A container filling arrangement having a liquid duct to dispense a stream of liquid into a container, as well as a flushing tube disposed outside of the liquid duct. The flushing tube can be extended into the container to deliver flushing gas to flush out gas present in the container, and can then be retracted prior to filling of the container.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a container filling plant for filling containers, such as demijohns and kegs, which filling plant has filler elements for filling of large volume containers with a liquid product, and method therefor.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
In the beverage industry, but also in other branches of industry, very often liquids, for example beverages, on which oxygen, usually atmospheric oxygen, has a damaging effect, have to be filled.
Thus, if it is absorbed by the liquid, the oxygen contained in the ambient air can have a negative influence, for example, with regard to shelf life, color, applicability, digestibility and/or taste.
Purely to simplify the comprehensibility of the present application, but in no way limiting the scope of protection of the present application, beverages are referred to exclusively below, said beverages being representative of all or virtually all comparable liquids that are sensitive to oxygen.
On account of the sensitivity to oxygen of numerous beverages, great efforts are made to keep the oxygen contained in the ambient air as far as possible away from the beverage to be filled during the production process.
One of such measures, for example, is to rinse the interior space of the container to be filled before the actual filling procedure, for example several times with an oxygen-free or low-oxygen process gas in order to remove the ambient air that is present there, and consequently also the atmospheric oxygen contained in said air, out of the container.
Some methods involve rinsing or flushing the container interior itself. Thus, the container interior is impinged upon several times with negative pressure, and then is brought back once again by the supplying of an oxygen-free process gas, for example CO2, to a higher pressure, thereby clearly reducing the oxygen content in the container interior.
In the case of another method, which is used usually with unstable containers, a so-called rinsing or flushing tube is first of all introduced into the container. An oxygen-free process gas, for example CO2, is then introduced through said rinsing or flushing tube into the container, said process gas displacing out of the container the ambient air situated inside the container. In this case, the container can also be impinged upon with a slight negative pressure or overpressure, the corresponding pressures being matched to the low stability of the container.
At least one possible embodiment of the present application relates to a device that operates as follows: the rinsing or flushing tube, positioned centrally relative to the filler element axis, is moved into the upper region of the container and is impinged upon with oxygen-free process gas. The oxygen-free process gas flowing out of the rinsing or flushing tube, after leaving the rinsing or flushing tube, flows, for instance, in the direction of the container bottom and in doing so displaces the gas present in the container, for example ambient air, in the direction of the container mouth where it can escape out of the container through a gas path provided at that location.
Once the rinsing or flushing process has been completed, the rinsing or flushing tube is moved out of the container, whereupon the liquid valve is opened, leading directly to the liquid product flowing into the container.
In at least one possible embodiment of the present application, the liquid product is set in rotation by a swirling body that is positioned inside the liquid path, thereby creating centrifugal forces which move or guide the liquid product to the inside wall of the container, thereby forming a liquid film that abuts against the inside wall of the container and flows into the container. Once the desired fill level has been obtained, the liquid valve is closed.
A disadvantage of such a method, among other things, is the large surface that the liquid flowing off the inside wall of the container has, as any oxygen still possibly remaining inside the container could be absorbed by said large surface. The larger the free surface and the greater the exposure time, the greater the amount of the oxygen possibly absorbed by the liquid flowing in.
Likewise, the small depth of insertion of the rinsing or flushing tube is disadvantageous as the oxygen-free process gas flows into the oxygenated gas there quasi midstream, thereby not resulting in an optimum, loss-free gas exchange.
With regard to the residual oxygen content and the operating efficiency, some methods and devices are stretched to the limit when the containers to be processed or filled exceed a certain volume.
This is also usually because some devices do not allow for the rinsing or flushing tube to be inserted far enough into the container in order to drive the ambient air in a targeted manner from one end of the container, namely the container bottom, in the direction of the other end of the container, namely the container mouth.
Another reason is that some filler elements, provided with a rinsing or flushing tube, operate exclusively according to the method of diverting the liquid to the inside walls of the container, which implies that as the diameter of the container increases so does the surface of the liquid flowing in. In addition, the greater container height causes the liquid to be exposed for longer. Both factors promote increased oxygen absorption of the liquid.

Container filling plant for filling containers, such as demijohns and kegs, which filling plant has filler elements for filling of large volume containers with a liquid product, and method therefor


A cover-body locking construction includes a specified housing, a frame insertable into and withdrawable from the housing, a structure supported on the frame, and a cover body shiftable between a covering position to cover at least part of the structure and an exposing position to expose the at least part of the structure to the outside by canceling the covered state with the structure withdrawn from the housing. The cover body includes a locking member having a locking portion for locking the cover body set at the covering position into the frame and an operating portion for causing the locking portion to lock and unlock. The housing includes a lock guiding member shaped to interlock the locking portion with the frame due to the interference with the cover body and the operating portion upon inserting the frame into the housing with the structure covered by the cover body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover-body locking construction for locking a covering state of a cover body provided to cover a structure detachably mounted into a specified housing, and an image forming apparatus provided with such a construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-241840 is conventionally known. This image forming apparatus is used as a so-called copier for reading an image of a document by means of an image reader provided atop a box-shaped housing and transferring a toner image to a sheet based on the read image information. Such an image forming apparatus is provided in the housing with an image forming assembly including a photoconductive drum, a charger, an exposing device and a developing device, a fixing section including a fixing device comprised of a heating roller and a pressure roller whose outer circumferential surfaces are opposed to each other, and a sheet feeding section for storing sheets to be fed to the image forming section. A beam modulated based on the document image optically read by the image reader and emitted from the exposing device is device is projected onto the outer circumferential surface of the photoconductive drum rotating about its central axis and uniformly charged by the charger, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the outer circumferential surface of the photoconductive drum. The toner image is formed by supplying toner toward this electrostatic latent image from the developing device, and is transferred to a sheet fed from the sheet feeding section. The sheet after the transferring operation has the toner image fixed thereto by heating upon passing a nip between the heating roller and the pressure roller in the fixing device. The sheet after the image fixing operation is discharged onto a discharge tray provided on an outer wall of the housing.
In such an image forming apparatus, the respective devices such as the charger and the exposing device are formed into units together with accessories. These units are detachably mountable into the housing via specified frames. Various maintenance operations such as maintenance and inspection, exchange and jammed paper removal can be easily carried out by withdrawing the frames from the housing.
In the image forming apparatus of the above publication, the charger formed into a unit together with its accessories is also detachably mountable into the frame. Such a charger unit is fixed in the frame by a specified locking construction while being mounted at a position right above the photoconductive drum in the photoconductive drum in the frame. The locking construction is comprised of a hook portion provided at the other end of a fixed lever having one end thereof mounted on one lateral part of the frame in such a manner as to be rotatable about a shaft, and a locking portion provided at a position of the frame corresponding to the hook portion so as to be engageable with the hook portion. By pressing the fixed lever downward with the hook portion opposed to the locking portion, the hook portion is engaged with the locking portion after the fixed lever temporarily undergoes an elastic deformation to be deflected.
Accordingly, the fixed lever is elastically deformed to fit the hook portion into the locking portion to be engaged by strongly pressing the fixed lever downward after the charger unit is placed on the frame with the frame withdrawn from the housing and the fixed lever is turned about the shaft to press the charging unit. In this way, the charger unit is fixed to the frame. The charger unit is mounted into the housing by pushing the frame having the charger unit fixed thereto into the housing.
However, with this locking construction, there are cases where the hook portion of the fixed lever cannot be engaged with the locking portion of the frame due to an insufficient pressing force despite a downward pressing operation of the fixed lever to fix the charger unit to the frame withdrawn from the housing. Unless the hook portion is engaged with the locking portion, the engaged with the locking portion, the charger unit cannot be securely fixed by the fixed lever. If the frame should be pushed into the housing in such a state, the charger unit would be quite unstably mounted in the housing. Hence, the charger unit cannot properly give electric charges to the outer circumferential surface of the photoconductive drum during the later operation of the image forming apparatus, thereby causing such an inconvenience as to hinder the proper image forming operation.
Although an occurrence of such an inconvenience is described, taking the charger unit as an example with reference to the above patent publication, it is not limited to charger units. This holds for other devices such as developing devices and fixing devices provided that they are formed into units, detachably mountable into a frame, and a cover body is provided.

