By removing burrs of the pin of the card clothing used in the slicker brush, and by giving a rounded distal ends, the feeling of use and safety of the slicker brush are improved, and removal of hair after use is facilitated. The method includes: a first process of implanting a plurality of pins made of metal wire on a base clothing to produce a card clothing; and a second process of polishing each pin of the card clothing, using a polishing material having flexibility and elasticity, in which in the second process, polishing is performed by rubbing, while pressing the polishing material against each of the pins, thereby manufacturing a card clothing having a rounded distal ends with no burr.

The card clothing is obtained by implanting a plurality of pins made by cutting a metal wire on a base clothing, and was used for carding in a spinning industry (a working of aligning a direction of fibers and removing dust) or a brush used for trimming of animals. In particular, the card clothing used for carding has been manufactured by an automatic machine for about 100 years. As an animal brush, it has been manufactured for more than 40 years by changing materials and specifications of pins and base clothing. This brush is called a slicker brush.
In the process of manufacturing the card clothing, burrs always occur when cutting the metal wire used for the pin, and in the card clothing for spinning, when repeating the carding, the distal ends of the pins gradually wears. As a result, the spinning properties, the quality, and the working efficiency are degraded, and therefore, it is necessary to sharpen the distal ends of the pins.
Patent Document 1 discloses a carding device in which an elastic polishing material is mounted to a surface of a roller. An object of this device is to polish the distal ends of all the pins with the same strength and scrape them to an equal extent.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a card clothing polishing device in which a polishing head having a polishing element on the top is attached to a support element via a sliding body. The sliding body is connected to a drive motor. Further, the card clothing is pressed against the polishing element, and the sliding body is caused to reciprocate by the drive motor to perform polishing. An object of this device is to uniformly polish the distal ends of the pins.
Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an inter-pin polishing machine of a card clothing roll for spinning in which a double-sided sandpaper is attached to a cylindrical drum with a constant interval in accordance with a pitch between the pins of the card clothing. An object of the polishing machine is to polish the side surfaces of the pins and remove burrs by pressing the double-sided sandpaper between the pins.


An interference measurement and evaluation system for accurately estimating an interference characteristic of a receiving side including nonlinear interference for a wireless communications system, having a transmission signal for wireless communication and an interference signal between an interfered side and the receiving side, provided with a nonlinear interfering side giving an interference signal having a level unable to be neglected compared with the level of the modulated carrier transmitted from the interfered side, and provided with an interference characteristic estimating means for estimating an interference characteristic including a nonlinear interference characteristic possessed by the receiving side in accordance with a received signal level and a received level when a nonlinear interference theoretical curve given in relation with the line quality satisfies a predetermined line quality.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interference measurement and evaluation system, more particularly relates to an interference measurement and evaluation system for estimating a receiving line quality characteristic due to nonlinear interference, reception thermal noise power, leakage power from an adjacent channel, etc. In a communication or broadcasting system using radio waves or optical communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems mainly suffer from mutual interference not only between terrestrial mobile wireless systems and terrestrial fixed wireless systems, but also between commercial wireless systems for space and mobile satellite communication systems. These mutual interferences include linear interference due to leakage power from adjacent or next-to-adjacent areas or linear interference due to frequency sharing and nonlinear interference where intermodulation distortion occurs due to high level interference power. In areas where the service area are broad and many systems coexist, the study of nonlinear interference has been becoming important. These are also present in optical communications and broadcasting.
For example, in areas with a coexistence of wireless systems such as conventional mobile wireless communication systems together or a mobile wireless communication system, terrestrial fixed microwave communication system, and mobile satellite communication system, the line quality has been evaluated by the leakage power of the linear parts of interference waves, filtering at the receiving side, the modulation/demodulation scheme, etc., but the nonlinear interference has not been sufficiently evaluated.
Further, while the performance relating to nonlinear interference in a receiver by themselves and individual specifications inside apparatuses of interfered wireless systems have been known, there has never been a means for estimating the above specifications as overall receiver performance in a transmitter and a receiver system.
Nonlinear distortion has been analytically verified in the past. In this, using mathematical algorithms and introducing the third-order intercept point input level (IIP3) technique, the spread of an intermodulation product (IM) spectrum by a modulated wave, the occurrence of an interference wave due to IM, and the sensitivity suppression have been studied (for example, see "Study of Nonlinear Interference Theory Relating to Wide Band Mobile Wireless System and Narrow Band Mobile Wireless System", Journal of the EIAJ, EIAJ, RCS2002-140, Aug. 22, 2002, and "Intercept Point and Undesired Responses", JEEE Transaction on Vehicular Technology, vol. VT32, no. 1, February 1983).
Summarizing the problems to be solved by the invention, as explained above, in the past, sufficient nonlinear distortion was not taken against nonlinear interference, so there was the problem that it was not possible to analyze the cases of occurrence of nonlinear distortion due to nonlinearity of a receiver and power of the interfering wave, the frequency interval between the desired wave and interference wave, etc., so as to reduce the frequency of occurrence and deterioration of quality in the service area.

Interference measurement and evaluation system

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology


A structure vibration control device includes a hydraulic damper having damping force characteristics that vary in response to a magnitude of an earthquake and having characteristics that are maintained for a long period of time regardless of an environmental temperature change. The hydraulic damper includes a preload chamber into which a high-pressure gas is charged in series with a hydraulic chamber. The preload chamber absorbs a volume change of the hydraulic chamber caused by the environmental temperature change and a piston rod and balances a bias force of a spring within the hydraulic chamber and of the preload chamber. Piston valves have high damping force characteristics against a weak earthquake and low damping force characteristics against a strong earthquake. The piston valves may include an orifice beside a check valve function, by which the high damping force characteristics lie within a range of 150 to 800 kN/(m/sec).

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration control device attached aslant between two structural members such as a pillar and a beam of a structure to suppress vibrations of the structure when an earthquake hits.
Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there is known a structure vibration control device using a hydraulic damper as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. H06-346625, H10-227145, and 2000-54677, for example. The hydraulic damper described above includes a cylinder configured such that a hydraulic chamber formed therein is partitioned by a piston into oil chambers and a piston rod is inserted through wall surfaces provided at both ends of the hydraulic chamber. The hydraulic damper constitutes a brace damper by diagonally connecting a piston rod side to one structural member and a cylinder side to another structural member, and damps vibrations of the structure caused by an earthquake by circulating viscous fluid (oil) of both oil chambers through a restricted oil passage.
Because the piston rod penetrates through the hydraulic chamber, no volumetric change occurs in the hydraulic chamber even if the piston rod is moved.
The hydraulic damper described above installed on a wall surface, within an attic or the like of a building is liable to be affected by atmospheric temperature and sun radiation and its ambient temperature ranges from below zero to 50° C. The hydraulic damper is also exposed to annual variations of spring, summer, autumn and winter and daily variations of day time and night time. The variation of ambient temperature affects the oil (viscous fluid) filled in the hydraulic chamber of the hydraulic damper, and the oil repeats expansion and contraction.
The hydraulic damper described above is constructed such that no volume change occurs in the hydraulic chamber by the move of the piston rod as described above and such that the volume of the hydraulic chamber formed of the cylinder and the both end wall surfaces is invariant. Due to that, if the oil expands/contracts due to the temperature variation, pressure of the oil in the hydraulic chamber largely varies and acts on sealing of the wall surfaces through which the piston rod is slidably and fittingly inserted. Then, there is a possibility of leaking the oil out of the hydraulic chamber and of permitting outside air to enter the hydraulic chamber, thus quickly deteriorating functions of the hydraulic damper.
Accordingly, the present invention aims at providing a structure vibration control device configured such that a volume of a hydraulic chamber of a hydraulic damper can be varied and damping force characteristics thereof varies corresponding to magnitude of an earthquake, thus making it possible to maintain its function over a period of time.


The subject invention provides for systems and methods that allow a web user to more easily and readily print what they actually want to print and at the same time, mitigates user frustration that often ensues from poor web page printing. More specifically, the subject invention involves deciphering a structure or layout of any web page on the Internet. When a user employs the present print feature, the invention can be invoked to analyze the structure of a current web page to automatically generate a print preview page of the current web page. After analyzing the current web page, extraneous content of the page that is deemed to be non-critical or non-essential to that web page can be removed for printing purposes. Furthermore, previous knowledge learned regarding web page structure can be applied to determine the page and/or content structure of the current page to facilitate generating the print preview page.

