The present invention relates to a sheet heater produced by gravure printing, in which a silver paste is printed in a zigzag pattern between biaxially oriented transparent PET or OPS films and a CNT ink having excellent heat generating properties is coated in a sheet shape on the film, thereby preventing disconnection or fire and enabling temperature elevation in a short period of time while consuming less power.

Generally, a sheet heater for vehicles is maintained at a constant temperature by supplying strong electric current to the heater through a thin electric wire to elevate the temperature of the heater to a desired temperature and controlling supply of electric current to the heater using a temperature sensor or bimetal regulator. However, this product is likely to undergo heat loss due to power interruption relating to disconnection of the electric wire or emission of heat from the electric wire and has low uniformity of heat generation due to manual arrangement of the electric wire.
Most sheet heaters for vehicles are designed to operate on 12 volts. When such a sheet heater is made of an existing carbon paste, the carbon paste is printed in a net shape to prevent local temperature increase and a silver paste for electrodes is used to form four or more wires in consideration of resistance variation according to distance and disconnection between the carbon paste and the silver paste, thereby limiting product size. Therefore, the existing carbon paste is not suitable for production of sheets type heaters having a size of more than 250×300 mm and operating on 12 volts and provides low thermal durability to a final product due to non-uniform heat generation.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a heating mechanism of a conventional wire heating element. In this heater, since a contact surface between a heating wire and an object is limited, such heater exhibit poor heat transfer to an object to be heated and slowly rises to a maximum operating temperature.
FIG. 4 shows an electric network structure of general carbon. For electric conduction through general carbon, carbon is partially mixed with metal with a binder to adhere particles to one another. Thus, when disconnection between the particles occurs, electric current is concentrated on a certain portion where the disconnection does not occur, so that heat is generated from the certain portion, causing disconnection of the certain portion through localized overheating.
Since a resistance paste prepared using general conductive carbon powder also has a negative temperature resistance factor of carbon, it is difficult to secure reliability due to reduction in resistance upon repeated use. Further, since a metallic material has a positive temperature resistance factor, it is difficult to secure reliability due to increase in resistance upon repeated use.
Korean Registered Utility Model No. 207322 discloses a car seat, which includes a cotton yarn or natural fibers as a warp, woven copper wires or natural fibers disposed in the same direction as the cotton yarn and separated a predetermined distance from each other, a heat generating yarn formed on the cotton yarns or natural fiber by carbon coating as a weft, a heating plate composed of upper and lower polyurethane coating layers, a temperature sensor attached to the heating plate to be turned on/off within a predetermined temperature range, and a connection terminal through which terminals of the copper wires are connected to a vehicle power supply.
Korean Registered Utility Model No. 300692 discloses a sheet type heating element, which is formed by screen printing and includes a bottom plate formed of a synthetic resin, a plurality of carbon paste lines formed on the bottom plate to provide a plurality of alternating ladder shapes, a plurality of silver paste lines connected to each other and each being deposited at one side of the carbon paste line or along an outer periphery of the carbon paste line to provide electrodes such that positive and negative electrodes alternate, a thin synthetic resin layer formed by coating and curing an insulating synthetic resin to a predetermined thickness and width on the carbon paste lines and silver paste lines, and a finishing plate formed of adhesive and bonding agents on the thin synthetic resin layer.
Korean Patent No. 644089 discloses a lumbar supporter which is provided as a back supporter of a vehicle seat and includes a heating wire embedded therein. The lumbar supporter includes a seat heat cushion and a seat heater back, each of which includes heat generating wires disposed on a plane of a heat resistant member and coupled at one side thereof to a connection jack to prevent disconnection of the wires due to user weight. In the seat heater cushion, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) member is coupled to the other side of the heat generating wires to decrease resistance when the temperature of the heat generating wires increases. The NTC member is coupled at one side thereof to an electronic control unit (ECU) and a multi-stage variable regulator is coupled to one side of the ECU and the other side of the NTC member such that power is continuously turned on/off by resistance of the NTC and the regulator.
In the related art, although heating wires, carbon and the like are used as the heating element, carbon nanotube-based heating elements have yet to be introduced.


The invention relates to a ceramic thermal barrier composition of low conductivity and high high-temperature strength. In characteristic manner, the composition comprises a zirconia base, at least one trivalent oxide enabling the zirconia to be stabilized and enabling the thermal conductivity of the zirconia to be reduced in optimum manner, and at least one pentavalent oxide enabling the content of oxygen vacancies to be reduced so as to make it substantially equal to that of a partially stabilized zirconia. Preferably, said trivalent oxide is present with a molar content constituted by a first portion enabling the zirconia to be stabilized partially and a second portion which introduces point defects into the lattice said pentavalent oxide is present with a molar concentration equal to said molar concentration of said second portion of the trivalent oxide. The invention is applicable to making a superalloy machine part having a ceramic coating with said composition, and possibly also a bonding underlayer.

Efforts to increase the efficiency of turbomachines, in particular in the field of aviation, and to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of polluting gases and unburned fuel have led to a move towards stoichiometric mixtures for fuel combustion. This situation is accompanied by an increase in the temperature of the gas leaving the combustion chamber and going towards the turbine.
Consequently, it has been necessary to adapt the materials of the turbine to such an increase in temperature, by improving techniques for cooling turbine blades (hollow blades) and/or by improving the properties of such materials to enable them to withstand high temperatures.
This second technique, in combination with the use of superalloys based on nickel and/or cobalt, has led to various solutions, including depositing a thermally insulating coating referred to as a "thermal barrier".
On a part that is being cooled, and during operating under steady conditions, the ceramic coating enables a temperature gradient to be set up through the coating over a total amplitude that may exceed 200° C. for a coating that is about 150 micrometers (μm) thick. The operating temperature of the underlying metal constituting the substrate for the coating is thus decreased by the same amount, thereby leading to significant savings in the volumes of cooling air that are needed, to improvements in the lifetime of the part, and savings in the specific fuel consumption of the turbine engine.
Usually, the ceramic coatings are deposited on the part for coating either by a spraying technique (in particular plasma spraying), or by a physical vapor deposition technique, i.e. by evaporation (in particular by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) forming a coating that is deposited in an evacuated evaporation enclosure under electron bombardment).
For a sprayed coating, a zirconium-based oxide is deposited by plasma spraying type techniques, thereby leading to the formation of a coating constituted by a stack of droplets that were molten and then quenched by impact, being flattened and stacked so as to form a deposit that is densified imperfectly and that has a thickness generally lying in the range 50 μm to 1 millimeter (mm).
A coating obtained by physical deposition, in particular by evaporation under electron bombardment, leads to a coating constituted by an arrangement of columns directed substantially perpendicularly to the coated surface, over a thickness lying in the range 20 μm to 600 μm. Advantageously, the space between the columns enables the coating to compensate effectively for thermomechanical stresses due, at operating temperatures, to differential expansion relative to the superalloy substrate. Parts are thus obtained having lifetimes that are long in terms of high-temperature thermal fatigue.
Conventionally, such thermal barriers thus create a thermal conductivity discontinuity between the outer coating on the machine part, including said thermal barrier, and the substrate of said coating forming the material constituting the part.
Usually, it is found that thermal barriers which give rise to a significant discontinuity in thermal conductivity run the risk of significant delamination between the coating and the substrate, or more precisely at the interface between the underlayer and the ceramic thermal barrier.
At present, it is desired to obtain thermal barrier compositions which provide machine parts with the ability to withstand surface temperatures up to about 1500° C., i.e. up to about 1300° C. in the substrate. The thermal barriers presently in use enable machine parts to withstand surface temperatures up to about 1200° C.-1300° C., i.e. 1000° C.-1100° C. in the substrate.
It is known to make use of a thermal barrier obtained from a base material constituted by zirconia which presents a coefficient of expansion close to that of the superalloy constituting the substrate, and that is of thermal conductivity that is quite low.
French patent application FR 2 798 864 proposes making use of dysprosium oxide in the zirconia. That solution enables the thermal conductivity of the thermal barrier to be reduced.

