An optical connector cleaning tool includes a tool body, a driving mechanism that moves a cleaning member, an insertion portion that protrudes from the tool body, with a cleaning member disposed at the projected distal end from the tool body and able, by insertion in a connector housing, to cause the portion of the cleaning member disposed at the projected distal end to abut against the connection end face of the optical connector housed in the connector housing, and a connector cleaning guide that positions an optical connector outside the connector housing and the insertion portion and causes the cleaning member and the connection end face of the optical connector to abut, a connector cleaning guide having a first port in which the optical connector can be inserted and a second port in which the insertion portion can be inserted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector cleaning tool for cleaning the connection end face of an optical connector and an optical connector plug cleaning method. It also relates to an optical component cleaning tool for cleaning the end face of an optical component such as an optical connector, a cleaning tape, and a guide for cleaning optical components.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known, connections between optical connectors in connector housings such as optical connector adaptors and optical connector receptacles are realized by butt-coupling of optical fiber end faces situated at the connection end faces of optical connectors.
Contamination such as debris, dust and oil that adheres to the connection end face of an optical connector from insertion of the optical connector into a connector housing for butt connection can cause damage during attaching/detaching and an increase in transmission loss, and so prior to butt connection the connection end face must be cleaned.
Conventionally, cleaning of a connection end face has generally been performed with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol or a tape-type cleaner, with wiping and cleaning performed by placing the cleaner, gripped directly by hand, up against the connection end face of the optical connector.
As a cleaner employed for such a use, there has been proposed one comprises a projection portion having an opening in a distal end thereof where cleaning tape is exposed, and by inserting the projection portion into a space (connector housing hole) in an optical connector adaptor (optical adaptor), the cleaning tape is disposed to face and abut the connection end face of a ferrule of an optical connector housed in the optical connector adaptor, with wiping and cleaning of the connection end face of the optical plug performed by feeding the tape (refer, for example, to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-284147).
During butt connection by insertion of the optical connector into the connector housing, it is necessary to clean not only the optical connector in the connector housing, but also the connection end face of the optical connector (optical connector plug) inserted into the connector housing.
However, with the aforementioned cleaner, in the case of the optical connector not being housed in the connector housing, since the projection portion of the cleaner would be at a position removed from the operator's hands, when the cleaning tape in the projection portion is abutted with the optical connector connection end face jiggling easily occurs, resulting in bad cleaning operability.
It is conceivable to separately prepare a cleaner for cleaning the optical cleaner prior to insertion in the connector housing. However, together with the cleaner for cleaning the optical connector in the connector housing, this would require two types of cleaners during cleaning work, thereby leading to an increase in the number of accessories and inconvenience in keeping track of items, which has caused inconvenience.
Accordingly, the problem to be solved of the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can easily and reliably clean both an optical connector in a connector housing and an optical connector plug outside the connector housing. Another problem to be solved of the present invention is to provide an optical component cleaning tool and an optical component cleaning guide for cleaning the end face of optical components.
Also, as a cleaner to be used for cleaning optical connectors, as shown in FIG. 44, there has been proposed one including a projection portion 2110 having an opening 2116 in a distal end thereof where cleaning tape 2102 is exposed, and by inserting the projection portion 2110 into a space (connector housing hole 2172) in an optical connector adaptor 2170 (optical adaptor), the tape 2102 is disposed to face and abut the connection end face 2161a of a ferrule 2161 of an optical connector plug 2160 (optical plug) housed in the optical connector adaptor 2170, with wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 2161a of the optical plug 2160 performed by feeding the tape 2102. In this cleaner 2101, the tape 2102 that performs wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 2161a of the optical plug 2160 is provided so as to pass over the top of the distal end surface 2112a (abutting surface) of the head portion 2112 that is pivotally mounted on pivot 2111, with the direction of the head portion 2112 varying by pivotal rotation centered on the pivot 2111 so as to be able to accommodate varying angles of the connection end face 2161a of the ferrule 2161 (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3350850).
As an optical connector ferrule, there exist those with protruding members protruding from the connection end face as in MT (Mechanically Transferable) type optical connector ferrules (for example, those defined according to JIS C 5981). In the case of this type of ferrule, there is the problem that the protruding members act as obstacles that give rise to uncleaned areas on the connection end face. In the case of the aforementioned MT type optical connector ferrule, as is widely known, there is the constitution of two guide pins for positioning during butting connection protruding from the connection end face, with the region between the two guide pins (hereafter, the central region) being difficult to clean. Where there are uncleaned areas, debris and the like left behind becomes sandwiched during butting connection of the optical connector, giving rise to problems such as an increase in loss due to minute misalignment of the optical axis.
Most technology for cleaning the connection end face of an MT type optical connector ferrule conventionally cleans the central region positioned between the two center pins. And yet as a result of concerted study, the inventors have come to realize that the presence of debris and the like on the portion positioned outside the central region (hereafter, the outer region) on the connection end face has a considerable impact on the optical properties during butt connection. In addition, uncleaned areas easily form near the bases of the two guide pins (that is, the protrusion bases of the guide pins from the connection end face), and in particular, among debris that accumulates near the bases of the guide pins, that which is located on the side of the outer region of the connection end face is considered to have a considerable impact on the optical properties during butt connection. However, suitable technology for effectively and efficiently cleaning the outside region has until now been limited. In addition, after cleaning the central region with a cleaning tool such as the cleaner shown in the aforementioned FIG. 44, separate cleaning of the outer region involves additional effort and, moreover, cleaning of the outer region can cause debris and the like in the outside region to be pushed into the central region, and so a sufficient effect may not be achieved in proportion to the effort spent cleaning.
In view of the aforementioned problems, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool, a cleaning tape, and an optical connector cleaning method that (1) can effectively clean the connection end face even when protruding members exist on the connection end face of the optical connector, (2) can effectively clean near the bases of the protruding members (the base ends of the protrusions from the connection end face), (3) for optical connectors of a constitution having two guide pins protruding from the connection end face can also effectively clean outside the region positioned between the two guide pins on the connection end face, and (4) can efficiently clean simultaneously the region positioned between the two guide pins (central region) and the region that is outside thereof.
In addition, as a cleaner to be used for cleaning optical connectors, as shown in FIG. 57, there has been proposed one including a projection portion 3110 having an opening 3116 in a distal end thereof where cleaning tape 3102 is exposed, and by inserting the projection portion 3110 into a space (connector housing hole 3172) in an optical connector adaptor 3170 (optical adaptor), the tape 3102 is disposed to face and abut the connection end face 3161a of a ferrule 3161 of an optical connector plug 3160 (optical plug) housed in the optical connector adaptor 3170, with wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 3161a of the optical plug 3160 performed by feeding the tape 3102. In this cleaner 3101, the tape 3102 that performs wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 3161a of the optical plug 3160 is provided so as to pass over the top of the distal end surface 3112a (abutting surface) of the head portion 3112 that is pivotally mounted on pivot 3111, with the direction of the head portion 3112 varying by pivotal rotation centered on the pivot 3111 so as to be able to accommodate varying angles of the connection end face 3161a of the ferrule 3161 (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3350850).
However, in the aforementioned cleaner, when the direction of the distal end surface 3112a of the head portion 3112 changes by pivotal rotation of the head portion 3112, the tape 3102 wrapped around the head portion 3112 can end up misaligning in the width direction thereof (the direction perpendicular to the sheet of FIG. 57). As a result, the abutting force of the connection end face 3161a abutting against the tape 3102 becomes uneven, the tape 3102 is not smoothly sent and cleaning is not reliably performed, giving rise to the problem of contaminants partially remaining on the connection end face 3161a.
Accordingly, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can easily and reliably clean the connection end face of an optical connector in a state of the optical connector being inserted in a connector housing.
In addition, as a cleaner to be used for cleaning optical connectors, as shown in FIG. 80, there has been proposed one including a projection portion 4110 having an opening 4116 in a distal end thereof where a tape for cleaning 4102 (cleaning tape) is exposed, and by inserting the projection portion 4110 into a space (connector housing hole 4172) in an optical connector adaptor 4170 (optical adaptor), the tape 4102 is disposed to face and abut the connection end face 4161a of a ferrule 4161 of an optical connector plug 4160 (optical plug) housed in the optical connector adaptor 4170, with wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 4161a of the optical plug 4160 performed by feeding the tape 4102. In this cleaner 4101, the tape 4102 that performs wiping and cleaning of the connection end face 4161a of the optical plug 4160 is provided so as to pass over the top of the distal end surface 4112a of the head portion 4112 that is pivotally mounted on pivot 4111, with the direction of the head portion 4112 varying by pivotal rotation centered on the pivot 4111 so as to be able to accommodate varying angles of the connection end face 4161a of the ferrule 4161 (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3350850).
However, in the aforementioned cleaner 4101, during pivotal rotation of the head portion 4112, not only does the direction of the distal end surface 4112a of the head portion 4112 change, but the distal end surface 4112a is displaced in a vertical direction that is the tangential projection of the pivotal rotation (vertical direction in FIG. 80). As a result, the center locations of the connection end face 4161a of the optical plug 4160 and the distal end surface 4112a of the head portion 4112 misalign (make uneven contact), the tape 4102 does not make good contact with the connection end face 4161a, the abutting force of the connection end face 4161a abutting the tape 4102 becomes uneven and cleaning is not reliably performed, giving rise to the problem of contaminants partially remaining on the connection end face 4161a.
In addition, as a result of concerted study by the inventors, it was found that when the tape 4102 is pinched between the head portion 4112 and the ferrule 4161 by the pushing pressure of the ferrule 4161 of the optical plug 4160, debris is pushed against the ferrule 4161 and the like and becomes stuck thereon in a state in which it cannot be easily removed.
In addition, when the head portion 4112 is pressed against the ferrule 4161, there is the risk of damage and the like to the connection end face 4161a by strong application of the pressing force directly on the connection end face 4161a. In addition, when the pushing pressure of the head portion 4112 pressing the ferrule 4161 is too strong during cleaning, the connection end face 4161a is excessively cleaned (extracted), which may lead to damage and the like to the connection end face 4161a.
Accordingly, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can easily and reliably clean the connection end face of an optical connector in the state of the optical connector inserted in a connector housing and, moreover, prevent excessive pushing pressure from being applied to the connection end face and relieve it. In addition, a problem to be solved is to provide an optical component cleaning tool that can clean the end face of optical components.
In addition, as a cleaner to be used for cleaning optical connectors, there has been proposed one including a projection portion having an opening in a distal end thereof where a cleaning tape is exposed, and by inserting the projection portion into a space (connector housing hole) in an optical connector adaptor (optical adaptor), the cleaning tape is disposed to face and abut the connection end face of a ferrule of an optical connector plug (optical plug) housed in the optical connector adaptor, with wiping and cleaning of the connection end face of the optical plug performed by feeding the cleaning tape (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3350850).
However, in a cleaner using the aforementioned cleaning tape, in the event of foreign matter such as airborne dust and fiber refuse generated from the cleaning tape adhering to the cleaning tape, the foreign matter ends up adhering to the connection end face of the ferrule from the cleaning tape when performing wiping and cleaning by causing the cleaning tape to abut against the connection end face of the ferrule, leading to the risk of cleaning not being reliably performed.
In order to remove foreign matter adhering to the cleaning tape, it is conceivable to perform an operation such as washing the cleaning tape or pressing the adhesive face of adhesive tape onto the cleaning tape prior to cleaning the optical connector. However, in the case of washing, there is the risk that fibers in the cleaning tape will break from water absorption of the cleaning tape, which would have the opposite effect of causing a build up foreign matter on the tape. In addition, in the case of removal of foreign matter from the cleaning tape using adhesive tape, if adhesive remains on the cleaning tape, there is the risk of the adhesive ending up remaining on the cleaning tape and moreover adhering to the connection end face of the ferrule.
Accordingly, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical connector cleaning tool that can easily and reliably clean the connection end face of an optical connector in the state of the optical connector inserted in a connector housing. Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical component cleaning tool that can clean the end face of optical components.

