The present invention relates to a new process for the preparation of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors of formula (I) or a salt thereof, wherein: R1 is N-acyl-4-piperidyl; N-alkoxycarbonyl-4-piperidyl; N-alkyl-4-piperidyl; N-benzyl-4-piperidyl; N-(xcfx89-aralkyl)-4-piperidyl; 4-pyridyl; R4, R5, R6, and R7 are identical or different and each represents hydrogen, straight-chain or branched alkyl, aryl, hydroxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, benzyloxy, acyloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, benzylthio, acylamino, phthalimido or halogen; n is 1, 2 or 3; m is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. This process comprises cyclisation of a compound of formula (II) or salts thereof, wherein R1, R4, R5, R6 and R7, m and n are as defined above; R2 is selected from a derivatised or non-derivatised carboxyl, cyano, N-substituted aminocarbonyl groups or hydrogen; R3 is selected from a derivatised or non-derivatised carboxyl, cyano or N-substituted aminocarbonyl groups, optionally in the presence of acids and/or solvents. One of the most potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors of the class of compounds prepared according to the present invention is donepezil.

The present application is the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of international application PCT/IL99/00436, filed Aug. 11, 1999 which designated the United States, which international application was published under PCT Article 21 (2) in English.
The present invention relates to a new process for the preparation of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (anti-AchE) such as Donepezil, to some novel intermediates used in this process and to their preparation.
Dementia is a chronic progressive organic mental disorder in which there is disturbance of multiple higher cortical functions including memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgement. Alzheimer""s Disease is the commonest cause of dementia and is characterized by degeneration of specific nerve cells, presence of neurotic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles. Definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer""s Disease requires demonstration of these characteristic pathological features in brain tissue, although in the vast majority of cases diagnosis is made on clinical grounds alone, where it is more correctly called Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT).
Various attempts have been made to treat the senile dementia with a drug. It was found that compounds of formula [X] (Scheme 1) possess a high acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (Sugimoto, H., et al., J. Med. Chem., v. 38, 481 (1995). One of the most potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (anti-AChE) of this class is Donepezil (E2020) [VII].
Donepezil is a new drug treatment for use in mild to moderate dementia due to SDAT. Donepezil acts by inhibiting acetylcholine esterase, the enzyme responsible for metabolising acetylcholine, thereby enhancing neurotransmitter levels.
The general synthetic route to compounds [X] comprises the condensation of cyclic aromatic ketones [XI] with 1-substituted-4-(xcfx89-formylalkyl)piperidines [XII] followed by reduction of the obtained compounds [XIII] (Scheme 1) (Sugimoto, H., et al., J. Med. Chem., v. 38, 481 (1995); Eisai Co., U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,901).
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a compound of formula [I] or a salt thereof:
wherein:
R1 is N-acyl-4-piperidyl; N-alkoxycarbonyl-4-piperidyl; 4-piperidyl; N-alkyl-4-piperidyl; N-benzyl-4-piperidyl; N-(xcfx89-aralkyl)-4-piperidyl; 4-pyridyl;
R4, R5, R6 and R7 are identical or different and each represents hydrogen, straight-chain or branched alkyl, aryl, hydroxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, benzyloxy, acyloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, benzylthio, acylamino, phthalimido or halogen;
n is 1, 2 or 3;
m is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;
which process comprises cyclisation of a compound of formula [II] or salts thereof
wherein
R1, R4, R5, R6 and R7, m and n are as defined above;
R2 is selected from a derivatised or non-derivatised carboxyl, cyano, N-substituted aminocarbonyl groups or hydrogen;
R3 is selected from a derivatised or non-derivatised carboxyl, cyano or N-substituted aminocarbonyl groups, optionally in the presence of acids and/or solvents.
According to the present invention, enantiomerically enriched compounds of formula [I] or salts thereof are prepared by cyclisation of optically pure compounds of formula [II], wherein R2 and R3 are different.
The present invention also relates to new compounds of formula [II]:
wherein
R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7, m and n are as defined above, including salts thereof and the optically active enantiomers thereof, with the proviso that when R1 is 4-pyridyl, and n=m=1, then at least one of R4, R5, R6 and R7 does not represent hydrogen or lower alkyl.
The present invention further relates to a process for preparing a compound [II] by the hydrogenation of a compound of formula [VIII] or [IX] or mixtures thereof
wherein
R1, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, n and m are as defined above.
Alternatively, a compound of the formula [II] can be prepared by reaction of a compound of formula [V]
with a compound of the formula [VI]
in the presence of a strong base,
wherein in all the above formulae, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, X, m and n are as defined above.
Alternatively, a compound of the formula [II] can be prepared by reacting of compound of formula [III]
wherein
X is a facile leaving group,
with a compound of the formula [IV]
in the presence of a strong base as it was shown in one example by Miyoshi, Hideto et. al. (J. Biol. Chem., (1998), 273 (28).
The compounds of formula [I] and formula [II] can be prepared as described in the following reaction schemes and discussion. Unless otherwise indicated, the meanings R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, X, n and m in compounds of the formulae [I], [Ia], [II], [IIa], [III], [IIIa], [IV], [IVa], [V], [V], [VI], [VII], [IX], [XX], [XX], [VIIa], [IXa], [XVIIIa], [XIXa] which are shown or mentioned in the reaction schemes and discussion tat follow, are as defined above.
Scheme 2 below refers to a process for the preparation of a compound of formula [I] or salts thereof by cyclisation of a compound of formula [II] or salts thereof:
When the above process is carried out with an optically pure compound of formula [II], (R2 and R3 are different), the obtained product is an enantiomically enriched compound of formula [I] or salts thereof.
According to the present invention ester, amido, cyano or ether protecting groups can be hydrolyzed under the conditions of the cyclisation reaction either in the starting compound [II] or in the desired compound [I].
Preferably, the cyclisation is carried out with a previously hydrolysed compound [II], wherein R2 is hydrogen or a carboxyl group and to R3 is a carboxyl group. Compound [II] wherein R2 and R3 are carboxyl groups, are decarboxylated in the course of the intramolecular acylatin.
More preferably, said cyclisation of compound [II] (R2=H, R3=COOH) is carried out under Friedel-Crafts reaction conditions, optionally with previous derivatisation of the R3 carboxylic group to a halocarbonyl group.
Preferably, the cyclisation of the present invention is carried out in the presence of protic acids or Lewis acids or a mixture thereof. Examples of such acids are trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, polyphosphoric acid, fluoro- or chlorosulfonic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, aluminium chloride, aluminium bromide, titanium chloride, boron fluoride, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorus trichloride, thyonyl chloride and sulfuryl chloride.
The cyclisaton of the present invention can be carried out in the presence of a solvent. Preferably, the solvent is selected from dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, tetrachloroethane, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, nitromethane, nitroethane, nitrobenzene, ether or mixtures thereof.
Pharmaceutically important compounds of formula [Ia] are obtained according to Scheme 3:
Acids of formula [XV] or [XVI], which are obtained by hydrolysis of the corresponding esters [XIV] and [XVII], undergo cyclisation to yield Donepezil [VII] in high yield and purity (Scheme 4).
According to another aspect, the present invention relates to new compounds of formula [II] including the optically active enantiomers thereof (R2xe2x89xa0R3) which are used in the cyclisation shown in Scheme 2 above.
Schemes 5 and 6 below refer to processes for preparation of the new compounds of formula [II].
Referring to Scheme 5 and 6, the compounds of formulae [III], [IV], [V], [VI], [XVIII], [XIX], [XX], [XXI] can be prepared by methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In the above formulae (Scheme 5), X represents a facile leaving group and may be a sulfonate group or a halogen. Preferably, X is selected from chlorine and bromine.
The reactions according to Scheme 5 are usually carried out in the presence of a strong base, as for example metal alkoxides, metal amides, metal hydrides or mixtures thereof. Most preferably, the strong base is selected from sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, potassium tert-butoxide, sodium hydride, sodium tert-pentoxide, sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide, lithium diisopropylamide or mixtures thereof.
The coupling reaction according to Scheme 6 is usually carried out in the presence of a base. Preferably, the base is selected from metal carbonate, metal alkoxides, metal amides or metal hydrides. More preferably, the base is selected from potassium carbonate, sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, potassium tert-butoxide, sodium hydride, lithium diisopropylamide or mixture thereof.
The products of the coupling reaction shown in Scheme 6, i.e compounds [VIII] and [IX] can undergo isomerisation under the reaction conditions to give either an isomeric mixture or the thermodynamically more stable isomer.
The above process can be carried out either without a solvent or in the presence of an organic solvent or water. The organic solvent is preferably selected from tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1,2-dimethoxyethane, dichloromethane, benzene, toluene, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-dimethylacetamide, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butyl alcohol or mixtures thereof.
The compounds [VIII] and [IIX] in Scheme 6 can be reduced by catalytic hydrogenation. Transition metals can be used as catalysts in said catalytic hydrogenation. Preferably, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru or Ni are used. During this process some of the R1 groups are reduced (e.g. 4-pyridylxe2x80x94to 4-piperidyl. In such a case it is preferred to protect the nitrogen of the piperidyl group).
A compound of formula [IIa] (Scheme 3) may be prepared from the compounds [IIIa] and [IVa], as shown in the following Schemes 7 and 8.
Compounds [XIV] and [XVII] which can be used in the synthesis of Donepezil (Scheme 4) may be prepared according to either Scheme 9 or Scheme 10.
Enantiomerically enriched compounds of formula [I] are obtained from optically pure compounds [II] (Scheme 2), which in turn, are obtained from a racemic mixture of [II] (wherein R2xe2x89xa0R3) by either of the following reactions:
Diastereomeric crystallisation with optically pure acids, followed by several recrystallisations and recovery of the desired product;
Diastereomeric crystallisation with optically pure amines (if R2 or R3=COOH) followed by a number of recrystallisations and recovery of the desired product;
Resolution on an optically active sorbent;
Enzymatic resolution.
Furthermore, in order to increase the yield of the optically pure product [II], the undesired enantiomer may be racemised and reused.

