The disclosure relates to diseases in the peripheral nervous system, particularly hereditary neuropathies, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. It is shown that this disease is associated with decreased acetylated tubulin levels, which can be overcome by inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs). Using HDAC inhibitors, it is shown herein that the symptoms of the CMT phenotype can be overcome both in vitro and in vivo. Also provided herein are two different mouse models of CMT disease.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease affects approximately one in 2500 individuals and is the most common inherited disorder of the peripheral nervous system.1,2 Clinically, CMT patients show slowly progressive distal muscle weakness and atrophy, foot deformities, steppage gait, distal sensory loss, and decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes.1,2 Electrophysiologically, CMT is divided into three groups: demyelinating CMT (type 1), CMT characterized by axonal loss (type 2), and intermediate forms demonstrating signs of both demyelination and axonal loss. In cases where the disease exclusively affects motor axons and sensory involvement is absent, both clinically and electrophysiologically, the condition is referred to as distal Hereditary Motor Neuropathy (distal HMN). Thus far, CMT and distal HMN have been associated with approximately 40 causative genes (for an overview, see the World Wide Web at molgen.ua.ac.be/CMTMutations) and the pattern of inheritance can be autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked.1,2 The underlying pathological mechanism for most of the mutated genes remains unknown.
Mutations in the gene encoding the 27 kDa small heat-shock protein (HSPB1, also called HSP27) on chromosome 7q11.23 were previously identified as a cause of CMT2 and/or distal HMN2.3,4 HSPB1 is a member of the small heat-shock proteins that contain a highly conserved α-crystallin domain. HSPB1 shows chaperone activity by binding to misfolded and/or (partially) denatured proteins and preventing them from forming toxic aggregates.5,6 In addition, HSPB1 also plays a crucial role in diverse cellular processes such as modulation of the intracellular redox state, the assembly of cytoskeletal structures, cell differentiation, and inhibition of apoptosis by interacting with pro-apoptotic signaling proteins.5-7
So far, eleven missense mutations have been identified in HSPB1 that are all associated with CMT2 and/or distal HMN. Seven of these mutations are located in the α-crystallin domain (including S135F), two in the N-terminal part and two targeting the same amino acid (P182L/S) in the short C-terminal tail of the protein.3,8-11 All these mutations are inherited autosomal dominantly, except one (L99M) that shows an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.3,8-11 Depending on the mutation, patients show either CMT2 or distal HMN symptoms. The S135F mutation is the only one that causes both CMT2 and distal HMN.3 Thus far, there is no cure for CMT disease, and any possible therapy would be most welcomed.

HDAC inhibitors to treat charcot-marie-tooth disease


An optical modulation device is disclosed which can suppress production of a cause of degradation such as a void or hillock on a light illumination surface thereof and can be incorporated in an image display apparatus of a small size and a high luminance to improve the reliability of the same. The optical modulation device includes first and second surface elements movable relative to each other to form different diffraction gratings to modulate light inputted thereto. Each of the first and second surface elements has a light illumination surface made of an AlCu alloy material. The optical modulation device has an airtight sealed space in which surrounding gas for the first and second surface elements is encapsulated. The surrounding gas contains hydrogen gas or helium gas or both of hydrogen gas and helium gas.

This invention relates to an optical modulation device for modulating light emitted from a light source in various optical apparatus such as an image projection apparatus and a printer and an image display apparatus which uses an optical modulation device.
As a method of raising the resolution of an image in various image display apparatus such as a projector and a printer, a method wherein a flux of light from a one-dimensional image displaying optical modulation device is scanned by a light scanning mechanism and projected on an image forming mechanism to form a two-dimensional image is known and disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,553.
As one of such one-dimensional optical modulation devices, a GLV (Grating Light Valve) developed by Silicon Light Machines (SLM), a company of United States, is known and disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,164,824 or 5,841,579.