The advent of global communications networks such as the Internet has presented commercial opportunities for reaching vast numbers of potential customers. In particular, the Internet has become a major platform for advertising, allowing local and regional businesses to reach more states and more customers across the country. Due to the lower costs and wider distribution areas, advertising via the Internet is often more preferred than other, more conventional tactics such as print-ads and billboards. As a result, websites have become cluttered with various types of advertisements such as banner advertisements located at different positions throughout a web page and/or website. In addition to advertising content, most web pages typically have navigation panels including site indices, table of contents, search bar, and the like to assist a web user in maneuvering through the site. Moreover, there is usually a large amount of extraneous content on any given web page, which can make printing web pages a challenge.
Printing information off of a web page or site such news stories, research articles, lottery numbers, sports scores, and the like can often be a difficult and frustrating process. When a user wants to print a web page, they are usually only interested in seeing the defining content (e.g., news story, sports scores, etc.) on the printed page and not the extraneous content. Furthermore, some web pages cannot be printed as they appear, particularly for those users who want to print the entire web page. For example, some portion of the page can be inadvertently cut off during printing or cannot be printed without substantially modifying the print paper size and/or margins.
In an attempt to resolve this problem, a few web sites offer a print friendly version option. However, this feature is only available from such particular sites that have specifically included or paid for this feature. In some cases, a web use may want to print some "non-useful" portion of a web page but not the entire page and/or not all the printable pages. The conventional print user friendly option currently employed produces only one configuration and does not allow a user to select which portions of the page to print. Conversely, using a general print option on a browser causes too much unnecessary information to be printed. Hence, this attempt has not been able to resolve online printing. Moreover, printing desired content off of web pages can often be and still is unproductive and inefficient.


A display apparatus for vehicle includes a speedometer that measures speed of a vehicle, an eco-drive level determination unit that determines an eco-drive level at driving the vehicle based on a recommended depression amount and an actual depression amount, a determination display portion located inside a peripheral visual field region of the driver, a detail display portion located outside of the peripheral visual field region, and a display control unit that controls display in the determination display portion and the detail display portion. The display control unit performs the following controls of (A) setting the display in the determination display portion to ambient display in which contrast of the outline region is lower than contrast inside the outline region, and (B) changing the ambient display according to the change in the eco-drive level.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display apparatus for vehicle which displays an eco-drive level meter installed in a vehicle in such a manner that a driver can easily recognize the eco-drive level meter.
2. Related Art
Patent Literature 1 describes an eco-drive level meter (an ECO meter) which is installed in a vehicle and indicates the degree of how the acceleration operation by the driver is eco-drive. Such an ECO meter calculates a recommended depression amount, which is an amount of depression of an accelerator that implements eco-drive, based on the load condition during the traveling of the vehicle, and represents the difference between the recommended depression amount and an actual amount of depression of the accelerator that the driver depresses, on an eco-drive meter such as a liquid crystal display. In such a manner, the eco-drive level meter can cause the driver to recognize the current eco-drive level. Moreover, the representation of the eco-drive level prompts the driver to try eco drive.


In a fingering information analyzer, tone pitch information indicative of each tone pitch of a series of musical notes supplied from a flexible disc or a performance information memory is analyzed to produce fingering information indicative of a performance finger for each of the musical notes. The fingering information is mixed with the tone pitch information and memorized in a fingering memory. When the fingering information is reproduced, a performance finger for each of the musical notes is determined in accordance with a changing direction or variation width of the tone pitch information continual in time series and a changing condition of white and black keys based on the tone pitch information. The tone pitch information and fingering information memorized in the fingering memory is read out in accordance with progression of a musical tune and adapted for performance of the keys on a keyboard and for indication of the performance finger.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fingering Information analyzer for automatically analyzing tone pitch information indicative of each tone pitch of a series of musical notes and for producing fingering information representing a performance finger for each of musical notes. The present invention is also concerned with an electronic musical instrument provided with the fingering information analyzer in which the fingering information is adapted to indicate a performance finger for performing each of the musical notes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication 60-46432 and Utility Model Publication 63-36346, a conventional apparatus of this kind is designed to preliminarily memorize fingering information indicative of a performance finger for each musical note mixed with musical note information indicative of each tone pitch and length of a series of musical notes and to read out the memorized tone pitch and fingering information in accordance with progression of a musical tune for designating a key to be depressed and a finger for depression of the key on a basis of the read out tone pitch and fingering information.
In the conventional apparatus described above, it is, however, required to preliminarily memorize the fingering information mixed with the musical note information. For this reason, usual automatic performance information composed of the musical note information may not be utilized for fingering practice of an electronic musical instrument.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a fingering information analyzer capable of utilizing the automatic performance information for fingering practice of an electronic musical instrument.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic musical instrument wherein the fingering information analyzer is adapted to make fingering practice of the musical instrument possible by supply of the automatic performance information from an external record memory such a flexible disc.
According to the present invention, the objects are accomplished by providing a fingering information analyzer wherein tone pitch information indicative of each tone pitch of a series of musical notes is automatically analyzed to produce finger information indicative of a performance finger for each of the musical notes. When the fingering information is reproduced, the performance finger for each of the musical tones is determined in accordance with a changing direction or variation width of the tone pitch information continual in time series. In addition, a changing condition of white and black keys on a keyboard is analyzed on a basis of the tone pitch information continual in time series to determine the performance finger for each of the musical tones, and the performance finger is visually indicated on a basis of the produced fingering information.
The fingering information analyzer is further characterized in that the tone pitch information is automatically analyzed to produce position information indicative of a position where a player""s hand is placed for performance of the musical notes and that the position where the player""s hand is placed is visually indicated. The fingering information analyzer can be adapted to an electronic musical instrument wherein the tone pitch information and fingering information are read out in accordance with progression of a musical tune to indicate a performance operation element to be operated by the player and a performance finger for operation of the operation element. In the electronic musical instrument, the reading of the tone pitch information and fingering information is stopped when the player does not operate the indicated performance operation element. In the electronic musical instrument, the tone pitch information is automatically analyzed to produce position information indicative of a position where the player""s hand is placed for performance of the musical tones, and the position where the player""s hand is placed is visually indicated.

Fingering information analyzer, electronic musical instrument including fingering information analysis and method therefore


A vehicle roof structure includes a roof panel, a side member outer panel, and a roof side molding. The roof panel includes a flange portion superposed on and coupled with a top surface of a flange portion of the side member outer panel. The roof side molding engages with a plurality of clips and mounted on the flange portion. The flange portion includes raised portions protruding upward between the clips and facing a lower edge of the roof side molding in the vehicle height direction.

Vehicles often include a roof having a roof panel forming a center part of the roof and an outside panel forming a side part of the roof that are coupled together. These vehicles employ a structure including a coupling portion formed in a groove shape extending along the length of the vehicle and a roof molding mounted along the groove to make the coupling portion externally invisible (see JP H03-35846 U, for example).
The roof molding disclosed in JP H03-35846 U includes a design portion disposed across the groove to bridge between a design surface of the roof panel and a design surface of the outside panel and thereby cover the coupling portion, and an elastic leg portion formed under the design portion and configured to be fitted into the groove. The roof molding is secured to the groove by pressing the elastic leg portion against side faces of the groove to fit the elastic portion into the groove. In this structure, a space formed between a leading edge of the elastic leg portion and the bottom face of the groove may allow downward deformation of the roof molding which is depressed from upward.
To address this problem, a roof molding may include an elastic leg portion having a leading edge with different heights between a portion to be assembled to a clip and the remaining portion. It is proposed, for example, that a clip prohibits downward deformation of the portion of the elastic leg portion assembled to the clip, and the remaining portion of the elastic leg portion is extended downward such that its lower edge comes into contact with the bottom face of the groove to thereby prohibit downward deformation of the roof molding.
This structure, however, requires that the roof molding should have a cross sectional shape which varies longitudinally, which complicates the shape of the roof molding and increases costs.


A laser scanning device has an optical axis, a laser source for producing a beam of light, and a rotating polygon mirror having a plurality of facets. The beam of light is directed to the rotating polygon mirror so that the beam completely fills at least one of the mirror facets and overflows onto an adjacent mirror facet. The beam is reflected from the rotating polygon mirror so that the reflected beam is symmetrically positioned about the optical axis. The laser scanning device is operated in both overfilled and symmetrical modes.

