An apparatus for operating a medical appliance, such as a moving operating table, has a touchscreen on which a user interface is displayed. The user interface has a number of first buttons. A control unit initiates first actions of the medical appliance when the first buttons are actuated by a user. Furthermore, the user interface has at least one stop area which, when actuated, stops any first action. The first buttons and the stop area are spatially distributed over the user interface such that center points between each first button and the stop area are located outside each first button.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for operating a medical appliance, in particular a moving operating table. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for operating a medical appliance having a touchscreen on which a user interface is displayed, wherein the user interface has a number of first buttons for initiating first actions of the medical appliance.
The use of touchscreens for operating and controlling appliances has become widespread, particularly in the medical sector. A touchscreen is a screen or, more generally, a display unit having a touch-sensitive surface. A touchscreen therefore allows the pictorial representation of (virtual) buttons, the touching of which by a user can be recognized and evaluated. A touchscreen can therefore be used to implement very flexible input devices, which can also be operated very easily and intuitively.
For many appliances, particularly in the medical sector, however, an especially reliable and secure operation is required. Thus, by way of example, it must be possible to control the movement of an electric operating table very reliably in order to put a seriously injured patient carefully into a desired position. In this context, it must be ensured that the movement of the operating table can be reliably stopped again at any time. This characteristic, which at first glance is obvious, is not readily assured with known touchscreens. This is because it cannot be ruled out that the touchscreen's button will "freeze" after it has been actuated, i.e. that a malfunction in the touchscreen will cause release of the touch-sensitive button to be no longer registered. If the button has been used to start the operating table moving in such a case, the touchscreen can no longer be used to stop the movement. For this reason, critical actions on medical appliances, i.e. actions which have to be performed with a very high degree of reliability, have not solely been controlled using touchscreens so far. In some cases, such actions have been controlled entirely without a touchscreen, or the touchscreen has been complemented by an additional "real" emergency-off switch, as in the case of the apparatus mentioned at the outset.
However, the addition of an emergency-off switch requires additional wiring and also some work on the hardware of commercially available touchscreens. This is a drawback in respect of the manufacturing costs of prior art apparatuses, and also in respect of operating convenience.
An alternative option of providing reliable and failsafe control with a touchscreen involves that the individual control operations each are executed only for a predetermined, limited period of time when the button is actuated. This ensures that, by way of example, the movement of the operating table is stopped after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, even if the button on the touchscreen freezes due to a failure which has occurred in the interim. However, such a solution adversely affects operating convenience. Furthermore, it is then very difficult to set an exact position for the operating table with high precision.

Apparatus for operating a medical appliance


A method and system for using a secondary energy source with an electric or hybrid vehicle in a way that requires no interaction with the vehicle's on-board communications system or the vehicle's processors. The secondary energy source, which can be a battery pack or any energy storage device, can generally be charged at home or business using the 110 volt line. The energy from the secondary source can be metered into the system in a way that allows the primary battery state-of-charge to fluctuate normally. Most of the electrical energy propelling the vehicle can come from the secondary source. All of the regenerative energy from braking can go into the primary battery. A controller can control a regulator to regulate the amount of current flowing from the secondary source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of electric-powered vehicles and more particularly to managing energy usage from a secondary battery or energy source to a hybrid or totally electric vehicle, especially one that uses regenerative braking.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A major advance in the field of hybrid electric vehicles was made when Toyota Corporation introduced the Prius, an electric vehicle that also has an internal combustion engine and uses the technology of regenerative breaking to convert kinetic energy from braking back into electrical energy rather than just heat. The future of motor vehicles seems to be heading in the general direction of this vehicle. This type of vehicle is typically supplied with a single, high voltage, primary battery. In the case of the Prius, the battery is a nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH) supplying around 273.6 volts with 6.5 ampere-hour capability. Some models have slightly different voltages and capabilities (for example, 201.6 volts, 288 volts, 6.0 ampere-hours). The Prius electric drive motor has a power capability of around 67 Hp (depending upon the year and model). Vehicles of this type usually contain processors that coordinate the battery, power train and regenerative systems like regenerative breaking. Communication between various systems on the vehicle use a digital bus known as a CAN bus.
The primary battery pack is usually supplied with electronics that can keep track of stored energy, or state-of-charge, in the primary battery. A control system attempts to keep the battery pack around 72% of maximum (between 65%-75% typically). This is generally a compromise between storing as much energy as possible and leaving some room for energy from the regenerative braking.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art hybrid vehicle system. A high voltage battery pack supplies current to an electric motor. The motor may be DC or AC. If an AC motor is used, an inverter converts DC to AC for the motor. This motor drives the wheels when the vehicle is being operated electrically. A Battery electronics unit monitors the battery's state-of-charge and regulates charging and discharging. The battery is typically charged by the internal combustion engine (not shown) or by energy recovered in regenerative braking. A motor/generator is coupled to the wheels or drive train to act as a generator during braking. This unit can also act as a starter motor to start the internal combustion engine.
Because typically the primary battery pack is charged by the internal combustion engine, and because the vehicle only has a certain range in electric mode (EV mode), it can be very desirable to install a secondary battery pack in the vehicle. This way the vehicle can use energy stored in the secondary pack as well as the primary vastly extending the electric range of the vehicle. The secondary pack can be charged at home or business from 110 AC line service. This results in greater fuel economy since electricity is less expensive than gasoline per KW of usable energy.
There are two major difficulties in adding a second battery pack or other secondary energy source to this type of vehicle. The first is coercing the vehicle to use the available energy. Hybrid vehicles typically keep track of how much energy is stored in the primary battery. This is called the state-of-charge. If the state-of-charge is too low, then the internal combustion engine turns on to charge the battery. If the state-of-charge is too high, then the regenerative braking is disabled. In both cases, the advantages of hybrid technology is lost. Simply transferring energy from a secondary battery to the primary battery will cause the state-of-charge to reach levels that are too high to use regenerative braking. Hence braking energy will be unrecoverable. The second major difficulty with adding a secondary battery pack is metering energy from the secondary battery to the vehicle. Current control of some type is generally necessary to prevent large currents between the batteries.
There are systems known in the art for adding a second battery to a hybrid vehicle. Some are after-market. Various of these systems use a CAN bus monitoring device to decode vehicle communications and only transfer energy from the secondary battery when the state-of-charge is below some threshold. Some prior art systems transfer energy by having a secondary battery voltage that is higher than that of the primary battery and then connecting the packs together with a contactor. This approach may result in very high currents between the batteries that can result in battery overheating and even be a fire danger. Some prior art systems use a regulator circuit to adjust the voltage on the secondary battery to match that of the primary battery and hence limit the current. This approach allows the voltage of the secondary battery to be different from that of the primary battery, for example half. These methods almost exclusively require tapping into the CAN bus or other vehicle communications and then using the communications information to manage energy.
It would be advantageous to have a system and method of adding a secondary battery to an electric or hybrid vehicle like the Prius that would not require any interaction with the onboard vehicle communications system or any knowledge of the vehicle's controllers or processors. In this way, an external source-chargeable secondary battery pack could be added to extend the electric range of the vehicle and reduce the use of the internal combustion engine while maintaining battery currents and temperatures within safe ranges and allowing for the maximum use of regenerative energy systems like regenerative braking.

