A process for reducing the level of extractables, whitening, and rendering a porous material non-contaminating where the porous material is comprised of bonded fluorocarbon fibers and a fluorocarbon chemical binder. The thermal bleaching process includes exposing the material for at least several hours to a vigorously agitated oxygen-containing atmosphere maintained at a temperature of at least 400.degree. F.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon.RTM.) filters have long been used for a variety of applications. For example, porous filters prepared from PTFE fibers which are laid-down with fluorocarbon polymer binders and then cured, find use in filtration of hot, acidic or caustic fluids. Due to production techniques, staple untreated PTFE fibers of the type used in filters typically are dark brown color because of carbonaceous residue. When incorporated into filtration structures, fibers containing such residues not only are aesthetically undesirable but also present a source for potential contamination of the filtrate.
The following definitions are provided to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
"BIeaching" means reduction of extractable contaminants as well as whitening. Bleaching refers to processes of removing the carbonaceous residues from the fibers and from the filter structure following laydown which may typically be present in amounts as high as about 3 weight percent of the staple fibers and about 2 weight percent of the total weight of a chemically bonded filter media (fluorocarbon binder and unbleached fibers).
"PTFE" means polytetrafluoroethylene.
"FEP" means fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer.
"PFA" means perfluoroalkoxy polymer.
"Set" or "cure" refers to the binder taking on the desired configuration on the fibers to provide the desired structural integrity.
"Fugitive" refers to a dispersion solution composition which is volatilized, decomposed, and/or removed substantially completely prior to or during drying and curing so as to be essentially absent from a finished structure and not increase the level of extractables in the finished fibrous structure.
With reference to the background art, Hurley et al (Pall Corporation), in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,074 (hereinafter Hurley et al.), describe a process for making a filter incorporating fibers with a reduced level of contaminating residues. Hurley et al, sets out manufacturing procedures for PTFE fiber-based filters which involve the following steps: 1) selecting the PTFE fibers; 2) selecting a fluorocarbon binder; 3) bleaching and pre-shrinking the fibers; 4) forming a stabilized dispersion of the fibers and a fugitive binder; 5) laying down the dispersion; 6) drying the dispersion; 7) applying the fluorocarbon binder to the laydown; 8) drying the laydown; 9) curing the binder coated laydown; and, finally, 10) treating the laydown to remove extractables.
Suitable polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers described in Hurley et al. typically have diameters ranging from about 5 to about 50 micrometers, preferably from about 15 to about 35 micrometers, and have lengths ranging from about 1,000 to about 20,000 micrometers, preferably from about 4,500 to about 8,500 micrometers. Fibers outside those ranges can be used, but with less success. For example, fibers having diameters greater than about 50 micrometers and longer than about 20,000 micrometers cannot be used to form relatively thin material. Unless relatively thick material is desired, the fibers should not exceed those dimensions. Also, where the aspect ratio (ratio of length to diameter) is lower than about 100, there is insufficient crossing and interlacing among the fibers to provide the requisite strength in the resulting material. Accordingly, fibers with aspect ratios of at least about 100 are used. If the fibers have diameters less than about 5 micrometers, they (1) tend to break up during dispersion, thereby decreasing their aspect ratio and yielding a material having reduced void volume as well as reduced strength, and (2) tend to have high resistance to flow of liquids. PTFE fibers of the desired type are commercially available, e.g., from E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc.
In Hurley et al., the fluorocarbon polymer binders include fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers, and particularly copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and hexafluoropropylene referred to as FEP. Other fluorocarbon binders such as perfluoroalkoxy polymer ("PFA") may be used so long as they exhibit the desired resistance to high temperatures and caustic chemical environments and provide the requisite bonding of the PTFE fibers upon curing.
An emulsion/suspension incorporating the binder is used. The concentration of the fluorocarbon binder (weight percent solids) in the emulsion as supplied is typically in the range of from about 45 to to about 65 weight percent. The particles of the fluorocarbon polymer binder in the emulsion generally have sizes in the range of from about 0.05 to about 1.0 micrometer, preferably 0.1 to about 0.4 micrometer. The dispersions are generally aqueous and typically contain from 3 to 12%, more typically 5 to 7%, by weight of volatile nonionic and anionic wetting agents. The dispersions are generally diluted with water before use, typically to 0.5 to 25% by weight or higher, more preferably from about 5% to about 15% by weight, of the fluorocarbon binder.
Appropriate wetting agents include ethoxylated alkyl phenol, alkaryl polyether alcohol (Triton X100, available from Rohm & Haas Company).
The fluorocarbon binder is required to set or cure before any substantial shrinkage or melting of the PTFE fibers occurs. For this reason, thermoplastic fluorocarbon binders having a proper melting point range, such as FEP, are preferred. A particularly preferred FEP fluorocarbon polymer binder is FEP 120 available from E. I, DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc. In dispersion form, a thermoplastic resin like FEP is set or cured by flowing the resin over the fibers to coat them and heating the dispersion to cause the fibers to adhere to one another at crossover points.
As noted in Hurley et al, because of carbonaceous residues remaining from their manufacture, staple PTFE fibers are typically a rich, chocolate brown color. Aesthetically, this is undesirable in filters, filter support and drainage structures. If not removed, the carbonaceous residues remain in the filter structure as extractables, i.e., materials which can leach from the filter structure during service.
Accordingly, Hurley et al. recite alternative fiber bleaching/whitening methods practiced before the fibers are subject to laydown. The first is by chemical means, e.g., by heating the fibers in concentrated sulfuric acid heated to approximately 600.degree. F. to which is added slowly concentrated nitric acid until the fibers turn white. The second, preferred, method is thermal bleaching of the substrate fibers before laydown. Thermal bleaching of the fibers is accomplished, e.g., by gradually increasing the air temperature over an extended period of time from about 450.degree. F. up to about 570.degree. F. and maintaining such temperature for several hours until the fibers are substantially free of carbonaceous material (whitened). Hurley et al point out that thermal bleaching will typically result in a shortening of the fibers and an increase in their diameter. Depending on the desired size of the fibers in the formed structure, the fibers can be chopped to the desired length before or after their thermal bleaching.
The bleached fibers are used in a stabilized dispersion used to prepare the porous structures. The dispersion is comprised of a liquid carrier medium, the bleached PTFE fibers, and a stabilizing agent. A single constituent may serve to both stabilize the dispersion of PTFE fibers and, upon drying, to bind the fibers to each other, thereby providing green strength. The stabilizing agent is mixed with the liquid carrier medium, preferably water, in an amount such as to provide the requisite concentration and until a uniform dispersion is obtained. Then the bleached PTFE fibers, in appropriate amount, are then added and mixed to provide a uniform dispersion or suspension of the fibers in the liquid medium. The fiber containing dispersion is stabilized, i.e., the PTFE fibers remain in suspension and will not settle out at a rate fast enough to adversely affect the laydown of the dispersion.
Hurley et al also describe the use of a stabilizing agent to increase dispersion viscosity. For example, with Carbopol 941 (a polyacrylic acid available from B. F. Goodrich Chemicals Company), the addition of a neutralizing base, ammonium hydroxide, serves to neutralize the polyacrylic acid and increase the viscosity substantially, e.g., to about 800 to 20,000 centipoise. Such systems are very thixotropic. When vigorously agitated, they have a low effective viscosity and, hence, are very effective in dispersing the PTFE fibers. Since these dispersions are very stable, they may be prepared in advance of the time they are used without settling out of the fibers.
Carbopol 941 may be used without the addition of a neutralizing base, albeit addition of a neutralizing base is preferred. When a neutralizing base is not used, more of the Carbopol must be added to achieve the desired viscosity. Viscosities in the range of from about 800 to about 20,000, preferably in the range of 1,200 to 6,000, centipoise may be used.
Also, a fugitive binder may be introduced into the fiber dispersion to give the laydown sufficient strength to withstand handling until curing of the fluorocarbon binder is effected. Both the stabilizing agent and the fugitive binder, if used, preferably are fugitive but may require separate treatment for removal. Preferably Carbopol, particularly Carbopol 934, Carbopol 940, and Carbopol 941 is used since it provides a single component which acts as both a fugitive stabilizer and fugitive binder.