Process and intermediates for production of donepezil and related compounds


In a method for manufacturing a radiation window there is produced a layered structure where an etch stop layer exists between a carrier and a solid layer. A blank containing at least a part of each of the carrier, the etch stop layer, and the solid layer is attached to a radiation window frame. At least a part of what of the carrier was contained in the blank is removed, thus leaving a foil attached to the radiation window frame, wherein the foil contains at least a part of each of the etch stop layer and the solid layer.

A radiation window is a part of a measurement apparatus that allows a desired part of electromagnetic radiation to pass through. In many cases the radiation window must nevertheless be gastight, in order to seal and protect an enclosure where reduced pressure and/or a particular gas contents prevail. The pressure inside the enclosure may be also higher than outside, for example in measurement apparata on board space-going platforms. In order to cause as little absorption as possible of the desired radiation, a major part of the radiation window should consist of a very thin foil.
Patent applications number PCT/FI2010/050781 (published as WO2011/151505) and PCT/FI2011/050100 (published as WO2011/151506) disclose a manufacturing principle, according to which a silicon wafer or a corresponding piece of etchable material is used as a temporary carrier during the manufacturing process of a radiation window. A so-called etch stop layer is produced on a polished surface of the temporary carrier. The etch stop layer is meant to eventually remain as a part of the completed radiation window. Further layers of the radiation window are produced on the etch stop layer using thin film manufacturing techniques, such as CVD (chemical vapour deposition), ALD (atomic layer deposition), and/or PLD (pulsed laser deposition). After the completion of adding layers, window blanks are cut out, with the temporary carrier still present giving additional support and enabling easier handling. A window blank is attached to a frame, after which the exposed temporary carrier is not needed any more and can be etched away. The etching is conveniently stopped by the etch stop layer, leaving only the layered radiation window foil attached in the frame. The result is a completed radiation window, the frame of which can be used for attaching it into place in a measurement apparatus.
Despite its many advantages, the manufacturing method described above still leaves room for finding other advantageous methods for manufacturing radiation window foils and radiation windows.

Method and arrangement for manufacturing a radiation window


A cooling system and method including a cooling chamber with an air inlet, a water inlet, and a cooling fill disposed between the air inlet and the water inlet. The cooling fill configured to put more water surface area in contact with air. The cooling system also including a basin disposed on a side of the cooling fill that is opposite the water inlet, the basin configured to collect the water from the cooling fill. A precooler is included in combination with the basin, the precooler including a heat-mass exchanger in combination with the basin, a blower configured to provide pressurized air through the heat-mass exchanger, and an expansion device configured to depressurize the air after the heat-mass exchanger.

This invention relates generally to a cooling system and, more particularly, to a cooling system utilizing precooled or precooled dehumidified air.
Prior art cooling systems such as the Maisotsenko Cycle (M-cycle) systems allow for atmospheric air to be cooled to the dew point temperature (the temperature where air can no longer hold all its water vapor). Examples of M-cycle systems include modified fill, indirect-direct cooling, and utilizing a cooling tower with the modified fill. While such systems ideally allow cooling to the dew point temperature, several problems exist with these current systems. These systems are susceptible to a high pressure drop. They also are limited by the dew point limit of the air. No dehumidification works with these systems. They also often have complicated designs and are not efficient in wet climates. Some prior art cooling and dehumidification systems include the addition of chillers and/or membranes. However, these devices are susceptible to a high pressure drop, high energy consumption, and high cost. Thus there is a continuing need for improved cooling systems.


A system pressure actuated charge compensator for use with a heat pump having a liquid service valve and a vapor service valve. The charge compensator comprises a holding tank having first and second ports, a first pressure tap coupled to the first port and removeably coupleable to the vapor service valve, and a second pressure tap coupled to the second port and removeably coupleable to the liquid service valve. A heat pump system and a method of manufacturing a charge compensator are also provided.

In heat pump systems, the volume ratio is the internal volume of the outdoor coil versus the internal volume of the indoor coil. The indoor and outdoor coils in conventional heat pump systems are of the appropriate size to run efficiently in cooling and heating mode. When upgrading older heat pump systems from a low SEER rating to SEER 13 or higher in order to improve cooling performance, an imbalance can occur as the volume ratio changes. When the indoor coil volume is smaller than the outdoor coil volume, the system has a high volume ratio. Conversely, when the indoor coil volume is greater than the outdoor coil volume, the system has a low volume ratio. These conditions create an imbalance in the amount of refrigerant charge needed as the heat pump changes from heating to cooling mode, i.e., the system needs more refrigerant during the cooling cycle than during the heating cycle. Existing charge compensators comprise a tank with a vapor tube passing through the tank, but the vapor tube is not open to the tank. The tank inner volume is connected to the liquid line and the excess charge is thermally drawn into the tank when the tube is cold during the heating mode; the charge is thermally driven out during the cooling mode when the tube is warm during the cooling mode. This type of compensator, if used in the field, must be brazed into the system to assure that the system is vapor tight. This requires that the refrigerant charge be removed, the system be opened, the compensator brazed in place by a technician, and the total system be evacuated and recharged.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a charge compensator that does not require brazing the compensator into the liquid and vapor lines.

System pressure actuated charge compensator


The present invention relates to a forage harvester blower including a blower rotor having a plurality of generally radially extending rotor paddles which operate in a corresponding substantially cylindrical housing, characterised in that said housing is provided with adjustment mechanism for at least locally adjusting the diameter of the housing. The present invention further relates to a method for optimising the operation of a forage harvester blower and to a method for preventing damage to a forage harvester blower during operation.

Generally, forage harvesters chop crop material, such as grass or maize, into small particles for storage and subsequent feeding to livestock. Conventional harvesters comprise a rotating cutter head with a plurality of knives, which co-operates with a stationary shear bar to cut the crop material fed thereto into small particles and deliver it to discharge mechanism. It is well-known in forage harvesters to provide a blower for receiving chopped forage either directly from the cutter head or from kernel processing rolls or an impeller or other forage moving apparatus located between the cutter head and blower and for delivering the chopped forage to a forage collecting container such as the box of a wagon or truck, for example.
In an attempt to minimise plugging, designers have advantageously located the blower so as to receive the chopped forage in a relatively thin mat flowing along the outer periphery of the cylindrical blower housing where the forage is engaged and accelerated upwardly by blades or paddles extending generally radially from the blower rotor.
An important problem associated with conventional harvester blowers is that the blowers may be seriously damaged when a foreign object enters the blower. Sometimes, during field activities foreign objects can enter the blower area and cause serious damage to the blower rotor and blower housing. This phenomenon is called a 'blow-up'. Most of the time it starts when a stone or other hard object enters the harvester, in particular the cutter head, and gets stuck between a knife of the rotating cutter drum and it's counter knife or shear bar. This causes the knife to break such that this piece gets stuck between a subsequent knife and counter knife. A chain reaction is the result. Parts that leave the cutter head area are thrown into the blower and can plug the blower by getting stuck between the rotor and the housing of the blower unit. In most cases, this results in a deformation of the shaft on which the blower rotor is mounted and/or in a deformation of the housing and a serious decrease in efficiency of the blower. Presence of foreign objects in the blower may induce considerable material damage and material loss such that deformed rotor and/or housing will have to be removed and replaced, which involves expensive repair costs and which is time-consuming. Furthermore, the blow-up phenomenon also involves serious risks from a security point of view, since the blower can break down during operation.
The present invention aims to provide a solution to the above-mentioned problem. It is therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide a blower showing improved security and wherein repair costs as a consequence of a blow-up phenomenon can be reduced. The present invention provides a solution to the above-mentioned problems by providing a blower unit having an adjustable housing.


