A method for controlling fluid flow. A fluid (560) can be communicated to a first fluid flow port (105) disposed adjacent to a first surface (196) of a rotatable disk (115) of a homopolar motor. The fluid can flow through at least one orifice (130) in the rotatable disk to a second fluid flow port (110). The rotation of the disk can be selectively controlled to vary a fluid flow rate. Further, the disk can be rotated to align a selected one of the orifices with at least one of the first and second fluid flow ports. In another arrangement, the shape of the orifice can have a radial width that increases in a circumferential direction.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate generally to the field of micro devices, and more particularly to microfluidic control systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Miniaturization of various devices which incorporate fluidic systems has spurred a need for fluidic systems having very small components. These systems are commonly known as microfluidic systems. Microfluidic systems have the potential to play an increasingly important role in many developing technology areas. For example, there has been an increasing interest in recent years in the use of liquid fuels in microengines and in the use of fluid dielectrics in electronics systems.
Another technological field where micro-fluidic systems are likely to play an increasingly important role is fuel cells. Fuel cells generate electricity and heat by electrochemically combining a fuel and an oxidant, via an ion-conducting electrolyte. Some types of fuel cells produce waste water as a byproduct of the reaction. This waste water must be transported away from the reaction to be exhausted from the system by a fluid management sub-system.
Efforts are currently under way to create very small fuel cells, called microcells. It is anticipated that such microcells may eventually be adapted for use in many portable electronics applications. For example, such devices could be used for powering laptop computers and cell phones. Still, microcells present a number of design challenges that will need to be overcome before these devices can be practically implemented. For example, miniaturized electro-mechanical systems must be developed for controlling the fuel cell reaction, delivering fuel to the reactive components and disposing of water produced in the reaction. In this regard, innovations in fuel cell designs are beginning to look to silicon processing and other techniques from the fields of microelectronics and micro-systems engineering.
As with most other types of fluidic systems, microfluidic systems usually incorporate control valve devices that are implemented as discrete components. Discrete components tend to be bulky, however, which oftentimes impedes miniaturization efforts. Moreover, such control valve devices typically include pluralities of moving parts that must interoperate. The reliability of such devices, however, is generally inversely proportional to the number of moving parts since the moving parts tend to wear. Hence, an embedded control valve that can overcome the aforementioned limitations is needed for use in microfluidic systems.

Embedded control valve using homopolar motor


A surface mount clip including: a solder joint part in which a lower surface thereof is to be a solder joint surface to be soldered and connected to a conductor pattern on a printed circuit board. A pair of support parts are connected to the solder joint part and, when the solder joint part is soldered and connected to the printed circuit board, are supported in a position above the printed circuit board at an interval between the pair of support parts. The interval allows a conductive member, other than the printed circuit board, to be inserted therein. A resilient contact part, that is connected at least to one of the pair of support parts, is resiliently deformed and pressed by the conductive member, when the conductive member is inserted between the pair of support parts, and electrically connects the conductor pattern and the conductive member.

Conventionally, in order to secure a conductive member, such as a shielding case, on a printed circuit board, a plurality of surface mount clips is soldered and connected to a conductor pattern surface of the printed circuit board so as to enclose a target IC, and an end edge and the like of an open side of the shielding case is secured to the respective surface mount clips. In this way, an IC can be enclosed by a shielding case maintained at ground electrical potential, and can be protected against noise. For this kind of surface mount clip, a surface mount clip, including a solder joint part and a pair of resilient contact parts, has been suggested. The solder joint part constitutes a lower surface of the surface mount clip and is to be soldered and connected to the above-described conductor pattern. The pair of resilient contact parts is extended from opposed sides of the solder joint part, bent toward a direction of an upper surface of the solder joint parts so as to come close to each other, and clip an end edge of the shielding case therebetween.
However, in some cases of the surface mount clip configured as above, the resilient contact parts are permanently deformed due to the end edge of the shielding case laterally hitting the resilient contact parts, which does not permit the surface mount clip to preferably clip the end edge of the shielding case. Thereupon a technique is proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1) wherein most part of a surface mount clip including resilient contact parts is buried into a printed circuit board, and tongue pieces, formed on an end edge of a shielding case, are inserted and clipped between the buried resilient contact parts.


The present disclosure provides salts of lipoic acid choline ester (LACE), crystalline forms thereof, and methods of use thereof. The present disclosure further provides pharmaceutical compositions of LACE salts and methods of use thereof.

Lipoic acid, also known as thioctic acid, is an eight carbon fatty acid with a disulfide linkage joining the carbons 6 and 8 to form an 1,2-dithiolane ring. The acid forms optical isomers of which the isomer R-α-lipoic acid is the naturally occurring isomer.
LACE is the choline ester of lipoic acid. It is believed that the choline group serves to aid permeability of lipoic acid into the eye. The bonds between lipoic acid and choline are hydrolyzed by esterases in the tear film and cornea after the eye drop is administered.
Presbyopia is an age-related inability to focus on near objects; this condition is caused by physiological changes in the microstructure of the lens resulting in loss of flexibility in the auto-adjustment of focal length and curvature of the lens to bring the visual object under focus. This condition is typically corrected by the use of corrective lenses. It has been reported that lipoic acid choline ester ("LACE") (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,410,462) may restore near vision.
Ex-vivo studies have demonstrated that lens softening can be induced pharmacologically in human donor lenses using the protein disulfide reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT), and in mouse lenses with lipoic acid. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that this mechanism of action allows for treatment of multiple ocular diseases and disorders. These disorders include, but are not limited to, presbyopia, age-related macular degeneration, cataract and dry eye.
International Appl. Publ. No. WO 2018/055572 describes pharmaceutical compositions of LACE chloride and LACE iodide. However, as shown herein, LACE chloride, LACE iodide or both can be challenging for large scale manufacturing, can exhibit instability or combinations thereof. For example, LACE chloride has an amorphous character and high hygroscopicity. As a result, LACE chloride salt requires special handling conditions under low moisture and inert atmospheres. LACE iodide salt has a risk that it may catalyze oxidation of a redox-sensitive molecule like lipoic acid. Accordingly, there is a need for more stable salt forms of LACE, e.g., that can form crystalline forms that, for example, are even easier to manage in the chemical preparation process, and also in preparing pharmaceutical formulations.

Pharmaceutical compositions of lipoic acid choline ester salts and methods of treatment using same


Hot flue or process gases are cleaned utilizing an apparatus containing a barrier filter module formed of a monolithic ceramic support structure coated with a thin porous ceramic layer having a pore size of about 0.04-0.5 microns, and a catalyst module formed of a support structure coated with catalyst. The hot flue gases may be associated with a fluidized bed boiler plant, such as a circulating fluidized bed reactor. Gases to be cleaned are passed through the barrier filter module into contact with the thin porous ceramic layer, and then through the catalyst module so that there is a catalytic reaction with the gas.

It is known that the particulate filtration from hot gas can be performed by means of ceramic filter elements arranged in a filter vessel. The walls of the filter vessel are protected against high temperature by appropriate insulation. The filter vessel further usually comprises water cooled steel support plates for supporting the filter elements. The construction is thereby heavy and space consuming. The ratio of filtrate volume flow to filtration area of conventional ceramic filters is low and therefore makes the use of these filters economically unjustified especially for hot gas cleaning in atmospheric conditions.
Reduction of pollutant gaseous emissions can be done by means of the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) method or Selective Noncatalytic Reduction (SNCR) method. Both methods being utilized especially for NO.sub.x reduction. Typical NO.sub.x emissions from coal combustion, where staged air injection and SNCR, e.g. ammonia or urea injection, is utilized, are in the range of 50 to 60 ppm.
The SCR systems are being utilized to reduce NO.sub.x emissions from oil and gas firing applications, in which the initial NO.sub.x concentration in the flue gases can be much higher than in coal combustion, e.g. 500 to 1000 ppm. As the level of permitted NOX emission rates decreases may SCR also be utilized for further lowering the NOX emissions in pulverized combustion of solid fuels. In these systems the catalyst, e.g. V.sub.2 O.sub.5 /TiO.sub.2 or zeolite, is typically attached as a thin layer on a honeycomb type support structure. The flue gas flows through the passageways of the honeycomb elements or "cells" and NO is being reduced by e.g. ammonia in presence of the catalyst surface.
Such honeycomb elements need to be changed in certain intervals in order to replace the poisoned catalyst elements with new ones. The catalysts may be poisoned by various gaseous or ash components, e.g. alkali- or As-compounds. The dimensions of the passageways in such catalyst elements depend on how clean the gas to be cleaned is, i.e. free of dust and gaseous impurities. In gas and oil combustion, very dense gridded passageways can be used, whereas dusty gas from solid fuel combustion needs wider channels, and hence a large volume requirement for the catalyst honeycomb system.
It is e.g. known from European patent application EP 470659 to clean gas in a catalytic filter. The filter consists of a ceramic support and catalytic substance. The filter elements may be porous sintered elements in the form of filter candles. The filter elements are doped with a catalytic substance. Dust and gaseous organic compounds in hot gases can be removed with these catalytic filters simultaneously. A drawback in this gas cleaning system is that the entire catalyst filter elements have to be replaced by regenerated or new filter elements when either the filter part is made non-operative, by plugged pores, or the catalyst material is poisoned, by trace compounds, heavy metals, such as As, or alkaline deposition, or by some other reasons.
Multiple-passageway porous monolithic cross-flow filters are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,831. These filters have a large amount of filtration surface area relative to the volume of the device and consequently provide a compact filtration device. The filtration device further utilizing effectively the multiple-passageways, provides a low pressure drop flow path for the filtrate. These monolithic filters can also be used as a membrane support for membrane devices. Such membranes can include separation barriers suitable for e.g. cross-flow microfiltration, ultrafiltration and gas separation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,423 shows a method for forming a porous membrane on such a membrane support.

