The present invention is directed to a new cellulase composition for treating and finishing cellulose-containing textiles. The improved properties of the cellulase composition are based on an elevated content of EGII endoglucanase type component in an otherwise complete cellulase composition. When the composition with elevated EGII contents is used improved color properties, increased lightness, improved visual appearance and reduced pilling tendencies are achieved. The strength properties of the textile materials are essentially unchanged as compared to previously used cellulase compositions.

1. The Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a cellulase composition having an elevated content of EGII type cellulase. Said cellulase composition is obtainable from bacteria or fungi, especially from Trichoderma. The invention is also related to treatment media containing said cellulose composition as well as to methods for treating and finishing textile materials.
2. The State of the Art
Cellulase treatment of cellulose-containing textile materials during their manufacture or finishing is known per se in the art. The enzymatic treatment for finishing of cellulose-containing textile materials is called biofinishing. Biofinishing has been used to remove all kinds of impurities and individual loose fibre ends that protrude from the textile surface. The key benefits offered by biofinishing with cellulases are permanent improval of depilling, cleared surface structure by reduced fuzz, improved textile handle, such as softness, smoothness and a silkier feel, improved drapability and brighter colors of the textile and an improved capability of absorbing moisture.
Additionally, cellulases have been used to impart a stone-washed appearance to denims. Complete biodegradation of cellulases is an advantage of cellulase treatment, which consequently stands out as an environmentally-friendly alternative for chemical treatment.
Strength loss of the fabric is a problem associated with cellulase treatment. The strength loss is caused by cellulase-induced hydrolysis of beta-1,4-glucosidic bonds of cellulose, which in turn results in partial degradation of cellulosic polymer, and further, can result in strength loss of the fabric.
In the treatment of fabrics, cellulase derived from fungi, for example from Trichoderma reesei, is generally employed, such cellulase being composed of cellobiohydrolase (CBH), endoglucanase (EG) and beta-glucosidase (BG) type components. The CBH and EG components can further be divided into CEHI and CBHII types and into several various EG types, the main types of the latter being EGI and EGII. The BG components do not react with cellulosic polymers, but further cleave the degradation products, for example cellobiose, that are formed as a result of the synergistic effect of the CBH and EG components.
The isolation of cellulase components from fungi is known in the art. See, for example, Bhikhabhai, R. et al., (1984), Saloheimo, M. , et al., (1988) Wood et al., (1988), Bhat, K. M. et al., (1989) and Schulein (1988).
A method for treating cotton fabrics, prior to dyeing and finishing, with cellulose solution in order to remove lint and loose surface fibres to impart a better appearance to the fabric is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,851. The employed cellulase can be produced, for example, by Trichoderma reesei, T. koningii, Penicillium sp or Humicola insolens species. In the given examples, CYTOLASE 123 -cellulase (Genencor Int.) was used with no detailed composition given in said publication. In addition to cellulose, the cellulose solution may contain buffers, surfactants, abrasion agents, and the like. After treatment, the tensile strength of the cotton woven fabric was reported to be at least 50 percent of the tensile strength of untreated fabric.
The original cellulase composition obtainable from the fermentation medium, which is derived directly from the microbes, for example from T. reesei fungi, is seldom suitable as such to give a desired result. The original cellulase composition may comprise about 45-80% CBHI, 10-25% CBHII, 5-15% EGI and 8-15% EGII of the total cellulase protein content. The interrelations of the CBH and EG components contained in a composition may hence be changed by various methods known to persons skilled in the art. Such methods include, for example, fractionation and genetic engineering.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,463 for example discloses a detergent composition comprising a surfactant and additionally 0.002 to 10 weight percent of cellulase composed of CBHI type and EG type components with the ratio of CBHI to (EGI+EGII) being .gtoreq.10:1.
The International Patent Application WO 93/22428 discloses a method for treating cotton fabrics with fungal cellulase compositions comprising CBHI type and EG type components in a weight ratio greater than 10:1. The application mentions that the tensile strength of treated fabric is at least about 50 percent of the tensile strength of untreated fabric. No test results, however, are given.
In the International Patent Publication WO 94/23113 a method for treating cotton-containing and non-cotton cellulosic fabrics during manufacture to reduce lint generation is described. The cellulase compositions contain all EG type components to all CBH type components in a ratio of greater than 5:1.
In the International Patent Publication WO 92/06221 cotton-containing fabrics treated with a cellulase solution essentially free from CBHI type cellulase components are said to have a decreased strength loss as compared to fabrics treated with cellulase solution containing a complete cellulase composition.
Cellulases have been employed also in the finishing of denim fabrics or denim garments, in order to impart a stone-washed appearance to the fabric.
The stone-wash was traditionally performed using so-called pumice stones. However, the use of pumice stones causes laundries several problems, such as the heaviness of handling the stones, the laborious picking by hand of the stones from among the garments, significant wear to the machines with resulting high repair and investment costs, the growing amounts of waste caused by broken stones and, additionally, the complicated access to pumice stones, as the mining of pumice stones is forbidden in certain countries on environmental grounds.
A method for imparting a stone-washed appearance to denim garments by cellulase enzymes is disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,864. Also in this case, the problem is the weakening, i.e. strength loss, of denim as a result of sole enzyme treatment employed to impart a stone-washed appearance to the fabric.
It is also known in the art that the activity of the cellulase composition depends on the acidity of the environment in which the treatment is carried out. Most generally, the activity is at its highest at slightly acid pHs, even though compositions functioning in a neutral environment may also be employed, and even such cellulase compositions are known to act in alkaline conditions. However, compositions used in a neutral or alkaline environment have a prolonged reaction time, i.e. the compositions are acting slower. Because time means money, time consuming treatments are not only less time-effective but also less cost-effective. Alternatively, more equipment is required to treat the same amount of fabrics in the same time. This is also expensive and requires additional space and facilities. Naturally, buffers known to persons skilled in the art are used to adjust the acidity of cellulase treatment media, but it does not solve all the problems.
The problem of obtaining improved color retention/restoration properties as well as improved softening and feel and visual appearance properties to cotton fabrics has been discussed in several patents and patent applications.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,474, for example, a detergent composition containing substantially pure EGIII is described. The composition contains no more than 5 weight percent of CBHI type components.
The International Patent Publication WO 92/06210 describes a cellulase composition, which is enriched with unspecified endoglucanase type components. The ratio of EG type components to all CBHI type components is greater than 5:1. The composition is said to impart improved softening properties as well as retention/restoration properties to the detergent composition when used in acidic, neutral or alkaline washing media.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,853 discloses an improved method for treating cotton-containing fabrics with fungal cellulase compositions which are essentially free from CBH I type cellulase components, but contains at least 10% of unspecified EG type components based on the total weight of proteins in the cellulase solution.
In the International Patent Publication WO 92/06165 a cellulase composition is disclosed which composition contains 0.01-5 weight percent cellulase components. The compositions contains one or more unspecified EG type components and of all cellulase components less than 5 weight percent is of CBH I type components.
The International Patent Publication WO 95/25840 describes a cellulase composition, which is essentially free from CBH I type cellulase components and has a weight ratio of all EG-type components to all CBH I type components of greater than 5:1. Said International Patent Application corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,507, which discloses a composition useful for treating non-cotton material. The composition is essentially free of all CBHI type cellulase components and the improved properties are achieved by modifying the naturally complete fungal cellulase composition by adding at least 10 percent of unspecified endoglucanase components.
The International Patent Publication WO 92/17572 describes a cellulase composition, which is essentially free from CDH I type cellulase components and comprises at least about 20 weight percent of unspecified EG type components.
The International Patent Publication WO 92/17574 describes a cellulase composition, which comprises one or more unspecified EG component and one more CBHI component and the ratio of all EG to all CBHI components is greater than 5:1.
in view of the above, the primary problem of using cellulase compositions in the treatment and finishing of cellulose-containing textile materials has not only been the strength loss of the fabric as a result of the cellulose treatment but also the fact that even if the proportions of CBH and EG type components have been changed in the most subtle ways as suggested in the prior art patents and patent applications no significant change in the biofinishing properties has been achieved. It seems as if the different ratios of CBH and EG type components are varied more or less randomly and the results, such as removal of impurities and individual loose fibre ends that protrude from the textile surface are as randomly obtainable. The key benefits claimed by the patents and patent application using different ratios of EG and CBH type components in biofinishing, i.e. permanent improval of depilling, cleared surface structure by reduced fuzz, improved textile handle, such as softness, smoothness and a silkier feel, improved drapability and brighter colors of the textile and improved moisture absorbability seems to be essentially unchanged even if the ratios of EG and CBH vary. Furthermore, the removal of certain components and addition of other components to the natural complete fungal cellulase composition is not necessarily sufficiently cost-effective.
We have now surprisingly found that it is not the different ratios of CBH components and EG components that gives the improved properties in manufacturing and finishing of textiles. It is an increased level of EGII which is responsible for the improvement. The same or even better results in manufacturing and finishing are obtained as soon as even small amounts of EGII type component(s) are added to the natural complete cellulase composition background. This improvement is totally independent of the ratios of CBH and EG disclosed in prior art.
Thus, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved cellulase composition for treating cellulose-containing textile materials that gives a smooth feel, improved appearance and softness as well as permanent depilling to the textile.
In particular, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved cellulase composition for treating cellulose-containing textile materials that would not result in significant strength loss of the textile as a result of the treatment.
Additionally, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved cellulase composition for imparting an acceptable stone-washed appearance to denims and denim garments without causing significant strength loss to the denims or denim garments.
Further, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved treatment medium for cellulose-containing textile materials that may comprise, in addition to the cellulase composition of this invention, for example, surfactants, polymers, buffers, bulk agents, preservatives, stabilizers and/or abrasion agents.
The objective of the present invention is to provide compositions with a decreased reaction time, i.e. compositions which act more rapidly. This means more time- and cost-effective treatment procedures and savings in equipment as well as treatment facilities.
The objective of the present invention is additionally to provide an improved method for treating cellulose-containing textile materials so as to preserve the strength properties, as well as to obtain an improved appearance and smooth feel of the textile.
A most import objective of the present invention is to carry out the production more cost-effectively. The composition of the present invention is cheaper, because less activity is required, because the enzyme is more effective than other enzymes. Thus, the amount required in the treatment medium is also smaller.
A further objective is to obtain a color tones which are pleasant to the customers. It has been shown that greyish tones which are especially pleasant to the eye and appreciated by customers are obtainable with the composition of the present invention.
The described objectives of the present invention have been achieved by employing a cellulase composition which comprises elevated amounts of EGII type cellulase as compared to the complete cellulase compositions as well as other cellulase compositions known from prior art.
The improved cellulase composition of the present invention is obtainable from a cellulase solution produced by cultivating fungi or bacteria and collecting the spent essentially cell-free fermentation broth or medium containing the naturally occurring complete background cellulase components such as CBH and EG components, but above all an elevated content of EGII components as compared to the natural complete cellulase compositions and the prior art cellulase compositions with different CBH and EG ratios. The elevated content of EGII should be such that the desired effects are achieved. The EGII type cellulase being the component which is essential for obtaining the objectives and benefits of the present invention.