A spring loaded or mechanically activated detent for a microphone stand that allows for quick disassembly and re-assembly. The microphone main shaft (102) is terminated at the lower end with a circumferential raceway or slot (44). The base has a coaxial matching cavity that accepts the lower end of the microphone shaft. At a depth to match the raceway, a spring loaded ram, positioned radially, extends into and mates with the raceway to secure the shaft to the base. In another preferred embodiment a spring clip or a stiff clip can be mechanically inserted through a radially extended opening in the base to engage the slot in the lower end of the shaft. There may be other such rams distributed around the circumference of the shaft. In another preferred embodiment the raceway may extend only partially around the circumference of the shaft. The raceway will be of a uniform depth for some arc length ending with a lip and a ramp up to the surface. This arrangement allows the shaft to be twisted overcoming the lip against the spring force and then twisted farther to free the shaft from the base. The invention is arranged to refit existing microphone stands. A plug (12) is threaded into the lower end of the shaft, or microphone pole, and may be secured with a set screw. This plug has a shaft extending from the bottom that has at least one circumferential raceway (20). A tapped receptacle (22) is screwed into the base. The receptacle has a coaxial cavity that accepts and mates with the second shaft. The receptacle has a spring loaded ram (28) or a spring of stiff clip that are radially positioned and retained in the receptacle. The ram or the clips extend into the raceway to secure the main microphone shaft to the base.

Microphone and music stands are constructed for disassembly such that the stands may be transported easily. When assembled, these stands are awkward and not easily stored so that virtually all such stands may be disassembled. The base is very heavy compared to the shaft so that when upright the microphone is very stable. This disproportioned weight becomes a further impediment if the microphone stand is transported without disassembly.
Entertainers tour this country playing on successive nights in locations that may be in the next city or across the country. In such instances, the stands are disassembled each night and re-assembled each day. Quick and easy disassembly and re-assembly provides an important advantage.
Existing microphone stands are disassembled by unscrewing the stand shaft from the base. The issue is that there are many threads with a very fine pitch. The result is a time consuming and frustrating disassembly and assembly. The fine pitch is useful to make the pole to base combination very secure with no wobble or play between the pole and the base. This threaded connection is very rugged as well because the base is heavy (over 5 pounds) but the pole and the base are often picked up during a performance. If the pole and base became detached or loose fitting the performance would suffer--hence the very stable, rugged construction.
Music stands are often made of foldable metal straps that store and transport well. However, some such stands are built similarly to microphone stands and these stands will benefit from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,693 to Browne, issued on Sep. 10, 1991, entitled MICROPHONE STAND COUPLER, discloses a bayonet-type coupler. This invention provides a quick disconnect microphone pole from a base. The microphone pole has a hole to accommodate a lever actuated cam mechanism. The cam lever interacts with the base to secure the pole to the base but allows actuation of the lever to quickly disconnect the pole from the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,182 to Hoblingre, issued on Jul. 24, 1990, entitled RAPID FASTENER OF THE BAYONET-TYPE, discloses another quick disconnect mechanism. This invention is an axial spring loaded bayonet. A pole is held to a base by the spring load. By twisting the pole relative to the base against the spring load the pole is positioned for removal.
Another example of prior art is found in a product named QUICK KLIP made by TMP. This is a device embodying a quick disconnect of a microphone from the microphone shaft or pole. The device has a spring loaded cam built into a device that may be screwed or threaded to an existing microphone. A mating tubular device is attached to the pole. The plug has a groove and an anti-rotating design. The tubular device has a spring loaded cam that, when the plug is inserted into the tubular device, engages the groove and prevents disconnecting the two pieces from each other. A button connected to the cam may be pressed, and working against the spring retracts the cam to allow disengagement of the microphone from the pole. This device is light weight and relatively fragile. It is built for the light weight of the microphone itself or another light weight pole extension.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a smooth mating of a microphone stand, the shaft and the base, where the pieces are guided for quick assembly and disassembly of a microphone stand.
It is another object to provide means for refitting existing microphone stands to incorporate quick disassembly and re-assembly as disclosed in the present invention, yet to make the apparatus rugged to withstand handling during performances.
It is another object to provide a quick disassembly microphone stand that provides a twist off mechanism to further facilitate disassembly.
It is another object to provide a keying arrangement to provide a known orientation of the pole to the base of the microphone stand.

Microphone stand providing quick assembly and disassembly


The present invention provides a novel method for the formation of hydroxamic acids comprising reacting under suitable conditions an ester with hydroxylamine in the presence of cyanide anion.

Hydroxamic acid analogs are important targets in medicinal chemisty because of their bidentate chelating interaction with the catalytic Zn2+ in the active site of metalloproteinases. (Fingleton, B. Expert Opin. Ther. Targets (2003), 7(3), 385–397; Clendeninn, N. J.; Appelt, K., Eds. Hydroxamic acid matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors. Humana Press: Totowa, N.J., 2000; pp. 113–142.
The direct solution-phase hydroxyamination of esters is generally achieved by a two-step methods involving 1) the potassium salt of hydroxylamine followed by the addition of the ester in alcohol solvent, Hauser, C. R.; Renfrow, W. B. Org. Syn., Coll. Vol. 2 1943, 67–68, or 2) saponification of the ester followed by activation of the acid and quenching with an O-protected hydroxylamine analog, Burns, C. J. et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 2848–2850; Mori, K., et al. Tetrahedron 1988, 44, 6013–6020. In special cases, the hydroxyamination of esters has been achieved via enzymatic methods Chen, S-T. et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Letters 1992, 2, 1685–1690, and, for more reactive esters, by treatment with excess hydroxylamine in alcohol solvent. Spengler, J., et al. Synthesis 1998, 1, 67–70.
The solid-phase synthesis of hydroxamic acids via the direct cleavage of an ester-linked substrate has been reported. Dankwardt, S. M. SYNLETT 1998, 7, 761; Dankwardt, S. M., et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Letters 2000, 10, 2513–2516. However, this method requires exposure of the esterified resin to concentrated aqueous hydroxylamine in THF over 2 days and is limited in scope because of irreproducibility. Zhang, W., et al. J. Comb. Chem. 2001, 3, 151–153; Thouin, E., et al. Tetrahedron Letters 2000 457–460. The issue with simply using a hydroxylamine resin is that important chemistries like the Mitsunobu reaction and alkylations are problematic because of the acidic NH group (pKa˜10).
Alternatives to address this include a method where ester libraries are made on-resin, cleaved and re-attached to a hydroxylamine resin then cleaved again, Salvino, J. M., et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2000, 10, 1637–1640; and specialized resins, Barlaam, B. et al. Tetrahedron 1999, 55, 7221–7232; Mellor, S. L., et al. Tetrahedron Letters 1997, 38, 3311–3314; Floyd, C. D., et al. Tetrahedron Letters 1996, 37, 8045–8048; Ede, N. J., et al. Letters Pep. Sci. 1999, 6, 157–163; Bauer, U, et al. Tetrahedron Letters 1997, 7233–7236, where the hydroxylamine-linking group is fully protected. Ngu, K., et al. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 7088–7089.
Also reported in the literature is the formation of amides from the reaction of an ester with an amine in the presence of small amounts of cyanide ion (Hogberg, T., et al. J. Org. Chem. 1987, 52, 2033–2036).

Preparation of hydroxamic acids from esters in solution and on the solid phase


An interface for connecting an alarm system control panel and one or more telephone sets to a special telephone line is disclosed, wherein the interface includes a filter connected in series between the special telephone line and an alarm system control panel for removing special signals from the special telephone line, a controllable switch connected to the filter and the special telephone line for selectively enabling and disabling the filter, and a control circuit connected to the controllable switch for enabling the filter when the alarm system control panels goes off hook.