Method and apparatus for cleaning flue gases


A substrate-supporting device for CVD having a substrate-supporting region includes: a substrate-supporting surface which is a continuous surface defining a reference plane on which a substrate is placed; and multiple dimples having bottom surfaces lower than the reference plane. The respective dimples are isolated from each other by a portion of the substrate-supporting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a substrate-supporting device configured to be installed in a CVD apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate. The present invention also relates to a CVD apparatus in which the substrate-supporting device is installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional plasma CVD apparatus. The plasma CVD apparatus 1 comprises a reaction chamber 6, a gas inlet port 5, and a second electrode composed of a susceptor 3 which serves as a supporting portion and a heater 2. From a gas line which is not shown, a gas is introduced through the gas inlet port 5. A circular first electrode 9 is disposed just below the gas inlet port 5. The first electrode 9 has a hollow structure, and a number of fine pores provided on the bottom surface from which the gas is jetted out to a wafer which is a workpiece. Additionally, the first electrode 9 is configured to be replaceable with a shower plate 11 having multiple gas inlet holes for facilitating maintenance and reducing component costs.
Additionally, at the bottom of the reaction chamber 6, an exhaust port 10 is provided exhaust port 10 is joined with an external vacuum pump which is not shown, through which inside the reaction chamber 6 is exhausted. The susceptor 3 is disposed parallel to facing the first electrode 9. The susceptor 3 supports a wafer 4 on it and heats the wafer continuously by the heater 2 to maintain it at a given temperature (−50° C. to 650° C. The gas inlet port 5 and the first electrode 9 are insulated from the reaction chamber 6 and connected to an external first radio-frequency power source 7. A second radio-frequency source 8 may also be connected at this time.
The susceptor 3 is generally made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the surface is constituted by an anodized oxide film to provide a protective coat. As is conventionally known, wafer sticking occurs if the susceptor having this construction is used; therefore, for the purpose of reducing a contact area of a wafer and a susceptor, measures such as blasting, blasting+chemical treatment (some etching), blasting+polishing (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 1998-340896) and providing regions of high elevation on a susceptor surface (U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,835) are taken.


A switching arrangement for controlling the speed of hydraulic drives, wherein a speed of the drive is assigned to a corresponding flow rate of a hydraulic medium. The flow rate is determined by a preselected pair of phased nozzles placed in the inlet and outlet lines. The nozzle flow rates are selected such that switching between a series of nozzle pairs creates a smoothly changing speed of the hydraulic drive, thus eliminating jolting during starting and braking.

The invention relates to a switching arrangement for controlling the speed of hydraulic drives.
The invention relates to hydraulic drives in which the speed derived from the drives depends on the amount of hydraulic medium directed to the drive within a given time unit, wherein the absorption amount of the drive generally is not variable. This invention is applicable to various known hydraulic drives which, as a rule, are constructed in a simple manner. In practice, such drives serve various purposes, such as the supply of kinetic energy to slewing gears of steam shovels and cranes. The invention relates in particular to so-called thrust pistons, which produce a kinetic energy via a reversible piston of a hydraulic working cylinder. For this reason, the invention is described in the following text on the basis of this preferred application.
Generally, hydraulic thrust pistons are driven at a constant speed from a standstill point and are fully braked from the respective speed. In these cases, a 4/3 distributing control valve slide is used which, in both extreme positions, alternates the pressure and the tank line. However, in the middle position, the 4/3 distributing control valve slide switches the pump contained in the thrust generator to circulation, i.e. to the tank of the hydraulic medium. With such drives, the piston speeds are nearly constant in both directions. If the thrust piston is driven by the load in one or both directions of movement, a load holding valve is required on the outlet side, i.e. a hydraulic pilot controlled check valve or brake valve is required to prevent the thrust piston from passing and to let the piston run in the cylinder at a speed corresponding to the predetermined flow of the hydraulic medium.
Such a hydraulic switching arrangement, also described as an on-off control, is provided, for example, for the drive cylinders of pivotable booms or masts. For example, crane of concrete distributor masts have hydraulically driven joints that connect the mast section(s) to each other. Here, the drive cylinders are regularly under the load of the mast section extending from the respective joint and possibly under the loads effecting same, such as a concrete supply line. The on-off control has the property of fully applying pressure to the drives. This results in jerky starts and braking of the joint movement. Apart from the wear connected therewith, abrupt starting and braking frequently causes the mast to oscillate, thus, possibly increasing the mechanical load on the structural components to a dangerous level, possibly resulting in accidents and damage.
Attempts have already been made to counteract such disadvantages. One of these suggestions involves supplementing the described on-off switching arrangement with a throttle or restrictor having a constant cross-section (throttle), whereby the disadvantageous oscillating jolts are eliminated. Such switching arrangements also make it possible with a thrust generator, having a pump with constant supply flow, to supply several hydraulic circuits with respectively varying partial amounts of hydraulic medium which are independent of the respective operating pressures present in the circuits. Furthermore, in the inlet and outlet between the control valve and the working cylinder, respectively, a throttle is built in, wherein the throttles are so attuned to each other that the throttle in the outlet, during maximum load including the blocking pressure load, lets through the amount of hydraulic medium destined for this circuit; in contrast thereto, the nozzle in the inlet is adjusted in such a way that when the amount of hydraulics medium destined for this circuit is let through, there exists behind the throttle the required unlocking pressure, while in front of the throttle, the relief valve pressure is barely reached.
While with such a switching arrangement merely the oscillation jolts are reduced, it is possible with proportional controls to achieve continuous speed alternations of the speed derived from the drive which constitutes a substantially better means for reducing the starting and braking jolts. With a proportional control of this type, a control valve is provided in front of the drive which electromagnetically alters the opening cross-section of fine control grooves which is nearly proportional to the speed. The electromagnetic adjustment of the control valve and thus that of its pilot control grooves involves a potentiometer circuit which further considerably increases the already elevated expense, due to the electrical components. Furthermore, such switching arrangements, due to the fine control grooves, are susceptible to soiling so that frequent disruptions are unavoidable, which are mostly brought about due to jamming of the valve. Moreover, the handling of such controls via the command switch is difficult because the latter has to be very delicately adjusted.

Switching arrangement for controlling the speed of hydraulic drives


A series of longitudinal tape movement and lateral tape head movement operations are performed to collect data by which the physical format or cartridge type and also the magnetic format are simultaneously determined. The tape format detection system works during the load point seeking sequence and it is therefore able to determine the tape format type while the tape head is being positioned for use. Both longitudinally spaced and laterally spaced format identification fingerprints can be detected and analyzed.