Thermal barrier composition and a ceramic coating having such a composition


A flossing device is provided comprising a body extending from a first end to a second end and defining a handle and a head. The head includes a first leg and a second leg spaced apart and extending parallel to each other at the second end. Each of the first leg and the second leg have a tip portion and a groove, the groove extending from a top end surface of the tip portion and into each leg. The groove is operable to receive a portion of floss. The device further comprises an upper protuberance and a lower protuberance disposed on each side of the body and near the head. Each of the upper protuberances and the lower protuberances have a retainer portion for receiving a portion of the floss and have a stop portion for holding the floss on the retainer portion.

Most users floss their teeth with a piece of dental floss between about 12 inches and 24 inches in length, manipulating the floss with their fingers to clean between their teeth. Under most circumstances, this method works reasonably well. If, however, a person has weak hands or fingers, small cuts, cracked skin from winter weather, or other abrasions, manipulating the floss can be difficult, awkward, or painful. Current devices on the market enable the user to manipulate floss with a handle of some sort, which makes flossing easier and more convenient. But all current devices employ a fixed piece of floss in a plastic frame; thus, after a single use, all or part of the device is disposed of, creating large amounts of plastic waste. In addition, the type of floss employed in the fixed frame may not suit all users, especially those with tight teeth.


A system to generate and run federated queries against a plurality of data stores storing disparate data types, the system including a user interface receiving query details from a data consumer, a metadata knowledge graph containing metadata for links and relationships of the data stores, a knowledge-driven querying layer accessing the graph and selecting predefined constrainable queries from a nodegroup store and applying the metadata links/relationships to the predefined constrainable queries to assemble subqueries, a query and analysis platform providing the subqueries to some of the data stores for execution, a scalable analytic execution layer receiving and aggregating search results from the data stores into a merged search result and/or obtaining analytic results by applying machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to the distributed data, the user interface presenting visualizations generated from the merged search results, and/or the analytic results. A system and a non-transitory computer-readable medium are also disclosed.

In many enterprises and/or organizations (e.g., commercial/industrial, academic, governmental, medical, etc.) multiple different kinds of data may be used and stored—for example, time series, property graphs, string tables, numeric data, images or other large files (which can be stored as binary large objects (BLOBs)), etc. Because these datasets vary widely in terms of format and content, there is minimal basis for querying across them in an integrated manner. Additionally, these data types can be in multiple data stores distributed locally and/or remotely. The conventional approach of a user manually generating multiple queries to interrogate disparate data types located across distributed sources is burdensome in time, network capacity, and infrastructure. This type of approach also requires that the user have knowledge of where the data is stored, how it is stored, and the specific query languages and mechanisms needed to access it. Conventional approaches do not provide a mechanism for describing the contents of these different datasets and how they relate to each other, thus there is no basis for an integrated query approach.
The challenge of analyzing and consuming a wide range of different data types and formats that are fundamentally linked is increasing in recent years as more volumes of data, and a larger diversity of types of data, are being generated and consumed in different industries. Data creation has been exploding for more than a decade, resulting in an explosion in data volume and variety.
Conventional approaches to solving the multimodal data integration problem shoehorn all different types of data into some common format within a single repository (e.g., extract/transform/load (ETL) operations into a large data warehouse), taking many different types of data, many of which are inherently non-relational, and forcing them into a relational structure. This approach is suboptimal with respect to both data storage and query performance.
Another more recent conventional approach requires the collection of different types of data forms into a single "no SQL" (NoSQL) data store. A NoSQL data store is attractive in that they make no assumptions about the format or structure of the data, however, this also leads to suboptimal performance with respect to both data storage and query performance. Software and systems accessing a NoSQL repository must have a priori knowledge of how the data is structured to meaningfully interact with the data, applying that structure every time any data is retrieved from the NoSQL store. Thus, this conventional approach is also suboptimal. First, the data needs to be relocated into a single NoSQL data store; and second, a NoSQL data store ignores the structural attributes of the different data formats that are traditionally used to minimize the data storage footprint and maximize read performance, write performance, or both. NoSQL stores are unable to benefit from any such optimizations.
Another conventional approach to integrate multimodal datasets involves building complex middleware that queries across diverse datastores using a common query language. However, this middleware approach is premised on the user knowing the storage locations of each type of data and invoking the appropriate middleware components as needed.
What is missing from the art is a system that provides a flexible, logical view of multiple disparate datastores in a manner that eliminates the need for a user to have knowledge of the underlying data types, locations and storage mechanisms, and that also provides a way to describe the different data and the relationships between them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Knowledge-driven federated big data query and analytics platform


A magnetic field effect transistor is presented. A magnetic field effect transistor comprises a current control part and a magnetic field applying part. A current control part comprises multiple electrodes and a current flowing material region located between multiple electrodes and in which the amount of current flowing between the electrodes is changed, and a magnetic field applying part applying a magnetic field generating from a magnetization state, which changes according to external input, of a pre-set material. By controlling current by using magnetic fields, high speed operation is possible as charging time is not required, and calculation results may be stored without external power supply because magnetic field is supplied by altering magnetization state of a material according to external input.

Prior field effect transistors (FET) had currents flow only when electric field was applied to a gate, that is, when connected to a power supply, and thus latched switching by a transistor by itself was impossible. Also, even when a drain is applied to a gate of another transistor, result (drain current) of the front transistor is not stored in the subsequent transistor.
Also, prior field effect transistors (FET) had to charge electric charges until a fixed voltage was charged on a gate, and there were difficulties of having to take sufficient time since gate charging time was required. That is, a limit for high-speed operation was reached.
Also, when trying to store calculation results, since calculation results are preserved only when power is connected as with a SRAM, which uses 5 prior field effect transistors (FET), calculating results had to be transferred to a main memory (DRAM or SRAM).
A data line transferring calculation results is called a bus, and it takes a long period of time to send and receive data (calculation results) again through this bus, and this is the reason for requiring a memory in addition to a CPU.

KOREA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION


A security screening system for scanning items, the system comprising: a scanner, configured to produce x-ray projection data as an object is passed through the scanner, at least a portion of the scanner being received within a structure, the structure having an input opening and an outlet opening, the input opening being configured to receive objects to be scanned and the output opening being configured to receive objects scanned by the scanner; an input conveyor for passing a plurality of bins through the input opening to the outlet opening, the input conveyor having an input end for receiving the plurality of bins to pass the plurality of bins into the input opening and an output end for delivering the plurality of bins from the outlet opening; and a return conveyor positioned to return the plurality of bins to an area proximate to the input end of the input conveyor, the return conveyor being positioned below the input conveyor, wherein the return conveyor does not pass through the scanner.