Cover-body locking construction and image forming apparatus provided with such locking construction


The disclosed gelatinous cushion comprises a gelatinous material enclosed in a membrane fixed to a support. The membrane has at least one told and the gelatinous material assumes the shape of the fold. The fold is arranged in such a way that the membrane unfolds when pressure is exerted on the cushion. Advantages: the elimination of the membrane effect due to the compression of the gelatinous material in the membrane, the improvement of wearing comfort and of dampening properties. Application in particular to the making of highly comfortably nose-pads for eyeglass frames.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gelatinous cushions comprising a gelatinous material enclosed at least partially in a thin protective membrane.
These cushions have various applications in the field of comfortable wear. In particular, the patent applications FR 2 326 717, WO 85/05700 CH 656234 and US 2 032 843 have already proposed the mounting of such cushions on a spectacle or eyeglass frame in the areas where the frame irritates and hurts the epidermis, especially on the arms of the frame cr in the nasal support areas.
Furthermore, cushions of this kind can also be supplied in the industrial field, for example as vibration dampers.
The present invention is aimed at improving the performance characteristics of these gelatinous cushions as regards comfortable wear or the damping of shocks and vibrations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C give an exemplary view of a prior art nose pad 1 having the structure of a gelatinous cushion. The nose pad 1 has a thin elastic membrane 2 whose periphery is soldered or bonded to a rigid or semi-rigid pad-shaped support 3 made of plastic material. The membrane 2 forms a tightly sealed cavity with the support 3. A gelatinous material 4 is trapped in this cavity. The support 3 has a protrusion 5 on its other face in which a hole 6 is made enabling the mounting and hinging of the nose pad on an eyeglass frame.
The theoretical advantage of a nose pad 1 of this kind is that, under the effect of crushing, especially when the pad 1 is resting on the nose, the gelatinous material 4 absorbs the crushing force, dampens the shocks and provides an excellent degree of comfort.
However, a closer look at the "behavior" of the nose pad 1 when it is subjected to crushing, for example when it is crushed with the finger as shown in FIG. 1B, shows that, as and when the pressure on the pad is accentuated, the gelatinous effect gradually disappears and is replaced by an elastic effect due to the stretching of the membrane 2. This stretching is prompted by the compression of the gelatinous material 4 trapped in the membrane 2. This elastic stretching effect shall be called the "membrane effect". Thus, when the nose pad 1 is resting on the nose, as shown in FIG. 1C, the crushing produced by the weight of the frame is such that the membrane effect is predominant over the gelatinous effect.
In short, a prior art gelatinous cushion subjected to fairly heavy crushing displays a certain degree of hardness and does not provide wearing comfort greater than that of a cushion filled with a fluid or a gas, the membrane affect being predominant. This drawback has not been discovered in the prior art. This explains why, in the above-mentioned patents, it is proposed to fill the cushions with a gel, fluid, or gas without any distinction being made between these materials.

Gelatinous cushion with reduced membrane effect


The invention relates to a mixer valve for hot and cold water having a cartridge-type body enclosing two overlapping plates one of which is fixed and the other movable on the fixed one through a control rod and in which the fixed plate has a mixing chamber (20, 20') with an antinoise structure (22) which only covers the internal lateral surfaces of the chamber itself, said antinoise structure (22) being made from a net element (23) or from protuberances or rough parts formed in the chamber itself.

Various mixer valves for hot and cold water incorporate a mixer unit including two overlapping disks or plates in a ceramic material or the like, one disk or plate being fixed and the other movable on the fixed one. The fixed disk has two water inlet holes which are joined to two separate pipes for hot and cold water and an outlet hole which coincides with the mouth of the water delivery tap. The movable disk has a mixing chamber designed to selectively join one, the other or both the water inlet holes with the outlet one.
However, it has been found that the passing of the water from the inlet holes of the fixed disk to the mixing chamber of the movable disk and then to the outlet and delivery hole results in the structure being noisy as well as leading to cavitations and load loses which negatively influence the effective capacity of the valve. So, in order to ensure a standard capacity it is not possible to reduce the span of the passages further than a certain limit which also prevents the reduction in the size of the disks or plates and therefore of the valve as would be expected. On the other hand, the reduction of the span could be the cause of a noise increase. Thus it is necessary to continue the research in order to find a compromise in said mixer valve which permits the noisyness to be maintained and ensures a capacity within the forseen standard limits, and which allows for a reduction in the size of the overlapping disks or plates and consequently of the valves.
Attempts which have so far been made have obtained worthy results, which can still be improved upon, as far as noise reduction is concerned but often resulting in a loss of capacity.
A method for solving the problem has been proposed in patent IT-A-1207763, by the same applicant, relative to a mixer valve incorporating a movable plate, the mixing chamber of which has an antinoise element, made from a metallic net, with two parts which are perpendicular to each other and form two permeable barriers designed to be traversed by the flow of water from the inlet holes to the outlet hole through the mixing chamber.
Even though said barriers are permeable and suitable for the reduction in noise of the flow, they tend to limit the capacity and therefore do not obtain the forseen results.

Mixer valve for hot and cold water with silencer


There is provided an image pickup device including: a composition detection unit configured to calculate a time at which an object that is specified by a user and is included in a captured image achieves a composition specified by the user; a time calculation unit configured to calculate a time after start instruction of image pickup operation is issued but before an image is captured; and an image pickup control unit configured to start image pickup processing of the image in response to the start instruction of the image pickup operation. The composition detection unit issues the start instruction of the image pickup operation to the image pickup control unit the time calculated by the time calculation unit before the time at which the composition specified by the user is achieved.