The present invention relates generally to serially recorded magnetic tape storage. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for detecting whether a magnetic tape has been previously recorded and, if so, in what format.
Digital computers have traditionally used some form of mass data storage to complement the main system memory. In today's computers main system memory is usually implemented using solid-state random access memory devices or RAM. Conventionally today's computer systems also employ a magnetic hard disk system as the primary mass storage medium.
Although in the broadest sense, solid-state RAM and magnetic disk storage systems are both digital data storage media capable of functioning as computer "memory," the solid-state RAM is accessed far more quickly than magnetic disk. Thus, solid-state RAM is usually relegated to time critical data storage needs. In contrast, disk storage has a slower access time but is less costly on a per byte storage basis. In addition, unlike most solid-state RAM devices, which require essentially a continuous connection to a power source, magnetic disk storage is nonvolatile and is capable of storing data even when the power is turned off. Thus magnetic disk storage media is often relegated to the function of primary mass data storage, i.e., the place where executable computer code, data records, help files and the like are stored for use on a sporadic basis.
Although presently lower in cost than solid-state RAM storage, magnetic disk storage technology is still quite costly. Although prices vary depending on the storage capacity, the hard disk subsystem still comprises a major cost component of most business computers in use today. Overall, hard disk systems are quite reliable. However, head crashes and other hard disk system failures do occur from time to time. Failures of this nature can be quite catastrophic, since head crashes often cause physical damage and thus it is not possible to recover data after a head crash has occurred.
To guard against data loss due to hard disk failure many computer systems employ a secondary mass storage system as a backup. Magnetic tape storage is by far the preferred medium for secondary storage today. Magnetic tape has the advantage of being far more economical than even magnetic disk technology on a per byte storage basis. Of course, because the data must be stored serially (i.e. longitudinally) on the tape, data access time is slower than with disk.
No doubt in part due to its cost advantage, magnetic tape media, sometimes called "streaming tape" media, has proliferated as the means for providing backup of computer systems and computer networks. This rise in popularity has given rise to a proliferation of different tape formats, each offering certain advantages to different segments of the marketplace. Today streaming tape is usually sold in a self-contained cassette or cartridge, of which there are a number of different types. Unfortunately, the proliferation of different data storage formats and different cartridge types are incompatible with one another. Thus it has not been traditionally possible for the user of one system to exchange data with the user of a different system. Similarly, this incompatibility has presented problems for users who are upgrading to new equipment but who may have important data stored on an old-style cartridge or in an incompatible format.
The way around this problem for most users has been to employ two separate tape drive systems in order to effect a data transfer or migration from one format to the other. This, of course, requires the user to own or have access to both types of equipment. It would be far more convenient if the user could acquire a single tape drive which is automatically capable of determining or identifying the format of a given tape and automatically adjusting the operating parameters to allow that tape to be read, and preferably written in the tape's native format. Unfortunately, present-day tape drive systems have not been capable of this.
The present invention addresses the tape incompatibility problem by providing a system which will automatically identify the format of a data storage tape. Once the format is identified, the drive parameters may be adjusted appropriately to allow the tape to be read, and optionally written in either the tape's native format or in a new format. The invention thus renders the tape drive system far more versatile and easier for the less technically skilled user to operate.
The invention provides a method of identifying the format of a data storage tape in which the tape and tape head are moved in a preprogrammed manner to perform a series of investigative steps designed to efficiently and quickly gather data about which the format and cartridge type of the tape can be deduced.
More specifically, as part of the series of investigative steps, the tape is moved longitudinally while searching for physical format or cartridge type holes and a datum indicative of the cartridge type is stored. In addition, a head location datum is at least temporarily stored to indicate the longitudinal position of the transducer head relative to the tape.
Also during the investigative steps, while the tape is moved longitudinally, the transducer head is moved laterally, searching for laterally spaced magnetic marks or fingerprints. If laterally spaced magnetic marks are located, a lateral spacing datum is at least temporarily stored.
In addition, during the investigative steps, while the tape is moving longitudinally, a search is performed for longitudinally spaced magnetic marks or fingerprints. If longitudinally spaced magnetic marks are located, a longitudinal spacing datum is at least temporarily stored. Then, using the head location datum, the physical format datum and at least one of the stored lateral spacing datum and stored longitudinal spacing datum are used to identify the data format and physical cartridge type of the data storage tape.
The above described method is can be implemented to permit a backward looking mechanism, i.e., the method may be performed while the tape is being moved in reverse to the beginning of tape position. The above method steps are preferably integrated, allowing the cartridge type and recording format information to be gathered simultaneously. This results in an efficient format identification system.


A stocking system is provided. The stocking system includes a wafer carrier, a stocking unit, a plurality of pod stoppers and at least one positioning pin. The stocking unit is configured to store the wafer carrier, and includes a carrying plate for carrying the wafer carrier. The pod stoppers stand on an edge of the carrying plate. The at least one positioning pin is disposed on a front portion of the carrying plate, such that the wafer carrier leans against the at least one positioning pin and is tilted toward a back portion of the carrying plate.

Semiconductor integrated circuit fabrication facilities ("fabs") are highly automated. Movement of semiconductor wafers between various process tools is accomplished by an automated material handling system (AMHS). The wafers are typically transported through the fab in Front Opening Unified Pods (FOUPs), wafer holding devices capable of holding up to 25 wafers of 300 mm diameter.
A FOUP is a specialized enclosure designed to hold semiconductor wafers securely and safely in a controlled environment, and to allow the wafers to be removed for processing or measurement by tools equipped with appropriate load ports and robotic handling systems. Slots in the FOUP hold the wafers in place, and a front opening door allows robot handling mechanisms to access the wafers directly from the FOUP. A FOUP can be located on a load port, and can be manipulated by the AMHS.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A data processing method and apparatus are disclosed. The data processing method includes: receiving, by a first edge computing node in an edge computing cluster, a container image update instruction; obtaining, by the first edge computing node, a to-be-updated container image; and sending, by the first edge computing node, the to-be-updated container image to another edge computing node in the edge computing cluster. The first edge computing node is an edge computing node in the edge computing cluster, the edge computing cluster includes at least two edge computing nodes, and the container image update instruction is used to instruct the at least two edge computing nodes in the edge computing cluster to update a container image. In this way, the time required for downloading the container image is reduced.

In a network topology of an edge computing scenario, a plurality of edge computing nodes form an edge computing cluster. The edge computing cluster is connected to a remote data center through a network switching device, and each edge computing node in the edge computing cluster may be connected to one or more sensors. In this way, after collecting data, the sensor first transmits the data to the edge computing node, and the edge computing node processes the data and sends a processing result to the data center.
In the network topology, software used to process the data collected by the sensor runs on each edge computing node, and is deployed in a container in an image manner. The software may be referred to as a container image. The data center usually needs to upgrade container images running on some edge computing nodes in the network topology. During the upgrade, the data center sends, to an edge computing cluster that needs to be upgraded, a request message that includes an identifier of a to-be-upgraded container image. Each edge computing node in the edge computing cluster downloads, from the data center, the container image corresponding to the identifier, to upgrade the to-be-upgraded container image.
In a process of implementing this application, the inventor found that a conventional technology has at least the following problems.
Currently, when a network bandwidth between a network switching device and a data center is limited, and when a plurality of edge computing nodes connected to the network switching device need to download a container image, due to the limitation on the network bandwidth, the plurality of edge computing nodes may need a relatively long time to download the container image from the data center.

Data processing method and apparatus, and computing node for updating container images


A gerotor device includes a valving plate, a balancing plate structure, and a rotor positioned between the valving plate and the balancing plate structure. High pressure fluid flowing from the valving plate toward the rotor pushes the rotor toward the balancing plate structure. The balancing plate structure includes a balancing plate and a second plate. A cavity is defined between the balancing plate and the second plate. The balancing plate includes a fluid passage having a check valve and fluid passes through the fluid passage for pressuring the cavity. The balancing plate includes first and second relief holes extending through the balancing plate connected with the cavity.

Gerotor devices operate with a pressure differential between an input port and an output port. A gerotor motor uses this pressure differential to turn a shaft. Because of this pressure differential, a pressure imbalance may occur within the gerotor device. For example, in a gerotor motor having rotor valving, high pressure fluid passing through the rotor forces the rotor away from valving plates, which are adjacent to a forward face of the rotor. This separation reduces the efficiency of the gerotor motor and also increases wear on the rear face of the rotor, which is opposite to the forward face.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,320 describes a gerotor motor that overcomes the problems associated with the aforementioned pressure imbalance. A balancing plate structure that biases the rotor back against the valving plates is described. The balancing plate structure includes an annular cavity that is pressurized with hydraulic fluid to bias a balancing plate, which moves the rotor towards the valving plates. When only one relief hole is provided, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,320, pressure can remain in the annular cavity when the rotor stops and the relief hole is not aligned with a relief groove formed in the rotor. This results in the balancing plate pressing against the rotor in an axial direction. If this pressure is not released, then the balancing plate operates like a brake and impedes rotational and orbital movement of the rotor. When the motor is restarted, the pressure in the fluid pockets defined by the rotor must overcome this "braking" force before the rotor can begin its rotational and orbital movement.