The GLV employs a diffraction grating of the phase reflection type which makes use diffraction of light. As an example of the GLV, a GLV of a ribbon element type configuration has been proposed and is shown in FIG. 18. Referring to FIG. 18, the GLV of the type mentioned includes, for example, three first surface elements 30a and three second surface elements 30b disposed alternately. Each of the first surface elements 30a is formed from a movable ribbon while each of the second surface elements 30b is formed from a fixed ribbon.
In the GLV having the configuration described above, if a suitable voltage is applied between a common electrode 33 on the substrate (not shown) side and the first surface elements 30a, then the first surface elements 30a are deformed to move by a suitable amount toward the substrate side thereby to form a diffraction grating to incoming light.
Since the first and second surface elements in the GLV have a width of, for example, approximately 25 μm and a length of, for example, approximately 200 μm and hence are very small in size, the GLV has an advantage that a high speed switching movement of the first surface elements, that is, of the movable ribbons, is possible. Further, since display of a broadband width can be realized, that is, since a high degree of modulation of the variation of the light amount can be realized, by changing the reflection factor of diffracted light in accordance with the distance of movement of the movable ribbons, a small-sized image display apparatus having a high resolution and a low operation voltage can be provided using the GLV.
In a one-dimensional optical modulation device such as a GLV as described above, when compared with a two-dimensional optical modulation device such as a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device: Texas Instruments) which uses a liquid crystal panel or a micromirror unit, the illumination light density necessary to obtain an equal luminance is, for example, in display of 1,080×1,902 pixels, as high as approximately 1,920 times. More particularly, in order to achieve a high luminance of 10,000 [lm] (lumen) as in an application as a projector for a theater, the laser illumination power to an optical modulation device which uses the GLV or the like is very high and approximately 50 to 100 W, and if this is condensed into a linear beam of approximately 25 μm wide (a spot diameter of 1/e2 of the light intensity) on the surface of a ribbon of the GLV, then a void or hillock is produced on the GLV ribbon and degrades the GLV ribbon, resulting in a problem that the dark level is deteriorated and, in the worst case, the GLV is electrically broken and does not function any more.

Optical modulation device and image display apparatus using the same


A Sleeve Valve for regulating the water level in ponds, lagoons and other wetlands which includes an outer tubular section of plastic pipe with a plurality of vertically spaced openings and an inner tubular section of plastic pipe that is disposed telescopically within, and rotatable relative to, the outer tubular pipe. This inner tubular pipe includes a plurality of vertically spaced openings that are positionally staggered about a circumference and arranged for selective alignment with one of the openings in the outer pipe. Each of the openings in the outer pipe are sealed against the outer wall of the inner pipe until rotation of the inner pipe causes alignment of a selected opening in the outer pipe with a corresponding opening in the inner pipe, thereby allowing water to pass only through such corresponding aligned openings. The water level is regulated by selecting and aligning corresponding openings in the outer and inner pipes at the water level desired. Water passing through the aligned openings of the inner and outer pipes pass by gravitational flow to a remote location through a discharge conduit that is connected to the lower end of the outer pipe.

The present invention is related generally to the field of fluid or water level management. While a myriad of potential applications requiring fluid level regulation are conceivable, the present invention is particularly useful for the management of water level in ponds, wetland areas, irrigation fields, and the like.
What is certain in the present day is that there is an ever present and increasing demand for additional useable land. As the population grows, the need for increased crop production, transportation, housing, etc., has placed a burden upon industries to find better and more efficient ways to utilize land and water. Irrigation systems have become more sophisticated, requiring better control of water allocation and dispersion. Also, farming and construction industries alike are finding it necessary to move closer and closer to the outlying wetlands that were previously deemed unusable.
Ponds and wetlands can be unpredictable. The water level in a wetland area can increase or decrease dramatically, depending on the amount of snowfall or rainfall in a given year, or even in one day. Without the ability to regulate the water level in such areas, farmers crops, roadways, basements, etc., may be subject to flooding without control.
For the above reasons, there is a distinct and increasing need to regulate the water levels of ponds and surrounding wetlands. The present invention provides a unique and useful means for controlling and/or regulating the water levels of surrounding wetlands without destroying or disturbing the same, or the purpose for which they serve.