Hurley et al. describe that the amount of PTFE fibers present in the stabilized dispersion should be such that a uniform and complete dispersion is achieved with the minimum amount of water. Generally from about 0.5 to about 20, and preferably from about 1 to about 5, grams of fibers per liter of the dispersion comprising the stabilizing agent, liquid carrier, and fiber mixture is satisfactory. Lower amounts can be used, but are less economical. Higher amounts are more difficult to disperse and may lead to clumping or aggregation of the fibers and a non-uniform laydown.
The amount of stabilizing agent/binder varies according to the particular agent chosen, but in every case it should be sufficient to provide a stabilized dispersion as described above. Typically, mixtures of the liquid medium and stabilizing agent have viscosities of from about 800 to about 20,000, and preferably from about 1,200 to about 6,000, centipoise, prior to incorporation of the fibers. Generally, from about 0.4 to about 4 grams per liter of the stabilizing agent/binder and, preferably, from about 1 to about 2 grams per liter of the liquid carrier and stabilizing agent/binder mixture are sufficient.
The dispersion is prepared with conventional equipment, e.g., a baffled Cowles mixer or beater. Generally, beating at a tip speed of from about 3,000 to about 4,500 feet per minute for from about 30 to about 120 minutes is sufficient to produce a uniform, complete dispersion of the fibers. Excessive tip speed and mixing times are not desirable due to a loss in viscosity caused by shearing of the molecules of the stabilizing agent. The surface tension of solutions of the desired characteristics which have been thickened with Carbopol is above 70 dynes per centimeter and was measured as 74.2 dynes per centimeter for a 1.4 grams per liter of Carbopol 941 mixture.
Hurley et al. describe that the stabilized dispersion may be laid down on any suitable porous support, e.g., a woven glass cloth or wire mesh. The laydown should be of uniform thickness and spreading means may be employed for that purpose. Excess liquid carrier then is drained from the laydown, preferably by drawing a vacuum through the support. Conventional equipment, such as a Fourdrinier, may be used. To avoid premature and uneven drainage of the laydown, an impervious sheet, such as a plastic sheet, may be placed over the porous support prior to laydown of the dispersion. After distribution of the dispersion over the support, the plastic sheet is removed and the liquid is drained.
The next step discussed in Hurley et al. is drying the laydown before application of the fluorocarbon polymer binder. Drying is accomplished by drawing ambient or warmed air through the laydown, by infrared radiation or with conventional oven equipment. With an infrared heater, 6 to 9 minutes is satisfactory when operated at about 6 watts per square inch of the fibrous structure laydown at a distance of 3 to 4 inches.
In Hurley et al., the fluorocarbon binder emulsion is applied to the laydown by spraying, dipping, or other conventional techniques. The amount of fluorocarbon binder emulsion applied varies according to the concentration of the fluorocarbon binder in the emulsion. The concentration of the emulsion and the amount of emulsion applied to the laydown, whether in a single application or in multiple applications, must be such that sufficient amounts of fluorocarbon binder are provided to ensure adequate bonding of fiber-to-fiber contacts to impart structural integrity to the resulting fibrous structure. Also since wicking can occur, it may be desirable to undertake multiple binder emulsion steps.
As delineated in Hurley et al., the amount of fluorocarbon binder distributed in the final product, i.e., the porous fibrous structure, generally ranges from about 5 to about 45, preferably from about 10 to about 35, weight percent based on the weight of fibers. Amounts below 5 weight percent may be used, however, when less binding is required. Undesirable webbing, the formation of polymer films, generally results from amounts greater than 45 weight percent.
The binder impregnated laydown is again dried after binder application. The fluorocarbon impregnated fluorocarbon fiber structure is cured by heating at a higher temperature than is required for drying. For thermoplastic fluorocarbon binders the curing temperature and time should be such that the fluorocarbon binder is allowed to melt and flow. For example, when FEP is used, setting or curing will be carried out typically at from about 515.degree. F. to about 650.degree. F. for from about 20 seconds to about 1 minute.
Finally, Hurley et al. discuss the problems of introduction of extractables into the filter media by the various laydown constituents. To the extent that extractables are introduced by the stabilizing agent, and fugitive binder, if used, any residual surfactant from the fluorocarbon dispersion, etc., Hurley et al, rely on an acid extractables reduction step to reduce the level of extractables. The acid extractables reduction step involves exposure of the cured laydown to heated mineral acid, such as 70% reagent grade nitric acid at 230. to 250 F for five hours followed by rinsing with pure water and drying of the structure.
While nitric acid is an effective way to whiten the medium it is not without significant drawbacks. For example, three basic difficulties have been observed. First, the white color is reversible in subsequent manufacturing steps and in filter service. The medium discolors when heated to temperatures in excess of approximately 250.degree. F. This tendency to discolor causes manufacturing problems as, for example, in side sealing and end capping operations. The color depends upon the maximum processing temperature. After placement into service where the service temperatures exceed 250.degree. F. the filter medium discolors. The color that develops varies from tan through various shades of brown to a purplish hue. The reappearance of color in the medium is indicative of the presence of organic compounds and/or decomposition products which remain in the medium and which have the potential to be extracted in service.
Secondly, reliance on repeated rinsing that removes most but not substantially all of the nitrate ions is generally unsatisfactory under the increasingly stringent standards of industry. Quality specifications now often require that the level of total extractables, especially for nitrate ions, be reduced dramatically, e.g. even below 53 ppb/ft.sup.2. Further sequential rinsing of the medium to lower extractable nitrate levels introduces other problems. Since the medium is hygroscopic, prone to dewet, after rinsing and drying, it must be rewet with a low surface tension organic liquid such as isopropyl alcohol- often at the start of each step which involves additional labor. Moreover, the volume of deionized water contaminated with nitrate and organic wastes, alcohol, introduce increased waste disposal concerns and must be properly discarded or reprocessed.
Thirdly, residual nitrates not only contribute to filter medium discoloration but also have the potential to contaminate the filtrate when place in service. Even the most thorough rinsing of the medium does not eliminate the residual nitrate levels to below the range of several hundred to a few thousand ppb/ft.sup.2.
Neither the PTFE (fibers) nor the fluorocarbon binder, themselves, are discoloring. It is, in fact, the processing aids that cause the discoloration/contamination problems. The wetting agent in the binder and to a lesser degree the dispersant and stabilizer/fugitive binder have been found to be the sources of discoloration. These processing aids are necessary but should be removed entirely once they have served their purposes. However, due to fusion of the binder with heat, these processing aids and residues therefrom are entrained in the fused fluorocarbon of the laiddown medium. These undesirable, entrained constituents must be removed to prevent discoloration of the filter medium and to prevent potential contamination in service.
As a substitute for the above-described nitric acid bleaching step, bleaching with hot Hydrogen Peroxide (30%) has been attempted. Unfortunately, it is not as effective a bleaching agent as nitric acid. Like nitric acid, it poses safety and disposal issues. Hot hydrogen peroxide can produce uncontrolled decomposition reactions which are also potential sources of contamination. Color returns upon moderate heating.
Conventionally, heat treatment after laydown was shunned because of the prospect of fiber shrinkage, breaking the fiber cross-over bonds created with the fluorocarbon binder, and reducing the strength and structural integrity of the filter media. The prior art specifically avoided prolonged exposure of fluorocarbon fiber based media to high temperatures since it was believed that after laydown, the fiber shrinkage adversely impacted on filter integrity.
Convention also dictated that protracted exposure to high temperatures would lead to extensive shrinkage of the medium and that the thickness of the medium would be unacceptably decreased. Given the prerequisite that the medium possess a high void volume, the prospect of a substantial reduction of medium volume deterred high temperature treatment. Furthermore, and particularly applicable to fluorocarbon media, there was a concern that protracted exposure to high temperatures would lead to unacceptably high fluoride extractable levels.
Finally, since media bleached with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide discolored when heated to high temperatures, it did not appear reasonable to employ high temperature exposure to bleach the medium.