Most polygon mirror laser scanners commonly use an underfilled polygon, which means that the incoming beam to the polygon mirror is smaller than the individual mirror facets of the polygon. While the polygon is rotating, the beam position on the facet changes until the beam reaches the facet end. At that point, the laser is turned off and time is allowed for the beam to cross over to the next facet. Thus, the usable printing time (the duty cycle) is less than 100%, and is typically in the range of 60% to 70%. Most laser printers also are asymmetrical, meaning that the beam comes into the polygon at some large angle so that the beam shaping optics of the input beam do not interfere with the scanning optics.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Number 60-233616 discloses an underfilled symmetrical polygon printer. The printer uses a polarization method that is well known in other fields, such as optical disks, as a means for efficiently providing input beam and scanning beam separation. It discloses a symmetrical printer as a means for increasing the number of facets of the polygon, for the same polygon size and rotational speed, to thereby increase the effective writing speed in terms of lines per second. Employing a symmetrical configuration allows the use of a smaller polygon facet because the facet size is determined by the projected incoming beam.
Apparatus for this method is illustrated in prior art FIG. 1 where diverging light beams from laser 12 are collimated by lens 13 and further collected by cylindrical lens 14 to enter polarization beam splitter 10 as S polarized light. The incident optical beams are deflected 90.degree. in the beam splitter 10 and directed to the polygon mirror 8. The linearly polarized beams from the beam splitter 10 are formed into circularly polarized light in quarter wave plate 9, and then entered to the deflection mirror surface of the polygon 8. The beams reflected at the deflection mirror surface of the mirror 8 are formed into P polarized light through the quarter wave plate 9 transmitted through the polarization beam splitter 10 and then entered into the image focusing optical system 11 to scan the drum 7. The system is symmetrical in that the beam 15a scanned by mirror 8 is symmetrical about an optical axis 15.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,962 discloses a method for forming a symmetrical underfilled scanner by displacement of the incoming beam in the page direction. A symmetrical underfilled laser printer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,994 which is achieved by using a pelical splitter. This has the disadvantage of a large loss of up to about 75% of the light as compared with a polarization beam splitter which is theoretically lossless.
FIG. 2 illustrates prior art polygon sizes as a function of the duty cycle for different configurations. In the asymmetrical configurations an angle of 90 degrees is assumed between the input beam and output beam at the center of scan. The full-width-half-power (FWHP) of the beam, at the media, on axis is 33.2 microns. The polygon size for an 8 facet asymmetrical underfilled polygon with duty cycle of 0.7 is 84.2 mm, while the diameter of the symmetrical underfilled polygon for the same duty cycle is 59.5 mm. Alternately, the polygon can be kept at about the same size while changing to the symmetrical configurations with more facets, such as a 10 facet polygon with a diameter of 92.9 mm.
Most polygon mirror laser scanners commonly use an underfilled polygon because overfilled polygons have several disadvantages. One disadvantage of the overfilled polygon is that it uses only a portion of the incoming beam power and thus has to use a more powerful laser as compared with the underfilled polygon. Another disadvantage is that the scanning beam diameter of an overfilled polygon printer is determined by the cross section of the incoming large beam and the facet. This means that it is proportional to the cosine of the angle between the incoming beam and scanning beam. Because the beam size at the media, in the scan direction, is inversely proportional to the diameter of the beam of the polygon, it too is dependent on the cosine term. This is a severe problem in asymmetrical overfilled polygon systems. Another disadvantage of overfilled printers is the power fall off caused by the nonuniformity of the large input beam.

Symmetrical overfilled polygon laser scanner


An LGA connector assembly (1) includes an insulative housing (10), a plurality of terminals (12) received in the housing, a metal clip (40) having a pressing portion (421) assembled on the housing. The housing defines a first sidewalls (11) and a second sidewall (15) and two other sidewalls (16, 17) opposite to the first and second sidewalls respectively. The four sidewalls each define two protrusions (18, 19) extending from a corresponding inner face thereof. One protrusion defined on the first and second sidewalls is adjacent to the pressing portion and far away from a corner connecting the first and second sidewalls, the other protrusions each define on the corresponding corners connecting the sidewalls.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a land grid array (LGA) connector assembly provided for mechanically and electrically connecting the LGA chip to a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
LGA electrical connectors are widely used in the connector industry for electrically connecting LGA chips to printed circuit boards (PCBs) in personal computers (PCs). Conventionally, an LGA connector mainly comprises an insulative housing, a multiplicity of terminals received therein, a load plate and a cam lever pivotably mounted on two opposite sides of the housing. The housing defines a multiplicity of terminal passageways in a rectangular array, for interferentially receiving corresponding terminals. Due to the very high density of leads arranged on an LGA chip, the LGA chip needs to be precisely seated on the LGA connector. Thus it is difficult to ensure reliable signal transmission between the terminals and the LGA chip.
Referring to FIGS. 4–6, a conventional land grid array connector assembly 8 comprises an insulative housing 82, a plurality of terminals 81 received in the housing 82, a metal stiffener 83 partly covering and reinforcing the housing 82, a load plate 84 pivotably received in an end of the stiffener 83, and a cam lever 85 pivotably mounted to an opposite end of the stiffener 83 for engaging with the cam lever 85. The housing 82 defines four sidewalls 820 and a central cavity disposed between the sidewalls 820. The central cavity is used for receiving a land grid array (LGA) chip 100 therein. A distal end of the terminal 81 is formed outward from a top surface of the central cavity, for being pressed to engage with a corresponding lead of the LGA chip 100. The load plate 84 comprises two opposite sides 840. A pair of pressing portions 841 is provided in respective middle portions of the sides 840, for pressing the LGA chip 100 engaging with the terminals 81. A pair of protrusions 821 is provided in respective opposite ends of the sidewalls 820. The protrusion 821 extends from an inner face of the sidewall 821 toward to the central cavity for securing the LGA chip 100 in the central cavity. When the LGA chip 100 engages with the connector assembly 8, the load plate 84 is rotated upward. The LGA chip 100 is placed in the central cavity of the housing 82. The load plate 84 is rotated from a vertical portion to a horizontal portion to make the two opposite sides 840 of the load plate 84 attach on corresponding sides of the LGA chip 100. The cam lever 85 is rotated to drive the load plate 84 to gradually approach the housing 82 until the pressing portions 841 of the sides 840 press the LGA chip 100 downwardly to make the leads of the LGA chip 100 contact with the distal ends of the terminals 81 and make the sides of the LGA chip 100 attach corresponding protrusions 821 and secure the LGA chip 100 in the protrusions 821 therebetween. As a result, mechanical and electrical engagement between the terminals 81 and corresponding leads (not shown) of the LGA chip 100 is attained.
However, because the protrusion 821 is formed at two ends of the sidewall 820, when the pressing portions 841 of the load plates 84 press on the LGA chip 100, the pressing force applied on the LGA chip 100 will generate friction at a junction of the sides of the LGA chip 100 engaged with the protrusions 821. The friction is prone to make the LGA chip 100 move upwardly relative to the housing 82 at a interface of the protrusion 821 and the side of the LGA chip 100 in vertical direction and spaces are formed between the leads of the LGA chip 100 and the terminals 81. As a result, the reliability of the mechanical and electrical engagement between the leads of the LGA chip 100 and the terminals 81 is decreased. If this happens, the LGA chip 100 can not be secured between the sidewalls reliably, and some terminals 81 are prone not to fully engage the corresponding leads of the LGA chip 100. Uniform engagement between the terminals 81 and the corresponding leads of the LGA chip 100 is destroyed, and even open electrical circuits are liable to establish therebetween. Thus, the reliability of the mechanical and electrical engagement between the terminals 81 and the corresponding leads of the LGA chip 100 is decreased.
Thus, there is a need to provide a new land grid connector assembly that overcomes the above-mentioned problems.


A turbine housing assembly includes a tubular piston disposed in a bore of a turbine housing and axially slidable between a closed position and an open position for blocking a nozzle by an amount dependent on axial positioning of the piston. A bypass control member is disposed in the turbine housing and is slidable between a no-bypass position closing a bypass passage and a open bypass opening the bypass passage. The piston is structured and arranged to slide relative to the bypass control member for a part of a full stroke of the piston from the closed position toward the open position thereof, and then to engage the bypass control member and cause the bypass control member to slide together with the piston as the piston further slides toward the open position thereof such that the bypass control member is moved toward the bypass position.