A non-metallic fuel tank includes a non-metallic tank body, at least one coupling device or mounting system for coupling the non-metallic tank body to a bed of a truck or to a trolley, and a fuel fill opening. A grounding wire may be coupled to the non-metallic tank as well as a fuel line connector which is also coupled to the existing fuel system of a truck. A mounting system for a non-metallic fuel tank includes two rear toe clamps and two front mounting assemblies which include a front mount base and an angle iron coupled together. A portable fuel tank includes a non-metallic tank body and a trolley coupled to the tank body. The trolley includes a base, a mounting system for coupling the non-metallic tank body and the base, at least one handle and at least one wheel.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a non-metallic in-the-bed or portable fuel tank for expanding the fuel capacity of a vehicle or for fueling vehicles in locations distant from fuel pumps.
2. Background Art
All vehicles have a limited capacity fuel tank. For basic everyday driving, the limited capacity of the fuel tank is not normally an issue. There are many situations, however, where the limited capacity of a vehicle's fuel tank may become an issue. For example, larger vehicles such as pickup trucks burn a lot more fuel than a small vehicle commuting to and from an office. These vehicles may also travel in areas where there are no fuel stations. This makes additional fuel capacity a necessity in many situations.
In order to increase the fuel capacity of a vehicle, people have designed replacement or transfer fuel tanks. These replacement or transfer fuel tanks have been around for decades.
Replacement fuel tanks are simply larger capacity fuel tanks that fit into the same location that the original fuel tank was in. These tanks are, however, limited by the space available where the original fuel tank was located.
Transfer fuel tanks are secondary fuel tanks that may be placed in other locations of the vehicle. For example, a secondary fuel tank could be placed in the bed of a truck. As the fuel level drops in the original fuel tank, the transfer fuel tank is accessed by the vehicle automatically or by a switch.
In other situations, such as at an autoshop or a dealership, a portable fuel tank may be desired so that vehicles which have had their fuel drained can be refueled in place. In these situations a portable tank that is lightweight, durable and corrosion resistant is desired.
These portable, replacement and transfer fuel tanks have always been made from metal. Metal tanks have many problems, however, including their weight and corrodibility.
Accordingly, what is needed is a non-metallic fuel tank that is lightweight and corrosion resistant.


There is provided a high performance compressor that causes no possibility of mixing foreign materials or of leaking refrigerant, that reduces strain otherwise generated in a compressor mechanism section and that is highly reliable even for a long-term use. The compressor mechanism section in which pairs of prepared holes are formed at a plurality of points on an outer peripheral face thereof is disposed within the closed container. Caulking punches are positioned to positions corresponding to those of the prepared holes and a region including the corresponding positions is heated. Then, when the punches are driven by pressing machines, portions of the container wall of the closed container plastically deform as the convex portions and enter the prepared holes. When the container wall cools down, the pair of convex portions of the container clamps a part between the prepared holes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compressor and more specifically to a compressor preferably used for a refrigerator, an air-conditioner a hot-water supplier and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional compressor has been manufactured by fixing built-in parts such as a compressor mechanism section, i.e., compressor means, to a container by making holes through the container, shrinkage-fitting the compressor mechanism section to the container and casting melt metal from the outside through the holes as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1994-272677 gazette for example.
As a method for fixing a compressor mechanism section to a compressor in which no hole is made through a container, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent-Laid Open No. 1994-509408 gazette (P. 1, FIG. 1) that fixes the compressor mechanism section within the container by positioning the compressor mechanism section, a built-in part, in the container by press-fitting and by pressing position of the container facing to a prepared hole made through an outer peripheral face of the compressor mechanism section inwardly in a radial direction by a pressing jig to "plastic-deform" the wall section of the container toward the inside of the prepared hole.
There is also a method of fixing a compressor mechanism section to a closed container by making a prepared hole through an outer peripheral face of the compressor mechanism section and by "heating caulking" by heating from the outer periphery of the container at the same position with this prepared hole as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model 1989-131880 gazette (P. 1, FIG. 1) for example.