This invention relates generally to alarm systems and more particularly to an interface device for connecting an alarm system control panel to a special phone line.
Some residential and commercial alarm systems are connected to a telephone line so that an alarm condition can be transmitted to a monitoring facility and an appropriate response can be initiated. Most present day alarm systems have control panels that are designed to connect to conventional analog telephone lines. Increasingly, special telephone services such as xDSL are installed that carry signals at frequencies higher than those used for normal analog telephone connections. The signals on these non-standard telephone lines may interfere with the operation of analog alarm system control panels.
As used herein, a special telephone line is a telephone line that carries signals other than or in addition to conventional analog telephone signals, and particularly signals that would interfere with the operation of a conventional DACT. Special signals means those signals carried by a special telephone line that would, if not removed, interfere with the operation of an alarm system control panel DACT.
Most alarm system control panels use an industry standard Digital Alarm Communicator Transmitter (DACT) to interface with the telephone line. Standard DACTs were designed prior to the widespread introduction of special phone lines such as xDSL. The signals appearing on these non-standard lines are known to interfere with the proper operation of DACTs and, therefore, with the proper operation of the alarm system control panel. Filters have been developed for connection between a special telephone line and analog devices. Such filters can be connected between the alarm system control panel DACT and a special telephone line for removing special signals that would otherwise interfere with the operation of the DACT. The filters effectively address the problems created by special telephone lines in some premises wiring configurations, but create additional problems in others. When a telephone line splitter is used to connect the incoming telephone circuit to a DSL modem connected to one port and a filter and analog telephone sets connected to another port, an alarm system control panel can be connected between the filter and the telephone sets and operate normally. Similarly, when a combination DSL modem/ splitter is used to provide a network connection and an analog connection, the control panel can be connected in series with the analog telephone sets and connected to the analog connection of the DSL modem/splitter.
Another arrangement creates additional problems, however. Many prewired premises telephone lines are xe2x80x9cdaisy chainedxe2x80x9dfrom one phone outlet to the next. A DSL modem can be connected directly to any phone jack to provide a data connection to a personal computer or the like. Each analog telephone set requires a filter between it and a phone outlet. The alarm panel cannot be connected between one of these filters and a phone because such an arrangement would permit other analog telephone sets connected to other outlets to interrupt the operation of the alarm panel. The alarm panel must be wired ahead of all of the analog telephones. To do so in the daisy chain arrangement, however, would connect the alarm panel to the telephone line ahead of any filtering and, as already discussed, this would create problems with special signals being applied to the control panel DACT, resulting in unreliable operation.
It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus and an arrangement for allowing an alarm system control panel to be effectively connected to a special telephone line in a premises wired in a daisy chain configuration, without rewiring the entire premises.
It is another object of this invention to provide an interface for an alarm system control panel that allows the control panel to be connected to a special telephone line upstream from a plurality of daisy chained house telephones and a DSL modem.
Briefly stated, in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, an interface for connecting an alarm system control panel and one or more telephone sets to a special telephone line includes a filter connected in series between the special telephone line and an alarm system control panel for removing special signals from the special telephone line, a controllable switch connected to the filter and the special telephone line for selectively enabling and disabling the filter, and a control circuit connected to the controllable switch for enabling the filter when the alarm system control panels goes off hook.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the alarm system control panel includes a port for connecting one or more telephone sets and one or more special devices such as a DSL modem to the telephone line.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the control circuit includes first and second current sensors for sensing current in the connection between the alarm system control panel and the special telephone line on the one hand and current between the alarm system control panel and the one or more telephone sets and one or more special devices on the other hand.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the control circuit is responsive to current flowing from the special telephone line to the control panel and the absence of current flowing from the alarm system control panel to the one or more telephone sets and one or more special devices to enable the filter.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, the current sensors comprise optoisolators.


A flexible lighting device includes an elongated flexible tube with a translucent tube shell and opposed tube ends and a flexible circuit board set in the tube so that it extends between the tube ends. The flexible circuit board has opposed interior and exterior surfaces. Electrical circuitry is mounted to the circuit board and connected to an external input source and an output source of electrical power. The circuit board defines a number of cut-outs, preferably those of a generally diamond shape. The device is described in two embodiments: one with inwardly directed LEDs on the circuit board directed into the tube and one with outwardly directed LEDs on the circuit board directed out of the tube. The method of making the flexible lighting device is also described.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to flexible lighting strips for rope lighting, cove lighting, and signage applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible lighting strips, also called rope lights, are used for lighting both interior and exterior structures and can be used for sign applications. Existing lighting strips do not allow a combination of flexibility and rigidity desired by users to configure rope lights into any selected configuration with ease. Color chasing and color mixing capabilities are limited.
Prior art in the sign industry includes the utilization of neon lamps, fluorescent lamps, and incandescent lamps. The drawbacks for neon and fluorescent lamps include difficulty in starting in cold temperatures, dangerous high-voltage operation, and the presence of mercury that in turn creates an environmental hazard. Incandescent lamps generate a large amount of heat, have poor resistance to vibration, have short lamp life, and consume large amounts of energy with the result that most of their light energy is wasted as infrared heat energy.
Light emitting diode (LED) technology makes possible the replacement of short lamp life with longer lamp life and energy deficient light sources using energy efficient light sources that are long lived and cooler running. Color output LEDs can emit red (R), green (G), blue (B), and yellow (Y) light, or white light. Brighter color mixing with better color rendering than in prior art technology is a result. Color additive mixing of LEDs can produce the secondary colors cyan (C), yellow (Y), magenta (M) and white light. Mixing green and blue gives cyan. Mixing green and red gives yellow. Mixing red and blue gives magenta. Mixing RGB plus a separate Y generates a truer white light with better color rendering than just combining RGB.
It is noted that color gel filters are not necessary with RGBY color mixing light technology, which in itself generates the full light spectrum. Color efficiency in LEDs is much better than incandescent filament lamps, which require a specific color gel or filter. This can waste up to about 90 percent of the light energy of incandescent lamps. LEDs on the other hand deliver 100 percent of their energy as light and further emit a more intense selected colored light. This energy efficiency of LEDs extends to the emitting of white light as well. There are two ways of using LEDs to produce white light in this invention: 1) using LEDs that produce white light exclusively, or 2) using LEDs to emit RGBY at the same time and at equal output intensities.
Besides generating less heat, LEDs are more energy efficient, more durable, and last longer than conventional light sources. The solid state design of LEDs makes them durable and robust and gives them the capability of withstanding shock, vibration, frequent power cycling and operation in extreme cold and hot temperatures. LEDs have an average usable life of typically 100,000 hours or more when operated within design specifications. LEDs are mercury free. LED technology now includes multi-chip and multi-light LED arrays, so that LEDs are available in a wide range of colors in unique combinations. Clearly for many applications LEDs now compete directly with incandescent filament, neon, and fluorescent light sources.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, light emitting diodes in different colors can be mounted onto a flexible circuit board that is twisted into a helix and inserted into a flexible tubular housing. This unique combination of a flexible circuit board and a flexible tubular housing will allow for a more versatile and improved flexible shape retaining rope light and cove light. In addition, the ease of manufacturability and full 360-degree omni-directional and uniform light dispersion is very important.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, light emitting diodes in white and different colors are mounted onto a flat long flexible circuit board with multiple repeating cutouts preferably diamond shaped that extend through the circuit board substrate. The circuit board is then rolled into a cylinder with the LEDs mounted to the interior of the circuit board and pointing inwards into the cylinder or alternatively, the LEDs are mounted to the exterior of the circuit board and pointing outwards from the cylinder, or both. The entire cylindrical assembly is inserted into a flexible outer tubular housing. A stiffening member contained in the outer tubular housing and optionally on the flexible circuit board itself will allow the complete LED lighting strip to be flexible because of the diamond shaped cutouts provided on the flexible circuit board, and will allow for some rigidity and memory for proper installation and assembly of the complete flexible LED lighting strip. This unique combination of a flexible circuit board and a flexible tubular housing will allow for a more versatile and improved flexible shape retaining rope light, cove light, and signage light. In addition, this invention has ease of manufacturability and full 360-degree omni-directional and uniform light dispersion that is very important. Previous inventions have been developed to try and accomplish this task, but have not been successful.
Color Kinetic's iColor Accent, Cove, and Fresco line of LED fixtures are available only in rigid linear transparent or translucent housings that offer no flexibility or versatility at all. To achieve a circular arrangement, for example, multiple linear fixtures have to be aligned edge to edge to approximate the curved outline. The iColor Accent, Cove, and Fresco fixtures also use rigid circuit boards with the LEDs mounted perpendicular to the circuit boards, therefore the light dispersion output from the LEDs are generally in the forward direction offering only at most approximately 180 degrees of coverage.
Gelcore Lighting offers their Tetra LED System and Lumileds Lighting offers their Chip Strip Contour Lighting System for signage applications. Both systems consist of a series of individual LED modules mounted onto rigid circuit board disks. Each LED module that is mounted onto a rigid circuit board disk is attached by power leads to an adjacent similarly configured LED module and rigid circuit board disk, and so on. Although the power leads offer flexibility as far as configuring the location of the LED modules themselves, there is no overall protective housing for all the modules. Also, since the LEDs are mounted onto rigid circuit boards, again the light dispersion output from the LEDs are generally in the forward direction also offering only approximately no more than 180 degrees of coverage.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,623 issued to Tsui May 28, 2002, a translucent flexible rope light is disclosed and methods of forming and using the same. The invention uses exposed main conductors consisting of multi-strand wire connected to a plurality of spaced-apart lights, both extending substantially in parallel for substantially the entire length of the rope light. A flexible sheath having a continuous annular shape encases the conductors and plurality of lights. Although this invention uses a flexible tubular housing, the plurality of lights are disclosed as discrete lights wired directly together in series with the main conductors and plurality of lights positioned in a physical parallel orientation with each other throughout the length of the rope light. This invention does not employ a flexible circuit board and the configuration will not allow for a full dispersion of light output from the plurality of lights as required.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,626 issued to McColloch in May 28, 2002, a flexible light track for signage is disclosed consisting of a plurality of modules separately and mechanically connected to a flexible frame to which light emitting diodes and positive and negative leads are mounted to each module. The modules are designed to be mounted flat onto the flexible frame. As this invention was designed for signage use only, an integral flexible tubular housing is not included. As before, this configuration will not allow for a full dispersion of light output from each light emitting diode mounted to each module.
Lastly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,166 issued to Ko Jun. 18, 2002, a chasing rope light using a flexible core tube with at least two separate series string of light emitting diodes each individually connected to a diode rectifier. This rope light was designed to operate on an alternating power source such that only one series string of light emitting diodes will turn on at a time, thereby creating the chasing effect. Although this invention calls for a flexible core tube housing, it also does not employ a flexible circuit board. The major disadvantage here being not all the light emitting diodes in the separate series strings can be turned on at the same time. This invention functions only as a chasing rope light.
A light emitting diode light apparatus in accordance with the present invention that is a substantial improvement over the prior art mentioned above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the following summary and detailed description of the invention.