The present invention provides a method of determining thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) activity in a subject. The method includes the steps of reacting sample obtained from the subject with a thiopurine derivative that is not 6-mercaptopurine to produce a methylated purine product; contacting the reacted sample with acid, thereby precipitating proteinaceous material from the reacted sample; separating supernatant from the precipitated proteinaceous material; and detecting in the supernatant the methylated purine product, where the amount of the methylated purine product indicates a level of thiopurine methyltransferase activity in the subject. In a method of the invention, the subject can be, for example, an inflammatory bowel disease patient. In one embodiment, the acid used to precipitate proteinaceous material is perchloric acid, for example, 70% perchloric acid. In another embodiment, the thiopurine derivative used as a substrate is 6-thioguanine. In a further embodiment, the methylated purine product is detected by fluorescence, which can be combined, if desired, with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to thiopurine drugs used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, leukemia, and organ transplantation rejection, and more specifically to methods for determining thiopurine methyltransferase activity in order to individualize dosages of 6-mercaptopurine therapy.
2. Background Information
Mercaptopurine (6-MP or 6-thiopurine) and azathioprine [6-(1-methyl-4-nitro-5-imidazolylthio)purine] are cytotoxic drugs which are effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (Present et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 111:641–649 (1989)). Both are immunosuppressive agents that act as purine antagonists and thereby inhibit the synthesis of DNA, RNA and proteins (Lennard, European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 43:329–339 (1992)). 6-MP was initially used for the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and for post-operative treatment of organ transplantation surgery (Burchenal et al., Blood 8:965–999 (1953)), and its use has since been extended to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (Kirschner, Gastroenteroloqy 115:813–821 (1998)).
The prodrug azathioprine (AZA) is rapidly converted to 6-mercaptopurine through non-enzymatic, nucleophilic attack by sulfhydryl-containing compounds in the circulation. 6-MP and azathioprine (AZA), which are forms of the same drug and metabolic precursors of the active components, are acted upon by at least three competing enzymatic pathways (Lennard, supra, 1992). An overview of the action of these enzymes is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, several major enzyme pathways are involved. Xanthine oxidase (XO) converts 6-mercaptopurine to 6-thiouric acid. Hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) converts 6-mercaptopurine to 6-thioinosine-5′-monophosphate, which is a precursor to 6-thioguanine nucleotides. Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) catalyzes the S-methylation of 6-mercaptopurine to methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). Thus, 6-mercaptopurine is enzymatically converted to various metabolites, including 6-thioguanine (6-TG) and 6-thioguanine nucleotides, which are the presumptive active metabolites mediating the effects of azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine drug therapy.
The interplay of the pathways described above is genetically determined and creates a highly individualized response to azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine drug therapy. The population frequency distribution of TPMT enzyme is trimodal, with the majority of individuals (89%) having high activity, 11% having intermediate activity and about 1 in 300 (0.33%) having undetectable activity (Weinshilboum and Sladek, Amer. J. Human Genetics 32:651–662 (1980)). Such a trimodal relationship has been confirmed by direct measurements of TPMT enzyme activity by the Kröplin HPLC assay method (Kroplin et al., Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol., 54 265–271 (1998)). In contrast to variation in TPMT activity, there is very little inter-individual variation in XO activity and only limited data on HPRT activity (Lennard, Eur. J. Clin. Pharm., 43:329–339 (1992)).
Available evidence indicates that TPMT activity effectively modulates the concentration of 6-thioguanine by shunting 6-mercaptopurine into the production of 6-methyl-mercaptopurine. Patients who less efficiently methylate these thiopurines have more extensive conversion to 6-thioguanine nucleotides, which can lead to potentially fatal hematopoietic toxicity. Thus, patients with intermediate or low TPMT activity can be more susceptible to toxic side effects of azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine therapy (Present et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 111:641–649 (1989)). Such toxic side effects include allergic reactions, neoplasia, opportunistic infections, hepatitis, bone marrow suppression, and pancreatitis; in about 1 out of 300 patients, this therapy cannot be tolerated. As a consequence, many physicians are reluctant to treat patients with azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine therapy, particularly due to the risk of infection and neoplasia.
Thus, there is a need for a method of optimizing the dose of 6-mercaptopurine by determining the level of thiopurine methyltransferase activity in a patient. Such a method would be valuable for optimizing therapeutic efficacy of azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine therapy while minimizing undesirable side effects. The present method satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of determining thiopurine methyltransferase activity


A pole storage system includes a support stand supporting an upright pole with a plurality of equipment storage and support devices coupled with the pole. In preferred forms, the devices are configured for conveniently supporting and storing athletic equipment such as balls and bats.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of equipment support and storage systems. In particular, the invention is concerned with a pole storage system including a support stand supporting an upright pole with a plurality of equipment storage and support devices coupled with the pole. In preferred forms, the devices are configured for conveniently supporting and storing athletic equipment such as balls and bats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Convenient and economical storage of athletic equipment has been a problem in the prior art. Typically, athletic equipment such as balls, bats and racquets has been stored in cabinets or large mesh bags. Cabinets are not always available and bag storage can be inconvenient for removing selected pieces of equipment.


A method and system a method for compressing and searching a plurality of strings. The method includes inputting a plurality of strings into a compression engine. The method also includes converting each of the plurality of strings into a new, prefix-preserving compressed string, using the compression engine. For every string P that is a strict prefix of a string S, P's resulting compressed string is a strict prefix of S's resulting compressed string.

Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to compressing strings in a manner that allows for searching of a specific compressed string in the set of compressed strings. More specifically, the present invention is related to coding uniform resource locator (URL) strings for Internet accessibility analysis.
Description of the Related Art
The prior art disclosed various methods for compressing text strings. For example, compression of code using a ZIP file does not allow random access for searching purposes so compressing one hundred strings using a ZIP file does not allow a search for the string at line thirty. Further, the prior art discloses delivering data to customers using a one-way hash function to provide lookup capability for strings and associating information about those strings; in this case categories, confidences, and reputation.
One example of a one-way hash function is an MD5 hash, which processes a variable length string, file or URL into a fixed length output of 128 bits. Traditional MD5 string encryption formats provide a good balance between collision avoidance and length, but require an exact match of the input string with the hashed string to find it in the database. A slight variation in input string causes a large variation in the resultant MD5 hash.
MD5 hash is well known in the prior art. Traditional hashing works by generating a specific hash value for a given string. An example is instructive:
MD5("google.com")=1d5920f4b44b27a802bd77c4f0536f5a
If just one character is added to the input URL, the output hash is radically different:
MD5("google.com/")=98f1c71b82281a60a7766c3355d575e6
Imagine a client looking up google.com in a database containing a series of hashes. If the client is off by just one character, a completely different hash is produced, and therefore google.com and its associated metadata (in this case classifications) will not be found in the database. Many applications of this technique exhibit "temporal locality" or the effect of many references to the same or similar strings over a short period of time. Therefore, if similar strings are "close" to each other in memory modern computer systems can benefit from various caching systems to maximize spatial and/or temporal locality. Unfortunately, a side effect of hash functions which uniformly distribute the hash keys of even very similar strings, is that they reduce the ability of modern computer systems to speed up access using common caching mechanisms such as disk controller caches, virtual memory paging, or the reading & storing of cache lines during memory reads.
URLMD5 hashgoogle.com/ig9b35374eeef4881fbbe97f2d0cf01958google.com/search="art"1ba6af01fb70cac2bbbc9d2c794cb693google.com/finance/djia14d36eab3f4e7601e39f203322bde406https://google.comc7b920f57e553df2bb68272f61570210https:/google.com91da3280cd9485ca6d0c77098a6ce507
Because there is no way to determine the input strings for a given one-way hash value, a traditional way of solving this problem is to require the client to "test" many variations of the input string until a match is found. This is a way to achieve a "Longest Common Prefix" or LCP search over a set of strings using one-way hash functions. Strings can be broken down from most specific (longest) to least specific (shortest), and the iterative reduction lookups accomplish the LCP search, providing a method to test for more or less specific matches of a string in this list.
For example, using the example above:
URLLCP testgoogle.com/finance/1 (exact match not found)djiagoogle.com/finance2 (more general match not found)google.com3 (most general and last test matches where md5 hash = 1d5920f4b44b27a802bd77c4f0536f5a)
In general, using LCP requires the client to perform many searches for each string, and no feedback is given as to how close the matched string is with the exact original string (although the client may use various methods to deduce this such as string length comparisons, number of LCP tests performed before a match is found, etc.).
The prior art discloses many references pertaining to compression algorithms and/or search algorithms. For example, Hailpern et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,299 for a System And Method For Providing Service For Searching Web Site Addresses discloses searching for an incorrectly spelled URL using fuzzy logic.
Tarquini, U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,167 for a System And Method For Uniform Resource Locator Filtering discloses URL filtering by determining a hash value for a specific URL and then searching a lexical search tree data structure to determine if the a match is found indicating that the URL is hostile.
Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,841 for a Longest Prefix Matching (LPM) Using A Fixed Comparison Hash Table discloses forwarding Internet Protocol (IP) packets by hashing a portion of a fixed length key to obtain a hash value required for obtaining routing information for forwarding the IP packet.
Agarwal, U.S. Pat. No. 7,487,169 for a Method For Finding The Longest Common Subsequences Between Files With Applications To Differential Compression discloses finding the longest matching substrings between a number of potentially large datasets by hashing sections of files to detect occurrences of substrings and building suffix arrays to find the longest matches.
Kimura, U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,104 for a Method And System For Compression And Decompression Using Variable-Sized Offset And Length Fields discloses an improvement of the LZRW1 algorithm that identifies a pattern of data by calculating a hash value for the pattern and encoding the pattern of data for compressing data.
The prior art discloses various compression algorithms. The LZRW1 algorithm uses the single pass literal/copy mechanism of the LZ77 class of algorithms to compress an uncompressed data sequence into a compressed data sequence. Bytes of data in the uncompressed data sequence are either directly incorporated into a compressed data sequence as a string (i.e., as "literal items") or, alternatively, are encoded as a pointer to a matching set of data that has already been incorporated into the compressed data sequence (i.e., as "copy items"). The copy items are encoded by offset and length values that require fewer bits than the bytes of data. The offset specifies the offset of the string being coded relative to its previous occurrence. For example, if a string of three characters occurred six bytes before the occurrence that is being encoded, the offset is six. The length field specifies the length of the matching data sequence in bytes. Compression is realized by representing as much of the uncompressed data sequence as possible as copy items. Literal items are incorporated into the compressed data sequence only when a match of three or more bytes cannot be found.
The LZ1 data compression process is based on the principle that a repeated sequence of characters can be replaced by a reference to an earlier occurrence of the sequence, i.e., matching sequences. The reference, e.g., a pointer, typically includes an indication of the position of the earlier occurrence, e.g., expressed as a byte offset from the start of the repeated sequence, and the number of characters, i.e., the matched length, that are repeated. Typically, the references are represented as "<offset, length>" pairs in accordance with conventional LZ1 coding. In contrast, LZ2 compression parses a stream of input data characters into coded values based on an adaptively growing look-up table or dictionary that is produced during the compression. That is, LZ2 does not find matches on any byte boundary and with any length as in LZ1 coding, but instead when a dictionary word is matched by a source string, a new word is added to the dictionary which consists of the matched word plus the following source string byte. In accordance with LZ2 coding, matches are coded as pointers or indexes to the words in the dictionary.
The definitions for terms used throughout this document are set forth below.
FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a protocol for moving files over the Internet from one computer to another.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a method of mixing text and other content with layout and appearance commands in a text file, so that a browser can generate a displayed image from the file.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a set of conventions for controlling the transfer of information via the Internet from a Web server computer to a client computer, and also from a client computer to a Web server.
Internet is the worldwide, decentralized totality of server computers and data-transmission paths which can supply information to a connected and browser-equipped client computer, and can receive and forward information entered from the client computer.
JavaScript is an object-based programming language. JavaScript is an interpreted language, not a compiled language. JavaScript is generally designed for writing software routines that operate within a client computer on the Internet. Generally, the software routines are downloaded to the client computer at the beginning of the interactive session, if they are not already cached on the client computer. JavaScript is discussed in greater detail below.
List Search Algorithm is an algorithm used to find a particular element of a list of elements and includes linear search algorithms, binary search algorithms, interpolation search algorithms, and others.
Metadata is generally defined as data about data.
Parser is a component of a compiler that analyzes a sequence of tokens to determine its grammatical structure with respect to a given formal grammar. Parsing transforms input text into a data structure, usually a tree, which is suitable for later processing and which captures the implied hierarchy of the input. XML Parsers ensure that an XML document follows the rules of XML markup syntax correctly.
String is a sequence of characters (numbers, letters, symbols and/or the like).
URL or Uniform Resource Locator is an address on the World Wide Web.
Web-Browser is a complex software program, resident in a client computer, that is capable of loading and displaying text and images and exhibiting behaviors as encoded in HTML (HyperText Markup Language) from the Internet, and also from the client computer's memory. Major browsers include MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER, NETSCAPE, APPLE SAFARI, MOZILLA FIREFOX, and OPERA.
Web-Server is a computer able to simultaneously manage many Internet information-exchange processes at the same time. Normally, server computers are more powerful than client computers, and are administratively and/or geographically centralized. An interactive-form information-collection process generally is controlled from a server computer, to which the sponsor of the process has access. Servers usually contain one or more processors (CPUs), memories, storage devices and network interface cards. Servers typically store the HTML documents and/or execute code that generates Web-pages that are sent to clients upon request. An interactive-form information-collection process generally is controlled from a server computer, to which the sponsor of the process has access.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an unofficial standards body which creates and oversees the development of web technologies and the application of those technologies.
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) is a language for describing the content of hypertext documents intended to be viewed or read in a browser.
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a W3C standard for text document markup, and it is not a language but a set of rules for creating other markup languages.
The prior fails to provide a solution to these problems and others.