This present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for scanning and inspecting baggage. More particularly, the present invention relates to security screening systems for use at airports or other areas (e.g., court houses, buildings, arenas, seaports, hospitals, corporate facilities, government buildings, mailrooms, correctional facilities, nuclear power stations, special events, public areas, etc.) wherein a secure area is required.
In airport applications carry-on baggage inspection systems generally utilize a scan projection (SP) image for presentation to the operator. In most baggage inspection systems, scan projection images are created by moving an object under a fan beam of x-rays from a stationary x-ray source.
In some computed tomography (CT) imaging system configurations, an x-ray source projects a fan-shaped beam which is collimated to lie within an X-Y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system and generally referred to as an "imaging plane". The x-ray beam passes through an object being imaged. The beam, after being attenuated by the object, impinges upon an array of radiation detectors. The intensity of the attenuated radiation beam received at the detector array is dependent upon the attenuation of the x-ray beam by the object. Each detector element of the array produces a separate electrical signal that is a measurement of the beam intensity at each detector location. The intensity measurements from all the detectors are acquired separately to produce a transmission profile.
In third generation CT systems, the x-ray source and the detector array are rotated with a gantry within the imaging plane and around the object to be imaged such that the angle at which the x-ray beam intersects the object constantly changes. A group of x-ray attenuation measurements (e.g., projection data), from the detector array at one gantry angle is referred to as a "view". A "scan" of the object comprises a set of views made at different gantry angles, or view angles, during one revolution of the x-ray source and detector about the object or patient being imaged.
To perform a "helical" scan, the object is continually moved via a conveyor belt while the projection data for the prescribed number of slices is acquired. The helix mapped out by the fan beam yields projection data from which images in each prescribed slice may be reconstructed. Orthographic and scan projection SP-like images can be created from helical scan data by reconstruction of the entire volume, and projecting digitally through the reconstructed volume.
During the scanning of the object, potentially harmful X-ray beams are shielded by the structure of apparatus surrounding the conveyor belt and shielding means disposed at the apparatus entry and exit points (e.g., curtains disposed on the entry and exit points). In order to provide the necessary shielding an x-ray blocking material (e.g., lead, aluminum, carbon fibers or any other material that inhibits X-rays) is disposed in the apparatus structure and the curtains disposed at the entry and exit points.
However, these curtains may obstruct the flow of baggage on the conveyor as they may cause lighter objects (e.g., smaller bags, purses, carry on luggage, etc.) to tumble or even stop on the conveyor. This is exacerbated if such a device were to be used as an initial security screening measure at airport check in as typically smaller objects, purses, coats, shoes, laptops must be placed on the conveyor for x-ray screening.
In addition, these security devices are typically located proximate to personal screening devices wherein individuals desiring to be cleared through a security screening must place all of their belongings, metal objects, shoes, electronic devices etc. into a bin or tub designed to travel through the screening device. Thereafter, the individual walks though a personal screening device (e.g., metal detector) for clearance into the secure area.
Typically, these bins or tubs are located on an input side of a conveyor for the screening device and are left on the output side after the objects have been screened and picked up by their owner who has also cleared the security screening by passing through the personal screening device. Typically, the security screening location is set up as a barrier wherein entrance into the secure area is limited to access points wherein objects and personal must be screened or cleared prior to entry into the secure area. Therefore, once an individual is cleared through the personal screening they are free to retrieve their personal belongings as the output side of the security screening device. Thus and once their belongings are retrieved, the empty bins are left at the output side until an authorized security screening person picks up the empty bins and walks through the personal screening device back to the input side of the security screening device.
During this process of returning the empty bins to the input side of the security screening device, the personal security device is disabled or no longer usable for personal screening as one of the security personal must hand carry the empty bins to the input side. As might be expected this will slow the screening process of individuals wishing to enter the secure area as well as require manpower from the security personnel. Moreover, and in airports large bottlenecks may occur as passengers are cleared through the security checkpoint. Thus, any disruption to this process will exacerbate the bottleneck or slow down the security clearance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus and method for returning empty bins used in a security screening process that does not adversely affect the security screening process. In addition, it is also desirable to provide an x-ray shielding means that does not interfere with the throughput of objects through the scanning system.


A device for washing outer cylindrical surfaces of a rotary printing machine is disclosed. The device uses a washing cloth which is unwound from a supply roll and, via a pressing-on rail, supplied to a take-up roll. The washing cloth is pressable by the pressing-on rail against the outer cylindrical surface to be washed. To simplify operation only the two washing-cloth rolls with the washing cloth are changed and the other components of the washup device remain inside the machine.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a device for washing outer cylindrical surfaces of a rotary printing press, which device has a washing cloth, which washing cloth is unwound from a supply roll and, via a pressing-on rail, supplied to a take-up roll, with the washing cloth being pressable by means of the pressing-on rail against the outer cylindrical surface to be washed.
2. Background Information
German Utility Model 92 13 605 shows a known washup device provided with a washing bar, the washing bar receiving both the supply roll and the take-up roll for the washing cloth as well as a pressing-on rail and other parts designed to wet and control the washup device. By way of clutches and plug connections the washing bar is connected to connecting units and received by a suspension device. With respect to the printing unit the washing bar may be moved, as a unit, out of the suspension device and into the suspension device, respectively. The disadvantage of this known embodiment is that the weight of the washing bar with all its parts is relatively enormous, and that when the device for washing is removed from the printing press the pressman has to carry this weight. Moreover, the washup device is very complicated and requires special measures to be taken in view of the clutch of the washing bar with the clutches different control elements and moving parts.

Device for washing outer cylindrical surfaces of a rotary printing press


A monitor is disclosed for measuring a liquid discharged from a patient's body. A housing defines a cavity having a floor. A substantially rigid wall container is removably positioned within the cavity, the container having a bottom wall portion supported on the floor of the cavity. A transducer is mounted in the floor of the cavity and engages the bottom wall portion of the container. The transducer is periodically engaged to transmit energy through the bottom wall portion and into a pool. The time duration required for the transmitted energy to travel from the transducer means to the upper surface of the pool and back again is determined, and this time duration is converted into a volume of fluid by reference to a look-up table, a mathematical algorithm, or both. The monitor includes an optical sensor to detect the presence of a container in the housing and provides an indication if no container is detected. The monitor also includes a transducer driving routine which drives the transducer at more than one output energy level, and responsive to detection of a weak return signal, the output energy level of a succeeding pulse is increased. A novel container is disclosed which includes a small well directly above the transducer, which has the effect of concentrating initial small amounts of liquid directly above the transducer to permit accurate readings of minute volumes of liquid.

The importance of monitoring urine output from a critically ill patient is well known. Diminished urine output is an early sign of changing patient conditions, for example, renal failure, liver failure, or congestive heart failure. Acute changes in urine output can indicate deteriorating patient conditions even before changes in patient vital signs of blood pressure, temperature, pulse, or respiration.
In patients who are suffering renal insufficiency, bedside hemofiltration, such as continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration, or peritoneal dialysis, may be required to remove ultrafiltrate (i.e. the plasma/water content of the blood). Balancing fluid input against ultrafiltrate output is crucial to maintaining proper fluid balance for the patient. Thus the importance of continuously monitoring ultrafiltrate output is well known.
Not only is monitoring the volume of fluid output crucial in the case of hemofiltration, but monitoring the rate of fluid output is equally critical. Changes in the flow rate of the ultrafiltrate output are predictive of complications such as excessive clotting of blood stopping up the hemofilter. Early warning of such clotting, as indicated by a decrease in the flow rate of the ultrafiltrate output, gives the physician the opportunity to inject heparin into the system proximal to the hemofilter to arrest clotting.
Electronic meters for continuously monitoring the fluid output of a patient are well known. Examples of typical prior art urine monitors are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,207 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,834. A disposable container is inserted into a reusable housing having an electronic module. Patient fluid output is discharged into the container. An ultrasound transducer is mounted to the housing adjacent the container and is acoustically coupled to a wall of the container. When the sound wave hits the interface between the air and the liquid in the container, the signal is reflected. The return signal from the ultrasound transducer is input into the electronic module, which continuously monitors the contents of the container for volume changes. In addition the electronic module continuously monitors a sensor located in a Foley catheter for changes in temperature. The device displays patient information such as volume and rate of patient fluid output on a display panel located at the upper end of the housing.
Because electronic monitors of the types disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,207 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,834 rely on reflection of sound waves off of the air/liquid interface, these monitors encounter difficulties if the monitor is tilted from vertical. If the monitor is tilted, the air/liquid interface is no longer at a redefined angle relative to the axis of propagation of the sound waves, and the reflected signal returns at an undesirable angle. Consequently the signal received by the transducer is weak, sometimes too weak to register. This problem is exacerbated if a foreign substance is present, e.g. blood in the urine, as such substance will further attenuate the return signal.
Thus there is a need for an electronic fluid output monitor which provides accurate readings even when the monitor is tilted from vertical.
There is a further need for an electronic fluid output monitor which provides accurate readings even when a foreign substance such as blood exists in the patient's fluid output.
Another problem inherent in fluid output monitors of the type disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,207 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,834 is that such monitors are incapable of accurately measuring small volumes of liquid. Because the depth of the liquid in the container is extremely shallow as patient fluid output is first introduced into the container, and because the liquid may not initially uniformly fill the container as a result of the effects of surface tension, prior art electronic fluid output monitors usually cannot measure volumes of less than 5 cc of fluid.
Thus there is a need for an electronic fluid output monitor which permits measurement of small volumes of liquid.