Thermal bleaching process for non-contaminating fluorocarbon fiber media


Provided is a method for producing 1,3-butadiene that enables 1,3-butadiene to be obtained in a high yield while preventing abnormal reaction of a fraction containing vinylacetylene in high concentration. The method for producing 1,3-butadiene is a method for producing 1,3-butadiene from a fraction produced in separation and recovery of 1,3-butadiene from a C4 hydrocarbon mixture that includes: adding a diluent to a high VA fraction containing vinylacetylene to produce a diluted fraction; and subjecting the diluted fraction to hydrogenation treatment to produce 1,3-butadiene. Substantially only a low VA fraction is used as the diluent. The low VA fraction is a fraction that is produced in separation and recovery of 1,3-butadiene from the C4 hydrocarbon mixture and has a lower vinylacetylene concentration than the high VA fraction.

A method using extractive distillation is known as a conventional method for separation and recovery of 1,3-butadiene in high purity from a C4 hydrocarbon mixture such as a C4 fraction obtained in production of ethylene through cracking of naphtha.
In one specific example of a method for separating and recovering 1,3-butadiene from a C4 hydrocarbon mixture through extractive distillation, butanes and butenes having lower solubility than butadiene (1,2-butadiene and 1,3-butadiene) with respect to solvent are distilled and separated through first extractive distillation, subsequently acetylenes having higher solubility than butadiene with respect to solvent are drained from the bottom and a fraction containing butadiene in high concentration is distilled through second extractive distillation, and then the fraction obtained in second extractive distillation is purified to separate and recover 1,3-butadiene in high purity.
In the above-described method of separating and recovering 1,3-butadiene through extractive distillation, a fraction that contains acetylenes such as vinylacetylene (hereinafter "VA") in high concentration is produced as a by-product. However, a fraction containing vinylacetylene in high concentration is problematic since it is highly reactive and readily undergoes abnormal reaction.
Therefore, in a patent literature document 1 (hereinafter "PTL 1"), for example, a fraction rich in acetylenes that is produced as a by-product in separation and recovery of 1,3-butadiene from a C4 hydrocarbon mixture used as a feedstock is diluted using a portion of the feedstock C4 hydrocarbon mixture as a diluent in order to prevent abnormal reaction. Moreover, in PTL 1, the diluted product obtained through dilution of the fraction rich in acetylenes using the diluent is hydrogenated, and the resultant hydrogenated product is reused as part of the feedstock so as to increase the yield of 1,3-butadiene while inhibiting reduction of 1,3-butadiene production efficiency.

Method and apparatus for producing 1,3-butadiene


An image formation apparatus configured to form a monochrome image by discharging ink droplets on the basis of recording data from a plurality of nozzles having black nozzles for discharging black ink droplets and color nozzles for discharging color ink droplets that produce composite black, the image formation apparatus comprising a control unit configured to form the monochrome image by discharging the black ink droplets from the black nozzles and discharging the color ink droplets that produce composite black from the color nozzles when recording density of black ink represented by the recording data is a predetermined density or higher.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image formation apparatus and an image formation method.
Related Art
An inkjet printer, for example, causes a printing substrate (recording substrate) and a plurality of nozzles aligned side by size in a predetermined nozzle alignment direction to move in a relative fashion in a direction of scanning orthogonal to the nozzle alignment direction, and forms dots on the printing substrate by discharging ink droplets (liquid droplets) from the nozzles on the basis of recording data representative of whether or not there should be a dot for every pixel. In a case where a monochrome image is being formed on the printing substrate, black (K) ink droplets are discharged from black nozzles to form K dots on the printing substrate.
JP-A-2009-202491 (patent document 1) discloses an inkjet recording apparatus with which, when a black head is undergoing maintenance or a recovery operation out during printing, then printing is done by replacing the black dots with composite black dots and the black head undergoes the maintenance or recovery operation.

Image formation apparatus and image formation method


Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for providing service to access nodes are presented. In some embodiments, a computing device may generate a geographical coverage map comprising a plurality of wireless access nodes respectively at a plurality of geographic locations and a wireless coverage range for each wireless access node. The computing device may receive from at least one wireless access node of the plurality of wireless access nodes an indication that the at least one wireless access node detected a first wireless access node of the plurality of wireless access nodes. The computing device may refine a first coverage range of the first wireless access node based on a respective geographic location of the at least one wireless access node. In some embodiments, a first wireless access node may receive and forward join emergency mesh (JEM) messages to establish a wireless network.

Service providers have deployed a large number of wireless-enabled devices (e.g., modems, routers, etc.) to users (e.g., subscribers, customers, etc.). However, service providers have little knowledge regarding the actual wireless service area covered by these devices and also have little ability to detect unauthorized devices that are spoofing a user's authorized device, for example, at locations outside of the customer's residence or business. Additionally, service providers generally provide service to the wireless-enabled devices through interconnected communication lines (e.g., coaxial cables, optical fibers, etc.). Because these lines have a fixed maximum bandwidth, there is an inherent fixed amount of data that a user's device can receive though those lines at any given time. Further, the service provider may not be able to provide any bandwidth to some of the devices in the event of a network outage caused by, for example, a disaster or accident resulting in a cut in the communication lines and/or disablement of a service-providing headend device. In such instances, the service provider may not be able to broadcast a message to the devices.

Mapping and bridging wireless networks to provide better service


When voltage at the main battery 10 is lowered, an EV-ECU 36 instructs a starting motor 24 to rotate to actuate an engine 26 for the initiation of power generation. At that time, the starting motor receives electric current mainly from a power capacitor 34, while an auxiliary battery 22 is connected to the ECU 36 and an ECU 38 so that supply voltages at the ECU's 36 and 38 can be kept at a predetermined level irrespective of the drive of the starting motor 24. Also, when the upstream voltage of the auxiliary battery 22 is found to be less than a predetermined value through a comparator 40, the drive of the starting motor is not effected. This configuration prevents the voltage at the auxiliary battery 22 from continuing to be lowered due to the drive of the starting motor 24 in the case where the power capacitor 34 is in a poorly charged state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply system for use in a hybrid vehicle in which is mounted an engine for power generation as well as a drive motor for vehicle propulsion, and more particularly, is directed to a drive control of a starting motor for actuating the power generation engine.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A hybrid vehicle taking advantage of both the lower polluting properties peculiar to an electric vehicle and the continuous traveling performance associated with an engine powered vehicle has been hitherto proposed. This type of hybrid vehicle usually travels as an electric vehicle through the drive of a motor by electric power derived from a main battery. Furthermore, the state of charge (hereinafter, abbreviated to SOC) of the battery is monitored during traveling. When the SOC becomes less than a predetermined lower level, the engine is actuated and the vehicle travels while performing power generation. Thus, the main battery is charged with electric current produced by a power generator. When the SOC is restored to a predetermined higher level, the engine is stopped and the hybrid vehicle is allowed to travel as an ordinary electric vehicle.
In this manner, the hybrid vehicle also includes an engine which is driven exclusively for the purpose of charging the battery and hence is operated under a fixed load and a fixed number of revolutions. Therefore, unlike the engine vehicle using the engine as its drive source, there can be realized decreased noise generation and much lower contaminant content in the exhaust gas (Refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 56-166704, for example).
The hybrid vehicle is commonly equipped with an auxiliary battery which provides electric power to an electronic control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as ECU) which carries out a variety of control functions such as control of motor driving conditions and engine starting control, and to accessories such as headlights. The auxiliary battery is adapted to receive electric power from the main battery with the aid of a DC-DC converter.
This auxiliary battery is intended to supply electric power to a starting motor for starting the engine as well. For the drive of the starting motor, the auxiliary battery is required to consume the largest amount of electric power. As described above, the actuation of the engine is carried out depending on the SOC of the main battery. It is therefore ordinarily impossible to control the timing of driving the motor. As a result, the voltage at the auxiliary battery may be disadvantageously substantially lowered when it has been already lowered due to turning on headlights and windshield wipers at night or under rainy weather, or when the starting motor is continuously driven due to failing to actuate the engine.
Hence, there arose a problem that the ECU malfunctions in the case where the voltage at the auxiliary battery is substantially lowered, which results in a poor supply of electric power into the motor.


Systems, devices, methods, and techniques are described for automated air traffic management using multiple flight operation modes. In one example, a method includes receiving, by a computing device comprising one or more processors, data associated with one or more aircraft in flight in a controlled airspace. The method further includes selecting, by the computing device, based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more aircraft, a respective flight operation mode from among a plurality of flight operation modes for at least one respective aircraft among the one or more aircraft in flight. The method further includes outputting, by the computing device for transmission to the at least one respective aircraft, an indication of the respective flight operation mode selected for the at least one respective aircraft.

Modern aircraft have increasingly sophisticated capabilities for automating flight management based on determination of efficient trajectories that decrease fuel consumption and flight duration. Further types of modern flight management techniques are under development for anticipated introduction. Various types of aircraft in service have a wide range of ages and technological capabilities. Some aircraft are equipped with capabilities for participating in advanced flight management techniques for Trajectory Based Operation (TBO) flight management concepts currently in development, while some older aircraft lack advanced flight management systems. Air traffic control (ATC) supports a variety of commercial aviation and general aviation aircraft that may fly in the same controlled airspace.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Integrated multi-mode automation for air traffic control


An apparatus and method are provided for controlling haptic feedback of an input tool for a mobile terminal. The method includes detecting, by the mobile terminal, a hovering of the input tool over an object displayed on a touch screen display of the mobile terminal; identifying a property of the object; and transmitting, to the input tool, a control signal for haptic feedback corresponding to the property of the object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for controlling haptic feedback.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile terminals having touch screens generally utilize a touch input method that uses a user's fingertip or an input tool, such as an electronic pen or a stylus pen. For example, touch input methods include a contact-type touch input method in which an input actually contacts the touch screen, and a noncontact-type touch input method in which an input is received when the user's finger or pen is placed within a predetermined distance of the touch screen, e.g., a hovering input method.
Recently, improved touch input methods have been used, which generate haptic feedback, e.g., vibrations using a vibration device, when a user makes a touch input on a touch screen, allowing the user to feel a sense of manipulating buttons.
However, these improved touch input methods merely allow the user to recognize the actual contact of an input tool with the touch screen, and thus, have limitations with conveying a sense of manipulating (or enjoying) applications to the user.