System and method for performing longest common prefix strings searches


A developing device for developing a latent static-electric image into a visible image from developer. Various members for preventing toner leaks are attached to the developing case. A lower-edge leak prevention member is attached below the developer bearing body. End leak prevention members are attached on either side of the lower-edge leak prevention member, near lengthwise ends of a developer bearing body. Portions of the developing case where the end leak prevention members are attached, are indented lower than the portion where the lower-edge leak prevention member is attached. Resilient foam members are attached an the same surface as the lower-edge leak prevention member, with one side surface in contact with one side surface of the corresponding end leak prevention member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing unit, a process cartridge, and a developing cartridge for developing images using developing agent.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional image forming device includes a known developing unit that develops electrostatic latent images into visible images using charged particles of toner. This type of developing unit can leak toner. The leaked toner can stain the interior of the image forming device and recording sheets, thereby degrading printing quality. The leaked toner can also stain the user""s hands or clothes during replacement of the developing unit.
One such developing unit with this problem includes a developing roller and a layer thickness regulating blade. The developing roller transports toner on its surface, and the layer thickness regulating blade regulates the toner on the surface of the developing roller to a thin layer. The layer thickness regulating blade includes a stainless steel plate spring and a resin or rubber pressing member, both formed to the same length in their lengthwise direction. Non magnetic single component developing agent is used as toner. The toner easily leaks from around the edges of the developing roller as the developing roller rotates.
Conventionally, various configurations have been provided inside the developing unit in order to prevent toner leakage. As will be described next, side seals and a lower film are examples of configuration provided for preventing toner leakage.
The side seals are formed from a urethane sponge with a Teflon(trademark) felt attached thereto. The urethane sponge needs to be sufficiently soft and have a low compression set. The Teflon(trademark) felt can be pressed with sufficient pressing force against the developing roller, without increasing rotational torque required for rotating the developing roller.
The lower film is usually made from urethane rubber or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet. Although the urethane rubber provides a sufficiently soft pressing force, it has insufficiently low stiffness on its own, and so needs to be pressed from behind by a sponge or other member. The PET sheet is stiffer than the urethane rubber film and so does not need to be pressed from behind by a sponge member. Therefore, the PET sheet makes assembly processes easier than does the urethane rubber film.
However, the present inventors have discovered that when side seals and a lower film are used in configuration for preventing leaks, toner can easily leak between contacting surfaces of the lower film and the side seal while the side seal rubs against the outer periphery surface of the developing roller. For example, if the lower film is extended toward, but does not overlap with, the side seals, then toner can leak through gaps between the lower film and the side seals. On the other, if the lower film is extended to span across the side seals, so that the ends of the side seal extend beyond the side seals, then a step will develop where the lower film overlaps with each side seal. In this case, when the developing roller is disposed in contact with both of the lower film and the side seal, these steps form small gaps equivalent to the thickness of the lower film. Toner can leak through these gaps.
Polymerized toner has excellent fluidity. Therefore, when polymerized toner is used it can easily leak through even the smallest gaps.
It is conceivable to extend the ends of the lower film to near the center of where the side seals slide against the developing roller. With this conceivable configuration, the step portion between the lower film and the side seal will end at the end of the lower film, that is, near the middle of the side seal. As a result, the gap will be cut off near the middle of the side seal, so even it polymerized toner is used, toner leaks can be almost completely prevented. However, this conceivable configuration also has a leak problem because of the following circumstances.
The side seals must be formed with a thickness that takes into consideration the amount that they are compressed by the developing roller. If the compression amount of the side seals is too small, then the pressing force against the developing roller will be too small to provide a proper seal, so that toner will leak. On the other hand, if the compression force of the side seals is too large, then an excessively large pressing force will develop between the side seals and the developing roller. As a result, a great deal of rotational torque will be required to rotate the developing roller. In order to achieve an optimum pressing force, it is conceivable to form the case with the surfaces where the side seals are attached retracted lower than the surface where the lower seal is attached. The side seals are then adhered into these indented attachment areas.
However, with this conceivable configuration, a step is formed between the indented side seal attachment area and the lower seal attachment area. When the developing roller presses down on the side seals, the side seals slide along the surface of the step portion as they compress. Also, during developing operations the side seals vibrate slightly in association with rotation of the developing roller, so that the side surface of the side seals slightly slides against the surface of the step portion. Because the side seal must be able to slide against the surface of the step portion in these instances, the side surface of the side seal cannot be adhered to the surface of the step portion, for example, by two-sided tape. Also, the interface between the plastic surface of the step portion and the sponge material of the side seals has extremely poor sealing properties, so polymerized toner, which has a extremely high fluidity, can easily leak between such an interface.
Also, the developing roller is not yet installed when ends of the lower film are being attached to the side seals, so the side seals are not yet compressed by the developing roller at this time. Therefore, if the ends of the lower film are extended to near the center of where the side seals slide against the developing roller, then the lower film must be bent upward because of the difference in height between the lower film attachment area and the upper surface of the side seals. Afterward, when the developing roller is attached, the side seals and also both ends of the lower film are compressed by the developing roller. As a result, the lower film can deform or shift out of position from where it is adhered, thereby lowering its sealing capacity.
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome the above-described problems, and to provide a developing unit and a process cartridge capable of reliably preventing toner leaks from connecting portions between a lower film and side seals.
To achieve this objective, a developing device according to a first aspect of the present invention is for developing a latent static-electric image into a visible image from developer, wherein the developing device includes a developing case, a developer bearing body, end leak prevention members, a lower-edge leak prevention member, and attachment-surface-border leak prevention members having the following configuration.
The developing case is for holding developer. The developing case is formed with an opening that extends in a lengthwise direction. The developing case includes a lower-edge attachment surface and two end attachment surfaces at the opening. The end attachment surfaces are on either side of and bordering the lower-edge attachment surface in the lengthwise direction and are indented with respect to the lower-edge attachment surface.
The developer bearing body is disposed in the opening of the developing case in confrontation with the latent static-electric image, with lengthwise ends of the developer bearing body rotatably supported on the developing case.
The end leak prevention members are each attached on a corresponding end attachment surface of the developing case. Each is in sliding contact with a corresponding peripheral surface of the developer bearing body near a corresponding lengthwise end of the developer bearing body.
The lower-edge leak prevention member is attached on the lower-edge attachment surface of the developing case and extends in the lengthwise direction. The lower-edge leak prevention member is in sliding contact along a length of the developer bearing body at a position downstream, with respect to rotational direction of the developer bearing body, from where the developer bearing body confronts the latent static-electric image.
The attachment-surface-border leak prevention members are each made from a resilient foam material. Each is attached to the lower-edge attachment surface at a corresponding border position between the lower-edge attachment surface and a corresponding end attachment surface, with at least a portion of one side surface in contact with a portion of one side surface of a corresponding end leak prevention member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a process cartridge adapted for free attachment and detachment with respect to an image forming device, includes a latent static-electric image bearing body formed with a latent static-electric image; and the developing device according to the first aspect of the present invention.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a developing device includes a developing case, a developer bearing body, a lower-edge leak prevention member, and end leak prevention members with the following configuration.
The developing case is for holding developer. The developing case is formed with an opening that extends in a lengthwise direction. The developing case includes a lower-edge attachment surface.
The developer bearing body is disposed in the opening of the developing case in opposition with the latent static-electric image.
The lower-edge leak prevention member extends in the lengthwise direction of the opening and includes an attached portion and a free end. The attached portion is attached on the lower-edge attachment surface of the developing case. The free end is in sliding contact along a length of the developer bearing body downstream, with respect to rotational direction of the developer bearing body, from where the developer bearing body confronts the latent static-electric image.
The end leak prevention members each include a sliding contact member and a resilient base member. Each sliding contact member is in sliding contact with a corresponding peripheral surface of the developer bearing body near a corresponding lengthwise end of the developer bearing body. Each base member as an upstream end with respect to rotational direction of the developer bearing body. The upstream end of each base member s positioned in an overlapping condition with the lower film 114 between the free end of the lower-edge leak prevention member and where the lower-edge leak prevention member is attached to the lower-edge attachment surface with respect to rotational direction of the developer bearing body.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a process cartridge adapted for free attachment and detachment with respect to an image forming device, includes a latent static-electric image bearing body formed with a latent static-electric image; and the developing device according to the third aspect of the present invention.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a developing device includes a developing case, a developer bearing body, end leak prevention members, a lower-edge leak prevention member, and attachment-surface-border leak prevention members with the following configuration.
The developing case is for holding developer. The developing case is formed with an opening that extends in a lengthwise direction. The developing case is provided with end attachment surfaces and a lower-edge attachment surface. The end attachment surfaces is formed lower than the lower-edge attachment surface.
The developer bearing body is disposed in the opening of the developing case in opposition with the latent static-electric image, with lengthwise ends of the developer bearing body rotatably supported on the developing case.
The end leak prevention members each slidingly contact a corresponding peripheral surface of the developer bearing body near a corresponding lengthwise end of the developer bearing body.
The lower-edge leak prevention member is attached on the lower-edge attachment surface of the developing case and extends in the lengthwise direction. The lower-edge leak prevention member is in sliding contact along a length of the developer bearing body.
The attachment-surface-border leak prevention members formed from a resilient foam material, and is disposed at borders between the lower-edge attachment surface and the end attachment surfaces. The lower-edge leak prevention member exposes the attachment-surface-border leak prevention members between the lower-edge leak prevention member and the end leak prevention members.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a process cartridge adapted for free attachment and detachment with respect to an image forming device, includes a latent static-electric image bearing body formed with a latent static-electric image; and the developing device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention.

Image developing device with sealing members for preventing toner leakage


A deposit of a silica base layer is formed on the surface of a glass product by projecting on a hot surface of the product, in a non confined ambient atmosphere, a gaseous mixture having a silane content lower than 2%, an oxygen content between 3.5 and 30%, and advantageously a hydrogen content lower than 5%. The surface of the object to be treated is advantageously heated immediately before being sent to the injection station.

(a) Field of Invention
The present invention concerns processes for producing a deposit comprising silica on a surface of a glass product by projecting a gaseous mixture comprising a major portion of a neutral gas, a precursor of silicon and oxygen on the hot surface of the product by means of at least one projection nozzle.
(b) Description of Prior Art
A process of this type is known from the document U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,498 according to which the projection is carried out in a confined manner in a tube. More recently, the document GB-A-2.234.264 describes a similar process, for flat glass, where the injection is carried out in a coating chamber which covers the zone to be coated, the chamber being enclosed in a suction hood provided with sealing skirts.

Process for producing a deposit comprising silica on the surface of a glass product

L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude


A ventilation unit comprising: a first channel for a relatively cold air stream; a second channel for a relatively hot air stream; and an outlet door located at the ends of the first and second channels for dividing air from the first and second channels between a first outlet and a second outlet in such a way that desired proportions of each of the cold and hot air streams are divided to each of the first and second outlets.

This invention relates to ventilation units; for example in heating systems and air conditioning systems.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art air conditioning system for a vehicle. Air is drawn inwards through inlet 1 by a radial blower 2 running in a scroll 3. This forces air through evaporator 4. From the evaporator the air meets a blend door 5 which can pivot about a hinge 6. The blend door divides the airflow from the evaporator into a first (cold) stream which passes directly to a mixing chamber 7 and a second (hot) stream which passes through a heater core 8 on its way to the mixing chamber. The hot and cold air streams recombine and mix together in the mixing chamber. At the outlet of the mixing chamber is a movable panel door 9 which divides the air from the mixing chamber into a stream directed through outlet 10 towards the vehicle's panel and a remaining stream directed through passage 11 to a movable floor/defrost door 12. The floor/defrost door divides that remaining stream between the vehicle's floor and defrost outlets. The blend door 5 can be moved to control the temperature of the outgoing air by setting the amount of air in the hot and cold streams. The doors 9 and 12 are movable by a user to set the desired flow pattern in the vehicle.
For proper operation of the system the hot and cold air streams must be properly mixed by the time they reach the panel door. To achieve this the mixing chamber must be of a sufficient length. This occupies considerable space.
One aim of this invention is to reduce the space occupied by the system. Another aim is to allow a user to have the air flows to the panel vents and to the other outlets at different temperatures.


