A turbocharger (10) for an internal combustion engine includes a compressor (12) having an impellor (16) disposed in a compressor chamber (18). The compressor chamber (18) receives fluid flow. A flow regulation mechanism (30) is disposed in the compressor (12) and includes a diffuser cover (32) and a recirculation gate (36). The diffuser cover (32) is moveably disposed in a diffuser passage (34) from a first position permitting fluid flow through the diffuser passage to a second position at least partially impeding the fluid flow. The recirculation gate (36) is moveably disposed in the compressor chamber (18) from a first position closing a recirculation groove (48) to a second position opening the recirculation groove to fluid communication with the compressor chamber.

Internal combustion engines convert chemical energy from a fuel into mechanical energy. Most internal combustion engines inject an air-fuel mixture into one or more cylinders. The fuel ignites to generate rapidly expanding gases that actuate a piston in the cylinder. The fuel can be ignited by compression such as in a diesel engine or through some type of spark such as the spark plug in a gasoline engine. The piston usually is connected to a crankshaft or similar device for converting the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotational motion.
Many internal combustion engines have a turbocharger to pressurize or boost the amount of air flowing into the cylinders. The additional air in a cylinder permits the combustion of additional fuel in the cylinder. The combustion of additional fuel increases the power generated by the engine.
Turbochargers typically operate in response to the engine operation. Generally, a turbocharger spins faster when the engine speed is increased and spins slower when the engine speed decreases. If the turbocharger operates too fast, the turbocharger output can reduce engine performance and can damage the turbocharger and other engine components. If the turbocharger operates too slow, the engine can hesitate, loose power, or otherwise operate inefficiently. Thus, there is an operating range for optimal turbocharger performance.
Most turbocharged diesel engines have an air supply system that, as engine speed and load is increased, the turbocharger rotations per minute (RPM) increases, causing the air flow and the pressure to the engine to increase. This results in changes to the in-cylinder trapped air density, and turbulence and swirl, which makes optimization of the combustion system difficult. The turbocharger efficiency also can be affected by changes in atmospheric pressure, ambient temperature, and engine speed.
In an ideal, optimized combustion system using a turbocharger, a constant flow velocity and a constant in-cylinder air density would be produced independent of engine speed and load, and therefore the fuel injection system could produce the same injection profile independent of engine speed and load. With these features, the combustion system could be optimized independent of engine speed and load. Thus, supplying air at a constant pressure independent of engine speed, in a manner that is practical, low-cost and easily implemented on a traditional turbocharger, is needed.

Flow regulation mechanism for turbocharger compressor

International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC


Devices for performing communications are disclosed. In some implementations, a device includes: an upstream port for receiving data from or transmitting data to one or more external devices located on an upstream path through a link including a plurality of lanes; a lane margining controller coupled to the upstream port and for transmitting, via the upstream port, to the one or more external devices, a margin command for requesting a lane margining operation to acquire margin status information to indicate a margin of each of the plurality of lanes, and controlling the upstream port to receive the margin status information from the external devices; and a port setting controller coupled to be in communication with the upstream port to receive the margin status information and for determining a setting of the upstream port based on the margin status information.

Computer buses such as peripheral component interconnect (PCI) are used to connect peripheral devices to a computer system. PCI express (PCIe) is a high-speed computer bus standard that includes a physical communication layer as a high speed serial interface while maintaining software compatibility with the PCI standard.
A data storage device is used to store or provide data in response to the requests from a host device such as a computer or a smart phone. Such a data storage device may include one or more memory devices for storing data and a memory controller for controlling the one or more memory devices. The memory devices can be classified into a volatile memory device and a nonvolatile memory device.
The volatile memory device only retains its data while the device is powered and loses its data when power is lost. Examples of the volatile memory device may include a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) and a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM).
The nonvolatile memory device retains stored data even in the absence of power supply and thus does not lose its data when power is lost. Examples of the nonvolatile memory device may include a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable ROM (EEROM), and a flash memory.

Device for performing communication and computing system including the same


An apparatus and method for detecting and controlling interrupt storms in a computer system. More specifically, there is provided a method that comprises detecting whether or not a device is producing an interrupt storm, and if the device is producing an interrupt storm, disabling the interrupt being generated by the device, and a system for implementing the method.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present invention that are described and claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A typical computer system communicates with a great number of internal and external devices in the course of normal operation. Interrupts are one way of organizing and controlling this communication. In an interrupt-based system, when a device requires attention from the computer's central processing unit ("CPU"), it generates an interrupt. When the CPU receives the interrupt it typically stops its current task and enters an interrupt mode to process the interrupt. Because the receipt of an interrupt causes the CPU to stop its current processing to address the interrupt, performance degradation may develop if the CPU receives so many interrupts that it is unable to efficiently complete execution of other tasks.

Method and apparatus for controlling interrupt storms

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for producing a partitioned container of the present invention includes the steps of providing a preform having an interior surface; separately forming an inner wall for insertion into the preform; inserting the inner wall into the preform; preparing for molding and molding the preform and inner wall into the partitioned container; and activating a manner for securing the inner wall to the interior surface of the preform during the step of preparing. A system for forming a partitioned container in accordance with the present invention includes a preform including an interior surface surrounding a cavity; an inner wall formed separately from the preform, the inner wall including a manner for securing to the preform upon the application of heat thereto, and a molding device for molding the preform into the container. During preparation for molding of the preform into the container, the preform and inner wall are heated and the manner for securing is activated, thereby securing the inner wall to the interior surface.

This invention is directed to a process for molding containers, and more particularly, to an improved process for molding partitioned containers from a preform and a separately formed inner wall, wherein the inner wall is secured to the preform prior to molding the container.
Partitioned containers and methods for making the same are well known in the art. In most cases, a preform is used to form the partitioned container, which preform has integrally formed therewith the required partitions or walls and the like for forming the partitions of the finished container. That is, typically a complex mold is required to injection mold or otherwise form a preform having integral partitions extending across the cavity thereof. Alternatively, a simple preform may be formed having a hollow cavity and a separately formed partition subsequently secured therein. In these cases, securing the partition to the inside surface of the preform is problematic in that the partition must be caused to maintain its engagement with the inside surface of the preform during subsequent blow molding operations for forming the container. In addition to withstanding expansion during molding and its securement with the inner surface of the preform, the partition must also reliably maintain its engagement with the inner wall of the container after the container is formed. Still another method of forming a partitioned container is to injection mold the entire container of one construction including the partitions. Typically, multiple fairly large and complex injection molds are required for this method.
The prior art includes a plurality of partitioned containers, none of which cure the problems in forming partitioned containers, as set forth above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,828 to Valyi discloses a blow molded plastic container including an internal support and handgrips. The blow molded container includes at least one internal supporting member integral with the inside wall of the body portion to support the same. The body portion defines lobes connected together by depressions which define a handgrip. The depressions are supported by the internal supporting member. The internal supporting member is formed integral with the preform during molding thereof and is then blow molded into the internal member of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,823 to Eales discloses a modular multi-compartmented blow molded container. The container includes partition members for forming the compartments therein which initially form portions of a mold for the container. When molding is complete, the partition members form part of the container, with the molded plastic material of the container substantially surrounding the partition members. In another embodiment, the containers are modular, wherein mating engagement members are formed in facing walls of separate container portions that are joined subsequent to molding. The container portions can be made detachable or permanently attached. Accordingly, in this container, the partitions are provided during molding of the container, wherein the partitions are a part of the mold which are adapted to become a part of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,108 to Nakamura discloses a preform having an inner partition wall and a process for making a plastic vessel therefrom having an inner partition wall. The preform has an internal partition wall formed to extend across the interior of the barrel portion of the preform and up from the bottom portion thereof. The internal partition wall is injection molded along with the remaining portion of the preform during the formation thereof. The same wall is later blow molded into the partition for the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,000 to Jaarsma discloses multi-compartmented containers. The multi-compartmented containers include a molded body and a molded cap secured thereto. The body includes a confining wall forming a space, an internal dividing wall forming separate compartments within the space and a base. A fluid seal is formed by the confining wall and the inside surface of the body of the container. The entire container is formed from injection molding, including the formation of the dividing wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,536 to Lucus discloses a method of making a precisely partitioned bulbous-shape container. The container is formed from a preform having a partition integrally formed therein during the formation of the preform. Accordingly, the partition is integral to the remaining body portion of the preform.
PCT Application GB89/01362 discloses a partitioned plastic container. The container is formed from an injection molded preform, wherein the preform has an integrally formed partition therein which is also formed during the injection molding process. The preform and partition are later blown into the shape of a container having a partition therein.
There exists a need, therefore, for an improved process for forming a partitioned container which process allows for the use of a simple preform and provides a reliable manner for attaching a separately formed partition thereto and to sustain the attachment during formation of the container to be formed thereby and to the container after formation.