System and method for managing energy use in an electric vehicle


An apparatus is disclosed which mechanically supports and electrically connects a magnetic field modulation head for opto-magnetic recording to a supporting/connecting device. The magnetic field modulation head is in slidable contact with a surface of an opto-magnetic disc and is placed face-to-face with a laser pick-up device. The apparatus has a connecting spring member made of a conductive material. The connecting spring member has one end which joins a coil of the magnetic field modulation head with a coil of the magnetic field modulation head, and an opposite end which is fixed on a supporting member. The spring member has a pair of conductive pieces spaced apart from each other. The conductive pieces are made of a material which renders the coil conductive with the supporting member, the one end and the magnetic field modulation head being embedded in a composite resin material. To partially mechanically engage the conductive pieces together, an insulating engaging member may be used. Alternatively, the spring member may have a pair of conductive pieces spaced apart from each other and placed on a single insulating plate made of a flexible composite resin.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for mechanically supporting and electrically connecting a magnetic field modulation head to be used for a photomagnetic recording.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has generally been known in the art that a photomagnetic disc is usable for photomagnetic recording. A conventional apparatus for mechanically supporting and electrically connecting the magnetic field modulation head will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. A photomagnetic recording is carried out by contacting a magnetic field modulation head 10 with a surface of a photomagnetic disc 12 at such a contact pressure as to a the magnetic modulation head 10 to be slidable on the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12. The magnetic field modulation head 10 involves a magnetic field modulation coil 10a therein.
The magnetic field modulation head 10 is mechanically supported by a supporting member 20 comprising a metal spring plate which is mechanically fixed to a supporting frame 16. Namely, the magnetic field modulation head 10 is mounted through its mounting portion 20a to one end of the metal spring plate supporting member 20 whose opposite end is fixed to a top portion of the supporting frame 16. The spring plate supporting member has a bent portion which acts as a spring member. The magnetic field modulation head 10 is electrically connected through a conductive plate connecting member 22 for receiving electrical signals for the magnetic field modulation in which the conductive plate connecting member 22 is required to be made of an electrically conductive material to allow the electrical signals to be transmitted therethrough. The conductive plate connecting member 22 is also required to be a flexible member to allow the magnetic field modulation head 10 to exhibit a vertical motion to the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12. The magnetic field modulation head 10 is mounted at its top surface to one end of the conductive plate connecting member 22 whose opposite end is also fixed to the top portion of the supporting frame 16 so that the coil 10a involved in the magnetic field modulation head 10 is electrically connected through a wiring to the conductive plate connecting member 22. The spring plate supporting member 20 and the conductive plate connecting member 22 together constitute a supporting and connecting apparatus.
The supporting frame 16 is L-shaped extends upward and also extends in a lateral direction parallel to but apart from the photomagnetic disc 12. A laser beam pick up device 14 is provided within an end of the laterally extended portion of the supporting frame if, wherein the laser beam pick up device 14 is located at an opposite position to the magnetic field modulation head 10 through photomagnetic disc 12 in which the magnetic modulation coil 10a involved in the magnetic field modulation head 10 is positioned on an optical axis 24 of a lens in the laser beam pick up device 14.
A lift lever 26 may be provided for pushing up a bottom surface of the spring plate supporting member 20 to allow the magnetic field modulation head 10 to be apart from the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12. In detail, the lift lever 26 has a fixed end 26b and a free end 26a with a contact portion. The lift lever 26 is provided at its under surface with a displacement member 28 which is able to show a vertical motion. Upward motion of the displacement member 28 may push up the lift lever 26 so that the contact portion provided at the free end 26a of the lift lever 26 pushes up the bottom surface of the spring plate supporting member 20 until the magnetic field modulation head 10 is separated from the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12. Downward motion of the displacement member 28 stops pushing up the lift lever 26 so that the contact portion provided at the free end 26a of the lift lever 26 may be separated from the bottom surface of the spring plate supporting member 20. This may permit the spring plate supporting member 20 to make the magnetic field modulation head 10 contact with the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12.
The supporting and connecting member 18 comprising the spring plate supporting member 20 and the conductive plate connecting member 22 may be provided to be movable in a diametrical direction of the photomagnetic disc 12 so that the magnetic field modulation head 10 may also be movable in the diametrical direction in contact with the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12 with a rotation for storing information into the photomagnetic disc 12 or the photomagnetic recording.
The conventional supporting and connecting member 18 has, however, problems as described below. The conventional apparatus 18 for mechanically supporting and electrically connecting the magnetic field modulation head 10 has a complicated structure as comprising two separated members consisting of the spring plate supporting member 20 for only mechanically supporting the magnetic field modulation head 10 and the flexible conductive plate connecting member 22 for electrically connecting the magnetic field modulation head 10. A plurality of different fasteners 20a and 22a are necessary to mount the magnetic field modulation head 10 to each of the spring plate supporting member 20 and the conductive plate connecting member 22. In the prior art, the complicated structure of the supporting and connecting apparatus requires a large number of parts as well as complicated fabrication processes. This leads to a costly product.
Moreover, the contact pressure of the magnetic field modulation head 10 on the surface of the photomagnetic disc 12 depends upon not only a spring constant of the spring plate supporting member 20 but also a flexibile of the conductive plate connecting member 22, while the contact pressure must be set just in a predetermined value precisely for realizing the photomagnetic recording. In practice, the problem of the contact pressure of the head 10 on the disc 12 is very serious as it seems difficult to obtain a stable contact pressure value of the magnetic field modulation head 10 due to two associated factors, namely both the spring constant and the flexibility.
Furthermore, the above conventional supporting and connecting apparatus has a further serious problem with the accuracy of the positioning of the magnetic field modulation head 10. Cooperation of the spring plate supporting member 20 with the conductive plate connecting member 22 may cause a variation of a distance L of the magnetic field modulation head 10 from the vertical portion of the supporting frame 16. This results in difficulties in precisely positioning the magnetic field modulation head 10 on the photomagnetic disc 12. This problem as to the variation of the positioning of the magnetic field modulation head 10 is also very serious as it seems difficult to obtain a stable and precise positioning thereof.
To solve the above problems, it is therefore necessary to develop a novel apparatus for mechanically supporting and electrically connecting the magnetic field modulation head 10.

Apparatus for supporting and connecting a magnetic field modulation head to be used for a photomagnetic recording including a spring plate member having a conductive part electrically connecting the head to a supporting frame


A collapsible portable shelter unit when in the collapsed mode is light and compact to make transport and storage convenient, but when opened provides an enclosed space that can be used for various purposes, which has an integrated high strength structured frame by the action of the interlocking extrusions which also provide resistance to water and wind infiltration. As needed, exterior windows and doors, air conditioning, electrical supply and other customization as required by the users' needs.

Emergency type housing units have been desired for numerous applications. Typically the units are nothing more than steel shipping containers which are modified for the usage desired. They tend to be heavy, difficult to transport, provide very limited functional space, and not desirable as a living area. Increasing of the functional space has been crudely addressed by cutting out portions of the container and affixing multiple containers together. The appearance of the units has remained to be that of a shipping container or trailer, usually with the need to perform extensive work on the interior to make the unit functional. Further, a single unit typically does not supply sufficient space to accomplish the needed function as the containers are so narrow in width that two or more containers must be placed together to get a functional space. When multiple units are assembled, the need to prevent water and wind infiltration causes considerable additional work to be done by skilled craftsmen, with specialty products to seal the units and properly connect them, which materials are not always available.
Since the steel units are bulky, heavy in weight, difficult to store and transport is typically handling one unit at a time, with a crane needed to move the units. These difficulties restrict the usage and desirability of container type units.
The challenge and need was for a unit that was light weight and compact when not in use so that it may be efficiently stored and transported, that supplies an attractive, functional space, that is strong, water and wind resistant, as well as adaptable to weather conditions, adaptable easily to special needs, and could be installed without special supplies or skilled labor in minimal time periods.


According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a first disk, the second disk, and a first head which writes and reads to the first disk, a second head which writes and reads to the second disk, and a controller which calculates an estimated position at which the second head is estimated to be disposed on the second disk based on first relative position information related to a relative position in a radial direction between the first head and the second head when the first head is switched to the second head.

The magnetic disk device can have a plurality of disks that is relatively eccentric (in the following, sometimes referred to as relative eccentricity) due to the occurrence of subsequent disk displacement (in the following, sometimes referred to as a subsequent disk shift) and a plurality of heads individually corresponding to the plurality of disks. In the case in which during a particular head of a plurality of heads reading a particular cylinder (a particular track), another head that is different from the particular head is switched (head-changed) to read this cylinder (track), the magnetic disk device possibly reads a cylinder (track) different from this cylinder (track).
A magnetic disk device (in the following, sometimes referred to as a zone servo type magnetic disk device) having servo data divided in the radial direction is being developed. In the case in which during a particular head of a plurality of heads reading a particular cylinder (a particular track), a head is changed to read this cylinder, the zone servo type magnetic disk device might not correctly demodulate the position of the head due to reading the servo data of a cylinder different from this cylinder.

Magnetic disk device and head change processing method

TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION


Techniques are disclosed for a software as a service (SaaS) provider to host a content analytics tool used to evaluate data collections for multiple customers (referred to as tenants) using one dedicated and expandable computing infrastructure, without requiring that the service provider obtain, install, license, and manage a separate copy of the content analytics tools for each tenant. Customers are provided access to resources dedicated to their enterprise, but do not have access, or even awareness, of data collections or analytics resources hosted for other customers. That is, embodiments presented herein allow a provider to host content analytics tools used by customers to evaluate their enterprise data in a secure and timely manner.

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a content analytics system configured to support multiple tenants. More specifically, embodiments of the invention allow a software as a Service (SaaS) provider to host a content analytics service for multiple customers using a single dedicated and expandable server network.
Enterprises frequently collect data related to customers, partners, products, people, etc., and the size of the resulting data sets continues to grow exponentially over months and years. A variety of tools have been developed to help discover insights present in these collections of structured and unstructured data. Enterprises evaluate stored data in order to derive a variety of insights about their operation. For example, customer feedback data may be evaluated to help identify issues with current lines of businesses, identify processes failing their current missions, as well as identify new business opportunities to pursue. Of course, the evaluation may be tailored to the available data and the goals of the enterprise. For example, a telecom provider would like to analyze the customer calls received at their call centers to identify most frequently reported issues or to identify trends in call topics indicating an emergent issue.
To address these types of analytical needs, an enterprise may build a data center and either develops software applications suited for their line of business or purchases analytical applications from vendors. With recent growth of cloud computing however, enterprises favor SaaS providers, as they don't have to spend budget on maintenance or hardware or related licenses. Instead, an enterprise pay the SaaS provider based on usage. The charge models could be charge per MB of indexed data or the number of detected insights.