A transparency includes a first ply having a first visible light transmission and a second ply having a second visible light transmission, with the first visible light transmission being greater than the second visible light transmission. A solar control coating is located between the first ply and the second ply. The solar control coating has a first infrared reflective metallic layer, a second infrared reflective metallic layer and a third infrared reflective metallic layer. The first infrared reflective metallic layer is thicker than the second infrared reflective metallic layer and the second infrared reflective metallic layer is thicker than the third infrared reflective metallic layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to glazing units and, in one particular embodiment, to an architectural or vehicle transparency having improved solar control performance.
2. Technical Considerations
Vehicle transparencies, such as but not limited to vehicle windows, windshields, rear lights, sunroofs and moonroofs, are designed to allow light to enter the vehicle and also to allow the vehicle occupants to see out of the vehicle. However, one drawback of these vehicle transparencies is that they not only allow light to enter the vehicle but also allow heat to enter the vehicle as well. On warm, sunny days, the vehicle operator may choose to increase the air conditioning of the vehicle to counteract the heat load introduced through the transparencies. This wastes energy and increases fuel consumption.
One solution to this problem has been to use colored or tinted glass to reduce the heat transfer through the transparency. While this does provide some relief, this solution also has some disadvantages. For example, using colored or tinted glass cuts down on the visibility through the transparency. Also, the colored glass absorbs heat more readily than clear glass and can become hot to the touch. Another solution has been to provide solar control coatings on the vehicle transparencies. However, conventional solar control coatings can be expensive to apply and also can limit visibility through the transparencies. This is particularly relevant for vehicle windshields and front windows due to the requirement to meet government imposed limits on minimum visible light transmission through such transparencies.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle that reduces or eliminates at least some of the problems associated with conventional vehicle transparencies.


A browsing method encoded on a computer-readable medium is provided. The method creates customized summaries of web pages and comprises multiple steps. In a first step, from a thematic or project-based listing of URL links, a selected URL link is activated. In a second step, a tour creation dialog is opened. In a third step, the user is presented with a menu option that enables the user to identify an existing tour or create a new tour. In a fourth step, if the user identifies an existing tour, the URL so selected is added into this existing tour. In a fifth step, if the user chooses to create a new tour, an input window is presented to the user that prompts the user to input a tour name. In a sixth step, once the user inputs the tour name, the new tour is saved.

The use of the Internet has seen rapid growth over the last few years, fueled in significant part by availability and use of web browsing software that permits access, via a graphical user interface ("GUI") to network servers which are part of the World Wide Web. These servers provide access to documents known as "web pages" or "web sites" using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"). HTTP is an application protocol that provides user access to these web pages having various formats including text, graphics, images, sound, and dynamic features. Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML") is the standard page description language used with HTTP and provides basis document formatting. HTML allows a web page developer to specify these hypertext links to other servers and to other files. A user using an HTML-compliant browser may specify a link via a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"). When the user does so, the client browser makes a transmission control protocol/Interface protocol ("TCP/IP") request to the server associated with the link and consequently receives the corresponding web page formatted according to HTML. Note that XML is a substitute for HTML.
The developers of prior art web browsers such as "MOSAIC", "NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR", and "MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER" have focused their efforts on providing a rapid and efficient means for a user to access web pages having sophisticated graphical capabilities. Such web pages typically offer a wide variety of attention-generating features which include sound, animated graphics, banner advertisements, and continuously updated dynamic content, often tailored to a user's personal interests, side by side with lexically unordered hypertext links. These features, for the most part, improve the sensual experience a user has when researching the Internet and often distract the user away from their initial research goal. This distraction causes significant losses in productivity, as suggested by a widely known University of Michigan study which determined that an employee accomplishes almost twice as much by working on a single task for an hour than he does by working on that same task in 12, separate five minute intervals (cited for example in J. Harris Morgan, Can We Manage Time?, Texas Bar Journal, Vol 62, No. 7, 668 (July 1999)).
Intelliseek, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, offers a method, known as "BULLSEYE" which uses automated agents to filter and find information which a user deems relevant to their search (see product information, available at http://www.intelliseek.com). Further, search results may optionally be saved under a particular file name for later retrieval. Still further, a "tracking" feature permits a user to program an agent tracker to automatically retrieve information of interest to the user when the user is logged on to the Internet. However, the search itself is not attributed to any particular project name or file during the research. No features are provided to enable the user to re-access the saved research based on a key word search of such saved projects.
Another firm, WebKeys Incorporated of California, provides a method, known as "PROWLER" (information available at http://www.webkeys.com/aboutwk.htm) that requires that individual users log on to the Internet using an individual user name and password. Access to certain categories of websites (i.e., "All age", "Under 14, "Teenagers", "Adult content", and "Explicit violence/sexual content") is granted or denied based on privileges that are determined by a system administrator. Further, a navigation history, associated with the user, is saved for administrative censoring purposes.
Other web resources such as "WESTLAW" and "LEXIS-NEXIS" provide Internet portals or web pages that require login by ID and password (i.e., subscriber sites) in order to gain access. Further, prior to beginning research in these secure subscriber sites, a client matter number may be input, which, optionally, is checked against a database of the user's client matter numbers, to confirm accuracy. However, because these are not browser-based, the user may leave these subscriber sites and do other task/research on the Internet that is not attributed to the client matter number. Thus, little improvement over prior art systems or methods of performing Internet research is offered.
Thus, no tools are available on the market that aid in directing or managing a user's Internet research such that one is able to concentrate on one project at a time. The lack of such tools is consistent with the name given the process of performing research on the World Wide Web, namely "surfing" or "browsing", terms which imply a rather undirected and undisciplined approach to doing research and the lack of a predetermined business goal. Consequently, as has been the experience with many businesses that are using the web for project research, much time is wasted as the users, distracted by the attention-generating features, spend employer or client time researching subjects of personal interest or of interest to another project. Such distracting features thus make focused research using the prior art browsing methods almost impossible.
Further, no secure and convenient means has been provided which allows access to documents posted on a publicly accessible server or intranet which does not require the manual input a decryption key, Further no means is available whereby, solely information input at the time of accessing the Internet or intranet, optionally together with an IP address, decrypts such information.
Still, further, no performance measures have been developed to enable Internet searchers to access their performance with respect to their level of focus.
Bookmarks are used to mark particular Internet addresses or URLs, for later access. Lists of bookmarks can become quite long, making reviewing the contents of a list of bookmarks cumbersome.
Further, no means exists for organizing bookmarks irrespective of standard criteria, such as relevancy, to suit the information needs of a particular visitor.
Therefore, what is needed is a means to enable users having particular information needs to view the most pertinent sites first. In particular, what is needed is a system and a method that brings to the fore, sites which may be of particular interest to a particular type of user or an individual such as a client.