A brewing apparatus may include a chassis. The chassis may include a chassis beverage cup base. A chassis beverage cup cavity defined within the chassis beverage cup base may be configured to receive a beverage cup of a plurality of beverage cups. The brewing apparatus may include an adaptor insert assembly dimensioned to fit within the chassis beverage cup cavity. An adaptor insert cavity defined within the adaptor insert may be configured to receive a second beverage cup of a plurality of beverage cups. The brewing apparatus may include a controller configured to acquire data about the beverage cup or the second beverage cup via the one or more sensors. The controller may be configured to at least one of select or adjust a catering profile of a plurality of catering profiles based on the acquired data.

A brewing apparatus may require a set of select brewing parameters (e.g., a select brewing temperature, a select brewing time when heating, a select size of brewing beverage cup, or the like) for a particular type of brewed beverage (e.g., coffee, espresso, tea, or the like). Deviation from these select brewing parameters may affect the taste and/or quality of the particular brewed beverage.
Select brewing apparatuses known in the art may include a simple catering profile of heating to a set temperature (e.g., either a single temperature or one of three temperatures) and/or heating for a select period of time. In addition, the select brewing apparatuses known in the art may be configured for a particular size of beverage cup (e.g., kettle, server, carafe, single-serving cup, or the like).
In this regard, multiple brewing apparatuses known in the art may be required when brewing multiple different types of brewed beverages, as each of the multiple brewing apparatuses may include a set of select brewing parameters for obtain the correct taste and/or quality of a particular brewing beverage.


A polyester film having fine voids, which comprises a polymer mixture comprising a polyester resin and a thermoplastic resin (B) incompatible with said polyester resin, and which has an apparent specific gravity of 0.6-1.3 and an inplane birefringence as determined from the equation: EQU inplane birefringence=refractive index along lengthwise principal axis-refractive index along crosswise principal axis,. of from -0.02 to +0.04, and manufacture thereof. A thermoplastic resin film having fine voids, which comprises a polymer mixture comprising a thermoplastic resin (A) and a thermoplastic resin (B) incompatible with said thermoplastic resin (A), and which has a ratio (L1/L2) of an average length (L1) of the voids at a cross section in the lengthwise direction of the film, to an average length (L2) of the voids at a cross section in the direction forming a right angle with said lengthwise direction, i.e., crosswise direction of the film, of 2/3-3/2, a thickness variation of the film of not more than 5%, and a void content of 5-50% by volume, and manufacture thereof. The polyester film having fine voids of the present invention has an extremely superior isotropy, excellent tear resistance, extremely superior water resistance, moisture absorption, dimensional stability, surface stability, gloss and vividness of printed matters, and mechanical strength, which have been particularly achieved by making apparent specific gravity and inplane birefringence fall within a specific range mentioned above. The thermoplastic resin film having fine voids of the present invention suffers less from curling by heat, which has been achieved by making (L1/L2), thickness variation and void content fall within a specific range mentioned above.

A synthetic paper which is produced from a synthetic resin as a main starting material and which is a substitute for paper is superior in water resistance, dimensional stability upon moisture absorption, surface stability, gloss and vividness of printed images and mechanical strength. Based on these advantageous properties, the utility of the synthetic paper has been widening in recent years.
The main starting materials of the synthetic paper are polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, and polyester resins. Of these, polyester resins represented by polyethylene terephthalate are superior in that they have high heat resistance and nerve, and can be used for a wide range of applications.
As a method for preparing, from the main starting material of polyester resins, a film having functions similar to those of paper there have been conventionally known (1) a method wherein fine voids are formed inside the film in large amounts, (2) a method wherein general flat film surfaces are made rough by (2-1) sand blast treatment, (2-2) etching treatment, (2-3) matting treatment (a matting agent is laminated together with a binder) and the like, and other methods. The method (1) is advantageous in that the film itself can have reduced weights, and sufficient flexibility, fine writability and clear printing-transcription enabling properties can be imparted.
A conventionally known method for forming fine voids inside the film comprises melt-kneading a polyester resin and a thermoplastic resin incompatible therewith, preparing a sheet therefrom, with said thermoplastic resin dispersed in a fine particulate state in the polyester resin, and drawing said sheet, in particular, biaxially stretching same in the lengthwise direction and crosswise direction to produce voids around the fine particles.
The thermoplastic resin incompatible with the polyester resin, which is used for producing voids includes, for example, polyolefin resins (e.g. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 132755/1974), polystyrene resins (e.g. Japanese Patent Examined Publication Nos. 2016/1974, 29550/1979), and polyarylate resins (e.g. Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 28097/1983). Of these, polypropylene and polystyrene are particularly preferable in that the voids are easily formed, they have low density and they are economically advantageous.
On the other hand, the method comprising biaxial stretching in the lengthwise direction and crosswise direction necessitates addition, in large amounts, of a resin incompatible with a polyester, to the polyester, which leads to substantial inhibition of biaxial stretching to the extent that the draw ratio (particularly lengthwise draw ratio) needs to be set considerably lower than in the case where a conventional polyester film is prepared.
Hence, most of the polyester films having fine voids which have been practically used as synthetic paper, etc. are subject to reinforced crosswise orientation, and have, aided by the voids formed inside, a tendency to allow crosswise tearing during processing wherein a tension is applied in the lengthwise direction of the film, thus posing problems in that the film easily breaks due to a slight flaw made in the film, and fins are easily produced on cutting.
In an attempt to overcome these defects, a film may be improved in isotropy by increasing the lengthwise draw ratio, or the lengthwise drawing may be reinforced. Such drawing is, however, very difficult in view of the above-mentioned inherent properties of the polyester resin having voids, and industrially impractical.
It may well be considered that, by reducing the crosswise draw ratio, the above-mentioned defects can be overcome using conventional techniques. For a crosswise drawing of a film to be uniformly done, a certain level of draw ratio is necessary. Alternatively, an attempt to overcome the defects in the conventional methods inevitably results in inconsistent properties, such as thickness of the film, and stable industrial production is impossible.
The above-mentioned biaxial stretching in the lengthwise direction and crosswise direction is most generally done by a method comprising roll drawing a continuous sheet of a polymer mixture in the longitudinal direction and tenter drawing same in the width direction. For example, the roll drawing (lengthwise drawing) is conducted, to form a multitude of voids, at a temperature of from 80.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. and draw ratio of 2.0-5.0, tenter drawing (crosswise direction) at a temperature of from 80.degree. C. to 140.degree. C. and draw ratio of 2.8-5.0, and then heat treatment after drawing at not less than 150.degree. C. (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 168441/1988, 193938/1988, 80247/1990, 284929/1990, 114817/1991 and 202540/1992).
The thermoplastic resin films having fine voids, which are obtained by conventional techniques, have defects in that curling by heat and wrinkles by heat tend to occur when used as heat-sensitive recording materials and printing sheets.
The present inventors have found that the voids in the thermoplastic resin films having fine voids, which are obtained by conventional technique, tend to become longer in the crosswise direction rather than the lengthwise direction and that this tendency is one of the factors which induces occurrence of curling by heat, and studied from various aspects of isotropy of the voids. By setting the temperature of crosswise drawing to not less than 140.degree. C., the crosswise growth of the voids was suppressed. Concurrently, however, the content of the void was insufficient and variations in film thickness became greater, making the film substantially unsuitable for industrial production. An attempt was made to increase lengthwise draw ratio to form lengthwisely long voids and subject the voids to crosswise drawing, thereby to ultimately make the voids isotropic. As a result, film forming property became poor, so that the film was unsuitable for industrial production. Also, the crosswise draw ratio was tentatively made smaller to result in greater variations in film thickness.
A first object of the present invention is to resolve the above-mentioned problems and provide a polyester film having fine voids, which has high isotropy and superior tear resistance, and a method for manufacture thereof.
A second object of the present invention is to resolve the above-mentioned problems and provide a thermoplastic resin film having fine voids, which has high isotropy, permits only less occurrence of curling by heat and has less variation in thickness, and a method for manufacture thereof.