There has been widely used a digital camera that performs digital coding on an image captured by an image sensor including a solid-state image pickup element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), instead of a silver halide camera for taking a photograph with the use of a film or a photographic plate. According to a digital camera, it is possible to store an image that has been subjected to digital coding in a memory, thereby performing image processing and image management with the use of a computer, and further there is no problem in terms of the life of a film.
By using a digital camera that electronically captures a photograph, a user who is not accustomed to operation can easily take a clear photograph. However, it is difficult for a beginner to instantly learn a skill regarding at which timing a shutter release button should be pushed to take a photograph having a good composition.
In view of this, there is devised a technology for allowing a beginner who is not accustomed to handling of a digital camera to easily take a photograph having a good composition, and literatures disclosing such a technology are published.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology in which a digital camera detects a composition to automatically execute image pickup processing and, when a composition specified by a user is detected, the detection is notified to the user. Patent Literature 2 discloses a technology in which an image inputted from an optical finder is displayed on a screen of a digital camera in order to prevent a failure of photographing caused by a time lag after a shutter release button is pushed but before operation for exposing light to an image pickup element is started.

Image pickup device, method of controlling image pickup device, and computer program for automatically achieving composition specified by user


A machine learning apparatus for learning a correction parameter used in correction of a command value that controls a motor in a motor drive system including a plurality of kinds of correction functions includes: a state observation unit that observes, as a state variable, each of a feature calculated on the basis of drive data and the kind of any of the correction functions of the motor drive system and the correction parameter; and a learning unit that learns the correction parameter for each of the correction functions according to a training data set created on the basis of the state variable.

A motor drive system driven by a motor is, for example, a machine tool, an industrial machine, a robot, or a conveyor. The motor drive system is controlled such that a controlled object such as a tool, a workpiece, or a hand follows a given command value. However, various error factors and disturbance factors are inherent in a mechanical structure and a mechanical element forming the motor drive system, so that the accuracy of following the command value is reduced in some cases. The error factors include friction on a sliding surface, insufficient rigidity of a structural member, an assembly error, a control delay, heating of a motor, and the like. For this reason, the command value can be used after being corrected in consideration of the errors. Correction conditions such as a correction amount and a correction timing of the command value have different optimum values depending on differences in the structure of the motor drive systems, individual differences among the systems, differences in the environment where the systems are installed, and the like.
An operator spends time and effort to adjust the correction conditions for each motor drive system, and also requires a period of familiarization until he can perform proper adjustment of the correction conditions. For this reason, a system that automatically adjusts the correction conditions is under study. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique that automatically determines a correction condition by using a correction parameter for determining a correction condition of a motion error caused by the influence of friction. The technique automatically determines a correction parameter related to friction correction by changing the correction parameter for determining the correction condition of the motion error caused by the influence of friction, and repeatedly correcting a torque command and updating a corrected torque until a response error occurring during a circular motion becomes smaller than or equal to a threshold.

Machine learning correction parameter adjustment apparatus and method for use with a motor drive control system


A connection for interconnecting adjacent playground slide sections in end-to-end relationship wherein slide sections formed of molded synthetic material will be accurately aligned and the fasteners holding the sections together are recessed and do not interfere with the sliding surfaces. The interconnection utilizes a projection received within a complementary recess in an overlapping manner to produce a smooth aligned sliding surface relationship between adjacent slide sections capable of producing a high strength fastener produced connection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of playground slides, and particularly to the interconnection for adjacent slide sections whereby the sliding surfaces are accurately aligned in end-to-end relationship while adjacent sections include overlapping portions interconnected by fasteners to achieve maximum strength.
2. Description of the Related Art
Playground slides, whether formed of metal or synthetic plastic, often consist of several elongated sections interconnected at their ends. The forming of the slide in sections simplifies shipping, and permits various configurations to be introduced into the slide if it is desired that the occupant pass through turns or curves during descent.
Forming the playground slide of a plurality of interconnected sections requires an interconnection between adjacent sections, and the simplest interconnection is to overlap the sliding surfaces of adjacent sections, the upper section overlapping the lower section, and fasteners such as rivets, bolts or screws may extend through the section overlapped portions having heads which are flush, or substantially flush, with the upper sliding surface. Such an interconnection between the slide sections is simple and strong, but produces a slight bump as the sections overlap, and expose the slider to possible injury if a fastener loosens and extends above the sliding surface.
In order to alleviate the aforementioned problems of overlapping slide section interconnections, a variety of proposals have been advanced to maintain the adjacent sliding surfaces in alignment thereby avoiding the bump at the section joint, and by forming each slide section end with a flange perpendicularly disposed to the sliding surface, fasteners may extend through the flanges to maintain the slide sections in alignment and end-to-end relationship. This arrangement has the advantage of removing the fasteners from possibly injuring the slider, but the fasteners are exposed to possible vandalism, and the appearance of the slide is adversely affected by the rather large flanges extending from the slide sections.
Previously, a playground slide interconnection for use with either metal or synthetic slide sections has not been available whereby the sections may be maintained in an abutting end-to-end sliding surface aligned relationship, the fasteners being protected from vandalism, and the interconnection being of such a configuration as to be aesthetically superior and not detract from the overall slide appearance.
Objects of the Invention
It is an object of the invention to provide an interconnection for playground slide sections wherein the sections' sliding surfaces will attractively abut in aligned end-to-end relationship and wherein the fasteners maintaining the interconnection are substantially concealed and not readily accessible to vandals.
Another object of the invention is to provide an interconnection for playground slide sections wherein the sections' sliding surfaces will be maintained in aligned end-to-end abutting relationships but the strength of an overlapped relationship between adjacent slide sections using fasteners is provided.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an interconnection for playground slides wherein the sections' sliding surfaces are maintained in an aligned abutting end-to-end relationship eliminating bumps and the alignment of interconnected sections is achieved by nesting alignment and fastener receiving surfaces overlapping with respect to each other.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an interconnection for playground slide sections wherein the ends of the sections are maintained in aligned end-to-end relationship and the alignment is quickly achieved during assembly by the use of overlapped nesting alignment and fastener receiving portions through which threaded fasteners extend, and the fasteners are enclosed within slide section structure as to not be readily susceptible to vandalism.
Summary of the Invention
While the inventive concepts may be used with playground slide sections either formed of metal or molded of a synthetic plastic material, the inventive concepts are particularly suitable for use with molded synthetic slide sections, and are described in such an embodiment in the following specification.
The interconnection of the invention is utilized in a playground slide having at least two sections. Playground slides may include a plurality of sections depending upon their length and configuration. The sections may be linear in a straight slide, or may be curved wherein the slider will change direction during the slide. It is also common to form the slide as a spiral wherein the slider will be translated through 1800, or more, during the descent. The concepts of the invention may be employed with any configuration of playground slide section, it only being necessary that the adjacent slide section interconnected thereto has a corresponding interconnection configuration to permit the interconnection of adjacent sections.
The playground slide interconnection includes a male end or configuration which constitutes a projection from the end of the associated slide section. The innermost portion of the projection is defined by a sliding surface which may include both the bottom surface of the slide and the side surfaces, all of which are exposed to the slide occupant. The projection ends in a terminating abutment surface perpendicularly disposed to the adjacent sliding surfaces, and the terminating abutment surface extends outwardly away from the sliding surfaces to intersect with an alignment and fastener receiving surface extending rearwardly from the terminating abutment surface and spaced from the projection slide surface. In this manner, the projection is a hollow box-like configuration and the alignment and fastener receiving surface terminates in a shoulder intersecting the outermost portion of the associated slide section. Preferably, the projection alignment and fastener receiving surface includes a V-shaped channel and threaded inserts are molded into the V-shaped channel for receiving threaded fasteners as later described.
The playground slide section male end projection is received within a playground slide female end which constitutes a recess of a configuration complementary to the configuration of the slide section male projection. Accordingly, the slide section female end includes a shoulder adapted to engage the male section shoulder, an alignment and fastener receiving surface, preferably of a V-shaped channel configuration complementary to the alignment and fastener receiving portion of the projection, and a shoulder abutment surface extends from the recess alignment and fastener receiving surfaces in a manner perpendicular to the sliding surfaces of the associated slide section. Accordingly, the terminating abutment surface of the projection will abuttingly engage the shoulder abutting surface of the recess and the dimension of these abutting surfaces perpendicular to the slider engaging surfaces is such that the sections' sliding engaging surfaces will be in alignment and no bump will exist at the joint line between the interconnected slide sections.
Because the alignment and fastener receiving surfaces of the projection and recess closely nest together in an overlapped relationship with respect to the length of the slide sections, the slide sections will be accurately aligned with respect to each other, and threaded fasteners extending through the recess alignment and fastener receiving surfaces received within the threaded inserts molded into the projection will maintain the interconnection of the slide sections upon tightening of the fasteners.
The outermost surface of the slide section ends defining the recess are provided with holes for receiving the threaded fasteners, and upon tightening of the fasteners, the heads thereof will be located within the hollow box-like configuration of the section material defining the recess and not readily visible to potential vandals. Also, by utilizing unusual sockets or fastener head configurations, unauthorized removal of the fasteners is discouraged.
As the projection on the male end of the playground slide section and the recess defined on the end of the female slide projection overlap, the advantages of the high strength of an overlapping interconnection are achieved, but because of the hollow box-like configuration of the projection and recess, the fasteners do not extend through the sliding surfaces and cannot become a hazard to sliders even though the fasteners may inadvertently loosen.

