An automatic, self-adaptive controller for varying the interval between wipes of a windshield wiper arrangement for a vehicle measures current drawn by the windshield wiper arrangement during a forward and return portions of the windshield wiper wipe cycle and calculates an integration of the current over each portion of the windshield wiper wipe cycle to establish forward portion and return portion integration. The magnitude of the portions, which graphically appear as current lobes over time, are indicative of wiper-to-windscreen friction, and hence, wetness. The difference between the forward and return integration is representative of vehicle air speed. The windshield is characterized as wet when the first and second summation values are small, and in that case, a short interval between wipes is established. When the first and second integration values are large, the windshield is deemed to be dry, and a long interval is established between wipes. The windshield wiper system may automatically be turned off when the weather is determined to be dry. When the air speed value is small, the computed interval is not changed. However, when the air speed value is large, the interval is reduced in duration. The invention contemplates the development of parameters for specific vehicle types and models whereby a cost saving is achieved by using the same control system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems for controlling windshield wipers for vehicles, and more particularly, to a system that can be adapted to the mechanical characteristics of specific vehicle models for controlling the duration of an interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to certain environmental conditions and which is self-adaptive in response to information inputted by the vehicle operator.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Conventional windshield wiper arrangements for motor vehicles generally are operable in the states of low on, high on, and intermittent. In many vehicles, the intermittent setting is adjustable whereby the duration between successive wipes can be made shorter or longer, in response to operator actuation of a control element, which may have a linear or rotatory actuation characteristic. Even if a digital arrangement were to be provided, the wiping interval would remain fixed as predetermined by the operator, until a further actuation of the control element.
This known system of controlling the operation of a windshield wiper arrangement does not vary the duration of the wiping interval in response to environmental conditions or vehicle speed. Moreover, the known system does not vary the wiping interval even in response to operator control, such as when the predetermined interval is long and the operator initiates a wipe by actuating a wipe switch during such interval.
There is a need for a system that adapts the wiper interval during intermittent mode of operation in response to environmental conditions, such as the amount of rain falling on a windshield, and the speed of the vehicle. There is additionally a need to achieve the adaptive functionality at low cost and with simplicity. Specifically, without additional sensors, such as a rain sensor, a vehicle air-speed sensor, or a coupling to the vehicle's speedometer.
In addition to the foregoing, it is to be understood that conventional windshield wiper control arrangements of the type mentioned hereinabove do not require any adaptation to the specific vehicle in which they are installed in order to achieve the variability of the wipe interval because of the predetermination of the duration of the interval, illustratively by the operator. However, in an arrangement that would respond to environmental conditions, and which does not employ any sensor to identify or quantify the particular environmental condition, there would be a need to distinguish between the effects that result from the environmental condition and the characteristics of the particular vehicle. There is a need, therefore, for a windshield wiper interval control system that is readily adaptable to the characteristics of specific vehicle types or models.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a control system that varies the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to environmental conditions.
It is another object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the quantity of rain striking the windshield.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the quantity of rain striking the windshield and without the use of a rain sensor.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the speed of the vehicle.
It is additionally an object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the speed of the vehicle and without the need for a vehicle speed sensor.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the speed of the vehicle and without the need for any coupling to, or information from, the vehicle's speedometer.
It is also another object of this invention to provide a windshield wiper control system that adapts the duration of the interval between successive wipes of a windshield wiper in response to the quantity of water present on the windshield, and in response to data derived from the actions of the operator of the vehicle.

Interval control system for intermittent windshield wiper


Described herein are a gaming system, method, computer server, and computer program product that utilise a first gaming table and a predefined number of tokens. The gaming table includes a number of cells that correspond to the number of tokens and each token has an associated value. The tokens are stored in the cells of the gaming table, with one token in each cell, until all of the cells are populated. The gaming system, method, and computer program product of the present disclosure compute a score for a player by utilising the values associated with the tokens.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to entertainment and, in particular, to a gaming server and system.
2. The Relevant Technology
Games of chance, skill, and entertainment exist in many different formats and are played using a variety of different gaming platforms. Such platforms can include, for example, cards, board games, playing fields, and computing devices.
It is desirable for a game to attract a player and retain the attention of the player throughout the duration of the game.
Thus, a need exists to provide an improved gaming server and system.


An easily assembled and transportable containment system. One or more deformable foam support beams are placed end-to-end to form a containment perimeter. A first protective strip is formed on the underside of at least a portion of the length of each support beam, said protective strips extending inwardly towards the center of the containment system and providing added protection from damage that may be caused due to foot or vehicle traffic. A second protective strip rests on top of the first protective strip and adds even additional protection against damage. A containment basin comprising a floor surrounded by side walls serves to contain discharged chemicals and other potential contaminants until such time as clean-up operations may be completed. The containment basin is removably secured to the support beams via hook and loop fasteners attached to the top sides of the support beams and the top portions of the side walls.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containment devices and in particular, to containment berms that are easily deployable for use in containing spills of potential hazardous waste materials or other contaminants into the ground or other undesirable locations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous industries are involved in conducting operations in which the inadvertent discharge (spill) of hazardous materials and other contaminants (hereinafter collectively, "contaminants") occurs from time to time. For example, such inadvertent discharges of contaminants are known to occur in connection with both onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction operations, which involve the use of numerous chemicals, and produce other by-products that may present a contamination risk if not properly contained. The source of such discharges of contaminants that occur during oil and gas operations includes, but is not limited to, leaks emanating from storage tanks, reservoirs, well sites, pipelines and static and mobile equipment (such as motor vehicles). The contaminants that may potentially be discharged during oil and gas exploration and extraction can include substances such as fuel, unrefined oil, chemicals used in fracturing operations, flowback water and drilling mud. If left uncontained, such contaminants may be hazardous to surrounding natural resources, humans and property.
Accordingly, numerous stakeholders have an interest in preventing the discharge of such contaminants into the ground and other undesirable places that could pose a risk of harming public health, natural resources, and property. In an effort to prevent the occurrence of such discharges of contaminants into the ground, many businesses involved in onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration/extraction operations have instituted internal contamination prevention protocols. Likewise, trade associations for the oil and gas industry have established guidelines for proper procedures and methods for preventing discharges of contaminants. Federal and state governmental bodies have also promulgated regulations requiring the practice of certain contamination prevention procedures and methods. Such federal and state regulations often further require the use of specialized equipment configured to prevent inadvertent discharges of contaminants into the ground or other undesirable places.
While numerous protocols, guidelines and regulations are focused on preventing the discharge of contaminants in the first instance, other protocols, guidelines and regulations are focused primarily on containing the contaminants after such a discharge has already occurred. The use of containment systems and devices is the primary means by which contaminants are contained for the period of time until cleanup operations can take place. Examples of known containment systems include dikes, berms, retaining walls, curbing, drip pans, catchment basins, spill diversion ponds and retention ponds. One drawback of such known containment systems is that in many instances, they take an inordinate amount of time in which to construct and/or assemble, and deploy in the field.
Another drawback of many containment systems known in the art is that they are not optimally configured for interaction with vehicles. More specifically, many containment systems are easily damaged by motor vehicles when such vehicles enter and exit the perimeter of said berms, primarily as a result of the vehicle's tires damaging the structure of the berm or tearing the fabric with which the berm is constructed. An even further drawback of many known containment systems is that they are not easily transportable. Many such systems are not configured such that they can be disassembled and easily transported in modular units suitable for storage within a vehicle, aircraft, or other means of transportation (or container unit adapted for use with such mode of transportation).
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for an easily deployable and portable containment system that provides improved protection from damage caused by vehicles entering and exiting said system.


The present invention provides improved multi-layer hand wrap stretch film products. The products comprise at least five layers. The first and second outer layers each represent from 4 to 13 percent by weight of the film and each comprises a blend of two different linear low density polyethylene products. The film includes a first and second inner layer where each represents from 20 to 40 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density polyethylene products. The core layer represents from 10 to 30 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density polyethylene products. The final film exhibits improved properties needed in hand wrap films such as puncture resistance and load retention. Preferably, each of the outer layers comprises a blend of linear low density-polyethylene hexene/copolymers and linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymers. The same linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymer may be utilized in each of the layers. In one process, the first and second inner layers are drawn from an extruder at a faster rate than the core layer and the outer layers.