Film having fine voids and manufacture thereof


A wire group of a branch line or a trunk line of a wire harness is covered with a corrugated tube in proximity to an external interfering material projecting from a vehicle body panel. A corrugated clamp is fit fixedly on an end side of the branch portion of the corrugated tube, an outer surface of a vehicle body locking box of the corrugated clamp is brought into abutment with the vehicle body panel having the external interfering material projecting therefrom, and the distance between an outer surface of the wire group covered with the corrugated clamp and the corrugated tube fitted thereon and the external interfering material is larger than the dimension of projection of the external interfering material from the vehicle body panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a distribution structure of a wire harness to be distributed in an automotive vehicle and, more specifically, to achieve protection of the wire harness easily and reliably when there is an external interfering material in a route of distribution of the wire harness.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire harness of an automotive vehicle is connected to electrical components mounted thereon and is distributed in the vehicle. However, an external interfering material, such as a squeezed-out projection of a vehicle body panel formed of metal, or spatter generated from a weld, may exist along the route of the wire harness. External interfering material formed of metal may contact a wire group of the wire harness and break an insulation covering of wire to contact a core wire and create a risk of a short circuit.
JP-A-9-219915 and FIG. 5 herein disclose a harness distribution structure on a vehicle body panel to avoid contact between an edge 100e of an operation hole 100H on a door panel 100 and a door harness 110. A clip 120 locks the door harness 110 to the door panel 100 and an embossment 130 between the clip 120 and the periphery of the operation hole 100H moves the door harness 110 away from the periphery of the operation hole 100H, so that a non-contact state is maintained.
JP-A-9-219915 requires work on the vehicle body panel to form the embossment. On the other hand, a protective measure often is taken on the side of the wire harness. For example, a wire harness may be covered with a protector or a corrugated resin tube, or may be half-lapped with an insulating resin tape to prevent interference with the external interfering material at a position passing the external interfering material for reliably eliminating the possibility of a short circuit.
However, a position where a branch line is branched from a trunk line of the wire harness cannot be protected by a continuous corrugated tube and hence the wire group is exposed at a branch of the wire harness. Therefore, when the external interfering material is located near a branch of the wire harness, protection is achieved by methods shown in FIGS. 6(A), 6(B) and 6(C). FIG. 6(A) shows a branch 100P of the wire harness wrapped by a vinyl sheet or a tube 150 formed of a thick flexible material. An adhesive tape 200 then is wound around the outer periphery of the sheet or tube 150 and is fixed to the wire harness. FIG. 6(B) shows the branch 100P inserted through a box-shaped rigid protector 160 that is molded from resin and the protector 160 is fixed to the wire harness with an adhesive tape. FIG. 6(C) shows the branch 100P protected by winding a thick adhesive vinyl tape 180 in a crossed manner into an X-shape by a number of turns.
The methods of FIGS. 6(A), 6(B) and 6(C) enable the branch of the wire harness to be protected by an outer sheath. However, the adhesive tape 200 must be wound in a manner shown in FIG. 6(A). In particular, when the thick adhesive vinyl tape 180 is wound in the crossed manner into an X-shape as shown in FIG. 6(C), the branch swathed in the thick adhesive vinyl tape 180 has a disfigured appearance. Hence, the methods described above cause trouble in work and impair the productivity of the wire harness. In addition, the finished branch portion is distorted, which impairs easy assembly of the wire harness. In addition, the appearance is not attractive.
In view of the problems described above, it is an object of the invention to achieve easy protection of the wire group from external interfering material near a branch where the wire group is exposed and cannot be covered by a corrugated tube or the like.


A ground movement plug-in (GMP) apparatus for providing ground propulsion to an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV). The GMP apparatus includes a frame configured to mechanically couple with the UAV, a plurality of wheels, at least one of which is actuatable by a motor, and a controller operably coupled to the motor to control propulsion of the GMP apparatus.

Small helicopters and multi-copters, including hybrid airplanes with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles, are a fast expanding technology in the civil market. They are increasingly used in operations that expose people to risk (e.g., in chemical plants, nuclear plants, etc.), activities carried out in highly inaccessible areas (e.g., viaducts, skyscrapers, furnaces, offshore rescue, etc.), and monitoring procedures requiring a high degree of precision (e.g., inspection of cracks in dams/bridges, airplane maintenance, oil tank keels, etc.).
In addition to industrial and governmental critical infrastructure applications, potential applications of VTOL vehicle technology range from industrial (e.g., in plants, machineries, etc.) to environmental safeguarding (e.g., volcanoes, parks, coasts, etc.), including the protection of sensitive areas (e.g., archaeological sites, territorial borders, etc.). However, most vehicles available on the market have a limited range (e.g., 15 to 25 minutes of flight time, depending on the typology of their mission), which limits the possibility of a wider deployment of this technology.

Ground movement system plugin for VTOL UAVs


According to one embodiment a method and apparatus for displaying the path of a computer program error as a sequence of hypertext documents in a computer system having a display is disclosed. The method includes displaying a first function in the control-flow path of the error as text in a first region on the display. Subsequently, a first hypertext link marker located within the first function, and associated with a second function called by the first and also lying on the error's control-flow path is selected. Thereafter, the second function's text associated with the first link marker is displayed in a second region. The second region is positioned in the first region such that the text of the first document is not obscured. The second region includes a first tab area that surrounds the first link maker after it is selected. According to a further embodiment, the method also includes selecting a second hypertext link marker located within the second function, corresponding to a third function called by the second and lying on the error's control-flow path. Afterwards, the text of the third function associated with the second link marker is displayed in a third region. The third region is positioned in the second region such that the text of the second document is not obscured.

Hypertext is a term used to describe a particular organization of information within a computer system and its presentation to a user. Hypertext exploits the computer's ability to link together information from a wide variety of sources to provide the user with the ability to explore a particular topic. The traditional style of presentation used in books employs an organization of the information that is imposed upon it by limitations of the medium, namely fixed sized, sequential paper pages. Hypertext systems, however, use a large number of units of text or other types of data such as image information, graphical information, video information or sound information, which can vary in size. A collection of such units of information is termed a hypertext document. Sometimes hypertext documents employing information other than text are termed hypermedia documents.
Each of the different units in a hypertext document is generally self-contained but contains references to other units. The references are made explicit in the form of "links". Each link is a relation between locations in two units of information. When a portion of a unit of information is displayed, links to locations in the displayed portion are indicated on the display to the user. A link can then act as a user-activated control. A user can act on a displayed link, either by clicking on it with a mouse to cause the particular unit that is the link target to be displayed. Typically, hypertext systems are window-based and the newly displayed unit appears in a new window. The new unit may, of course, contain further links that can be similarly activated to display other units of information. By following links the user may "navigate" around the document. The user has a great deal of control over the order in which information is presented and can play a very active role in selecting what is of interest and how far to pursue a given topic.
In one prior art method of hypertext display the contents of a link are displayed not in a new page but in a region in the middle of the present page, right below the link. If the contents of the link has in turn its own links, their contents can be displayed within a smaller sub-region, so that the nested displays produce a "boxes within boxes" appearance, with each box visually adjacent to the link which invoked it.
A tremendous amount of cost and effort is spent discovering and analyzing errors in computer programs. Computer programs are typically written as collections of functions which call other functions, and programmers seeking to understand or debug those programs have a need to visualize the nested structure of the program, while keeping the display of the called function visually adjacent to its point of its invocation in the calling function. Standard methods of hypertext display do not provide such a visualization.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for displaying computer program errors as hypertext


A clamping device for therapeutic applications can comprise an extended handle, a powered linear actuator mounted to the extended handle, and a C-shaped clamp attached to the extended handle and including a stationary jaw. The actuator can be configured to provide reversible axial movement of a movable member. The clamping device can further include a pair of applicators attached to the stationary jaw and to the movable member, respectively. The applicators can be made of an hypoallergenic material configured not to cause an adverse reaction when applied to a human skin. The clamping device can further include a switch configured to control the linear actuator. The linear actuator can be configured, responsive to switching the switch, to axially move the second applicator towards and away from the first applicator, thus applying pressure to a targeted body area.