System and method of creating and following URL tours


The invention relates to human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) and its use in treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The autism spectrum is a range of complex conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders. Disorders include autism, Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and childhood disintegrative disorder. Individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) must present two types of symptoms:                deficits in social communication and social interaction; and        restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities.
ASD typically appears during the first three years of life and manifests in characteristic symptoms or behavioural traits. One course of development occurs gradually over the first two years of life and diagnosis is made around 3-4 years of age. Some of the early signs of ASDs in this course include decreased looking at faces, failure to turn when name is called, failure to show interests by showing or pointing, and delayed pretend play. A second course is characterized by normal or near-normal development followed by loss of skills or regression in the first 2-3 years. Regression may occur in a variety of domains, including communication, social, cognitive, and self-help skills; however, the most common regression is loss of language.
In addition to the characteristic ASD symptoms, ASD individuals display a wide range of neurological comorbidities, including intellectual disability, epilepsy, and anxiety and mood disorders. They also commonly display non-neurological comorbidities, including blood hyperserotonaemia, immune dysregulation, and gastrointestinal dysfunction (e.g., chronic constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and gastroesophageal reflux).
To date, there are no approved medications for reducing or eliminating the core symptoms of ASD. The only two approved medications are specifically indicated for reducing irritability in subjects having ASD. Consequently, treatment is often focussed on lessening associated deficits and family distress, and to increase quality of life and functional independence. Many methods adopt a psychoeducational approach to enhancing cognitive, communication, and social skills while minimizing problem behaviours. In particular, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has proposed new recommendations emphasizing early involvement with both developmental and behavioural methods, support by and for parents and caregivers, and a focus on both the core and associated symptoms of ASD.
A recent hypothesis on the aetiology of ASD links the condition to changes in the intestinal microbiota. This hypothesis arises in part from the close connection between ASD and gastrointestinal symptoms indicative of dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Also, it has been observed that the onset of neurobehavioral symptoms and chronic diarrhoea appears to occur after repeated courses of antibiotics in a subset of children with the regressive form of ASD. A species of toxin-producing Clostridium was proposed as a possible cause (Ding et al. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 47, 480 (2017)). This Clostridium hypothesis is further supported by a study in which children with regressive autism were treated with a 6-week course of oral vancomycin, an antibiotic with known activity against clostridia. Significant improvement in neurobehavioral symptoms was observed in eight of the ten children studied as well as improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms.
Another potential link between ASD and the intestinal microbiota relates to ammonia concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract and in circulation. Protein that enters the large intestine non-digested, promotes putrefactive fermentation and selective growth of proteolytic bacteria such as members of Fusobacteria, Streptococcaceae, Megasphera, Selenomonas, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and putatively pathogenic species such as E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Campylobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., C. perfringens, and C. difficile. When protein is utilized by these bacteria, branched short chain fatty acids (B-SCFA), ammonia, amines and phenolic compounds are produced, some of which are potentially harmful to human health (Pieper et al. Anim. Health Res. Rev. 17, 137 (2016).
Ammonia in particular can interfere with the oxidative metabolism of butyrate in colonocytes, inducing energy deficiency, increased apoptosis and higher proliferation. This negatively impacts the physical and functional integrity of the colonic mucosa by altering mucin gene and tight junction expression. In particular, it is believed that ammonia and other protein-derived metabolites such as B-SCFA present in the lumen negatively influence the expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) (Villodre et al. Brit. J. Nutr. 113, 610 (2015)). MCT1 is stimulated by butyrate leading to increase butyrate uptake by colonocytes. The inhibition of MCT1 by high concentration of protein-derived metabolites in the intestine can impair the protective effect of butyrate on the colon epithelium and lead to pro-inflammatory conditions in the colon.
Normally, gut-derived ammonia is taken up by the liver and consumed in the urea cycle and passes out of the body in urine. However, altered intestinal permeability can increase the amount of ammonia delivered to the liver causing liver saturation making the liver inefficient in processing the ammonia. The ammonia is then returned to the blood for circulation. High concentration of ammonia in the blood can cause damage to the liver and affect the central nervous system such as impairing intracerebral synthesis of serotonin and dopamine and producing abnormal neurotransmitters such as octopamine. Higher concentrations of faecal ammonia have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorders (43 mmol/g faeces) compared with control children (32 mmol/g faeces) (Wang et al. Dig. Dis. Sci. 57, 2096 (2012)).
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a heterogeneous mixture of soluble glycans found in human milk. They are the third most abundant solid component after lactose and lipids in human milk and are present in concentrations of 5-25 g/l (Bode, in: Handbook of dietary and nutritional aspects of human breast milk (Zibadi et al. eds.), 515-31, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2013)). HMOs are resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis in the small intestine and are thus largely undigested and unabsorbed. The majority of HMOs that reach the colon serve as substrates to shape the gut ecosystem by selectively stimulating the growth of specific saccharolytic bacteria. HMOs are believed to substantially modulate the infant gut microbiota and play a decisive role in the differences in the microbiota of formula-fed and breast-fed infants. These differences include the predominance of the saccharolytic bifidobacteria in the gut of breast-fed infants compared to a more diverse gut microbiota in formula-fed infants. This is viewed as beneficial for the infant because strains of Bifidobacterium species are believed to have a positive effect on gut health (Chichlowski et al. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 55, 321 (2012)). HMOs are also able to increase the abundance of bifidobacteria in adults (Elison et al. Brit. J. Nutr. 116, 1356 (2016)).
US patent application 2016/0213697 describes the use of lactulose in the treatment of autism. Lactulose is a non-absorbable sugar generally used to treat constipation and hyperammonaemia. When used to treat hyperammonaemia, relatively large doses need to be taken 3 to 4 times a day. This causes episodic diarrhoea; often requiring the users to wear diapers and plastic pants.
International patent application WO 2015/100091 describes the use of 2′-fucosyl-lactose in the treatment of neuroinflammation as a means of treating or reducing cognitive impairment.
There remains a need for a safe, well tolerated, means of reducing in ASD patients the concentration of proteolytic metabolites such as ammonia in the gastrointestinal tract and in circulation. Further, remains a need for a safe, well tolerated, means of improving gastrointestinal function in ASD patients.

HMO compositions and methods for reducing autism spectrum disorder symptoms


The invention includes a system and method for generating simulated encoder outputs in a control system. An output pulse width between reference position inputs is computed, the output pulse width being based upon a difference between an updated reference position input and a previous reference position input, and upon a time interval between the reference position inputs. Next, a plurality of simulated encoder pulses is output between updates of the reference position input based upon the computed output pulse width. The output pulse is thereafter adjusted in a closed loop manner between updates of the reference position input.

The invention relates generally to motor control involving a plurality of synchronized motors. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for high accuracy simulation of an incremental encoder pulse output when an incremental encoder is not available or a fully digital encoder is in use.
Certain applications of motor control require precisely monitoring the position of a motor as it revolves. For example, synchronizing a plurality of motors in systems of conveyers, rolling or drawing mills, printing presses and so forth may require that all motors maintain the same relative angular position and velocity. The position of each motor is typically tracked using an incremental encoder. A primary motor drive, or master, provides a master incremental encoder signal signifying the position of a master motor to the remaining motor drives, or slaves. The slave motor drives synchronize to the master by maintaining the same relative angular position as indicated by the incremental encoder from the master motor drive.
One common form of incremental encoder, known as a sine/cosine encoder, assesses motor position by scanning optical markings on a disk rotating with the load of the motor. The encoder generates a two-channel output consisting of sine and cosine waves. After discretely sampling the two-channel sine and cosine output waves, interpolation techniques may be employed to achieve an increase in position resolution of several orders of magnitude. Often, each of the sampled sine and cosine waves is converted into a square wave corresponding to the high resolution interpolation. In addition to the two square wave signals, known as A and B, or alternatively, A quad B, a sine/cosine incremental encoder may also output a short periodic pulse, known as Z, to signify the start of each motor revolution. To determine precise incremental position and/or velocity, a device may count the edges of the square waves, deriving a digital representation of motor position from the A, B, and/or Z encoder pulse output signals.
Alternatively, another form of incremental encoder known as a virtual encoder may determine motor position entirely in software. Rather than obtain an incremental position based on direct observation of motor rotation, a virtual encoder determines motor position based on the control signals sent to the motor. For example, when a ramp generator sends a reference velocity signal to a motor, a virtual encoder may use the reference velocity signal, in combination with a preset number of pulses per revolution (e.g., 2048 or 4096), to output a digital reference position signal. The digital reference position signal is equivalent to an edge marking count of a conventional sine/cosine incremental encoder pulse output.
Because most modern motor drives utilize digital control circuitry, and a virtual encoder may be implemented in software, a virtual encoder is frequently preferred to a sine/cosine incremental encoder. However, not all equipment may be configured to use a digital incremental position signal. Some equipment, particularly older equipment, may require an incremental encoder pulse output signal (A, B, and/or Z). Accordingly, systems employing such equipment may require at least one sine/cosine incremental encoder to provide the necessary encoder pulse output signals, though a virtual encoder alone may be preferred.
Certain modes of operation may further preclude a sine/cosine incremental encoder from outputting an encoder pulse output signal. For example, it may be desirable to turn off one motor in a system of synchronized motors, but continue to use certain other equipment as if that motor remained on and synchronized. Multi-color printing applications may benefit from such a mode of operation. A multi-color printing press may employ four single-color printing stations, each supported by additional process control equipment to ensure proper paper position. When printing in only three colors, only three printing stations may be active, but process control equipment from all four print stations may be needed. For such an application, a conventional sine/cosine incremental encoder assigned to the inactive motor would not output an encoder pulse output, as the physical position of the motor would not change. However, a virtual master encoder could provide a digital position signal representing what position the motor would have as if the motor were active. If the additional supporting equipment required encoder pulse output signals, rather than only a digital reference position signal, such an application would be impossible without an alternative means of obtaining an encoder pulse output signal.
Though attempts have been made to work around the existing problem, such efforts have failed to produce a high accuracy encoder pulse output signal from a digital position signal without unnecessary jitter or delay. Moreover, such efforts may also temporarily result in excessive position error.