The present invention is directed to stretch wrap films and methods for their use. In particular, the present invention is directed to stretch wrap films having good physical properties in maximum stretch, holding force, puncture resistance, total energy dart drop, cling force and overall strength. The films of the present invention are particularly useful in hand wrapping applications.
The use of thermoplastic stretch wrap films for the overwrap packaging of goods, and in particular, the unitizing of palleted loads is a significant commercially important application of polymer film, including generically, polyethylene and other polyolefins.
Over-wrapping a plurality of articles to provide a unitized load can be achieved by a variety of techniques. In addition to machine wrapping, these products are utilized in hand wrapping operations. Pallets can be hand wrapped quickly, safely and economically. Hand wrapping is particularly useful in wrapping irregular or non-uniform pallets and articles. Hand wrap films exhibit toughness sufficient to hold the article. The industry also utilizes narrow width hand wrap films. These offer an alternative to adhesive based wrapping films, tape, twine, strapping or glue. The hand wrap films need to exhibit good cling force, but only to the film itself and not to the wrapped article. The hand wrap operations offer affordable, easy to use means of keeping loads clean, damage free and safe from pilferage. The hand wrap films should also exhibit good puncture and tear resistance.
Hand wrapping large pallets is finding acceptance in industry today. In this method, the film is arranged on a roll, however, it is hand held by the operator who walks around the goods to be wrapped, applying the film to the goods. The operator may install the roll of film so used on a hand-held wrapping tool for ease of use.
Some of the properties desired of a good stretch wrap film for hand wrapping are as follows: good cling or cohesion properties, puncture resistance, good machine direction tear resistance, good transparency, low haze, low stress relaxation with time, high resistance to transverse tear especially when under machine direction tension, producible in thin gauges, low specific gravity and thus high yield in area per pound, good tensile toughness, high machine direction ultimate tensile strength, high machine direction ultimate elongation, and low modulus of elasticity.
Currently, different grades of stretch wrap films are commonly marketed for different end uses according to overall film properties. For example, certain stretch wrap films have superior properties for load retention, but these films are characterized by having poor stretching characteristics. On the other hand, certain stretch wrap films having superior stretching properties have low load retention properties, thus limiting their use. Some of the broader categories include: general-purpose hand wrap films, heavy duty hand wrap films, and special formulation hand wrap films.
A need exists to develop general-purpose hand wrap stretch films. These films exhibit good properties at an acceptable cost that is usually lower than the other premium or specialty grades. The target for this grade is to maximize the film surface per amount of polymer used. The film still must exhibit the desirable physical properties outlined above. These films are particularly suitable for a wide range of hand wrap applications including general load unitization, use in long range load hauling, bar code scanning, and other shipping requirements. The products should provide good load retention characteristics and stretching characteristics while still maintaining other important stretch film properties.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for multi-layer films for hand wrap stretch film applications. The preferred resultant film has five layers with each layer being a single component or a blend of components to achieve the desired improved results.
In accordance with the present invention, attention has been focused on developing general-purpose hand wrap stretch films, while maintaining cost efficient production capabilities. Performance enhancements include improvement of load retention, tear resistance in machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD), puncture resistance, ultimate elongation, and overall strength. Desired properties of a xe2x80x9cgoodxe2x80x9d hand wrap stretch film are good cling or cohesion properties, good tear resistance in MD and TD directions, good clarity (low haze), high ultimate elongation, high tensile values, good stiffness (modulus), and high yield per pound.
The present invention is directed to co-extruded films comprised of at least 5-layers construction that are used for hand wrap film applications. In one embodiment, these multi-layer stretch wrap films are manufactured as cast films with conventional co-extrusion methods. Each of the five layers comprises a single polyolefin polymer or a mixture of polymers. When a mixture of polymers is utilized in a single layer, the polymers are introduced into an extruder to be mixed and extruded as a single layer. In one embodiment, the multi-layer film comprises a first outer layer, a first inner layer, a core layer, a second inner layer and a second outer layer. The first outer layer represents from 4 to 15 percent by weight of the film and comprises a blend of two different linear low-density polyethylene products. A first inner layer represents from 20 to 40 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low-density polyethylene products. A core layer represents from 10 to 30 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density polyethylene products. A second inner layer represents from 20 to 40 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density polyethylene products. A second outer layer represents from 4 to 15 percent by weight of the film and comprises a blend of two different linear low density polyethylene products. The inner layers may comprise the same LLDPE composition as the core layer. The core layer is preferably extruded at a slower rate than the inner layers.
In another five layer film product of the present invention, each of the outer layers represents from 4 to 15 percent by weight of the film and each comprises a blend of 60 to 90 percent by weight of a first linear low density polyethylene product, and 10 to 40 percent by weight of a second different linear low density polyethylene product.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-layer film comprising two outer layers, two inner layers and a core layer. A first outer layer represents from 5 to 12 percent by weight of the film and comprises a blend of 70 to 80 percent by weight of linear low density-polyethylene/hexene copolymers, and from 20 to 30 percent by weight of linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymers. A first inner layer represents from 30 to 35 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density-polyethylene butene/copolymers. A core layer represents from 15 to 20 percent by weight of the film and comprises a linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymer products. A second inner layer represents from 30 to 35 percent by weight of the film and comprises linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymer products. A second outer layer represents from 5 to 12 percent by weight of the film and comprises a blend of 70 to 80 percent by weight of linear low density-polyethylene/hexene copolymer products and 20 to 30 percent by weight of linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymer products. Preferably, the linear low density-polyethylene/butene copolymer in each layer is the same polymer. Such a polymer has a melt index from 1.7 to 2.3 g/10 min. and a density of from 0.915 to 0.9198 grams per cubic centimeter.


The present application provides an adjustable position gauge, which comprises a measuring column, an adjusting block, a set screw, a base plate, a tensioning block, a nut, a conical block and the like. The application may measure the angle between different bolt holes and the position of the wheel bolt hole with different pitch sizes.

In the process of machining a wheel, there is a need to detect the position of all the wheel bolt holes so as to ensure the wheel may be assembled smoothly. The traditional detection method is that the position is measured with a position gauge handheld by a worker. In general, a wheel type corresponds to a special position gauge, so that it is not generally applicable for a mixed-line production enterprise.


A door lock assembly comprising a housing that is received in a mortise in the door with a bolt that is retractable into the housing to permit opening of the door and extendable from the housing to secure the door in its closed position. The bolt has a first portion received within the housing. A second portion is pivotally attached to the first portion so that the second portion can pivot with respect to the first portion when the bolt is extended from the housing, thus permitting opening of the door without the use of a key or rotation of a doorknob. A latch mounted within the opening of a door frame is selectively moveable from a first position engaging the second portion of the bolt when the door is closed in order to prevent the second portion of the bolt from pivoting with respect to the first portion, thus locking the door in the closed condition. When the latch is moved to its second position the second portion of the bolt can pivot with respect to the first portion to allow the door to be opened.

Remotely actuable door lock assemblies are wide-spread and commonly found in multi-family dwellings, such as apartments, where the occupant may have difficulty getting to the door in a timely manner after the door bell has sounded to manually unlock and open the door to admit a visitor. Such systems usually include a remotely-located keypad within the individual apartment and a receiver/power supply for actuating a solenoid or the like to selectively lock and/or unlock the door.
Retrofitting a door with a door knob and lock assembly that can be remotely actuated is often a difficult task requiring reconfiguring the mortises that receive the bolt assembly and the doorknobs. This task is often complicated by the need to achieve relatively precise dimensional relationships between the solenoid assembly held in the door jamb and the bolt portion held within the door.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a door lock assembly which can be retrofitted into an existing door without significant modification.
It is a further object to provide a remotely actuable door bolt assembly that is not overly dimensionally sensitive.
It is a still further object to provide such a remotely actuable door bolt assembly that can be overridden by the manual operation of a key.
These objects, as well as others that will become apparent upon reference to the drawings and detailed description, are provided by a lock assembly that includes a housing that is to be received in a mortise in the door. The housing holds a bolt that is retractable into the housing to permit the opening of the door and extendable from housing to secure the door in its closed position. The bolt has a first portion received within the housing and a second portion pivotally attached to the first portion so that second portion can pivot with respect to the first portion when the bolt is extended from the housing to permit the opening of the door without the use of a key or rotation of a doorknob. A latch is mounted within the opening of the door frame, the latch being selectively moveable from a first position engaging the second portion of the bolt when the door is closed in order to prevent the second portion of the bolt from pivoting with respect to the first portion, and thus lock the door in a closed condition, to a second position permitting the second portion of the bolt to pivot with respect to the first portion to allow the door to be opened.


A porous porphyrin polymer and a method of recovering precious metal elements using the same are described. A porous porphyrin polymer represented by Formula 1 has high selectivity for precious metal elements and a high ability to adsorb precious metal elements, and can be applied to the recovery of precious metal elements either from metal leachates of waste electronic products or from river water or seawater.