Method and apparatus for controlling haptic feedback of an input tool for a mobile terminal


The present invention provides a technique for enabling high-speed binary search.

Due to improved Internet infrastructures and the widespread of communication terminals, such as cellular phone terminals, personal computers, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone sets, the number of Internet users is now exploding. Under such circumstances, security problems such as computer viruses, hacking and spam mails have become apparent, requiring appropriate techniques for communication control. Also, since improved communication environments have enormously increased communication traffic, there are required communication control apparatuses that enable high-speed processing of a large volume of data.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a conventional communication control apparatus 1. The conventional communication control apparatus 1 comprises a communication control unit 2 on the receiving side, a packet processing unit 3, and a communication control unit 4 on the sending side. The communication control units 2 and 4 include PHY processing units 5a and 5b for performing physical layer processing of packets, and MAC processing units 6a and 6b for performing MAC layer processing of packets, respectively. The packet processing unit 3 includes protocol processing units for performing protocol-specific processing, such as an IP processing unit 7 for performing IP (Internet Protocol) processing and a TCP processing unit 8 for performing TCP (Transport Control Protocol) processing. The packet processing unit 3 also includes an AP processing unit 9 for performing application layer processing. The AP processing unit 9 performs filtering or other processing according to data included in a packet.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-180425.

Abstract: A binary search circuit 36 searches a database 50, which stores pieces of data aligned in ascending or descending order, for comparison target data by binary search. Comparison circuits 36A, 36B and 36C compare pieces of data read out from databases 50A, 50B and 50C with the comparison target data. A control circuit 36Z inputs each piece of data at the 1/2n, 2/2n, . . . , and (2n−1)/2n positions in the search range of the database 50 into 2n−1 comparison circuits respectively and allows the comparison circuits to compare the pieces of data thus input with the comparison target data, so as to perform n searchs simultaneously in parallel.


An optical reflection device includes a flexible substrate, an elastic portion connected with an end of the flexible substrate, an optical reflector coupled with the flexible substrate via the elastic portion, a first electrode layer provided on the flexible substrate, and a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode layer. The optical reflection device may have a small size.

FIG. 16 is a top view of conventional optical reflection device 501. Optical reflection device 501 includes polygon mirror 11 having a polygonal shape. Rotating about rotation axis 11A, polygon mirror 11 reflects a laser beam emitted from laser emitter 12 on reflection surface 11B, sweeping the laser beam on scanning surface 13 of a photosensitive drum of a laser printer.
This type of conventional optical reflection device is disclosed in Patent JP11-281908.
Polygon mirror 11 having the polygonal shape has a certain thickness from the rotation axis, hence preventing optical reflection device 501 from having a small size.


A method and apparatus for replicating data between heterogeneous databases is provided. Data is replicated between two heterogeneous databases with the use of a volatile storage queue, enabling the rapid replication of data across databases provided by different vendors or operating on different platforms. According to one embodiment, an in-memory queue is used to queue change operations to be performed on a target data repository. The change operations may be operations that were applied to a source data repository. An apply process retrieves the change operations from in-memory queue and commits the change operations to persistent storage. When the change operations have been committed, the apply process notifies the source platform that the particular change operation has been stored.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
One use of a database management system (DBMS) is to ensure the security and integrity of mass amounts of data. Data repositories, such as databases and file systems, contain critical data for both individual users and enterprise businesses. Therefore, ensuring the security and integrity of such data is a primary concern for individuals and enterprises alike.
Typically, backup databases and file systems are created in order to ensure that data is not lost in the event of a failure of a database system. However, when data is manipulated on a source database, the change may not be immediately propagated to the backup database. Further, many database platforms are available from different vendors. Users may wish to communicate data between databases provided by different database vendors. This is more commonly known as heterogeneous database replication. For example, vendors may wish to replicate data between an Oracle database and a non-Oracle database.
One drawback of existing database platforms is their inability to communicate with each other. Typically, different database vendors engineer database management systems differently. As such, it is not easy to replicate changes made on a database from one vendor to a database supplied by another vendor.
One replication approach involves taking the changes from the source database and storing them in some persistent storage, such as a hard disk drive or other type of non-volatile storage medium, before applying them to the target database. However, this approach has numerous drawbacks. First, storing changes in persistent storage is a very slow process and limits the maximum data replication rate. For example, persistent storage may only allow changes on the order of one operation per millisecond. If a large amount of data needed to be replicated from one database to another, the process is even slower.
What is desired is a method for heterogeneous data replication that does not suffer from the drawbacks of previous approaches.

Replicating data between heterogeneous data systems


A temperature sensor forming method and forming die are provided which perform insert-forming of a temperature sensor with a minimum of processes and in a short time. The temperature sensor formed has a temperature sensing element 1 arranged in a predetermined position inside a resin case 2. The process does not leave traces of pins that would allow water to penetrate the interior of the case. The process comprises a first step of supporting the temperature sensing element 1 with first and second slide blocks 6c and 6g. The process comprises a second step of injecting a molten forming resin 2a into a forming die 6 and retracting the first slide block 6c by injection pressure while the temperature sensing element 1 is being supported by the second slide block 6g. The process comprises a third step of retracting the second slide block 6g while injecting the molten forming resin 2a into the forming die 6. The receiving area S1 of the first slide block 6c is larger than the receiving area S2 of the second slide block 6g.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a forming method and forming die for a temperature sensor which is insert-formed with a resin.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional sensor enclosed in a resin case is disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application No. H4-24032. In this conventional sensor, a case is formed beforehand and a resin is poured into the case to enclose a temperature sensing element.
Another conventional temperature sensor is disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. H6129915, which has been previously filed by the applicants of the present invention. This conventional temperature sensor will be explained with reference to FIG. 4 of the drawings. In FIG. 4, a temperature sensor is shown having a temperature sensing element 1, a resin case 2, and a stopper portion 3.
The temperature sensing element 1 is a thermistor, for example, and is connected to terminals 5 via parallel twin leads 4. These twin leads 4 comprise two lead wires 4a arranged in parallel with a predetermined gap therebetween. The twin leads 4 are integrated by being covered with a cover 4b, and provide a certain amount of rigidity with respect to injection molding pressure and outside force when set in a forming die. Also, the terminals 5 have connecting portions 5a for the lead wires 4a and positioning protrusions 5b for fixing the terminals 5 to the forming die.
The resin case 2 comprises nylon resin, for example. The resin case 2 is insert-formed around one end of the temperature sensing element 1, the twin leads 4 and the portions 5a and protrusions 5b of the terminals 5. The resin case 2 also forms a connector portion 2a exposing the other ends of the terminals 5 and integrally forms a stopper portion 3 in its outer wall.
The stopper portion 3 has a complicated shape, as shown in FIG. 4, and forms a flexible arm 3a and a regulating surface 3b. The regulating surface 3b regulates the amount of deformation of the flexible arm 3a. The flexible arm 3a abuts the regulating surface 3b when the rotational torque of the stopper portion 3 engaged with an installing member 7, for example, changes. The regulating surface 3b thereby limits the rotation of the stopper portion 3.
However, in the case of the above conventional techniques, it was necessary to have a process for enclosing the temperature sensing element with resin as well as a process for forming the case, and a long time was required for the resin enclosure. In this respect, the number of processes could be reduced if the temperature sensing element is insert-formed at the same time as the case is formed.
However, in order to arrange the temperature sensing element in a predetermined position in the case, it has been necessary to perform injection molding with the temperature sensing element supported by positioning pins, for example, and to perform corrective action of removing the pins after forming is completed. As a result, traces of the pins are left in the case, causing the problem of water penetrating into the interior of the case, thereby making it necessary to either limit the temperature sensor's application or to perform a process of filling in the traces.


A sample analyzer and sample analyzing method perform following: a) mixing a sample with at least one of a first reagent and a second reagent, thereby preparing a measurement specimen; b) storing, in a memory, standard curve data corresponding to a reagent to be used in the step a) for preparing a measurement specimen; c) measuring the measurement specimen thereby obtaining measurement data; d) processing the measurement data based on the standard curve data, thereby obtaining an analysis result; and e) when the first, reagent and the second reagent are of the same type, determining a reagent to be used for the measuring between the first reagent and the second reagent, based on information regarding standard curve data stored in the memory.