There is also a method of fixing a compressor mechanism section of a built-in part to a container by making a plurality of prepared holes that are in close proximity with an outer peripheral face of the compressor mechanism section, pressing the container facing to those prepared holes inwardly in a radial direction by a pressing jig and clamping portions between the prepared holes of the compressor mechanism section by a plurality of convex portions of the container by thermal contraction caused when the container is cooled down as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-330827 gazette (P. 1, FIG. 1) for example.
However, those prior art technologies described above have had the following problems.
(i) The compressor in which the prepared hole is made through the container has had a problem that foreign materials such as welding sputters are mixed into the container through the hole during welding, entering the compressor mechanism section, i.e., compressor means, and causing defective compression or leak of refrigerant from the hole of the container due to defective welding.
(ii) Furthermore, when melt metal is flown into the hole portion of the container, the container is heated and the container expands to the outside in the radial direction due to the heat. Then, the melt metal injected between the built-in part such as the compressor mechanism section and the container coagulates in this state. After the coagulation of the melt metal, cooling contraction of the container occurs and thereby the coagulated melt metal receives inward force from the container. Then, it presses the compressor mechanism section in the radial direction, increasing strain generated in the compressor mechanism section.
(iii) The compressor in which no hole is made through the container has had a problem that because the compressor mechanism section is press-fitted into the container, force clamping the compressor mechanism section increases, causing strain in the compressor mechanism section.
(iv) It also has had a problem that stain of the compressor mechanism section increases because force is applied to the compressor mechanism section in pressing and caulking the container facing to the prepared hole of the compressor mechanism section from the outside without heating.
(v) The compressor in which one point of the prepared hole is caulked by heating has had a problem that the compressor mechanism section becomes rickety with respect to the container because the caulking point thermally contracts when the container is cooled down, even though it can reduce the force for pressing the container from the outside in caulking the compressor mechanism section.
(vi) The compressor in which the plurality of neighboring caulking points is formed by heat-caulking and the compressor mechanism section is fixed by clamping by thermal contraction caused when the container is cooled has had problems that clamping may be insufficient, causing dislocation or ricketiness of the compressor mechanism section with respect to the container during when the compressor is used for a long period of time and that it lacks a long term reliability causing troubles such as the increase of noise and vibration.
(vii) Furthermore, although the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-330827 describes a manufacturing system and method for fixing the compressor mechanism section to the container, it discloses no concrete system and method for obtaining a practical, highly reliable and high performance compressor.

Compressor including attached compressor container


Devices capable of protecting electronic components during the occurrence of a disturbance event using printed circuit board manufacturing techniques. A three (3) layer structure is formed comprising a polymer-based formulation sandwiched between two electrode layers. The devices can be manufactured in panel form providing high quantities of devices which can be removed from the panel and applied directly to the component to be protected. Desired patterns can be formed on either one of the electrode layers by photo-etch techniques thereby providing a process that can be tailored to a large number of applications.

The problems of static electricity and Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) are well known and documented. In general, such problems arise from the occurrence of electrical events that cause the transfer of charge from one material to another creating a surge in voltage due to voltage potential differences between the two materials. The Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESDA), for example, cites industry experts as estimating that product losses due to static range from 8-33%. According to the ESDA, others have estimated the actual cost of ESD damage to the electronics industry as running into the billions of dollars annually. See http://www.esda.org/basics/part1.cfm.
In general, prior art methods of protecting components from ESD damage include some basic precautions such as proper grounding or shunting that will "dissipate" or discharge transient signals away from the device to be protected. Still other methods include the use of packages and handling techniques that will protect susceptible devices during transport and shipping. While such techniques have been effectively used to shield the product from charge and to reduce the generation of charge caused by any movement of product within the container housing the device to be protected, they have not completely eliminated the risk of damage attributed to such disturbances. Moreover, it is well known that more modem devices operating in the higher frequencies (GHz and above) using submicron line widths are more susceptible to damage which can not be overcome using such methods.