Cellulase composition for treating cellulose-containing textile material


Shell molds and processes for making the shell molds that exhibit high emissivity in the red and infrared regions. In this manner, thermal resistance within a gap formed between solidifying cast metal and the interior mold surface is decreased. In one embodiment, the facecoat region is formed from a slurry composition comprising an aluminum oxide, a green chromium oxide and a silicon dioxide. In another embodiment, the facecoat region is formed from a slurry composition including zirconium silicate and silica with stucco layer of alumina is included.

The present disclosure generally relates to shell molds for directional casting, and more particular, to high emittance shell mold compositions that provide a high thermal gradient.
In the manufacture of components, such as nickel based superalloy turbine blades and vanes for turbine engines, directional solidification (DS) investment casting techniques have been employed in the past to produce columnar grain and single crystal casting microstructures having improved mechanical properties at the high temperatures encountered in the turbine section of the engine.
For directional solidification of superalloys, the solid-liquid interface needs a high thermal gradient to yield good cast microstructure. In order to provide a high thermal gradient, heat needs to be removed from the solid casting. However, during the casting process, the metal shrinks away from the mold after the metal solidifies upon cooling; thus, the heat must radiate across an air gap from the surface of the metal to the surface of the mold, from where it can be conducted away. The shrinkage associated with solidification and cooling is a consideration for many casting processes as it affects the casting dimensions and the formation of hot tear cracks as well as contributing to other defects. In continuous casting processes, the molds are often tapered to account for the shrinkage but generally require a fundamental understanding of the shrinkage phenomena during the solidification and cooling of a solidifying shell.
Conventional mold ceramics are selected for strength and chemical inertness. For directional solidification of superalloys, the mold material is typically selected from quartz, fused silica, zircon, alumina, aluminosilicate, and yttria. Typically the process for forming the molds includes dipping a wax pattern into a slurry comprising a binder and a refractory material, so as to coat the pattern with a layer of slurry. The binder is often a silica-based material. Colloidal silica is very popular for this purpose, and is widely used for investment-casting molds. Commercially available colloidal silica grades of this type often have a silica content of approximately 10%-50%. Oftentimes a stucco coating of dry refractory material is then applied to the surface of the slurry layer. The resulting stucco-containing slurry layer is allowed to dry. Additional slurry-stucco layers are applied as appropriate, to create a shell mold around the wax model having a suitable thickness. After thorough drying, the wax model is eliminated from the shell mold, and the mold is fired.
Sometimes, before the shell has cooled from this high temperature heating, the shell is filled with molten metal. Alternately, the mold is cooled to room temperature, and is stored for later use. Subsequent re-heating of the mold will be controlled so as not to cause cracking. Various methods have been used to introduce molten metal into shells including gravity, pressure, vacuum and centrifugal methods. When the molten metal in the casting mold has solidified and cooled sufficiently, the casting may be removed from the shell.
Facecoats are sometimes used to form a protective barrier between the molten casting metal and the surface of the shell mold. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,381 (Subramanian et al.) describes a facecoat based on yttria or at least one rare earth metal and other inorganic components, such as oxides, silicides, silicates, and sulfides. The facecoat compositions are most often in the form of slurries, which generally include a binder material along with a refractory material such as the yttria component. When a molten reactive casting metal is delivered into the shell mold, the facecoat prevents the undesirable reaction between the casting metal and the walls of the mold, i.e., the walls underneath the facecoat. Facecoats can sometimes be used, for the same purpose, to protect the portion of a core (within the shell mold), which would normally come into contact with the casting metal.
The solidification rate of the molten metal in an investment casting mold significantly affects the microstructure, strength, and quality of the casting. If the solidification rate is too rapid, the metal may not have enough time to feed liquid metal to accommodate the shrinkage on solidification, resulting in porosity. If the solidification rate is too slow, the casting may exhibit a coarse microstructure. Applicants have discovered that these drawbacks, as well as others, may be avoided or minimized by controlling the cooling rate of the molten metal in an investment casting mold.
Accordingly, there remains a need for molds having high heat emittance so as to provide good cast microstructure.

High emittance shell molds for directional casting


A method for sweeping mail pieces from pockets of a sorter including the steps of (1) sorting mail pieces to a plurality of pockets based upon a preselected sorting criteria, (2) positioning an unloading robot adjacent to a selected one of the pockets when the pocket has received a predetermined volume of mail pieces, the robot carrying a tray having upright side walls and bottom wall, (3) engaging the pocket with a sweeping apparatus, (4) removing mail pieces in the pocket with the sweeping apparatus, (5) loading the removed mail pieces into the tray carried by the robot, and (6) carrying the tray containing the removed mail pieces to a destination with the robot. An apparatus for implementing the method is also disclosed.

Modern postal services, for example, the U.S. Postal Service, handle massive volumes of mail pieces on a daily basis. Machines for receiving and sorting these massive volumes of letter mail are known. Typically, such machines are adapted to receive large volumes of flat articles and sort the articles into a plurality of pockets or bins based upon selected criteria. In the case of letter mail, the criteria is associated with the destination of the individual mail pieces which may be an indicia such as a Zip+4 destination code. Typically, such sorting machines have a feeding station, sensing and detecting equipment for determining the appropriate output compartment or pocket for the article to be sorted and diverting gates or other mechanisms for selectively diverting articles to selected ones of an array of output compartments or pockets for the sorted articles. An example of an advanced sorting machine is the DBSCII sorting device, available from Siemens ElectroCom, L. P., Arlington, Tex.
The feeding and sorting of articles by a mail sorter to a pocket normally continues until the pocket become sufficiently full of a stack of sorted articles or mail. When the pocket or receiving compartment is full, an operator manually removes a stack of the sorted articles from the pocket and places the stack of articles into a box. This removal of stacked articles is typically referred to as "sweeping" the compartment or pocket. The stack of sorted articles placed by the operator into a box may be further reprocessed through the same sorting machine, may be transferred to another sorting machine for additional sorting or may be transported to a delivery person, such as a mail carrier, or may be transmitted for ultimate delivery to the intended location, address or recipient when all desired sorting is completed.
Although automatic sorting machines have greatly speeded and improved prior processes for manual article sorting, sweeping and retrieving the sorted and stacked articles from the output pockets of the sorting machine is still a manual operation. The need for such manual sweeping is undesirable for ergonomic reasons because of the bending and reaching required of humans to perform these tasks. Furthermore, the need for such manual handling of mail articles tends to limit the maximum benefits of automation that can be gained from the automatic sorting machines.
Thus there exists a need for a mechanized sweeping method and apparatus to alleviate the shortcomings of manual sweeping.