In numerous sample analyzers including immunological analyzer and blood coagulation analyzer, a plurality of reagents is used to measure a great number of analyzing items. Each reagent may be used for only one analyzing item or may be used in a plurality of analyzing items, and thus the consuming amount differs among reagents. Regarding the reagents which consuming amount is relatively large, a plurality of reagent containers is held in the reagent container holder of the sample analyzer to prevent the reagent from running out in the middle of the analyzing process thereby causing measurement error. Regarding the usage order of the same reagent accommodated in the plurality of reagent containers, it is proposed to start using from the reagent container with small reagent remaining quantity at the start of operation of the apparatus (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9-43244).
In sample analyzers, the measurement specimen in which the sample and the reagent are mixed is measured, and the obtained measurement data is converted based on the standard curve corresponding to the used reagent to obtain the analysis result. Therefore, if the standard curve does not exist, the analysis result cannot be obtained, but due to reasons of (1) measurement of a calibrator must be performed when creating the standard curve, and in the meantime, the sample cannot be measured; and (2) the sample measurement is desirably completed at an early stage to send the sample to the next examination in the screening system, measurement is sometimes performed using the reagent which standard curve is not created. In this case, the analysis result cannot be obtained until the standard curve is created, and for example, determination on whether or not re-examination is necessary cannot be made right after the measurement.
Due to the problems in reagent management, error may occur on the standard curve itself. In this case, measurement is performed using the reagent which standard curve is not created, and when the existence of error in the standard curve of the relevant reagent becomes apparent afterwards, the measurement performed up to that point as well as the samples and the reagents used for the measurement become a waste.
The presence of standard curve thus has an important meaning in the analyzing process of the sample, but a sample analyzer that determines the usage order of the reagent based on the presence of the standard curve when a plurality of the same reagents exist in the apparatus did not exist in the prior art.

Sample analyzer and sample analyzing method


A photoresist supplying system for used in a semiconductor fabrication, the system includes a photoresist holder for storing photoresist. A first gas supplier is connected to the photoresist holder for providing gas to the photoresist holder to force the photoresist out of the photoresist holder. A buffer is connected to the photoresist holder via an input terminal to exhaust the gas, the photoresist is output by an output terminal of the buffer. A first valve is connected to the output terminal of the buffer for controlling the flowing rate of the photoresist. A second valve is connected to the buffer to drain the gas collected by the space. A pumping apparatus is connected to the first valve via an input terminal to suck the photoresist. A filter is connected to the pumping apparatus to filter out the impurity in the photoresist. A vibrator is set in the photoresist supplying system to hold the filter for eliminating bubble. A suckback apparatus is connected to the filter to suck back over quantity photoresist before the photoresist is sprayed on a wafer.

Lithography process is widely used in the formation of Integrated circuits. It is one of the most important processes in the semiconductor fabrication. That is because the formation of the integrated circuits require that precisely controlled quantities of dopants be implanted into tiny regions of a layer or a wafer. Further, the sizes of various circuit elements, from transistor bases to lead widths, must be determined and their exact position on the chip established.
Typically, the photoresist is applied as a thin film to a wafer or an underlying layer, and then exposed through a mask (or reticle in step-and repeat projection system). The mask contains clear and opaque features that define the pattern to be created in the photoresist layer. The regions in the photoresist exposes to the light are made either soluble or insoluble in a specific solvent known as a development. Following development, the regions of the underlying layer no longer covered by the photoresist are removed by etching, thereby replicating the mask pattern in that underlying layer. In general, photoresist has several components. For example, the resin is one of the components. A sensitizer is very photosensitive. Since the exposure process requires changes in molecular bonding, substantial photo energy such as ultraviolet light is required. In general, photoresist is used to serve an etching mask or an ion implantation mask. The pattern in the photoresist is generated when the substrate undergoes the step of development. The residual photoresist is left on the underlying layer to prevent a portion of the underlying layer from etching or to serve a mask for implantation.
However, one of the problems related to the photoresist supplying system is the poor coating of the photoresist. It is due to bubbles trapped in the photoresist supplying system. The photoresist supplying system force the photoresist to spray on the wafer via gas. The residual gas may be trapped in the photoresist supplying system. In addition, the gas may be come from the procedure of filter replacement. The gas may get into the filter while the filter is dismantled from the system for replacement. Thus, the bubbles are generated by this procedure. Therefore, the control of the photoresist volume becomes difficult due to the bubbles that are trapped in the pipe, the filter of the system. While the bubbles are dispensed on the wafer, they will cause poor coating on the wafer. Thus, what is required is a photoresist supplying system that will eliminate the residual bubble in the system.

Photoresist supplying system for used in a semiconductor fabrication

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A manufacture defect analyzer (MDA) with a detecting function and inspecting method thereof are provided. The manufacture defect analyzer with a detecting function is for checking a to-be-inspected circuit board comprising a socket. The socket has an upper cover. The manufacture defect analyzer comprises a carrier, a detecting apparatus and an analyzer. The carrier is for supporting the to-be-inspected circuit board. The detecting apparatus corresponds to the socket and is disposed on the carrier and detects whether the upper cover is open. If the upper cover is open, then an open signal is outputted. After receiving the open signal, the analyzer is electrically connected to the socket to check whether the socket has any manufacture defect or not.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a manufacture defect analyzer and the method thereof, and more particularly to a manufacture defect analyzer with detecting function and the inspecting method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1A is a structural diagram of a conventional manufacture defect analyzer. Manufacture defect analyzer (MDA) 100, which comprises a carrier 110 and an analyzer 120, is used for checking a to-be-inspected circuit board 140 such as a CPU motherboard complying with the LGA775 specification of Intel Corporation. The carrier 110 is used for supporting the to-be-inspected circuit board 140. The to-be-inspected circuit board 140 comprises a socket 142 for receiving an LGA775 CPU. The socket 142 has a plurality of pins and an upper cover 141 for protecting the pins. The upper cover 141 can be opened and closed. During the inspection, the analyzer 120 is lowered to be is electrically connected to the socket 142 to check whether the socket 142 has any manufacture defect or not.
Referring to FIGS. 1B, 1C and 1D, side views of the conventional manufacture defect analyzer are shown. Under standard operation procedure (SOP), the manufacture defect analyzer 100 comprises two steps. Firstly, the upper cover 141 of the to-be-inspected circuit board 140 is opened and placed on the carrier 110 as shown in FIG. 1B. Next, the analyzer 120 is switched on so that the analyzer 120 starts to lower down to be electrically connected to the pins of the socket 142 (shown in FIG. 1C).
However, as shown in FIG. 1D, during the descending of the analyzer 120, the operator may forget to open the upper cover 141 or the opened upper cover 141 may fall to cover the socket 142 again due to vibration or negligence. On one hand, the probe 121 of the analyzer 120 may collide with the upper cover 141, causing damage to the analyzer 120 or the to-be-inspected circuit board 140. On the other hand, the operator may be injured trying to open the upper cover 141 during the descending of the analyzer 120.

Manufacture defect analyzer with detecting function and inspecting method thereof