Components designed to react to ESD events and provide a discharge path to ground are known in the arts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,590 entitled "Over-voltage protection device and method for making same" to Shrier et. al (Ms. Shrier is a co-inventor to the '590 patent. The '590 patent is not commonly assigned to this application) describes a discrete electrical protection device that utilizes a gap between two electrically conductive members attached to an electrically insulating substrate. According to the '590 patent, the electrical protection device can be either surface mounted or built with through-holes for accommodating leads on an electrical connector. The '590 describes and claims methods for making an electrical protection device that includes an electrically insulating substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,752 entitled "Variable voltage protection structures and method for making same" to Shrier et. al (Ms. Shrier is a co-inventor to the '752 patent. The '752 patent is not commonly assigned to this application) describes and claims a variable voltage protection component that includes a reinforcing layer of insulating material having a substantially constant thickness embedded in a voltage variable material. According to the '752 patent, the reinforcing layer defines a uniform thickness for the variable voltage protection component resistive to compressive forces that may cause a reduction in the clamp voltage or a short in the voltage variable material. The '752 patent also describes methods for making such a variable voltage protection component.
Prior art protection components, such as those incorporating the teachings of the '590 patent and the '752 patent, have been successfully made and used. Generally, such components utilize a couple of electrodes with some type of surge material interspersed between the electrodes. One electrode provides the transient signal input terminal while the other provides the discharge path to ground. A support layer known as the substrate or reinforcement layer is used to provide the necessary stiffness permitting the component to be surface mounted or through-holed.
Such prior art protection components, however, suffer from several limitations attributed to the requirement that a substrate or reinforcing layer be used. Specifically, the use of a substrate adds significantly to the component's overall size and cost. In addition, the relatively large size and profile of such prior art protection components makes their use impractical in tight spaces where board space is limited. Moreover, since the substrate material is a primary expense in the manufacture of such components, the use of prior art protection components on a widespread basis can be cost prohibitive. An example of such an application would be a multi-pin connector where ideally each pin would be protected from ESD events that could damage a device coupled to the connector. In such an application, a prior art ESD protection component could not be cost effectively used on each pin and, in most situations, would occupy too much board space and be too thick to be practical.
As electronic devices became faster and smaller, their sensitivity to ESD increases. ESD impacts productivity and product reliability in virtually every aspect of today's electronics environment. Many aspects of electrostatic control in the electronics industry also apply in other industries such as clean room applications and signal line proliferation.
Therefore, a need exists for a cost effective protection component that can be more widely used across a wider range of applications. A method of cost effectively manufacturing such a component would provide numerous advantages.

ESD protection devices and methods of making same using standard manufacturing processes


An apparatus and method for folding the bottom panels of a carton blank that includes side walls, first and third bottom panels extending from opposite side walls, second and fourth bottom panels extending from opposite side walls, and a bottom panel flap extending from the third bottom panel. The apparatus includes a frame, a rotatable supporting assembly, two rotatable folding fingers mounted on the frame for inwardly folding the second and fourth bottom panels, a tuck folder mounted on the rotatable mounting assembly for inwardly folding the third bottom panel, a guide mounted on the frame for contacting and inwardly folding the first bottom panel, and a bending member mounted on the rotatable supporting assembly for outwardly folding the bottom panel flap. One portion of the bending member is curved to define a concave surface that faces the tuck folder. The bending member can also be provided with a convex surface positioned on each side of the concave surface. The method involves placing a carton whose bottom end wall is to be formed on a rotating mandrel, folding the second and fourth bottom panels inwardly towards one another, folding the first and third bottom panels inwardly towards one another, and folding the bottom panel flap outwardly away from the first bottom panel concurrently with the inward folding of the third bottom panel. The folding of the bottom panel flap occurs without prior prefolding of the bottom panel flap.