Content analytics system configured to support multiple tenants

International Business Machines Corporation


An electrically actuated aircraft brake system and method which provides for brake wear measurement and running clearance adjustment. Brake wear and running clearance measurement are obtained by analyzing the output of position sensing circuitry. In a preferred embodiment, present brake disk stack height is measured using actuator position sensors, and the output of the sensors is compared by a controller to a reference brake disk stack height to provide an indication of the amount of brake wear. The reference brake disk stack height is obtained by lightly loading the brake disk stack and using the actuator position sensor or sensors to measure the displacement of the actuator ram or rams to the brake disk stack. The controller also is operable to effect movement of the reciprocating ram for lightly loading the brake disk stack by a predetermined amount to obtain from the position transducer a present displacement value of the position signal, and then using the present displacement value to determine a running clearance position of the reciprocating ram by subtracting a predetermined clearance value from said present displacement value.

Known in the prior art are aircraft wheel and brake assemblies including a non-rotatable wheel support, a wheel mounted to the wheel support for rotation, and a brake disk stack having front and rear axial ends and alternating rotor and stator disks mounted with respect to the wheel support and wheel for relative axial movement. Each rotor disk is coupled to the wheel for rotation therewith and each stator disk is coupled to the wheel support against rotation. A back plate is located at the rear end of the disk pack and a brake head is located at the front end. The brake head houses a plurality of actuator rams that extend to compress the brake disk stack against the back plate. Torque is taken out by the stator disks through a static torque tube or the like.
As the brake disks wear, the running clearance of the actuator rams correspondingly increases. To maintain an acceptable running clearance, mechanical adjustor devices have been employed. While functional, these devices add weight and complexity to the braking system, and need to be overhauled usually each time the brake disk stack is replaced. For at least these reasons, it would be desirable to provide for running clearance adjustment without the need for these mechanical adjustor devices.
Present day aircraft brake systems also have employed wear pin indicators to measure overall wear of the brake disk stack. Brake wear is indicated by the length of the pin relative to a reference plate. This arrangement requires a visual inspection of the pin to determine wear and is inherently imprecise. It would be desirable to provide for brake wear measurement without the need for a visual inspection and with greater precision.
Moreover, it would be desirable to provide for brake actuator running clearance and brake wear indication utilizing means that may be interfaced into an electro-mechanical brake system. Electro-mechanical braking systems eliminate drawbacks associated with hydraulic braking systems such as fluid leaks, high maintenance requirements, fire hazard and higher overall weight.

Electronic braking system with brake wear measurement and running clearance adjustment


Bivalent agonists having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, comprising two agonist or two antagonist ligand domains, wherein the distance between the ligand domains can range from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a backbone, wherein the backbone is covalently bonded to the two ligand domains, are provided. Additionally, bivalent agonists are provided that comprise one agonist and one antagonist ligand domain. In a specific embodiment, the bivalent agonists are peptide dimers, wherein the backbone comprises two spacer regions, two polylysine regions, and a disulfide bond region, such that the order in which the ligand domains, spacer regions, polylysine regions and disulfide bond region are covalently bonded together is: (ligand domain)-(spacer region)-(polylysine region)-(disulfide bond region)-(polylysine region)-(spacer region)-(ligand domain). Such peptide dimers are prepared from oxidative dimerization of their corresponding monomers.

The present invention relates to bivalent agonists having affinity for GPCRs, peptide dimers useful as bivalent agonists, and methods for their preparation and use.
G-Protein coupled receptors (xe2x80x9cGPCRsxe2x80x9d) are plasma membrane proteins capable of transducing signals across a cell membrane so as to initiate a second messenger response. To this end, GPCRs bind a variety of ligands ranging from small biogenic amines to peptides, small proteins and large glycoproteins (C. D. Strader et al., Annu. Rev. Biochem. 63, 101-132 (1994)). All GPCRs contain seven hydrophobic domains, which have been postulated to span the plasma membrane, connected by hydrophilic extracellular and intracellular loops. Some examples of GPCR subfamilies include the rhodopsin/xcex2-androgenic (xe2x80x9cxcex2ARxe2x80x9d) family, which includes receptors for dopamine, serotonin, substance P, bradykinin, angiotensin, somatostatin and lutropin; the secretin/vasointestinal peptide (xe2x80x9cVIPxe2x80x9d) family, which includes receptors for secretin, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1, gastric inhibitory peptide, parathyroid hormone, secretin/vasointestinal peptide, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide, calcitonin and growth releasing hormone; and the metabotropic glutamate (xe2x80x9cmGluxe2x80x9d) family, which includes receptors for glutamate. Over 250 GPCRs have been identified to date (M. A. Cascieri et al., JPM 33(4), 179-185 (1995); C. D. Strader et al., FASEB J. 9, 745-754 (1995)), including Ca2+, olefactory, prostaglandin and sweet-taste receptors.
Multivalent ligands such as immunoglobulins have significantly enhanced affinity for their binding site. Based on the entropic effects of avidity, multivalency theoretically can increase apparent binding affinity by several orders of magnitude (D. M. Crothers et al., Immunochemistry 9, 341-357 (1972)). Although this affinity gain is usually more modest, multivalent molecules have potentially powerful applications in clinical pharmacology. For example, synthetic bivalent ligands can be used to target toxins, drugs and, potentially, plasmid DNA to specific cell subtypes, or across the blood-brain barrier.
Thermodynamically, the binding of a multivalent antibody to adjacent epitopes on the cell surface is similar to the chelate effect (C. G. Spike et al., J. Amer. Che. Soc. 75, 2726-2729 (1953); D. Neri et al., J. Mol. Biol. 246, 367-373 (1995)). Although this effect was described originally to explain the enhanced stability of chelate rings, it is also relevant in rate accelerations of enzymic reactions and in base pair formation of polynucleotides (M. I. Page et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 68, 1678-1683 (1971); C. Delisi et al., Biopolymers 10, 1809-1827 (1971)). The common feature of these reactions is that following the initial reaction (e.g., binding of one antibody xe2x80x9carmxe2x80x9d to its antigen), each succeeding reaction (e.g., binding of the second antibody xe2x80x9carmxe2x80x9d to an adjacent epitope) is more favorable because the entropy loss is decreased.
Specific examples of bivalent molecules capable of binding to adjacent epitopes include small bivalent antibodies composed of either antibody fragments (Fab) or single chain antibodies (Fv) (P. Pack et al., Biochemistry 31, 1579-1584 (1992); P. Holliger et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 6444-6448 (1993); W. D. Mallender et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269, 199-206 (1994)). In addition, other multivalent molecules have been designed to bind to adjacent epitopes, including bivalent carbohydrates and a variety of synthetic drug delivery systems (R. T. Lee et al., Biochemistry 23, 4255-4261 (1984); R. Duncan et al., Clin. Pharmacokinet. 27, 290-306 (1994)).
Bivalent peptides, such as receptor-adhesive modular proteins (xe2x80x9cRAMPsxe2x80x9d), have been used in an alternative approach to cell targeting (M. Engel et al., Biochemistry 30, 3161-3169 (1991); C. A. Slate et al., Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 45, 290-298 (1995)). These large synthetic peptides, which contain two ligand sites separated by a spacer region and a dimerization domain, were designed with the hope of binding to two membrane receptors simultaneously. In its original design, the dimerization domain consisted of a two stranded parallel alpha helical coiled coil, and the ligand region was composed of two identical integrin receptor binding peptides. However, although the two ligand domains were separated by at least 50 angstroms, no increased affinity of their dimeric constructs was demonstrated, suggesting that such dimeric peptides could not bind to two receptors at the same time. Previous studies suggested that the minimal distance between two GPCRs is 40 angstroms (xc3x85) (G. F. X. Schertler et al., Nature 362, 770-772 (1993)), while structural studies of immunoglobins have demonstrated that the distance between antigen binding sites is 100-250 xc3x85 (D. M. Crothers et al., Immunochemistry 9, 341-357 (1972)).
Previous studies indicated that short, crosslinked gonadotropin releasing hormone (xe2x80x9cGnRHxe2x80x9d) peptide dimers that were incubated with anti-GnRH antibodies to form larger dimers having a bridge length of 150 xc3x85, increased agonist activity, relative to their corresponding short dimers, in a functional luteinizing hormone (xe2x80x9cLHxe2x80x9d) release assay (P. M. Conn et al., Endocrinology 111, 335-337 (1982)).
In addition, it has been shown that a reversible association of an antibody with two GnRH antagonists resulted in the association having agonistic activity (P. M. Conn et al., Nature 296, 653-654 (1982)). However, in that case, because there was no covalent or ionic bonding between the two GnRH antagonists and the antibody, such an reversible association is easily disrupted, leading to cessation of agonist activity.
It has been speculated that a dimer of any small molecule that binds to a single transmembrane receptor that is known to work through dimerization, with an appropriate spacer portion to allow mutual contact of the active moieties with their receptors, could possibly possess agonist activity (B. Seed, Chemistry and Biology 1(3), 125-29 (1994)).
There is a clear need in the art for easily synthesizable agonists with enhanced functional activity or in vivo efficacy than those currently available.
Citation or identification of any reference in Section 2 of this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.
The present invention provides a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being agonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains.
The invention further provides a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being antagonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains.
The invention further provides a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising a first and second ligand domain, the first ligand domain being an agonist for a first G-protein coupled receptor, and the second ligand domain being an antagonist for a second G-protein coupled receptor, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the first and second ligand domains.
The invention further provides a method for synthesizing a bivalent agonist dimer, comprising the step of treating an amount of a monomer with an amount of an oxidizing agent, the monomer comprising a ligand domain covalently bonded to a molecular backbone, said ligand domain (a) being an agonist for a G-protein coupled receptor, and (b) comprising a peptide; the backbone comprising a spacer region, a polylysine region, and an amino acid residue containing a sulfhydryl group in covalent linkage; said amount of oxidizing agent being capable of oxidizing the sulfhydryl group, such that an oxidized sulfhydryl group reacts with an unoxidized sulfhydryl group of another monomer so as to form a dimer having a disulfide bond.
The invention further provides a method for synthesizing a bivalent agonist dimer, comprising the step of treating an amount of a monomer with an amount of an oxidizing agent, the monomer comprising a ligand domain covalently bonded to a molecular backbone, said ligand domain (a) being an antagonist for a G-protein coupled receptor, and (b) comprising a peptide; the backbone comprising a spacer region, a polylysine region, and an amino acid residue containing a sulfhydryl group in covalent linkage; said amount of oxidizing agent being capable of oxidizing the sulfhydryl group, such that an oxidized sulfhydryl group reacts with an unoxidized sulfhydryl group of another monomer so as to form a dimer having a disulfide bond.
The invention still further provides a method for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors expressed by a cell, comprising contacting a cell with a bivalent agonist, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being agonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, said agonist further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains.
The invention still further provides a method for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors expressed by a cell, comprising contacting a cell with a bivalent agonist, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being antagonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, said agonist further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains.
The invention still further provides a method for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors expressed by a cell, comprising contacting a cell with a bivalent agonist, said agonist comprising a first and second ligand domain, the first ligand domain being an agonist for a first G-protein coupled receptor, and the second ligand domain being an antagonist for a second G-protein coupled receptor, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, said agonist further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the first and second ligand domains.
Further still, the invention provides a composition for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors comprising a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being agonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains, the amount of said bivalent agonist being effective for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Further still, the invention provides a composition for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors comprising a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising two ligand domains, the ligand domains being antagonists for a first and a second G-protein coupled receptor, respectively, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the two ligand domains, the amount of said bivalent agonist being effective for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Further still, the invention provides a composition for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors comprising a bivalent agonist having affinity for one or more G-protein coupled receptors, said agonist comprising a first and second ligand domain, the first ligand domain being an agonist for a first G-protein coupled receptor, and the second ligand domain being an antagonist for a second G-protein coupled receptor, wherein the distance between the ligand domains ranges from about 40 to about 250 xc3x85, and further comprising a molecular backbone, said backbone being covalently bonded to the first and second ligand domains, the amount of said bivalent agonist being effective for agonizing one or more G-protein coupled receptors; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
It is to be understood that when the designation xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d immediately precedes a letter abbreviation for an amino acid as defined above, that amino acid is the unnatural, d-enantiomer.
The present invention may be understood more fully by reference to the following figures, detailed description and illustrative examples which are intended to exemplify non-limiting embodiments of the invention.