Method and apparatus for mechanized pocket sweeping


Provided are SiO2—Al2O3-based or Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass which has various properties intrinsic to the crystallized glass of the type and which contains an arsenic component or an antimony component in an amount as small as possible or does not contain an arsenic component and an antimony component; and a method for producing the crystallized glass. The crystallized glass contains components of SiO2 and Al2O3 (as oxides) and contains an SnO2 component (as oxide) and/or a CeO2 component (as oxide). Preferably, the glass contains from 0.01 to 5.0% (as oxide) of an SnO2 component and/or from 0.01 to 5.0% (as oxide) of a CeO2 component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to SiO2—Al2O3-based or Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass, and to a method for producing it. In particular, the invention relates to such crystallized glass that has wide-range applications as various precision parts severely required to have ultra-low expansion characteristics, ultra-surface-smoothness and high rigidity and that is favorable for various constitutive parts of next-generation semiconductor production devices, and relates to a method for producing it.
2. Background Art
SiO2—Al2O3-based or Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass may be made to have, for example, low-expansion characteristics (e.g., see Patent Reference 1, Patent Reference 2); and in addition, it has other useful physical properties intrinsic to crystallized glass of the type, such as high rigidity, and ultra-surface-smoothness after polished.
On the other hand, in a process of producing SiO2—Al2O3-based or Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass, the melting temperature of the precursor glass for it is generally from 1450° C. to 1600° C. and is high. In the process of producing the crystallized glass of the type, a clarifying agent may be added for the purpose of homogenizing and clarifying the glass melt; and an arsenic component and an antimony component may be used as the clarifying agent having the effect within the above-mentioned high temperature range. However, the arsenic component and the antimony component may have negative influences on human bodies and the environment, and the requirement of not using these components as much as possible is increasing.
Heretofore, however, no one knows compositions of SiO2—Al2O3-based or Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass that has various physical properties such as low-expansion characteristics intrinsic to crystallized glass and contains a clarifying agent capable of being substituted for an arsenic component and an antimony component and having a high clarifying effect on the same level as that of those components.
Patent Reference 3, Patent Reference 4 and Patent Reference 5 disclose Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass, suggesting some other clarifying agents than an As2O3 component or an Sb2O3 component.
Examples in Patent Reference 3 all contain an As2O3 component or an Sb2O3 component to the same degree as before, and these do not verify whether the reduction in the content of the clarifying agent or the absence of the clarifying agent could attain the same effect as in this reference.
Examples in Patent Reference 4 all contain an As2O3 component to the same degree as before, and these do not verify whether the reduction in the content of the clarifying agent or the absence of the clarifying agent could attain the same effect as in this reference.
Examples in Patent Reference 5 do not contain an As2O3 component or an Sb2O3 component, and their transmittance within a visible light region is poor and their expansion coefficient is large.
Patent Reference 6 discloses a method for producing Li2O—Al2O3—SiO2-based crystallized glass to which helium or neon are added in its production step for clarifying the glass. For adding helium or neon, the reference discloses a method of melting the glass material in a helium or neon atmosphere, and a method of melting a substance or cullet glass containing a high concentration of helium or neon as the glass material. In the former method, however, the cost of the production equipment is high and therefore the equipment maintenance cost is also high. In the latter method, the production of the substance or cullet glass containing a high concentration of helium or neon and the supply thereof in a market are not realistic.    Patent Reference 1: JP-A-8-133783    Patent Reference 2: JP-A-2005-89272    Patent Reference 3: JP-A-2002-326837    Patent Reference 4: JP-A-2000-247681    Patent Reference 5: JP-A-60-255634    Patent Reference 6: JP-A-2005-53711

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Crystallized glass, and method for producing crystallized glass


A method of applying a solid to a container includes placing a portion of the container between two surfaces, at least one of the surfaces being movable relative to the other surface to define a variable space between the surfaces; and applying the solid to a selected portion of the container. In some embodiments, the solid includes a flavor enhancer, and the selected portion is proximate a rim edge of the container.

Granulated solids have been applied to the rim portion of glassware as a flavor enhancer for beverages. For example, a margarita or a beer may be served in a salt-rimmed glass, a daiquiri may be served in a sugar-rimmed glass, a bloody Caesar may be served in a celery salt and pepper-rimmed glass, and non-alcoholic beverages, such as mulled cider, may be served in a cinnamon spice-rimmed glass. These beverages can be prepared by wetting the rim portion of a glass, for example, by dipping the rim portion into shallow dish of water, and then dipping the rim portion into a reservoir containing the selected granulated solids. The glass can then be filled with the desired contents.


A method and apparatus for cleaning, rinsing and drying a reticle used in semiconductor device manufacturing, tilts the reticle during the drying process to prevent water from the rinsing process from collecting and remaining on the reticle. The rectangularly shaped reticle is held in a carrier and the top and bottom edges of the reticle may form an angle of at least about 8° with the horizontal to maximize drying efficiency, when the carrier is placed on a horizontal surface or suspended from above.

Reticles are used in the semiconductor device manufacturing process and are typically formed of a quartz substrate with an opaque pattern formed on one of the surfaces of the quartz substrate. The opaque pattern is generally formed of chrome. The reticle is generally thin, flat and rectangular in shape. Reticles are used to produce patterns of very small dimensions on semiconductor substrates. The patterns may include device features with dimensions in the nanometer range. It is therefore important to keep the reticle very clean because any foreign contamination on the reticle can produce an irregular or distorted pattern. Several reticles are required to produce a single semiconductor device which includes multiple device levels. Since a pattern irregularity due to a dirty reticle at any level of device processing can cause device failure, it is even more critical to maintain each of the several reticles in clean condition to maximize device yield.
Many techniques are used for cleaning reticles and most of these techniques include disposing the reticle in a cleaning solution then rinsing the cleaning solution from the reticle. After the reticle is rinsed, a drying operation takes place. A shortcoming of the present technology is that the rectangular reticles are transported from station to station and then allowed to dry in carriers that orient the reticle with its opposed upper and lower edges essentially in a horizontal position. In conventional reticle carriers, this is true when the carrier is placed on a flat horizontal surface and also if the carrier is suspended from above. When the reticle dries in such a horizontal configuration, the rinsing liquid, typically deionized water, will remain on the top edge of the reticle as well as along the bottom edge of the reticle. When allowed to dry in the ambient air of a semiconductor device fabrication facility, the deionized water remains on the top edge and bottom edge of the horizontally positioned reticle, even after 30 minutes of drying. This residual deionized water is undesirable because it can potentially move to the surface of the reticle, distorting the pattern, when the reticle is eventually maneuvered. If a turbulent airflow is used to remove the residual water, the turbulent airflow itself and/or the disbursing deionized water can result in particles or water droplets on the reticle surface and these particles or water droplets can cause pattern defects and device failure.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a reticle cleaning and drying method and apparatus that cleans and dries the reticle without leaving contaminating particles or residual water.

Reticle carrier apparatus and method that tilts reticle for drying


A communication system includes an external entity and a 5G system (5GS), wherein the 5GS comprises a 5G core (5GC), wherein the 5GC comprises a functional entity, a Unified Data Management (UDM), a Session Management Function (SMF), and a User Plane Function (UPF). A method for setting up expected communication behavior information in the system includes: performing, by the external entity, an Application Programming Interface (API) call via an API of the functional entity and setting up an expected communication behavior for a subscriber or set of subscribers, a data network name (DNN), a 5G virtual network (VN), a slice or a combination thereof that the functional entity is allowed to manage.