System for producing a partitioned bottle


An optical device comprising a length of optical waveguide (1) having incorporated therein an extended sequence of coupled single resonator structures (9) so as to form an optical slow wave structure. The sequence of resonator structures is suitably formed by a Bragg diffraction grating pattern (7) extending along the waveguide.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In opto-electronic signal transmission devices the delay of a radio frequency (r.f.) modulated optical signal is often required and is generally effected by the use of an appropriate length of optical waveguide, e.g., optical fibre. Such a delay device exhibits low loss, low dispersion and good thermal stability, but since the velocity of light in a typical optical waveguide is high, e.g. two thirds of the velocity of light in free space, long lengths of waveguide are typically required. This makes such a delay device difficult to incorporate in an integrated optical device, i.e. an optical device formed on the surface of a semiconductor chip.

Optical devices incorporating slow wave structures


A panel-interlocking arrangement for first and second panels overlapping each other, includes locking and retaining tabs struck respectively from the first and second panels, and a biasing tab struck in part from a corner of the retaining tab. The locking tab is foldably joined at its trailing end edge to the first panel and extends along a notional line to its leading end edge. The locking tab has opposite side edges extending between the leading and trailing end edges and a lateral projection protruding from one of the side edges. The retaining tab is foldably joined to the second panel and defines at least a part of a locking aperture in the second panel. The biasing tab is foldably joined to the second panel along a transverse edge of the locking aperture and projects from the transverse edge in the direction parallel to the notional line. The locking tab is folded out of the plane of the first panel into the locking aperture and is disposed in the position where the locking tab is inclined to the second panel. The retaining tab is folded out of the plane of the second panel into the position where the retaining tab is engaged at its free end edge with the lateral projection of the locking tab. The biasing tab is folded out of the plane of the second panel into the position where the biasing tab leans against the locking tab.

This invention relates to article carriers and more particularly to panel interlocking arrangements for securing together the overlapped ends of wraparound type carrier blanks and is specially adapted to enhance package security in such carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,095 issued Mar. 7, 1978 discloses panel interlocking arrangement for securing two overlapped panels. A locking tab having lateral projections is struck from one of the panels, and a retaining tab is struck from the other panel. The locking tab is driven through the locking aperture which is defined by the retaining tab, and thereby the retaining tab is folded out of the plane of the other panel. This causes the locking and retaining tabs to engage each other in angular mutually bracing relation. When the locking tab is driven through the aperture, a securing aperture formed in the base portion of the locking tab receives a securing tab projecting from an edge of the locking aperture. This enhances security of the lock.
New Zealand Patent 191646 issued Sep. 20, 1983 discloses another panel interlocking arrangement. The disclosed arrangement also includes a locking tab having lateral projections and a securing aperture for receiving a securing tab. The arrangement of this patent differs from the above U.S. patent in that it includes two retaining tabs which define a single locking aperture. Insertion of the locking tab into the aperture causes the lateral projections of the locking tab to respectively engage the free end edge of the two retaining tabs which have been folded due to the tab-inserting operation.
In each patent mentioned above, engagement between the securing aperture and the securing tab increases security of the lock on the panels. However, formation of the securing aperture in the locking tab decreases the stress in the locking tab which is induced by folding the locking tab during insertion. Such stress, due to the inherent resistance of the paperboard material from which the locking tab is struck, is important since it tends to urge the locking tab against the retaining tab. This is therefore believed to contribute to stable engagement between the locking and retaining tabs.
What is needed, therefore, is a new arrangement for securing two overlapped panels, wherein stability of engagement between the locking and retaining tabs is increased.

Panel interlocking arrangement for wraparound carrier


A method for secure transmission of data, like e-mail and other secure documents, over a computer network includes the use of biometrics to verify that the sender of the data is confirmed as an individual authorized for secure access transmission of data over the network and by verifying that the recipient of the data is also an individual authorized to receive data by secure access transmission over the network. The methodology comprises creating a database containing the biometric templates of all individuals authorized for secure access transmission of data over the network and connecting the database to a data processor. The transmission of counterfeit messages is prevented by confirming the identity of the sender as an individual authorized for secure access transmission over the network by scanning a predetermined biometric of the sender, and comparing the biometric of the sender with the predetermined biometric of all individuals who are authorized for secure access transmission over the network. The recipient of a secure access message is not permitted to access the message until recipient's identity has been similarly confirmed as an individual authorized to receive messages secure access transmitted over the network. Once the recipient's identity is confirmed the message may be opened. The sender will receive confirmation by return electronic mail that the message has been opened by the authorized recipient.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for securing the transmission of data over an electronic network, and more particularly, to a method employing biometrics to confirm the identity of individuals transmitting data over an electronic network thereby ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of messages and documents transmitted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of the World Wide Web, local area networks and wide area networks to transmit electronic messages from one computer to another computer is well known. Many organizations and individuals use electronic mail applications such as Microsoft™ Outlook™ to send electronic mail (e-mail) from one location to another. While these applications may have internal security measures embedded within them, they cannot always provide the adequate level of security necessary to transmit sensitive information relating to corporate activities over such networks. It is well known that the security and integrity of information sent over electronic messaging systems can be corrupted through unauthorized interception and modification of such information. As well, in a corporate environment, there may be hundreds of computers electronically joined in a single networked system. Often, these computers are openly available to any user to access the networked system. Where passwords are used to restrict access to authorized personnel, such passwords can be stolen or decrypted. Therefore, the opportunity for insecure and unauthorized access to a networked system exists and under such circumstances the risk of mischief is high. It is well known that significant damage and loss of competitive advantage can result from unauthorized use of corporate computers, interception of sensitive corporate information and premeditated corruption of sensitive information. Present e-mail applications fall short of providing the required degree of security for the transmission of sensitive corporate information over a computer network.
Therefore there is a requirement for effective control of access to computer networks, authentication of users of computer networks and secure transmission of sensitive information over computer networks. There is also a requirement to provide security measures that are simple to use and are compatible with commercially available e-mail applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,005 issued to Thorne et al. on Sep. 28, 1999 entitled "Electronic Mail Security" teaches a method, system and product for communicating data text messages, such as E-Mail, between computers connected to a network while providing selectable degrees of security for each message. The methodology comprises the procedure of creating in the originating computer a data message having a header which specifies, in addition to the address of the intended recipient computer, one or more security parameters which control the processing of the data message in the recipient computer. The security parameters include instructions for erasure of the data message following its storage in the recipient computer. The security parameters also include instructions as to whether or not copying, archiving, forwarding and printing of the data message is permitted. The recipient computer processes the data message in accordance with the instructions. The erasure is of such a nature as to render the data message irretrievable. However, Thorne does not include methods for authenticating the identification of the sender or the recipient and restricting the access to confidential messages only to authenticated users.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,231 issued to Foss, et al. on Sep. 12, 2000 for a "Data scanning network security technique" discloses a system and method for providing enhanced computer network security by scanning data, specifically electronic mail messages, sent to the network before the data is received and transmitted by the network's mail server. An e-mail message is received by a computer network configured to receive data and is checked as the data is received and before it is transmitted to a node on the computer network. The method includes determining whether an external source is attempting to establish a mail connection with the computer network configured to include a data-scanning device that recognizes one or more data transfer protocols. Once the data is received the data-scanning device begins evaluating the data by first determining whether the data is formatted according to one of the recognized protocols. The data-scanning device begins scanning the data for acceptable content and format according to a rule set established by one of the recognized protocols. This is done at the same time as the data-scanning device receives the data. It is then determined whether the data should be sent to its destination on the computer network. If necessary, the data is translated before being passed to its destination on the computer network. Foss does not address the issues of unauthorized use of computer networks or the authentication of network users.
Therefore, insofar as we are aware, no formerly developed method of electronic mail security provides for the necessary degree of authentication of network system users, authentication of senders and recipients of electronic documents and controlled access to confidential documents sent over electronic networks.