Bivalent agonists for G-protein coupled receptors


A starting assistance device for a vehicle has an electric motor and a dog clutch which is switched on at the time of starting of the vehicle to thereby transmit a torque to idler wheels. A sensor is provided to detect the switching on and switching off of the dog clutch. In case the switching off of the dog clutch is not detected when the rotational speeds of the idler wheels have exceeded a predetermined value after the starting of the vehicle, the electric motor is driven in such a direction of rotation so as to cancel the torque which operates on the dog clutch due to the frictional force in the electric motor.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a starting assistance device for mounting on a vehicle in which either the front wheels or the rear wheels are driving wheels which are driven by an engine and the remaining thereof (i.e., the rear wheels or the front wheels whichever the case may be) are idler wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional starting assistance device is one which performs the starting assistance of a vehicle at the time of starting on a slippery road (such as, a snowy road or the like) by driving idler wheels with an electric motor. In this prior art, for the electric motor, it is desired to use an inexpensive DC brush motor which is used as a self-starter motor. However, if the electric motor remains coupled to the idler wheels also after the starting of the vehicle, the electric motor will be excessively rotated (or rotated at too high a rotating speed) by counter driving by the idler wheels. The durability of the brushes will therefore be impaired.
As a solution, the following structural arrangement is provided. Namely, there is provided a dog clutch which is switched on at the time of starting of the vehicle to thereby transmit the torque of the electric motor to the idler wheels. Once the vehicle has started, the driving of the electric motor is stopped and also the dog clutch is switched off.
If a DC brush motor is used as the electric motor, there will occur a frictional force by the friction of the brushes. Even if the driving of the electric motor is stopped, there will be operated on the dog clutch a torque which is equivalent to the frictional torque in the electric motor as a result of counter driving from the idler wheels. By the friction on the tooth side surfaces of the dog clutch, the dog clutch is locked to the switched-on condition (also called a switch-on locking) and therefore cannot be switched off any more. In such a case, the electric motor is excessively rotated as a result of counter driving by the idler wheels after vehicle has started, thereby resulting in the durability of the electric motor being impaired.
In view of the above-described disadvantages or drawbacks of the conventional devices, the present invention has an object of providing a starting assistance device in which the dog clutch can surely be switched off after the starting of the vehicle.

Starting assistance device for a vehicle with a motor and dog-clutch control for transmitting a torque to idler wheels


The present invention is an apparatus and method for protecting against drive anomaly errors while optimizing random read performance. Data block persistency is explicitly verified when a data block is written. Data block integrity and location checks are performed by reading data from a single drive. Through such a process, reading of metadata from a second drive is not required, thus decreasing the drive I/O workload. In an example of the invention, a combination of a CRC and a location tag interleaved as metadata along with user data on a single drive may be employed to perform a read operation in accordance with the present invention.

Reliable storage and the utilization of high availability storage arrays employing disk drives as the storage media are becoming evermore popular as data is stored electronically. Data is stored to, and retrieved from, an array of disks on a behalf of one or more host computer systems by storage array controllers. A major requirement of storage systems is the transfer and retrieval of data without error. Thus, storage systems and storage array controllers employ error detection and recovery algorithms to ensure data integrity.
A problem associated with high availability storage arrays is the return of incorrect data by a disk drive without an error indication. These types of errors may occur when writing data to, and reading data from storage media. Drive anomaly protection is characterized by the assurance of data integrity, persistency and location. Data integrity assurance means that all bytes in a data block are stored, retrieved and transmitted correctly. Location assurance means that the data was stored to or retrieved from the correct physical location. Persistency assurance refers to whether data is actually written to media. Thus, detection of drive write anomalies involves the cross-checking of the integrity, persistency and location of data.
An approach known to the art to detect drive anomalies begins by storing a write sequence tracking metadata. The sequence information is stored on separate disks as metadata during write operations. On a subsequent read operation, the metadata is read from both disks and verified for consistency. The sequence information may be used to determine which drive is in error when the sequence information on the data drive is different from the parity drive. If the data drive is in error, the data is extracted from the parity drive via normal reconstruction techniques. The write sequence tracking scheme is implemented with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) or similar form of error detection and correction code to provide data integrity protection. This provides data integrity assurance at a byte level to protect against drive anomaly errors in which the majority of data in the sector or sectors is correct. The CRC information may be stored as metadata along with the write sequence tracking information.
With this approach, write operations are tracked at two levels of granularity. The first level is when the scope of a write operation is limited to an individual drive plus the associated parity drive. In this case, the level of granularity is a data block such as the cache block size used to manage the storage controller's data cache. Each data block within a data stripe has its own separate revision number. The revision numbers of all data blocks are stored on the associated parity drive.
A second level of granularity is provided when all data blocks within a stripe are written. Each storage controller maintains a monotonically increasing value that is used to track full stripe writes on a storage controller basis. Tracking full stripe writes separately allows the controller to avoid having to perform a read-modify-write function on all of the associated data block revision numbers. When a full striped write occurs, all data block revision numbers are initialized to a known value.
The approach known to the art for detecting drive anomalies employs data read operation integrity cross-checks that require reading some form of metadata from a second drive. This effectively doubles a drive input/output (I/O) workload that results in a severe performance degradation for random read I/O profiles. In typical disk drives, the estimated impact is 40% decrease in I/O per second performance if the workload averages one or more I/O operations per drive. Further, this performance impact is relatively constant across a wide range of I/O sizes, drive seek ranges, and drive I/O queue depths. The decrease in performance is due to the fact that drive I/O per second performance does not double when workload doubles. Since only half of the drive I/O operations return user data, performance decreases from the host's perspective. Consequently, an apparatus and method for performing drive anomaly detection while optimizing random read performance is necessary.