Optical connector cleaning tool, cleaning tape, optical connector cleaning method, optical component cleaning tool


A drum washing machine including a cabinet, a tub disposed at an inside of the cabinet, a drum rotatively disposed at an inside of the tub, a condensing duct configured to condense moisture in air that is introduced from an inside of the drum, and a drying duct configured to heat air being introduced from the condensing duct to supply the heated air to an inside of the drum, wherein the condensing duct is coupled to a rear of the tub, while the drying duct is positioned at an upper portion of the condensing duct and is coupled to the cabinet, and in between the condensing duct and the drying duct, a buffer coupling member configured to mediate the condensing duct and the drying duct is provided.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a drum washing machine, and more particularly, to a drum washing machine having an improved assembly structure of a drying duct and a condensing duct.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a drum washing machine having a drying function is provided with a drying apparatus configured to dry laundry as heated air by a drying heater blows at an inside of an accommodating space in which the laundry is accommodated, and by using the drying apparatus as such, the drying function is independently performed, or the drying function is performed after a spin-dry is completed while interacting with a washing function.
In general, the drying apparatus of a washing machine is configured to evaporate the moisture of a laundry by supplying the heated air being heated by a heating apparatus to an inside of a drum to apply heat on the laundry, and by discharging the evaporated moisture after condensing the evaporated moisture, the drying of the laundry takes place.
The drying apparatus as such is configured to supply heated air to an inside of a drum, and is provided with a drying duct having a heating apparatus while one end of the drying duct is connected to a discharging hole of a blower fan and the other end of the drying duct is connected to communicate with an inside of the drum. The drying apparatus as such is also provided with a condensing duct configured to discharge the moist air formed at an inside of the drum after condensing the moisture in a process of guiding the moist air toward the blower fan, and the condensing duct has one end being connected to an inside of the drum to communicate with the inside of the drum, and the other end being connected to an intake hole of the blower fan.
The condensing duct and the drying duct may be assembled to a cabinet, and as such, the delivery of a vibration, which is generated by the driving of the drum washing machine, may be minimized, but a separate space configured for the drying duct and the condensing duct is needed. Thus, the miniaturization of the drum washing machine is difficult.
Meanwhile, the condensing duct and the drying duct may be assembled to a tub. In such case, securing an assembly space is easy, but since the vibration of the tub is directly delivered to the cabinet, a particular apparatus is needed to ensure durability.


A local power control arbiter is provided to interface with a global power control unit of a processing platform having a plurality of processing entities. The local power control arbiter controls a local processing unit of the processing platform. The local power arbiter has an interface to receive from the global power control unit, a local performance limit allocated to the local processing unit depending on a global power control evaluation and processing circuitry to determine any change to one or more processing conditions prevailing in the local processing unit on a timescale shorter than a duration for which the local performance limit is applied to the local processing unit by the global power control unit and to select a performance level for the local processing unit depending on both the local performance limit and the determined change, if any, to the prevailing processing conditions on the local processing unit.

Processors have dynamically changing power requirements depending on processing application (workload) demands. A number of different performance states of a processor may be implemented, for example, by selecting an execution frequency, f, and a corresponding processor core voltage, V. Processor power consumption, P, may be approximated as, P=ƒ*V2*C+leakage, where C is capacitance. The leakage is approximately a constant corresponding to power wasted as a result of applying a voltage to a transistor. Thus, the processor frequency and voltage may be increased when processing workload is high to run faster and this results in increased power consumption, whilst processor frequency and voltage may be reduced when the processor has a low workload or is idle to reduce power consumption.
On current processing platforms, active power management may be performed by dynamically scaling at least one of voltage and frequency, a technique known as Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS). The DVFS may be performed when processors demand higher (or lower) performance states and may be based on changes in processor utilization. Higher performance states (higher frequency states) are often granted by a DVFS controller unless there is some other constraint or limit that mitigates against the higher frequency choice, such as detection of thermal violations or peak current violations during processing. Operating at higher frequencies may not guarantee better processing throughput because processing conditions such as memory-dependent stalls may limit throughput. Monitoring of changes in processor utilization by DVFS algorithms may be performed at regular intervals, for example on millisecond timescales. An individual processor core may perform power governance on these timescales and other processing units on the same processing platform, such as one provided on a System on Chip (SoC), may send frequency requests to a global power governance algorithm. Where two or more processing entities are provided on the same processing platform, the DVFS algorithm may sequentially service performance level requests from different processing entities and allocate appropriate operating frequencies.


Systems and methods for ranking Web pages based on hyperlink information in a manner that is resistant to nepotistic links are provided. In one embodiment, a Web search service is provided for returning quality query results. The vulnerability of existing ranking algorithms, such as PageRank, to Web pages that are artificially generated for the sole purpose of inflating the score of target page(s) is addressed. Intuitively, it is recognized that it is less likely to reach a particular page on a Web server having many pages via a random jump than it is to reach a particular page on a Web server having few pages, which implies that the influence of such a page upon another page by linking to, or endorsing, the other page is diminished. Thus, in various non-limiting embodiments, each Web server, not each Web page, is assigned a guaranteed minimum score. This minimum score assigned to a server can then be divided among all the pages on that Web server.