System for transmitting secure data between a sender and a recipient over a computer network using a virtual envelope and method for using the same


Provided is a complex antenna which corresponds to both a circularly polarized wave and a linearly polarized wave. The complex antenna includes a substrate, a power feed terminal, four helical antenna devices disposed on the substrate at intervals of 90 degrees, four delay lines having different lengths by a quarter wavelength, and four switch modules which are connected to the power feed terminal in common and each of which is connected to each helical antenna device and each delay line. Each switch module selects one of a first mode in which the power feed terminal and each helical antenna device are directly connected and a second mode in which each delay line is connected to each helical antenna device so that a phase of a power feed fed from the power feed terminal and propagated from each delay line to each helical antenna device can be sequentially shifted by 90 degrees.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a complex antenna, and more particularly, to a complex antenna which corresponds to both a circularly polarized wave and a linearly polarized wave.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable wireless devices which are capable of making communications using a satellite, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDA), are increasingly popular and necessary. For example, there are safety advantages such as a user being able to immediately send exact position information obtained by using a GPS satellite to a police or fire station via a mobile phone base station in an emergency. In addition, satellite radio using a broadcasting satellite has good sound quality, many channels and a wide coverage area. Thus, a rapid proliferation of GPS or satellite radio is expected.
Antennas in which both ground communication and satellite communication are possible are needed in the above-described usages.
Since the GPS or satellite radio has circularly polarized waves, a patch antenna or a four-wire helical antenna is used therein. Since mobile phones or wireless Local Area Networks (LAN) have linearly polarized waves, a monopole antenna is used therein.
A technique of an antenna which corresponds to both a circularly polarized wave and a linearly polarized wave is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-314312. According to this disclosure, a monopole antenna is disposed in the vicinity of the center axis of a four-wire helical antenna and both of the antennas correspond to a circularly polarized wave and a linearly polarized wave. However, this combination causes a miniaturization effect, which is detrimental to the antenna performance.


A novel hydrodynamic cell culture environment is disclosed for a two-chamber roller bottle. The unstable hydrodynamics of a gas headspace media chamber is coupled through a center opening to a second zero headspace culture chamber. Coupling the two chambers creates novel fluid streamlines that add turbulence for improved mass transfer and slow media repletion. The exchange between chambers regulates turbulence and thus concomitant exchange of nutrients i.e., environmental control. It is disposable, automatable, and suited to culturing tissue for transplants.

The culture process for mammalian cells, animal cells, insect cells, bacteria, yeast and molds has one major rate-limiting step, oxygen mass transfer. Oxygen metabolism is essential for metabolic function. In mammalian and animal cell culture, oxygen flux is especially important during the early stages of rapid cell division. Oxygen utilization per cell is greatest when cells are suspended; requirements decrease as the cells aggregate and differentiate. However, during the later phases of cell culture, as the number of cells per unit volume increases, the bulk oxygen mass transfer requirements increase. Traditionally, increased requirements are accommodated by mechanical stirring methods. The present invention integrates several features needed for the engineering of autologous tissue transplants. Incorporated into the invention are; automated cell culture media repletion, the capability to grow cells in monolayer, a turbulent hydrodynamic cell culture environment suited to the growth of three-dimensional tissue constructs, a unique configuration that allows both monolayer and 3-dimensional culture in a variety of combinations, a gas head space for direct oxygenation of the cell culture media, an internal sensor for aseptically monitoring media changes, the capability to aseptically regulate both media repletion and add turbulence for improved mass transfer, and all features are included in a very low cost disposable two chamber tissue culture roller bottle. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, that the invention eliminates a large portion of the cell culture labor costs. The instant invention; 1) establishes near physiological control for improved engineering of tissue constructs, 2) enhances mass transfer through hydrodynamic shear forces generated at the wall and through the turbulent interface with the first chamber, 3) eliminates cellular contact with a potentially toxic silicone membrane oxygenator because oxygenation is predominately through the air fluid interface, 4) increases the concentration of de novo growth factors because the media is not replaced as often, and 5) greatly reduces the risk of contamination.
Culturing tissue for transplantation requires that several conditions be met before the tissue receives Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Those FDA conditions include; functionality that ameliorates the disease; consistent and reproducible growth of tissue constructs; and proven sterility. To achieve in vivo functionality, engineered tissue constructs must be three-dimensional. To be reproducible, the cell culture environment should be regulated to match human physiology, a feature of the invention. Data from the aseptic monitoring of the growing construct can be used to validate sterility and establish specifications.
Transplantable tissue has three key features; 1) an extracellular matrix for mechanical stability and scaffolding; 2) cell-to-cell contact to maintain viability and function; and 3) a three-dimensional shape to segregate cell subpopulations for growth and proliferation. Standard tissue culture approaches (e.g.; t-flasks, petri dishes, microgravity culture vessels, roller bottles and stirred roller bottles) have consistently failed to yield transplantable tissue that directly supplants organ function. Failure is often related to the loss of multi-dimensional cell-to-cell contacts and the overgrowth of unwanted cell subpopulation. In roller bottles and stirred reactors, cells are prevented from sustained three-dimensional growth. Shear preselects for only those cell subpopulations that are robust to its damage. The present invention controls the addition of turbulence and concomitant shear, and localizes shear to specific areas. There are other selection pressures that impede normal growth, besides those intrinsic to standard cell culture roller bottles. Specifically, those technical operations associated with feeding the culture. Standard cell culture practice replaces cell culture media at regular intervals or when the media changes color. Replacing the media at regular intervals dilutes growth factors that are vital to cell growth and proliferation, and typically exposes cells to abnormally high oxygen concentrations. Abnormally high oxygen exposure occurs when spent cell media is replaced with fresh media. Fresh media equilibrated to room air has a dissolved oxygen concentration of approximately 159 mm Hg, often more than double the normal concentration found in the average mammalian interstitial space (normal 40-80 mm Hg). High levels of oxygen are known to be toxic to highly differentiated cells. Therefore, the practice of replacing conditioned media with fresh media equilibrated to ambient air, preselects for cells that are less sensitive to oxygen toxicity (e.g.; fibroblasts). Changing media based on the pH indicator dye, phenol red, imposes another common environmental selection pressure. Human physiology maintains the vascular and interstitial pH between 7.30-7.40. Deviation beyond physiological limits often results in mental confusion and organ dysfunction. Yet, most cell culture facilities routinely maintain the pH within 7.00 to 7.45. If patients were repeatedly exposed to standard cell culture pH extremes, they would eventually succumb to multi-system organ failure.
There are several deficiencies associated with continuous perfusion of cell cultures. Continuous perfusion consumes large amounts of cell culture media, serum, and growth factor supplements. The expenses associated with perfusion reactors preclude their general use in research, and perfusion often yields tissue constructs that are delicate and of poor functionality. There are several additional drawbacks to profusion culture; cell populations are first manually expanded as monolayers of cells, yielding an atypical architecture; subpopulations that are robust and grow rapidly, overgrowing the other populations; and the cells must be anchorage dependant to keep from being washed away in the perfusion stream.
A three-dimensional architecture is required for tissue constructs to be functional. As aggregates of cells organize, they exhibit the architecture of nascent tissue. To create a tissue construct, dissimilar cell types must aggregate, free from the selection pressures that force cells to spread and grow along a flat surface. Hydrogels and media viscosity enhancers permit cell mixtures to remain in contact with other cells, thereby allowing three-dimensional tissue growth. However, it has been observed that the sizes of the constructs were small, and latter deduced that they were mass transfer limited.
Roller bottles are ubiquitous to cell culture facilities, and have been in use for decades. Their strengths are; they are disposable and offer a large surface for cell attachment. Their weakness is a consequence of the large uncontrolled hydrodynamic shear associated with a gas headspace and the abundance of turbulent eddies. The high shear environment inherent in roller bottles precludes their use for growing tissue for transplantation. Only those cell types that are not damaged by the shear and adhered to the wall, can be maintained in culture for the extended periods.
Horizontal rotation for suspension i.e., clinostatic rotation, began in the 1700s. The physics for growing cells in a free fall or in a microgravity like environment, was first characterized in detail by the Argonne National Laboratory (R. R. Dedolph and M. H. Dipert, 1971). Those principles were applied in the NASA microgravity culture vessels and cell culture methods, and the vessel and culture methods were first disclosed by M. Lewis et. al., May 1987. Later, the tubular silicone oxygenator in the culture vessel of M. Lewis et. al., 1987, was replaced by a membrane silicone oxygenator, and the culture vessel patented by NASA--U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,650 issued June 1991. Culture systems developed by NASA strive to achieve a quiescent microgravity like environment, having origins in the NASA space program. Microgravity culture conditions are created by low shear and essentially no relative motion of the culture environment with respect to the walls of the culture vessel (U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,722; claim 12). Essentially no relative motion differences between the culture media and the vessel wall, is often referred to as solid body rotation. The forces maintaining solid body rotation are associated with the 1:1 viscous coupling between the vessel wall and the cell culture media contained in the vessel (G. F. Spaulding, 1994). However, microgravity is known to cause aberrancy. There are over 100 scientific articles and abstracts demonstrating or suggesting microgravity induced aberrancy in cell growth, cell differentiation, cell movement, cell size and shape, cell physiology, apoptosis, abnormal cell cycle, abnormal phenotypes, or general human physiology, occurring in rotating culture systems or in actual microgravity. The normal mammalian hydrodynamic milieu differs from a quiescent microgravity like environment. In utero, cells are constantly moved, pulled or forced to settle in different directions depending on the position of the organism, i.e.; standing, sitting or lying down. Movements from walking, running, and breathing agitate the cells; thereby adding hydrodynamic shear. An intrauterine environment is characterized by cells developing in amniotic fluid under constant hydrodynamic shear, resulting in high mass transfer. The present invention more closely emulates the intrauterine hydrodynamic and gas mass transfer environment where positional changes, breathing, movement, and hemodynamic pulsations continuously disrupt boundary layers. At the same time, the maternal physiology closely regulates the intrauterine environment; facilitating normal growth of organs. Major changes in maternal physiology would elicit great concern for abnormal fetal organ development. Yet, the standard of tissue culture practice for those of ordinary skill in the art, is to allow the cell culture pH and oxygen to fluctuate beyond in vivo limits.
The invention, herein disclosed, integrates a novel hydrodynamic cell suspension environment, with regulation of media repletion and pulsatile mass transfer or diffusive, to achieve three-dimensional tissue constructs suitable for transplantation. An automated tissue culture system that facilitates three-dimensional growth, and is disposable, fulfills a need for technology to engineer autologous tissue constructs, as well as grow cells for basic research.