Optimized read performance method using metadata to protect against drive anomaly errors in a storage array


A method of operating a terminal at an airport beyond security screening, the terminal having a housing, a display, a reader configured to read data from an information bearing medium comprising the steps of: reading a personal identification; performing at least one of the following functions: gate check-in; employee access terminal to a jetway; changing seats; ordering meals; accessing frequent flier programs; processing boarding passes; reading passports and displaying flight information. A method of operating a terminal at a restaurant, the terminal being hand held and having a housing, a display, a reader configured to read data from an information bearing medium comprising the steps of: reading personal identification; performing at least one of the following functions: ordering meals; bill payment; displaying menu items; viewing meal order status; and verbal communications.

Terminals are in use today at locations where a person makes a transaction in an establishment. Most of the terminals have data reading capability for acquiring customer held data which is applied to a microprocessor to identify the customer and process the necessary data to complete a transaction. Sometimes as part of the transaction, the customer is asked to sign his or her name upon a signature capture pad and the signature is electronically recorded as part of the transaction. Other times the card user is asked to input data through some type of real or virtual keypad.
Currently available terminals have been observed to exhibit numerous limitations. Efforts regarding such systems have led to continuing developments to improve their versatility, practicality and efficiency.


A retractable carrying handle for a room air conditioning unit that is easily assembled with the main structural member of the unit to provide a high strength, safe means for installing and removing the unit from a window frame or the like for transporting the unit from place to place.

This invention relates to a portable room air conditioner and, in particular, to a retractable handle for use in a portable room air conditioner.
More specifically, this invention involves a window air conditioning unit that can be easily installed within a window frame and removed to storage when the cooling season has ended. Many window units found in the prior art are not equipped with handles or other suitable devices to facilitate lifting and carrying the unit. As a consequence, these units are difficult to install and remove from a window frame. U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,738 to Wenig illustrates a multiple use window air conditioning unit that has a handle attached to the top wall of the unit housing. As can be seen, the handle protrudes above the top wall of the housing and thus can impede, rather than aid, in the installation of the unit. The handle can be readily seen and clearly detracts from the aesthetic value of the unit. Lastly, the housings used to enclose most window units are fabricated from thin, metal or plastic sheets. Accordingly, lifting the relatively heavy unit by use of the Wenig-type handle can cause the housing to become deformed, or even to break, thus posing a potential danger to the user.

Retractable handle for a room air conditioner


A system for determining a location of a moving object in an enclosed space comprises at least one first transmitter adapted to be located in the enclosed space, wherein each of the first transmitters is operable to transmit a code associated with the first transmitter, wherein the code is representative of a coordinate in a predetermined coordinate system, a first receiver adapted to be located on a moving object, the receiver operable to receive the code, and a first processing unit adapted to be located on the moving object, the processing unit operable to process codes from the first receiver to determine the location of the moving object based on the code.

Combat training systems existing today are generally built-up based on a central station communicating with a number of players such as soldiers, laser based weapon simulation systems, etc. The players are arranged to report to the central station registered events such as fire/trigger, detonation, hit, far miss, near miss and side effects together with time information and information about the location of the player.
It has become more and more important to train soldiers for battles not only in conventional training terrain but also in urban terrain. However, in urban terrain conventional position location systems such as GPS do not function properly, as the GPS-signals do not reach indoors and other enclosed spaces. Therefore, it has not been possible to directly apply the combat training systems to training in urban terrain without first solving the problem of position determination in enclosed spaces, such as in buildings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,425 describes a system for determining the location and the identity of a device or person in an enclosure. The system comprises a plurality of stationary infrared transmitters distributed in various zones within the enclosure and a plurality of portable transceivers, each being associated with a dedicated person or device. Each of the transmitters includes means for generating an infrared location code signal representative of the location of the associated transmitter within the enclosure. Each of the portable transceivers is formed from an infrared receiver responsive to detect infrared location code signals from stationary infrared transmitters, means for generating a PIN signal representative of the person or device with which the portable transceiver is associated, and an RF transmitter to generate bursts of an RF output signal representative of the PIN code and the detected location code for detection by a remote RF receiver and use at a central station.
WO 97/35208 concerns a method and device for determining the position of moving objects, in particular moving participants in battle practice. Optoelectronic transmitters are disposed in sections/rooms/shelters in the battle practice field, the optoelectronic transmitters continuously transmitting data concerning at least the transmitter position. If a moving object enters the optoelectronic transmitter reception range, a receiver of the moving object receives the data concerning the transmitter position and the received data is transmitted via a radio data transmission system to a battle control centre. The method described enables the exact position of the moving objects and participants in the battle practice to be determined even when they are located in rooms or on sites which makes it impossible to determine positions using GPS signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,097 describes a method of training players in an urban environment. The method comprises the steps of equipping a plurality of players with optical detectors, SAT-equipped small arms weapons and player units; installing a locator in a combat area and causing the players to enter the combat area. The locator transmits infrared energy, the infrared energy having a location code located therein. The optical detectors of at least one of the players that has entered the combat area receives the infrared energy transmitted from the locator, and the location code in the received infrared energy is logged in the player unit of a player that has received the infrared energy.
Using the above mentioned solutions, it is possible to provide position determination also in enclosed spaces, such as in buildings. In a combat training system based on these position determination solutions for urban training, the central unit has means for relating every received location code to a specific space or a specific room in a specific building, for example graphically. However, it is not possible to apply the above mentioned positioning determination solutions in communication with units which are not provided with the above mentioned means. Especially, with the above mentioned position determination methods, the player units themselves do not know their positions.

System and method for determining the location of a moving object in a secluded space


An apparatus and method are described for processing workpieces in a treatment process. A multi-wafer chamber defines a chamber interior including at least two processing stations within the chamber interior such that the processing stations share the chamber interior. Each processing station includes a plasma source and a workpiece pedestal for exposing one of the workpieces to the treatment process using a respective plasma source. The chamber includes an arrangement of one or more electrically conductive surfaces that are asymmetrically disposed about the workpiece at each processing station in a way which produces a given level of uniformity of the treatment process on a major surface of each workpiece. A shield arrangement provides an enhanced uniformity of exposure of the workpiece to the respective one of the plasma sources that is greater than the given level of uniformity that would be provided in an absence of the shield arrangement.

The present invention is related generally to the field of workpiece processing such as, for example, processing semiconductor wafers and, more particularly, to a multi-workpiece processing chamber and its method of use.
A number of processing systems, currently used in the production of semiconductor wafers, are capable of processing more than one wafer at a time for purposes of enhancing system throughput. It has been asserted in the prior art, however, that a single-wafer process chamber provides more uniform process results when compared to multi-wafer processing chamber configurations. Presumably, this degradation in "across-wafer" and "station-to-station" uniformity is thought to be directly attributable to communication between adjacent wafer processing stations within a shared process chamber and environment.
Process uniformity, however, is of increasing concern, particularly in view of an industry emphasis on ever-decreasing device feature sizes. One example, attempting to provide a compromise between the asserted "cross-talk" contamination problem that is associated with batch processing in a shared process environment and limited throughput in the use of single-wafer process chamber, is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,681 (hereinafter the '681 patent). The latter adopts the use of "tandem" single wafer processing chambers, having processing regions that are described as being separate from one another (see col. 4, ln. 37-40). A single chamber body is used to define these separate processing regions using a shared chamber wall between the processing stations. The processing region defined by each tandem chamber is deemed by the patent as isolatable from the processing region of the other tandem chamber by virtue of limiting communication between the adjacent processing regions only to that which selectively occurs through an exhaust system. Such selective communication would presumably be controlled based on the pumping status of the vacuum pumping system. Otherwise, the tandem chambers appear to function, from a process standpoint, in a way which is essentially the same as a pair of separate single-wafer processing chambers (see, for example, col. 2, lns. 54-56). In this regard, the system provides for multiple, isolated processes to be performed concurrently in at least two regions (see col. 4, ln. 44-51), which reasonably suggests that a first process can be performed in one processing region of a tandem chamber while a second, different process is performed in the other processing region of that same tandem chamber.
While there may be advantages associated with the asserted capabilities of the separate, tandem chambers of the '681 patent in providing for simultaneously executing different processes in each chamber, it is recognized herein that there is a concern that, even if the same process is executed in both chambers, the chambers may provide different results as the conditions in each chamber are too independent and there is no feedback control that would keep these conditions equal. For example, this could occur if there is any tendency for contaminants to build up in exhaust channels 621, leading to different pressures in one chamber with respect to the other. In view of the foregoing and whereas the overall complexity of the '681 chamber design was intended to improve the cross-talk problem, resulting in a high cost of the chamber, it is believed that further improvement is needed.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