Web search service(s) accept a query, e.g., from a user or an application, and return a list of results, e.g., documents or links to documents, which satisfy the query. It should be noted that the term "document" as used herein refers to any content that can be retrieved, and should not be construed to be limited to files, such as word processing documents or Web pages. To provide a satisfactory experience, this list of results should be ordered while considering that the documents that are most relevant to the user should appear first. A multitude of algorithms for ranking documents currently exist, and most Web search engines employ several of such algorithms, and rank the results of a query based on a combination of the ranks assigned by the different ranking algorithms.
The multitude of existing ranking algorithms can be classified based upon whether they are query-dependent (also called dynamic) or query-independent (also called static). Query-dependent ranking algorithms use the terms in the query while query-independent ranking algorithms do not; that is, query-independent ranking algorithms assign a quality score to each document on the Web. Consequently, query-independent ranking algorithms can advantageously be performed ahead of time and do not need to be rerun whenever a query is submitted.
Ranking algorithms can also be broadly classified into content-based, usage-based, and link-based ranking algorithms. Content-based ranking algorithms use the words in a document to rank the document (for example, a query-dependent content-based ranking algorithm might give higher scores to documents that contain the query terms early on in the document or in a large or boldfaced font). Usage-based ranking algorithms rank Web pages based on an estimate of how often they are viewed; such estimates can be produced by examining Web proxy logs or by monitoring click-throughs on a search engine's results pages. Finally, link-based ranking algorithms use the hyperlinks between Web pages to rank Web pages.
For example, a very naive static link-based ranking algorithm might assign a score to each Web page that is proportional to the number of links pointing to the page ("backlinks"), with the idea being that the links from other pages pointing to a page "endorse" that page. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1A, Web pages, A, B, C and D each contain three links to other Web pages ("outlinks"), as represented by the black rectangles in the Web pages. In this example, using the static link-based ranking algorithm, page D receives a lower score than page C because page D has no backlinks, whereas page C has one backlink L2 from page B and one backlink L1 from page A. It is noted that having downloaded pages A, B, C and D, it is deterministic how many outlinks each has, and where they link to, because the page can be read, but there may be yet some unknown backlinks, such as backlink LU, from some location not yet known that cannot be factored into the algorithm. The main drawback of this naive approach is that each "endorsement" is treated equally, making it an easy system to exploit.
PageRank is by far the most well-known query-independent link-based ranking algorithm, and accordingly its principles are set forth herein. PageRank builds upon the principles of the naive static link-based system of FIG. 1A by adding a recursive layer to the system. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, four Web pages are illustrated and the intuition of PageRank is shown. With PageRank, the score of the endorsing page is taken into account when assigning a score to the endorsed page. Thus, the weight of an endorsement from Web page E (with a score of 100) influences the score given to Web page G much more than an endorsement from Web page F (with a score of 9). Intuitively, one can think of the score of the endorsing page being divided up among its endorsees.
Mathematically, the intuition of the PageRank algorithm can be explained as follows: Assume that the set of known Web pages and links between them induces a graph with vertex set V (where each vertex corresponds to a Web page) and edge set E (where each edge (u,v) corresponds to a hyperlink from page u to page v). Let |V| denote the size of the set V, let O(u) denote the out-degree of vertex u (that is, the number of hyperlinks embedded in Web page u), and let p be a number between 0 and 1 (say, 0. 15). The PageRank R(v) of a Web page v is defined to be:
      R              (      v      )        =            p                      V                      +                  (                  1          -          p                )                                    ∑                                    (                              u                ,                v                            )                        ∈            E                                                        R                                      (              u              )                                            O                                      (              u              )
The PageRank formula is often explained as follows. Imagine a Web surfer who is performing a random walk on the Web. At every step along the walk, the surfer moves from one Web page to another, using the following algorithm: with some probability p, the surfer selects a Web page uniformly at random and jumps to it; otherwise, the surfer selects one of the outgoing hyperlinks in the current page uniformly at random and follows it. Because of this metaphor, the number p is sometimes called the "jump probability" —the probability that the surfer will jump to a completely random page. If the Web surfer jumps with probability p and there are |V| Web pages, the probability to jump to a particular page is p/|V|. Since any page can be reached by jumping, every page is guaranteed a score of at least p/|V|.
PageRank scores can be used to rank query results. With all other factors being the same, a search engine employing PageRank will rank pages with high PageRank scores higher than those with low scores. Since most users of search engines examine only the first few results, operators of commercial Web sites have a vested interest that links to their sites appear early in the result listing, i.e., that their Web pages receive high PageRank scores. In other words, commercial Web site operators have an incentive to artificially increase the PageRank scores of the pages on their Web sites.
By analyzing the PageRank formula, it becomes evident that one way to increase the PageRank score of a Web page v is by having lots of other pages link to it. This is because the idea that Web pages are capable of endorsing other Web pages via their outlinks is at the heart of PageRank. If all of the pages that link to v have low PageRank scores, each individual page will contribute only very little. However, since every page is guaranteed to have a minimum PageRank score of p/|V|, links from many such low quality pages can still contribute a sizable total. This exposes a vulnerability of the PageRank algorithm.
In practice, this vulnerability of PageRank is being exploited by Web sites that contain a very large set of pages whose only purpose is to "endorse" their main home page. Typically, these endorsing pages contain a link to the page that is to be endorsed, and another link to another endorsing page. All the endorsing pages are created automatically on the fly. Thus, a Web crawler, once it has stumbled across any of the endorsing pages, continues to download more endorsing pages (because of the fact that endorsing pages link to other endorsing pages), thereby accumulating a large number of them. This large number of pages, all of them endorsing a single page, artificially inflates the PageRank score of the page that is being endorsed. The techniques used to artificially inflate PageRank scores are colloquially known as "link spamming" or "link spam."
It is also known that personalized PageRank scores can create a view of the Web from a particular perspective. For example, by taking a user's bookmarks and inflating the PageRank scores of those pages in the user's bookmarks, a personalized PageRank scoring system is achieved. In essence, the user, designating a Web page as a bookmark, has implicitly endorsed the Web page as one upon which the user would like a scoring system to be based. While it is rare that a user would select a "link spam" page as a bookmark, let alone many "link spam" pages, the idea of personalized PageRank does not explicitly deal with the problem of link spamming because there is still a minimum score associated with each link spam Web page.
Thus, while the basic idea is sound, the results of PageRank are subject to interference introduced by nepotistic links, i.e., a family of pages can be created for the purpose of self-endorsement and promotion without consideration of the real merit of the endorser or the endorsee. While it is known that the problem of link spam exists with respect to PageRank scores, a solution has eluded the art.
Accordingly, an improved query-independent link-based ranking algorithm is desired. More particularly, improved ranking systems and methods are desired that significantly reduce the effect(s) of nepotistic links. Furthermore, improved ranking systems and methods are desired that reduce a link spammer's incentive to create a family of self-endorsing Web pages for the purpose of artificially inflating PageRank scores associated with target Web page endorsee(s).

Systems and methods for ranking documents based upon structurally interrelated information


A method for producing an encapsulated toner for heat-and-pressure fixing including the step of forming a heat-fusible core material containing at least a thermoplastic resin and a shell, the shell being formed so as to coat surfaces of the heat-fusible core material with an amorphous polyester by in situ polymerization. In this method, a pH of a suspension during polymerization is adjusted to a range of 9 to 13, and an acid value of the amorphous polyester is from 0.1 to 15 KOH mg/g.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encapsulated toner for heat-and-pressure fixing used for development of electrostatic latent images in such techniques as electrophotography, electrostatic printing, and electrostatic recording, and a method for producing the above encapsulated toner.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,297,691 and 2,357,809 and other publications, conventional electrophotography comprises the steps of forming an electrostatic latent image by evenly charging a photoconductive insulating layer, subsequently exposing the layer to eliminate the charge on the exposed portion and visualizing the formed image by adhering colored charged fine powder, known as a toner, to the latent image (a developing process); transferring the obtained visible image to an image-receiving sheet, such as a transfer paper (a transfer process); and permanently fixing the transferred image by heating, pressure application or other appropriate means of fixing (a fixing process).
As indicated above, the toner must meet the requirements not only of the development process, but also of the transfer process and the fixing process.
Further, toners have to meet the requirement of environmental stability wherein toners do not undergo changes in such properties as triboelectric charges regardless of the serviceable environmental conditions of low-temperature, low-humidity conditions to high-temperature, high-humidity conditions, and it is also required that the toners have to be sufficiently charged both positively and negatively. However, when a polyester resin is used for the toner, since the polyester resin has a carboxyl group as a functional group, it is strongly negatively chargeable, thereby making it disadvantageous to make a positively chargeable toner. Moreover, the larger the content of the carboxyl group, the more susceptible to environmental changes, particularly in humidity conditions in the resulting toner.
Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-163469 and 03-189657 disclose that it is extremely effective to control the acid value to a low value in the polyester in order to achieve excellent environmental stability in a toner containing a polyester resin.
On the other hand, techniques for improving low-temperature fixing ability by using, as a toner, an encapsulated toner comprising a core material and a shell formed so as to coat the surfaces of the core material have been proposed.
Among such toners, those having a core material made of a low-melting wax which is easily plastically deformable, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,626 and Japanese Patent Examined Publication Nos. 46-15876, are poor in fixing strength, so that they can be used only in limited areas, although they can be fixed only by pressure. Further, in the case where toners having a liquid core material are used, when the shell strength is too low, the shell materials tend to break in the developer device and stain the inside thereof, thereby making it difficult to control the strength of the shell materials.
Therefore, as a toner for heat-and-pressure fixing, an encapsulated toner for heat roller fixing has been proposed, which comprises a core material made of a resin having a low glass transition temperature which serves to improve the fixing strength, though blocking at a high temperature may take place if used alone, and a shell made of a high-melting point resin wall which is formed by interfacial polymerization for the purpose of imparting a blocking resistance to the toner.
The encapsulated toners mentioned above including those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-56352 and other encapsulated toners with additional improvements have been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 58-205162, 58-205163, 63-128357, 63-128358, 63-128359, 63-128360, 63-128361, and 63-128362). However, since these toners are prepared by a spray drying method, a higher load to the equipment for the production thereof becomes necessary. In addition, they cannot fully exhibit the performance of the core material, because they have not come up with a solution for the problems in the shell material.
Therefore, an encapsulated toner using a compound having a thermal dissociation property as a shell material (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-212169) and an encapsulated toner using an amorphous polyester as a shell material have been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-130713). In cases of producing the encapsulated toners mentioned above, from the viewpoint of simplifying the production process and the production facilities, the above encapsulated toners are advantageously produced by a process comprising the steps of suspending polymerizable monomers in a dispersion medium, and forming a shell by interfacial polymerization or in situ polymerization.
However, particularly in the case where an amorphous polyester having too low an acid value, for instance, an acid value of 3 KOH mg/g or less, is used, the polyester is less likely to exudate to the surfaces of the liquid droplets during in situ polymerization, thereby resulting in poor storage stability of the toner.
An object of the present invention is to provide an encapsulated toner for heat-and-pressure fixing having excellent environmental stability and storage stability, and also having excellent positive triboelectric chargeability even when low-acid value polyesters are used.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing the above encapsulated toner.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

Encapsulated toner for heat-and-pressure fixing and method for producing the same


A test gas leakage detection assembly (1) includes an inlet (2), a detector (3) in the form of a mass spectrometer, a first friction pump stage (5) which is driven in counter-flow, a second friction pump stage (7). The assembly further includes an intermediate connection (6) between the first and second friction pump stages, a pre-vacuum pump (8), a first connection line (13) which can be shut off between the leakage detector inlet (2) and the inlet side (9) of the pre-vacuum pump (8), and a second connection line (15) which can be shut off between the leakage detector inlet (2) and the intermediate connection (6). In order to detect leaks without using oil, the pre-vacuum pump (8) is a diaphragm pump. In order to shorten the response time, it is advantageous if the conductance of the second connection line (15) between the inlet (2) of the leakage detection assembly (1) and the intermediate inlet (6) is adjustable.