Precious metal elements generally include platinum-group elements, such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, iridium and platinum, and coinage metal elements, such as copper, silver and gold. These metals are essentially used in various industries, including the electronics industry, automobile industry, chemical processes, jewelry industry, and pharmaceutical industry, due to their excellent physical and chemical properties, such as high stability, electrical conductivity, ductility, malleability, gloss, and excellent catalytic properties.
These precious metal elements are used as important raw materials especially in high-tech industries, and as science and technology are highly developed, the demand therefor is increasing. However, the amount of valuable metals that can be extracted from natural mines is extremely small and is concentrated in some countries and regions. The results of examining the amount of gold produced in natural mines in 2016 indicated that top thirteen countries, including China, Australia, Russia, United States and the like, accounted for more than 70% of the world's gold production. The results of examining the amount of platinum-group metals produced from natural mines in the same year indicated that five countries, including Russia, South Africa, Canada, United States, and Zimbabwe, accounted for about 97% of the world's production of platinum-group metals, suggesting that the unequal distribution of resources is more severe (U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral commodity summaries 2017).
Therefore, the range of sources from which precious metal elements are obtained should be widened from primary sources, such as natural mines, to secondary sources, such as industrial waste, wastewater, rivers and sea.
As a representative example, efforts to recover precious metal elements from waste electronic products have been made in many countries of the world. This idea was derived from the concept of 'urban mining', which was first proposed by Professor Michio Nanjo (Tohoku University, Japan) in 1986, and means recovering and recycling important metals, which are accumulated around our life, in order to achieve innovation with limited resources. Waste electronic products contain various metals, such as copper, iron, aluminum, tin and the like, and among these metals, precious metals, such as gold, silver and palladium, account for less than 1% of the weight of the waste electronic products. However, due to the high price of precious metals, the value of most of waste electronic products is known to come from the recycling of precious metals (Hageluken, Christian. Electronics and the Environment, 2006. Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE International Symposium on. IEEE, 2006).
Thus, recovery of precious metals from waste electronic products can be considered an economically important technology that recovers highly valuable precious metals. In addition, metal recovery from waste electronic products is also important in environmental terms. With the development of the electronics industry, waste electronic products are generated in huge amounts worldwide is enormous, and the amount of waste electronic products generated is constantly increasing. It was reported that waste electronic products were generated in an amount reaching 41.8 MT in 2014 (Balde, C. P. et al., The global e-waste monitor—2014, United Nations University, IAS-SCYCLE, Bonn, Germany, 2015). These waste electronic products generate heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic, and toxic gases during their treatment process, leading to an increase in water, air and soil pollution. Therefore, there is a need for the development of an environmentally friendly and efficient method of recovering metals from waste electronic products.
Methods that are currently used to recycle metals from waste electronic products include dry refining, wet refining and biological refining methods. In dry refining, pretreated waste electronic products are melted to slag in a furnace at a high temperature of 1,000° C. or higher. The slag and metal components are separated by the specific gravity difference, and precious metals are obtained as solid solutions in capturing metals. In wet refining technology, metals from pretreated waste electronic products are dissolved in a solvent. For metal leaching, inorganic acids, such as nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, are generally used, and cyanide, halide, thiourea, thiosulfate or the like is also used. Methods for recovering precious metal ions present in solution after leaching include ion exchange, solvent extraction, cementation, precipitation, and the like. Biological refining is a method of adsorbing and separating precious metal elements using alga, fungi or bacteria as adsorbents. Biological adsorption of precious metal ions contained in solutions can be largely divided into chemical adsorption and physical adsorption. Chemical adsorption mechanisms include complexation, chelation, microprecipitation, and microbial reduction, and physical adsorption mechanisms are generally explained by electrostatic force and ion exchange (Cui, Jirang et al., Journal of hazardous materials 158.2 (2008): 228-256).
In the case of dry refining, pretreatment of waste electronic products is relatively simple and convenient, but the equipment cost is very high, and a large amount of energy is consumed for high-temperature use. In addition, there are limitations in that the combustion of plastics cause air pollution and some metals such as aluminum are not recovered, and there is a disadvantage in that the recovery of precious metals is low due to the use of slag. In the case of wet refining, the equipment cost is lower than that of wet refining, and separation of metals is easy, but there are disadvantages in that valuable metals are recovered through several steps using various solvents or materials and toxic wastewater occurs in the recovery process. In current Korean valuable metal recovery companies, the kinds of metals to be recovered are limited to copper and the like, and the levels of technology for the preparation and design of processes for recovering valuable metals are low, and thus successful commercialization results are insufficient and the commercialization rate is lower than the research results. Biologically based technology has limitations in that it can be used only in very limited situations because of difficulties in controlling microbial behavior, in spite of its theoretical limitless possibilities.
Other examples of sources from which precious metal elements can be recovered include rivers or sea. It is known that seawater contains highly valuable metals, such as copper, silver, gold, palladium and platinum. Although the concentrations of these metal ions are very low (the order of a few ppt or less), the amount of metals in seawater is very large when considering the enormous amount of seawater in the world. For example, it is known that there are about 14.3 million tons of gold in seawater (http://amsciparis.blogspot.kr/2012/04/gold-from-seawater.html).
Although the concentrations of such metal ions have been reported differently according to literature and measurement methods, it is generally known that the concentrations are very low (the order of a few ppt or less). However, when considering that more than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with seawater, it can be seen that the amount of major metals contained in seawater is considerable (Lodeiro, Pablo et al., Marine Chemistry 152 (2013): 11-19., Terada, Kikuo et al., Analytica Chimica Acta 116.1 (1980): 127-135., McHugh, J. B. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 30.1-3 (1988): 85-94.).
The presence of gold in seawater was first reported in 1872, and an attempt to extract gold from seawater is a famous case which was made by Fritz Haber in 1920s. However, successful extraction of gold from valuable metals from seawater has not been reported yet, because the concentrations of metal ions in seawater are very low and it is difficult to control conditions, including the depth and temperature of seawater (Falkner, K. Kenison et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters 98.2 (1990): 208-221).
Accordingly, the present inventors have made extensive efforts to solve the above-described problems, and as a result, have found that a porous porphyrin polymer represented by Formula 1 has high selectivity for precious metal elements, and thus can be applied for the recovery of precious metal elements either from metal leachates from waste electronic products or from river water or seawater, thereby completing the present invention.

Porous porphyrin polymer and method of recovering precious metal elements using the same

KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


The present invention provides unique prepared immunogens, site-specific monoclonal antibodies against an epitope of progesterone receptor protein, and an immunoassay to determine the functional integrity of the progesterone receptors in a cellular sample. Collectively or individually the component parts of the invention provide the ability not only to identify accurately the presence of progesterone receptor but also the capability of determining whether the progesterone receptor exists in a clinically normal or abnormal state.