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A player for a media unit. The player includes a front plate formed of metal and having an opening configured to receive a media unit. The player also includes a cover mounted over the opening and having a slit. The slit is aligned with the opening and configured to allow the media unit to pass through the cover and enter the opening. The cover includes an electrical conductor that contacts the front plate and is in electrostatic communication with the slit. The conductor conducts electrostatic charge from the media unit to the front plate as the media unit passes through the slit. The media unit may be a CD, DVD, memory stick, minidisc or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media devices having electronic components such as a CD player, DVD player, MP3 player, or other components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Static electricity (electrostatics) is created when two objects having unbalanced charges touch one another causing the unbalanced charge to transfer between the two objects. This phenomenon commonly occurs in homes, vehicles and other environments when the air is dry. For instance, when a person slides into a car seat, electrons may transfer between the two causing the surface of the body to store a charge. When the person, then, touches a vehicle component, the charge may travel (discharge) from the body to the component thus creating static electricity. If the object touched is an electronic device, such as a home stereo, home theatre system, computer, vehicle entertainment system or other electronic media system, this electrostatic discharge can be harmful to the sensitive electronic components of the device. For instance, when a person slides into a vehicle seat and inserts a disc into the car stereo, a charge may travel from the body through the disc to the sensitive electronic components in the vehicle stereo. Similar problems may occur when using DVD and other disc players.
Accordingly, problems with the drainage of a static electric charge impacting sensitive electronic components continue to persist.

Electrostatic discharge device and method for media devices


Some of plural coil elements or the sections which have received magnetic resonance image signals associated with first image data are determined to be target coil elements or target coil sections. Second image data is generated by combining a plurality of pieces of first image data respectively associated with the target elements or sections. A display unit displays an image represented by the second image data. The target elements or sections are then changed based on specification after display of the second image data and third image data is generated by combining the plurality of pieces of first image data associated with the changed target elements sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus and image data generating method which enable generation of high-sensitivity image data by using an array coil.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method, the spin of an atomic nucleus in a subject tissue placed in a static magnetic field is excited by using a radio-frequency signal (RF pulse) having a Larmor frequency associated with the atomic nucleus. Further, image data is reconstructed from a magnetic resonance (MR) signal generated with this excitation.
The MRI apparatus is a diagnostic imaging apparatus that utilizes the MRI method to generate image data of, e.g., the inside of a living body. Since the MRI apparatus can obtain many pieces of diagnostic information, e.g., not only anatomical diagnostic information but also biochemical information or diagnostic function information, this apparatus is important in the field of diagnostic imaging today.
In recent years, MRI using an array coil has been extensively carried out for the purpose of collecting image data with respect to an imaging region in a wide range with a high sensitivity. The array coil is constituted by two-dimensionally aligning a plurality of reception coils (which will be referred to as coil elements hereinafter). In MRI using the MRI array coil, MR signals detected by a plurality of coil elements adjacent to each other are added and combined with each other so that the plurality of coil elements are equivalently bundled in a plurality of sections. Furthermore, reconfiguring MR signals obtained from the respective sections enables generating a plurality of pieces of image data (referred to as original image data hereinafter). Moreover, combining the plurality of pieces of original image data enables the generation of image data used in diagnosis (referred to as diagnostic image data hereinafter) (see, e.g., JP-A 2003-175016 [KOKAI]).
FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of a positional relationship between a subject and an array coil 51.
The array coil 51 has three sections 52-1, 52-2, and 52-3. The array coil 51 is arranged in such a manner that an alignment direction of the sections 52-1 to 52-3 matches with a body axis direction of a subject.
FIG. 14 includes views showing three original images 53-1, 53-2, and 53-3 obtained by using the array coil 51. The original images 53-1 to 53-3 are obtained by respectively reconfiguring MR signals detected by coil elements belonging to the sections 52-1 to 52-3. The original image 53-1 has a maximum sensitivity in a region of the subject facing the coil element in the section 52-1. The original image 53-2 has a maximum sensitivity in a region of the subject facing the coil element in the section 52-2. Additionally, the original image 53-3 has a maximum sensitivity in a region of the subject facing the coil element in the section 52-3.
FIG. 15 is a view showing a diagnostic image 54 obtained by combining the original images 53-1 to 53-3 depicted in FIG. 14.
In MRI using the array coil, a coil element associated with an imaging region must be selected from a plurality of coil elements in the array coil arranged near a subject to form each of the above-explained sections. In particular, when imaging, e.g., a cervical spine or a spinal column, a diagnosis target region of the subject must be arranged above the array coil disposed on a top panel, and hence selecting a preferable coil element for an imaging region of this diagnosis target region is very difficult.
For example, when a coil element arranged outside the imaging region is erroneously selected, this coil element detects an MR signal having a high frequency component that does not satisfy a sampling theorem. In this case, an artifact due to aliasing in reconfiguration of the MR signal is produced in diagnostic image data. On the other hand, when a coil element arranged in the imaging region is not selected, a sensitivity in a region of diagnostic image data associated with a position of this coil element is considerably degraded.
Further, when an artifact or sensitivity degradation that cannot be allowed is recognized in diagnostic image data collected by using a first selected coil element, MRI must be again performed starting from selection of a coil element. When a skill of an operator is low, such an operation must be repeated until desired diagnostic image data is obtained. Therefore, not only an efficiency of MRI is considerably lowered but also a burden on the operator may be increased.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and image data generating method