The present invention relates generally to exhaust gas-driven turbochargers, and relates more particularly to exhaust gas-driven turbochargers having a variable turbine nozzle of the axially sliding piston type for varying the size of the nozzle that leads into the turbine wheel so as to regulate flow into the turbine wheel.
Regulation of the exhaust gas flow through the turbine of an exhaust gas-driven turbocharger provides known operational advantages in terms of improved ability to control the amount of boost delivered by the turbocharger to the associated internal combustion engine. The regulation of exhaust gas flow is accomplished by incorporating variable geometry into the nozzle that leads into the turbine wheel. By varying the size of the nozzle flow area, the flow into the turbine wheel can be regulated, thereby regulating the overall boost provided by the turbocharger's compressor.
Variable-geometry nozzles for turbochargers generally fall into two main categories: variable-vane nozzles, and sliding-piston nozzles. Vanes are often included in the turbine nozzle for directing the exhaust gas into the turbine in an advantageous direction. Typically a row of circumferentially spaced vanes extend axially across the nozzle. Exhaust gas from a chamber surrounding the turbine wheel flows generally radially inwardly through passages between the vanes, and the vanes turn the flow to direct the flow in a desired direction into the turbine wheel. In a variable-vane nozzle, the vanes are rotatable about their axes to vary the angle at which the vanes are set, thereby varying the flow area of the passages between the vanes.
In the sliding-piston type of nozzle, the nozzle may also include vanes, but the vanes are fixed in position. Variation of the nozzle flow area is accomplished by an axially sliding piston that slides in a bore in the turbine housing. The piston is tubular and is located just radially inwardly of the nozzle. Axial movement of the piston is effective to vary the axial extent of the nozzle leading into the turbine wheel, thus varying the "throat area" at the turbine wheel inlet. When vanes are included in the nozzle, the piston can slide adjacent to radially inner (i.e., trailing) edges of the vanes; alternatively, the piston and vanes can overlap in the radial direction and the piston can include slots for receiving at least a portion of the vanes as the piston is slid axially to adjust the nozzle.
There are times during the operation of a turbocharger when it is desired to pass as much flow through the turbine housing as possible. For example, it may be desirable to minimize the backpressure felt by the engine during certain operating conditions, and this is accomplished by reducing the flow restriction downstream of the engine as much as possible. In a sliding piston-type variable turbine nozzle, the downstream flow restriction is reduced by fully opening the piston to maximize the throat area at the turbine wheel inlet. However, in some cases, even fully opening the piston may not allow as much flow to pass as may be desired.

Variable-nozzle turbocharger with integrated bypass


A negotiable instrument with fraud and identity theft protection and method of use is provided. The method includes step accepting a negotiable instrument having a pre-printed bar code, reading the bar code on a negotiable instrument using a bar code scanner, and receiving from the writer a code presented to the merchant for deriving personal information associated with the account holder and banking information associated with the account from the bar code. The method also having the step of comparing the personal identification information from the bar code with information provided by the writer. The merchant using the bank processing information derived from the bar code to process the negotiable instrument.

Checks, traveler's checks, and money orders are well known popular methods of payment in retail sales. A check is convenient for the customer to access available funds without carrying cash. In addition, merchants who accept checks increase their revenues because a transaction with checks do not come with the expense of a percentage of the sale going to a credit card company such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
However, it is also well known that customers and merchants are victims of check fraud and identity theft on a daily basis. Both check fraud and identity theft may be significantly reduced if the person signing the check is accurately determined to be the person authorized to do so, as well as if the account holder's personal information is not disclosed on the face of the check and/or the account information is kept from being disclosed in a visually decipherable form. Unfortunately, the prior art checks all have personal information typed upon the face of the check including the name, address and phone number of the check writer, as well as the account number, routing number and check number and therefore this information cannot be asked of the check writer nor used as a security measure. Moreover, open use of this personally identifying and account information upon the face of the check affords would-be fraudulent users with unchecked access to key information about the check writer and the account. Left unprotected, this information could be compromised by employees of the store, the merchant, the account holder's bank, the mailing service, the trash service, would-be thieves and finders alike, including other interested on-looking eyes. Such availment at all levels of the check writer's personal and account information ultimately lends to the possibility of fraud and/or identity theft.
With the advent of personal banking computer programs and the increasing availability of check printing programs, little information is needed to create and print fraudulent negotiable instruments, prepare false deposit slips and other forms of identity theft. Unfortunately, the information that should be protected from immediate view in the prior art checks is left fully exposed for those farming for information to harvest and use. In fact, the prior art checks offer little or no resistance, deterrence or prevention of fraud or identity theft to even the would-be casual observer, not to mention the hardened criminal.
Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to hide personal and account information from the face of the check and to replace it with a bar code that hides the information from a would-be fraudulent check writer and/or identity theft, but still permits a merchant who is validating the negotiable instrument to access the information, but not necessarily without an additional PIN or password entered or spoken by the person professing to be the account holder.
A negotiable instrument having little or no personal and account information immediately visible to an observer would better insulate the store owner, store employees, issuing bank and others from claims of fraud or identity theft. The prior art checks do not put the owner, store employees, issuing bank and others in the best possible position to identify a would-be fraudulent check user or identity theft.
Therefore, an objective of the present invention it to provide those entrusted with the care of a negotiable instrument with the best possible mechanisms to recognize a fraudulent check user and/or identity theft, as well as to prevent the fraudulent use and proliferation of these negotiable instruments in commerce.
A negotiable instrument should also put would-be fraudulent users or identity thieves on notice that the negotiable instrument and the associated account is a fraud and identity theft resistant account. The checks in the prior art do not necessarily have the appropriate mechanisms in place to thwart off would-be fraudulent use or theft of identity.
Accordingly, another feature of the present invention is the inclusion of an ID Theft Protection Hotline telephone number, in addition to the use of bar codes, to act as a further deterrent for discouraging someone from actually attempting to use the check and/or comprising any uncoded information presented on the face of the check.
Still another feature of the present invention is the inclusion of an ID Theft Protection Hotline telephone number effectively located near the bar code to provide the merchant, the actual check owner and/or the would-be finder of the lost checks with a quick reference number to the bank to inform the bank that the checks have been lost or stolen.
Bar codes have been used on checks in the prior art to store information on pre-printed checks. For example, U.S. patent application 2002/0065771A1 to Dutta discloses bar codes used to store an account number. However, this feature does not both contribute to the security of the check writer while acting as a deterrent to identity theft, but is primarily an aid in assisting commerce. It does not include the combination of valuable information about the user, including their name, address, telephone number, and/or any other personally identifying information.
In addition, some bar codes have been placed upon checks with the same bar code as on a drivers license number as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,226 to Steiger. However, this driver's license code only provides the drivers license number, not any personally identifying information that could be readily asked of the check writer such as their name, home address, or telephone number.
Bar codes in the prior art are either two-dimensional (2-D) or one-dimensional (1-D). U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,362 issued to Bator employs a system which uses a 2-D bar code which is printed (not pre-printed) upon a money order which includes information about the money order request, authorization code, and printed information on the money order coupon. Bator uses a technique to generate the label in accordance with the techniques disclosed in Berson U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,158. As described in Berson, a 2-D bar code can currently hold up to 1,800 characters in the area of a postage stamp and may be used to store graphic information. In contrast, 1-D bar codes hold far fewer characters and are used only for alphanumeric characters, namely a decimal digit or a letter. Bator teaches a method of creating a security label, however, the security label is printed after the checks are formed or the money order written and includes information that could not be accurately anticipated at the time the checks were initially printed. In summary, Bator does not solve the problems associated with check fraud identity validation at the time of writing the check. Therefore, a further objective of the present invention is to include a bar code which utilizes a two dimensional bar code which provides meaningful information, probative of theft identification, to the merchant regarding the name, telephone number, address, and photo I.D. of the user.
A still further feature of the present invention is the inclusion of a bar code on the pre-printed checks which deters people from writing fraudulent checks. Bar codes are generally well known to contain information that is imperceptible to the human observer. The upper left hand corner of the check is a typical area used for personal identification information. Accordingly, a still further feature of the present invention is to effectively locate the bar code to maximize the deterrence effect upon the fraudulent check writer and put the check writer on notice that personal identification information is stored within the bar code.
Finally, a still further objective of the present invention is the inclusion of a bar code on the pre-printed checks, which encrypts the account number, routing number and check number, including name, address, phone number, signature and picture identification of the account holder leaving the face of the negotiable instrument void of all sensitive information. The decryption of the bar code occurring at the point and time of transaction, but not before the account holder enters a security code or PIN number to allow the merchant to access and view the encrypted information. The encrypted bar code insures that the merchant and the would-be fraudulent user or identity theft would not be able to comprise the sensitive information presented on the face of check. The encrypted bar code would also allow the actual account holder to insure that access to the information was only for personal identification purposes before the merchant accepts the negotiable instrument as tender. The sensitive account holder information would only be visible during the transaction to insure the information was not comprised after the transaction. The professed account holder could contact the I.D. Theft Hotline if the account holder is unable to remember his or her PIN or security code during the checkout process. Moreover, the merchant never has access to the security code or PIN number to decrypt the bar code and gain access to the account holder's personal information because the PIN or security code is entered by the account holder hidden from the view of the merchant and other casual observers. If in fact the professed account holder were unable to verify his or her identity, the merchant would be able telephone the I.D. Theft Hotline to notify the issuing bank of the possibility of the account and checks being lost, stolen or fraudulently used. Upon the account holder entering an accepted PIN or security code the account information is displayed and viewable only to the merchant who then verifies the listed information with personally identifying information provided by the account holder. The actual account holder, after successfully entering the correct PIN or security code and the merchant verifying the account information, can then inquire of the merchant regarding the decrypted information for such things as the check number.
Checks are often used to provide payment for services or goods where the check writer is not present, but rather sends a signed check to the payee through the mail. In this regard, checks have become a safer form of payment over cash. However, checks are still at risk of being fraudulently comprised or having personally identifying information taken while in transit or processing.
Accordingly, another objective of the present invention is to provide a check having no personally identifying information on its face, except for the account holder's signature and a PIN number or security code written on the signature line of the check. Carbon copy checks have security measures built into the signature line to keep the PIN number and the account holder's signature hidden from view. Thus, the account holder is able to use prior art checks having carbon copy records while keeping the PIN number or security code hidden from view. The PIN number or security code would be used to verify the identity of the check writer and the signature to authenticate the check. The PIN number or security code would allow the merchant to process the check in the physical absence of the check writer, after verifying the check writer's identity. For example, the merchant would receive the check and scan the bar code of the check. The computer system would ask the merchant to enter a PIN number or security code to derive the account holder's personal identification information contained within the bar code. The merchant would then enter the PIN number or security code written on the signature line. The merchant's computer system would then read the bar code and display the account holder's personally identifying information, the bank account number, bank routing number and check number. Using this information, the merchant would be able to positively verify that the check writer and the account holder are the same individuals, as well as process and post the check using the account number, bank routing number and check number. Someone trying to fraudulently use the checks would not have access to the PIN number or security code associated with the account and therefore would not have access to the account holder's personal information. Thus, the check would-be rendered useless for being used fraudulently or for identity theft. To accommodate the varying uses of a check, multiple PIN numbers or security codes could be associated with the account. One PIN number or security code could be used for transactions when the account holder is physically present and another PIN number or security code for transactions when the account holder is not physically present at the point and time of the transaction. Having a separate PIN number or security code for mailing checks as opposed to the account holder being physically present at the point and time of the transaction would further frustrate would-be identity thefts and fraudulent use of checks. For example, if a thief were to steal the account holder's checks they would not be able to use them even if they had somehow compromised the PIN number or security code associated with account. At the point and time of transaction, the thief would be able to provide the PIN number or security code associated with the account but would not have foreknowledge of the account holder's personally identifying information. In the event the thief uses the check through the mail, the PIN number or security code associated with the account would only work if the account holder were physically present. Thus, the account provides both the account holder and the merchant with mechanisms to prevent fraudulent use of the account or identity theft.
The method and check with fraud and identity theft protection for accomplishing these and/or other objectives and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.