Progestins are a class of naturally occurring sieroidal hormones which are produced in the ovaries and other tissues in the body and which directly influence the growth function of specific target tissues in humans and animals. Although a variety of naturally occurring and chemically synthesized progestins have been identified and characterized (including 17a-hydroxyprogesterone, norethisterone acetate, medroxyprogesterone, and megestrol acetate), perhaps the belt known is progesterone [Pregn-4-ene-3,20-dione] which is endogenously secreted during the latter half of the menstrual cycle.
Progestins mediate their action by binding to an intracellular protein, presumably a nuclear protein, identified as "progesterone receptor" and also abbreviated as "PR". The presence of this intracellular PR provides and accounts for new protein synthesis by progesterone dependent cells. The progesterone receptor in the absence of the progesterone hormone is biologically inactive both in vivo and in vitro; and, if the cells or tissues are homogenized and fractionated into cytosol and nuclear fractions, the progesterone receptor is found as a soluble protein in the cytosol. Although the precise molecular mechanism of progesterone action remains poorly understood, the generally accepted sequence of events is believed to be as follows: When progesterone is introduced to the target cells and tissues, there is specific binding of progesterone to PR protein which results in the formation of a progesterone/receptor protein complex. Also, at a time subsequent to progesterone binding, a process termed activation and/or transformation ensues which leads to the formation of functional progesterone/receptor complexes having a high affinity for the nuclear components, the DNA, of the target cell. Once the hormone/receptor protein complex is physically formed, it is said to translocate as a complex into the nucleus of the cell where it binds to specific DNA sequences known as progesterone responsive elements on the chromosomes and initiates messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) transcription. New messenger RNA is then synthesized, chemically modified, and exported from the nucleus into the cytoplasm of the cell where ribosomes translate the mRNA into new proteins. This is the well-recognized progesterone effect on the cell--that is, the initiation of new protein synthesis.
The theoretical premise and the generally accepted, though poorly understood, mechanism of action regarding progesterone hormones, progesterone receptor proteins, and their interactions are described in greater detail by the following publications--all of which are merely representative of the ongoing investigations in this field. These are: Horowitz et al., Recent Progress In Hormonal Research 41:249-316 (1985) and the references cited therein; Gronemeyer et al., EMBO J. 6:3985-3994 (1987); Traish et al., Endocrinology 118:1327-1333 (1986); Traish et al., Steroids 47:157-173 (1986); Loosfelt et al., Proc. Soc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:9045-9049 (1986); and Misrahi et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 143:740-748 (1987); Beato, M., Cell 56:335-344 (1989); Evans, R. M., Science 240:889-895 (1989); Conneely et al., Science 233:767-770 (1986); NaKao, M. and V. K. Moudsit, B.B.R.C. 164:295-303 (1989).
In order to truly appreciate the background of the present invention, it is useful to summarize in depth the major details and sequential events presently believed to occur regarding the intracellular protein referred to as "progesterone receptor." In the unbound state, and in the absence of progesterone hormone, the progesterone receptor protein thought to be located in vitro within the cytosol; however some new evidence suggests that the receptor may be located in the nucleus of the cell. The intact PR protein is composed of 933 amino acids. The native human PR proteins found in soluble tissue extract exist as large molecular weight complexes (250,000-300,000 Da). The physico-chemical properties of these receptor proteins, isolated from various human and non-human sources, have been the subject of intensive investigations. It has been demonstrated that PR complex is almost always composed of two proteins termed A and B subunits with molecular weights of 84 and 110 kDa, respectively. In the untransformed state it is thought that these complexes are associated with heat-shock proteins. The biological significance of these large untransformed complexes in vitro remains as yet unclear.
In cell free systems, the solubilized protein prepared in low salt buffers containing both sodium molybdate and proteolysis inhibitors, the progesterone receptor remains untransformed. The human PR protein can be found in alternative molecular forms which sediment at either 8-10S or 4S as determined by sucrose density gradient analysis. The 8S form of PR is believed to be the unactivated, untransformed polymeric form of the PR protein associated with the unbound, native state of receptor in the absence of progesterone. The 8S PR form is a large molecular weight complex, presumably associated with heat-shock proteins, that does not bind to nuclei or DNA in vitro and is stabilized as a macromolecule by sodium molybdate.
In comparison, the 4S PR protein form is a monomer--i.e., the protein molecule that can be generated from the 8S form in vitro by treatment with high ionic strength buffers, by elevated temperatures (25.degree.-30.degree. C.), or by increasing salt concentrations (KCl or NaCl). The 4S PR form functionally binds to both nuclei and DNA-cellulose in vitro; it is generally termed the "activated and/or transformed" progesterone receptor protein. From the published reports, it appears that the dissociation of the 8S PR form into the 4S PR form initiates a major structural change in the stereochemical conformation of the protein or by directly exposing the previously hidden DNA binding domain of the receptor molecule.
It is essential also to recognize that progesterone receptor proteins from human and animal sources have been investigated and evaluated in terms of functional domains which provide and are responsible for its characteristic biological and physiological properties. Complimentary DNA (cDNA) of human progesterone receptor has been cloned which, in turn, has led directly to the elucidation of the human ER protein primary sequence. Subsequent studies have further defined the various functional domains of human PR protein as having at least three distinctly different regions, each of which comprises at least one domain and provides unique functional properties and characteristics. See for example Beato, M., Cell 5:335-344 (1989).
FIG. 1 illustrates the various domains within the PR protein. The amino-terminal "A/B" region is the hypervariable region and is thought to contribute to full functional activity of the receptor. The middle cysteine rich "C" domain is a critical region for biological activity because it is the DNA-binding region required for interaction with progesterone responsive elements ("PRE"). The "D" region is the hinge region; its function is not yet clear. Region "E" is the carboxy-terminal region and is believed to serve as the progesterone binding domain. The "E" region comprises an amino acid sequence which is generally shared not only among various human and non-human sources of PR; but also is conserved among all the different steroid receptor members throughout the different classes--thereby indicating that substantially similar carboxy-terminal "E" domains are critical for receptors generally throughout all the steroid receptors as a family. Specific publications describing these functional domain investigations, data, and conclusions in greater detail are represented by the following: Green et al., Nature 320:134-139 (1986); Hollenberg et al., Nature 318:635-641 ( 1985); Arriza et al., Science 237:268-275 (1987); Mishraki et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 143:740-748 (1987); Lubahn et al., Science 240:327-330 (1988); Chang et al., Science 240:324-326 (1988); and Beato, M., Cell 56:335-344 (1989).
Overall, it will be noted and appreciated that many investigations of PR protein and the characterization of hormone/PR complexes typically involve immunological methods and assay. A variety of different polyclonal antisera have been prepared against native and fractionated progesterone receptor protein; and against the nuclear binding progesterone receptor complex [Tuohimaa et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 119:433 (1984); Renoir et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 324:1 (1982); Gronemeyer et al., J. Biol. Chem. 260:6916 (1985); Smith et al., Endocrinology 122:2816-2825 (1988); Smith et al., J. Steroid. Biochem. 30:1-7 (1988); Welgel et al., Endocrinology 125:2494-2501 (1989)]. Similarly, some monoclonal antibodies against human and animal progesterone receptor proteins and complexes have been prepared for many different investigational purposes with markedly different degrees of success [Loosfelt et al., Proc. Soc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:9045-9049 (1986); Sullivan et al., Endocrinology 119:1549-1557 (1986); Clark et al., Endocrinology 121:1123-1132 (1987); Nakoa et al., Can. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 63:33-40 (1985); Hendler and Yuan, Cancer Research 45:421-429 (1985); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,000].
The common drawback and recurring problem of these known polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies is their uniform and consistent failure to be site-specific or site-selective for a defined domain of PR. This failure, in turn, produces erroneous empirical results and unreliable information--not only for investigational purposes but also in clinical applications of such antibodies for therapeutic purposes. As a major example, the measurement of progesterone receptors in human breast carcinomas has been one aspect of the primary tool and favored diagnostic method (in addition to the measurement of estrogen receptor) for choosing between hormonal and cytotoxic chemotherapy when treating breast cancer patients. A commercially prepared immunoassay kit employing anti-PR antibodies is most commonly used for this purpose [The Abbott PgR-ICA Monoclonal Immunocytochemical Assay; Greene, G. and M. F. Press, Immunological Approaches To The Diagnosis And Therapy of Breast Cancer (R. Ceriani, editor), Plenum Publishing Co., New York, 1987, pp 119-135]. Unfortunately, this immunoassay kit employs conventionally obtained monoclonal antibodies prepared against purified whole PR protein for these measurements. These monoclonal antibodies have been found to be frequently unreliable and often insufficiently specific. Clearly, therefore, given all the presently known antibodies, assays, and immunological techniques, one still cannot accurately predict which of these progesterone receptor positive tumors will respond to hormonal treatment.
The causes of the present dilemma are in fact two fold: First is the failure of the known monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antisera to be sufficiently domain-specific and epitope-selective in order to demonstrate the presence of unfragmented progesterone receptor. Second is the failure (insofar as is presently known) of conventional antibodies to be able to identify the true functional status of progesterone receptor protein using an immunoassay system. It is now clearly apparent to practitioners and clinicians ordinarily skilled in this art that so long as these insufficiently-specific antibodies remain in clinical use, many repetitive failures of the known immunoassay systems will occur; and the clinician's ability to identify that proportion of breast cancer patients which would be sensitive and responsive to hormonal treatment will remain plagued with uncertainty and inaccuracy. For these reasons, the development of domain-specific antibodies which could then be employed within conventional diagnostic immunoassays would therefore be recognized generally as a major advance and fundamental improvement in antibody materials, assay reliability, and therapeutic benefit.

Specific monoclonal antibodies against a defined epitope of progesterone receptor and methods for their use


There is provided a method of reducing block noise, mosquito noise and other image noises in an image by a filtering process using a smoothing filter, which block noise, mosquito noise and other image noises being caused at the time of decoding encoded, compressed image data on a block-by-block basis. The method includes changing the extent or intensity of the image noise reduction in the filtering process in a continuous or stepwise manner according to an output size or expansion rate of an image to be outputted to printer paper, photographic paper or other output media, thereby allowing the extent or intensity of the image noise reduction to be increased as the output size or expansion rate of the image increases. This method is capable of allowing the extent of the image noise reduction applied to image data to be perceived in a similar fashion, irrespective of the output size.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of reducing block noise, mosquito noise and other noises in an image, which noises are caused at the time of decoding encoded, compressed image data on a block-by-block.
2. Related Art
In order to produce a highly compressed image data, an orthogonally transformation encoding as a highly effective image data compression technique is generally employed. This technique in summary involves dividing an input image signal into blocks of such as 8×8 pixels by a blocking circuit, subjecting the divided blocks to an orthogonal transformation process by an orthogonal transformation circuit to generate a frequency component signal, subjecting the orthogonally transformed data to a linear quantization process by a quantization circuit using a predetermined quantization step width, and allocating a variable length code to the result of the quantization by a variable-length encoding circuit to generate an encoded image signal. This orthogonal transform includes such as discrete Fourier transform, Walsh-Hadamard transform, Karhunen-Loevel transform and discrete cosine transform (DCT). Of them, the DCT is most widely used.
On the other hand, in a decoding apparatus for regenerating an image signal corresponding to the input image signal from the encoded image signal generated by the above compression encoding apparatus, the encoded image signal is subjected to variable length decoding by a variable-length decoding circuit, and reverse quantization is performed by a reverse-quantization circuit using a predetermined quantization step width and the image signal is regenerate by reverse orthogonal transform.
Herein, the orthogonal transform and the quantization which are both nonreversible transform contain errors in the regenerated image signal obtained by the decoding apparatus. Particularly, quantization errors in quantization and reverse quantization deteriorate the quality of the regenerated image. The larger the quantization step width (or the larger the compression rate), the greater the number of quantization errors caused and hence the more noticeable the deterioration of the quality of the regenerated image signal. Image deteriorations inherent to such orthogonal transform include block noise and mosquito noise, the former resulting from discontinuity along the boundary of adjacent blocks which is perceived like a mosaic appearance, the latter being perceived like swarms of mosquitoes clustered around a contour of a character or a figure on the background of the image (hereinafter referred simply to "a contour"), due to encoding and decoding on a block-by-block.
In general, these image noises are reduced by filtering image data and then smoothing the same, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 1996-205157, 1997-186993, 1998-191335, 1998-164576 and 1999-317943. These image noise reducing processes are in certain senses achieved by deterioration of an original image, thus causing an adverse effect of lowering the quality of an image to a greater or lesser extent or blurring an image. Therefore, it is general to set the extent or intensity of the image noise reduction in a filtering process so as to balance the effect of the image noise reduction and the influence of the image deterioration by the filtering process.
Meanwhile, when an image is outputted to output media such as by printing out a photo using a photo-processing apparatus, or printing out an image using a printer of an ink jet recording type or thermal transfer recording type, a variety of output sizes such as so-called L-size (127 mm×89 mm), 2 L-size (127 mm×178 mm) and 4 L-size (127 mm×254 mm) are appropriately selected so that an image data is subjected to a data expansion/reduction process according to the output size as selected. This data expansion/reduction process is performed by applying a given calculation (a kind of filtering process) to pixel data of each pixel and its peripheral pixels. These image noise reducing process and data expansion/reduction process are independently made according to their different purposes and therefore any consideration on mutual influences or interdependences are not taken into account.
According to such independent processing, when output media is to be observed, the distance between the output media and an observer (an observation distance) is varied depending on the output size. More specifically, the smaller the output size, the shorter the observation distance; and the larger the output size, the longer the observation distance. For example, in comparison between the output media of the L-size and the output media of 4 L-size, the output media of the 4-L size is observed from a far distance than the output media of the L-size is observed.
That is, as described above, according to a conventional image noise reducing method that performs a constant filtering process irrespective of the output size (i.e., a conventional image noise reducing method designed based on the assumption that output media is observed from a constant distance), the extent of the image noise reduction tends to be visually perceived (hereinafter referred simply as "perceived") as significant or an image tends to be perceived as blurred for a small output size since it is observed from a near distance. On the other hand, the extent of the image noise reduction tends to be perceived as insignificant or an image tends to be perceived as an image with insufficient noise reduction applied thereto or with image noises insufficiently reduced for a large output size. Thus, a problem arises that even the same image may be differently perceived depending on the output size.
In consideration of the above problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of reducing noise in images that is capable of allowing the extent of the image noise reduction applied to image data to be perceived in a similar fashion, irrespective of the output size.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An adjustable game call apparatus includes a sounding board, an air passageway formed in the sounding board, and a vibrating reed positioned within the air passageway adjacent the sounding board. A pair of guide posts extend upward from the sounding board to receive a pair of cut-out areas formed in the reed. The slots and posts allow the reed to be longitudinally adjustable relative to the sounding board of the game call apparatus. Another aspect of the game call apparatus comprises a moisture diverter system which involves a plurality of diverters formed in the sounding board to direct moisture away from the reed and toward a trough formed in the sounding board. The diverters also provide a precision tuning system for the game call to ensure the full high and low ends of the desired range of tones are produced by the game call.