One of the 5GS requirements included in 3GPP TS 22.261 is related to exposure of network capabilities to external entities, i.e. third-party entities. In detail, TS 22.261 specifies that the 3GPP network shall be able to provide suitable and secure means to enable an authorized external entity to provide the 3GPP network via encrypted connection with the expected communication behavior of user equipment(s) (UE(s)), wherein the expected communication behavior is, for instance, the application servers a UE is allowed to communicate with, the time a UE is allowed to communicate, or the allowed geographic area of a UE.
Further, the authorized external entity shall provide via encrypted connection the 3GPP network with the actions expected from the 3GPP network when detecting behavior that falls outside the expected communication behavior, wherein such actions can be, for instance, to terminate the UE's communication, to block the transferred data between the UE and the not allowed application.
In the following specification, the term allowed UE communication behavior is employed to refer to: addresses or UEs that a UE is allowed to communicate to and the action the 5GS should take when a UE sends packets to an address or UE it is not allowed to communicate to.
Furthermore, deployment cases where functional entities of a 5GS may be deployed in mixed settings, where, for example, an enterprise customer would run local parts of a 5GS on their information technology (IT) system, are being considered in 3GPP. In particular, it considers the case of Non-Public Networks (NPNs), also often referred to as "Campus Networks" or "Private Networks", the case that the 5G non-public network is deployed on the organization's defined premises, such as a campus or a factory, due to the high quality of service (QoS)/security requirements, or to be isolated from other networks as a form of protection, etc.
Additionally, 5G, in its Release 15 (TS 23.501, 3.1 Definitions) provides some methods for providing Ethernet connectivity besides IP and for grouping subscribers in groups via 5G LAN-Type Services.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary 5G system (5GS) comprising a user equipment (UE), an access network (AN), and a core network (CN), where the 5GS provides connectivity to UEs connected via an access network (e.g. 5G New Radio gNBs or WiFi) and a 5G core (5GC) provides connectivity to a data network (DN, e.g. the Internet). The 5GS can enable communication between UEs, between UEs and one or more DNs or a combination of both.
FIG. 2 illustrates part of the 5G system architecture as standardized by 3GPP. A user equipment (UE), e.g. a mobile phone or other device, is connected to a radio access network (RAN). The RAN is connected to the User Plane Function (UPF) part of the 5GC, which allows the UE to have connectivity to a data network (DN), e.g. an external data network, such as the Internet.
The 5GC is comprised of Network Functions (NFs), i.e. functional entities, each functional entity tasked with a defined set of responsibilities, as defined in TS 23.501. FIG. 2 illustrates some of these functional entities (the ones that relevant for the invention) such as the Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Binding Support Function (BSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF).
The Network Exposure function (NEF) is tasked, as defined in TS 23.501, 5.20 with supporting external exposure of capabilities of network functions. External exposure can be categorized as Monitoring capability, Provisioning capability, Policy/Charging capability and Analytics reporting capability.
Allowed Address Pairs (AAPs) is a feature associated with virtualization and OpenStack (free open standard cloud computing platform) that allows to add additional IP/MAC addresses to a network port (besides the port's own addresses) to allow traffic that matches those specified values. This address list is commonly referred to as the AAPs of the port.
The conventional state of the art in OpenStack is that the allowed address pair extension extends the port attribute to enable a user or administrator to specify arbitrary media access control (MAC) address/Internet Protocol (IP) address (Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) supported, e.g. 192.168.100.0/22) pairs that are allowed to pass through a port regardless of the subnet associated with the network.

Method for setting up and for application of expected communication behavior and in communication system


Methods and systems are provided for improving crankcase ventilation by directing heated air to a crankcase. Air is drawn into the crankcase upon passage through an interstitial space of a double walled exhaust manifold where it is heated. Crankcase vapors are then released to the engine intake, downstream of an intake throttle.

Under cold start conditions, a vehicle engine and powertrain may have cooled to ambient conditions. Consequently, each component of the engine and powertrain has to be warmed-up to a desired operating temperature. The time taken to overcome the lower powertrain temperature and reach an optimum operating temperature may be significantly large. While the engine warms up, there may be high friction within the engine due to a higher viscosity of engine fluids such as engine oil when they are relatively cold, and further, heat may be lost to engine coolant thereby reducing a thermal efficiency of the engine. Overall, these effects may lead to a lower fuel economy, an increase in engine wear, as well as an increase in exhaust emissions. Thus, accelerating an engine warm-up can provide various benefits.
Various approaches have been developed to expedite engine heating during an engine cold-start. For example, engine intake air may be heated via a dedicated heater. In still other approaches, fuel injection and/or ignition timing adjustments are used to expedite heating during start-up. The inventors herein have recognized that heat transfer to the engine internal components can be further improved by heating the fresh air entering the crankcase. In particular, this may allow for higher rates of heat transfer at low ambient temperatures. As such, various approaches have also been developed for heating crankcase gases. For example, intake air may be heated via a heating assembly coupled to the air induction system, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,797,674. As another example, as shown in US 20050016474, intake air may be delivered to a crankcase after passing through a heating box, the heating box warmed via radiant heat from engine cylinders and exhaust gas.
However, an issue with such approaches is the need for a dedicated heater, which can add component complexity and costs. In addition, the operation of the heater may lead to a fuel economy penalty. Further still, heating of the intake manifold air can worsen the engine's knock limit, and decrease the engines maximum power output. In systems relying on heat exchange via a coolant, the maximum coolant temperature may limit the amount of heat that can be transferred. In addition, the relatively slow warm-up of a coolant may limit the portion of a trip time that can be utilized to heat intake air or crankcase gases. Thus, heating the engine intake air may be substantially different from heating the air intentionally entering the crankcase. It is also different from heating the fittings through which the crankcase air passes as it leaves the crankcase (which is done for freeze avoidance).
In one example, some of the above issues may be at least partly addressed by a method for an engine, comprising drawing fresh air through an interstitial space of a double wall exhaust system to heat the air, and then directing the heated air to a crankcase. In this way, engine heating may be expedited.
As an example, an engine may include a double walled exhaust manifold that is configured as an exhaust-to-air heat exchanger. Fresh intake air (boosted or unboosted) is drawn, from upstream of an intake throttle, through an interstitial space of the double walled exhaust manifold to heat the air with exhaust heat. The heated air is then directed to a crankcase for positive crankcase ventilation (PCV). This allows heat to be transferred to engine internals. The transfer rate increases as the ambient temperature decreases, allowing for higher heat transfer at engine cold-start conditions. In other words, more heat is serendipitously transferred to a location suited for engine heating during conditions when rapid engine warming is most required. Crankcase vapors released from the crankcase are then received in the engine intake manifold, downstream of the intake throttle. A temperature of the crankcase vapors, however, may be lower than the temperature of the heated air entering the crankcase. For example, the crankcase vapors may be at the bulk temperature of the crankcase. In other words, heating the crankcase air does not lead to a corresponding increase in the temperature of crankcase vapors entering the engine. As a result, issues related to heating of the intake manifold air, such as worsening of a knock limit, or a decrease in the engines maximum power, are averted. The approach may also be used with crankcase ventilation systems that operate at largely constant flow rate to further improve blow-by gas oil separation.
In this way, the double wall exhaust manifold as described herein establishes a synergy in functionality, in that heated intake air can be drawn into the crankcase to expedite engine heat transfer precisely when engine heating is desired, without heating the crankcase gases delivered to the engine intake. By expediting engine heating during an engine cold-start, fuel economy, engine performance, and exhaust emissions improvements are achieved. As such, freezing of the crankcase effluent in the exit conduit can occur at cold ambient temperatures and can be exacerbated by cold, moist ventilation air entering the crankcase. Herein, by delivering heated air to a crankcase, the need to heat PCV fittings, to prevent icing, is reduced. As such, this leads to further improvements in fuel economy and improvements in PCV performance.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method and system for expediting engine warm-up


A system and method for identifying optimal mapping of logical links to the physical topology of a network is provided. Upon obtaining one or more mapping options for mapping multiple logical links between one or more pairs of network nodes onto physical paths that are at least relatively disjoint and obtaining a maximum time delay allowed between the each pair of network nodes, the mapping options are correlated with the maximum time delay to identify optimal mapping of logical links to the physical topology of a network.

Most Internet Protocol (IP) backbone networks are designed on top of a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) infrastructure. An IP network is a set of logical links that are statically mapped on the physical links of the fiber network. In a DWDM network, each logical link is assigned one wavelength if wavelength continuity is required, or a sequence of wavelengths if wavelength conversion equipment is present. Further, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are systematically forced to use the shortest distance path between two Points of Presence (PoPs) in order to meet their promised Service Level Agreements (SLAs). In this environment, several logical links (each using a different wavelength) may traverse the same fiber (or the same conduit), making the IP network vulnerable to a physical link failure, such as a fiber cut, that can bring down a significant fraction of the IP routes.
In the past, a Synchronous Optical network (SONET) was used to offer protection and fast restoration of service. However, due to the cost of optical equipment, most ISPs do not use SONET protection anymore. Instead, they rely on the IP layer to restore the connectivity in case of failure. When equipment fails in the topical network, IP routers detect the failure and update their routing tables with alternate logical links. This approach only succeeds if the remaining set of logical links still forms a connected topology.
Mapping logical links to the physical topology to assure connectivity during failures has already been studied. Prior approaches include an Integer Linear Problem (ILP) formulation that solves the problem for moderate size networks by applying a Branch & Cut algorithm. However, this approach assumes there is only a single logical link between network node pairs and does not take into account any delay constraints.
Topology mapping with wavelength constraints has also been studied. Without wavelength converters, the problem is known as the wavelengths assignment problem (WAP). This problem is similar to the path-coloring problem in standard graphs, which is equivalent to the general vertex-coloring problem. Numerous heuristics have been proposed for different types of topologies. However, these approaches do not balance the tradeoff between running time and quality of the solution.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a system and method for identifying optimal mapping of logical links to the physical topology of a network that incorporates practical considerations, such as delay constraints, wavelength availability and multiple logical links between network node pairs.