The invention concerns a test gas leakage detection assembly.
A test gas leakage detection assembly having certain characteristics is known from DE-A-31 24 205. In a test gas leakage detector of that kind it is possible to perform a leakage detection process in two stages. As long as the pressure within the inlet area is still relatively high, the valve in the line leading to the intermediate connection remains closed. The gas mixture sucked in by the pre-vacuum pump arrives at the pre-vacuum side of the second stage of the friction pump. If there is test gas (helium, for example) already present in this gas owing to a relatively large leakage, it will then pass in a counter-flow through both stages of the friction pump into the detector and it is recorded. If the test sample does not have a large leakage, the valve in the line leading to the intermediate connection may be opened, so that the leakage detection process may be performed at a higher sensitivity.
In the described test gas leakage detector according to the state-of-the-art, the pre-vacuum pump is an oil-sealed pump so that there exists the danger of oil vapours entering the test sample connected at the inlet of the test gas leakage detector or the test chamber.


The present invention relates in general to systems used to process images. In particular, the present invention is an image segmentation system and method used to isolate the segmented image of a target person, animal, or object from an ambient image which includes the target person, animal, or object, in addition to the area surrounding the target. The invention supports the ability of an airbag deployment system to distinguish between different types of occupants by providing such deployment systems with a segmented image of the occupant. The invention is particularly useful at night or in other environments involving inadequate light or undesirable shadows. The invention can use histograms and cumulative distribution functions to perform image thresholding. Morphological erosion and dilation can be used to eliminate optical “noise” from the image. Gap filling is performed on the basis of the “momentum” and “gravity” of regions of similar pixel values. An upper ellipse can generated to represent the upper torso of the occupant. The invention is highly flexible, and can be modified in accordance with the desired use.

The present invention relates in general to systems and techniques used to isolate a segmented image of a person or object from an ambient image of the area surrounding and including the person or object. In particular, the present invention relates to isolating a segmented image of an occupant from the ambient image of an occupant, where the ambient image of the occupant includes both the occupant and the area surrounding the occupant, so that the deployment of an airbag can be prevented or modified due to the characteristics of the segmented image of the occupant.
There are many situations in which it is desirable to isolate the segmented image of a "targeted" person or object from an ambient image which includes images ancillary to the "targeted" person or object. Airbag deployment systems can be one application of such a technology. Airbag deployment systems may need to make various deployment decisions that relate in one way or another to the image of an occupant. Airbag deployment systems can alter their behavior based on a wide variety of factors that ultimately relate in one way or another to the occupant. The type of occupant, the proximity of an occupant to the airbag, the velocity and acceleration of an occupant, the mass of the occupant, the amount of energy an airbag needs to absorb as a result of an impact between the airbag and the occupant, and other airbag deployment considerations may utilize characteristics of the occupant that can be obtained from a segmented image of the occupant.
There are significant obstacles in the existing art with regards to image segmentation techniques. First, prior art techniques do not function well in darker environments, such as when a car is being driven at night. Certain parts of a human occupant image can be rendered virtually invisible by darkness, depriving an airbag deployment system of accurate information. Second, such techniques do not compensate for varying degrees of darkness resulting from the fact that different parts of the occupant will be at different angles and distances from a sensor or light source. It is beneficial for different regions in the occupant image to be treated differently. Third, existing techniques do not maximize the intelligence that can be incorporated into the segmentation process when there is a specific type of segmented image. There are anatomical aspects of a human occupant that can be used to refine the raw segmented image of an occupant that is captured by a camera or other sensor. For example, the fact that all parts of a human being are connected, and the inherent nature of those connections, can enhance the ability of a segmentation process to determine which image pixels relate to the occupant, and which image pixels relate the area surrounding the occupant. The knowledge that the occupant is likely in some sort of seated position can also be used to apply more intelligence to a raw ambient image.


A single-site olefin polymerization catalyst and method of making it are disclosed. The catalyst comprises an activator and an organometallic complex. The complex comprises a Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal, M, and at least one chelating N-oxide ligand that is bonded to M. Molecular modeling results indicate that single-site catalysts based on certain chelating N-oxide ligands (e.g., 2-hydroxypyridine) will rival the performance of catalysts based on cyclopentadienyl and substituted cyclopentadienyl ligands.