Various types of calls for wildlife animals have been developed over the past many decades. These calls generally attempt to simulate sounds of particular wildlife animals. Most traditional wildlife animal calls are used by hunters to call game--the wildlife which is the object of their pursuit. Game calls attempt to simulate the sounds of the particular game being hunted. Game calls may act as lures to attract the game to the hunter's vicinity or may act to put the game at ease. Efforts have been made for decades to improve game calls and develop more effective ways to simulate sounds of game animals.
Game calls have traditionally been built in standardized forms with respect to sound reproduction. While the aesthetics of game calls have been highly varied, indeed a specialized art form among many, the basic construction of the internal components of the call (i.e., the reed, the sounding board, and the barrel) have traditionally been standardized for consistent sound reproduction. Manufacturing processes have been set up to ensure that game calls produce substantially similar sounds for the majority of persons using the call. Therefore, internal configurations of traditional game calls has traditionally varied little.
For obvious reasons, standardization of the sound-producing components of game calls presents difficulties for many users of the game calls. People using the game calls have different preferences, physical attributes, and different calling abilities with respect to the game calls. It is quite common for a standardized game call to be highly useful in the hands of one hunter, yet less effective, and perhaps even unusable, in the hands of another hunter.
Another difficulty with respect to traditional game calls, mentioned above, is that they are manufactured to produce a particular sound without much variation irrespective of the particular user. As such, traditional game calls have been built so that the vibrating structure, such as a reed, is secured at a single, specific location relative to the sounding board of the call. The only way to vary the tone produced by such calls, if at all, is where the individual users change their method of calling. Changes in the tone produced are highly limited given the standardized construction.
Still another problem with traditional game calls, particularly game calls requiring the use of a vibrating structure, such as a reed, a diaphragm, or an elastic material, relates to the introduction of moisture into the game call in areas surrounding the vibrating structure. Moisture may enter into a game call, for example and without limitation, in the form of saliva from the user's mouth, moisture from the user's breath, perspiration from the user's body (from carrying the call close to the user's body), or water from the outside environment. Sometimes exacerbating the moisture accumulation problems are the extreme weather conditions often associated with hunting.
Problems associated with moisture accumulation inside the call become especially acute where the game call involves multiple reeds or vibrating members. If there are two reeds, moisture may accumulate between them causing the reeds to stick together. Moisture may also accumulate on the top or bottom side of the reed combination causing the reeds to stick to the top or bottom structure adjacent the reeds. Similarly, even if the game call utilizes only one reed, moisture may accumulate on either side of the reed. Accumulated moisture often reduces the effectiveness of the call and, often times, will render the game call completely ineffective.
Yet another problem associated with the construction of a game call is that almost any modification made to the sounding board will affect the range of notes produced by the call. Thus, solving the moisture accumulation problem by modifying the configuration of the sounding board creates another entirely different set of problems. Specifically, by including moisture diverters, both channels and raised ribs, in the sounding board will change the tones produced by the call. Therefore, the problem of controlling the precise range of tones to be produced by the call when incorporating a moisture diverter system must be addressed.
Another traditional challenge with the manufacture of game calls has been the desire to develop a system for precision tuning of a game call. Prior attempts to modify the tones produced in the game call have focused on changing the overall sounding board configuration. In spite of many attempts, difficulties have remained. A precision tuning system must provide an ability to adjust the full range of desired tones, both on the low and high ends of the range.
Still another problem associated with game calls, particularly calls that can be disassembled and reassembled, relates to the assembly of components so as to ensure consistent, repeatable positioning of the components of the call to create the desired tones. Prior attempts have been made to include holes in the reed which are inserted over corresponding posts in the main body portion of the call. Repeatable assembly of call components is possible with this type of construction. The drawback of this system, however, is that there is no ability to adjust the reed relative to the sounding board of the call to vary the tones of the call.
In light of the foregoing, there has been a continual need to develop a game call apparatus that can be adjusted by the users, depending on their preferences and abilities. A need also exists to develop a game call apparatus that can be adjusted by a particular user to change the sounds produced by the game call. More specifically, there is a need to develop a game call that includes a system for adjusting a vibrating member, such as a reed, relative to the sounding board of the game call.
There is further a need to develop a system for preventing moisture from accumulating next to the vibrating, sound-producing structure of a game call. Another need exists to direct accumulated moisture, once introduced into areas adjacent the vibrating structure, toward other portions of the game call away from the vibrating structure so that the detrimental effects associated with moisture are minimized. A need also exists to develop a precision tuning system for a game call that will allow precise adjustments to be made to the high and low ends of the desired range of tones produced by the call. Yet another need exists to develop a game call apparatus that will allow exact repositioning of the game call components as desired by the user of the game call, yet allow the reed to be adjustable.

Adjustable game call apparatus with moisture diverter and precision tuning system


An apparatus for producing three dimensional objects by irradiating uncured photopolymeric material to solidify at least portions of the photopolymeric material, the apparatus being adapted to be used with film material which does not substantially interfere with transmission of radiation therethrough, the apparatus comprising: a tank adapted to contain liquid photopolymeric material, the liquid photopolymeric material in the tank defining an upper generally horizontal surface; a selectively operable source of radiation for solidifying the liquid photopolymeric material in the tank; and structure for smoothing the upper generally horizontal surface of the liquid photopolymeric material in the tank while moving from a first position on one side of the tank to a second position on another side of the tank, and for simultaneously laying a sheet of the film material onto the liquid photopolymeric material while moving from the first position to the second position.

The invention relates generally to apparatus for photopolymerization. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for producing three dimensional objects by irradiating uncured photopolymeric material to solidify the photopolymeric material.
It is known to create three dimensional objects by building up layers of photopolymeric material. See, for example, "Rapid Prototyping Systems," Mechanical Engineering, April 1991, pp. 34-43, incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,498, issued to Fudim on Jun. 21, 1988 and incorporated herein by reference. That patent also discloses that, when creating three dimensional objects by building up layers of photopolymeric material, it is advantageous to employ, in contact with the photopolymeric material, a transparent member which does not substantially interfere with subsequent linking of photopolymeric material from one layer to another layer, and which transparent member can be removed after an irradiation of a layer. To increase the size of the three dimensional object being created, after irradiation of a first layer, the transparent member is removed from the first layer, more photopolymeric material is added on top of the first layer, the transparent member is placed on top of and in contact with the newly added photopolymeric material, and the photopolymeric material is irradiated from above the transparent member. The transparent member is disclosed as being a glass plate 13 with a coating 23 thereunder, or such as a stretched transparent film of the material of the coating 23. The coating 23 is of a material which leaves the irradiated upper surface of photopolymeric material capable of further cross-linking. The disclosed preferred material for the coating 23 is fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer.

Apparatus with roller and for irradiation of photopolymers


A device having at least one housing and one bottom connected to the housing. In this context, the housing has a housing wall and the bottom at least one base. Further it is provided for the base to have a specifiable edge. The essence of the present arrangement now lies in the fact that the edge of the base has at least two regions, a first region being situated closer to the housing wall and a second region being further removed from the housing wall.