Negotiable instrument with fraud protection


A heatshielded article includes a support 18 and at least one heatshield 20 secured adjacent to the support. The heatshield includes a shield portion 28 spaced from the support. The shield portion includes a hot side 30 and an uncoated cold side 32. A projection projects from an origin 36 at the shield portion to a terminus 38 remote from the shield portion. The terminus includes a protective coating 64 along at least a portion of its length.

A typical gas turbine engine includes one or more compressors, a combustor, and one or more turbines each connected by a shaft to an associated compressor. In most modern engines the combustor is an annular combustor in which a radially inner liner and a radially outer liner cooperate with each other to define an annular combustion chamber. During operation, a high temperature stream of gaseous combustion products flows through the combustion chamber. Because of the high temperatures, the liner surfaces that face the hot gases are susceptible to damage. It is, therefore, customary to protect those surfaces with a film of coolant, a protective coating, a heatshield, or some combination thereof.
One type of combustor is referred to as a thermally decoupled combustor; one type of thermally decoupled combustor is referred to as an impingement film cooled combustor. In an annular, impingement film cooled combustor, the inner and outer liners each comprise a support shell and a set of temperature tolerant heatshield panels secured to the shell to protect the shell from the hot combustion gases. A typical heatshield panel has a shield portion whose platform is rectangular or approximately rectangular. When secured to the shell, the shield is oriented substantially parallel to the shell so that one side of the heatshield, referred to as the hot side, faces the hot combustion gases and the other side, referred to as the cold side, faces toward the support shell. One or more threaded studs project from the cold side of each shield. In a fully assembled combustor, the studs penetrate through openings in the shell. Nuts threaded onto the studs attach the heatshield panels to the shell.
A principal advantage of a thermally decoupled combustor is that the heatshield panels can thermally expand and contract independently of each other. This thermal independence improves combustor durability by reducing thermally induced stresses. Examples of impingement film cooled, thermally decoupled combustors may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,701,714 and 6,606,861.
Various types of projections other than the studs also extend radially toward the shell from the cold side of each shield. These projections, unlike the studs, are not intended to penetrate through the support shell. One example of a non-penetrating projection is a boundary wall extending around the cold side of the shield at or near the shield perimeter. A typical boundary wall has an origin at the shield portion of the heatshield and a terminus remote from the shield. The height of the wall is the distance from the origin to the terminus. The terminus contacts the support shell thereby spacing the shield portion from the shell and defining a substantially sealed, radially narrow coolant chamber between the shell and the cold side of the shield. Alternatively, the height of the wall may be foreshortened over part or all of its length resulting in interrupted contact, or the absence of contact, between the wall terminus and the shell.
An impingement film cooled combustor liner also features numerous impingement holes that perforate the support shell and numerous film holes that perforate the heatshield panels. The impingement holes discharge a coolant (usually cool air extracted from the engine compressor) into the coolant chamber at high velocity so that the cooling air impinges on the cold side of the heatshield panel to help cool the heatshield. The impinged cooling air then flows through the film holes and forms a coolant film along the hot side of the heatshield.
In a state of the art impingement film cooled combustor, both the support shell and the heatshield panels are made of nickel alloys, although not necessarily the same alloy. In more advanced impingement film cooled combustors, the shell may be made of a nickel alloy and the heatshield panels may be made of a refractory material. Refractory materials include, but are not limited to, molybdenum alloys, ceramics, niobium alloys and metal intermetallic composites.
Despite the advantages of thermally decoupled, impingement film cooled combustors, they are not without certain limitations. For example, it may become apparent during engine development testing, or as a result of field experience, that it would be advisable to divert some of the coolant that would otherwise flow through the film holes in order to use that coolant for other purposes. This could be accomplished by radially foreshortening at least a part of the boundary wall that projects from the cold side of the heatshield panel, thus achieving the desired diversion of coolant from the coolant chamber. Alternatively, product development tests or field experience may suggest the desirability of radially lengthening a foreshortened boundary wall in order to reduce or curtail coolant diversion. These changes can be effected by modifying the tooling used to manufacture the heatshield and/or by revising the specifications that govern heatshield finishing operations such as machining. However introducing such changes can be expensive and complicated for the-engine manufacturer.
Additional limitations might affect advanced combustors that use a nickel alloy support shell and a refractory heatshield, especially at the interface where a heatshield boundary wall or other non-penetrating projection contacts the support shell. Because the refractory heatshield panels are intended to operate at higher temperatures than nickel alloy heatshields, considerable heat can be transferred across the interface where the heatshields contact the shell. This can cause problems such as local oxidation or corrosion of the shell, local excedance of its temperature tolerance or local excedance of its tolerance to temperature gradients. Other problems related to direct contact include detrimental changes in the morphology or microstructure of the shell, changes that may be exacerbated by elevated temperatures.


A mutant hydrolase optionally fused to a protein of interest is provided. The mutant hydrolase is capable of forming a bond with a substrate for the corresponding nonmutant (wild-type) hydrolase which is more stable than the bond formed between the wild-type hydrolase and the substrate. Substrates for hydrolases comprising one or more functional groups are also provided, as well as • methods of using the mutant hydrolase and the substrates of the invention. Also provided is a fusion protein capable of forming a stable bond with a substrate and cells which express the fusion protein.