Controlled hydrodynamic cell culture environment for three dimensional tissue growth


A mobile voice mail message transmission system includes a voice mail device, an announcement trunk, a message transmitting section, and a message erasing section. The voice mail device temporarily stores voice mail messages from callers in correspondence with called mobile terminals when the mobile terminals are in a communication disabled state. The announcement trunk urges the mobile terminal to receive voice mail messages on the basis of a parameter associated with voice mail messages stored in the voice mail device. In response to a request for reception of voice mail messages from the mobile terminal, the message transmitting section transmits the corresponding voice mail messages stored in the voice mail device to the mobile terminal which has generated the request for reception of the voice mail messages. The message erasing section erases voice mail messages which are stored in the voice mail device and have been transmitted upon completion of transmission of the voice mail messages from the message transmitting section to the mobile terminal which has generated the request for reception of the messages.

The present invention relates to a mobile voice mail message transmission system in which when communication to a mobile terminal cannot be performed as in a case wherein the power supply of the mobile terminal is OFF, voice mail messages are accumulated in another device, and the accumulated voice mail messages are sent to the mobile terminal afterward.
A mobile communication system including mobile communication terminals allows communication in many places within a service area. In addition, even in a disaster such as an earthquake, this system can be easily restored because the system is a radio communication system. Owing to these advantages, such a system has rapidly come into widespread use. A mobile terminal can be carried to any place, but the use of the terminal is sometimes prohibited in a special place, e.g., in a theater or airplane, and when the power supply is turned off. In addition, the terminal may be carried outside the service area. In such a case, communication cannot be performed. In some case, therefore, the mobile terminal returns no response to a call unlike a telephone set fixed in a specific place, such as an indoor location.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-76063 discloses a mobile voice mail message transmission system which can send a voice mail to even a mobile terminal in a communication disabled state. In this system, when a called mobile terminal returns no response, a voice mail from the caller is accumulated in a mobile communication switching unit. When the mobile terminal is set in a communication enabled state, the voice mail message is sent from the mobile communication switching unit to the mobile terminal.
FIG. 10 shows a procedure for transmitting a mobile voice mail message in this system in detail. A mobile communication switching unit 4 is connected to a radio base station 2 via a data communication line (not shown). The radio base station 2 is connected to a mobile terminal 1 via a control channel for transmission of radio waves.
When a calling subscriber 21 transmits a call request to the switching unit 4 (step S101), a call signal is transmitted from the switching unit 4 to the radio base station 2 (step S102). The signal is further transmitted from the radio base station 2 to the mobile terminal 1 (step S103). If the mobile terminal 1 is in the communication disabled state at this time, the mobile terminal 1 cannot return a call response to the switching unit 4. The switching unit 4 waits for a call response. If a timeout occurs, a communication line path is switched to an announcement trunk (ANT) 6 (step S104) to announce to the calling subscriber 21 that the called mobile terminal 1 is absent (step S105). At this time, the switching unit 4 notifies the calling subscriber 21 that he/she can request registration of a voice mail in the switching unit 4.
When the calling subscriber 21 has a message to be sent, he/she outputs a voice mail registration request signal to the switching unit 4 (step S106), and sends a voice mail addressed to the mobile terminal 1 to the switching unit 4 (step S107). This voice mail message is accumulated in a voice mail device (VM) 5 of the switching unit 4.
When the power supply of the mobile terminal 1, which has been in the communication disabled state, is turned on or the terminal moves into the service area, the terminal transmits a position registration signal to the radio base station 2 (step S108). The radio base station 2 transmits this position registration signal to the switching unit 4 (step S109). Upon reception of the position registration signal, the switching unit 4 searches for a voice mail message to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 1. If a voice mail message to be transmitted is found, the switching unit 4 sends a voice mail transfer start signal to the radio base station 2 (step S110). The radio base station 2 transmits this signal to the mobile terminal 1 as the transfer destination (step S111). The switching unit 4 extracts the corresponding voice mail message from the voice mail device (VM) 5, encodes the speech signal, and transmits the resultant data to the radio base station 2 (step S112). The radio base station 2 transmits this data to the mobile terminal 1 (step S113).
Upon completion of the transfer of the voice mail message, the switching unit 4 transmits a voice mail transfer end signal to the radio base station 2 (step S114). The radio base station 2 transmits this signal to the mobile terminal 1 as the transfer destination (step S115). Upon completion of the transfer of the voice mail message, the switching unit 4 also erases the voice mail message which has been transmitted and accumulated in the voice mail device (VM) 5. When the transfer of the voice mail message is completed, the mobile terminal 1 performs visible display on a terminating display unit to notify the user of the termination of the voice mail. When the user designates a read operation for the voice mail on the basis of this notification, the coded speech signal accumulated in the mobile terminal 1 is decoded, and the contents of the voice mail are output by speech.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-292205 also discloses a mobile voice mail message transmission system. In this system, a communication network itself has a device having an automatic answering function, in which voice mail messages are accumulated. This device, in which voice mail messages are accumulated, automatically performs an originating operation, as needed, to automatically deliver a voice mail, a message board service message, or a message in the automatic answering mode. A mobile terminal can generate an outgoing call to the device by itself to receive a voice mail message.
With such a voice mail service, even if a call is given to a mobile terminal in the communication disabled state, a necessary voice mail message can be received afterward. This voice mail message is stored in a memory of a predetermined device such as a mobile communication switching unit. If, therefore, an unexpected number of users use the voice mail message function very often within the service area of the mobile communication switching unit, the messages to be stored exceed the storage capacity of the memory. As a result, the other users have difficulty in using the voice mail message function.
In the conventional systems, it takes time for the user of a mobile terminal to extract even a highly urgent voice mail message from the memory of a mobile communication switching unit or the like. In addition, assume that the mobile terminal receives a plurality of voice mail messages. In this case, if some voice mail messages are processed for an excessively long period of time, the user cannot hear a highly urgent voice mail message on time.

Mobile voice mail message transmission system


A flange 10 is provided for a fuel pump module for a vehicle. The flange includes a first portion 12 of acetal material and a second portion 14 of an acid resistant material provided directly over at least certain regions of the first portion 12.

Conventional fuel delivery module flanges for automotive applications are primarily made of acetal or polyacetal polyoxymethylene (POM) since it offers a good balance of cost and performance in the demanding environment for fuel systems. Customers have asked for improved performance, specifically in relation to the resistance of the flange to acids, which may be present in the environment. There are many other available materials which could likely work as a monolayer part, but usually they have some property that makes them unattractive for other reasons, for example, low permeation resistance, reduced impact strength, or significantly higher cost. Likewise, there are other solutions, for example, putting a protective cover over the flange on the fuel tank, but these solutions add cost, assembly difficulty, and may not package in the available space in a vehicle.
The provision of a multilayer flange has been hampered by the ability of materials to adhere to acetal. Acetal tends to be very lubricious, not easily being bonded to by other materials. Leak paths around certain components are also potential failings of a conventional flange configuration. In addition, most development related to flanges has focused on improving permeation or making components of the flanges conductive.
Acetal is considered to be ideal for most characteristics, but for this new acid resistance requirement. Thus, there is a need to provide a multilayer flange containing acetal yet be resistant to acid.


An improved hardware light switch and a system comprising at least one of the light switches and control/monitoring means is disclosed. The improved light switch and system provide a more flexible, convenient and economical means to reduce energy consumption both at the switch and remotely. In a first configuration, the improved light switch comprises an electronic switch, a broadband powerline communication (PLC) transceiver that includes processing ability, a unique MAC address and a TCP/IP stack.