The edge of the base is designed in such away that it has at least two regions, a first region being situated closer to the housing wall and the second region being further removed from the housing wall. A device in which a pressure sensor having a base is situated in a pressure sensor housing is already known from the patent document German Published Patent Application No. 199 19 112.


In a device for relocating a product, in particular a blister, in a packaging machine and with an associated method, the product is received at a supply location and deposited at a deposition location. The relocating device has a first pivotable relocating arm and a second pivotable relocating arm which each have a holding mechanism for the product. The relocating arms can be adjusted along different trajectories between a transfer position at the common supply location and a deposition position at the common deposition location, and pass each other during their adjustment motion.

The invention concerns a relocating device for relocating a product in a packaging machine, wherein the product can be received by the relocating device at a supply location, and can be disposed at a deposition location, wherein the relocating device comprises a first pivotable relocating arm and a second pivotable relocating arm each comprising a holding means for the product.
The invention also concerns a method for relocating a product in a packaging machine, wherein the product is received by a relocating device at a supply location and is disposed at a deposition location, wherein the relocating device comprises a first pivotable relocating arm and a second pivotable relocating arm each having a holding means for the product.
The relocation of a blister in a blister packaging machine is described below by means of example. The invention is, however, not limited thereto.
In a blister packaging machine, a plurality of cups are formed in an endless sheet web, into each of which one or more products are disposed, which may e.g. be pharmaceuticals, in particular, tablets or capsules. A covering foil is subsequently sealed thereon which tightly encloses the products in the cups. The blister band formed in this manner is separated in a punching or cutting unit into blister strips (called blisters below).
In a conventional blister packaging machine (WO 00/68086), the blister is relocated using a relocating device which comprises two pivot arms which are disposed next to each other.
Each pivot arm may receive one blister at a supply location, wherein each pivot arm has its own supply location, and the supply locations are disposed next to each other in a punching unit. Each pivot arm disposes the received blister onto a continuous conveying belt, wherein the blisters are disposed on the conveying belts with mutual offset in the transport direction. The blisters are subsequently transferred to a common continuous conveying belt and supplied to the packaging unit.
In particular for packaging medication, it is often necessary or conventional to fill several blisters into a folded box or into another package. Towards this end, a stack comprising a corresponding number of blisters must be formed from the individual blisters, which is then packed into the folded box or another package. A special stacking unit is provided to form the stack, which is disposed at the end of the conveyor belt. The blisters which were recognized as being incomplete and/or improperly sealed are rejected directly upstream of the stacking unit, and the presence of the blisters is checked. This requires substantial equipment and handling expense in order to form a stack from a desired number of blisters, which can be transferred to a downstream cartoning device. Moreover, changing the blister format requires a plurality of adjustments and modifications which increases the downtime of the packaging machine.
DE 199 17 436 C2 also describes a device for relocating a blister onto a conveying device. The relocating device is designed as a lowering device which passes through the punching tool so that the blisters are deposited on the conveying device that extends below the punching tool. The relatively long cycle time required for relocating the blister is particularly disadvantageous, since the punching tool is blocked during downward transport of the blister onto the conveying device.
It is the underlying purpose of the invention to produce a relocating device and a method of the above-mentioned type for relocating the blisters in a simple and rapid fashion with a fast cycle time.

Method for transferring a product in a packaging machine and transfer device for carrying out said method


Various semiconductor chip metallization layers and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In aspect, a semiconductor chip is provided that includes a substrate, plural metallization layers on the substrate, a first conductor line in one of the metallization layers and a second conductor line in the one of the metallization layers in spaced apart relation to the first conductor line, each of the first conductor line and the second conductor line has a first line portion and a second line portion stacked on the first line portion, and a dielectric layer that has a portion positioned between the first conductor line and a second line, the portion has an air gap.

Currently-available integrated circuits routinely contain millions of individual transistors and other electronic components. Most of the interconnections for the numerous components in such circuits are provided via one or more metallization layers that serve as global interconnect levels. In one conventional subtractive process, each metallization layer is ordinarily deposited on the substrate of the integrated circuit as a single continuous layer that is thereafter patterned lithographically and etched to remove metal from areas where metal lines are not required. In another process, a dual damascene procedure is used.
In multi-layer metallization circuits, individual metal layers are typically separated vertically by one or more interlevel dielectric layers (ILD). Electrical contact between the adjacent metal layers is provided by openings or vias in the ILD. The vias are typically formed by masking and subsequent etching of selected portions of the ILD. The vias are then filled with a conductor material or sometimes combinations of conducting materials. The term "via" as used in semiconductor fabrication circles has come to mean not only the openings themselves, but also the openings filled with conducting material.
As spacing between conductor lines in a metallization shrink, the capacitance between such adjacent lines increases, with an attendant penalty in performance due to capacitive delay. One conventional technique used to combat capacitive increase due to decreased line spacing is the usage of air gaps between adjacent lines. Single layer conductor lines are constructed with a gap that is filled with a dielectric material. As the dielectric material is deposited by chemical vapor deposition, the opposing walls of the adjacent lines become coated with dielectric. Eventually, the dielectric material bridges over, leaving an air gap in the dielectric between the lines.

Semiconductor chip with stacked conductor lines and air gaps


Skin topographical methods for quantifying pharmacodynamic parameters of a paralytic effect of a Clostridial toxin, such as a botulinum toxin upon a muscle, such as a frontalis muscle. The methods are effective in determining the potency of a Clostridial toxin, and in comparing toxins. For example, wrinkle reduction effects caused by one or more neurotoxins may be monitored, and differences in effects correspond to differences of neurotoxins.