Advanced multi-workpiece processing chamber


A photographic film cassette has a spool with photographic film wound thereon. A pair of velvet ribbons is attached to inside faces of a passageway of the cassette shell so as to prevent light from entering the cassette shell through the passageway. Rotation of the spool in an unwinding direction causes a leader of the photographic film to advance outward from the passageway between the pair of ribbons. The ribbons are of warp pile fabric woven from warp threads, weft threads and warp pile threads. The ribbons are woven in a structure such that the weft threads are intersected by the warp threads in plain weave, and that warp pile threads are pressed between the warp threads to slang in the direction of the weft threads. The ribbons are oriented so as to slant the pile threads toward an outside of the cassette shell. In a preferred embodiment, a light-trapping ribbon web is woven such that it has a width corresponding to a width of the inside faces of the passageway for attaching ribbons. Ribbons are cut from the ribbon web at a length corresponding to a lateral range of the passageway.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographic film cassette and light-trapping members for the same, and more particularly to a cassette wherein rotation of a spool advances a leader of the photographic film to the outside of the cassette shell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, a photographic film cassette (hereinafter referred to as cassette) containing a roll of 135-type (35 mm wide) photographic filmstrip (hereinafter referred to as film) is widely used. This cassette is constituted by a light-tight cassette shell provided with a passage mouth, a spool rotatably contained in the cassette shell, and photographic film wound on the spool. A pair of light-trapping ribbons (commonly called plush in the field of photography) constituted of strips of fabric are attached inside the passage mouth in order to prevent light from entering through the passage mouth into the cassette shell.
A number of different light-trapping ribbons are known to be effective, including a woven fabric, like velvet, with pile threads woven on its ground as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 37-21388, a knitted fabric with pile threads knitted on its ground as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-34526, a set of pile threads planted directly on faces in a passageway for the photographic film as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication no. 37-4453 and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. 53-105222 and 57-190948, and a non-woven fiber sheet as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 51-127737.
As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,275, 4,834,306, 4,848,693, and 4,846,418, a leader-advancing cassette has been proposed in which the photographic film is initially contained completely within the cassette, and the leader is advanced to the passage mouth upon rotation of the spool in the direction of unwinding the photographic film. In such a cassette, rotation of the spool by a mechanism of the camera causes the leader to advance to the outside of the cassette shell through the passage mouth.
If a pile fabric having pile threads is used as light-trapping ribbons, the directions of pile threads can become unfavorably disorganized during manufacturing processes such as dying and brushing. In some cases, pile threads will be, possibly irrecoverably, inclined in the film rewinding direction, i.e., toward the inside of the cassette shell.
With a leader-advancing cassette, whose leader is positioned initially within the cassette, the leader must advance through the passageway against any resistance due to the light-trapping ribbons therein. If there is a considerably large resistance, the photographic film may be bent within the cassette, and rotation of the spool might fail to advance the leader. Also, a battery powering the advance mechanism of the camera will be quickly consumed if the resistance to film advancement is high, because a relatively large torque is required to rotate the spool.

Photographic film cassette and light-trapping method for the same


A compact desiccant-operated air dryer includes air directing housings, each housing including a separate desiccant bed. Each housing includes an associated desiccant bed to provide dehumidification to process air flow during a dehumidification phase of the housing; during operation, at least one desiccant housing will be in the dehumidification phase so as to provide continuous dehumidification. The associated desiccant bed for a desiccant housing is reactivated during the reactivation phase of the desiccant housing. Each desiccant housing extends between two external chambers at each end; a process inlet chamber and reactivation outlet chamber at one end, and a process outlet chamber and a reactivation inlet chamber at the other end. Each housing is connected to the two chambers at each end by a distinct associated inlet or outlet. Discs mounted on each end of a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally from one end to the other, are configured to, (1) when a desiccant housing is in a dehumidification phase, close the inlet and outlet to the respective reactivation inlet and outlet chambers, while opening the inlet and outlet to the respective process inlet and outlet chambers; and, (2) when a desiccant housing is in a reactivation phase, open the inlet and outlet to the respective reactivation inlet and outlet chambers, while closing the inlet and outlet to the respective process inlet and outlet chambers.

Desiccant air dryers differ from cooling-based dehumidifiers in that desiccants attract moisture from air by creating an area of low vapour pressure at the surface of the desiccant, instead of cooling the air to condense moisture. When the desiccant is cool and dry, its surface vapour pressure is low and it can attract moisture from ambient air, which, when humid, has a high vapour pressure. When the desiccant attracts moisture from the air, the desiccant becomes wetter, and rises in temperature due to the release of heat from the moisture of the air being dried. At some point, the desiccant will become sufficiently wet and hot that its surface vapour pressure is no longer significantly higher than the vapour pressure of the ambient air. At that point, the desiccant will no longer attract moisture from the air and will need to be dried or reactivated before being used to dry air again. In order to dry the desiccant, heated reactivation air can be blown through the desiccant, thereby heating the desiccant so that its vapour pressure is now higher than that of the heated reactivation air, and moisture is removed from the desiccant into the heated reactivation air. When the desiccant has been sufficiently dried, it is cooled, and can dry air again.
The foregoing description suggests a limitation of air dryers in circumstances where continuous dehumidification is required; namely, the moisture absorbing capability of the desiccant is periodically exhausted and must be restored before the desiccant can be used to dehumidify air again. Various solutions to this problem have been devised involving (1) moving desiccants between a reactivation air flow and a process air flow such that the process air is always being dehumidified by part of the desiccant while the dehumidifying capacity of the rest of the desiccant is being restored by the reactivation air flow; or, (2) having at least two separate air dryers, and periodically switching the reactivation air flow and the process air flow between these two separate air dryers such that process air is always being dehumidified by one of the desiccants while the other desiccant is being dried by the reactivation air.
One known desiccant arrangement that falls within the second of the above-described categories is a two-tower arrangement in which the two separate air dryers take the form of two separate packed towers. One end of each tower can switch between receiving process air via a process air inlet, and discharging reactivation air via a reactivation air outlet. The opposite end of each tower can switch between receiving reactivation air via a reactivation air inlet, and discharging process air via a process air outlet. This solid packed tower desiccant arrangement includes two valves that are operated together. A first valve controls the process air inflow and the reactivation air outflow, while the second valve controls the process air inflow and the reactivation air outflow. The valves are operated together such that when the first valve directs process air into a first tower and receives reactivation air from the second tower, the second valve is set to receive process air from the first tower and to direct reactivation air to the second tower. The setting of both valves are changed simultaneously to switch the reactivation air flow and the process air flow between the towers.
The tower arrangement suffers from the disadvantages that (1) it requires lots of room and equipment including complicated control mechanisms to redirect the reactivation air and process air periodically, and (2) it requires a high-pressure air supply. These problems render the tower arrangement inapplicable for lower-capacity and lower-pressure usage in small areas, such as in a small boat or in recreational vehicular homes.