The invention relates to catalysts useful for olefin polymerization. In particular, the invention relates to xe2x80x9csingle-sitexe2x80x9d catalysts that incorporate at least one chelating N-oxide ligand.
Interest in single-site (metallocene and non-metallocene) catalysts continues to grow rapidly in the polyolefin industry. These catalysts are more reactive than Ziegler-Natta catalysts, and they produce polymers with improved physical properties. The improved properties include narrow molecular weight distribution, reduced low molecular weight extractables, enhanced incorporation of xcex1-olefin comonomers, lower polymer density, controlled content and distribution of long-chain branching, and modified melt rheology and relaxation characteristics.
Traditional metallocenes commonly include one or more cyclopentadienyl groups, but many other ligands have been used. Putting substituents on the cyclopentadienyl ring, for example, changes the geometry and electronic character of the active site. Thus, a catalyst structure can be fine-tuned to give polymers with desirable properties. Other known single-site catalysts replace cyclopentadienyl groups with one or more heteroatomic ring ligands such as boraaryl (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,775), pyrrolyl, indolyl, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,124), or azaborolinyl groups (U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,866). Amine oxides are widely used in the polymer industry as stabilizers (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,114), and many are commercially available. Seldom, however, have amine oxides been used in a process for polymerizing olefins or as a component of an olefin polymerization catalyst. An exception is U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,060, which teaches to use sterically hindered heterocyclic amine oxides (such as pyridine N-oxide or 2,6-lutidine N-oxide) in combination with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst (titanium trichloride, a trialkyl aluminum, and a dialkyl aluminum halide) to polymerize propylene. The amine oxide reduces the amount of low-molecular-weight, alkane-soluble impurities in the desired product, crystalline polypropylene.
In contrast, single-site olefin polymerization catalysts that contain N-oxide ligands are not known. Also unknown are catalysts that incorporate a chelating N-oxide ligand, i.e., one that can form a chelate using the N-oxide oxygen atom and a second atom that can donate an electron pair to the transition metal.
The commercial availability of many N-oxides and the ease with which a host of other interesting N-oxide ligands can be prepared (e.g., by simply oxidizing the corresponding tertiary amine with hydrogen peroxide or a peracid) suggests that single-site catalysts with advantages such as higher activity and better control over polyolefin properties are within reach. Ideally, these catalysts would avoid the all-too-common, multi-step syntheses from expensive, hard-to-handle starting materials and reagents.
The invention is a single-site olefin polymerization catalyst. The catalyst comprises an activator and an organometallic complex. The organometallic complex comprises a Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal, M, and at least one chelating N-oxide ligand that is bonded to M.
Evidence from molecular modeling studies suggests that single-site catalysts based on chelating N-oxide ligands (e.g., 2-hydroxypyridine N-oxide) will rival the performance of catalysts based on cyclopentadienyl and substituted cyclopentadienyl ligands.
The invention includes a simple synthetic route to the single-site olefin polymerization catalysts. The ease and inherent flexibility of the synthesis puts polyolefin makers in charge of a new family of single-site catalysts.
Catalysts of the invention comprise an activator and an organometallic complex. The catalysts are xe2x80x9csingle sitexe2x80x9d in nature, i.e., they are distinct chemical species rather than mixtures of different species. They typically give polyolefins with characteristically narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn less than 3) and good, uniform comonomer incorporation.
The organometallic complex includes a Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal, M. More preferred complexes include a Group 4 to 6 transition metal; most preferably, the complex contains a Group 4 metal such as titanium or zirconium.
The organometallic complex also comprises at least one chelating N-oxide ligand that is bonded to the metal. By xe2x80x9cchelating,xe2x80x9d we mean that the ligand can bind to a transition metal using the oxygen atom of the amine oxide and one other atom that can donate an electron pair to the metal. The other atom is preferably separated from the amine oxide oxygen by 2 to 5 atoms. The other electron-donating atom can be neutral (as in a hydroxyl, alkoxy, or amino group) or anionic (as in a deprotonated hydroxyl, deprotonated amine, or carbanion). In preferred chelating N-oxide ligands, the electron-donating atom is anionic. In other words, the ligand is preferably deprotonated before incorporating it into the transition metal complex. The electron-donating atom can be oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, or carbon.
A preferred class of chelating N-oxide ligands are heterocyclic aromatic amine oxides that have an electron-donating atom ortho to the amine oxide nitrogen. Deprotonation of these ligands generates a resonance-stabilized anion. Ligands in this group include, for example, N-substituted imidazole N-oxides, pyridine N-oxides, and lutidine N-oxides that have an electron-donating group in the ortho position. Examples include 2-hydroxy-1-methylimidazole N-oxide, 2-hydroxypyridine N-oxide, 2-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide, 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethyllutidine N-oxide, 2-(Nxe2x80x2-methylamino)pyridine N-oxide, 2-(2-phenethyl-2-oxo)pyridine N-oxide, and the like. Also suitable are heterocyclic amine oxides having an electron-donating atom within 3 atoms of the amine oxide nitrogen. An example is 8-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide.
Other aliphatic and cycloaliphatic amine oxides having electron donor groups are also suitable because of their ability to stabilize the transition metal in an active single-site complex. Examples are N-hydroxyethyl-N,N-dibutylamine N-oxide, N-hydroxyethyl-N,N-diphenylamine N-oxide, N-methyl(2-hydroxymethyl)piperidine N-oxide, N-methoxyethyl-N,N-dimethylamine N-oxide, and the like.
The amine oxides are conveniently prepared by oxidizing the corresponding tertiary amines with hydrogen peroxide or a peroxyacid in aqueous or organic media according to well-known methods. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,955,633, 5,710,333, 5,082,940, 4,748,275, 4,504,666, and 4,247,480, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Suitable chelating N-oxides also include those prepared by oxidizing a nitrogen of the corresponding imines (Rxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90CRxe2x80x2Rxe2x80x3) or azo compounds (Rxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2) that have an electron donor group within 5 atoms of the N-oxide oxygen. In the formulas, R and Rxe2x80x2 are alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl (preferably both aryl) groups, and Rxe2x80x3 is hydrogen or an alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl group. Examples from these groups are azobis(2-hydroxybenzene) N-oxide (I) and benzophenone N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)imine N-oxide (II):
More precisely, compound (I) is an xe2x80x9cazoxybenzenexe2x80x9d (see J. March, Advanced Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., (1977) p. 1111) and compound (II) is a xe2x80x9cnitrone.xe2x80x9d Nitrones are conveniently prepared by condensing aldehydes (e.g., benzaldehyde) and hydroxylamines (e.g., N-phenylhydroxylamine) as shown in Organic Syntheses, Coll. Vol. V, p. 1124. Nitrones can also be made by imine oxidation using a peroxyacid (J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. I (1977) 254), by hydrogen peroxide oxidation of secondary amines in the presence of aqueous sodium tungstate (Org. Synth., Coll. Vol. IX, p. 632 and J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. (1984) 874), and by imine oxidation with N-methylhydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid (Synthesis (1977) 318).
The organometallic complex optionally includes one or more additional polymerization-stable, anionic ligands. Examples include substituted and unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl, fluorenyl, and indenyl, or the like, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,791,180 and 4,752,597, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. A preferred group of polymerization-stable ligands are heteroatomic ligands such as boraaryl, pyrrolyl, indolyl, quinolinyl, pyridinyl, and azaborolinyl as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,554,775, 5,539,124, 5,637,660, and 5,902,866, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. Suitable polymerization-stable ligands include indenoindolyl anions such as those described in PCT publication WO 99/24446. The organometallic complex also usually includes one or more labile ligands such as halides, alkyls, alkaryls, aryls, dialkylaminos, or the like. Particularly preferred are halides, alkyls, and alkaryls (e.g., chloride, methyl, benzyl).
The chelating N-oxide ligands and/or polymerization-stable ligands can be bridged. For instance, a xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2CH2xe2x80x94, or (CH3)2Si bridge can be used to link two chelating N-oxide ligands or an N-oxide ligand and a polymerization-stable ligand. Groups that can be used to bridge the ligands include, for example, methylene, ethylene, 1,2-phenylene, and dialkyl silyls. Normally, only a single bridge is included. Bridging changes the geometry around the transition or lanthanide metal and can improve catalyst activity and other properties such as comonomer incorporation.
Exemplary organometallic complexes:
zirconium(2-oxypyridine N-oxide)trichloride,
titanium(2-oxypyridine N-oxide)trimethyl,
zirconium bis(8-oxyquinoline N-oxide)dichloride,
zirconium bis(2-(Nxe2x80x2-methylamido)pyridine N-oxide)dichloride,
hafnium(N-(2-oxyethyl)-N,N-di-n-butylamine N-oxide)trichloride
zirconium(2-oxymethyl-N-methylpiperidine N-oxide)trichloride
titanium(2-oxypyridine N-oxide)tribenzyl
zirconium(1-methylborabenzene)(2-oxypyridine N-oxide)dichloride
zirconium(cyclopentadienyl)(2-oxypyridine N-oxide)dimethyl and the like.
The catalysts include an activator. Suitable activators ionize the organometallic complex to produce an active olefin polymerization catalyst. Suitable activators are well known in the art. Examples include alumoxanes (methyl alumoxane (MAO), PMAO, ethyl alumoxane, diisobutyl alumoxane), alkylaluminum compounds (triethylaluminum, diethyl aluminum chloride, trimethylaluminum, triisobutyl aluminum), and the like. Suitable activators include acid salts that contain non-nucleophilic anions. These compounds generally consist of bulky ligands attached to boron or aluminum. Examples include lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)aluminate, anilinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and the like. Suitable activators also include organoboranes, which include boron and one or more alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl groups. Suitable activators include substituted and unsubstituted trialkyl and triarylboranes such as tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, triphenylborane, tri-n-octylborane, and the like. These and other suitable boron-containing activators are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,157, 5,198,401, and 5,241,025, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The amount of activator needed relative to the amount of organometallic complex depends on many factors, including the nature of the complex and activator, the desired reaction rate, the kind of polyolefin product, the reaction conditions, and other factors. Generally, however, when the activator is an alumoxane or an alkyl aluminum compound, the amount used will be within the range of about 0.01 to about 5000 moles, preferably from about 0.1 to about 500 moles, of aluminum per mole of M. When the activator is an organoborane or an ionic borate or aluminate, the amount used will be within the range of about 0.01 to about 5000 moles, preferably from about 0.1 to about 500 moles, of activator per mole of M.
If desired, a catalyst support such as silica or alumina can be used. However, the use of a support is generally not necessary for practicing the process of the invention.
The invention includes methods for making the organometallic complex. One method comprises deprotonating a chelating N-oxide anion precursor with at least one equivalent of a potent base such as lithium diisopropylamide, n-butyllithium, sodium hydride, a Grignard reagent, or the like. The resulting anion is reacted with a Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal source to produce an organometallic complex. The complex comprises the metal, M, and at least one chelating N-oxide ligand that is bonded to the metal. Any convenient source of the Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal can be used. Usually, the source is a complex that contains one or more labile ligands that are easily displaced by the N-oxide anion. Examples are halides (e.g., TiCl4, ZrCl4), alkoxides, amides, and the like. The metal source can incorporate one or more of the polymerization-stable anionic ligands described earlier. The organometallic complex can be used xe2x80x9cas is.xe2x80x9d Often, however, the complex is converted to an alkyl derivative by treating it with an alkylating agent such as methyl lithium. The alkylated complexes are more suitable for use with certain activators (e.g., ionic borates).
The N-oxide anion is preferably generated at low temperature (0xc2x0 C. to xe2x88x92100xc2x0 C.), preferably in an inert solvent (e.g., a hydrocarbon or an ether). The anion is then usually added to a solution of the transition or lanthanide metal source at low to room temperature. After the reaction is complete, by-products and solvents are removed to give the desired transition metal complex.
Some N-oxide ligands are nucleophilic enough to form suitable complexes without deprotonation. Much will depend upon the specific transition metal used, the other ligands, the reaction conditions used to make the complex, and other factors. In one suitable approach, a chelating N-oxide compound that contains a labile hydrogen (e.g., 2-hydroxypyridine N-oxide) reacts directly with an alkyl-substituted transition metal complex (e.g., tetrabenzylzirconium) or with a metal halide complex (e.g., cyclopentadienylzirconium trichloride) in the presence of an acid scavenger such as triethylamine.
The catalysts of the invention are particularly valuable for polymerizing olefins. Preferred olefins are ethylene and C3-C20 xcex1-olefins such as propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, and the like. Mixtures of olefins can be used. Ethylene and mixtures of ethylene with C3-C10 xcex1-olefins are especially preferred.
Many types of olefin polymerization processes can be used. Preferably, the process is practiced in the liquid phase, which can include slurry, solution, suspension, or bulk processes, or a combination of these. High-pressure fluid phase or gas phase techniques can also be used. The process of the invention is particularly valuable for solution and slurry processes. Suitable methods for polymerizing olefins using the catalysts of the invention are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,902,866, 5,637,659, and 5,539,124, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The olefin polymerizations can be performed over a wide temperature range, such as about xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C. to about 280xc2x0 C. A more preferred range is from about 30xc2x0 C. to about 180xc2x0 C.; most preferred is the range from about 60xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C. Olefin partial pressures normally range from about 15 psia to about 50,000 psia. More preferred is the range from about 15 psia to about 1000 psia.
Catalyst concentrations used for the olefin polymerization depend on many factors. Preferably, however, the concentration ranges from about 0.01 micromoles per liter to about 100 micromoles per liter. Polymerization times depend on the type of process, the catalyst concentration, and other factors. Generally, polymerizations are complete within several seconds to several hours.
The following examples merely illustrate the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many variations that are within the spirit of the invention and scope of the claims.