Simulated encoder pulse output system and method


An equipment selecting system for assisting in selecting optimal fishing equipment for catching a desired type of fish that includes a correlating device for displaying a first reference and a second reference. The first reference is associated with a type of fish selected from a plurality of types of fish. Each fishing kit is optimized for fishing for one of the plurality of types of fish. The second reference of the correlating device is associated with a suggested one of the fishing kits. The fishing kits are preferably assembled to provide optimal equipment for a particular species of fish, as indicated by the correlating device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fishing equipment and more particularly to a system for assisting in the selection of optimal fishing equipment for fishing for a selected type of fish.
2. Background
Recreational fishing is an activity enjoyed by a large percentage of the population. To accommodate the large number of fishermen, the fishing equipment industry provides fishing equipment including rods, reels, fishing tackle and other products in a dizzying array of types and styles, many of which are specifically adapted for catching a particular type or species of fish. For the experienced fisherman, selecting from the available choices for rod, reel and tackle add to the enjoyment of the fishing experience. However, for the novice fisherman, the wide variety of available equipment can be intimidating. Further, inappropriate equipment used to fish for a particular species can decrease the likelihood of catching fish and will result in decreased enjoyment of the fishing experience. Additionally, even for an experienced fisherman, purchasing all of the required gear can be time consuming.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a fishing system wherein a user can quickly and easily determine which of several pre-packaged fishing kits contain equipment that is optimal for fishing for a particular species of fish. Each of the pre-packaged fishing kits ideally contain all of the necessary equipment, selected and packaged for fishing for a particular species of fish. By providing such a system, even a novice fisherman can obtain a measure of confidence heretofore unobtainable that he or she is fishing with the correct and optimal equipment for a particular species of fish. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a packaged fishing kit having a rod, reel, and tackle contained therein for enabling a fisherman to quickly purchase all of the required fishing equipment.

Method and system for selecting optimal fishing equipment


Lamination adhesives including an aqueous dispersion having a mixture of a polyamide and an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer are provided for use on a variety of substrates. In various embodiments, the aqueous dispersion is substantially free of plasticizers and non-aqueous organic solvents. Also provided is a method of forming a laminate adhesion between two substrates. The disclosure also describes a laminate structure comprising first and second substrates laminated together by the lamination adhesive, the lamination adhesive including a mixture of a polyamide and a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid.

Polymeric substrates may be laminated to one another with a lamination adhesive. For example, films may be laminated together with a lamination adhesive and used in packaging applications. Solvent-based lamination adhesives have been widely used, but due to their high VOC content, alternative, solventless adhesives are becoming more environmentally desirable for use. However, solventless lamination adhesives typically require three to five days in which to cure and form a strong bond. While water-based laminating adhesives have been developed, they do not currently provide strong lamination bond strength.
In addition, use of lamination adhesives often requires that the substrates be coated with a primer first to enhance lamination strength. However, conventional primers tend to exhibit unacceptably low lamination bond strength when a printed substrate is laminated to another substrate. Thus, there is also a need in the art for a coating which can be applied as a laminating adhesive to substrates which are printed with high speed digital presses and which provides improved bond strength when used to laminate polymeric substrates.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a coating which can be used to provide enhanced laminating bond strength to substrates.

Thermal lamination adhesive coatings for use on substrates


A bonding apparatus of substrate manufacturing equipment includes an upper stage, a lower stage facing the upper stage and which is configure and dedicated to support a processed substrate on which semiconductor chips are stacked (set), and an elevating mechanism for raising the lower stage relative to the upper stage to provide pressure for pressing the substrate and chips towards each other.

The inventive concept relates to the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, especially the assembling of multi-chip semiconductor device packages. More particularly, the inventive concept relates to bonding apparatus for bonding a semiconductor chip to a substrate and to semiconductor device manufacturing equipment including the same.
In the electronics industry, the demand for electronic components which have increased numbers of functions and offer quicker response times while at the same time being miniaturized is increasing. In response to these demands, semiconductor mount technology has been developed to fabricate various types of multi-chip components, e.g., a component in which semiconductor chips are stacked and mounted on a substrate or a package on package (POP). Such mount technology requires the bonding of solder bumps and conductive pads, which may constitute electrical terminals of a substrate and a semiconductor chip mounted to the substrate or of semiconductor chips stacked on each other.

Bonding apparatus and substrate manufacturing equipment including the same


This invention relates to a manufacturing method of a liquid discharge head comprising: forming an active energy ray-curable resin layer on a surface of a substrate on which discharge energy generating elements are formed, attaching a material permeable to active energy rays onto a surface of the active energy ray-curable resin layer, pressing against the material permeable to active energy rays, a master mold being transparent to the active energy rays and having protrusions corresponding to a pattern of discharge ports so as to transfer the protrusions to the material permeable to active energy rays, selectively irradiating the active energy ray-curable resin layer with active energy rays according to a pattern of liquid flow paths so as to cure the active energy ray-curable resin layer, removing the master mold, and removing uncured portions of the active energy ray-curable resin layer.

There have been disclosed manufacturing methods of an inkjet recording head using nano-imprinting lithography and similar techniques, which are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-198779, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-176076, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,479.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-198779 discusses a manufacturing method of an inkjet recording head, in which firstly, a resin film and a mold member (master mold) having protrusions are heated, and the resin film is pressed against the mold member to form through-holes in the resin film. Subsequently, the resin film is laminated, as an orifice plate, onto a substrate where ink discharge energy generating elements and an ink flow path are formed, thereby manufacturing an inkjet recording head.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-176076 discusses a manufacturing method of an inkjet recording head, in which firstly, a master mold having protrusions is pressed against a substrate on which surface two types of resin are laminated to the extent that the protrusions of the master mold penetrate an upper layer resin to form through-holes in the resin constituting the upper layer. Subsequently, the resin forming the upper-layer is laminated, as an orifice plate, onto a substrate where an ink flow path and ink discharge energy generating elements are formed, thereby manufacturing an inkjet recording head.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,479 discusses a manufacturing method of an inkjet recording head, in which firstly, an insert (master mold) having protrusions corresponding to a pattern of an ink flow path and discharge ports are formed is pressed against a resin to thereby form an ink flow path and discharge ports in the resin. Subsequently, the resin is laminated onto a substrate on which surface ink discharge energy generating elements are formed, thereby manufacturing an inkjet recording head.
In the manufacturing method of an inkjet recording head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-198779 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-176076, the thickness of an orifice plate is defined by the thickness of the resins, and thus it is easy to control the thickness of the orifice plate. Both of the methods, however, require a step of bonding the manufactured orifice plate to the substrate having the ink flow path wall and ink discharge energy generating elements manufactured by some method. In this bonding step, highly accurate control of registration is required for the ink discharge energy generating elements and ink flow path which are formed in the substrate to the ink discharge ports formed in the orifice plate.
Meanwhile, in the manufacturing method of an inkjet recording head described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,479, the orifice plate and the ink flow path are formed into one integral unit, and the accuracy of registration of the ink discharge ports and ink flow path is defined only by the mold. It is however essential to bond the orifice plate to the substrate having ink discharge energy generating elements. Accordingly, this manufacturing method has a problem similar to those of the manufacturing methods of an inkjet recording head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-198779 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-176076.