In a filter device, a filter coefficient calculation circuit has a parameter table. The parameter table stores a plurality of sets of filter coefficients associated with a first parameter based on a frequency and a second parameter based on respective plurality of levels representing a degree of attenuation or enhancement of a gain of a filter in filter characteristics. The filter coefficient calculation circuit extracts a set of filter coefficients from a parameter table with the use of the first parameter and the second parameter determined according to a frequency and a strength of a musical sound signal, and outputs the extracted set of filter coefficients to the filter. The filter circuit performs filter processing for the musical sound signal, based on the filter characteristics determined by the set of filter coefficients.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filter device and an electronic musical instrument equipped with the filter device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tone color of an acoustic musical instrument is changed according to change of the amplitude ratio of a harmonic tone in relation to a fundamental tone. In particular, when tone color is changed according to strong and weak of performance, as a musical instrument is performed strongly (for example, a piano key is touched strongly), the amplitude ratio of a high order harmonic tone becomes higher. Meanwhile, as the musical instrument is performed weakly (for example, the piano key is touched weakly), the amplitude ratio of the high order harmonic tone becomes smaller.
FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are graphs showing waveforms of an acoustic piano. FIG. 12A shows a waveform when the piano key is touched fortissimo, and FIG. 12B shows a waveform when the piano key is touched mezzo piano. FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are graphs showing spectrums calculated based on the respective waveforms of FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B. In FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, the horizontal axis (frequency axis) is linear, and the vertical axis is shown in units of dB. The spectrums of FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are calculated based on the processing that sample 4096 is cut out from the section in the vicinity of sounding start of the waveforms shown in FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B, with the use of Blackmann's window function.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing spectrum envelopes extracted from the spectrums shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B. As shown in FIG. 14, the spectrum envelopes have approximately constant slopes from the fundamental wave to the higher harmonic wave, and the slopes are uniformly changed according to strength of the performance. In the example of FIG. 14, as the strength of the performance becomes stronger, the slopes become larger (that is, approaches 0). Therefore, when color tones are changed by a filter circuit in an electronic musical instrument, the filter circuit desirably has the filter characteristics with the spectrum envelopes as shown in FIG. 14.
The existing filter transfer function is shown in the following Formula 1.
                    Formula                                                  1                                                                      H                                (            z            )                          =                              w            0            2                                1            +                                          (                                                      -                    2                                    +                                      w                    0                    2                                    +                                                            w                      0                                                            Q                                                  )                                                          z                                  -                  1                                                      +                                          (                                  1                  -                                                            w                      0                                                            Q                                                  )                                                          z                                  -                  2                                                                                (        1        )
where ω0=2pfc/fs (0<ω0<1)
where fc represents a cutoff frequency, fs represents a sampling frequency, ω0 represents a cutoff angle frequency, and Q represents selectivity.
In the existing filter circuit, the filter characteristics are changed according to ω0 (or fc) and Q. Therefore, the filter circuit uses ω0 (or fc) and Q as parameters, and the characteristics are changed based on these parameters.
FIG. 15 is a graph showing filter characteristics when fc as a parameter is changed in a secondary IIR filter having the characteristics shown in Formula 1. In FIG. 15, the horizontal axis (frequency axis) is linear (0 to 10 kHz), and the vertical axis is shown in units of dB. As shown in FIG. 15, even when fc is changed, the changed filter characteristics are far from the characteristics as shown in FIG. 13A, FIG. 13B, and FIG. 14. Therefore, in the electronic musical instrument, there has been a problem that it is extremely difficult to realize tone color change equal to the tone color change of the acoustic piano by controlling the cutoff frequency.
Further, currently, many electronic musical instruments employ the PCM method. In the PCM method, an attack-time waveform when musical sound is generated (attack time) and waveform data of the subsequent repetition waveform are stored in the waveform memory. On and after the attack time, the waveform data of the repetition waveform is repeatedly read, and thereby the capacity of the waveform memory is decreased. However, when only the same waveform is repeated, the color tones are fixed and monotonized. Therefore, the tone colors are changed as time goes on by the filter circuit. In particular, in an acoustic piano, the higher order harmonic tone is more fastly attenuated as time goes on. It has not been possible to realize such a change by the existing filter circuit.
For example, in Japanese Laid-Open (Kokai) Patent Publication No. 4-78213, a filter using a specific frequency f0 in which the transfer characteristics start to change and the change ratio thereof as a parameter instead of the cutoff frequency fc is suggested. However, even when the filter disclosed in the foregoing patent document is used, it has been particularly difficult to realize change equal to the tone color change of an acoustic piano. In particular, there has been the following problem. That is, the frequency in which the maximum attenuation level or the maximum enhancement level of a given frequency is changed to a given ratio thereof (hereinafter referred to as "turnover frequency" in the specification) is moved according to change of the parameter.

Filter device and electronic musical instrument using the filter device


Tubular components for use in modular fencing systems are manufactured utilizing die-forming of a flat plastic sheet, rather than by profile extrusion of a tubular form. This approach is made feasible by an aesthetically acceptable and structurally sound longitudinal edge joint configuration. The joint is formed by cooperating clip members formed along opposing longitudinal edges of the sheet. The clip members are interlocked with each other in overlapping relation following the die-forming operations. The clip members are substantially concealed by peripheral side portions of the component that are held in closely spaced or abutted relation. Structural integrity is assured by staking overlapping portions of the clip members to each other at longitudinally spaced locations. This can be accomplished with a thin circular blade having teeth that rotate to pass between the peripheral side portions and to press against and deform the overlapping portions, one into the other. In addition to allowing substantially higher rates of production and material savings (as compared with profile extrusion methods), the technique facilitates the formation of wood-simulating graining and color variegation.

The present invention relates to plastic fencing components. In particular, the invention relates to elongated tubular plastic fencing components, e.g., posts, pickets and rails used in modular plastic fencing systems, and improved methods for manufacturing the same.
Plastics present a desirable alternative to wood as a construction material for fencing, particularly in terms of ease of use and durability. For example, modular vinyl (PVC) fencing is generally easy to assemble, highly resistant to the elements and does not require painting. The use of plastics for fencing components is known, e.g., in the agricultural, residential and home improvement industries. Exemplary plastic fencing structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,421,556 (Dodge et al.)(commonly assigned); 5,303,900 (Zulick, III et al.); 5,215,290 (Khalessi); 4,727,702 (Baker et al.); and 3,728,837 (Kiefer, Jr.).
The conventional technique for manufacturing tubular plastic fencing components involves the use of profile extrusion, i.e., the extrusion of molten plastic material into the desired tubular profile. At least three significant problems exist with this technique. First, the flow characteristics of plastics materials such as PVC require that the extrusion be performed with relatively low throughput, e.g., 12-15 feet per minute (fpm). Obviously, if the throughput could be increased, production costs would be reduced, thus making plastic fencing an even more viable substitute for wood.
Secondly, profile extrusion of tubular structures inherently requires that certain minimum wall thicknesses be maintained to prevent collapse or warpage of the extruded plastic material while it is still soft. This results in unnecessary material usage, and expense, since the wall thicknesses will be dictated by the production process rather than the requirements of the product's end use. Since, for many fencing applications, adequate strength can be afforded with significantly thinner walls than are required by profile extrusion methods, there is a need for an alternative manufacturing method that would allow formation of lesser wall thicknesses.
Finally, an important concern for many potential purchasers/users of plastic fencing is whether the fencing has a natural appearance, i.e., whether it closely simulates a natural wood fence. Toward this end, it is desirable to provide plastic fencing with a simulated wood grain, and color variegation. However, it is difficult to impart such attributes to tubular fencing components produced by profile extrusion.
The formation of pipe and other tubular structures from sheet metal is known. Typically such processing involves the use of stamping, rolling and/or die-forming to create a generally tubular shape having a pair of adjacent or overlapping longitudinal edges. Some form of crimping or separate connectors are generally used to secure the longitudinal edges to each other to finish the tube. Examples of such techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,796,015 (Francis et al.); 1,034,483 (Mills); and 207,606 (Ketchum).
Heretofore, such forming processes have not provided a viable substitute for profile extrusion in the production of plastic fencing. Principally, what has been lacking is a satisfactory means for producing an aesthetically acceptable and structurally sound longitudinal edge joint as part of a relatively high-speed continuous production process.