Traditionally, a massage therapist uses his or her hands to apply pressure to a targeted area of a client's body. For example, stimulating a body area by using a pincer grip performed by the thumb and index fingers of the therapist has proven to be one of the most effective methods of massage therapy. A therapist can stimulate a targeted body area employing the pincer grip until the client would feel muscle relaxation in the affected area, responsive to which the therapist can intensify the grip to propagate the pressure to the deeper tissues. However, a strong grip can relatively quickly lead to therapist's tiredness, making for the therapist difficult if not impossible to maintain the level of pressure needed for successful therapy. Thus, the need exists for a clamping device simulating or augmenting the pincer grip and other manipulations performed by a massage therapist.

Clamping device for therapeutic applications


In a method for equalization of a signal which is transmitted via a payload channel taking into account at least one interference channel, the trellis diagram for the interference channel is processed over an interval of time units. The symbols received in the interval of time units are then corrected by means of information which has been obtained during the processing of the trellis diagram for the interference channel. The trellis diagram for the payload channel is then processed over the same interval of time units, using the corrected symbols.

Various interference influences which must be taken into account in the signal detection at the receiver end occur during the transmission of radio signals between a transmitter and a receiver. Firstly, the signal is subject to distortion which is caused by there generally being two or more possible signal propagation paths. Reflection, scatter and diffraction of signal waves on obstructions such as buildings, mountains and the like result in the received field strength at the receiver being composed of a number of signal components which are generally subject to different delay and have different intensities. This phenomenon, which is referred to as multipath propagation, causes the distortion of the transmitted data signal which is known as intersymbol interference (ISI).
Other active subscribers represent a further cause of interference. The interference caused by these subscribers is referred to as multiple access interference (Multi Access Interference: MAI). A situation frequently occurs in which a dominant interference source or interference channel actually has a serious adverse effect on the signal detection in the payload channel.
First of all, only one channel will be considered, that is to say MAI will be ignored. This multipath transmission channel between the transmitter S and the receiver E can be modelled as a transmission filter H with a channel coefficient hk as is illustrated in FIG. 1. The transmitter S feeds transmission symbols sk into the transmission channel, that is to say the channel model transmission filter H. An additive noise contribution nk, which is added to the transmission symbols sk which have been filtered with hk at the output of the channel model transmission filter H, can be taken into account by a model adder SU.
The index k denotes the discrete time in time units of the symbol clock rate. The transmission signals sk, which have been filtered by the transmission filter H and on which noise has been superimposed are received as the received signal xk by the receiver E, in which case:
                              x          k                =                                            ∑                              i                =                0                            L                                                                                h                i                                                          s                                  k                  -                  i                                                              +                      n            k                                              (        1        )            where L represents the order of the transmission channel being modelled by the filter H. As can be seen from equation (1), ISI is present since xk depends not only on sk but also on sk−1, . . . ,sk−L.
FIG. 2 shows the channel model transmission filter H. The filter H comprises a shift register composed of L memory cells Z. There are taps (a total of L+1 of them) before and after each memory cell Z, which lead to multipliers which multiply the values of the symbols sk,sk−1 . . . , sk−L (which are inserted into the shift register via an input IN at the symbol clock rate T−1 by the corresponding channel impulse responses h0,h1, . . . ,hL. An output stage AD of the filter H adds the outputs of the L+1 multipliers, thus resulting in an output signal OUT in accordance with equation 1.
The memory contents of the channel model shift register describe the state of the channel. The memory contents of the first memory cell on the input side contain the symbol sk−1 (which is multiplied by h1) in the time unit k, and the other memory cells Z are filled with the symbols sk−2,sk−3, . . . ,sk−L. The state of the channel in the time unit k is thus determined unambiguously by the details of the memory contents, that is to say by the L−tuple (sk−L,sk−L+1, . . . ,sk−1).
The received signal values xk in the receiver E are known as sample values, and the channel impulse responses h0,h1, . . . ,hL of the channel are estimated at regular time intervals. The equalization task comprises the calculation of the transmission symbols sk from this information. The following text is based on equalization by means of a Viterbi equalizer.
Viterbi equalization is based on finding the shortest route through a state diagram of the channel, which is known as the trellis diagram. The channel states are plotted against the discrete time k in the trellis diagram. According to the Viterbi algorithm (VA), a branch metric which represents a measure of the probability of a transition is calculated for each possible transition between two states (predecessor state relating to the time unit k→destination state relating to the time unit k+1). The branch metrics are then added to the respective state metrics (which are frequently also referred to in the literature as path metrics) of the predecessor states. In the case of transitions in the same final state, the sums obtained in this way are compared. That transition to the final state in question whose sum of the branch metric and state metric of the predecessor state is minimum is selected and forms the extension of the path leading from this predecessor state to the destination state. These three basic VA operations are known as ACS (ADD-COMPARE-SELECT) operations.
While, from the combinational point of view, the number of paths through the trellis diagram increases exponentially as k increases (that is to say as time passes), it remains constant in the case of the VA. The reason for this is the selection step (SELECT). Only the selected path (survivor) survives and can be continued. The other possible paths are rejected. Recursive path rejection is the core concept of VA and is an essential precondition of computationally coping with the problem of searching for the shortest path through the trellis diagram.
The number of channel states (that is to say the number of ways in which the shift register H may be filled) in the trellis diagram, which is identical to the number of paths followed through the trellis diagram, is pL. In this case, p denotes the significance of the data symbols being considered. The computation complexity of VA accordingly increases exponentially with L. Since L should correspond to the length of the channel memory of the physical propagation channel, the complexity for processing the trellis diagram increases as the channel memory of the physical propagation channel increases.
One simple method for reducing the computation complexity is to base the trellis processing on a short channel memory L. However, this has a severe adverse influence on the performance of the equalizer. A considerably more sensible measure for limiting the computation complexity, and which does not have such a serious influence on the quality of the equalizer, is the decision feedback (DF) method. In the DF method, the VA is based on a reduced trellis diagram, that is to say a trellis diagram in which only some of the pL channel states are considered, rather than all of them. If the trellis diagram is reduced to pLDF trellis states (LDF<L), the remaining L−LDF channel coefficients (which are not used for the definition of trellis states) are still taken into account by using them for calculation of the branch metrics in the reduced trellis diagram.
A branch metric between two states must be calculated for each possible transition both during the processing of the complete trellis diagram and of the processing of the reduced trellis diagram (DF situation). The branch metric is the Euclidean distance between the measured signal value or sample value Xk and an estimated "hypothetical" signal value, which is calculated and "tested" with respect to the destination state, the transition from the predecessor state to the destination state, and the path history, taking into account the channel knowledge in the receiver.
In order to explain this, let us assume by way of example that p=2 (binary data signal), that is to say there are 2L (DF situation: 2LDF) trellis states (0,0, . . . ,0), (1,0, . . . ,0) to (1,1 . . . , 1) comprising L tuples (DF: LDF−tuples). A specific hypothetical predecessor state is assumed to be defined by the shift register occupancy (aL,aL−1, . . . ,a1) (in the DF situation, only the LDF right-hand bits (aLDF, . . . , a1) of the shift register occupancy are used for the state definition). The hypothetically transmitted symbol (bit) 0 or 1 which leads from the predecessor state (aL, aL−1, . . . , a1) in the time step k to the destination state (aL−1,aL−2, . . . ,a0) in the time step k+1 (DF: predecessor state (aLDF, . . . , a1) to the destination state (aLDF−1, . . . ,a0) is annotated a0. With or without DF, the branch metric BMk is:BMk=|sample value−estimated signal value|2
                    =                              |                                          X                k                            -                              (                                                                            ∑                                              i                        =                        1                                            L                                                                                h                        i                                                                                (                                                  1                          -                                                      2                            ·                                                          a                              i                                                                                )                                                                              +                                                            h                      0                                                                                (                                              1                        -                                                  2                          ·                                                      a                            0                                                                                )                                                                      )                                                                |              2                                                  for                                                                                a                i                                              =                      {                          0              ,              1                        }                                              (        2        )
The estimated signal value (also referred to in the following text as the estimated symbol) is the sum of products of a channel coefficient and a symbol. For the DF situation, the term
      ∑          i      =      1        L                          h      i                  (              1        -                  2          ·                      a            i                              )      may also be split into a trellis contribution and a DF contribution:
                              BM          k                =                  |                                    X              k                        -                          (                                                                                ∑                                              i                        =                                                                              L                            DF                                                    +                          1                                                                    L                                                                                h                        i                                                                                (                                                  1                          -                                                      2                            ·                                                          a                              i                                                                                )                                                                                ︸                                          DF Contribution                                                                      +                                                                            ∑                                              i                        =                        1                                                                    L                        DF                                                                                h                        i                                                                                (                                                  1                          -                                                      2                            ·                                                          a                              i                                                                                )                                                                                ︸                                          Trellis contribution                                                                      +                                                                            h                      0                                                                                (                                              1                        -                                                  2                          ·                                                      a                            0                                                                                )                                                                            ︸                                          hyp. Symbol contribution                                                                                )                                                      |            2                                              (        3        )
This means that the estimated symbol comprises two (DF situation: three) contributions: a contribution which is determined by the hypothetically transmitted symbol a0 for the transition from the time unit k to the time unit k+1, the trellis contribution, which is given by the predecessor state relating to the time unit k in the trellis diagram, and, in the DF situation, the reduced trellis states also result in the DF contribution.
The branch metric BMk is always the same, with or without DF. The computation saving in the case of VA with DF results, as already mentioned, from the smaller number 2LDF of trellis states to be taken into account in the processing of the trellis diagram, that is to say from the reduction in the trellis diagram.
Furthermore, if it is intended to take into account an interference channel (that is to say a second multipath transmission channel) in the equalization of a data signal, joint VA equalization must be carried out on both channels (the payload channel and the interference channel). An overall trellis diagram is constructed for this purpose, which comprises the states for both channels. As an example: if p=2 (binary data signal) and L=4 for both channels, the trellis diagram for the payload channel comprises 16 states, and the trellis diagram for the interference channel likewise comprises 16 states. The "combinational" overall trellis diagram which forms the basis for joint VA equalization of both signals then comprises 16×16=256 states. If one additional DF bit is taken into account in each case (that is to say L=5, LDF=4), the overall trellis diagram still comprises 256 states, but another two DF bits are added as the DF contribution to the calculation of the branch metrics.
The complexity for processing the overall trellis diagram is increased only by a factor of 16 in comparison to the complexity for processing the trellis diagram for the payload channel. When processing the trellis diagram by means of DSP (digital signal processor) control, a solution such as this leads to a very high MIPS load (MIPS: million instructions per second) on the DSP, so that other applications cannot run on the DSP, or can no longer run in an acceptable time. For a payload signal transmitted on the basis of the EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) Standard (where p=8), equalization taking into account an interference source when using the overall trellis diagram is no longer possible in practical mobile radio use, owing to the excessively high DSP load.
In order to reduce the DSP load, it is already known for the processing of the trellis diagram to be assisted by specific dedicated hardware circuits, so-called hardware accelerators. These carry out the ACS operations in a trellis diagram time step by time step. In this case, the hardware accelerators can carry out very largely autonomous processing of the trellis diagram over a number of time units between two channel estimates (which result in a recalculation of the channel coefficients).
The German patent application with the file reference 103 23 407.4, which had not yet been published by the date of application, describes an equalization method in which a signal which is transmitted via a payload channel is equalized using the DF method and taking into account an interference channel. In this method, the trellis diagram for the payload channel and the trellis diagram for the interference channel are processed alternately in each time unit. The information about the interference channel (payload channel) obtained in the time unit under consideration is used as the DF contribution for the processing of the trellis diagram for the payload channel (interference channel) either in the same time unit or for the next time unit. One disadvantage of this procedure is that a specifically constructed hardware accelerator must be implemented owing to the change in the consideration of DF contributions from the respective adjacent channel.
The German laid-open specification DE 100 32 237 A1 describes a Viterbi equalizer which comprises a DSP as well as a hardware accelerator for carrying out the ACS operations. The hardware accelerator comprises a first hardware calculation circuit, which calculates partial sums of branch metric values, and calculates the branch metric values from new partial sums. A second hardware calculation circuit accesses the partial sums and branch metric values calculated in the first hardware calculation circuit, and carries out the ACS operations time step by time step. Reconfiguration of the hardware accelerator takes place only when a new channel estimate is produced, since the first hardware calculation circuit has to calculate new partial sums of the branch metric values, and the branch metric values from new partial sums, at this time.