It is known in the art to manufacture cartons for different types of contents through the use of methods and machines which convert packing material carton blanks to finished cartons that are filled with the desired contents and then closed. A carton blank is typically utilized as the starting point for the manufacture of the finished cartons. The carton blank includes first, second, third and fourth side wall panels, which form the side walls of the finished carton. Extending from the first, second, third and fourth side wall panels are first, second, third and fourth bottom panels, respectively. As will be described in more detail below, the bottom panels are appropriately folded and sealed to form the bottom end wall of the finished carton. At the opposite end of each of the side wall panels is a top panel, the details of which are known and will not be described here as they do not form a specific part of the present invention.
Before the cartons can be filled with the desired contents, it is necessary to fold and seal the bottom panels to form a sealed bottom end wall. There are known types of apparatus for forming and sealing the bottom end wall of carton blanks such as the one described above. A more detailed discussion of the features of the apparatus, as well as features of the machine that result in the filling and closing of the carton top, is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,113 and U.S. Pat. No.4,790,123, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Generally speaking, carton blanks that have been formed into a generally tubular form with a substantially square cross-section are placed on feeders that comprise a continuous feeder conveyor. The feeder conveyor transports the generally tubular carton blanks to a rotatable mandrel assembly which is comprised of a plurality of radially outwardly directed mandrels. Two side-by-side feeders which each transport carton blanks to a respective rotatable mandrel assembly can be used. It is, of course, to be understood that a single feeder or more than two feeders could be employed, each of which conveys carton blanks to a respective rotatable mandrel assembly.
After a carton blank has been conveyed to the mandrel assembly and received on a respective one of the mandrels, the mandrel assembly rotates and causes the carton blank to rotate through a series of stations. As described in more detail in the aforementioned U.S. patents, a carton blank (not shown) is initially received on the mandrel from the feeder conveyor at an in-feed station. Thereafter, the mandrel is indexed one station to a heating station at which the bottom panels of the carton blank are heated by a suitable heating device. The heating device can take the form of an apparatus that directs hot air at the bottom panels. The mandrel is then indexed to the next station where the bottom panels are sealed by a suitable sealing device to form a sealed bottom end wall of the carton. While rotating from the heating station to the sealing station, the bottom panels can be subjected to a folding operation so that when the carton blank reaches the sealing station, the bottom panels can be sealed in the proper manner. A further indexing of the mandrel from the sealing station moves the carton blank to a cooling station where the sealed bottom end wall is cooled by a suitable cooling device. As an alternative to a cooling device, the bottom panels can be cooled by the surrounding ambient air. One final indexing of the mandrel causes the carton with a sealed bottom end wall to be placed on a feeder conveyor where it is intermittently advanced to various processing stations such as a filling station for filling the carton with contents and a top end closing station where the top end of the carton is closed and sealed.
Through use of a carton blank similar to that described above and an apparatus similar to that described above, the resulting sealed bottom end wall of the carton obtains a particular configuration. As seen from the carton interior, the second and fourth bottom panels are located inwardly of the first and third bottom panels with respect to the interior of the carton. Also, the first bottom panel overlaps a portion of the outer surface of the third bottom panel. Further, a portion of the edge of the third bottom panel located between the second and fourth bottom panels is exposed to the interior of the carton.
It has been found that the exposure of a portion of the edge of the third bottom panel to the interior is somewhat problematic. That is, over time, the contents in the carton tend to infiltrate the exposed edge portion of the third bottom panel, possibly causing delamination of the packing material. As a result, contamination of the carton contents may occur.
To address that problem, the carton blank described above has been modified slightly. In particular, as seen in FIG. 1, the carton blank 20 is provided with a bottom panel flap 35 that extends from the third bottom panel 34. A crease line 37 is also provided for facilitating folding of the bottom panel flap 35. During the folding operation, the bottom panel flap 35 is folded outwardly away from the first bottom panel 30 and back upon the third bottom panel 34 along the crease line 37. When the bottom panels 30, 32, 34 36 are sealed, the bottom panel flap 35 is positioned between the first bottom panel 30 and the third bottom panel 34 as illustrated in FIG. 10. In that way, an edge portion of the third bottom panel 34 is not exposed to the interior of the carton between the second and fourth bottom panels 32, 36.