A boot includes a major-diameter fastener, a first bellows, a second bellows, a minor-diameter-side bellows, and a minor-diameter fastener. The major-diameter fastener is to be fastened to a mating major-diameter member. The first bellows is disposed continuously from the major-diameter fastener. The second bellows is disposed continuously from the first bellows. The minor-diameter-side bellows is disposed continuously from the second bellows. The minor-diameter fastener is disposed continuously from the minor-diameter-side bellows, and is to be fastened to a mating minor-diameter member. The first bellows exhibits an averaged first axial rigidity. The second bellows exhibits an averaged second axial rigidity. The minor-diameter-side bellows exhibits an averaged third axial rigidity. The averaged first axial rigidity and the averaged third axial rigidity are lower than the averaged second axial rigidity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boot, which is installed to rack-and-pinion type steering apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A steering boot covers a ball joint, which is disposed between a steering gear box and a tie rod. Specifically, one of the opposite ends of the steering boot is fastened to a steering-gear-box end, and the other one of the opposite ends of the steering boot is fastened to a tie-rod end. Moreover, the steering boot is disposed in proximity to engine. Accordingly, the ambient temperature around the steering boot is a high temperature relatively. Consequently, air, which is sealed inside the steering boot, expands to deform the steering boot.
FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of a conventional steering boot, which has deformed. As illustrated in the drawing, when the air inside a conventional steering boot 100 expands so that the conventional steering boot 100 expands and then deforms. As a result, the conventional steering boot 100 has come to undulate in a zigzag manner like a letter "S" shape. When the conventional steering boot 100 thus undulates, it might interfere with the built-in ball joint (not shown) or clamps. Accordingly, there might possibly arise such a drawback that the conventional steering boot 100 is damaged. Moreover, the conventional steering boot 100 is made of resin. Consequently, the conventional steering boot 100, which has once undergone undulating deformation, is less likely to recover the original configuration even when being cooled.
Hence, the following measure has been carried out conventionally to inhibit the undulating deformation of steering boot. For example, a steering boot is molded as a configuration whose axial length is longer than that of objective configuration. Then, the thus molded steering boot is subjected to a heat treatment to make it into the objective configuration.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 10-238,629 discloses a conventional steering boot in which the undulating deformation is suppressed. The conventional steering boot set forth in the gazette comprises a major-diameter faster 102, and a bellows. The bellows has three roots, which are numbered starting at the one next to the major-diameter fastener 102 and which are provided with a letter "U"-shaped peripheral groove. The letter "U"-shaped peripheral grooves are dented in the three roots. Accordingly, the portion of the bellows, which is provided with the peripheral grooves, exhibits a higher radial rigidity than the other portion, which is free of the peripheral grooves, does. Consequently, the conventional steering boot set forth in the gazette is less likely to undergo the undulating deformation.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-315,364 discloses a steering boot in which a portion making an outer peripheral side of ball joint is made relatively thinner than the other portions are. In this conventional steering boot, the portion making the outer peripheral side of ball joint is compressed relatively by the rising inner pressure, and the other portions are extended relatively thereby. Accordingly, in the bellows of the conventional steering boot, the bending deformation enlarges on the outer peripheral side of ball joint. Consequently, the bending deformation positions the bellows as a whole on the outer peripheral side of ball joint while contracting the bellows. As a result, the conventional steering boot hardly interferes with one of the opposite ends of ball joint.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-315,364 further proposes to make the radii of the crests and roots of the bellows smaller gradually in the direction away from the major-diameter fastener 102 to the minor-diameter fastener 103. In the thus constructed bellows, the closer to the opposite end on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102 is the larger the pressure-receiving radius becomes relatively upon the rise of inner pressure; and the closer to the opposite end on the side of the minor-diameter fastener 103 is the smaller the pressure-receiving radius becomes relatively thereupon. Accordingly, the extending force of the bellows, which is exerted by the rising inner pressure, is larger relatively on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102, and is smaller relatively on the side of the minor-diameter fastener 103. That is, the bellows extends on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102, but contracts on the side of the minor-diameter fastener 103. Consequently, the extension of the bellows on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102 inhibits the portions of the bellows, which are disposed closer to the opposite end on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102, from moving diametrically. As a result, the conventional steering boot can inhibit the interference with one of the opposite ends of ball joint furthermore.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-147,297 discloses a steering boot in which the central section of the bellows has a root inside diameter, which is made identical with or smaller than that of the portions on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102; and the central section thereof exhibits a lower radial rigidity than that of the other portions. Namely, this conventional boot comprises a bellows which exhibits an enhanced diametric rigidity on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102, and at the same time an axial rigidity, which is held at the same level as that of the central section of the bellows, on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102. The conventional steering boot can be inhibited from undergoing the undulating deformation by such a relatively simple means as changing the root inside diameter of the bellows. Accordingly, the conventional steering boot needs the man-hour requirement for machining the mold less. Consequently, the conventional steering boot can be manufactured at lower cost. Moreover, the bellows is less likely to deform on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102 because the diametric rigidity is enhanced on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102 while retaining the axial rigidity thereon. As a result, the bellows is less likely to interfere with a clamp, which is disposed around the major-diameter fastener 102, on the side of the major-diameter fastener 102.
However, the conventional method for inhibiting the undulating deformation of steering boot by means of heat treatment requires post processing, such as annealing for removing the residual internal stress from the resulting steering boot. Therefore, the conventional method suffers from the drawback that the man-hour requirements are great.
In the conventional steering boot disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 10-238,629, it is needed to provide the bellows with the peripheral grooves in order to enhance the rigidity. However, note that the peripheral grooves are irrelevant to the inherent function of bellows. Accordingly, the man-hour requirements for machining a mold for the conventional steering boot have increased. Consequently, the conventional steering boot has suffered from a high manufacturing cost inevitably. Moreover, when providing the bellows with the peripheral grooves, the conventional steering boot has adversely exhibited a degraded rigidity in the expansion/contraction direction of the bellows. As a result, there might arise a probability that, upon the expanding deformation, the part of the bellows, which has undergone the undulating deformation, has been likely to interfere with a clamp, which is fastened to an opposite end of steering gear box.
The conventional steering boot disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-315,364 has the following problem. That is, since the parts of the bellows, which make the outer peripheral side of ball joint, are thinned out, the thinned-out parts are likely to be damaged when they happen to be disposed in between ball joint and flying ballast upon colliding with flying ballast.
Moreover, in the conventional steering boot disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Gazette No. 2005-147,297, the undulating deformation is inhibited by making the inside diameter of the bellows' roots smaller around ball joint. Accordingly, it is difficult to inhibit the sections of the bellows, which are disposed away from ball joint, from undergoing the undulating deformation. Consequently, when a ball joint is positioned off from the central section of the bellows, the sections of the bellows, which are disposed away from the ball joint, might possibly undergo the undulating deformation.


An online method and system for evaluating a gemstone is provided that enables a consumer to use a personal computer to evaluate the visual appearance and measurement data of the gemstone by emulating the laboratory instruments that previously collected the data for the gemstone. The computer is connected to the internet and a website that is linked to a gemstone database, emulation software and graphical user interface. The consumer identifies the specific gemstone he or she wants to evaluate, and an interactive gemstone certificate screen is displayed. The consumer separately selects and then emulates a variety of lab instruments, such as color and clarity grading, geometric measuring, and light performance and light ray tracing instruments. Graphical images and data pertaining to the selected gemstone are displayed on the computer monitor, and selected portions of the database are downloaded and saved on the computer memory.

Like any industry, the diamond and fine gemstone industry is dependent on consumer trust in the quality of the product. In this case, the product is a diamond or gemstone. To increase trust, consumers are given a certificate attesting to the features and quality of their purchase. In the case of diamonds, consumers measure the quality of the diamond by common criteria called the "4C's," or color, clarity, carat, and cut. Generally, the 4C measurements are done by or with the assistance of precision electronic instruments and interpreted by human observation. The results eventually are recorded on a printed document called the "grading certificate," "laboratory report" or "lab report" as shown in FIGS. 1-3. A light performance report may also be printed for a diamond as shown in FIG. 4. These documents are printed on durable paper containing text and two dimensional graphs and/or pictures for the diamond or gemstone. Often the paper documents are converted to an electronic format by scanning or other means for Internet transmission and subsequent viewing on a computer with a display monitor.
Many of the precision instruments used by the gemstone manufacturers and at gemstone testing facilities to make the measurements contained in the grading certificate are capable of producing much more valuable data than is ever reported in the grading certificate. For example, these laboratory instruments include the GemEx BrillianceScope® for analyzing light spectrometry, a Gran Colorimeter® for measuring tint or color, an Ogi Meqa Scope® or Sarin Brilliant Eye® for dimensions and angles, and a Rahman® Spectrophotometer for testing for synthetics. The valuable gemstone data obtained by these instruments is obscured from the consumer for two basic reasons. First, the shear immensity of the data does not allow it to be presented in a printed grading certificate. Second, the diamond sellers believe they need to filter and shape the information presented to the consumer in order to sell the gemstones.
Sophisticated consumers seek out information about gemstones before they make a purchase. Generally, there are two ways for consumers to obtain information about a gemstone they are considering to purchase. First, the consumer can request information from the seller of the gemstone. Second, and more recently, the consumer can do research on their own, primarily via the Internet. Unfortunately, the information available through these two channels closely parallels the same information contained in a traditional grading certificate. In some instances, the consumer is provided some additional text information that is not available on the printed reports, however, the information is very limited and difficult for the consumer to understand.
The present invention is intended to solve these and other problems.

Method and system for online evaluation of gemstones


A method of detecting circulating melanoma or carcinoma cells in a subject. The method comprises obtaining a body fluid from a subject and detecting the expression of a panel of genes in the body fluid, wherein the expression of the panel of genes indicates the presence of circulating melanoma or carcinoma cells in the subject. Genes useful for detecting melanoma cells includes GalNAc-T, MAGE-A3, MART-1, PAX-3, and TRP-2; genes useful for detecting carcinoma cells include C-Met, MAGE-A3, Stanniocalcin-1, Stanniocalcin-2, mammaglobin, HSP27, GalNAc-T, CK20, and β-HCG. Also disclosed are kits containing agents for detecting the expression of these genes.