Method and system for correlating practical constraints in a network


An apparatus and method is provided for electrically interfacing a first terminal device and a second terminal device to a shared serial port interface of a host by first connecting the first terminal device to a portion of the lines of the serial port interface, then connecting the second terminal device to at least some of the remaining lines of the serial port interface, and initializing the host for data communication with both the first and second terminal devices. In the disclosed embodiment, the second terminal device is a remote control apparatus interfaced to unused lines of a serial port interface of a host device. The host device is of the type adapted for simultaneous communication with both a terminal device and the remote control apparatus through a single-dedicated serial communications port interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wired, non-intrusive remote control device and to a method for interfacing the remote control device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many present-day computer applications it is desirable to interconnect the computer to a variety of peripheral units. These units may include printers, terminals, digital storage units and even remote control devices. In addition, it may also be desirable to interconnect two or more computers in a network arrangement, either in one location or in remote locations.
In order to effect communication between the computer and the peripheral units, and/or between networked computers, the communicating device must convert its internal electronic signals into a set of electronic signals which can be properly received and processed by the computer. One industry standard set of electronic signals which has been established for communications between various devices is known as "RS232" standard interface signals, in which a digital "0" and "1" are represented by plus or minus twelve volt signals, respectively.
In order to operate with RS232 signal levels, a computer must have its own interface circuitry to convert the RS232 voltage levels into the internal voltage levels actually used in the machine. In many computers, a special RS232 serial communications interface or "port" is provided for communication with external units. Each such port includes a number of lines or conductors.
A problem that has arisen with many computers is that there are usually not enough ports available to accommodate simultaneous interconnection of all necessary external units. This problem is particularly noteworthy with automotive engine analyzers. Engine analyzers are essentially special-purpose computer systems which communicate with a number of peripheral devices, such as gas analyzers, printers, and the like, via conventional RS232 serial communications ports. Each peripheral device is assigned to a dedicated, single-device port for communication with the engine analyzer. Some devices, like printers, use most if not all of the available RS232 port lines to effect data communication. Others, like gas analyzers, use only a few of the available RS232 port lines, with the remaining lines going unused.
Under engine analyzer control, gas analyzers are used to diagnose the exhaust gases of a motor vehicle, including collecting and measuring concentration levels of certain ingredients of exhaust gases. Typically, the gas analyzer test involves having an automotive technician subject the vehicle under test to varying driving conditions. This requires the technician to be seated in the driver's seat of the running vehicle so that the vehicle speed (MPH) may be appropriately varied during the test. Presently, in order to properly start or abort the test, the seated technician must have an assistant standing next to the engine analyzer entering the appropriate keyboard commands (i.e., `start` test, `abort` test). This is because the technician is necessarily a considerable distance from the engine analyzer and particularly the analyzer's command-entering keyboard. The technician is then guided by a drive trace on the analyzer display which assists him in maintaining the vehicle within a varying range of speeds. The present inventors have recognized that by interfacing a wired remote control device to the engine analyzer, appropriate test initiation and related commands can be remotely communicated by the technician to the engine analyzer, obviating the need for an assistant.
However, because the maximum number of available serial RS232 ports are predetermined by the system architecture of the engine analyzer, adding even one extra port to accommodate communication with a remote control device, the only function of which would be to remotely start or abort the emissions test described above, is generally not practical. It is possible to use non-wired remote control units which communicate by radio or light waves with the engine analyzer, however this also requires modification of the engine analyzer.

Method and apparatus for simultaneously coupling plural terminal devices through serial port and remote control apparatus incorporating same


The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the protection and restoration of hearing. In particular, the present invention relates to methods and compositions for the prevention of chemical (e.g., cisplatin) induced deafness. The present invention thus provides methods of improving the outcome of subjects treated with cisplatin.

Hearing impairment is the United State's number one disability. It has been estimated to compromise the quality of life and communication in more than 30 million Americans, and approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. With the increase in longevity in life and the association of hearing impairment with aging, this disability is increasing in incidence and prevalence. In children, it severely affects education and future employment opportunities. In a working individual, it compromises the quality of life, job satisfaction, and productivity; and in the elderly, it leads to isolation and increased medical costs.
Sensorineural hearing loss is better known as nerve deafness. This is behind 95% of all hearing problems. It usually happens because the tiny, sound-transmitting structures deep within the ear wear down or get damaged. Sound enters the inner ear, but it doesn't get sent to the brain in the right way. Nerve deafness can be caused by loud noise, use of ear-damaging or ototoxic drugs, infections like measles and meningitis, an accident or trauma, or a birth or hereditary defect. Treatments for nerve deafness (e.g., hearing aids), allow for improved hearing and improved quality of life in some individuals.
The remaining 5% of hearing problems are due to conductive hearing loss. In these conditions, sound is not transferred from the outer to the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss can result from a punctured eardrum, severely impacted earwax (cerumen), head trauma, birth defects, or heredity. While currently available treatments are effective for certain types of hearing loss, additional treatments for the prevention of deafness remained needed.

Prevention of cisplatin induced deafness

The Regents of the University of Michigan


A safety and accessibility assembly (10) having a pair of substantially identical hook portions (20, 26) which are coupled to a support frame having several pillar portions (12, 14, 16, 18), wherein the pillar portions (12, 14, 16, 18) are coupled to a platform portion (30). Particularly, the hook portions (20, 26) are adapted to removably and frictionally couple to a sea wall (100), thereby suspending the pillar portions (12, 14, 16, 18) and the platform (30) above a body of water (200), effective to allow accessibility into and out of the body of water (200) despite the level of the water (202).

Oftentimes, bodies of water are contained, controlled, or otherwise augmented by use of a conventional sea wall. Individuals that own property or access to the body of water may be forced to dock a boat, other water conveyance, or enter and exit the body of water via the sea wall rather than a conventional dock. In these cases, the individuals are forced to accept the ever changing water levels of the body of water and to gain access to the body of water, boat, or other water conveyance despite the level of the water. As is well know, a sea wall is a substantially fixed structure that may not be readily raised or lowered and, this substantially fixed structure remains at a fixed height despite the level of water in which the sea wall is disposed.
Oftentimes, the level of water relative to the sea wall is substantially lower than the top of the sea wall. During these frequent occurrences, individuals that desire to gain access to the body of water, boat, or other water conveyance are typically forced to either abstain from gaining access to the body of water, boat, or other water conveyance or forced to literally jump or throw their bodies from the top of the sea wall in attempts to gain access to the body of water, boat, or other water conveyance, all while concomitantly attempting to avoid injury from such a fall. Moreover, if the individuals opted to jump from the sea wall, they still must find a way to exit the body of water, boat, or other water conveyance. Typically, average individuals cannot negotiate more than a couple of feet difference between the surface of water and the top of a sea wall, thereby forcing the individuals to find an alternate exit point, if one even exists. If the individuals are attempting to exit from a boat or other water conveyance, the individuals may successfully leap from the boat or other water conveyance and reach the top of the sea wall, however if the distance from the boat surface to the top of the sea wall is greater than the individual's body height, an average individual cannot leap high enough from a moving surface to even grab the top of the sea wall, thereby forcing the individual to find an alternate exit point from the boat or other water conveyance, if one even exists.
During winter months, these bodies of water typically freeze at a substantially low level with respect to the top of the sea wall, thereby posing an extremely dangerous fall to an individual that desires to perform such activities as ice fishing or ice skating. Moreover, upon gaining access to the surface of the ice, the individuals must also find a way to exit the surface of the ice upon completion of the aforementioned activities, if an alternate exit point even exists.
There is therefore a need for an assembly which allows an individual or group of individuals to gain access to and exit from a boat, other water conveyance, or the body of water from a sea wall despite the level of the water in respect to the top of the sea wall. There is still a need for an assembly which may be selectively and removably disposed upon a sea wall which allows an individual or group of individuals to gain access to and exit from a boat, other water conveyance, or the body of water from a sea wall despite the level of the water in respect to the top of the sea wall, and which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior traversal from sea wall to water line, boat, or other water conveyance methodologies.