Manufacturing method of liquid discharge head


An apparatus and method are provided for simultaneously photographing a still image and a motion image in a wireless terminal with at least two cameras. A first camera photographs motion images in motion-image photography mode. A second camera photographs still images in the motion-image photography mode. A controller of the first camera controls the first camera to photograph the motion images in the motion-image photography mode. A controller of the second camera controls the second camera to photograph the still images in the motion-image photography mode. A control unit controls an operation for photographing the motion images through the controller of the first camera in the motion-image photography mode, and controls photographing the still images through the controller of the second camera, and controls an operation for storing the motion/still images photographed in the motion-image photography mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for photographing an image, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for simultaneously photographing a still image and a motion image in a wireless terminal with at least two cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid development of communication, camera module and multimedia technologies, wireless terminals can obtain high-resolution images in the mega-pixel class beyond the size of Quarter Common source Intermediate Format (QCIF) (176×144) or Common source Intermediate Format (CIF) (352×288). There is no difficulty in storing and transmitting images using the compression scheme of Joint Pictures Expert Group (JPEG), for example. The wireless terminals implement a camcorder function using the motion-image compression scheme of Moving Picture Experts Group 4 (MPEG-4), H.26X, for example.
In addition, the wireless terminals implementing the transmission technology can perform not only voice communication but also video communication. For this, a 'dual camera phone' with two camera modules has been developed and produced.
When a user activates the capture key while viewing photographed images received from the camera of a wireless terminal, another image is captured. In response to storage selection of the user, the captured image is compressed and stored using the image compression scheme of JPEG, for example. In this case, the image size (of CIF, QCIF, Video Graphics Array (VGA), Extended Video Graphics Array (XVGA), etc.) and high or low image quality are predefined.
Since multiple images per second are captured when the wireless terminal photographs motion images, they are recorded in the Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) or QCIF class due to a capacity or transmission problem and a performance problem. Similarly, the image size and quality are predefined and the captured images are compressed and stored using the motion-image compression scheme of MPEG and so on.
When a user desires to capture a still image while the wireless terminal photographs motion images, only a particular frame at a particular time is extracted while the photographed motion images are reproduced after the motion-image photography is completed. The extracted frame is converted into JPEG images. Because it is difficult for the motion images to have the quality of a general still-image due to problems in the wireless terminal capacity and transmission and so on, the user may not obtain images of the desired quality and size.
When the user desires to obtain a still image while the wireless terminal photographs motion images, the motion-image photography mode is stopped for still-image photography. Then, the still image is photographed in the still-image photography mode after the image size and quality are set. Subsequently, when the wireless terminal is switched to the motion-image photography mode again, the motion-image photography should be newly started after the image size and quality are set. During this operation, an object to be photographed may vary and also motion images may not be recorded in a continuous flow.
When a still-image photography attempt is made in a high image quality level while motion images are photographed in a wireless terminal with one camera, a motion-image flow is discontinuous and several frames are skipped, such that the motion images may be disjointed.

Apparatus and method for photographing an image in a wireless terminal


Tungsten carbide/zeolite catalysts useful in the hydrogenation of unsaturated sulfur containing compounds and in particular in the production of tetrahydrothiophene are provided.. Also provided is a process for the production of tetrahydrothiophene from thiophene using the tungsten carbide/zeolite catalysts taught, which effects the selective production of tetrahydrothiophene without producing large quantities of H.sub.2 S and unwanted hydrocarbons.

The present invention relates to a tungsten carbide/zeolite catalyst which has been found to be effective as a hydrogenation catalyst.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a tungsten carbide/zeolite catalyst which has been found to be effective as a hydrogenation catalyst in the conversion of unsaturated sulfur containing compounds to saturated sulfur containing compounds, such as in the conversion of thiophene to tetrahydrothiophene.
There exist known catalysts which are capable of converting sulfur containing unsaturated compounds including thiophene in the presence of H.sub.2 to yield principally H.sub.2 S and hydrocarbons as the main products. Generally, however, little or no tetrahydrothiophene is formed using such accepted catalysts in the conversion of thiophene. For example, using such known catalysts, amounts in the order of 1-2% of tetrahydrothiophene may be produced.
Catalysts which have been heretofore available are primarily designed for the hydrodesulfurization of feed stocks in the petrochemical industry. The main hydrocarbons formed are olefinic in nature, indicating that the reaction mechanism involves mainly breaking the C--S bond into H.sub.2 S and olefins, with lesser hydrogenation activity leading to tetrahydrothiophene and parafins. See for example (J. of Cat. 126,643 (1990).
Other known catalysts that could be employed to reduce sulfur containing components without breaking the C--S bond are palladium on carbon or palladium on barium sulfate, (Mozingo, et al. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 67, 2092 (1945). However, this reduction reaction is carried out in the presence of mineral acid and can only be used in single batches due to sulfur poisoning of the palladium.
Catalysts such as Mo.sub.2 N have also been reported as hydrodesulfurization catalysts, (Markel & Van Zee, J. of Cat., 126, 643 (1990). Using such a catalyst the thiophene cleaves at the C--S bond. The main hydrocarbon products from this reaction are unsaturated olefinic isomers.
Tetrahydrothiophene is a commercial material employed primarily for odorizing household cooking gas in order to alert persons for safety reasons in case of gas leakage. Derivatives of tetrahydrothiophene are also used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
A tungsten/zeolite catalyst has been found which is effective in the hydrogenation of unsaturated sulfur containing compounds and particularly in the selective hydrogenation of thiophene to tetrahydrothiophene, that is to say, without appreciably breaking the C--S bond, according to the following: ##STR1##
Various references exist in the prior art of which the applicants are aware which relate to the hydrogenation of thiophenes. The most significant of these are the following:
Hargreaves et al (J. of Catalysis 56,363-376 (1979), teach that the hydrogenation of thiophene occurs prior to C--S bond cleavage and that both effects are promoted by Co.
Lee et al (Appl. Cat. 19,207-210 (1985) teaches the effects of thiophene hydrodesulfurization over unsupported molydenum carbide.
Dockner (Angew. Chem., Int., Ed. Engl. 27,679-682 (1988), deals with the hydrogenation of olefins and ureas with technical white oil and activated carbon, amongst other reactions pertinent to the conversion of various hydrocarbons available from petroleum and natural gas as raw materials.
Beck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,692 which issued on Jun. 9, 1992, is directed to molecular sieves coated with non-oxide ceramics, which are indicated as being potentially useful as hydrogenation catalysts when used in conjunction with a hydrogenating component such as, among others, tungsten.
These references, however, teach nothing with regard to the specific advantages to be achieved via the utilization of a tungsten carbide/zeolite catalyst according to the present invention, especially in the hydrogenation of thiophene.
The shortcomings of the prior art catalysts noted above are overcome by using the catalyst described in the present invention which allows one to effect the hydrogenation of unsaturated sulfur containing compounds and to effect the production of tetrahydrothiophene in substantial quantities directly from thiophene, without producing the large quantities of H.sub.2 S and hydrocarbon by-products which have heretofore been the result of such reactions using available prior art catalysts.
It is therefore the object of this present invention to provide for a novel hydrogenation catalyst.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for the hydrogenation of unsaturated sulfur containing compounds without substantially cleaving the C--S bonds present in such compounds.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the selective production of tetrahydrothiophene directly from thiophene.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of tetrahydrothiophene using the catalyst of the present invention to selectively produce such tetrahydrothiophene with substantial yield, directly from thiophene.
These and other objects of the invention will be reflected in the course of the following more detailed discussion.