The metastasis of melanoma and carcinoma to distant sites often portends a poor prognosis (1). Assessment of primary and/or metastatic melanoma and carcinoma has been addressed in the new American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging criteria (2, 3). The staging system, however, does not accurately take into account the disease progression events, particularly ongoing systemic metastasis, at the time patients are seen. The detection of melanoma or carcinoma cells in circulation is important in assessing tumor progression and potential for metastasis.
To date, only a limited number of tumor-associated markers have been identified that are absent in healthy cells but produced in melanoma or carcinoma cells. Heterogeneity of the expression of tumor genes and variable performance of the assays have posed major problems for detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood. The clinical utility of molecular detection of circulating tumor cells in blood continues to be debated, mostly because of inconsistency among the previous findings, indicating the necessity for performing careful characterizations of these tests.
Melanoma and carcinoma patients are candidates for adjuvant therapy because of their high risk of disease recurrence after complete surgical resection. However, no current assays can accurately predict the survival of patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant biochemotherapy (BC).

Detection of cancer cells in body fluids


The invention is concerned with the systematic elucidation and identification of regulatory sequences. The invention provides among others screenings and detection methods with which regulatory sequences can be identified. The invention further provides regulatory sequences and use thereof in various fields such as, but not limited to, protein production, diagnostics, transgenic plants and animals, and the therapeutic field.

With the progression of the various genome projects, sequences of entire organismal genomes have become available. The flood of data has raised the interest of many investigators. One of the more noticeable discoveries was the observation that the human genome does not code for significantly more genes than the genome of simple organisms like the fruit fly. The focus of many investigators is now shifting from the identification of genes to the determination of gene expression and gene function. Examples of such technologies are DNA microarrays, functional genomics applications and proteomics. These technologies have in common that they are centered about the function and expression of coding sequences. However, while our knowledge of genes increases dramatically, the understanding of how the expression of the genes is regulated is limiting the ability to apply this rapidly increasing knowledge. This is, for instance, the case in the generation of transgenic plants and animals and in human gene therapy. In these applications, foreign nucleic acid is typically introduced into cells to obtain expression of coding sequences. Often, integration of the foreign nucleic acid into the cell's genome is required for prolonged function of the introduced sequences. However, integration of sequences into the genome can lead to unpredictability of expression because, among other things, the surrounding DNA influences the transcription of the integrated sequences. This unpredictability is in part due to the fact that introduced sequences cannot be provided yet with sufficient genetic information to functionally isolate the integrated sequences from the transcription influencing effects of the surrounding DNA. In another part, this is due to the fact that not enough is known about the transcription influencing effects of surrounding DNA.

Nucleic acid sequences having gene transcription regulatory qualities


A work machine includes directional control valves 43 and 44 each controlling a direction and a flow rate of a pressurized fluid supplied to each a boom cylinder 32 and a bucket cylinder 36; operation amount sensors 51a, 52a, and 52b detecting operation amounts of operation devices 51 and 52; a variable flow control valve 45 that can restrict the flow rate of the pressurized fluid in a meter-in passage of the directional control valve 44 related to the bucket cylinder 36; and a controller 60 controlling the variable flow control valve on the basis of the detection results by the operation amounts from the operation amount sensors, and the controller changes over an action mode to any one of a normal mode for restricting the flow rate of the pressurized fluid by the variable flow control valve and a responsiveness priority mode for not restricting the flow rate of the pressurized fluid by the variable flow control valve in response to the detection results of the operation amounts of the plurality of operation devices. It is thereby possible to enhance responsiveness in an action that requires responsiveness such as an action in which an operation amount of an operation lever frequently changes in a short period of time and to suppress a decline in work efficiency.

As a hydraulic circuit system in a work machine such as a hydraulic excavator, a hydraulic circuit system configured with, for example, one or more hydraulic pumps driven by a prime mover, one or more hydraulic actuators, and directional control valves each exercising control to supply and discharge a hydraulic fluid from one of the hydraulic pumps to and from each hydraulic actuator is widely used. Each directional control valve has functions as a meter-in throttle and a meter-out throttle, regulates a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid flowing from the hydraulic pump into each hydraulic actuator by the meter-in throttle, and regulates a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid discharged from each hydraulic actuator to a hydraulic fluid tank by the meter-out throttle. Examples of the hydraulic actuators in the hydraulic excavator include a boom cylinder that drives a boom, an arm cylinder that drives an arm, and a bucket cylinder that drives a bucket.
As a technique related to a work machine provided with a hydraulic circuit system configured as described above, techniques described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. A work machine described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration such that a pressurized fluid is supplied from a first hydraulic pump to a bucket directional control valve and to a first boom directional control valve and a pressurized fluid is supplied from a second hydraulic pump to an arm directional control valve and to a second boom directional control valve, and is configured such that a boom at a high load pressure and the other hydraulic actuator (such as an arm or a bucket) can be simultaneously moved by causing auxiliary flow control means that restricts a supply flow rate of the pressurized fluid to the bucket directional control valve to reduce the supply flow rate of the pressurized fluid to the bucket directional control valve in proportion to an increase in a boom raising operation amount. Furthermore, a work machine described in Patent Document 2 is configured with a solenoid proportional valve that can reduce a pilot pressure for driving a directional control valve, and is configured such that driving the solenoid proportional valve to reduce an opening area of a meter-out throttle of the directional control valve in proportion to an increase in a cylinder pressure makes it possible to suppress a cylinder speed and to prevent cavitation.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


A plurality of services relating to either or both of the acquisition and use of industrial equipment, which can be quite bulky and is often expensive, are marketed (and may also be contracted for) by providing a mechanism for prospective and actual purchasers of industrial equipment, who visit an on-line marketplace where such equipment can be sold and purchased, to have on-line access to information generated by the provider(s) in response to purchaser requests. Relevant and valuable information relating to the request for and delivery of information are stored in a database for various purposes.

A would-be purchaser of industrial equipment, especially large scale equipment, faces a series of hurdles including not only purchasing the equipment at a desired price, but also a host of other challenges, before the full benefit of the purchased equipment can be realized. Since industrial equipment is often costly, the purchaser may need financial assistance. Once financing has been arranged and the sale can be completed, the purchaser needs to worry about relocating the equipment from the seller's site to its own desired location. Relocation of a large piece of capital equipment may involve various types of logistics services, such as transport management, shipment, export handling, freight calculation or other services. In addition, even after the equipment has been located, the purchaser may require on-call maintenance service, instrumentation and tool service, or still other services. Locating and coordinating such services, however, may be difficult and time consuming propositions.
It is necessary not only to arrange and negotiate for the delivery of each such service, but the services must themselves be financed and coordinated. Especially when the equipment desired to be purchased is offered for sale by an entity that is not a dealer in such goods, each such step presents a significant undertaking for which the seller may be unable to offer any assistance. As a result, prospective and actual purchasers of industrial equipment may be hampered, in turn putting a potential damper on the conduct of transactions in industrial equipment, which may not occur as readily as they otherwise would if there were a partial or complete solution to the problem of identifying and coordinating services incident to the purchase of the equipment.