Conservation has been the topic of national energy campaigns, and one approach to saving energy is to turn off lighting when not in use. This can be accomplished most effectively through automated lighting control that does not rely on human intervention. Net worked lighting control has existed in some form for more than 20 years. However, current lighting control solutions require additional wiring installations in order to relocate electric switching to a central panel. The alteration of an electrical infrastructure creates an installed cost burden, and reduces or prevents an acceptable payback scenario for the majority of end-users. Current solutions offer large variations in lighting control functionality, ranging from low cost, unreliable, standalone motion sensors, to high-end, addressable and networked systems. Such high-end systems require a substantial financial investment, and also a commitment to the inconveniences of the retrofit installation process. There is a need for a cost-effective lighting control system that offers high-end functionality at a significantly lower cost.

Lighting control switch apparatus and system


The environmentally protected module (16, 116, 216), which is qualifiable under military and space specifications, uses commercial and/or industrial grade electronic components (18, 20; 118, 120; 218, 220). The components are secured to and are electrically coupled together on a printed wiring board (24, 124, 224), through which thermally conductive vias (38, 138, 238) extend. The components are encapsulated in a thermally conductive and electrically insulative packaging material (25a, 25b; 125; 225, 229). Cooling or heating is provided by Peltier thermoelectric heat pump devices (32, 132, 232) coupled between an external heat sink/exchanger (35, 80; 135; 235) and the components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic modules and, in particular, to such modules using commercial grade components which are protected from heat, cold and other environmental degradation, to the extent of being qualifiable under military specifications.
2. Description of Related Art and Other Considerations
Militarily and space qualified electronic components, e.g., chips in ceramic packages, are used in such modules as computer processing units (CPU's). Military specifications require such components to have a case temperature which is rated from -50.degree. C. to 125.degree. C., with a maximum junction temperature of 150.degree. C. or more.
Commercial and industrial rated plastic encapsulated parts have a maximum junction temperature ranging from +85 to +115.degree. C., because the die and encapsulant used in these parts have radically different coefficients of thermal expansion. Commercial parts are not rated below 0.degree. C., and industrial only parts to -40.degree. C. The market for militarily qualified parts with the performance of those found, for example, in common desk top personal computers has not been reason enough for manufacturers to produce these parts. Therefore, commercial and industrial grade components are not currently qualified for military applications.
However, commercial and industrial components are considerably cheaper than their functionally corresponding military components. For this reason, it would be most desirable if commercially rated RISC and other microprocessors and other highly integrated plastic packaged chips could be used in a high performance computer processing unit design for military applications.
In addition, such components must be cooled and/or heated. For military and space use, it is essential that the components and the equipment in which they are used weigh as little as possible and be compactly packaged. Thus, fans and like cooling apparatus employed in commercial and industrial applications are not suitable for such use.


A display device and a method of fabricating a reflective sheet for the same are provided. The display device includes: a display panel to display an image, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) to: generate and supply light to the display panel, a light guide plate to guide the light to the display panel, and a reflective sheet to reflect light toward a cover bottom below the LEDs toward the light guide plate, the reflective sheet including: a reflective layer, first and second skin layers respectively on upper and lower portions of the reflective layer, the first and second skin layers each including an embossing surface including a plurality of first reflective patterns to: prevent adhesion between the reflective layer and the light guide plate, and increase efficiency of light, and the reflective layer including a plurality of second reflective patterns, each including a filler in an air layer.

1. Technical Field
The following description relates to a display device and a method of fabricating a reflective sheet for the same, and, more particularly, to a display device and a method of manufacturing a reflective sheet for the same in which first and second skin layers of the reflective sheet may be formed to have an embossing surface using a process of manufacturing a reflective sheet fabric alone without a separate bead coating process.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices display an image by adjusting light transmittance of liquid crystals having dielectric anisotropy using an electric field. A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel that includes a thin film transistor substrate and a color filter substrate that are adhered opposite to each other, a backlight unit to emit light to the liquid crystal display panel, and a driving circuit unit for driving the liquid crystal display panel.
The backlight unit includes a light source to generate light, a light guide plate to guide light to the liquid crystal display panel, and a reflective sheet formed on a lower portion of the light guide plate to reflect light toward the liquid crystal display panel.
The reflective sheet is supported by a cover bottom. In this regard, the cover bottom is not flat and thus a load thereof is locally concentrated, which results in adhesion between the reflective sheet and the light guide plate. In addition, light cannot pass through a compressed portion of the light guide plate and thus image blurring in which a dark region is formed occurs.
To prevent adhesion between the reflective sheet and the light guide plate, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the reflective sheet includes bead layers respectively formed on upper and lower portions of the reflective sheet.
The bead layers are formed by forming a reflective sheet through a process of manufacturing a fabric of the reflective sheet and coating the reflective sheet with a bead layer through a bead coating process as illustrated in FIG. 1. That is, a separate bead coating process needs to be performed for formation of bead layers and, accordingly, this method incurs high manufacturing costs and increased manufacturing time.
In this regard, the bead coating process requires process line design and construction costs, manpower, and costs of raw materials such as resin and beads needed in the coating process. These factors are main causes behind a cost increase of the reflective sheet.

Display device and method for fabricating reflective sheet for the same


Input devices allow a hand and/or fingers to relay input to machines. Input devices include an operation unit coupled with an X-, Y-, and/or Z-axis sensor that detects movement of the operation unit by a human hand for input. The operation unit includes a base configured to receive a thumb on the hand of a human operator and a cover that covers the thumb. A frontwall blocks further movement in front of the cover. Input devices may further include a base or cover nail configured to hook the thumb for backward pulling.

Conventionally, an input device is known that aims at an intuitive and easy input operation along XYZ-axes, i.e. three dimensional (ref. patent document 1). The patent document 1 discloses: when an operator of the input device inserts the thumb into a ring portion and moves the thumb upward and downward, a finger stick portion moves upward and downward, allowing an input operation of various devices in Z-axis direction (ref. patent document 1). The above-mentioned conventional art allows the finger stick portion to easily move upward and downward when the operator moves the thumb upward and downward.


Methods, systems, and apparatuses for blockchain-based unexpected data detection are described herein. In some arrangements, a node within a decentralized peer-to-peer (e.g., P2P) network may receive a plurality of network function requests corresponding to the decentralized network. The node may analyze the plurality of network function requests to identify whether the requests included unexpected data and/or irregular data, and/or are associated with flagged wallets and/or smart contracts.

In decentralized P2P computer systems, computing devices may execute network protocols in order to serve as nodes in a P2P network. Each of the nodes may perform functions of the P2P network such as content dissemination, data storage, balance sheet management, smart contract execution, and the like. In some instances, the nodes forming the P2P network may further operate to generate and maintain a blockchain data structure, which may be comprised of a concatenation of data elements (e.g., blocks) that store data related to the P2P network. For example, each of the nodes of the P2P network may have a copy of the blockchain stored in memory and, responsive to performing the functions of the P2P network, may store the data generated in the blockchain.
While the data stored in the blocks of the blockchain may generally be of one or more specific types and formats corresponding to the network functions, there may be cases in which unexpected data and/or data irregularities might be included in the blocks of the blockchain. Furthermore, the unexpected data and/or data irregularities might occur in pending network functions yet to be performed by the nodes of the P2P network. In some instances, the unexpected data and/or data irregularities may include fraudulent data, computer viruses, malware, and/or any other nefarious information.
It may be vital to detect such unexpected data and/or data irregularities in order to maintain the viability of the decentralized P2P network, integrity of the blockchain, and unadulterated execution of operations at each of the nodes within the decentralized P2P network. As such, there will always be a need for apparatuses, systems, and methods for the detection of unexpected data and/or data irregularities in blockchain data and/or pending data yet to be added to a blockchain.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Blockchain-based unexpected data detection


A power supply includes a supply inductor and a first capacitor coupled to form a resonant circuit to generate a resonant waveform in a resonant operation, during a first portion of an operation cycle of the power supply. A charge storage element develops an output voltage to energize a load. A rectifier is coupled to the charge storage element and to the resonant circuit and is responsive to the resonant waveform for applying the output voltage back to the resonant circuit to interrupt the resonant operation, at an end time of the operation cycle first portion, when the resonant waveform produces a first change of state in the rectifier. A first sensor senses when the first change of state in the rectifier occurs. A source of a supply current is coupled to the rectifier and rectified in the rectifier to produce a rectified current that is coupled to the charge storage element to replenish a charge therein, during a second portion of the operation cycle. A switching transistor is responsive to an output signal of the first sensor for enabling the supply current to be coupled to the rectifier, during the operation cycle second portion, and for disabling the supply current from being coupled to the rectifier, during the operation cycle first portion.