Sulfur-resistant hydrogenation catalyst and process for hydrogenation using same


An alignment detector that detects an alignment of a printhead of a printer, with the alignment detector including a photodetector and a single focusing element focusing a point on a media to a point on the photodetector. The alignment detector can be used to detect the alignment of the printer by scanning the alignment detector across the media and detecting predetermined marks previously printed on the media by imaging the predetermined marks using the alignment detector. The area between the single focusing element and the photodetector may be filled by a translucent material, such that there is no air gap between the two.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting a printhead alignment of a printer. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting a printhead alignment of a printer using an optical sensor having a single point focusing element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the media printing environment it is important to assure that a printing onto a media is performed accurately. For example, in an inkjet printer environment, if the inkjet printhead is out of alignment, the ink will not print on a media in the proper position. To verify the alignment of a printing apparatus, typically an alignment detector is utilized to review predetermined marks made on a media to determine whether the printing apparatus that printed such marks is in alignment.
The alignment detector typically includes at least three components, a light source, an alignment sensor, and a housing to hold both the light source and the sensor, though the housing is not necessary.
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate examples of alignment sensors. FIG. 1a illustrates an alignment sensor that focuses light radiating off of surface/media 50 from area 60, using lens 110, onto a point position on phototransistor 100. When detecting a predetermined mark on a printed media the media is usually transported past the alignment detector, and a deviation in a detected signal is used as the indication of a predetermined mark. However, in the arrangement of FIG. 1a, because area 60 is quite large, the detection of the predetermined mark becomes difficult, as typically the predetermined mark is much smaller than such an area 60. In addition, the alignment sensor of FIG. 1a usually can only detect a relative intensity of a source reflected off surface/media 50. Such that when alignments patterns are printed in many blocks of parallel lines for each different alignment pattern of the printer, the alignment sensor can only measure the relative light intensity reflected off surface/media 50, and uses the pattern that appears darkest to align the printer. The darkest pattern represents the alignment that is one xe2x80x9calignmentxe2x80x9d factor form the best aligned pattern. Thus, this alignment sensor does not take into account the variations in the media and can be less accurate than point detection, as illustrated in FIG. 1b. FIG. 1b illustrates a different alignment sensor that focuses light radiating off surface/media 50, a point 70, using lenses 120 and 110, onto a point position of phototransister 100. In this configuration, the detection of the predetermined mark is more accurate, as point 70 is usually quite small. However, such an arrangement also has it""s drawbacks. To perform the point detection at point 70, the alignment sensor of FIG. 1b requires an additional lens 120. The alignment sensor of FIG. 1b may also include a filter to block out interfering light sources. Alternate alignment sensor systems may perform such point detection using even more additional lenses, rather than just lenses 110 and 120. When manufacturing multiple printing apparatuses, or any apparatus which have need of such an alignment sensor, the extra focusing elements excessively drive up costs of the alignment detector.
In an alignment detector configuration, the source may be a 640 nm red Light Emitting Diode (LED). Black and cyan inks absorb light at this wavelength and therefore may be detected when compared to the media background. The source LED wavelength can be changed if other ink colors require detection. For example, magenta ink will absorb light from 520-545 nm. A blue LED or white light source will allow all the ink colors to be detected. Typically, the color to mono inkjet cartridges require alignment as well as bidirectional printing from each printhead. Such alignments include mono bidirectional print for normal and draft modes, color bidirectional print for normal and draft modes, and mono to color horizontal and vertical alignment as well as skew alignment for mono printheads. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate examples of horizontal alignment. FIG. 2A illustrates the situation where a predetermined mark is out of alignment, while the predetermined mark is in alignment in FIG. 2B. The miss-alignment shown in FIG. 2A is evidence of the nozzles in a printhead being miss-aligned. As inkjet nozzle heights continue to increase, skew becomes an important measurement. Skew is the measure of how well the printhead is aligned vertically with the media. For example, a vertical line is printed in a full head height of the printhead and a second vertical line is printed in the same horizontal location but below the first line, as illustrated in FIG. 2C. The measure of skew is how well the top of the second line aligns with the bottom of the first line.
Previous implementations of printer alignment have been illustrated in Hubbard et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,013, which illustrates a circuitry design for detecting a malfunction of an inkjet printhead, Lindenfelser et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,895, which illustrates a method and apparatus for adjusting the quality of a printing, Matsuda, U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,607, which illustrates an inkjet printer detecting test patterns and detecting a deviation in the relative positioning of printheads, and in Beauchamp et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,269, and Beauchamp et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,674, both setting forth inkjet printhead alignment. However, none of these references sufficiently solve the aforementioned problems.
Thus, the present invention overcomes the problems associated with previous alignment detectors, including the inability of accurately detect predetermined printed marks on a media and performing such detection with a minimum number of elements.
An object of the present invention is to detect an alignment of a printer using an optical sensor having a single point focusing element
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, including a light source and an alignment sensor, wherein the alignment sensor includes a single focusing element to image a point on a media to a point on a detector. The printing apparatus also includes a control unit to determine whether the printing apparatus is aligned, based on a detection by the alignment sensor of a predetermined mark on the media.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of detecting a missalignment of an apparatus, including scanning a media for a predetermined mark, detecting the predetermined mark based upon an imaging of a point on the media, onto a point on a detector, by a single focusing element, and determining whether the apparatus is miss-aligned based on whether the detected predetermined mark is in predetermined position on the media.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an alignment detector, including a single focusing element, made of a translucent material, to focus an image of a point on a media to a point on a detector, wherein the area between the detector and single focusing element is filled with the translucent material.


An airbag includes two base cloths sewn together at their outer peripheries by a seam extending from a central portion to the outer periphery of the base cloths into a vortical shape. When gas is supplied from an inflator to a center aperture of one of the base cloth to inflate the airbag, load generated by gas pressure breaks the seam sequentially from the central portion to the outer periphery, preventing sudden deployment of the airbag in fore and aft directions at the initial stage of deployment, thereby enabling not only soft restraining of passengers but also sufficient restraining by deploying the airbag into a final shape that is flat in fore and aft directions upon completion of breaking of the seam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag device having an airbag, the airbag comprising first and second base cloths sewn at their outer peripheries, and inflated by supplying gas generated by an inflator to the inside of the airbag through a central portion of one base cloth upon collision of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Airbags for driver's seats, which are deployed from a central portion of a steering wheel into a vehicle compartment, generally comprises two circular base cloths sewn together at their outer peripheries. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-125586 discloses an airbag comprising two base cloths sewn together in V-letter-shaped seams which are spread out radially from the inside to the outside in such a manner that the seams are broken by load generated upon inflation of the airbag, thus preventing the airbag to suddenly expand in fore and aft directions, and allowing the airbag to deploy in fore and aft directions in an overall flat shape in order to softly restrain passengers.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-119052 discloses an airbag comprising two base cloths sewn together in breakable circular seams, with a gas intake hole and a gas discharge hole respectively formed radially from the inside to the outside of the seam, thus preventing the airbag to expand at once in fore and aft directions during the initial stage of deployment, and preventing excessive buildup of the internal pressure of the airbag after breaking of the seam by allowing the gas intake hole and the gas discharge hole to communicate with each other.
Incidentally, the airbags described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-125586 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-119052 both include their starting points of break of seams sewn in a V-letter shape, so that the threads on either side of the vertex of the V-letter shape disperse the load of gas pressure which attempts to push and separate the two base cloths, thus inhibiting the smooth break of seams.
Moreover, in the airbag described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-119052, since the seam is formed in a generally annular shape, the airbag inflates in two stages, namely before and after the break of the seam, causing an abrupt change in the airbag's internal pressure and making a smooth deployment difficult.