The present invention, a tire mounting device, is a lifting and transporting device for the facilitating the removing and replacing of a tire. The tire mounting device comprises a cross assembly, handle assembly, left fork assembly, and right fork assembly. The handle assembly is perpendicularly rigidly attached to the cross assembly. The left fork assembly and right fork assembly are rigidly attached to opposing ends of cross assembly which extends horizontally. An obtuse angle is disposed in an intermediate position with each fork assembly. Tire supports the underside of each fork assembly to allow for the transporting the tire upon the tire mounting device.

The present invention relates to a tire lifting tools. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tire mounting device which is capable of lifting a wheel and allowing the wheel to be rotated to align the studs with the wheel for mounting on a vehicle.
The prior art describes several patents capable of transporting a tire from one location to another. For example; U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,226 relates to a tire dolly capable relocating a tire from one location to another. However, the present invention provides a unique tire mounting device design.


Waste water containing ammonium nitrogen is brought into contact with either one of a catalytically acting substance for converting an ammonium oxidizing product produced by being oxidized by oxidizing bacteria for oxidizing ammonium nitrogen or converting bacteria for reproducing converting capacity of the catalytically acting substance in the aerobic condition.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and a system for removing nitrogen and immobilized microorganisms, and more particularly to a method and a system for removing nitrogen and immobilized microorganisms, in which processing time is short and energy-saving type waste water process can be performed.
2. Description of Related Art
Nitrogen in the waste water such as drainage, excrement and industrial waste water is attributed to a cause of the eutrophication phenomenon in a closed water area such as a lake, an interior bay and the like.
A method of removing nitrogen for removing the nitrogen component from the waste water, a biological nitrogen removing process utilizing bacteria has been performed, and, as a typical example thereof, an activated sludge circulation modified method has been used. According to this biological nitrogen removing method, by utilizing oxidizing capacity of a nitrogen composed of nitrifying bacteria as being independent nutritional bacteria, firstly ammonium nitrogen in the waste water oxidized into nitrous acid and nitric acid in the aerobic condition thereafter, under the work of denitrifying bacteria as being subordinate nutritional bacteria, by utilizing the organic substance and the like in the waste water as an electron donor, nitrous acid and nitric acid are reduced to nitrogen in the anaerobic condition, whereby nitrogen is removed from the waste water.
Furthermore, as for the removal of nitrogen, it is required that the total value of nitrogen in processed water (T-N) is 10 mg/L or less, and as viewed from T-N removal rate is about 50%.
However, the conventional biological nitrogen removing method has a disadvantage in that quite a long time is required for processing and another disadvantage is, in the denitrifying reaction, since there is required a hydrogen donor such for example as methanol and hydrogen, as being an energy source of reducing power of denitrifying bacteria, processing cost is raised.
Furthermore, in the case of the conventional biological nitrogen removing method, there are required two tanks including a nitrifying tank, in which nitrifying reaction is performed in the aerobic condition and another tank, in which denitrifying reaction is performed in the anaerobic condition, whereby such disadvantages are presented that, the system is large-sized, and moreover, the provision of the two tanks necessitates an energy for circulating the waste water between the nitrifying tank and the denitrifying tank.
As described above, the conventional biological nitrogen removing method as being typified by activated sludge circulation modified method is not satisfied in the respects of the processing time, the processing cost, and making the system compact and so forth.

Method and system for removing nitrogen and immobilized microorganisms

Hitachi Plant Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.


Methods and apparatus to enhance performance of Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) disk drives in Serial-Attached Small Computer System Interface (SAS) domains are described. In one embodiment, a data packets and/or commands communicated in accordance with SAS protocol may be converted into SATA protocol. Other embodiments are also described.

SAS is becoming more popular in enterprise storage systems. SAS may support SATA disk drives through a tunneling protocol (which may be referred to as SATA Tunneling Protocol (STP)). SATA was, however, not designed for a multi-device implementation. SATA is generally a point-to-point implementation. SATA is also limited because it is single duplex whereas SAS is a full duplex architecture.
Moreover, in operation, SAS may send input/output (I/O) data to SAS devices and is throttled by the target drive. For example, the initiator may send a task list to the target drive and the target drive may read or write data at its leisure. When SAS performs I/Os to SATA devices, a path between the initiator and the target is opened and held open for the length of the I/O. This is an inefficient use of the SAS bus, and holds off transactions to/from other targets.
In some current implementations, it is possible for a SATA device to operate in such a manner that its link will come up for a moment then be dropped. This causes a Serial Management Protocol (SMP) message to be sent through out the SAS domain, e.g., one for the link up then another for the link down. These messages inform the initiators on the domain that a change has taken place and that the initiators need to rescan the domain. The following rescan causes many more SMP messages or commands. This process may take a relatively long time and may consume valuable communication resources. If this process is continued in a SAS domain, little to no useful traffic propagation may be able to take place.
Accordingly, there is currently no good solution for the inefficiencies imposed by STP when SATA disk drives are coupled to SAS domains.

Enhancing performance of SATA disk drives in SAS domains


A box made of cardboard or similar material is formed from a single-piece, pre-cut, substantially flat blank delimiting four faces joined together along substantially parallel longitudinal fold lines so as, after folding, to form a sleeve whose ends are closed by two end wall panels. A wedging structure is provided for wedging the object inside the box, the wedging structure being formed of a portion of the flat blank extending substantially in the continuation of a first face, to which the portion is connected by a first transverse fold line. The portion has one end adjacent to the first face, and a free end intended to be fixed to a second. The box is suitable particularly for packaging a tube.