In an attempt to ensure proper folding of the bottom panel flap 35, a prefolding arrangement has been provided for prefolding the bottom panel flap 35. Such a prefolding arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 2 which depicts the forward end of the feeder conveyor 40 relative to the mandrel 42 which receives the carton blank 20. The prefolding arrangement includes a carrier 52 that is mounted on the feeder conveyor 40. The carton 20 blank is positioned on the feeder conveyor 40 in front of the carrier 52, and the carrier 52 follows the carton blank 20 as it moves along the feeder conveyor 40. A fixedly mounted prefolding block 54 is also provided. The prefolding block 54 is positioned at the forward end of the feeder conveyor 40 and just in front of the position that the mandrel 42 assumes at the in-feed station for receiving the carton blank 20.
As the carton blank 20 is received on the mandrel 42, the carrier 52 begins to move downwardly as a result of the course of movement of the feeder conveyor 40. The prefolding block 54 is positioned relative to the carrier 52 such that as the carrier 52 passes by the prefolding block 54, a small clearance space is provided between the tip of the carrier 52 and the tip of the prefolding block 54. As the carrier 52 moves downwardly, it catches the bottom panel flap 35 and bends the bottom panel flap 35 around the tip of the prefolding block 54, thereby prefolding the bottom panel flap 35. Further movement of the feeder conveyor 40 moves the carrier 52 out of the way, whereupon the mandrel 42 indexes upwardly from the position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the heating station.
After the bottom panels have been heated at the heating station, the mandrel 42 is indexed to move the carton blank with the heated bottom panels towards the sealing station. To ensure that the bottom panels are properly folded before being sealed, the bottom panels are preferably brought into engagement with a bottom panel folding apparatus similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3 as the carton blank 20 is proceeding from the heating station to the sealing station.
The bottom panel folding apparatus includes a tuck folder 56 secured to a mounting arm 58, and a bending unit 62 which is also secured to the mounting arm 58. The mounting arm 58 is connected to a rotatably driven shaft 66, and encircling the shaft 66 is a shaft housing 65 that houses bearings for the shaft 66. The shaft housing 65 is mounted on a frame structure 68. Consequently, rotation of the shaft 66 results in rotation of the mounting arm 58 and consequently, rotation of the tuck folder 56 and the bending unit 62.
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the bending unit 62 includes a straight portion 62' which is positioned perpendicular to the mounting arm 58 and a curved portion 62" that curves toward the tuck folder 56. Also, mounted at the distal free end of the tuck folder 56 is a roller 57.
The bottom panel folding apparatus also includes two folding fingers 60 (only one of which can be seen in FIG. 3) and a guide 64. As best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, each of the folding fingers 60 includes an outwardly projecting contacting pin 70. The folding fingers 60 and the guide 64 are stationarily mounted on the frame structure 68 so that they do not rotate with the mounting arm 58. However, each of the folding fingers 60 is rotatably driven about its longitudinal axis 60'.
In operation, the folding fingers 60 continually rotate about their respective longitudinal axes 60'. The system is designed such that the rotation of the folding fingers 60, the rotation of the shaft 66, and the rotation of the mandrel 42 are all synchronized with one another. Since the details of the apparatus which allow that synchronized movement is known to persons in the art and does not form a specific part of the present invention, a description is not included here.
As the mandrel 42 rotates in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 5 from the heating station to the sealing station, the shaft 66 rotates in the counterclockwise direction represented by the arrow B in FIG. 5. The synchronized rotation of the mandrel 42, the shaft 66 and the folding fingers 60 is such that the contacting pins 70 on the rotating folding fingers 60 come into contact with the second and fourth bottom panels 32, 36 of the carton blank 20 while the mandrel 42 is rotating as seen in FIGS. 4 and 6. As a result, the second and fourth bottom walls 32, 36 begin to fold inwardly.