The specific detection of molecules is a keystone in understanding the role of that molecule in the cell. Labels, e.g., those that are covalently linked to a molecule of interest, permit the ready detection of that molecule in a complex mixture. The label may be one that is added by chemical synthesis in vitro or attached in vivo, e.g., via recombinant techniques. For instance, the attachment of fluorescent or other labels onto proteins has traditionally been accomplished by in vitro chemical modification after protein purification (Hermanson, 1996). For in vivo attachment of a label, green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria can be genetically fused with many host proteins to produce fluorescent chimeras in situ (Tsien, 1998; Chalfie et al., 1998). However, while GFP-based indicators are currently employed in a variety of assays, e.g., measuring pH (Kneen et al., 1998; Llopis et al., 1998; Miesenböck et al., 1998), Ca2+ (Miyawaki et al., 1997; Rosomer et al., 1997), and membrane potential (Siegel et al., 1997), the fluorescence of intrinsically labeled proteins such as GFP is limited by the properties of protein structure, e.g., a limited range of fluorescent colors and relatively low intrinsic brightness (Cubitt et al., 1995; Ormö et al., 1996), and
To address the deficiencies of GFP labeling in situ, Griffen et al. (1998) synthesized a tight-binding pair of molecular components: a small receptor domain composed of as few as six natural amino acids and a small (<700 dalton), synthetic ligand that could be linked to various spectroscopic probes or crosslinks. The receptor domain included four cysteines at the i, i+1, i+4, and i+5 positions of an a helix and the ligand was 4′,5′-bis(1,3,2-dithioarsolan-2-yl)fluorescein (FLASH). Griffen et al. disclose that the ligand had relatively few binding sites in nontransfected mammalian cells, was membrane-permeant and was nonfluorescent until it bound with high affinity and specificity to a tetracysteine domain in a recombinant protein, resulting in cells being fluorescently labeled ("FLASH" labeled) with a nanomolar or lower dissociation constant. However, with respect to background binding in cells, Stroffekova et al. (2001) disclose that FLASH-EDT2 binds non-specifically to endogenous cysteine-rich proteins. Furthermore, labeling proteins by FLASH is limited by the range of fluorophores that may be used.
Receptor-mediated targeting methods use genetically encoded targeting sequences to localize fluorophores to virtually any cellular site, provided that the targeted protein is able to fold properly. For example, Farinas et al. (1999) disclose that cDNA transfection was used to target a single-chain antibody (sFv) to a specified site in a cell. Farinas et al. disclose that conjugates of a hapten (4-ethoxymethylene-2-phenyl-2-oxazolin-5-one, phOx) and a fluorescent probe (e.g., BODIPY F1, tetramethylrhodamine, and fluorescein) were bound with high affinity (about 5 nM) to the subcellular site for the sFv in living Chinese hamster ovary cells, indicating that the targeted antibody functioned as a high affinity receptor for the cell-permeable hapten-fluorophore conjugates. Nevertheless, functional sFv expression may be relatively poor in reducing environments.
Thus, what is needed is an improved method to label a desired protein.

Covalent tethering of functional groups to proteins


An adhesive layer carrying a uniform color or a color-scheme is placed within or under a colored or color-printed conformable fabric that is simultaneously or subsequently molded into a three-dimensional shape or embossed with a three-dimensional pattern. The thermoplastic adhesive layer proceeds towards the fabric surface and matches or masks the color gaps opened on the surface by molding or embossing. The fabric can also be laminated to a backing during the molding or embossing process.

When a fabric is printed with a uniform color or with a color pattern applied to the top surface, the applied color or color pattern does not always extend into the lower strata of the fabric. In portions of the fabric where the color or color pattern does not extend into the lower strata, the original color of the fibers or yarns of the fabric is exposed at gaps created by the parting of the fibers or yarns. Exposure of the original color of the fibers degrades the appearance of the color or color pattern applied to the top surface.
Fabrics having a uniform surface color or color scheme and that are conformable, moldable or embossable with a relatively deep heated tool tend to show undesirable gaps at the stretched areas. These undesirable gaps result from the parting of the fibers or yarns of the fabrics in the stretched areas. The gaps formed during embossing can also create holes at the peripheries of the depressed areas of the fabric and can extend to the surface of the fabric at elevated areas as the top surface is stretched by the embossing action. In addition to parting of the fibers occurring as a result of molding or embossing, parting of the fibers or yarns can occur over time during use of the fabric.
When the fabric is attached to a backing layer during embossing, the backing can become visible at the gaps created by the parting of the fibers or yarns. Unless the exposed backing has a uniform color matching the color or color pattern applied to the top surface, the exposed backing creates an undesirable contrast with the top surface of the fabric. As any backing applied to the fabric is typically required to have special properties, coloring that backing to match the color or color pattern applied to the top surface is complicated, impractical, and costly.
Therefore, improved fabrics and methods for making improved fabrics that are less complicated and more economical are desired where the improved fabrics have a uniform color or color pattern on the top surface and that avoid or mask gaps or holes or gaps that cause a loss of color or printed design uniformity on the top surface. These improved fabrics would include conformable, moldable, and deeply embossable composite fabrics.

Conformable colored multilayer composite fabrics


A hands-free device enables a hands-free call by being wirelessly connected to a mobile phone. The hands-free device incudes a hardware processor configured to: perform a control related to data transfer using a transfer protocol for implementing transfer of history data including incoming call history data and outgoing call history data, and phone book data stored in the mobile phone when the mobile phone is in a wireless connection area; receive the history data and the phone book data from the mobile phone through communication using the transfer protocol; and store the history data and the phone book data that are received. The hardware processor is configured to perform the control to transfer the history data prior to the phone book data.

Examples of a configuration in which a mobile phone automatically transfers phone book data indicating the correspondence between a phone number and a registration name, to an in-vehicle hands-free device, include a configuration in which when a user gets into a vehicle while carrying a mobile phone, and the mobile phone enters the range of short-range communication of the in-vehicle hands-free device, the mobile phone and the in-vehicle hands-free device establish a communication link, and the mobile phone automatically transfers phone book data to the in-vehicle hands-free device. With such a configuration, the user can select a desired phone number from the phone book data of the mobile phone and make an outgoing call by operating the in-vehicle hands-free device (see, for example, JP 2002-193046 A). In addition, techniques for improving user convenience in a system in which an in-vehicle device and a portable device are connected to each other, have been proposed (see, for example, WO 2014/050459 A and JP 2006-109292 A).
However, it is desired to further improve the convenience in relation to a hands-free device that enables hands-free calls.
An object of the present disclosure is to further improve the convenience of the hands-free device.

Hands-free device, hands-free system, and data transfer method

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention relates to a series of novel compounds, methods to prevent or treat viral infections in animals by using the novel compounds and to said novel compounds for use as a medicine, more preferably for use as a medicine to treat or prevent viral infections, particularly infections with RNA viruses, more particularly infections with viruses belonging to the family of the Flaviviridae, and yet more particularly infections with the Dengue virus. The present invention furthermore relates to pharmaceutical compositions or combination preparations of the novel compounds, to the compositions or preparations for use as a medicine, more preferably for the prevention or treatment of viral infections. The invention also relates to processes for preparation of the compounds.

Flaviviruses, which are transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks, cause life-threatening infections in man, such as encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. Four distinct, but closely related serotypes of the flavivirus dengue are known (DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4). Dengue is endemic in most tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world, predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.5 billion people of which 1 billion children are at risk of DENV infection (WHO, 2002). An estimated 50 to 100 million cases of dengue fever [DF], half a million cases of severe dengue disease (i.e. dengue hemorrhagic fever [DHF] and dengue shock syndrome [DSS]), and more than 20,000 deaths occur worldwide each year. DHF has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death amongst children in endemic regions. Altogether, dengue represents the most common cause of arboviral disease. Because of recent large outbreaks in countries situated in Latin America, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific (including Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand), numbers of dengue cases have risen dramatically over the past years. Not only is the number of dengue cases increasing as the disease is spreading to new areas, but the outbreaks tend to be more severe.
To prevent and/or control dengue disease, the only available methods at present are mosquito eradication strategies to control the vector. Although progress is being made in the development of vaccines for dengue, many difficulties are encountered. These include the existence of a phenomenon referred to as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).
Recovery from an infection by one serotype provides lifelong immunity against that serotype but confers only partial and transient protection against a subsequent infection by one of the other three serotypes. Following infection with another serotype, pre-existing heterologous antibodies form complexes with the newly infecting dengue virus serotype but do not neutralize the pathogen. Instead, virus entry into cells is believed to be facilitated, resulting in uncontrolled virus replication and higher peak viral titres. In both primary and secondary infections, higher viral titres are associated with more severe dengue disease. Since maternal antibodies can easily pass on to infants by breast feeding, this might be one of the reasons that children are more affected by severe dengue disease than adults.
In locations with two or more serotypes circulating simultaneously, also referred to as hyperendemic regions, the risk of serious dengue disease is significantly higher due to an increased risk of experiencing a secondary, more severe infection. Moreover, in a situation of hyper-endemicity, the probability of the emergence of more virulent strains is increased, which in turn augments the probability of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome.
The mosquitoes that carry dengue, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito), are moving north. According to the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both mosquitoes are currently omnipresent in southern Texas. The spread north of dengue-carrying mosquitoes is not confined to the US, but has also been observed in Europe.
Despite large efforts over the past 3 decades, there is currently no vaccine available to protect against dengue virus disease. The main problem is to develop a vaccine that offers protection against all four serotypes (a tetravalent vaccine) to the same extent. Furthermore, today, specific antiviral drugs for the treatment or prevention of dengue fever virus infection are not available. Clearly, there is still a great need for therapeutics for the prevention or treatment of viral infections in animals, more in particular in humans and especially for viral infections caused by Flaviviruses, more in particular Dengue virus. Therapeutics with good potency, no or low levels of less side-effects, a broad spectrum activity against multiple Dengue virus serotypes, a low toxicity and/or good pharmacokinetic or -dynamic properties are very welcome. The present invention provides novel compounds which show activity against Flaviviruses, including Dengue virus. The prior art does not lead a person skilled in the art to the compounds of the present invention, nor to their use as antiviral compounds.