Power supplies serve the purpose of converting an input voltage into one or several output voltages. An AC power source may be used to provide an AC power line input, which gets converted to a DC regulated output voltage. Transformers are typically used to provide isolation between a "hot" ground and a "cold" ground for a power supply or a converter. A primary winding of a transformer typically conducts a non-isolated direct current (DC). In the event of a overloading, the current in the primary winding might be, disadvantageously, excessive and may damage, for example, a power transistor that drives the transformer. Additionally, transformers are typically large in size (due to the size of the magnetic elements within them), bulky and expensive devices. It may be desirable to have a power supply that is inherently short circuit protected in a manner that avoids using dedicated circuit components.
In carrying out an inventive feature, a regulated power supply utilizes capacitive elements to transform an input voltage from, for example, a DC power source to a specified output voltage level across a load. The capacitive element, advantageously, could provide capacitive isolation between a "hot" ground and a "cold" ground.


A seatbelt retractor assembly (10) has a seatbelt retractor (14) and an actuator (26) for locking and unlocking the seatbelt retractor (1). An inertial sensor mass (30, 32, 33) detects changes in vehicle speed. The mass (30, 32, 33) has a guide surface (34, 35, 36) for interacting with the actuator (26). The guide surface (34, 35, 36) moves between an unlocking position in which the actuator (26) unlocks the seatbelt retractor (14) and a locking position in which the actuator (26) locks the seatbelt retractor (14). The guide surface (30) has an inner profile portion (62) and at least an outer profile portion (64). The actuator (26) is in contact with the inner profile portion (62) in the unlocking position while moving into contact with the outer profile portion (64) as the actuator (26) moves towards the locking position. The inner profile portion (62) causes a different acceleration of the actuator (26) than the outer profile portion (64).

A seatbelt for a passenger vehicle typically has a seatbelt retractor that serves to retract the belt into its housing. The belt is wound upon a spool in the housing. When the belt is drawn or protracted from its housing, the spool winds a retraction spring, which later retracts the unused portion of the belt onto the spool or withdraws the belt into its housing when not in use.
In the event of a crash, the seatbelt retractor has a lock that prevents the seatbelt from extending further from its housing. The lock may be actuated by an inertial sensor, which responds to changes in vehicle speed during the crash. When a large deceleration is detected, the inertial sensor triggers the lock of the seatbelt retractor to lock the spool and thereby secures the safety belt in place during the crash.
The inertial sensor has an inertial sensor mass that moves in response to changes in speed of the vehicle. This mass is mechanically linked to the lock by an actuator. When the mass moves, the actuator moves and causes movement of a locking pawl that locks the lock when the mass has moved in excess of a predetermined amount. The actuator rests on a surface of the mass. This surface is angled so that movement of the mass causes rapid movement of the actuator and consequently the locking pawl. While rapid movement of the components of the inertial sensor and lock are desirable for safety, this same feature causes undesirable noise during normal vehicle operation.
A need therefore exists for a seatbelt retractor that reduces noise from the foregoing moveable parts.

Seatbelt retractor having an inertial sensor weight with a guide surface


An intelligent cordless telephone interface device for connection to a telephone line is means responsive to an incoming call on the telephone line to determine the identity of the caller. The device communicates with a cordless telephone to convey the identity of the caller to the user and is responsive to input from the user via the cordless telephone to handle the incoming call in the desired manner, for example to direct it to an answering machine, send an announcement to the caller or the like.

This invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to an intelligent cordless telephone interface device.
The telephone can be and often is very disruptive to ones life. The dilemma is voice communication remains the single most important form of communication to most people and as a result we are naturally inclined to want to answer the phone when it rings even though it can be very disruptive at times. Many people are taking crude steps today at managing this disruption. There are those who use today's answering machines as call screeners by listening to the message as it is being left and then picking up the phone if it is someone they wish to talk to. Others try to control the disruption by implementing rules like "no-one answers the phone during dinner".
There are plug-in cards and add on devices on the market today that allow a PC Application to read caller-ID information off a phone line. However, all of these solutions require the user to be in front of the PC to benefit from the caller-ID information. The reality of the home environment is that people do not spend all of their time in front of their PC. This is true even for an individual who's business is based in the home.
Cordless phones have greatly increased accessibility within the home or office environment. The ability to answer the phone from anywhere in and around the house has made cordless phones very successful products. With the increased accessibility provided by this technology comes the realization that `increased access` means increased access from both desirable and undesirable sources. A deficiency of existing `cordless communications` solutions is that incoming call management is very limited. For the majority of cordless phones in use today, the user has no way of knowing who the calling party is and therefore has no way of deciding how to handle the call.
Cordless phones are known that display calling line ID, but choices for handling the call are limited to answer or don't answer (in which case an answering machine could be used to answer the call).
An object of the invention is to overcome these deficiencies of the prior art.

Intelligent cordless telephone interface device


A disposable pillow or cushion cover is formed by an envelope of air and moisture impermeable material. The envelope encases the pillow or cushion and provides an impermeable resting surface upon which a user may rest the head or other body part on a clean, comfortable, fresh, hygienic, fragrant resting surface without having to change pillows, cushion covers or envelopes. The envelope contains a vent to permit ingress and egress of air from the pillow or cushion. The envelope also includes a sealable opening to permit insertion and removal of the pillow or cushion. A facing layer of air permeable material extends over the resting surface and is secured to the envelope at spaced apart locations to allow air flow and a degree of relative movement between the facing layer and envelope.

Pillows and cushions are generally formed by encasing some form of filling within a sealed envelope. The filling can take many forms from non-resilient cotton waste to resilient foam rubber and a wide variety of other materials. In most cases, the envelope is formed from a cloth or similar material, and very often, a covering such as a pillow case or cushion cover is used over the cushion or pillow. These covers are also normally formed from a cloth and usually serve the dual role of being decorative and permitting laundering without the need to launder the encased pillow or cushion.
When pillows and cushions are used as a support for the head of a person, the face comes in very close contact with the outer surface. Consequently, the user breathes the air surrounding the pillow. Both the outer covering of the pillow or cushion and the pillow or cushion itself, are susceptible to contamination by saliva, perspiration and other bodily fluids of previous users. This can lead to offensive odors being inhaled by subsequent users, and in some cases, the risk of inhalation or contact with germs or viruses. Whilst the practice of changing pillow cases or cushion covers does to some extent avoid this problem, it does not adequately deal with the problem of contamination of the pillow cushion itself.


The invention provides an improved air chiller unit mounted on an aircraft for sending cooled air to service carts used for serving meals. An air chiller unit 1 includes a refrigeration cycle unit housed in a casing 10. The refrigeration cycle unit comprises a compressor 20, a condenser 30 and an evaporator 40 for a refrigerant, and the cooled air is sent to a galley via a blower device 60. The casing 10 is formed of honeycomb panels. The compressor 20 is supported via a pair of vibration isolation mounting devices 26 on a base plate of the casing 10. The vibration isolation mounting device 26 is formed of a triangular prism-shaped bracket and an A-shaped vibration isolation rubber, which functions to isolate vibration at normal times, and when a large load is received, functions to support the compressor device 20 with high spring constant with the rubber vibration isolator compressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air chiller unit (air cooling device) equipped in a body of an aircraft for supplying cooled air to foods or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Passenger aircrafts that travel long distances, such as international flights, are equipped with service carts storing meals and the like to be served to passengers, and galleys (kitchen areas) housing the service carts for preparing beverages and carrying out easy food preparation.
The meals are cooked in advance in service facilities on the ground, placed on trays to be stored in service carts, and brought on board.
Of the meals placed on the trays, warm dishes are heated using a heater etc., and cold dishes such as salads are maintained at low temperature by cooled air fed into the service carts.
The patent document of U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,979 discloses an example of a device for cooling service carts.
The air chiller unit is disposed in a space provided on the ceiling or under the floor of the galley in the aircraft. The air chiller unit is equipped with a refrigeration cycle unit, which cools air by an evaporator disposed within a cooling air chamber and supplies the cooled air via a duct to the galley or the like.
Since the air chiller unit is mounted on an aircraft, the unit is required to be light weight and small, and since it is located near the passenger seats, the noise generated by the unit must be reduced.
For safety, it is necessary that the air chiller unit maintain durability when it is subjected to a load as large as 9 G. The refrigeration cycle unit incorporated in the air chiller unit has a compressor for a refrigerant, which is a rotary machine, and it is necessary that the compressor is provided with a vibration-isolation supporting mechanism.
In the prior art, the support arrangement sacrificed the vibration isolation performance so as to provide sufficient durability to the 9-G load.