A voice service processing method and an apparatus are provided. The method includes: receiving, by a base station, voice configuration indication information from user equipment (UE), where the voice configuration indication information is used to indicate at least one voice configuration supported by the UE; and configuring, by the base station, a voice transmission scheme for the UE based on the voice configuration indication information. The UE can initiate a voice service on a 5G network, and a high-quality and convenient voice service can be provided for a user.

As a mobile communications network develops rapidly, a 5th generation (5G) wireless communications technology has become a current focus in the industry. Compared with a 4th generation (4G) wireless communications technology, the 5G aims to provide a higher speed, more connections, and a shorter delay and support abundant services. Therefore, the 5G has been an inevitable development trend of the mobile communications network.
Currently, a voice service is a main service of the mobile communications network, and the mobile communications network provides a voice service such as video voice or non-video voice for user equipment (UE). For example, in a 2nd generation (2G) wireless communications technology system and a 3th generation (3G) wireless communications technology system, circuit switched (CS) voice is mainly provided. In a 4G system, voice is mainly provided by using an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). However, in a current 5G communications standard, no voice solution has been specified, and no voice service implementation solution has been provided on a 5G network.

Voice service processing method and apparatus


A terminal is disclosed including a receiver that receives downlink control information including a field that indicates a frequency domain resource assigned to a downlink shared channel; and a processor that, when the terminal is in a connected state and information regarding an initial downlink bandwidth part (BWP) for a cell is provided via a higher layer, determines a bandwidth to use in a determination of a number of bits in the field based on a specified information included in the information regarding the initial downlink bandwidth part (BWP). In other aspects, a radio communication method, a base station, and a system are also disclosed.

In the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network, the specifications of long-term evolution (LTE) have been drafted for the purpose of further increasing high speed data rates, providing lower latency and so on (see Non-Patent Literature 1). For the purpose of further high capacity, advancement of LTE (LTE Rel. 8, Rel. 9), and so on, the specifications of LTE-A (LTE-Advanced, LTE Rel. 10, Rel. 11, Rel. 12, Rel. 13) have been drafted.
Successor systems of LTE (referred to as, for example, "FRA (Future Radio Access)," "5G (5th generation mobile communication system)," "5G+(plus)," "NR (New Radio)," "NX (New radio access)," "FX (Future generation radio access)," "LTE Rel. 14," "LTE Rel. 15" (or later versions), and so on) are also under study.
In the existing LTE systems (for example, LTE Rel. 8 to Rel. 14), a user terminal (UE (User Equipment)) controls reception of a downlink shared channel (for example, PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel)), based on downlink control information (DCI) (also referred to as "downlink (DL) assignment" or the like) from a radio base station (for example, eNB (eNodeB)).
A user terminal controls transmission of an uplink shared channel (for example, PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel)), based on DCI (also referred to as "uplink (UL) grant," or the like) from the radio base station. Note that DCI is one of control signals of physical layer, and is transmitted to a user terminal by using a downlink control channel (for example, PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel)).

Terminal, radio communication method, base station, and system


Gamma three protease is provided, a novel aspartyl class protease that is capable of taking part in the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to Aβ peptide. Gamma three protease may be involved in the development and/or progression of Alzheimers disease. Methods of identifying inhibitors of gamma three protease, useful in the prevention or treatment of Alzheimers disease, are disclosed.