Single-site catalysts containing chelating N-oxide ligands


The present invention comprises a rollover vent valve for mounting on a vehicle fuel tank to selectively vent fuel vapor from the fuel tank to a vapor trap such as a carbon canister. The valve includes a liquid fuel responsive control element connected to a valve element via lever arm structure to move the valve element between open and closed venting positions on a valve seat. The mechanical opening advantage obtained with the lever arm structure provides for a powerful peel-away action to ensure opening of the valve despite a tank/canister pressure differential acting to maintain the valve element in the closed position. In one embodiment the lever arm structure includes a hammer-claw mechanism to provide an initial pivotal opening force using the maximum potential of the lever arm, and a subsequent rectilinear opening force.

Rollover vent valves are well known in the art for venting fuel vapor from a vehicle fuel tank to the atmosphere or, more recently, to a vapor recovery system such as a carbon canister. Such valves typically vent the interior of the fuel tank to the carbon canister when the fuel in the tank is below the level of the valve, and are closed by a float when the fuel surges in a rollover situation. Closing the valve in response to surging liquid fuel level prevents the overflow of liquid fuel into the carbon canister. If employed as a fill-control vent valve, rather than a rollover vent valve, closure is in response to a full fuel level rather than surge and results in a pressure head within the fuel tank and filler pipe to operate automatic shutoff apparatus built into the fuel fill nozzle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,262 to R. Bergsma, issued Jun. 28, 1988, a rollover vent valve having a venting outlet closed by a peel-away valve disc is disclosed. When liquid fuel reaches the valve a float member is raised to force the valve disc against the vent outlet, thereby closing it to prevent fuel from reaching the canister. In order to ensure positive opening of the valve when the fuel level drops, the float and the structure connecting it to the valve plate operate to circumferentially lever or peel the valve plate off the vent outlet.
As noted in the above-cited patent, increasing the rate of vapor flow from the fuel tank through the valve to the canister requires an increase in the area of the valve vent outlet. Providing the valve with a large vent outlet increases the force acting to maintain the valve in the closed position once the fuel level drops; i.e., the greater the area of the vent outlet, the greater the closing force on the valve plate caused by the tank/canister pressure differential. With a large vent outlet and corresponding valve plate subjected to a substantial tank/canister pressure differential, the float can "hang-up" despite a drop in the fuel level. The valve would then remain closed, resulting in a rapid and undesirable buildup of pressure in the unvented tank.

Fluid-responsive vent control valve with peel-away opening action


A film circuit connector in which respective conductive tracks in film contact areas on front, mating faces are pressed together into electrical connection between side walls of a metal channel-section receptacle spring and a compressible elastomeric plug spring which engage respective rear faces of the films, the compressible plug spring providing a counter-force to the receptacle spring force, accommodating any variations in receptacle spring force arising longitudinally thereof, ensuring constant contact force between all tracks. Tabs for anchoring and grounding the receptacle spring to the circuit board are struck out and bent down from opposite walls of the receptacle spring, enabling electrical shielding of contact areas. Linking portions of conductive tracks connecting the mating contact portions on the front face of the film to board connecting portions, are formed on the rear face of the film for electrical and mechanical protection and may be insulated on all sides. Film positioning and clamping members in the receptacle locate end film portions inwardly minimizing occupation of board space.

The increasing miniaturization of electrical devices together with the often conflicting requirements for high volume, mass production at low manufacturing and applied cost but with zero defect, place exacting demands on connectors and associated circuitry.
Attempts to satisfy such requirements are described in the above-mentioned parent application as well as in Japanese patent publication number 3-112082 published May, 1991 in which the receptacle connector 310 of a film connector comprises a housing 311 molded in one piece of insulating plastic material with a plug receiving cavity 311a opening to a mating face 311b, film circuit supporting members 312 and 313 respectively, in each of which flexible film circuits 314 and 315, respectively, are insert molded to form integral bodies retained inserted in the housing 311 by an elongate T-section base member 317. Prior to insertion, a pair of identical helical coil springs 316 are mounted in longitudinally extending through-slots or grooves in the film circuit supporting members 312, 313 behind film circuit contact areas 314a and 315a biassing then to protrude into the cavity 311a.
The plug connector 320 comprises a housing 321 having a receptacle connector receiving cavity 312a, first and second film circuit supporting and locating members 322 and 323, respectively, first and second film or sheet-form flexible circuits or boards 324 and 325, respectively, in-molded in respective film circuit supporting members to form integral bodies which are inserted in the housing and retained by a base member 327 of generally T-shaped cross-section. Film circuit contact areas 324a and 325a remain exposed during the in-molding process and are pressed into engagement with contact areas 314a and 314b, respectively, on mating the plug and receptacle connectors with resilient depression of the springs 316. Connection to respective circuit boards 301 ad 302 is effected with training portions of the film circuit which extend out of the respective housings adjacent the circuit boards by a reflow soldering technique.
A disadvantage of such approach is that the counter-force to the spring contact force acts directly on the plastic walls 311 of the receptacle housing tending to distort or distend the walls by bending with a risk of breakage and decrease or loss of contact force. Clearly, increasing the contact force to assure more reliable electrical connection increases the stress on the housing while any distortion of the housing walls, which may be progressive over time, e.g. creep, will reduce the contact force and reduce reliability.
Similar problems may arise with another prior receptacle connector described in Japanese patent publication number UM 56-59774 and acknowledged as prior art in the parent application with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22 thereof, in which film circuits have leading ends secured around a cylindrical body of metal loaded elastomer located in a housing compartment adjacent the mating face and providing the contact force.
In a different approach, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication 40-2588 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,356 to Crimmins, issued Oct. 27, 1964, reliance for contact pressure between engaging film circuits of matable parts and receptacle connectors is placed on inwardly projecting, curved, protuberances on end portions of walls of a spring which has been bent into channel or U-section within which the film circuit extends in slack condition. The spring is formed by bending a metal plate resulting in risk of an unevenness of the curvature of the protuberance along the length of the spring which may also be subject to relaxation while, the slack condition of the film circuit increases risk of shift and contact misalignment, particularly with conductive tracks at desirably small pitches. In addition, in that construction, the channel walls should be relatively long (high, increasing the size of the connector structure undesirably).
There is clearly a risk that an uneven spring contact force will result in faulty connection to some circuit paths.
Further problems may arise in using conventional film circuitry both on mating, when frictional engagement or butting together of the conductive tracks of the film circuit possibly causes peeling or abrasion thereof, or inadvertent cross connection at the surface of the circuit board arising from using the reflow solder process with conductors at very close pitch.
Other problems arise in securely anchoring the connectors to the circuit board with increased risk of accidental abutment or strain as a result of the high density of components on the circuit board and the consequently increased desirability of at least some degree of effective electrical shielding while occupying a minimum of circuit board area.


A resilient deformable sealing strip for sealing a gap between a window jamb and a rough opening of a window includes a generally V-shaped body portion formed of resilient material having two wing portions having proximal and distal ends, said proximal ends meeting at a common vertex and diverging from each other at a predetermined angle. The body portion has a planar axis defined between the vertex and extending away from the vertex toward a midpoint between the distal ends of the wing portions, where the planar axis bisects the predetermined angle. The wing portions are configured to compressibly deform toward each other in a direction orthogonal to the planar axis to permit the body portion to compress and sealingly fill the gap between the window jamb and the rough opening of the window. Each wing portion has at least one of a linear channel and a linear rib disposed on an outside surface of the wing portion and extending along a length of the body portion. The at least one linear channel and linear rib are configured to deform in response to deformation of the wing portions to grippingly and sealingly engage a surface of the window jamb or a surface of the rough opening, respectively, forming a sealingly resilient barrier therebetween.