The present invention relates to methods for determining an effect or effects of a Clostridial toxin or toxins upon a muscle or group of muscles. In particular, the present invention relates to use of dermal topography methods for determining an effect or effects of a Clostridial toxin or toxins upon a facial muscle and for comparing multiple or different Clostridial toxins.
Movement of the face can be due to contractions of muscles underlying the skin and different muscles can move different parts of the face. For example, elevation of the brow results from contraction of the frontalis muscle. Electromyographic methods have been used to study the activity of various facial muscles. See e.g. Fridlund A. et al., Guidelines for Human Electromyographic Research, Psychophysiology 1986; 23(5): 567–590; Vitti M, et al., Electromyographic Investigation of Procerus and Frontalis Muscles, Electromyogr. clin. Neurophysiol. 1976, 16: 227–236, and; Tassinary L. et al., A Psychometric Study of Surface Electrode Placements for Facial Electromyographic Recording: I. The Brow and Cheek Muscle Regions, Psychophysiology 1989; 26(1): 1–16.
In particular, electromyography, including surface electromyography (sEMG) has been used to investigate activity of the frontalis muscle and resultant brow displacement. See e.g. van Boxtel A, et al., Amplitude and bandwidth of the frontalis surface EMG: Effects of electrode parameters, Psychophysiology 1984; 21(6): 699–707, and; Pennock J. D., et al., Relationship between muscle activity of the frontalis and the associated brow displacement, Plast Reconstr Surg November 1999; 104(6): 1789–1797.
Additionally, it is known to study skin topography by making a silicone rubber negative replica (a mold) of a skin surface area. The mold captures three dimensional details of the skin surface and computerized image analysis of skin line density, depths and length analysis shown can be carried out thereon. Grove, G. L., et al, Objective method for assessing skin surface topography noninvasively, chapter one, pages 1–32 of Cutaneous Investigation in Health and Disease, edited by Leveque J-L., Marcel Dekker, Inc. (1989). This method has been used to study how micro-furrows on the forearm can increase in depth from about 33 Φm in children to up to about 100 Φm in the elderly. Corcuff P. et al., Skin relief and aging, J Soc Cosmet Chem 1983; 34:177–190. The same silicone rubber impression method has been used to examine the effect of a topical cream to treat photodamaged skin, as by reduction of periorbital (crow's feet) wrinkles. Leyden J. J., et al., Treatment of photodamaged facial skin with topical tretinoin, J Am Acad Dermatol 1989; 21(3) (part 2): 638–644, and; Grove G. L., et al., Skin replica analysis of photodamaged skin after therapy with tretinoin emollient cream, J Am Acad Dermatol 1991; 25(2) (part 1): 231–237.
Botulinum Toxin
The anaerobic, gram positive bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces a potent polypeptide neurotoxin, botulinum toxin, which causes a neuroparalytic illness in humans and animals known as botulism. The spores of Clostridium botulinum are found in soil and can grow in improperly sterilized and sealed food containers of home based canneries, which are the cause of many of the cases of botulism. The effects of botulism typically appear 18 to 36 hours after eating the foodstuffs infected with a Clostridium botulinum culture or spores. The botulinum toxin can apparently pass unattenuated through the lining of the gut and attack peripheral motor neurons. Symptoms of botulinum toxin intoxication can progress from difficulty walking, swallowing, and speaking to paralysis of the respiratory muscles and death.
Botulinum toxin type A is the most lethal natural biological agent known to man. About 50 picograms of botulinum toxin (purified neurotoxin complex) type A (Available from Allergan, Inc., of Irvine, Calif. under the tradename BOTOX®) is a LD50 in mice. One unit (U) of botulinum toxin is defined as the LD50 upon intraperitoneal injection into female Swiss Webster mice weighing 18–20 grams each. Seven immunologically distinct botulinum neurotoxins have been characterized, these being respectively botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, C1, D, E, F and G each of which is distinguished by neutralization with type-specific antibodies. The different serotypes of botulinum toxin vary in the animal species that they affect and in the severity and duration of the paralysis they evoke. The botulinum toxins apparently binds with high affinity to cholinergic motor neurons, is translocated into the neuron and blocks the release of acetylcholine.
Botulinum toxins have been used in clinical settings for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders characterized by hyperactive skeletal muscles. Botulinum toxin type A has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of blepharospasm, strabismus, hemifacial spasm and cervical dystonia. Botulinum toxin type B has also been approved by the FDA for the treatment of cervical dystonia. Clinical effects of peripheral intramuscular botulinum toxin type A are usually seen within one week of injection. The typical duration of symptomatic relief from a single intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin, type A averages about three months.
Although all the botulinum toxins serotypes apparently inhibit release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, they do so by affecting different neurosecretory proteins and/or cleaving these proteins at different sites. For example, botulinum types A and E both cleave the 25 kiloDalton (kD) synaptosomal associated protein (SNAP-25), but they target different amino acid sequences within this protein. Botulinum toxin types B, D, F and G act on vesicle-associated protein (VAMP, also called synaptobrevin), with each serotype cleaving the protein at a different site. Finally, botulinum toxin type C1 has been shown to cleave both syntaxin and SNAP-25. These differences in mechanism of action may affect the relative potency and/or duration of action of the various botulinum toxin serotypes.
The molecular weight of the botulinum toxin protein molecule, for all seven of the known botulinum toxin serotypes, is about 150 kD. Interestingly, the botulinum toxins are released by Clostridial bacterium as complexes comprising the 150 kD botulinum toxin protein molecule along with associated non-toxin proteins. Thus, the botulinum toxin type A complex can be produced by Clostridial bacterium as 900 kD, 500 kD and 300 kD forms. Botulinum toxin types B and C, is apparently produced as only a 500 kD complex. Botulinum toxin type D is produced as both 300 kD and 500 kD complexes. Finally, botulinum toxin types E and F are produced as only approximately 300 kD complexes. The complexes (i.e. molecular weight greater than about 150 kD) are believed to contain a non-toxin hemaglutinin protein and a non-toxin and non-toxic nonhemaglutinin protein. These two non-toxin proteins (which along with the botulinum toxin molecule comprise the relevant neurotoxin complex) may act to provide stability against denaturation to the botulinum toxin molecule and protection against digestive acids when toxin is ingested. Additionally, it is possible that the larger (greater than about 150 kD molecular weight) botulinum toxin complexes may result in a slower rate of diffusion of the botulinum toxin away from a site of intramuscular injection of a botulinum toxin complex.
In vitro studies have indicated that botulinum toxin inhibits potassium cation induced release of both acetylcholine and norepinephrine from primary cell cultures of brainstem tissue. Additionally, it has been reported that botulinum toxin inhibits the evoked release of both glycine and glutamate in primary cultures of spinal cord neurons and that in brain synaptosome preparations botulinum toxin inhibits the release of each of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, CGRP and glutamate.
Botulinum toxin type A can be obtained by establishing and growing cultures of Clostridium botulinum in a fermenter and then harvesting and purifying the fermented mixture in accordance with known procedures. All the botulinum toxin serotypes are initially synthesized as inactive single chain proteins which must be cleaved or nicked by proteases to become neuroactive. The bacterial strains that make botulinum toxin serotypes A and G possess endogenous proteases and serotypes A and G can therefore be recovered from bacterial cultures in predominantly their active form. In contrast, botulinum toxin serotypes C1, D and E are synthesized by nonproteolytic strains and are therefore typically unactivated when recovered from culture. Serotypes B and F are produced by both proteolytic and nonproteolytic strains and therefore can be recovered in either the active or inactive form. However, even the proteolytic strains that produce, for example, the botulinum toxin type B serotype only cleave a portion of the toxin produced. The exact proportion of nicked to unnicked molecules depends on the length of incubation and the temperature of the culture.
It has been reported that botulinum toxin type A has been used in clinical settings as follows ("U" and "units" mean the same thing and a used interchangeably):                (1) about 75–250 units of BOTOX® per intramuscular injection (multiple muscles) to treat cervical dystonia;        (2) 5–10 units of BOTOX® per intramuscular injection to treat glabellar lines (brow furrows) (5 units injected intramuscularly into the procerus muscle and 10 units injected intramuscularly into each corrugator supercilii muscle);        (3) about 30–80 units of BOTOX® to treat constipation by intrasphincter injection of the puborectalis muscle;        (4) about 1–5 units per muscle of intramuscularly injected BOTOX® to treat blepharospasm by injecting the lateral pre-tarsal orbicularis oculi muscle of the upper lid and the lateral pre-tarsal orbicularis oculi of the lower lid.        (5) to treat strabismus, extraocular muscles have been injected intramuscularly with between about 1–5 units of BOTOX®, the amount injected varying based upon both the size of the muscle to be injected and the extent of muscle paralysis desired (i.e. amount of diopter correction desired).        (6) to treat upper limb spasticity following stroke by intramuscular injections of BOTOX® into five different upper limb flexor muscles, as follows:                    (a) flexor digitorum profundus: 7.5 U to 30 U            (b) flexor digitorum sublimus: 7.5 U to 30 U            (c) flexor carpi ulnaris: 10 U to 40 U            (d) flexor carpi radialis: 15 U to 60 U            (e) biceps brachii: 50 U to 200 U. Each of the five indicated muscles has been injected at the same treatment session, so that the patient receives from 90 U to 360 U of upper limb flexor muscle BOTOX® by intramuscular injection at each treatment session.
It is also known that injection of a botulinum toxin into facial muscles can, by weakening the injected muscles, result in a decrease of hyperkinetic wrinkles in the skin overlying the paralyzed muscles. See e.g. Carruthers A. et al., The treatment of glabellar furrows with botulinum A exotoxin, J Dermatol Surg Oncol January 1990;16(1):83.
It is known to use a botulinum toxin to treat: intrathecal pain (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,915); paragangliomas (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,845); otic disorders (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,379); pancreatic disorders (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,143,306 and 6,261,572); migraine (see e.g. U.S. Patent No. 5,714,468); smooth muscle disorders (see e.g. U.S. Patent No. 5,437,291); prostate disorders, including prostatic hyperplasia (see e.g. WO 99/03483 and Doggweiler R., et al Botulinum toxin type A causes diffuse and highly selective atrophy of rat prostate, Neurourol Urodyn 1998; 17(4):363); autonomic nerve disorders, including hyperplasic sweat glands (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,606); wound healing (see e.g. WO 00/24419); reduced hair loss (see e.g. WO 00/62746); skin lesions (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,484), and; neurogenic inflammatory disorders (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,768).
Additionally it has been disclosed that targeted botulinum toxins (i.e. with a non-native binding moiety) can be used to treat various conditions (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,545, as well as WO 96/33273; WO 99/17806; WO 98/07864; WO 00/57897; WO 01/21213; WO 00/10598.
A botulinum toxin has been injected into the pectoral muscle to control pectoral spasm. See e.g. Senior M., Botox and the management of pectoral spasm after subpectoral implant insertion, Plastic and Recon Surg, July 2000, 224–225.
Both liquid stable formulations and pure botulinum toxin formulations have been disclosed (see e.g. WO 00/15245 and WO 74703) as well as topical application of a botulinum toxin (see e.g. DE 198 52 981).
Typically, a Clostridial toxin, such as a botulinum toxin, is administered locally and directly into a target tissue, such as a skeletal muscle, by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. Entry of a Clostridial toxin into the circulatory system is undesirable, since botulism or tetanus can result. Additionally, entry of a Clostridial toxin into the systemic circulation typically results in generation of antibodies against the toxin. The presence of antibodies leads to a loss or diminishment of a desired clinical response, such as a muscle paralysis. Thus, methodologies for determination of bioavailability of a Clostridial toxin practiced in regard to an intravenously or orally administered pharmaceutical are neither relevant nor applicability with regard to a locally (i.e. intravenous or subcutaneous) administered Clostridial toxin.
Unfortunately, therefore methodologies which examine a physiological fluid (i.e. blood, urine) are of little or no value to determine bioavailability of a Clostridial toxin to a target muscle or muscle group, due to the local (non-systemic) administration and effect of the toxin. Thus, currently available analytical techniques used to perform classical absorption, distribution, biotransformation and elimination studies on an oral or intravenously administered drugs cannot be used.
Botulinum toxin has been injected into facial muscles, such as the orbicularis oculis, corrugator supercilii and frontalis muscles for the cosmetic purpose of reducing certain facial wrinkles, and it is known to use electromyographic and/or photographic techniques to assess the efficacy of such injections. Guerrissi J. et al., Local injection into mimetic muscles of botulinum toxin A for the treatment of facial lines, Ann Plast Surg 1997;39(5):447–53. Electromyography has also been used to assess the effect of injection of a botulinum toxin into the sternocleidomastoid muscle for treatment of cervical dystonia. Dressler D. et al., Electromyographic quantification of the paralysing effect of botulinum toxin in the sternocleidomastoid muscle, Eur Neurol 2000; 43: 13–16. In sEMG the surface electrodes are placed at fixed distances from the injection point, typically 1 cm and 3 cm from the injection point. The surface electrodes can be used to measure the amplitude and area of a compound muscle action potential (CMAP) during maximal voluntary contraction of the injected muscle. One expects to find that CMAP decreases with the onset of muscle paralytic effect and increases as the paralytic effect wears off.
Unfortunately, electromyographic methods for determining an effect of a Clostridial toxin, such as a botulinum toxin, upon a muscle or muscle group can be unsatisfactory because of the variability of electrical activity from a particular muscle between patients an even with the same patient in different positions or on different days due to the known vagaries of electrophysiology. For example, repeat surface electromyographic recordings can show significant (i.e. from about 7% to about 20%) variability when taken from the same patient at the same time. Additionally, the extent of maximal voluntary contraction, at which the sEMG recording is taken, can be variable between and among patients.
Photographic methods, such as digital image analysis, have been used to determine efficacy of a botulinum toxin to treat hyperkinetic facial lines. Heckmann M., et al., Quantification of the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A by digital image analysis, J Am Acad Dermatol 2001; 45: 508–514. As with electromyographic methods, photographic methods also show significant intra and inter subject variability. Thus, photographic methods for determining an effect of a Clostridial toxin, such as botulinum toxin, upon a muscle or a muscle group can lack precision and accuracy and the quality and value of the images obtained are as variant as the lighting conditions, type of film used, film speed and the film development process used.
Thus both electromyographic and photographic methods for assessing an effect of a botulinum toxin upon a muscle have significant drawbacks and deficiencies, and neither of these methods can readily provide a three dimensional permanent record amenable to analysis.
Botulinum Toxin Lethality Assay
The botulinum toxin lethality assay involves the injection of a botulinum toxin composition intraperitoneally into a mouse. For example, the assay may include injecting intraperitoneally (IP) a desired amount of BOTOX® or DYSPORT® into a mouse. Several days after the injection, the injected mice are assessed for mortality. The potency of the product is related to the amount of botulinum toxin that is required to kill 50% of the injected mice (LD50).
Contrary to general belief, the mouse unit (i.e., the amount of botulinum toxin that equals the LD50) is not a standardized unit. It is well documented that the assay to determine the potency of botulinum toxin type A in mouse LD50 units is prone to significant inter-laboratory variability (Schantz and Kautter, J Ass of Anal Chem 1978, 61:96–99). One study designed to standardize a Botulinum type A toxin assay involved 11 different laboratories (Sesardic et al, Pharacol Toxico 1996, 78:283–288). In this study there was found to be up to a 10-fold difference in results. This variability in mouse LD50 is not unique to assays involving botulinum toxin. In fact, because of the variability of this assay, a number of regulatory agencies have abandoned requiring the routine use of LD50 for toxicity testing for a number of chemicals, solvents, cosmetics and drugs (Pearce et al, Toxicol App Pharm 1994, 128:69–77; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,401,243 and 5,183,462,).
In addition, although BOTOX® and DYSPORT® are both botulinum toxin type A-containing compositions, BOTOX® has a greater potency than DYSPORT® when therapeutically assessed. However, when measuring the potency of BOTOX® and DYSPORT® using the lethality assay described above, BOTOX® and DYSPORT® exhibit similar potencies.
The expanding medical importance of botulinum toxins has increased the need for, and placed a premium on, the precise analysis of biological activity contained in preparations of botulinum toxin type A for both clinical use and laboratory investigation.
What is needed therefore is a non-invasive method for determining a pharmacodynamic effect (such as a muscle paralytic effect) of a Clostridial toxin, such as a botulinum toxin, upon a muscle or muscle group, which method provides an accurate and precise three dimensional record amendable to computerized analysis. There also remains a need for a non-invasive and non-lethal methods for determining the potency of a Clostridial toxin, and for methods of comparing neurotoxins.