Method for equalization of a payload signal, taking into account an interference source


A composition, comprising: a poly(butylene terephthalate); a nitrogen-containing flame retardant selected from the group consisting of triazines, guanidines, cyanurates, isocyanurates, and mixtures comprising at least one of the foregoing nitrogen-containing flame retardants; a phosphinates or diphosphinates; and a charring polymer.

Thermoplastic polyester compositions, such as poly(alkylene terephthalates), have valuable characteristics including strength, toughness, high gloss, and solvent resistance. Polyesters therefore have utility as materials for a wide range of applications, from automotive parts to electric and electronic appliances. Because of their wide use, particularly in electronic applications, it is desirable to provide flame retardancy to polyesters. One particular set of conditions commonly accepted and used as a standard for flame retardancy is set forth in Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Bulletin 94, which prescribes certain conditions by which materials are rated for self-extinguishing characteristics. Another set of conditions commonly accepted and used (especially in Europe) as a standard for flame retardancy is the Glow Wire Test (GWT), performed according to the International standard IEC 695-2-1/2. Numerous flame-retardants for polyesters are known, but many contain halogens, usually bromine. Halogenated flame retardant agents are less desirable because of the increasing demand for ecologically friendly ingredients. Halogen-free flame-retardants as Phosphorus and Nitrogen based compounds can be used as well, but they are lacking good flame retardancy for thin sections.
There is a need for polyester compositions having the combination of good flame retardant properties not only at thick nesses of >1.5 mm, but also at thick nesses at 0.8 mm or less and at least essentially maintaining mechanical properties and/or heat properties.


A method for wireless communication is described. The method includes receiving a burst that includes controlled sequence symbols transmitted in a guard period. The controlled sequence symbols include the last predetermined number symbols of a training sequence. The burst is demodulated based on the controlled sequence symbols. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Wireless communication systems are an important means by which many people worldwide communicate. A wireless communication system may provide communication for a number of wireless communication devices, each of which may be serviced by a base station.
Wireless communication systems were originally designed for voice communication. Later, the same infrastructure was used to support low rate data services.
One major concern for users of wireless communication devices is the rate and reliability of data transmissions. Low rates and poor reliability reduce the satisfaction of wireless communication users. Benefits may be realized by increasing data rates and reliability on wireless communication systems.

Base station assisted frequency domain equalization


A method and apparatus for a CPLD-structured ASIC. Circuit blocks associated with a programmed portion of a CPLD are configured to preserve timing associated with instantiation of a circuit design in the programmed portion of the CPLD. The circuit blocks have predetermined placement information obtained from the CPLD, and the placement information is used to locate CPLD-structured ASIC cells associated with the circuit blocks.

Programmable logic devices ("PLDs") are a well-known type of integrated circuit that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One such FPGA is the Xilinx Virtex® FPGA available from Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95124. Another type of PLD is the Complex Programmable Logic Device ("CPLD"). A CPLD includes two or more "function blocks" connected together and to input/output ("I/O") resources by an interconnect switch matrix. Each function block of the CPLD includes a two-level AND/OR structure similar to those used in Programmable Logic Arrays ("PLAs") and Programmable Array Logic ("PAL") devices. Notably, as used herein, "include" and "including" mean including without limitation.
Other PLDs are programmed by applying a processing layer, such as a metal layer, that programmably interconnects the various elements on the device. These PLDs are known as mask programmable devices. PLDs can also be implemented in other ways, for example, using fuse or antifuse technology. The terms "PLD" and "programmable logic device" include but are not limited to these exemplary devices, as well as encompassing devices that are only partially programmable.
Heretofore, PLDs have been used to instantiate a design in programmable logic generally for low-volume markets. Low-volume markets conventionally are thought to be greater than two million units per year, and more generally thought to involve sales of five or more million units per year. For high volume markets, Application Specific Integrated Circuits ("ASICs") were used. However, the time to market for ASICs is slower than for a design instantiated in a PLD. To address higher volume markets with respect to FPGAs, others have suggested forming structured Application Specific Integrated Circuits ("ASICs"), such as HardCopy from Altera of San Jose, Calif. However, such structured ASICs have cost limitations with respect to commercial viability in higher-volume markets.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and useful to provide an ASIC or ASIC-like device for high volume markets with a time to market closer to that of a design instantiated in a PLD and at a lower cost than prior structured ASICs.

Programmable logic device-structured application specific integrated circuit