Alzheimer's disease is a common, chronic neurodegenerative disease, characterized by a progressive loss of memory and sometimes severe behavioral abnormalities, as well as an impairment of other cognitive functions that often leads to dementia and death. It ranks as the fourth leading cause of death in industrialized societies after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease is high, with an estimated 2.5 to 4 million patients affected in the United States and perhaps 17 to 25 million worldwide. Moreover, the number of sufferers is expected to grow as the population ages.
A characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease is the presence of large numbers of insoluble deposits, known as amyloid plaques, in the brains of those affected. Autopsies have shown that amyloid plaques are found in the brains of virtually all Alzheimer's patients and that the degree of amyloid plaque deposition correlates with the degree of dementia (Cummings & Cotman, 1995, Lancet 326:1524–1587). While some opinion holds that amyloid plaques are a late stage by-product of the disease process, the consensus view is that amyloid plaques are more likely to be intimately, and perhaps causally, involved in Alzheimer's disease.
A variety of experimental evidence supports this view. For example, Aβ, a primary component of amyloid plaques, is toxic to neurons in culture and transgenic mice that overproduce Aβ in their brains show significant deposition of Aβ into amyloid plaques and significant neuronal toxicity (Yankner, 1990, Science 250:279–282; Mattson et al., 1992, J. Neurosci. 12:379–389; Games et al., 1995, Nature 373:523–527; LaFerla et al., 1995, Nature Genetics 9:21–29). Mutations in the APP gene, leading to increased Aβ production, have been linked to heritable forms of Alzheimer's disease (Goate et al., 1991, Nature 349:704–706; Chartier-Harlan et al., 1991, Nature 353:844–846; Murrel et al., 1991, Science 254:97–99; Mullan et al., 1992, Nature Genetics 1:345–347). Presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2) related familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease (FAD) shows disproportionately increased production of Aβ1-42, the 42 amino acid isoform of Aβ, as opposed to Aβ1-40, the 40 amino acid isoform (Scheuner et al, 1996, Nature Medicine 2:864–870). The longer isoform of Aβ is more prone to aggregation than the shorter isoform (Jarrett et al, 1993, Biochemistry 32:4693–4697). Injection of the insoluble, fibrillar form of Aβ into monkey brains results in the development of pathology (neuronal destruction, tau phosphorylation, microglial proliferation) that closely mimics Alzheimer's disease in humans (Geula et al., 1998, Nature Medicine 4:827–831). See Selkoe, 1994, J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 53:438–447 for a review of the evidence that amyloid plaques have a central role in Alzheimer's disease.
Aβ, a 39–43 amino acid peptide derived by proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is the major component of amyloid plaques (Glenner & Wong, 1984, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 120:885–890). APP is actually a family of polypeptides produced by alternative splicing from a single gene. Major forms of APP are known as APP695, APP751, and APP770, with the subscripts referring to the number of amino acids in each splice variant (Ponte et al., 1988, Nature 331:525–527; Tanzi et al., 1988, Nature 331:528–530; Kitaguchi et al., 1988, Nature 331:530–532). APP is membrane bound and undergoes proteolytic cleavage by at least two pathways. In one pathway, cleavage by an enzyme known as α-secretase occurs while APP is still in the trans-Golgi secretory compartment (Kuentzel et al., 1993, Biochem J. 295:367–378). This cleavage by α-secretase occurs within the Aβ portion of APP, thus precluding the formation of Aβ. In another proteolytic pathway, cleavage of the Met671-Asp672 bond (numbered according to the 751 amino acid protein) by an enzyme known as β-secretase occurs. This cleavage by β-secretase generates the N-terminus of Aβ. The C-terminus is formed by cleavage by a second enzyme known as γ-secretase. The C-terminus is actually a heterogeneous collection of cleavage sites rather than a single site since γ-secretase activity occurs over a short stretch of APP amino acids rather than at a single peptide bond. Peptides of 40 or 42 amino acids in length (Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42, respectively) predominate among the C-termini generated by γ-secretase. Aβ1-42 is more prone to aggregation than Aβ1-40, is the major component of amyloid plaque (Jarrett et al., 1993, Biochemistry 32:4693–4697; Kuo et al., 1996, J. Biol. Chem. 271:4077–4081), and its production is closely associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease (Sinha & Lieberburg, 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:11049–11053). The bond cleaved by γ-secretase appears to be situated within a transmembrane domain of APP. It is unclear as to whether the C-termini of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 are generated by a single γ-secretase protease with sloppy specificity or by two distinct proteases. For a review that discusses APP and its processing, see Selkoe, 1998, Trends Cell. Biol. 8:447–453.
Much interest has focused on the possibility of inhibiting the development of amyloid plaques as a means of preventing or ameliorating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. To that end, a promising strategy is to inhibit the activity of β- and γ-secretase, the two enzymes that together are responsible for producing Aβ. This strategy is attractive because, if the formation of amyloid plaques as a result of the deposition of Aβ is a cause of Alzheimer's disease, inhibiting the activity of one or both of the two secretases would intervene in the disease process at an early stage, before late-stage events such as inflammation or apoptosis occur. Such early stage intervention is expected to be particularly beneficial (see, e.g., Citron, 2000, Molecular Medicine Today 6:392–397).
To that end, various assays have been developed that are directed to the identification of compounds that may interfere with the production of Aβ or its deposition into amyloid plaques. U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,870 is directed to methods of monitoring the processing of APP by detecting the production of amino terminal fragments of APP. U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,811 is directed to methods of identifying inhibitors of the production of amino terminal fragments of APP. U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,846 is directed to methods of detecting soluble Aβ by the use of binding substances such as antibodies. Esler et al., 1997, Nature Biotechnology 15:258–263 described an assay that monitored the deposition of Aβ from solution onto a synthetic analogue of an amyloid plaque. The assay was suitable for identifying compounds that could inhibit the deposition of Aβ. However, this assay is not suitable for identifying substances, such as inhibitors of γ-secretase, that would prevent the formation of Aβ. Thus, the assay of Esler is directed to a step that is further along in the formation of amyloid plaque than is the assay described in this application.
Various groups have cloned and sequenced cDNA encoding a protein that is believed to be β-secretase (Vassar et al., 1999, Science 286:735–741; Hussain et al., 1999, Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 14:419–427; Yan et al., 1999, Nature 402:533–537; Sinha et al., 1999, Nature 402:537–540; Lin et al., 2000, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:1456–1460) but the identity of γ-secretase has been more elusive. A pair of proteins known as presenilin-1 and presenilin-2 are viewed as possible candidates (Selkoe & Wolfe, 2000, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:5690–5692).
Presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2) are polytopic membrane proteins that are involved in γ-secretase-mediated processing of APP. The most common cause of familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease is the autosomal dominant inheritance of assorted mutations in the PSi gene (Sherrington et al., 1995, Nature 375:754–760). These PSi mutations lead to increased production of Aβ1-42 (Scheuner et al., 1996, Nature Medicine 2:864–870; Duff et al., 1996, Nature 383:710–713; Borchelt et al., 1996, Neuron 17:1005–1013). Similarly, certain mutations in PS2 cause familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease and increased generation of Aβ1-42 (Levy-Lahad et al., 1995, Science 269:970–973). Cultured isolated neurons from PS1-deficient mice exhibit reduced γ-secretase-mediated cleavage of APP (De Strooper et al., 1998, Nature 391:387–390). It was suggested that PS1 might influence trafficking of APP and/or γ-secretase or it might play a more direct role in proteolytic cleavage of APP. Directed mutagenesis of two conserved transmembrane-situated aspartates in PS1 was shown to inactivate γ-secretase activity in cellular assays, suggesting that PS1 is either a required diaspartyl cofactor for γ-secretase or is itself γ-secretase, an intramembranous aspartyl protease (Wolfe et al., 1999, Nature 398:513–517). Moreover, Li et al., 2000, Nature 405:689–694 made photoactivatable derivatives of a highly specific and potent aspartyl protease transition state analog inhibitor and found that the inhibitor selectively labeled presenilin fragments.
Despite results such as those described above, it is still uncertain whether PS1 and PS2 are responsible for the γ-secretase activity that is relevant to the processing of APP in connection with Alzheimer's disease. It is desirable to identify all the proteases that may have γ-secretase activity and thus may be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the identification and purification of novel proteins possessing γ-secretase activity is valuable. The availability of such novel proteases would allow for the development of assays to discover inhibitors of such proteases. Such inhibitors are likely to be valuable in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.


The invention is concerned with a compression molding device (1) with a tool (3) generating at least a part of the work-piece geometry. At least one pressure measuring means (5) and/or at least one pressure space (4) is located directly below the work-piece associated surface (3.3) of the tool (3). Besides this, the work piece (3) selectively exhibits at least one first part (3.1) which is a tool template generating the shape of the work piece and a second part (3.2) forming the base body, wherein a measuring strip (6) is provided between the tool template (3.1) and the base body (3.2). As an optional refinement, the measuring strip (6) is an elastic intermediate layer with a smaller modulus of elasticity than the base body (3.2).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is concerned with a molding device (compression molding, press forming) with at least one punch for generating at least a part of the work piece geometry, which is associated with a mold (bottom die, master negative) corresponding to at least a part of the work piece geometry. Such a device is already known from DE 199 25 458 A1.
2. Description of the Related Art
A process for high pressure forming of sheet metal parts is known from DE 44 17 460 A1. For the process a device is employed with an intermediate plate for receiving the sheet metal parts to be formed, with draw-rings lying form-fittingly against both sides of the intermediate plate. The draw-rings serve to fix and seal the sheet metal parts to the intermediate plate. The shaping space formed by the draw rings is bordered in the direction of the face by a die, which is flexible, in order to positively influence the forming or shaping process.
DE 693 31 016 T2 discloses a device is known for measurement of the holding or retention force exercised upon the pressure ring of a press. The device is provided prior to the insertion of the punching die and the pressure elements, in order to determine the retention force to be applied later.
DE 198 55 407 A1 discloses a shaping tool comprised of a two-layer composite. The second layer is formed of metal and applied electrolytically upon a plastic carrier structure.