Industrial equipment services marketing and sale system


A system and method for quality-based image compression utilizing adaptively sized blocks and sub-blocks of discrete cosine transform coefficient data and a quality based quantization scale factor is claimed. A block size assignment element in an encoder element selects the block or sub-block of an input block of pixel data to be processed. Blocks with variances larger than a threshold are subdivided, while blocks with variances smaller than a threshold are not subdivided. A transform element transforms the pixel values of the selected blocks into the frequency domain. The frequency domain values are quantized either on a block by block basis or a frame by frame basis utilizing a scale factor that correlates with the quality of the image. The data is then serialized and coded in preparation for transmission.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a quality based compression scheme for image signals utilizing adaptively sized blocks and sub-blocks of encoded discrete cosine transform coefficient data.
II. Description of the Related Art
In the field of transmission and reception of video signals such as are used for projecting "films" or "movies", various improvements are being made to image compression techniques. Many of the current and proposed video systems make use of digital encoding techniques. Digital encoding provides a robustness for the communications link which resists impairments such as multipath fading and jamming or signal interference, each of which could otherwise seriously degrade image quality. Furthermore, digital techniques facilitate the use signal encryption techniques, which are found useful or even necessary for governmental and many newly developing commercial broadcast applications.
High definition video is an area which benefits from improved image compression techniques. When first proposed, over-the-air transmission of high definition video (or even over-wire or fiber-optical transmission) seemed impractical due to excessive bandwidth requirements. Typical wireless, or other, transmission systems being designed did not readily accommodate enough bandwidth. However, it has been realized that compression of digital video signals may be achieved to a level that enables transmission using reasonable bandwidths. Such levels of signal compression, coupled with digital transmission of the signal, may enable a video system to transmit with less power and with greater immunity to channel impairments while occupying a more desirable and useful bandwidth.
Many compression techniques available offer significant levels of compression, but result in a degradation of the quality of the video signal. Typically, techniques for transferring compressed information require the compressed information to be transferred at a constant bit rate.
One compression technique capable of offering significant levels of compression while preserving the desired level of quality for video signals utilizes adaptively sized blocks and sub-blocks of encoded Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficient data. This technique will hereinafter be referred to as the Adaptive Block Size Discrete Cosine Transform (ABSDCT) method. This technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,891, entitled "Adaptive Block Size Image Compression Method And System," assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. DCT techniques are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,345, entitled "Adaptive Block Size Image Compression Method And System," assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. Further, the use of the ABSDCT technique in combination with a Differential Quadtree Transform technique is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,104, entitled "Adaptive Block Size Image Compression Method And System," also assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. The systems disclosed in these patents utilize what is referred to as "intra-frame" encoding, where each frame of image data is encoded without regard to the content of any other frame. Using the ABSDCT technique, the achievable data rate may be reduced from around 1.5 billion bits per second to approximately 50 million bits per second without discernible degradation of the image quality.
The ABSDCT technique may be used to compress either a black and white or a color image or signal representing the image. The color input signal may be in a YIQ format, with Y being the luminance, or brightness, sample, and I and Q being the chrominance, or color, samples for each 4×4 block of pixels. Other known formats such as the YUV, YCbCy or RGB formats may also be used. Because of the low spatial sensitivity of the eye to color, most research has shown that a sub-sample of the color components by a factor of four in the horizontal and vertical directions is reasonable. Accordingly, a video signal may be represented by four luminance components and two chrominance components.
Using ABSDCT, a video signal will generally be segmented into blocks of pixels for processing. For each block, the luminance and chrominance components are passed to a block interleaver. For example, a 16×16 (pixel) block may be presented to the block interleaver, which orders or organizes the image samples within each 16×16 block to produce blocks and composite sub-blocks of data for discrete cosine transform (DCT) analysis. The DCT operator is one method of converting a time and spatial sampled signal to a frequency representation of the same signal. By converting to a frequency representation, the DCT techniques have been shown to allow for very high levels of compression, as quantizers can be designed to take advantage of the frequency distribution characteristics of an image. In a preferred embodiment, one 16×16 DCT is applied to a first ordering, four 8×8 DCTs are applied to a second ordering, 16 4×4 DCTs are applied to a third ordering, and 64 2×2 DCTs are applied to a fourth ordering.
The DCT operation reduces the spatial redundancy inherent in the video source. After the DCT is performed, most of the video signal energy tends to be concentrated in a few DCT coefficients. An additional transform, the Differential Quad-Tree Transform (DQT), may be used to reduce the redundancy among the DCT coefficients.
For the 16×16 block and each sub-block, the DCT coefficient values and the DQT value (if the DQT is used) are analyzed to determine the number of bits required to encode the block or sub-block. Then, the block or the combination of sub-blocks that requires the least number of bits to encode is chosen to represent the image segment. For example, two 8×8 sub-blocks, six 4×4 sub-blocks, and eight 2×2 sub-blocks may be chosen to represent the image segment.
The chosen block or combination of sub-blocks is then properly arranged in order into a 16×16 block. The DCT/DQT coefficient values may then undergo frequency weighting, quantization, and coding (such as variable length coding) in preparation for transmission. Although the ABSDCT technique described above performs remarkably well, it is computationally intensive. Thus, compact hardware implementation of the technique may be difficult.


An addressable matrix display comprises an addressable matrix of pixels, a first set of electrode tracks on one side of the matrix and a second set of electrode tracks on the other side of the matrix. The sets of electrode tracks cross one another at the locations of the pixels, and the pixels are switchable by the application of respective switching waveforms to the electrode tracks. Furthermore at least one of the electrode tracks has a resistance which varies along the length of the electrode track in order to provide increased temperature uniformity over the display due to power dissipation during switching by the switching waveforms applied to the electrode tracks. More particularly the resistance in an intermediate section of the electrode track is greater than the resistance in two end sections of the electrode track.

Liquid crystal devices incorporating a ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal material (FLCDs) are particularly suitable for use in displays and shutters in which their fast switching times and memory characteristics are of advantage. A conventional FLCD cell comprises a layer of ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal material between two parallel glass substrates, electrode structures being typically provided on the inside facing surfaces of the glass substrates in the form of row and column electrode tracks which cross one another to form a matrix array. As is well known, switching pulses are applied to the row and column electrode tracks in order to produce electric fields which switch the molecules within the material between two polar states having different molecular orientations. In a display device in which the cell is disposed between two polarisers having polarising axes which are substantially perpendicular to one another, a display element or pixel at the intersection of two electrode tracks may appear dark or light depending on the state to which the molecules of the pixel have previously been switched, as a result of the different light transmitting properties of the two molecular orientations.
Various addressing schemes for controlling such a matrix array FLCD are known, and reference may be made in this regard to Surguy, Ayliffe, Birch, Bone, Coulson, Crossland, Hughes, Ross, Saunders and Towler, "The Joers/Alvey Ferroelectric Multiplexing Scheme", Ferroelectrics, 1991, Vol. 122, pp. 63-79 which refers to a number of such addressing schemes. Typically, in large display panels, the display panel is addressed on a line-by-line basis by applying data pulses in parallel to the column electrode tracks, each data pulse being either a switching pulse or a non-switching pulse, and by sequentially applying a strobe pulse to the row electrode tracks so as to switch selected pixels along each row from one state to the other under the effect of the electric field produced by the voltage difference between the data pulse and the strobe pulse applied to the relevant electrode tracks. In certain addressing schemes a blanking pulse is applied sequentially to the row electrode tracks which is of such a voltage and duration as to set all the pixels along each row to one state, irrespective of the data pulses applied to the column electrode tracks. Subsequent application of strobe and data pulses may then be used to switch selected pixels to the other state whilst leaving the remaining pixels in the one state.
Furthermore, in large display panels, in which the addressing of the display panel leads to the application of high frequency alternating voltages to the row and column electrode tracks, the power loss, due to repeated charging and discharging of the liquid crystal capacitance through the electrode tracks, can lead to a large heating effect. Since the image quality and addressing properties of such displays are highly sensitive to temperature, such heating can lead to changes in the display performance. If the temperature increases uniformly over a display panel as a result of this heating effect, then the addressing parameters can be modified, for example by modifying the switching waveforms in dependence on the sensed temperature of the panel, in order to ensure satisfactory display performance. However, if there is a non-uniform temperature variation over the display panel as a result of the heating effect, it becomes difficult to compensate for such temperature variation by modification of the addressing parameters. Such temperature variations over a display panel can lead to variations in contrast ratio, greyscale, operating window, viewing angle and other display properties, and as a result can render it impossible to obtain uniform display performance over a large display panel.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-67521A discloses a ferroelectric liquid crystal display in which the resistance of the electrodes increases further from the driving source, for example by making each electrode progressively smaller in cross-section, in order to attempt to provide a uniform temperature distribution within the display.

Addressable matrix array containing electrodes with a variety of resistances for ferroelectric liquid crystal device

The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty' Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


A platform base having an apertured top wall includes a side wall having a continuous groove therewithin, wherein the continuous groove is arranged to receive panel members to enclose and surround the base top wall, with the panel members including inter-engaging flange and slot structures to secure the panel members in a fixed assembly relative to one another. The panel members are further provided with panel member top walls arranged to accommodate further panel members to permit a stacking of the panel members as desired. A modified base structure includes top walls having facing top wall slots to receive a U-shaped latch member to secure a plurality of such base members together.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to display structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved pallet display apparatus wherein the same is arranged for ease of assembly to receive and permit display of various merchandise.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In various sales such as retail sales, display of various products is provided for visual impact to enhance the sales of such merchandise. To this end, the instant invention provides for a pallet display provided with base and pallet members readily erected for use in a display environment. Prior art pallet structure as indicated is to be provided with support bases individually, wherein such prior art pallets have typically utilized a wrapping structure to receive and secure a merchandise component to permit ease of transport and shipping of such components. Prior art structure to this end is indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,035,323 and 4,919,270.