A computer-implemented method, computer program product, and computing system for receiving, from a user, an intent to share a music track defined within a music consumption system. A query that identifies the music track is generated on a computing device. The query is provided to a video distribution system, wherein the video distribution system is configured to receive and process the query. A result set is received from the video distribution system. If the result set defines one of more videos, available via the video distribution system, that are related to the music track that the user intends to share, a post from the user is generated, on a social networking site, that includes at least one link locating at least one video selected from the one or more videos defined within the result set.

The Internet currently allows for the free exchange of ideas and information in a manner that was unimaginable only a couple of decades ago. One such use for the Internet is as a communication medium, whether it is via one-on-one exchanges or multi-party exchanges. For example, two individuals may exchange private emails with each other. Alternatively, multiple people may participate on a public website in which they may post entries that are published for multiple people to read. Examples of such websites may include but are not limited to product/service review sites, social networks, and topical blogs.
Users of a media consumption system may purchase media files for personal use. Examples of such media files may include but are not limited to music files and video files. When such media files are obtained (and depending upon the media consumption system utilized), the user may wish to "share" the purchased media file with various people to whom the purchaser is connected within a social network (e.g., via a media sharing post to their media stream). Unfortunately, the sharing of such media files may violate various laws, such as the DMCA (i.e., Digital Millennium Copyright Act).


A stop cock for a liquid container, comprising a substantially annular valve housing, a circular valve rotatably mounted in the valve housing, a handle mounted on an operational shaft for rotating the valve between a closed and open position, a seat mounted in the valve housing and cooperating with the valve in the closed position, characterized in that the handle (21) comprises a recess (28) for rotatably receiving a stop bush (29) that comprises a cam (30) which in the closed position cooperates with an indentation (42) of a top plate (24) arranged on a boss (9) and includes a circular passage for shaft (7), said stop bush (29) having an unround passage (33) for mounting a correspondingly formed driving shaft (34) of an unlocking lever (35), the handle (21) and the top plate (24) in a plurality of positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stop cock for a liquid container, comprising a substantially annular valve housing provided on either side of its longitudinal center line with bosses in which passages have been arranged for rotatably supporting a substantially circular valve perpendicularly to the longitudinal center line of the valve housing, a handle mounted on an operational shaft applied outside the valve housing for rotating the valve between a closed position and an open position which is perpendicular thereto, and a seat mounted in the valve housing and cooperating with the valve in the closed position of the stop cock.
2. Description of the Background
Known stop cocks of this type, e.g. when they are applied on tank lorries, are mounted between two flange pieces and this results in an extra heavy weight and a long construction length that is not always available or desired. If the seat of known stop cocks has worn out, it usually takes a lot of energy and time to dismount the wom out seat and almost always it will have to be replaced by an entirely new part. Many of the known stop cocks also have the disadvantage that in order to open the stop cock a lot of strength has to be exerted or that a long handle has to be used, respectively, and often they also tend to close of their own accord or to start "rattling".


A limiting filter has nonlinear signal limiting devices integrally connected to the filter structure so that as the power level of input signals increase the nonlinear signal limiting devices decrease their impedance in response thereto, detuning the filter. Filter isolation thus becomes a function of both frequency and input power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to filters and, more particularly, to a limiting filter in which microwave signal limiting devices have been integrally incorporated into the filter structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Filters are used to prevent receiver interference from out-of-band signals. Limiters are used to prevent transient rf pulses from damaging sensitive, low-noise microwave components. Currently, microwave receiver front-ends are commonly preceded by either a filter, a limiter or both. In cases where unwanted signals are out of the frequency band of the receiver filters are used to remove these signals. In cases where there are unwanted signals within the operating band of the receiver limiters can be used when the unwanted signals are at a higher level than the desired signal. In cases where there are both out of band and high level inband unwanted signals both a filter and limiter are commonly used. These two devices are normally combined in a series arrangement with the limiter following the filter. The use of two separate devices is costly and takes up unnecessary space.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A mobile data and/or communication terminal is provided which includes an optical system for the generation of a projected display as well as parts for stabilizing the display when the terminal is moved.

The present invention relates to a mobile data or communication terminal. Such a terminal is, for example, a mobile video telephone or a mobile video camera for still or moving images. The terminal also can be a mobile small computer.
Various methods are currently used in video cameras for stabilizing images. FIG. 1 shows one such method, in which movable lenses are used. In this method, an object OB is recorded by a recording device AE; for example, a video camera. The recording device AE has an image sensor BS; for example, a CMOS chip. The recording device AE has an optical system or a lens system OT via which the object OB is mapped to the image sensor BS.
Upon movement of the recording device AE, different image segments BA are produced, as shown by the solid and the broken lines. The recording device AE has motion sensors, which are not shown in detail, which record this movement and move the optical system OT so as to stabilize the image. Stabilization of the image ultimately prevents blurred images from being recorded via the image sensor BS.
The mobile terminals mentioned in the introduction generally have display devices, such as LC displays, for reproducing images and/or status information and input instructions.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to improve the operation of mobile terminals with projected displays.


When a power source of an electronic control type embroidery machine is switched on, all pattern data of a plurality of embroidery patterns stored on a ROM card is summarily written to either a pattern data memory of RAM (volatile memory) or a flash memory (involatile memory) without any instruction for storing the data. As a result, the ROM card can be detached during the embroidery sewing operation, embroidery sewing of the plurality of embroidery patterns is simplified and operational performance of the sewing operation can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sewing apparatus, particularly to a sewing apparatus in which all of pattern data of a plurality of embroidery patterns stored to an external storage medium is summarizingly stored in an internal memory and a sewing apparatus in which pattern data of a group of patterns which are designated from pattern data of a plurality of embroidery patterns stored to an external storage medium is summarizingly stored to an internal memory.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, according to an electronic control type embroidery machine for household use having an embroidery device, pattern data of a plurality of embroidery patterns is stored to a pattern data memory installed to ROM (involatile memory) of a control device or a ROM card which is an external storage medium. Patterns are displayed on a display, desired patterns are searched while switching a display screen and when a desired embroidery pattern is selected, embroidery sewing is carried out based on sewing data of the selected embroidery pattern.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2561650 proposed by the applicant describes a sewing machine in which sewing data of a plurality of embroidery patterns is stored in an internal memory installed in a control device in correspondence with code numbers. In addition, a memory cassette storing sewing data and configuration display data of a plurality of embroidery patterns is detachably mounted thereon. In selecting embroidery patterns of the memory cassette, a configuration of a desired embroidery pattern for sewing is displayed on a display by operating a pattern selecting key while sewing data of the selected embroidery pattern is read from the memory cassette and embroidered on cloth. Further, for reference, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. JP-B-1-40635 proposes a switch pattern display device in which pattern display data is formed from sewing data.
As mentioned above, according to the sewing machine described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2561650, at each time of selecting an embroidery pattern for sewing, sewing data of the selected embroidery pattern is read from a memory cassette to the control device of the sewing machine. This presents a problem in that when the memory cassette is erroneously detached from the sewing machine in carrying out embroidery sewing, pattern selection or embroidery sewing cannot be carried out and when a plurality of embroidery patterns to be sewn are dispersingly stored in a plurality of memory cassettes, at each time of sewing, the memory cassettes are interchanged and operational performance of embroidery operation is deteriorated, or the like.


An anisotropic conductive film, and its production method, especially suitable for mounting a semiconductor package and sufficiently satisfying the requirements of higher density mounting because short circuit does not occur in the plane direction of the film even if the pitch of electrodes is small, or suitable for mounting a contact probe because conductive connection not fused with a high current can be ensured with a lower pressure and even a high frequency signal can be dealt with. The anisotropic conductive film contains metal powder having such a shape that many fine metal particles are linked as a conductive component, wherein the length of the chain of metal powder is set not longer than the distance between adjacent electrodes being bonded conductively when a semiconductor package is mounted, and the diameter of the chain is set in the range of 1 μm-20 μm when a contact probe is mounted. At least a part of the film is formed while orienting a chain formed of a paramagnetic metal with a magnetic field.