The present invention relates to a packaging box, particularly one made of cardboard or a similar material, intended to house, and hold in place during transport and/or during the storage period, an object such as a flexible tube, for example one made of metal. More particularly, the invention is aimed at a packaging box of the type with built-in wedging, making it possible to improve the immobilization of the packaged object as compared with a simple box, and protect it from any damage.
Packaging boxes of this type have been known for a long time for protecting and presenting products packaged in tubes, such as cosmetic products for example facial care creams, protective sun creams, toothpastes, and also dermo-pharmaceutical products, adhesives, foodstuffs such as mayonnaise, etc.
These tubes, particularly when they are tubes containing a cosmetic product, often have a small volume, considerably smaller than the volume of the packaging in which they are intended to be stored. For this reason, a wedging device is desirable, to hold the tube stationary in its box, during transport and the storage period.
At the present time, many packaging boxes equipped with a wedging device are available on the market. The cost of these boxes needs to be as low as possible, hence the need for their structure to be simple and for their manufacture to be easy and lend itself it automation. To this end, every attempt is made, wherever possible, to produce packaging boxes which are equipped with a built-in wedging device, made as a single piece, by cutting out a flat blank of cardboard or some other similar material. This operation is followed by successive foldings of the various portions of the flat blank of which the box is made. The box may thereafter be strengthened in a conventional way in preparation for the packaging of an object, by gluing.
FR-A-2,771,378 discloses a box for packaging an object such as a tube, this box being obtained by successive folding operations on a one-piece flat blank comprising means for wedging the object inside the box. This flat blank consists of a succession of eleven panels, joined together by parallel fold lines. Seven panels are used to form the wedging means. The box is strengthened in three gluing zones.
The manufacture of this box requires relatively complicated industrial tooling which leads to a high cost of manufacture. Furthermore, the structure of this box requires a flat blank of relatively high surface area by comparison with the volume of the box formed after the flat blank is assembled.
Another source, DE-U-299 02 027, describes a packaging box for a tube, obtained from a pre-cut and pre-folded cardboard flat blank forming four faces intended, after folding, to form the outside of a parallelepipedal sleeve. The two open ends of the sleeve comprise, as is usual, two end wall panels capable of closing the ends of the sleeve and of forming therewith the outside of the box. The flat blank further comprises a succession of six elements of substantially triangular structure. The elements extend transverse to the longitudinal direction of the blank, thereby requiring a relatively significant amount of material. These elements are arranged inside the box so as to define a xe2x80x9cfunnel-shapedxe2x80x9d space in which the object that is to be packaged can be wedged. This box has pretty much the same drawbacks as the box described in FR-A-2,771,378.
Hence, the present invention aims to provide a box comprising a built-in wedging system, the structure of which is simplified by comparison with the boxes mentioned hereinabove, and which can be produced automatically using an inexpensive manufacturing tool.
The invention also aims to produce a box with built-in wedging, the flat blank of which is of reduced size, as compared with the flat blanks of the aforementioned boxes.
Another aspect of the invention is a box which can be knocked down flat after the wedging structures have been assembled and fixed. By virtue of this arrangement, it is possible to store a batch of empty boxes in a minimum volume, allowing the object that is to be packaged to be introduced directly thereafter, once the box has been opened up.
It should be understood that the invention could still be practiced without performing one or more of the preferred objects and/or advantages set forth above. Still other objects will become apparent after reading the following description of the invention.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention includes a box for packaging an object. The box is preferably made of cardboard or similar material, and is intended to contain at least one object, for example a tube of cosmetic product. This box is formed from a one-piece, pre-cut, substantially flat blank delimiting four faces joined together along substantially parallel longitudinal fold lines. Thus, after folding, a sleeve is formed whose ends can be closed by two end wall panels. Structure is provided for wedging the at least one object inside the box, the wedging structure being formed of a portion of the flat blank extending substantially as a longitudinal continuation of a first face. In other words, the wedging structure is a portion of the flat blank, which portion lies on the longitudinal axis of one of the faces of the pre-cut flat blank.
These wedging structures are designed so as, when the box is assembled, to partially delimit at least one housing intended to house the at least one object, the housing being of a cross-section which varies gradually over at least part of its axial height.
Advantageously, the cross section of the housing is substantially zero at a first end of the housing and substantially equal to the cross section of the sleeve at a second end of the housing which is the opposite end to the first.
Advantageously also, the wedging structure includes at least two parts inside which the housing is formed.
Advantageously, the portion forming the wedging structure is connected to this first face by a first transverse fold line.
According to one embodiment, this portion has one end adjacent to the first face, and a free end intended, when the box is assembled, to be fixed to a second face, located facing the first one. With such a configuration, the wedging structure constitute a structure that forms a housing capable of housing the object inside the structure.
Thus, the portion of the blank forming the wedging structure includes a second transverse fold line between the end adjacent to the first face and the free end, the portion being folded about the second transverse fold line before its free end is fixed to the second face, the second transverse fold line forming the end wall of a zone of the box that is intended to house the object.
Advantageously, the free end of the flat blank portion forming the wedging structure is fixed to the second face near one end of the box located at the opposite end to the second transverse fold line.
According to a simplified embodiment, the free end of the portion may not be fixed to the second face. In this configuration, the free end is intended, when the box is assembled, to rest freely against the second face located facing the first. The resting of the second end against the second face is to a greater or lesser extent dependent on the volume of the object wedged between the two parts of the wedging structure.
Alternatively, the portion forming the wedging structure is folded about the second transverse fold line before its free end is fixed to the second face so that the wedging structure comprise at least two parts on the outside of which the housing intended to house the object is formed. In this configuration, the portion is connected to the first face by the first transverse fold line, the portion forming the wedging structure comprising an end adjacent to the first face, and a free end intended, when the box is assembled, to be fixed to a second face adjacent to the first. With such a configuration, the wedging structure constitutes a structure forming a spring capable of wedging the object between an external zone of the wedging structure and two adjacent faces of the sleeve.
Advantageously, the flat blank includes a sheet of cardboard, corrugated cardboard or any other material, such as a sheet of plastic, which has been appropriately cut and folded.
In particular, the object to be packaged is, for example, a tube, made for example of plastic, metal or a metal/plastic complex and containing for example a cosmetic product, and having one of its ends formed by an end wall obtained by squeezing together and welding along a closure line, it being possible for the tube to be of a width that increases towards the closure line. The second end of the tube has an open neck with a removable cap. However, in theory, any other object can be packaged in the box according to the invention, provided it has an appropriate shape.
Advantageously the portion forming the wedging structure comprises a second transverse fold line located between the end adjacent to the first face and the free end of the internal portion. This internal portion is folded about the second transverse fold line before its free end is fixed to the second face, the second transverse fold line forming the end wall of a zone of the box that is intended to house the object.
In other words, this then yields a box of parallelepipedal external shape, formed of two parallel main faces, two parallel side faces and two parallel end wall panels, at least one of which can remain open for introducing and extracting the object, the wedging structure comprising a two-part internal portion, these two parts making an acute angle between them. Each of the ends of the two side faces has a fold-in flap, which is folded before the two end wall panels are closed. However, it is conceivable for boxes of prismatic shape to be produced.
Advantageously, the free end of the internal portion of the flat blank forming the wedging structure is fixed to the second face near an end of the box located at the opposite end to the second transverse fold line.
Preferably the second transverse fold line is not parallel to the first transverse fold line. Specifically, the second transverse fold line may, with the first transverse fold line, make an angle xcex1 of between about 0xc2x0 and about 45xc2x0 and preferably from about 5xc2x0 to about 35xc2x0. Thus, when the box is assembled, the two parts of the portion forming the wedging structure are twisted. This yields a configuration whereby the second fold line may be situated roughly along a diagonal, with respect to the cross section of the sleeve the box.
As a preference, the angle xcex1 is chosen so that, depending on the dimensions of the box, the box can be knocked down flat after the sleeve has been formed and after the wedging structure has been fixed to the second face.
Advantageously, the free end of the flat blank portion forming the wedging structure is in the form of a tab attached to the flat blank portion by a third fold line parallel to the first transverse fold line. This free end is fixed to a zone of the second face, which zone is located near the end of the box located at the opposite end to the second transverse fold line.
The second transverse fold line has a mid-point located a determined distance from the first and second transverse fold lines. Advantageously, the distances are substantially identical.
According to one particular embodiment, the portion forming the wedging structure has an opening, for example a central opening, stretching in particular on each side of the second fold line. This opening is intended to house and immobilize an end portion of the object consisting, for example, of the cap of a tube. If appropriate, this opening can be made on just one of the portions of the wedging structure.
According to another embodiment, the box of the invention can be used for packaging two separate objects, each object wedged at one end of the box. For this purpose, two wedging structures are provided for wedging the two objects, each of these being located at one of the ends of the sleeve. These wedging structures are formed of a first portion of the flat blank and of a second portion of the flat blank, the first and second portions being oriented away from each other, each of the portions being of a length at most equal to the height of the box, defined by the length of the longitudinal fold lines of the sleeve.
Thus, the layout of the box of the invention allows one or two objects to be inserted into the box on an automatic packaging line. This arrangement also makes it possible for the object or objects to be positioned and immobilized in a given orientation inside the box, this being convenient, particularly when the objects are fragile.
The arrangement of the box according to the invention also allows the production of a box of simple structure with a small number of parts; an appreciable reduction in the total surface area of the flat blank as compared with the volume formed by the box, due to minimal superpositions of the various panels when assembling the box; the use of a simple and inexpensive industrial tool; and a fragile object can be protected against knocks during transport. The already assembled box, ready to receive the object that is to be packaged once the box has been opened up, can be knocked down flat, making it possible to minimize the volume required for storing the box prior to use. The external faces of the box may be decorated or printed at the same time as the visible part of the wedging structure and flexible positioning of the wedging structure by elastic deformation (bending and/or twisting) is possible.
According to one aspect of the invention, a box is provided. The box includes a substantially flat blank having a plurality of faces joined together along longitudinal fold lines, the faces forming, when the blank is folded along the fold lines, a sleeve having two ends, each configured to be closed by a respective end wall, and a wedging structure configured to wedge the at least one object inside the box, the wedging structure being formed from a portion of the blank extending substantially as a longitudinal continuation of a first face, the wedging structure being designed so as, when the box is assembled, to partially delimit at least one housing configured to house the at least one object, the housing having a cross-section varying gradually along at least a portion of the housing between first and second ends of the housing.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided. The system includes a box comprising a substantially flat blank having a plurality of faces joined together along longitudinal fold lines, the faces forming, when the blank is folded along the fold lines, a sleeve having two ends, each configured to be closed by a respective end wall, and a wedging structure configured to wedge the at least one object inside the box, the wedging structure being formed from a portion of the blank extending substantially as a longitudinal continuation of a first face, the wedging structure being designed so as, when the box is assembled, to partially delimit at least one housing configured to house the at least one object, the housing having a cross-section varying gradually along at least a portion of the housing between first and second ends of the housing, and a tube containing a product.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a box for containing at least two separate objects is provided. The box includes a single-piece, pre-cut, substantially flat blank having four faces joined together along substantially parallel longitudinal fold lines, the faces forming, when the blank is folded along the fold lines, a sleeve having two ends, each configured to be closed by a respective end wall, and two wedging structures, each configured to wedge one separate object inside the box, the wedging structures being formed from portions of the flat blank, one portion extending substantially as a continuation of a first face and a second portion extending substantially as a continuation of a second face, the wedging structures being designed so as, when the box is assembled, to partially delimit two housings, each housing configured to house one respective object, each housing having a cross-section varying along at least a part of its length.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of making a box for containing at least one object is provided. The method includes providing a substantially flat blank having a plurality of faces joined together along longitudinal fold lines, folding a portion of the blank forming a wedging structure and extending substantially as a longitudinal continuation of a first face along a first transverse fold line, folding the portion of the blank forming the wedging structure along a second transverse folding line such that a free end of the portion is adjacent to a second face when the box is assembled, and folding the blank along the longitudinal fold lines to form a sleeve having two ends.
In order to give a better understanding of the present invention, a number of embodiments of a packaging box according to the invention and depicted in the appended drawings will now be described by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting examples. Beside the structural arrangements set forth above, the invention could include a number of other arrangements such as those explained hereinafter. It is to be understood that both the foregoing description and the following description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Packaging box containing a built-in wedging structure


