the ink jet printer hardware.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method of using a container for a phase change ink cartridge. The present invention also pertains to a container for a phase change ink cartridge for use in a phase change ink jet printer.
2. Description of Background Art
Containers for phase change ink cartridges are commonly known in the state of the art. These can be, e.g., disposable plastic bags, compression moulded plastic boxes or cardboard boxes. Generally these containers are used to protect the cartridge during shipment from the manufacturer to the user. Furthermore the container usually displays information regarding the type and the use of the cartridge. Once the user has removed the cartridge from the container to connect the cartridge to the printer, the container is discarded. This forms a waste of valuable resources.

Method of using a container for housing and transporting ink cartridges and for collecting waste ink