One of the methods of electronics mounting for mounting a semiconductor package on a printed circuit board, or electrically connecting respective conductor circuits on two printed circuit boards to each other and coupling or fixing both the printed circuit boards to each other is a method using a film-shaped anisotropic conductive film (see, Japanese Laid Opened Patent Publication Nos. JP-H06-102523-A2 (1994), JP-H08-115617-A2 (1996), etc.).
When a semiconductor package is mounted, a semiconductor package having a plurality of bumps arranged on its mounting surface to a printed circuit board to form a connecting portion, and a printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes arranged with the same pitch as the pitch of the bumps in its region where the semiconductor package is mounted to form a connecting portion are prepared, and the semiconductor package and the printed circuit board are thermally bonded in a state where the connecting portions are opposed to each other and an anisotropic conductive film is interposed therebetween while being aligned with each other such that the bump and the electrode, in each of pairs, in both the connecting portions are overlapped with each other in the plane direction of the film.
When printed circuit boards are connected to each other, two printed circuit boards respectively having pluralities of electrodes arranged therein with the same pitch at their connecting positions to form connecting portions are prepared, and are thermally bonded in a state where the connecting portions are opposed to each other and an anisotropic conductive film is interposed therebetween while being aligned with each other such that the respective electrodes, in each of pairs, in both the connecting portions are overlapped with each other in the plane direction of the film.
The anisotropic conductive film generally has a structure in which a powdered conductive component is dispersed in a film having heat-sensitive adhesive properties including a binding agent such as thermoplastic resin or curable resin.
In the anisotropic conductive film, in order to prevent the occurrence of such short circuit in the plane direction of the film that the bump and the electrode or the electrode and the electrode, in each of the pairs, which are arranged with each other in the plane direction of the film are short-circuited with the bump and the electrode or the electrode and the electrode in the adjacent pair, a filling factor, found by the following equation (1), of the conductive component such that a conductive resistance in the plane direction (referred to as an "insulating resistance") is increased:
                              filling  factor  (vol.  %)                =                                            (volume  of  conductive  component)                                      (total  volume  of  solid  contents)                                ×          100                                    (        1        )            In a case where the film is formed by the conductive component and the binding agent as solid contents, as described above, the total volume of the solid contents in the equation is the total of both the volumes of the conductive component and the binding agent.
The anisotropic conductive film is compressed in the thickness direction by heating and pressurization at the time of thermal bonding, so that the filling factor of the conductive component in the thickness direction is increased, and the conductive components are brought in close proximity to or into contact with each other to form a conductive network. As a result, a conductive resistance in the thickness direction (referred to as a "connecting resistance") is reduced. In this case, however, the filling factor of the conductive component in the plane direction of the anisotropic conductive film is not increased. Therefore, the plane direction maintains an initial state where the insulating resistance is high and the conductivity is low.
Thus, the anisotropic conductive film has anisotropic conductive properties in which the connecting resistance in the thickness direction is low and the insulating resistance in the plane direction is high. The anisotropic conductive film allows,                while preventing the above-mentioned short circuit in the plane direction of the film from occurring, to maintain an electrically independent state for each of the bump-electrode pairs or the electrode-electrode pairs,        the bumps and the electrodes or the electrodes and the electrodes in all the pairs, which are respectively arranged with each other in the plane direction of the film, to be simultaneously conductively connected to each other.
In addition thereto, the heat-sensitive adhesive properties of the film allows the semiconductor package to be fixed on the printed circuit board by thermal bonding or the printed circuit boards to be fixed to each other by thermal bonding.
The use of the anisotropic conductive film makes it easy to perform work for electronics mounting.
Various types of metal powders such as an Ni powder having an average particle diameter of several to several tens of micrometers and having a granular shape, a spherical shape, or a foil shape (a scale shape, a flake shape), resin powder whose surface is gold-plated, and so on are put to practical use as a conductive component included in the conventional anisotropic conductive film.
The conventional anisotropic conductive film generally contains the above-mentioned metal powder such that the filling factor found in the foregoing equation (1) is 7 to 10% by volume.
In the range of the filling factor, however, the value of the connecting resistance in the thickness direction after thermal bonding is not sufficient, so that the number of cases where it is required that the connecting resistance should be made much lower is increasing.
Therefore, it is considered that the filling factor of the metal powder serving as a conductive component is made higher than that in the above-mentioned range in order to further make the connecting resistance in the thickness direction lower than before.
In such a case, however, in the conventional anisotropic conductive film using the above-mentioned general metal powder, the insulating resistance in the plane direction of the film is also reduced, so that short circuit in the plane direction of the film easily occurs.
Since such a problem easily occurs, the conventional anisotropic conductive film cannot cope with the above-mentioned requirements unless the pitch of the adjacent bumps or electrodes composing the connecting portion is not less than 50 μm. In the present circumstances, the conventional anisotropic conductive film cannot cope with requirements of higher density mounting in the field of electronics mounting.
In recent years, the inventors have examined that in a probe card used for examining whether or not a semiconductor package chip such as a memory, an IC, an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is normally manufactured, one anisotropic conductive film is used in place of a lot of wirings used for respectively connecting a lot of fine contact probes mounted on a mounting substrate to electrodes provided on a circuit in a probe card main body. The inventors have considered that in such connection, the mounting pitch of the contact probes is approximately 100 to 200 μm in correspondence with the pitch of pads in the semiconductor package chip and therefore, even the conventional anisotropic conductive film can cope with the above-mentioned requirements.
That is, the probe card serves to achieve conduction by pressing the contact probe against the pad on the semiconductor package chip which has not been cut to a predetermined size, formed on a wafer, thereby connecting a circuit in the semiconductor package chip to an external examination circuit through the circuit in the probe card main body to examine the circuit. However, as the semiconductor package chip is miniaturized and highly integrated, the pad itself or the formation pitch thereof is miniaturized, or the number of pads is increased, the contact probe itself tends to be refined or highly integrated on the mounting substrate.
Particularly in recent years, a probe card in which a lot of very fine contact probes processed with a processing accuracy in micron units are mounted on a mounting substrate with the same pitch of 100 to 200 μm as the pitch of the pads in the semiconductor package chip, as described above, has been put to practical use.
In the probe card for examining several tens to several hundreds of semiconductor package chips formed on one wafer, however, several thousands of contact probes must be mounted on the mounting substrate. The number of wirings for connecting the contact probes and the probe card main body must be also the same as the number of contact probes. Therefore, the number of times of soldering of the wirings becomes enormous.
Therefore, the manufacture of the probe card and the management thereof at the time of use are significantly difficult.
Therefore, the inventors have examined that a lot of wirings and their soldering are replaced with one anisotropic conductive film. Even if the conventional anisotropic conductive film is simply used for another purpose, however, the following problems occur. Therefore, it has been found that practical applications thereof are difficult.
(i) When an internal circuit in a semiconductor package chip to be tested is short-circuited, a large current of not less than 1 A, may flow locally through the anisotropic conductive film at the time of the test. However, the conventional anisotropic conductive film does not consider response to such a large current. A current value to be allowed is only several ten milliamperes. When a large current flows by short circuit or the like, therefore, Joule heat is produced so that the temperature of the anisotropic conductive film locally rises. Therefore, the anisotropic conductive film may be fused.
(ii) The contact probe is very small and is liable to be destroyed, as described above. When the anisotropic conductive film is used for mounting the contact probe, that is, connection to an electrode, therefore, pressurization at the time of thermal bonding must be performed at a lower pressure, as compared with that in the case of the above-mentioned normal connection between the bump and the electrode or between the electrodes. When the contact probe and the electrode are connected to each other at a low pressure, however, a connecting resistance in the thickness direction cannot be reduced to a sufficiently practical level, which may cause inferior connection in the conventional anisotropic conductive film.
(iii) When the filling factor of a metal powder is increased in order to eliminate the inferior conduction, the insulating resistance in the plane direction is also reduced in the conventional anisotropic conductive film. Even if the pitch is 100 to 200 μm, the above-mentioned short circuit in the plane direction of the film, that is, short circuit between the contact probe and the electrode, in each of the pairs, which are arranged with each other in the plane direction of the film in this case, and the contact probe and the electrode in the adjacent pair may occur.
(iv) In order to examine a semiconductor package chip for a graphic board or a computer game and a high-speed semiconductor package chip such as a Ga—As device, at an operation speed actually used, a high-frequency signal must be used. When the filling factor of the metal powder is increased to eliminate the inferior conduction as in the item (iii), however, it is difficult to pass the high-frequency signal because the impedance of the anisotropic conductive film is increased, so that the anisotropic conductive film may be unable to be examined.
(v) The semiconductor package chip to be examined by the probe card is distributed over the whole surface of one wafer in many cases, as described above. Therefore, the substrate on which the contact probe is mounted and the probe card main body are formed to such large sizes as to cover the wafer. Consequently, the anisotropic conductive film for connecting the probe card must cover a significantly larger size than that for the conventional semiconductor mounting. Moreover, at the time of the above-mentioned connection at a low pressure, variations in the thickness direction such as warping of the large members must be absorbed over the whole surface, not to cause inferior connection, inferior conduction, and so on. However, it is difficult for the conventional anisotropic conductive film to cope with such requirements.

Anisotropic conductive film and method for producing the same