A refractory pour tube with a wear resistant plate includes a one-piece composite member formed of different refractory compositions, a casing disposed around a portion of the member, and castable refractory material disposed within the casing. The composite member has a tubular body portion defining an interior bore and an end portion defining a flat plate surface including an opening communicating with the bore. The end portion is formed of a hard refractory composition resistant to abrasion, while the tubular body portion is formed of a refractory composition resistant to thermal shock. First and second castable refractory materials are poured into the casing to form a refractory ring surrounding the flat plate surface and a refractory sleeve surrounding the tubular body portion. The refractory ring cooperates with the flat plate surface to form a hard, wear resistant plate suitable for use in a sliding valve assembly. The refractory sleeve insulates the casing from heat and, along with the refractory ring, secures the casing to the composite member. Manufacture of the pour tube requires minimal machining and is simplified and less expensive than formation of prior art pour tubes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to refractory pouring assemblies for pouring molten metal during a continuous casting process. More particularly, the invention relates to a refractory pour tube for use in such assemblies.
2. Description of Related Art
Refractory pouring assemblies for transferring melt, i.e., molten metal, are known in the art. For example, in a typical casting process, the melt is transferred from a ladle to a tundish, and from the tundish to a mold. The ladle and tundish each have a bottom wall with a port through which the melt exits. A valve assembly of some type is provided to control the flow of melt from the ladle to the tundish, and from the tundish to the mold. In order to transfer the melt from such bottom pouring metallurgical vessels, the valve assembly is provided with a refractory pour tube having upper and lower ends for receiving and discharging the melt.
One known valve assembly includes a plate fixed to the exterior surface of the bottom wall of the vessel, the plate having an opening aligned with the port in the vessel wall. A combined tube and plate assembly is secured beneath the fixed plate and is selectively alignable with the opening in the fixed plate. During a casting process, the valve is actuated to its open position and the melt exits the vessel through the opening in the plate and passes into the pour tube. See, for example, the pouring assemblies disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,348,202, 5,198,126 and 4,746,037.
In conventional refractory pouring assemblies that include a combined pour tube and plate, the plate is formed of an abrasion resistant composition in order to protect the plate during relative sliding against a mating valve plate. Additionally, forming the plate of a hard, wear resistant composition ensures that the peripheral edge around the opening in the plate is hard enough to cut through a metal shell formed in the tube. The body portion of the tube, which is not subjected to sliding abrasion, typically is formed of a refractory composition that is softer and more resistant to thermal shock.
As is known in the art, aspiration of air through the pouring assembly should be avoided because it results in build up of alumina deposits that clog the pouring tube or adversely affect the quality of the cast metal. However, prior art pour tube and plate assemblies formed from separate refractory elements include joints between the elements. This is undesirable because air can be aspirated through the joints, resulting in the problems mentioned above. In one known pour tube construction, a separately formed flat plate of wear resistant refractory is attached to a pour tube by a metal can. This arrangement does not always prevent aspiration of air through the assembly due to the joint between the plate and the tube. Further, air gaps and separation of components can arise during use due to the different rates of thermal expansion of the various materials forming the plate and tube.
In another combined pour tube and plate construction, the plate and tube are co-pressed from different refractory compositions to form a one-piece composite member. While this construction is more likely to prevent air aspiration, than one in which separate elements are joined by a can, manufacturing the composite tube and plate is expensive and requires precise machining. A metal can typically is used with this construction as well and directly contacts the exterior of the combined pour tube and plate. The exterior of the tube and plate thus must be precisely machined to fit properly within the can. This increases the cost and difficulty associated with producing such a construction. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a refractory pour tube that overcomes shortcomings of the prior art.


A water-based ink containing an aqueous dispersion of water-insoluble vinyl polymer particles containing a pigment, wherein the water-insoluble vinyl polymer is prepared by copolymerizing a monomer mixture containing (a) a monomer having a salt-forming group, (b) a monomer having a long-chain alkyl group, (c) a macromer, (d) a monomer having a polyoxyalkylene group, and (e) a monomer copolymerizable with the monomer having a salt-forming group (a), the monomer having a long-chain alkyl group (b), the macromer (c) and the monomer having a polyoxyalkylene group (d). The water-based ink can be suitably used, for instance, as a water-based ink for inkjet recording and the like.

Inkjet recording is a recording system for forming characters or images, comprising directly jetting ink droplets from very fine nozzles to a recording medium, and depositing the ink droplets on the recording medium. This system has some advantages such that not only does the device show excellent operability at a low level of noise, but also the coloration is facilitated and a plain sheet of paper can be used as a recording medium. Therefore, this system has been recently widely used. Especially, the inkjet recording system has advantages in full-color recording techniques such that vivid images having high chroma can be obtained as compared to other recording systems when dyes rich in color tones are used.
Since light-fastness, water resistance and the like are required for an ink used for an inkjet printer, a pigment dispersion has been recently used as a colorant.
In a pigment dispersion which has been used as a writing utensil or general ink, a polymer dispersant, a surfactant or the like has been used. However, when this pigment dispersion is used for a water-based ink for inkjet recording, optical density of a printout is unsatisfactory, and jetting ability or the like of the ink droplet is unsatisfactory.
In order to eliminate this advantage, there has been proposed an ink containing an anionic polymer dispersant made of a copolymer having an aromatic ring, a carboxylate and a long-chain alkyl carboxylate group, an aqueous medium and a pigment as disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 3056664.
However, there are some advantages in this ink such that storage stability of the ink and water resistance of the printout are unsatisfactory.


A method for increasing the permeability to methane of a subterranean coal formation by chemically stimulating the coal formation by injecting a gaseous oxidant into the coal formation and thereafter producing methane from the coal formation at an increased rate. The gaseous oxidant is ozone, oxygen or combinations thereof. The completion of wells penetrating a subterranean coal formation is facilitated by injecting a gaseous oxidant into the coal formation surrounding the well prior to forming a cavity in the coal formation around the well.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for stimulating the formation of cleats in subterranean coal formations and thereby enhancing the relative permeability of existing cleats to both water and gas via chemical treatments. The formation of conductive and contiguous cleat systems within a coal seam is enhanced when the coal matrix is contacted with an oxidative gas. The formation of highly conductive cleat systems allows effective and timely de-watering of the coal formation and increased methane permeability and production and increased ultimate methane recovery. The invention is particularly applicable in coal gas producing areas where production is limited by poor cleat development. The formation of the cleat system also facilitates the completion of wells by cavitation.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Substantial quantities of methane gas are found in subterranean coal formations.
A variety of processes have been used in attempts to recover the methane from the coal formations more efficiently.
The simplest process is the pressure reduction process wherein a borehole is drilled into a coal formation from the surface and methane is withdrawn from the borehole by reducing the pressure to cause methane to be desorbed from and flow from the coal formation into the borehole and to the surface. This method is not efficient because coal formations are generally not extremely porous and the methane is generally not found in the pores of the coal formation but is absorbed onto the coal. While methane can be produced from coal formations by this process, the production of methane is relatively slow.
In some coal formations, the natural permeability is sufficient to allow the removal of in situ water to permit the enhanced recovery of methane. In such formations, cleat systems developed during the coal bed diagenesis provide channel ways through which water and methane migrate to the production wells for removal. This removal of water or "de-watering" of the coal formations removes water from the channel ways and permits the flow of methane through the channel ways and to a production well at a greater rate.
Many coal formations do not have extensively developed cleat systems or have cleat systems which are not fully developed. These coal formations have very low permeability to water and gas and do not yield water or gas at significant rates. As a result, the water fills the channels, and the recovery of methane from such coal formations at significant rates is difficult or impossible. Such low permeability water-containing coal formations may be either water saturated or less than fully water saturated. It appears that coal formations with better developed cleat systems may have been exposed to a diffusive oxidizing fluid of some type during the geologic past whereas coal formations with less developed cleat systems do not show evidence of exposure to an oxidizing fluid in the geologic past.
Accordingly, continuing efforts have been directed to the development of methods for replicating the effects of the conditions in the better developed cleat system coal formations during the geologic past.

Chemically induced permeability enhancement of subterranean coal formation