The present invention relates generally to weather stripping and more specifically to a deformable weather stripping especially useful in sealing and thermally insulating the space or gap between a window jamb and a rough opening of a window.
Modern construction techniques in both commercial and residential buildings typically rely on the use of prefabricated windows. Such prefabricated windows are installed in a "rough" opening in the wall which is dimensionally similar to the dimensions of the prefabricated window. A slight gap of up to one inch between the window edges or jambs and the rough opening is typically allowed to account for variations in measurement error and workmanship. Shims, typically made of scrap wood, are usually inserted to fill the gaps and to provide structural support.
Various forms of thermal insulating material, such as fiberglass, solid or liquid foam, paper products and the like are "stuffed" or "blown" into the gap area to fill the void. Caulking material is then applied around the gap to form a weather-tight seal and decorative trim is applied to hide the caulking.
Known methods for sealing the gap between the window jamb and the rough opening, such as insertion of fiberglass insulation into the gap, are time consuming and imprecise. Such a method may require between twenty to thirty minutes to insert the fiberglass and apply the caulking or bonding material. A worker must use a tool, such as a screwdriver or a spatula, to essentially fold the fiberglass material along an imaginary centerline and "stuff" it into the gap. Since the fiberglass is generally bent in half, the half sections tend to shift and twist when inserted using the tool such that uneven portions of insulation are wedged into the gap. Insertion in such a manner causes the material to twist and deform asymmetrically leading to nonuniform distribution of insulation within the gap.
If the gaps are particularly wide, it becomes difficult to hold the fiberglass in place within the gap while adding additional fiberglass. This increases installation time and cost. Since is it difficult to apply the fiberglass uniformly within the gap, the thermal insulation value along the gap varies.
Furthermore, all buildings shift and settle in time causing movement along beams and within wall structures. This often causes the gap between the window jamb and the rough opening to shift or slightly change shape. Fiberglass insulation, which has been stuffed into the gap, does not conform to such dimensional changes in the size of the gap causing the insulation to essentially pull away from either the window jamb or the border of the rough opening. This results in a reduced thermal insulation value and higher energy costs.
The caulking or bonding material applied to the gap to fully seal the gap is even more intolerant of building settling. Small dimensional changes in the size of the gap cause the caulking to crack and split, thus possibly allowing air flow through the gap, again reducing insulation value. Cracked caulking may also allow water vapor to pass through the gap, thus causing condensation problems.
In addition to building settling, wood structures tend to swell and shrink depending on climatic conditions, seasonal changes and the progression of time. Such changes compound the problems associated with the use of fiberglass insulation and caulking.
Furthermore, use of fiberglass insulation may give rise to environmental concerns. Workers using fiberglass products typically must, at least, wear a face mask. Contact between fiberglass insulation products and the skin is also ill-advised as it may be extremely irritating and may cause skin rashes. Use of liquid foam insulation also raises environmental concerns as the liquid vapors are toxic and must be avoided.
Known hard rubber and foam products have been used to seal joints between roadway sections, pavement and expansion joints. However, such hard rubber products are not well-suited for thermally insulating and sealing the gap between the window jamb and the rough opening of the window since they can not adequately deform to the dimensional changes associated with window installation. Further, such hard rubber products cannot be compressed without causing damage or deformation of the wooden or thin metal window structures.
Accordingly, it is a object of the present invention to substantially overcome the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a compressible foam weather stripping that deforms and compresses to fill a gap between a window jamb and a rough window opening.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compressible foam weather stripping that uniformly thermally insulates a gap between a window jamb and a rough window opening and eliminates the need for caulking compound.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a compressible foam weather stripping that accommodates changes in gap size due to building settling and material swelling and shrinking.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a compressible foam weather stripping that is easy and quick to install using a simple tool.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a compressible foam weather stripping that can be used in a wide variety of gap sizes and in non-uniform gaps.


The invention provides a surface covering product, in particular a floor covering product, comprising boundary walls defining a lower face which in use faces a surface to be covered, said boundary walls having an upper face extending up to 60 cm from said lower face, said boundary walls dividing a part of said surface to be covered into at least partially enclosed surface parts and providing a boundary for at least one filling composition in said at least partially enclosed surface parts, wherein said surface covering product further comprises a base web having said boundary walls coupled to said base web for holding said boundary walls in position, and said base web comprises an upper surface below said upper face of said boundary walls, and a lower surface which in use rests on said surface to be covered, said boundary walls are coupled on top of said base web, and in use said filling composition covers said base web and at least part of said boundary walls, and wherein at least said boundary walls are formed in a three-dimensional (3D) printing process.

Many surface covering products and methods have been proposed over the decades. An example of a surface covering method and system provide walls that divide the surface up into surface parts, in particular enclosed surface parts.
Such a system and method can in general be a so called "grass tile" that can be used outdoors. The open tiles allow grass to grow in the enclosed surface parts, or may hold pebbles.
Another known example of such a method and system provide a terrazzo floor covering. Many systems and methods have been proposed though the decades for making and providing a terrazzo floor. In most of these publications, like for instance U.S. Pat. No. 1,568,012 of 1924, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,832,836, 1,900,704, 1,998,346, 2,007,955, 2, 038,742, and 5,185,192 focus on providing (mostly metal) strips for providing the boundary walls. All these boundary walls need to be places one by one and by hand.
Other way of producing a terrazzo floor or similar floor rely on for instance machining a solid plate of aluminium that only leaves the boundary walls standing. Other systems and methods provide metal grids having the boundary walls attached to them, where after placement first the metal grid is removed by grinding it away, leaving only the boundary walls standing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,587 provides a specific "divider strip" that simplifies introduction of a dilatation joint or expansion joint using metal strips.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,852 provides "design inlays" for a terrazzo floor.
All the proposed systems and methods for making an ornamented terrazzo floor are time-consuming, labour intense, costly, unprecise, material inefficient and/or cause a waste of material.
US2016/244980 in its abstract refers to: "A method for manufacturing a flooring or a coating with an inlay pattern on a substrate is disclosed which includes: a) preparing one or more inlays with an inlay material by an additive manufacturing process using a digital fabricator on the substrate at a predetermined position or predetermined positions, or on a second substrate different from the substrate to be provided with the flooring or coating; and b1) applying a curable flooring composition on the portions of the substrate not covered by the one or more inlays prepared, and curing the flooring composition, or b2) preparing a flooring by an additive manufacturing process, or b3) applying a curable coating composition on the substrate and the one or more inlays, and curing the coating composition."
US2014/231616 in its abstract describes: "A formliner, sheet, system, and methods of use and manufacture are provided in order to provide a product that can minimize and/or eliminate visible seaming between interconnected formliners during fabrication of a pattern on a curable material. In some embodiments, the formliner can comprise raised sections that define interrelated inner and outer dimensions. Thus, a plurality of formliners can be interconnected by overlaying raised sections thereof. Further, the formliner can comprise one or more detents and one or more protrusions to enable engagement between interconnected formliners without requiring adhesives. In this manner, formliners can be interconnected in a nested manner such that visible seaming between the interconnected formliners is reduced and/or eliminated." These relate to decorative masonry and regular patterns.

Surface covering product, a method for making a surface covering, and a series of surface covering tiles


A semi-conductor based imager includes a microlens array having microlenses with modified focal characteristics. The microlenses are made of a microlens material, the melting properties of which are selectively modified to obtain different shapes after a reflow process. Selected microlenses, or portions of each microlens, are modified, by exposure to ultraviolet light, for example, to control the microlens shape produced by reflow melting. Controlling the microlens shape allows for modification of the focal characteristics of selected microlenses in the microlens array.

Solid-state image sensors, also known as imagers, were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s primarily for television image acquisition, transmission, and display. An imager absorbs incident radiation of a particular wavelength (such as optical photons, x-rays, or the like) and generates an electrical signal corresponding to the absorbed radiation. There are a number of different types of semiconductor-based imagers, including charge coupled devices (CCDs), photodiode arrays, charge injection devices (CIDs), hybrid focal plane arrays, and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imagers. Current applications of solid-state imagers include cameras, scanners, machine vision systems, vehicle navigation systems, video telephones, computer input devices, surveillance systems, auto focus systems, star trackers, motion detector systems, image stabilization systems, and data compression systems for high-definition television.
Solid-state imagers typically consist of an array of pixel cells. Each pixel cell contains a photosensor that produces a signal corresponding to the intensity of light impinging on the photosensor. When an image is focused on the array of pixel cells, the combined signals may be used, for example, to display a corresponding image on a monitor or otherwise used to provide information about the optical image. The photosensors are typically phototransistors, photoconductors or photodiodes, in which the conductivity of the photosensor or the charge stored in a diffusion region corresponds to the intensity of light impinging on the photosensor. The magnitude of the signal produced by each pixel, therefore, is proportional to the amount of light impinging on the photosensor.
It is known in the art to use a microlens array with an imager pixel array. The microlens array typically includes a plano-convex microlens for each pixel. The microlenses focus incident radiation onto respective photosensors, thereby increasing the amount of light energy impinging on each photosensor. Other uses of microlens arrays include intensifying illuminating light on the pixels of a nonluminescent display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, to increase the brightness of the display, forming an image to be printed in a liquid crystal or light emitting diode printer, and coupling a luminescent device or a receptive device to an optical fiber as a focusing means.
Microlens arrays typically are formed by photolithographic patterning of a microlens material, such as a photoresist, into an array of microlens blocks. The microlenses may be separated from one another by troughs. The array of microlens blocks is subjected to a reflow process in which heat at temperatures of about 150° C.–170° C., for example, is applied to the microlens blocks for about 120 seconds. During the reflow process, the microlens block material melts, and the microlens blocks assume a curved, plano-convex lens shape. The height of the lenses is typically on the order of 3 μm or less. Further processing of the reflowed microlenses can include baking and packaging.
Prior to the reflow step, the microlens arrays can undergo a bleaching, or curing, process. Bleaching can prevent degradation of the microlenses when exposed to higher temperatures and improve transmissivity. The bleaching process may include a quick bleach step on the order of 5 to 10 seconds. Such bleaching typically is done using blanket exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Ultraviolet (UV) wavelength radiation that produces wavelengths of 350 nm to 430 nm can be used. UV radiation having wavelengths greater than 350 nm is very effective in removing photoactive material from the photoresist material. The photoactive material is believed to be responsible for some yellowing, transmissivity loss, and heat instability.
Generally, microlens arrays used for focusing light onto a pixel array are equipped with a color filter, such as a Bayer filter, whereby respective pixels of the pixel array collect light of specified wavelengths. Thus, some of the pixels collect green light, while others collect red, and the remaining pixels collect blue light. Pixel arrays generally are formed in a silicon-based substrate. Incident light penetrates into the substrate to various depths, depending on wavelength. It would be useful to optimize the focal point of each microlens on the basis of color, so as to optimize the performance of each pixel cell.
In addition, despite the use of microlens arrays, a large amount of incident light is not directed efficiently onto the photosensors due to the geometry of the microlens array. In some applications, for example, the imager receives incident light that has been focused initially by a lens, as is currently done in a cellular telephone camera application. Due to size constraints, the camera lens is often mounted in close proximity to the imager. In order to provide a focused image to the imager, light from the camera lens must spread across an area significantly wider than that of the camera lens. Consequently, light from the camera lens to the imager fans out at a wide angle. Light that strikes imager pixels directly in line with the camera lens does so in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of each microlens (normal to front of the imager pixel). Light directed toward imager pixels along the periphery of the microlens array, however, impinges on the pixels at an indirect angle that is significantly different from the parallel direction, and consequently is more scattered than centrally-directed light. As a result, the ability of a photosensor array to accurately reproduce an image varies between pixels across the array. It would be useful to adjust the focal angle of the microlenses in the array that are located toward the periphery so that more of the incident light is directed toward the respective photosensor of each pixel, thereby providing a more uniform response across the array.
There is needed, therefore, a method of fabricating microlens arrays having an improved ability to control the focusing characteristics of microlenses across the array. Microlens arrays having varying focusing patterns formed on each microlens, or various focusing pattern characteristics across the array, is also desirable. In addition, it would be advantageous to be able to control the shape and focal characteristics of microlenses individually in order to reduce cross-talk between pixels and to maximize the quantum efficiency of each pixel.