A melting and/or refining unit for conductively heatable melts, in particular glass melts, is provided. The melting and/or refining unit has a tank and at least one electrode. The electrode passes through an opening in a wall of the tank so as to be immersed in the conductively heatable melt. The melting and/or refining unit has an apparatus for reducing the local introduction of heating power into at least one region adjacent to the electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general terms to a unit, in particular a melting and/or refining unit and/or a distributor system and/or a channel system, for conductively heatable melts, and specifically to a unit for conductively heatable glass melts.
2. Description of Related Art
The production of glasses involves the formation of glass melts to which thermal energy is supplied. This applies to the process of melting down glass or glass charge cullet, as well as subsequent process steps, such as for example refining or homogenization. The thermal energy which this requires can particularly efficiently be released directly in the melt by means of the Joule effect.
Therefore, melting installations, in particular for glassmaking, often use electrodes which are immersed in the liquid melt. Electric current is introduced into the melt via the electrodes. The electrode unit in this case comprises the electrode body and an electrode holder which carries the electrode body. The electrode holder and the electrode body are generally fixedly connected to one another, for example by screw connection or welding. For its part, the electrode holder is fixedly connected to the external surroundings.
Electrodes are used immersed in the melt both in the base and in the sides or from above. The form of electrode which is most frequently used is the stick shape, since this is very easy to push in further. Moreover, the stick-shaped electrode offers the advantage that it is possible to exchange the entire arrangement made of electrode holder and electrode body even when the installation is running. In the case of plate electrodes, by contrast, it is not possible to either exchange the electrode or push it in further during operation.
Above a certain temperature, glasses become electrically conductive, so that at voltages up to approximately 1000 V, sufficiently high currents can usually flow to heat the glass melt using the Joule effect. In the melt, the current is substantially transported by the ions of different mobility. Standard frequencies for the conductive heating of melts are 50 or 60 Hz; frequencies of 10 kHz are used for high-quality glasses, in particular optical glasses.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical structure which illustrates how the current is fed into the melt from outside the unit via an electrode. The figure shows an excerpt from the wall of a melting and/or refining unit having an electrode assembly. The arrangement comprises a generally water-cooled electrode holder, in which the actual electrode body is secured in a suitable way. On the outside, the electrode holder is connected to a heating circuit transformer via a cable. The electrode is introduced into the melt through the wall, which is constructed from refractory material. The distance, in the longitudinal direction of the electrode holder or electrode body, from the upper side of the electrode holder, facing the melt, to that surface of the wall which faces the melt is referred to as the setting depth. The setting depth is determined according to the particular type of glass, in particular its vitrification and crystallization properties, as well as the required process temperatures and the structure of the wall, in particular the thermal conductivity of the materials used.
It is customary to use separate electrode bricks in which there is a drilled hole for the electrode. The electrode brick itself is inserted into the wall of the melting and/or refining unit. A separate electrode brick offers the advantage that the region around the electrode can be easily observed from the outside. It is in this way possible to quickly recognize cracks and glass leakages. If the thickness of the brick is reduced by the glass melt on account of corrosion, it is easy to apply forced cooling from the outside, which efficiently cools that side of the electrode brick which faces the glass and therefore reduces the corrosion caused by the glass melt.
Details can be found in the relevant specialist literature on glass technology. The prior art is well documented, for example, in the HVG training volumes "Elektroschmelzen von Glas" [Electrical melting of glass] 1990 and "Wärmetransportprozesse bei der Herstellung und Formgebung von Glas" [Heat transfer processes in the production and shaping of glass] 2002.
The current, which is fed in from the outside from suitable matching transformers via feed lines, enters the glass melt from the electrode body in order to heat the glass melt by the Joule effect. The electrical power density ρel({right arrow over (r)}) for the entire arrangement comprising melt and wall, given the standard dimensions of the units and heating frequencies, can be calculated as:Pel({right arrow over (r)})={right arrow over (J)}({right arrow over (r)})· E({right arrow over (r)})=ρel(T)·{right arrow over (J)}2({right arrow over (r)})=σel(T)·Ē2({right arrow over (r)})  (1)where Pel({right arrow over (r)}) has the dimension
      [          W              m        3              ]    .Ē is the electric field in
      [          V      m        ]                and                  J    _  is the current density in
  [      A          m      2        ]at any location {right arrow over (r)} of the arrangement observed. ρel denotes the electrical resistivity in [Ω·m] and σel denotes the electrical conductivity of the materials used in
      [          S      m        ]    .
The electrical resistivity and the electrical conductivity are temperature-dependent. In the case of the glasses and refractory materials that are customarily used, they are generally negatively temperature-dependent. This means that with increasing temperature, the electrical conductivity increases or the electrical resistivity decreases.
The electrical power density ρel introduced into the entire arrangement according to equation 1 first of all leads to an increase in temperature ΔT at any point {right arrow over (r)}. In glass melts, the heat quantity {dot over (q)}Pel generated on account of the current in a local volume element can be dissipated again from the volume element under consideration with the aid of three mechanisms.
The first mechanism is heat conduction, which is imparted by phonons. It is assigned a {dot over (q)}heat conduction. The second mechanism for dissipating heat from a specific volume element of the melt is radiation (heat flow {dot over (q)}radiation), the exchange particles of which are photons. Finally, heat can also be dissipated from the melt by means of convection flows by a heat flow {dot over (q)}convection. All three mechanisms are temperature-dependent. In general, apart from exceptions in the case of what are known as "dark" glasses, radiation is the dominant process.
After the start-up phase, a steady state is established at a defined temperature Teq, in which the heat flows involved are in equilibrium with one another. In the steady state at T=Teq, the following relationship applies:{dot over (q)}Pel={dot over (q)}radiation+{dot over (q)}convection={dot over (q)}heat conduction  (2)
After the heat quantity generated by the electric current has been dissipated from a volume element of the melt, a volume element of the material of the wall of the unit will now be considered. The refractory materials which are in contact with glass melts can be roughly divided into three groups. What are known as the HZFC (high zirconia fused cast) materials, which are cast at temperatures around 2300° C., become soft beyond 1900° C. to 2000° C. AZS (alumina zirconia silica) materials, the casting temperatures of which are 1900° C. to 2000° C., do not become soft, but rather decompose at a temperature above approximately 1800° C. ZS (zirconium silicate) materials, which are sintered in pressed form during production, decompose above temperatures of just 1700° C. In any event, high excess temperatures in the refractory material lead to destruction of the latter.
At high temperatures, many refractory materials have an electrical conductivity comparable to that of glasses. In the refractory material itself, the heat quantity which is locally released by the electric current, contrary to the situation for the melt as described above, however, can substantially only be dissipated by the mechanism of pure heat conduction.
If, in the volume element under consideration, the dissipation of heat from the refractory material is lower than the heat quantity {dot over (q)}Pel generated in this volume element, the temperature will rise. In the volume element under consideration, this is associated with an increased electrical conductivity on account of the negative temperature dependency of the electrical resistivity. At constant voltage and therefore with a constant electric field E, a rise in the electrical conductivity σel(T) in accordance with equation 1 is associated with a higher electric power density Pel({right arrow over (r)}). Accordingly, the temperature rises further. This process repeats itself until, at a relatively high temperature, a new equilibrium state is reached in the refractory material of the wall of the unit.
In a situation which can still be tolerated, all that happens is that the usual corrosion of the refractory material is accelerated on account of the higher temperature. The service life of the unit is shortened as a result. In the least favorable situation, however, the system goes out of control, leading to destruction of regions of the refractory material caused by partial melting or rapid decomposition.
In the case of refractory materials, it is not just the electrical resistivity in the new state which needs to be taken into consideration, but also the possibility that this resistivity may change during operation, for example as a result of the introduction of glass constituents, in particular caused by alkali metal diffusion. The material becomes more electrically conductive as a result, thereby increasing the risk of local instabilities in the refractory material.
If the temperatures in the wall of the unit are higher than in the melt, the melt itself functions as a cooling medium for the wall of the unit. The dissipation of heat from the wall can be improved by adapting the insulation on the outer side. The same applies to externally applied forced cooling with air.
In addition to the advantage of improving the dissipation of heat from the wall, however, the abovementioned measures also bring with them serious drawbacks. Although the risk of excess temperatures is reduced, the cooling or reduced insulation means unnecessary additional heat loss. As a result, the efficiency of the overall installation is adversely affected to a considerable extent. On account of the altered temperatures and heat flows, furthermore, flow phenomena may occur in the glass melt, having an adverse effect on the quality of the process.
The problem mentioned above is caused in particular by the material forming the electrode brick. This material needs to be able to withstand temperature changes, since water-cooled electrode holders are generally used. In the case of electrodes which can be pushed in further, the water supply to the electrode holder is interrupted a number of times during a tank campaign, with the result that the electrode brick is exposed to very considerable temperature gradients within a short period of time.
During the heating of the installation and/or on account of the abovementioned high temperature gradients, cracks may form in the electrode brick. These cracks generally extend radially outward from the electrode bore in the brick. Glass can penetrate into cracks of this type, thereby accelerating the corrosion of the electrode brick.
Therefore, a brick material which is as insensitive as possible to temperature changes should be selected. However, other properties of the brick, such as its resistance to corrosion from the glass melt and the electrical resistivity, should also be taken into consideration.
The ideal refractory material for an electrode brick should satisfy the following criteria. It should have only a low susceptibility to corrosion on contact with the melts used and also a high resistance to temperature changes. Moreover, the electrical resistivity in the technologically relevant temperature range should be significantly higher than that of the corresponding melt. Moreover, the material should ideally have a high thermal conductivity, in order to allow even small quantities of electrical energy released to be efficiently dissipated in the refractory material.
Many refractory materials, which have a high electrical resistivity compared to glass melts, however, have a poor ability to withstand temperature changes, as for example in the case of the zirconium silicate material ZS 1300. The higher the temperature gradient and its spatial profile in the refractory material, the more critical this problem becomes. If refractory materials with a high electrical resistivity compared to the melt are ruled out on account of their poor resistance to corrosion from glass melts, it is necessary to employ materials which are more resistant to the glass melts but under certain circumstances have a higher electrical conductivity.
On account of the required resistance to corrosion from the melt, the ability to withstand temperature changes, the availability and price, there is a very limited choice of suitable refractory materials.
To avoid the risk of excess temperatures, therefore, adapting the electrical heating by suitably selecting the heating circuit geometries, the phase positions and the electrode positions in the melting and/or refining unit has been the only viable solution known hitherto. By way of example, the study entitled "Elektrotechnische und wärmetechnische Untersuchungen zur Auswahl von Feuerfestmaterialien für Elektroschmelzöfen zur Glasschmelze" [Electrical engineering and heat engineering tests on the selection of refractory materials for electric melting furnaces for glass melts] by H.-J. Illig et al., XI International Glass Congress, Prague 1977, anthology V, recommends that a maximum electric field strength of 4-5 V/cm should not be exceeded using typical materials for the tank. However, this imposes considerable restrictions on the way in which the installation is operated.
One possible option is, for example, a switch from bottom electrodes to what are known as top electrodes, which are immersed in the melt from above and do not have to be passed through a refractory structure.
In many cases, it would be desirable for the electrical heating circuits to be operated with a higher power and therefore higher voltages, in order, for example, to achieve higher throughputs or to optimize the flows with regard to glass quality. If all the optimization options, in particular those presented above, have already been exhausted, in many cases the diameters of the electrode sticks are increased, in order to influence the current densities and therefore the local release of energy in the immediate vicinity of the electrode. However, the electrode diameter cannot continue to be increased arbitrarily, since the size of the drilled hole in the refractory material is limited.
The underlying problem in the context outlined above resides in the spatially extremely nonuniform distribution of the introduction of heating power into the wall of the tank, which causes damage to the refractory material.