Microlens sheets include a first array of anamorphic micolenses on a face of a substrate. The microlenses in the first array are defined by a first parametric model along a direction of the first array. A second array of anamorphic micolenses is also provided on the face of the substrate, and interspersed with the first array. The microlenses in the second array are defined by a second parametric model that is different from the first parametric model, along the direction of the first array.

Microlens sheets are widely used in front and/or rear projection screens for television, computer monitor and/or other viewing systems, and in many other applications. As used herein, a microlens is a lens having a size which is on the order of microns, for example on the order of about 5 μm to about 1000 μm in size.
A microlens sheet that may be used for front and/or rear projection viewing systems may include a substrate having first and second opposing faces, an array of microlenses on the first face and a corresponding array of apertures on the second face. The microlenses can provide divergence of light falling on the screen along first and second directions, such as horizontal and vertical directions, to thereby fill a desired viewing space. These microlenses may generally have an anamorphic (i.e., non-rotationally symmetric) shape that may result in a broader divergence in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. The aperture(s) opposing each microlens may permit light which is projected on the screen to pass to the viewing space, while blocking or reducing ambient light reflecting from the screen, which can improve contrast of the projected image.
Conventional techniques for creating microlens arrays with aperture masks may involve fabrication of the arrays on suitable substrates which are or can be coated with appropriate radiation absorbing mask materials. High intensity radiation is then directed through the lenses and focused by them. If the structure of the lens array, substrate and mask has been designed so that the focal points of the lens array are at or near the mask layer, the radiation will form apertures in the mask at these focal points. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,219 to Deml et al., entitled Daylight Projection Screen and Method and Apparatus for Making the Same. Moreover, a non-ablative process for fabricating a light absorbing layer is described in Published United States Patent Application No. US 2004/0017612 A1, entitled Micro-Lens Array With Precisely Aligned Aperture Mask and Methods Of Producing Same, published Jan. 29, 2004, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein.
The microlenses may be any shape, size, or configuration provided that they cause light rays arriving from a prescribed direction to converge to a convergence zone beyond the lens. The size of the lenses may be small enough such that individual lenses generally are smaller than the size of individual image pixels projected from the image projector. The microlens shape may be constant and/or may vary across the surface of the screen, and may be lenticular, spherical, aspherical, anamorphic, prism-shaped, pyramidal shape, combinations and subcombinations thereof and/or other shapes. Microlenses may be fabricated, for example, as described in Published United States Patent Application Nos. US 2005/0058947 A1 to Rinehart et al., entitled Systems And Methods for Fabricating Optical Microstructures Using a Cylindrical Platform and a Rastered Radiation Beam; US 2005/0058948 A1 to Freese et al., entitled Systems and Methods for Mastering Microstructures Through a Substrate Using Negative Photoresist and Microstructure Masters So Produced; and/or US 2005/0058949 A1 to Wood et al., entitled Systems and Methods for Fabricating Microstructures by Imaging a Radiation Sensitive Layer Sandwiched Between Outer Layers, and Microstructures Fabricated Thereby, all published Mar. 17, 2005, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
In a projection screen that uses a microlens sheet, a respective microlens may be designed to efficiently collect incident light, and to focus this light to a convergence point, in order to pass through the aperture and provide divergence of imaging light beyond the convergence point in a manner appropriate for the desired horizontal and vertical viewing angles of the screen. Many approaches have been proposed for the design of such microlenses, including various mathematical formulas describing the shape of the lens. In general, such lenses may have a planoconvex shape, and may have different radii of curvature depending on the specific cross section of lens that is desired. For example, a lens with an anamorphic shape may be desirable for creating highly divergent light in the horizontal light in the horizontal plane, while limiting divergence in the vertical plane. Such an anamorphic lens may have a smaller base in the horizontal plane and a larger base in the vertical plane. A design of a microlens sheet having an array of anamorphic lenses is described in Published United States Patent Application US 2004/0004770 A1 to Ebina et al., entitled Microlens Sheet and Projection Screen. As stated in the abstract of the Ebina et al. published application, in order to provide a microlens sheet in which unit lenses are disposed in highly accurate pitch so as to control the light diffusing characteristics of the light emission direction not only in a horizontal direction but also over 360 degrees by using the lens function of one piece of lens sheet, a microlens sheet has a microlens array section in which unit lenses are disposed in approximate matrix in a second dimensional manner on at least one surface of a base board, and the microlens array section is formed on only one surface of the base board, the microlens array section includes the unit lens having an aspherical shape, and disposition pitch of neighboring unit lenses is 200 μm or shorter.
For commercially desirable viewing screens, it may be desirable to produce a relatively large full-width at half maximum (FWHM) angle. In other words, it may be desirable for the light intensity to fall off with angle from normal to the substrate (0°), such that the light intensity reaches half its on axis intensity at +/− a relatively large a viewing angle from the normal. It may also be desirable for the light intensity to have a smooth distribution as viewing angle is increased, with the intensity falling monotonically (i.e., consistently decreasing without increasing), with an increase in viewing angle. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to design microlens sheets with a desired FWHM and desired intensity distribution characteristics using conventional techniques.

Microlens sheets having multiple interspersed anamorphic microlens arrays


A method and implant for surgical manipulation of bone consist of methods and devices to sample bone (21 and 23) and marrow, (22) and perform skeletal surgery from the inside of the bone. The method uses a hollow cylinder (13 or 15) inserted permanently or temporarily into a drill hole in a bone which acts as a port. To this port, adapters (27) can be used to guide fiber optics (31); surgical devices, such as rotating cutters (32); and aspiration or infusion catheters (33). The ability of the insert (13 or 15) to seal in bone allows the collection of tissue under sterile conditions for transplantation to other sites in the patient. The aspiration and collection capability of this method and device allows the aspirate to be processed aseptically, to be concentrated to its vital components, and combined with donor or synthetic bone material for the treatment of bone at a distant skeletal site. This distant site might be accessed with the insert (13 and 15) and infusion catheter (33) or with conventional surgical technique.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,851 issued Jun. 26, 1990 to Fox et al., describes a device that allows cancellous bone and marrow as well as organs surrounded by hardened cortical bone to be accessed repeatedly from the same site with minimal surgical trauma and morbidity. The purpose of gaining repeated access was to provide a means for obtaining a significant sample of cancellous tissue for histologic and morphometric analysis.
U.S. Ser. No. 08/357,072, provides a cancellous access port that can be used for repeated biopsies of osseous tissue.
Through repeated use of the prior art devices, failures of the mechanism, difficulty in surgical placement and the inability to acquire a biopsy have been encountered. To overcome these deficiencies; the Bone Biopsy Implant (BBI) (Ser. No. 08/016,908 filed Feb. 12, 1993), since issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,388, Apr. 11, 1995 was conceived. The bone biopsy implant forms a port allowing endoscopic access to the medullary compartment.
In the prior art, bone implants have been used to solve health care problems of orthopedic and maxillofacial reconstruction, prosthesis and denture fixation, and fracture stabilization. Additionally, bone implants have been developed to advance the knowledge of bone healing and remodeling as well as the interaction of bone and implant material or devices.
Prior art includes an optical titanium chamber disclosed by Albrektsson in 1979, a bone ingrowth chamber (Albrektsson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,006, Nov. 14, 1989), and a bone harvest chamber (hereinafter sometimes called the "BHC") (Kalebo in 1987) all of which were developed at the University of Goteborg, Sweden. Prior art devices provide a means for obtaining permanent atraumatic access to otherwise inaccessible biological tissues which are protected or covered by hardened bone structures. However, their capability to obtain a biopsy of cortical bone or cancellous tissue following complete healing and mineralization of this tissue is severely compromised by their design.
The osseous infusion capability of the implant system builds on the use of long bones for acute access to the cardiovascular system which dates back to 1922 when Drinker first suggested the sternum as an infusion route. In the early 1940's, Tocantins laid the basis for widespread application of tibial and sternal routes for the administration of fluids to the cardiovascular system.
Building on Tocantins work Meloa, Heinild and Papper demonstrated clinical application of this route for access to the vascular system in children and adults. Heinild reported the use of a needle to infuse 495 patients in which 982 procedures were performed to treat seventeen indications and one general category of disease. In this three year study, only eighteen unsuccessful attempts were reported. Though deaths of patients in the treatment groups were reported, none were specifically attributed to the infusion procedure. In this group of patients, the majority received multiple infusions with one individual receiving as many as ten. Historically, a wide range of fluids have been infused (blood, serum, saline, etc.). Irritation and pain were reported with the infusion of hypertonic solutions. This observation indicates there might be a considerable risk of osteomyelitis when hypertonic solutions are infused via this route.
Complications with these procedures were reported. Heinild reported that clinically, 8.2% of the initial attempts to enter the medullary cavity with a needle failed. Cases in which multiple attempts were made to enter the medullary cavity, only 1.8% were a complete failure. Some cases reported a large hematoma on the posterior aspect of the leg suggesting that the needle had been pushed through the bone. Swelling and oozing around the entry site were noted suggesting that retrograde flow around the needle was occurring. Technical difficulties such as bending and sticking of the needle were also reported. In a 1985 review of the procedure, Rosetti summarized reports by 30 authors between 1942 and 1977 of 4359 attempted infusions. Of these 4359 attempts, 89 were complete failures. Additionally, 27 incidences of osteomyelitis and 10 other complications occurred.
Presently, cannulation is used as a standard method for emergency resuscitation for infants. Valdes reported its use in 15 adults with a mean age of 50.46 years. Shoor investigated the pressure-flow relationship and pharmacokinetics of the procedure. Infusion rates from 102 to 2,500 ml/hour were reported with gravity feed and pressures up to 300 mmHg in the tibia and sternum. Rosetti reported data on infusion rate, fluids administered, uses, complications and suggested intraosseous infusion as an alternative route for pediatric intravascular access. The American Heart Association supports Rosetti's recommendations and suggests the procedure as a recommended alternative for circulatory support for pediatric care.
In the prior patent art an implant invented by Von Hoff et al. entitled "Intramedullary Catheter" (U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,261) is described. This patent describes a method and bone implant device to facilitate osseous infusion. The intramedullary catheter (IC) patent claims a method that uses an elongated, tubular conduit, and a head attached to one end of the conduit. Dependent claims describe a sealing mechanism disposed in the cavity to overly the conduit. The combination of the elongated, tubular conduit, head, cavity and sealing mechanism were well known in the technical literature but were novel due to their combination as a permanent implantable device.
The title intramedullary catheter and claims describe a device that resides in bone marrow and relies on a tubular conduit connected to the outside of the bone to facilitate infusion. Blockage of this conduit would and in reports has caused the device to fail during human and animal use. The internal volume of the conduit and cavity form dead space within the human body. The body naturally tries to fill this space which results in blockage of the device and its failure to facilitate osseous infusion. The dead space formed by the conduit and cavity provide an region within the implant that is prone to microbial colonization and intractable infection.
The principal deficiencies of the IC are conduit and cavity blockage, microbial colonization, exfoliation of the implant, difficulty in surgical placement and the inability to replace the sealing means or clear the device without explantation. Explantation of the device generally damages the surrounding bone leaving the site unsuitable for future use.
The subject invention of the present patent application is related to the bone biopsy implant. The present disclosure details the use of devices for endoscopic and other access and includes teaching for minimally invasive surgical manipulation of bone. The subject invention expands on the use of the bone biopsy implant for endoscopic access to the medullary compartment by describing a method of performing bone surgery, viewing bone and marrow tissue, delivering materials to bone and fluids into the cardiovascular system and aspirating fluids from a patient through an implant that forms a port through a surgically created defect in bone tissue.