An improved tent covers a hammock suspended from a pair of upright members by suspending means at each end of the hammock. The tent is formed from top and bottom portions that interact to provide a tent opening that prevents the entry of atmospheric precipitation when the tent opening is open. The tent also provides improved visibility from inside the tent, by enabling a horizontal field of view.

The inventor herein is the inventor and owner of U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,915 ("the '915 patent"), issued 4 Apr. 2005, which is incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the '915 patent, the hammock tent 60 comprises overlapping sections that completely surround the hammock 1. FIGS. 5 and 6 also show flap 69 that serves as a door. The tent 60 is supported by a supporting system having a ridge support, side supports and suspension supports.
Referring to FIG. 6 of the '915 patent, the door 69 of the tent 60 is located in the inclined upper portion of the tent 1. As a result, the occupier of the hammock cannot enter or exit the hammock, or leave the door open, without potential atmospheric precipitation entering the tent. Also, when the door is open, the field of view of the occupant is limited to an upward direction.
As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B of the '915 patent, the hammock 1 is connected to suspending means by way of cargo hook 90. The cargo hook 90 is also connected to suspending strap 99 as described in FIGS. 9A and 9B. The suspending strap 99 is secured to an upright structure by means of cam buckle 200, as depicted in FIGS. 11 and 12.
In order to suspend the hammock, first the hammock and the suspending strap must be attached to the cargo hook. Second, the suspending strap must be wrapped around the structure and then fitted into the slot of the cam buckle. Accordingly, a simpler method of suspending the hammock is preferable.


The present invention relates to at least a foldable step. The step features an upper and a lower step supported by a structure including a right side each having a vertical support member, an angled support member, and upper and lower step support members. A horizontal front support member provides support for the lower step. Left and right diagonal support members are slidably coupled to the upper step support members. A rear horizontal support member and optional diagonal members provide additional support to the upper step. The step is foldable into a folded position, by folding both the upper and lower steps upwardly. The step has a minimal profile in the folded position.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0001005 to Goodson discloses a folding step stool that is mounted and stored within a cabinet. When not in use, the entirety of the folding step stool may be disposed within an interior of the cabinet to permit closure of the cabinet door. When required, the cabinet door may be opened and the step stool may be deployed to provide one or more steps for use in accessing a counter or sink above the cabinet. If the cabinet is a non-standard height, Goodson requires the use of adjustable feet having a threaded screw on the lower end of each leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,470 to Carle describes a ladder assembly which can be slidably withdrawn from and deployed out of the integral housing, remaining slidably joined to said housing while said housing is fastened to an independent support structure, pivoted upon the integral hinge and axle pivot mechanisms, have the ladder legs contact the floor in an angular relationship, and provide at least one rigid and sturdy step or rung horizontally spanning the distance between said ladder legs a desired distance from the floor and essentially parallel thereto upon which a user can place one or both feet, stand, and thereby conveniently reach places or objects located above an elevation that could be reached while standing on the floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,492 to Caminiti teaches a collapsible folding step stool, which is mountable to a cabinet door. The step stool has a bracket mountable to the cabinet door; a platform movable between a lowered, generally horizontal, operative position and a raised, generally vertical, inoperative position; a plurality of parallel arms attached at their first ends to the platform and pivotally coupled at their second ends to the bracket; and a plurality of parallel support legs movable between a generally vertical operative position perpendicular to the platform and a generally vertical inoperative position parallel with the platform and the bracket. The support legs have upper ends pivotally coupled to the platform and lower ends which, when the platform is in the operative position, are adapted to rest on the floor with the lower ends of the legs at a lower elevation than the bottom of the bracket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,386 to Horvath et al. describes a foldaway step mounted inside the door of a kitchen cabinet and arranged to be folded away flat against the inside of the door when not in use. The step is arranged to slide up and down on a plate attached to the inside of a cabinet door so that when moved upward it can be folded flat and locked in position inside the door and when moved downward and unfolded it comes into engagement with the floor below the door in whatever position to which the door has been opened and provides a solid step which does not provide any strain on the door itself when used as a step.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,166 to Richards et al. discloses a cabinet and stepladder, which does not utilize the cabinet storage space when in the folded position. The stepladder has lower and upper steps pivotally moved on rods so that their adjacent edge portions move into interfitting engagement along a joint. The legs are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the steps adjacent the forward edges of the steps by pivot rods, which are positioned within grooves in the forward edges of the steps. The rods are secured to the legs as to permit pivotal movement of the legs.
In the previously described foldable steps, they must be precisely installed or require adjustment of leg lengths after installation. Moreover, they do not automatically position themselves to have legs in full contact with the floor while maintaining horizontal steps. It is an object of this invention to at least provide a novel foldable step capable of automatically adjusting its height to different cabinet heights without requiring adjustment. The cupboard door does not provide any structural support to the foldable step. It only houses and stores the step hidden when not in use.


A solid, one-component, flexible epoxy-based composition and method for making the same are provided. The present compositions comprise: (a) an epoxy-terminated prepolymer formed by reacting at least four moles of a polyepoxide resin with approximately one mole of a diamine compound, wherein at least one of the polyepoxide resin and diamine compound is solid at room temperature, and wherein the prepolymer is rheologically stable for weeks as a single component mixture at room temperature and, and (b) a substantially stoichiometric amount of an epoxy resin curing agent selected from the group consisting of a heat-curable, latent epoxy resin curing agent and a room temperature-curable ketimine curing agent. Optional components include thixotropic agents, diluents, fillers, anti-oxidants, and processing aids. The present uncured epoxy-based compositions upon cure, exhibit a durometer Shore D of less than about 45 (or a durometer Shore A of less than about 100).