Controlling lens shape in a microlens array


The invention includes a composition and method of treatment of sinusitis. A preferred embodiment of the invention is a composition for treatment of sinusitis comprising a therapeutically effective amount of one or more peptides selected from the group of peptides with a C-terminal sequence consisting of KPV (SEQ ID NO:1), HFRWGKPV (SEQ ID NO:2), and SYSMEHFRWGKPV (SEQ ID NO:3) used in combination with a therapeutically effective amount of an antihistamine/decongestant, corticosteroid, fungicide and/or antibiotic.

This invention relates to the field of pathologies of the mucosal membranes of the head and facial sinus cavities caused by inflammation.
Introduction
The sinuses are air pockets located inside the bones in the skull. They are located to either side of the nose (maxillary), behind and in between the eyes (ethmoid), in the forehead (frontal), and there is one much further back in the head (sphenoid). Each sinus is drained by a small hole, about 4 mm in diameter, called an ostium. The sinuses are lined with very fine hair-like projections called cilia. The function of the cilia is to encourage the drainage of mucus.
Sinusitis is frequently caused by an obstructed ostium. This obstruction may result from an anatomical defect such as a deviated septum, inflammation due to an upper respiratory infection or an allergic response, drying of the mucus, or a foreign body caused from an accident. When this occurs, mucus that normally is expelled from the sinus builds up in the sinus causing pain, pressure and an excellent culture medium for bacteria. If the mucus is not cleared immediately, an abscess can develop in the sinus. Unfortunately, draining the abscess is not feasible without doing extensive surgery.
Bacterial Sinusitis
Sinusitis is one of the most common medical problems affecting approximately 30% of the population at some point. The most common pathogens associated with acute sinusitis are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis.
Many strains of both H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis now are beta-lactamase-producing and therefore not susceptible to beta-lactamase antibiotics. Accordingly, broad spectrum antibiotics such as amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium cefuroxime axetil, cefpodoxime proxetil, clarithromycin, and azithromycin are often employed.
The use of decongestants in sinusitis is somewhat controversial. Some authorities to feel that these agents can help to remove the offending matter from the sinus cavities, permitting greater effectiveness for antimicrobial treatment. Others, however, believe that decongestants have no proven role in acute sinusitis and should be avoided because they have side effects and add to the overall cost of treatment. These experts also feel that complicating the therapeutic regimen by having the patient take a decongestant is likely to decrease the likelihood of compliance with the antibiotic treatment.
Chronic sinusitis is defined as sinusitis persisting for at least three weeks. Typically, early in the development of a sinus infection, the cilia are lost and the mucus becomes increasingly thick.
Whereas acute sinusitis is a bacterial infection usually relating to prior viral respiratory tract infection, persistent or chronic sinusitis appears to have a noninfectious etymology. Antimicrobial treatment may clear the condition temporarily, but failure to address and successfully resolve the underlying problem ensures that sinusitis will recur.
A number of conditions can predispose a person to chronic or recurrent sinusitis, including principally, allergic rhinitis. The presentation of chronic sinusitis may be quite subtle, consisting only of congestion, cough, and postnasal drainage; a high index of suspicion is important in identifying possible predisposing factors. The nasal discharge associated with allergic rhinitis is typically clear and watery, and the patient may have symptoms that include itching of the nose and/or eyes.
Among the less common but nonetheless worrisome causes of persistent sinusitis are mechanical obstructions such as polyps or foreign bodies, or mucosal inflammation resulting from disorders such as immunoglobulin deficiencies, cystic fibrosis, and trauma.
Mild cases of chronic sinusitis are usually treated with a regimen of antihistamines/decongestants and/or corticosteroids. Antihistamines may include pseudoephidrine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, chloropheniramine, bromopheniramine, pheniramine and loratidine. Steroid nasal sprays are commonly used to reduce inflammation in chronic sinusitis. Although these nasal sprays are occasionally used for long-term treatment for patients with chronic sinusitis, the long-term safety of these medications, especially in children, is not fully understood, and the benefits and risks need to be balanced. For patients with severe chronic sinusitis, a doctor may prescribe oral steroids, such as prednisone. Other suitable corticosteroids include betamethasone, cortisone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisone, and triamcinolone. Because oral steroids can have significant side effects, they are prescribed only when other medications have not been effective. Similar complications exist for antihistamines. Since vascularization of the sinuses is poor, it is difficult to achieve pharmacologically effective concentrations of drugs. As a consequence sinusitis sufferers are often put on lengthy treatments at high dosage, often prescribed in dosages exceeding 2 g per day, from at minimum 2 weeks often extending up to six or eight weeks.
When drug therapies fail to treat the sinusitis, irrigation of saline or saline in combination with antibiotics/antiinflammatories may be applied to treat sinusities of the sinuses immediately downstream from the relevant ostiums passage. If irrigation is ineffective, surgery is often necessary to manually clear the obstructed sinus passages.
Fungal Sinusitis
Research from the Mayo clinic has suggested that sinusitis, especially, chronic sinusitis may have a fungal component to its causation.
Fungal growth was found in washings from the sinuses in 96% of patients with chronic sinusitis. Normal controls had almost as much growth, the difference being that those patients with chronic sinusitis had eosinophiles which had become activated. As a result of the activation, the eosinophiles released Major Basic Protein (MJP) into the mucus, which attacks and kills the fungus but may cause inflammation to the underlying epithelium.
Fungal sinusitis is broken down into several categories: Allergic, Fungus balls (Mycetoma), and Invasive.
Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is commonly caused by Aspergillus, as well as Fusarium, Curvularia, and others. Patients often have associated asthma. The criteria include CT or MRI confirmation, a dark green or black material the consistency of peanut butter called "allergic mucin" which typically contain a few hyphae, no invasion, and no predisposing systemic disease. Charcot-Leyden crystals, which are breakdown products of eosinophiles are often found. Usually patients are found to be allergic to the fungus, although this is controversial. This disease is analogous to Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergilosis.
Fungus balls often involve the maxillary sinus and may present similarly to other causes of sinusitis including helitosis. In addition to radiological abnormalities, thick pus or a clay-like substance is found in the sinuses. There is no allergic mucin, but dense non-innervated hyphae are found. There is an inflammatory response in the mucosa. Upon looking into the sinus, the fungus ball can vary in size from sub-millimeter to the dimensions of the sinus. The fungus balls may have a greenish-black appearance. Removal of the fungus ball is the typical treatment.
Invasive sinusitis can progress rapidly, and typically necessitates surgery, often on an emergency basis and often requiring the intravenous administration of Amphotericin B as well. There have been some forms of invasive sinusitis, which can cause proptosis.
Fungal based sinusitis may be treated with topical fungicides alone or in combination with broad-spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids. Usually, the fungicide/antibiotic are mixed with a saline irrigation solution and administered as part of irrigation therapy.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a composition and a method of treatment of bacterial and fungal sinusitis while minimizing or eliminating some or all of the complications associated with current antibiotic, anti inflammatory and/or antifungal therapies. It is another object of the present invention to provide a composition and method of treatment effective against chronic and acute sinusitis of either bacterial, fungal or allergic etymology.

System and method for support legacy operating system booting in a legacy-free system

Abstract: In yet another embodiment of the invention, one or one or more peptides selected from the group of peptides with a C-terminal sequence consisting of KPV (SEQ ID NO:1), HFRWGKPV (SEQ ID NO:2), and SYSMEHFRWGKPV (SEQ ID NO:3), which may or may not be in combination with therapeutically effective amounts of antibiotics, corticosteroids and/or antihistamine/decongestants, are topically or systemically applied to treat sinusitis.