Method and implant for surgical manipulation of bone


A press-connecting terminal has a press-connecting portion in which even when a covered electric wire having an external diameter equal to or greater than the inside width between a pair of sidewalls is pressed into a space between the pair of sidewalls, the pair of sidewalls are prevented from being widened outward. The press-connecting terminal is such that recessed portions for receiving a covering portion of the covered electric wire pressed into a gap between press-connecting blades are provided in the respective inside surfaces of the pair of sidewalls. Therefore, the restoring force of the covering portion acting as what widens the sidewalls outward is eased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a press-connecting terminal which is electrically connected to a covered electric wire by pressing the covered electric wire into a gap between press-connecting blades formed on a pair of sidewalls.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 shows a conventional press-connecting terminal 1. The press-connecting terminal 1 incorporates a contact portion 2 which is formed on one side of the terminal and to be connected to a mating terminal, and an electric wire joint 3 which is formed on the other side thereof and to be connected to the end of an electric wire. The electric wire joint 3 is provided with an electric-wire holding portion 4 for holding the electric wire on the rear side of the electric wire joint 3. Further, a press-connecting portions 5 is formed between the electric-wire holding portion 4 and the contact portion 2.
The press-connecting portion 5 comprises a bottom wall 6, a pair of sidewalls 7, 7 which are respectively bent upward in the substantially perpendicular direction from both sides of the bottom wall 6, and at least a pair of press-connecting blades 8, 8 which are bent so that these blades stand up from the respective sidewalls 7, 7 above the bottom wall 6 and face each other with a predetermined gap held therebetween. The press-connecting terminal shown in FIG. 4 has three pairs of press-connecting blades 8, 8.
The end portion of a covered electric wire 9 is pressed into a gap between the pair of press-connecting blades 8, 8 so as to rupture a covering portion (see FIG. 5) 10 of the covered electric wire 9 by means of the press-connecting blades 8, 8. When a conductor portion (see FIG. 5) 11 is brought into contact with the press-connecting blades 8, 8 the covered electric wire 9 and the press-connecting terminal 1 are electrically connected to each other. Incidentally, the covered electric wire 9 is clamped by the electric-wire holding portion 4 and held in the press-connecting terminal 1.
With tendencies for the size of housings of, for example, connectors to be reduced and for the density of terminals to be increased, there has developed a demand for reducing the size of such a press-connecting terminal 1 in order to decrease a storage space in the housing.
Thereupon, an attempt may be made to narrow the width of the press-connecting portion 5 as shown in FIG. 5 by setting the inside width L1 between the pair of sidewalls 7, 7 where the press-connecting blades 8, 8 are formed to be smaller than the external diameter L2 of the covered electric wire 9 in the press-connecting portion 5 to which the end portion of the covered electric wire 9 is press-connected.
When a covered electric wire 9 having an external diameter L2 equal to or greater than the inside width L1 between the pair of sidewalls 7, 7 is pressed into the gap between the press-connecting blades 8, 8 as shown in FIG. 6, however, the pair of sidewalls 7, 7 tend to widen outward due to the restoring force of the covered electric wire 9 during and after the press-fitting operation.
When the pair of sidewalls 7, 7 widen outward, there is the possibility that the contact load between the press-connecting blades 8, 8 and the conductor portion 11 of the covered electric wire 9 lowers, thus making the normal contact therebetween unobtainable.


An optical system in which an aggressively compact reflective front end is combined with beam splitting elements and refractive relay optics to allow several imaging systems working in widely different wavelength bands to share a common aperture. The aggressively compact design results in significant field curvature at the uncorrected intermediate or virtual focus, which is corrected in the refractive relay optics for each band's imaging path.

Various types of optical designs are known for observing distant objects. A first type of optical design utilizes refractive elements (i.e., lenses). However, optical designs consisting only of refractive elements have chromatic aberrations (i.e., the index of refraction varies with wavelength) that are difficult to correct, so it is difficult to have widely different wavelength bands use a common shared aperture in an all-refractive optical design. Also, most optical substrate (i.e., lens) materials transmit light only within specific wavelength ranges. For example, there are very few materials that can transmit in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) (1-2.5 μm) wavelength range and also in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) (7.5-14 μm) wavelength range.
Another type of optical design for observing distant objects utilizes reflective elements (i.e., mirrors). However, many reflective optical designs include a central obscuration, which reduces the performance (e.g., resolution) of the image over certain frequencies. For example, in a Cassegrain design, two mirrors (a primary mirror and a secondary mirror) share a common optical axis, and the apertures are concentric to the optical axis, so that the secondary mirror, and the hole in the primary mirror, create an obscured aperture that reduces performance of the image over certain frequencies. The obscuration also reduces the light collection efficiency, requiring a larger overall aperture size (i.e., diameter) to achieve a given collection area of the aperture.
Some reflective optical designs do not include a central obscuration. One form of unobscured reflective optical design is known as a "Schiefspiegler" (literally "oblique mirror" in German), which was invented by Anton Kutter in the mid-20th Century. Generically, the Schiefspiegler is an unobscured two-mirror telescope where the two mirrors are tilted with respect to one another to help correct for aberrations. In the Schiefspiegler, only off-axis portions of the parent mirror shapes are used, which avoids the obscuration common with other reflective designs. However, to achieve acceptable performance, the reflective elements are spaced far apart to achieve flat focal planes. Also, to block stray light (i.e, off-axis light or light from outside the desired field of view), the entrance pupil may be spaced a significant distance from the primary mirror. Thus, the Shiefspiegler is too large for applications which require compactness, such as imaging systems mounted on aircraft or satellites. Another example of an unobscured reflective optical design is the three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) but, again, the presence of a third mirror leads to an optical design that is too large for certain applications. Additionally, such reflective designs do not easily support multiple imaging paths.

Unobscured two-mirror catadioptric optical system for a multispectral imaging apparatus