Many industrial applications require plastic compounds which are flexible so that the plastic can tolerate various stresses without failing. For example, when a plastic adhesive is employed to bond materials having different thermal expansion coefficients and the assembly is subjected to thermal cycling, the plastic adhesive should be compliant enough to reduce the stresses in the bond joint by deforming so that high stresses are not introduced into the adherends. High modulus adhesives are known to crack brittle materials such as ceramics or to warp more deformable materials such as metals. Not only does the flexibility of a plastic adhesive serve to allow the adhesive itself to remain intact during such stress, but a flexible plastic adhesive also protects its adherends from cracking as well. In illustration, aluminum heat sinks are often bonded to silicon chips or ceramic printed wiring boards to dissipate heat. However, without a flexible bonding material, the bond itself is subject to failure as are the silicon and ceramic materials given the inherent thermal mismatch of such an assembly and the inevitable thermal cycling it will sustain.
Presently, the flexible polymer market offers a wide variety of flexible compounds, including such compounds as polyurethanes, polysulfides, and silicones. However, each of these types of plastics exhibit shortcomings in practice. Silicones and polysulfides are contaminating in many applications, are limited in diversity of formulation, and have low tensile strength, with polysulfides additionally having low tear resistance. Polyurethanes are subject to foaming and bubbling if moisture is present and have a limited upper temperature range. And none of these types of plastics is available as a solid resin, which would be suitable for use in a room-temperature stable film adhesive. Thus, a plastic compound without these attendant disadvantages would be desirable.
In comparison, epoxy-based compounds do not suffer from the above-described disadvantages attendant to polyurethanes, polysulfides, and silicones. Epoxy-based compounds are, in fact, available in solid form and offer diversity of formulation and sufficient tensile strength. Moreover, epoxy compounds demonstrate the ability to strongly adhere to a variety of materials, including metal, glass, plastic, wood, and fiber, and consequently are often used to bond dissimilar materials. Further, epoxy compounds are known to exhibit excellent resistance to attack by many corrosive chemicals. However, there are presently no commercially-available solid epoxy compounds that are at once flexible, conveniently stored, and readily curable.
Presently, epoxy-based compounds are available in two forms, namely, two-component systems or one-component systems, neither of which is both convenient to store and readily curable. Two-component epoxy-based compounds are readily curable at room temperature but are inconvenient to use and store. The components of two-component systems must be accurately measured, properly mixed, and degassed just prior to use. Thus, the various components to be mixed must be separately stored until use, and production workers are charged with the added responsibility of preparing epoxy-based adhesives having uniform properties. Not surprisingly, two-component epoxy-based compounds are not favored.
One-component epoxy-based compounds are available for industrial application in two basic forms: latent-cure epoxy compounds and frozen pre-mix, flexible epoxy compounds. These epoxy compounds are stored as a single component, requiring curing at elevated temperatures. Latent-cure epoxy-based compounds generally include Bisphenol-A resins and/or epoxy-novolacs. These rigid epoxies exhibit strong adhesion for many materials and may be conveniently stored at room temperature. However, rigid epoxy-based compounds form brittle bonds that are often insufficiently pliant for bonding dissimilar materials. For example, a brittle bond between dissimilar materials with different thermal expansion rates may be unable to withstand the stresses caused by the thermal mismatch, so that both the bond and its adherends may be susceptible to failure.
Frozen pre-mix, flexible epoxy-based compounds are also employed by industry in paste and film adhesives, although the usage of such adhesives is far surpassed by the usage of rigid epoxy adhesives. A description of frozen pre-mix, flexible epoxy adhesives is found in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 4,866,108, assigned to the present assignee, which discloses and claims the composition behind Flexipoxy 100 Adhesive, a frozen flexible epoxy adhesive developed for spacecraft electronic applications. In comparison to rigid epoxy-based compounds, flexible epoxy adhesives form more pliable bonds that are capable of successfully adapting to stresses between dissimilar materials caused by differ- ing rates of expansion. However, in contrast to rigid epoxy-based compounds, frozen pre-mix flexible epoxy adhesives must be stored in a frozen state and must be thawed prior to use. Moreover, frozen adhesives offer a limited working life of only about 2 to 8 hours once thawed, whereas at least one week of working life is realistically required for general automated bonding operations. Therefore, frozen pre-mix, flexible epoxy adhesives in general, and frozen flexible epoxy film adhesives in particular, are widely considered impractical for use in high volume automated processing given the scheduling difficulties wrought by both the need to thaw the adhesives as well as the limited working life available after thawing.
Thus, a need remains for a one-component epoxy-based compound that is available in solid form and is sufficiently flexible such that it can withstand the rigors of varying expansion rates between bonded materials. Moreover, the epoxy-based compound should offer the convenience of room temperature storage and be readily curable.
These compounds are particularly suitable for use in room-temperature stable film adhesives.

Epoxy-terminated prepolymer of polyepoxide and diamine with curing agent


In the particular embodiments described in the specification, a dry sprinkler has a tube-like section with a sprinkler head at one end and a threaded portion to be received in a water supply line at the opposite end and it includes an internal support structure extending between a sealing plug in the end to be received in the water supply line and a cap in the sprinkler head which is supported by a thermally responsive structure. In one embodiment, the support structure includes a rod on which the sealing plug is mounted at one end and having a cap-engaging tip at the opposite end which is shaped to facilitate the flow of water from the sprinkler head toward a deflector, the rod being spaced from the tube-like section by two guide members, one of which acts as a stop for motion of the structure toward the sprinkler head and the other which engages a spring urging the structure toward the sprinkler head. In other embodiments, a spacer is inserted between the end of the rod and the cap in the sprinkler head and a separate rod tip may be inserted between the rod and the spacer. In a further embodiment, an inner tube extends between the cap and the sealing plug and is shaped with spaced triangular tips to support the sealing plug in the unactuated condition and a water supply line connection which is coupled to the water supply line has a lateral cavity recess to receive the sealing plug out of the path of water flowing through the inner tube when the sprinkler is actuated.

This invention relates to dry sprinkler arrangements for fire protection systems and, more particularly, to new and improved dry sprinkler arrangements which more effectively convey water to a sprinkler deflector.
Conventional dry sprinklers for fire protection systems include a pipe connected at one end to a sprinkler head having a thermally responsive device and a deflector and at the other end to a water supply line and they include a valve or sealing plug at the end of the pipe joined to the water supply line to prevent pressurized air, nitrogen or water from entering the pipe until the thermally responsive device in the sprinkler head has been actuated. Such dry sprinkler arrangements usually include a rod or tube within the pipe separating the sprinkler head from the sealing plug to retain the plug in its sealing position until the sprinkler has been actuated. Following actuation, the inner rod or tube moves away from the supply line and projects out of the pipe toward the sprinkler head deflector, partially interfering with the flow of water toward the deflector. Moreover, after actuation the plug may be retained within the pipe in a position which also interferes with the flow of water through the pipe toward the sprinkler head.
Certain prior art dry sprinkler arrangements have been proposed to alleviate these problems, but they often require complex and potentially unreliable structural arrangements. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,180,258, 3,061,015, 3,080,000, 4,417,626, and 4,228,858 disclose dry sprinkler arrangements in which a loose plug releasably held in a sealing position at the end of the dry sprinkler adjacent to the water supply is intended to pass through the dry sprinkler and be ejected from the sprinkler after actuation. These arrangements require releasable plug-holding elements, such as balls or the like, which are designed to move away from a plug-supporting position and to be ejected through the dry sprinkler with the plug when the sprinkler is actuated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,185, on the other hand, discloses a dry sprinkler arrangement having a sealing plug at the end adjacent to the water supply line which is pivotally mounted on the projecting ends of a yoke member supported from the sprinkler head by an internal tube extending through the dry sprinkler. A spring surrounding the yoke member extends between projecting tabs on the yoke member and the adjacent end of a water supply line connection at the water pipe to urge the yoke member toward the sprinkler head. The water supply line connection has a radially enlarged opening providing room for the plug to be rotated 90.degree. on the yoke when the sprinkler is actuated so as to displace the plug from the path of water flowing through the sprinkler head. Such prior art systems are complex in structure and expensive to manufacture.

The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler, Co. Inc.