An oven for testing the quality of a peripheral storage devices including an aging room, configured to receive a plurality of peripheral storage devices to be tested therein, with upper and lower mixing rooms in fluid communication therewith. A support duct, having a circulation cavity, is in fluid communication with the upper and lower mixing rooms and has a plurality of discharge openings to the circulation cavity. Ducts draw in outside air while hot air is discharged.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ovens. More particularly, the present invention relates to ovens used during equipment testing.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In general, a personal computer includes peripheral storage devices, such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives and/or CD-ROM drives. Each peripheral storage device is tested in an oven under predetermined circumstances called "aging." The testing ovens typically accommodate a plurality of closely-packed peripheral storage devices. The ovens include a hot air blower and a cold air blower. The hot air blower typically is composed of a heater and a blower which maintain a uniform preset temperature inside the oven.
Exemplars of the prior art include the patent to Ebihara et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,733, entitled Burn-In Apparatus, describes a burn-in board having an interior section path into which hot air is drown, and a plurality of protrusions for maintaining a semiconductor device.
The patent to Magnuson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,155, entitled Environmentally Controlled Media Defect Detection System For Winchester Disk Drives, describes a main chamber with an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The upper chamber has an intake fan. A duct dries air from the upper chamber and delivers the air via a discharge vent into the aging chamber. The lower chamber is include communication with the main chamber via a gestate.
The patent to Hamilton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,235, entitled Temperature Regulator For Burn-In Board Components, describes a plurality of burn-in board and a blower which forces the gas to flow through nozzles.
The patent to Twigg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,068, entitled Electronic Device Test Handler, describes a tray which receive a plurality of electronic components. Referring to FIG. 5, a group of trays maintained to vertical beams 70a and 70b as shown in FIG. 1, are introduced into an aging chamber at back of the device.
The patent to Fuoco, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,168, entitled Stress Testing Equipment With An Integral Cooling Plenum, describes a carrier on which components are mounted prior to introduction of the carrier into an oven. Referring to FIG. 1, the devices divided into three sections: a high temperature section 4, a moderate temperature section 6 and a ambient temperature section 8.
I have found that when a plurality of peripheral storage devices are closely packed in the oven, it is difficult to maintain the oven temperature accurately. When the oven temperature is not distributed uniformly, peripheral storage device testing is not reliable from device to device.

Oven for testing peripheral storage devices


A method of evaluating tissue stiffness of a target area includes positioning an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus adjacent a surface of an area of tissue where the target area is located and applying a dynamic range of force to the tissue. A plurality of ultrasound beams can be directed at the tissue and a plurality of ultrasound echoes can be acquired from the strained tissue in the target area to calculate an amount of developed strain within the target area.

In general, the tissue stiffness changes have been important indications of the development of pathological lesions in soft tissues. In past decades, along with other elasticity imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and magnetic resonance tagging (tMRI), ultrasound elasticity imaging (UEI) or elastography has been developed for measuring, or otherwise evaluating, soft tissue elastic properties. For example, UEI has been utilized in connection with many diseases including (1) thrombus aging/maturational evaluation in human lower limb deep venous thrombosis (DVT), (2) breast cancer diagnosis and screening, (3) differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid masses and cervical lymph nodes, (4) prostate cancer detection, (5) renal transplant graft nephropathy evaluation, (6) cardiovascular diseases, such as characterization of arterial wall stiffness for early atherosclerosis diagnosis, assessment of myocardial wall stiffness for detection of contractile dysfunction, or atheromata assessment for determining vulnerable plaque, (7) liver diseases, such as assessment of the degree of liver fibrosis, and (8) Crohn's disease. Unfortunately, current methods and systems have significant shortcomings that limit or restrict the accuracy and effectiveness of evaluating tissue stiffness changes to identify or recognize the development of pathological lesions in soft tissues.

Methods and apparatuses for measuring tissue stiffness changes using ultrasound elasticity imaging

University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education

The Regents of the University of Michigan


Gases of combustion vented from the bore of a shotgun barrel in spaced relation to the muzzle travel along one or more passageways externally of the barrel and are discharged externally of the barrel and ahead of the muzzle in a generally transverse direction relative to the barrel axis to create turbulence immediately forward of the muzzle and exert lateral forces on a shot charge after the charge leaves the muzzle whereby the short range shot pattern produced by the barrel is substantially enlarged. A finite, moveable mechanical obstruction projecting into the bore retards the advance of a wad to reduce influence of the wad on the shot charge.

This invention relates in general to firearm barrels and deals more particularly with an improved shotgun barrel assembly for a home security weapon. It is generally recognized that a shotgun with a shot load is an ideal home security weapon. The devastating effect of such a weapon, when fired at close range, is so well known that the mere brandishment of a shotgun will usually prove sufficient to deter even the most aggressive attacker. However, if it should become necessary to fire the weapon in self-defense, it is essential that the first shot be effective to halt an assailant without placing innocent persons at risk. It is for this reason that special barrel assemblies have been developed for home security use.
An example of a special purpose barrel assembly developed for home security use is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,291 to Dabrowski, entitled Barrel Assembly for Home Security Weapon, issued Oct. 13, 1992, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The Dabrowski barrel assembly is particularly adapted to enlarge the short range shot pattern of a 0.410 bore shotgun. Such pattern enlargement improves the short range effectiveness of the weapon while reducing risk of wall penetration which could result in injury to a person or persons in an adjacent room outside of a building in which the weapon is discharged.
The popularity of larger sporting shotguns, such as the 12 gauge shotgun, has created need for a further special purpose barrel assembly particularly adapted to control the close range shot pattern of such a weapon. The sporting barrel assemblies usually provided on such larger shotguns are generally choked to maintain a compact shot pattern at close range. Consequently, the individual pellets which comprise the shot charge tend to act in concert at short range and have the effect of a substantially solid mass, which will readily pass through a wall of an average residential dwelling. However, when the short range shot pattern is spread or substantially enlarged the pellets which comprise the shot charge act individually and generally lack sufficient kinetic energy to pass through the average residential wall.
Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide a special purpose barrel assembly for use with a shotgun of larger size to enhance or enlarge the short range shot pattern of the gun and thereby render the gun more ideally suited for use as a home security weapon.