Surface topography method for determining effects of a botulinum toxin upon a muscle and for comparing botulinum toxins


A suspension device includes a partition wall body which partitions the outside of a hollow pipe into a working chamber and a reservoir first chamber, a first piston which partitions the working chamber into an extension-side first chamber and a contraction-side first chamber, a first flow passage which allows communication between the extension-side first chamber and the reservoir first chamber, an extension-side second chamber which communicates with the extension-side first chamber, a second piston which partitions the interior of the hollow pipe into a contraction-side second chamber and a reservoir second chamber, a first damping flow passage which allows communication between an extension-side chamber and a contraction-side chamber, and a second damping flow passage which allows communication between the contraction-side chamber and a reservoir. A cross-sectional area of the extension-side second chamber is larger than that of the hollow pipe.

In transportation equipment such as automotive vehicles and motorcycles, a suspension device is interposed between a vehicle body and a wheel. The suspension device suppresses the transmission of an impact due to the unevenness of a road surface to the vehicle body.
JP9-217780A discloses a front fork as a suspension device for suspending a front wheel of a motorcycle. This suspension device is an upright suspension device and includes a suspension device main body F composed of an outer tube 1 which is to be coupled to a wheel side and an inner tube 2 which is to be coupled to a vehicle body side and a tip side of which is retractably inserted into the outer tube 1 as shown in FIG. 6.
The suspension device includes a hollow pipe 10 a base end side of which is coupled to the outer tube 1 and a tip side of which enters and exits from the inner tube 2 as the suspension device main body F extends and contracts, a partition wall body 100 which is held on the outer periphery of a tip part of the hollow pipe 10 and slides in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 2, and a piston 200 which is held on the inner periphery of a tip part of the inner tube 2 and slides in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow pipe 10.
The partition wall body 100 partitions the outside of the hollow pipe 10 into a working chamber (not shown) which is formed on the outer periphery of the hollow pipe 10 and filled with working fluid and a reservoir R which is formed inside and above the hollow pipe 10 and in which the working fluid and gas are stored. The piston 200 partitions the working chamber into an extension-side chamber A on the inner tube side (upper side in FIG. 6) and a contraction-side chamber B. The extension-side chamber A communicates with the reservoir R via a damping flow passage M1 formed by an orifice perforated on the tip side (upper side in FIG. 6) of the hollow pipe 10. The contraction-side chamber B communicates with the reservoir R via a hole 31 perforated on the base end side (lower side in FIG. 6) of the hollow pipe 10.
The partition wall body 100 and the piston 200 are each formed into an annular shape and mounted movably in an axial direction. A first flow passage L1 allowing communication between the reservoir R and the extension-side chamber A is provided on the inner periphery of the partition wall body 100. A second flow passage L2 allowing communication between the extension-side chamber A and the contraction-side chamber B is provided on the outer periphery of the piston 200.
A cut 101 is formed along a radial direction on an extension-side chamber side surface (lower surface in FIG. 6) of the partition wall body 100. Accordingly, the partition wall body 100 functions as a first check valve V1 for permitting the working fluid passing in the first flow passage L1 to move only from the reservoir R to the extension-side chamber A. On the other hand, a cut 201 is formed along a radial direction on an extension-side chamber side surface (upper surface in FIG. 6) of the piston 200. Accordingly, the piston 200 functions as a second check valve V2 for permitting the working fluid passing in the second flow passage L2 to move only from the contraction-side chamber B to the extension-side chamber A.
When the suspension device extends, the extension-side chamber A is pressurized and the contraction-side chamber B is depressurized by the piston 200. At this time, communication between the first and second flow passages L1, L2 is blocked by the partition wall body 100 functioning as the first check valve V1 and the piston 200 functioning as the second check valve V2. Thus, the working fluid in the extension-side chamber A flows out to the reservoir R through the damping flow passage M1 of the hollow pipe 10 and the working fluid in the reservoir R flows into the contraction-side chamber B through the communication hole 31.
When the suspension device contracts, the contraction-side chamber B is pressurized and the extension-side chamber A is depressurized by the piston 200. At this time, the communication between the first and second flow passages L1, L2 is permitted by the partition wall body 100 functioning as the first check valve V1 and the piston 200 functioning as the second check valve V2. Thus, the working fluid in the contraction-side chamber B flows out to the reservoir R and the extension-side chamber A through the communication hole 31 of the hollow pipe 10 and second flow passage L2, and the working fluid in the reservoir R flows into the extension-side chamber A through the first flow passage L1 and the damping flow passage M1.
Accordingly, the suspension device generates a damping force due to resistance produced when the working fluid passes through the first flow passage L1, the second flow passage L2, the damping flow passage M1 and the communication hole 31 as the suspension device main body F extends and contracts. Further, an extension-side damping force which is a damping force when the suspension device extends is larger as compared with a contraction-side damping force which is a damping force when the suspension device contracts.
Further, in the above suspension device, the partition wall body 100 partitioning between the reservoir R and the extension-side chamber A and the piston 200 partitioning between the extension-side chamber A and the contraction-side chamber B are arranged between the inner periphery of the inner tube 2 and the outer periphery of the hollow pipe 10 and each formed into an annular shape. Since the partition wall body 100 and the piston 200 are mounted movably in the axial direction and function as the first and second check valves V1, V2 by each including the cut 101, 201 on one surface, a leaf valve can be eliminated.
Thus, the above suspension device can be easily assembled and inexpensively manufactured as compared with a suspension device for generating a damping force utilizing a deflection characteristic of a leaf valve.