Tubular fencing components formed from plastic sheet material


A fingertip protector for a person using a thermal appliance includes a thermal insulation layer for thermally isolating the fingertip from the workpiece or work surface. The thermal insulation layer is sandwiched between an adhesive layer and preferably a heat-resistant, non-stick layer. The adhesive layer is used for securing the fingertip protector to a fingertip. The heat resistant, non-stick layer is used for preventing the work surface from adhering to the fingertip protector. The three layers are bonded to or laminated with one another to form a non-rigid pad which is adapted for mounting on the underside of a fingertip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to finger protection devices in general, and more particularly relates to a device used to provide thermal protection for the fingertip of a user of a thermal appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the craft-making field, it is often necessary to bond workpieces or work surfaces together using hot melt adhesives (hot glue). Using hot glue, as opposed to alternative bonding means, offers desirable features which include a fast setting time and a cleanup that is free from toxic solvents or the like. However, one disadvantage of using hot melt adhesives is that they are generally applied at temperatures between 300 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the work surfaces to be bonded together are typically held in place by a craft person's fingers until the glue has sufficiently set, severe burns to the person's fingertips are sometimes unavoidable without wearing some type of protective finger covering.
The use of gloves, in general, to protect hands and fingers from environmental hazards is well known in the prior art. Gloves have undergone numerous structural modifications, with each change tailored to a specific vocational or recreational application. The different materials from which these gloves have been fabricated are similarly numerous. The primary disadvantage of using glove-type coverings for protection, however, is that they are necessarily bulky in construction, and therefore unduly restrict hand and finger movement. Such restriction of movement can be detrimental in applications that require a high degree of manual dexterity. This is particularly true in the craft-making field, which typically involves the manipulation of small and delicate workpieces.
Although freedom of movement may generally be increased by employing a thinner glove material, or deleting the glove material from the finger portions altogether, the desirable thermal protection properties of the glove are accordingly diminished. Freedom of movement and thermal protection are generally mutually exclusive properties of a glove. Furthermore, gloves are cumbersome to put on and to take off, particularly when one or both hands are in use.
Other attempts at protecting the fingertip include the class of sheath-type devices, which are adapted to slide over the tip of the finger or thumb. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,881, to Field, discloses an aesthetically pleasing sheath-type finger guard to protect and cover an injured finger. However, the device disclosed in the Field Patent does not provide thermal protection to the wearer.
Another prior art device employing a sheath-type protective covering is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,747 to Banks. This device uses a thumb sheath and a pair of finger encompassing sheaths which are connected together by an insulating bridge therebetween. The device was specifically designed to provide thermal protection for use with hot curling irons, as found in the hair dressing field. Although sheath-type devices may offer improved freedom of movement of the hand, fingertip movement and tactile sensitivity remain substantially impaired.
Still other attempts at protecting the fingertip have concentrated on protecting the fingernail, rather than the underside portion of the fingertip. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,243, to Simonton, discloses a clip-on fingernail protector. This device, however, offers no protection, thermal or otherwise, for the underside portion of the fingertip.
Prior art protective finger coverings, attempting to provide thermal protection for the fingers, have been unsuccessful thus far for use in such applications as the craft-making field, which requires a high degree of manual dexterity. Therefore, there is a need, in such applications, to provide thermal protection for a thumb or finger that does not inhibit freedom of movement of the fingers or substantially impair tactile sensitivity.

Fingertip protector for a person using a thermal appliance


A chirped RZ-AMI optical transmitter includes a first logic gate for receiving a first signal obtained by pre-coding binary data and a second signal having a waveform obtained by inverting and delaying the first signal, and outputting a third signal obtained by logically operating on the first and second signals. A second logic gate receives a fourth signal having a waveform obtained by inverting the first signal, and a fifth signal having a waveform obtained by delaying the first signal. The second logic gate outputs a sixth signal obtained by logically operating on the fourth and fifth signals. A Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM) modulates an input light according to the third and sixth signals and outputs an RZ-AMI optical signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transmitter, and more particularly to an optical transmitter using a Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM).
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic construction of a typical Return-to-Zero Alternate-Mark-Inversion (RZ-AMI) optical transmitter using an MZM and a Delay Interferometer (DI), and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing processing signals of the RZ-AMI optical transmitter shown in FIG. 1. The RZ-AMI optical transmitter 100 includes a pre-coder 110, a modulator driver 120, a Continuous Wave (CW) laser 130, an MZM 140 and a DI 150.
The pre-coder 110 pre-codes and outputs binary data S11 which are input Non-Return-to-Zero (NRZ) signals. The modulator driver 120 receives the input from the pre-coder 110, amplifies it and outputs the amplified signal as a pre-coded signal S12. The pre-coder 110 may include a 1-bit delay element and an exclusive-OR element. The MZM 140 intensity & phase-modulates and outputs, according to the amplified signal, a light input from the CW laser 130. The bias position of the MZM 140 is located at a null point corresponding to a minimum value in a transfer characteristic function of the MZM 140. The DI 150 splits the modulated S13 input from the MZM 140 into a first and a second optical signal, delays the first optical signal by 0.5 bit, i.e., one half of a bit period, and outputs an optical signal S15 obtained by combining the first delayed optical signal and the second optical signal so that they destructively interfere. Then, an RZ-AMI optical signal is obtained by phase-modulating the destructively-interfered optical signal S15 each bit by means of a phase modulator so that the optical signal S15 has an inversed phase. The RZ-AMI modulation scheme known in the art has characteristics in which an optical signal includes intensity information and a phase of the optical signal is inverted alternately with each bit. In particular, in indicating the intensity of an RZ-AMI optical signal, as in the case of an RZ signal, a shift in energy of the RZ-AMI optical signal from a level 0 to a level 1, with a subsequent return to the level 0, indicates a single bit. Accordingly, since the RZ-AMI optical signal has the same change of intensity as that in the RZ signal, the RZ-AMI optical signal has an advantage in an RZ modulation scheme. For example, the RZ-AMI optical signal is tolerant to a non-linearity of an optical fiber in a transmission system having a data speed more than 20 Gb/s. Further, since the phase of the optical signal is inverted alternately each bit, a frequency component of a carrier is suppressed. Therefore, the RZ-AMI optical signal is tolerant to not only the Brillouin non-linearity effect but also the non-linearity effect such as the Intra-channel Four-Wave-Mixing (IFWM) and the Intra-channel Cross-Phase-Modulation (IXPM).
However, the RZ-AMI optical transmitter 100 as described above is expensive due to the expensive parts, particularly the MZM 140, the DI 150 and the phase modulator. Therefore, a system with the RZ-AMI optical transmitter 100 tends to require a non-competitive price.
Since a chirped RZ signal has been known to be tolerant to the non-linearity effect, it is observed by the present inventors that the RZ-AMI optical signal may also have the same advantages. Accordingly, a chirped RZ-AMI modulation scheme may be a very superior modulation scheme having advantages of a chirped RZ signal and an RZ-AMI optical signal. What is needed is a chirped RZ-AMI optical transmitter that is low-priced and tolerant to the non-linearity effect.

Maetan-Dong, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon-Si, Gyeonggi-Do


A drive axle for an agricultural or industrial vehicle includes a central box-shaped body for containing a differential; two fixed tubular arms fixed by opposite parts to the box-shaped body; two tubular movable arms, each slidingly inserted in a respective fixed arm; two hubs, each connected to a respective movable arm to support respective wheels; two adjustment actuators, each active between a respective fixed arm and the corresponding movable arm to change the distance between hubs between a minimum distance configuration and a maximum distance configuration; an antirotation device active between each fixed arm and each movable arm; the antirotation device being active on opposite sides of fixed arms and movable arms.

The known drive axles, in particular the adjustable drive axles, comprise two axle shafts each having two portions slidingly inserted one into the other. The hubs for the support of the wheels are fixed to the sliding positions of the axle shafts. In this way, the drive axle can be configured to assume a minimum track configuration and a maximum track configuration.
The hubs can be rigidly fixed to the sliding portions. In such case, a rigid drive axle or, in other words, nonsteering, is created.
Alternatively, the hubs can be rotatably bound to the sliding portions, thus defining a steering drive axle.
The drive axles of known type, disadvantageously, introduce problems in the stability of the coupling of the fixed and sliding portions of the axle shafts. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that these axles are intended for agricultural or industrial machines that operate, obviously, on naturally uneven terrains like fields or work site roads.
Moreover, an additional disadvantage that can be identified in known drive axles is that the selectable configurations are only those of minimum and maximum track.

Drive axle for an agricultural or industrial vehicle


A method and apparatus for completing a lateral channel in a subterranean formation using a flexible hose with a waterjet that may be directed down a well casing and into a waterjet guide. The waterjet guide has a diverter assembly configured to receive and divert the flexible hose in a shortened radius. The diverter assembly includes an inlet curvature and a pivot curvature, where the pivot curvature pivots between stowed and deployed configurations in response to forces provided through a mandrel assembly communicably coupled thereto.

Horizontal waterjet drilling is used in the oil and gas industry to access hydrocarbons located at specific depths below the earth's surface. To illustrate, oil and gas wells are typically drilled by the use of rotary drilling equipment vertically into the earth's strata. The vertically extending well holes generally include a casing made of mild steel which defines the cross-sectional area of a well for transportation of the oil and gas upwardly to the earth's surface. However, these vertically extending wells are only useful for removing oil and gas from the general vicinity adjacent to and directly underneath the terminating downward end of the well. Thus, not all of the oil and gas in the pockets or formations in the Earth's strata, at the location of the well depth, can be removed.
Because it is time-consuming and costly to make adjacent vertical drillings to access remaining hydrocarbons, the borehole casing of an existing oil or gas well is penetrated and then a lateral channel is bored through the adjacent formation of interest using a high pressure waterjet nozzle. High-pressure hoses and waterjets are required to pass through extremely tight areas to reach the formation of interest, seemingly requiring a more flexible, smaller inner-diameter hose that can reduce overall fluid pressures. A reduction in fluid pressure results in inadequate cutting power from the waterjet nozzle and, therefore, reduced drilling capacity.
Therefore, it remains desirable to find improved waterjet cutting methods that may be practiced in small areas and yet still allow for substantial high-pressure fluid pumping flow rates. It also remains desirable to find new and improved devices that aid the high-pressure hose in moving from a vertical disposition to a horizontal disposition without compromising the integrity or flow rate of the hose.