At about the same time, the rotating mounting arm 58 has rotated to such an extent that the roller 57 on the tuck folder 56 comes into contact with the third bottom panel 34, thereby causing the third bottom panel 34 to begin folding inwardly towards the first bottom panel 30 as seen in FIG. 5. Because the mandrel 42 is rotating, the first bottom panel 30 of the carton blank 20 is brought into contact with the stationary guide 64 as illustrated in FIG. 5. That causes the first bottom panel 30 to begin folding inwardly towards the third bottom panel 34. Further, the rear surface 63 of the bending unit 62 and the bottom panel flap 35 are brought into contact with one another which causes the bottom panel flap 35 to fold outwardly away from the first bottom panel 30 as also shown in FIG. 9. The outward folding of the bottom panel flap 35 is also facilitated in some respects by the earlier prefolding that was imparted to the bottom panel flap 35 at the in-feed station.
The continued rotation of the mandrel 42 in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 5, in combination with the continued rotation of the mounting arm 58 in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 5 and the continued rotation of the folding fingers 60 about their axes 60' results in substantial completion of the folding of the bottom panels. That is, the inward folding of the second and fourth bottom panels 32, 36 is substantially completed through continued rotation of the folding fingers 60. The synchronized rotation of the folding fingers 60 and the mandrel 42 helps ensure that when the mandrel 42, and thus the carton blank 20, have reached a certain point, the folding fingers 60 have rotated out of the way so that the contacting pins 70 do not interfere with further rotation of the mandrel and the carton blank 20. Likewise, continued rotation of the mounting arm 58 and the mandrel 42 substantially completes the inward folding of the third bottom panel 34, and the outward folding of the bottom panel flap 35.
Once the tuck folder 56 and the bending unit 62 have rotated out of the way, continued rotation of the mandrel 42 completes the folding of the first bottom panel 30 as a result of the contact between the stationary guide 64 and the first bottom panel 30. In that regard, the first bottom panel 30 is actually forced down onto the underlying bottom panels 32, 34, 36 and the bottom panel flap 35 by way of the guide 64. Thus, the final folding of the first bottom panel 30 completes the folding of the remaining bottom panels 32, 34, 36 and the bottom panel flap 35.
After the bottom panels have been folded, further rotation of the mandrel 42 advances the carton blank 20 to the sealing station where the bottom panels are sealed to form a bottom end wall of the carton. After sealing, the bottom end wall of the carton is formed such that the second and fourth bottom panels 32, 36 are located inwardly of the first and third bottom panels 30, 34 with respect to the interior of the carton. Further, the first bottom panel 30 overlaps a portion of the outwardly facing surface of the third bottom panel 34, and the bottom panel flap 35 is positioned between the third bottom panel 34 and the first bottom panel 30.
While useful in achieving folding of the carton blank shown in FIG. 1, the combination of the prefolding assembly shown in FIG. 2 and described above, and the bottom panel folding apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 3-6 and described above is susceptible of certain improvements. For example, with reference to FIG. 2, it has been found to be somewhat difficult to maintain precise tolerances with respect to the position of the bottom panel flap 35 relative to the carrier 52 and the prefolding block 54. As a result, it is not always possible to ensure that the crease line 37 about which the bottom panel flap 35 is to be folded is located precisely at the tip of the prefolding block 54. Consequently, it sometimes happens that the bottom panel flap 35 is prefolded about a line other than the crease line 37. As might be expected, such an improper prefolding of the bottom panel flap 35 can cause problems later on during the bottom folding step. For example, when the bottom panel flap 35 and the bending unit 62 are brought into contact with one another, the bottom panel flap 35 may tend to fold at two places-- the crease line 37 and the crease formed by the improper prefolding of the bottom panel flap 35.
With reference to FIG. 3, another area of improvement involves the bending unit 62 that is employed to fold the bottom panel flap 35 outwardly upon the bottom panel 34. As seen in FIG. 5, when the mounting arm 58 is rotating in the direction of arrow B, the rear curved surface 63 at the distal free end of the bending unit 62 that contacts the bottom panel flap 35 is actually moving away from the bottom panel flap 35. That means that the force applied to the bottom panel flap 35 by the bending unit 62 may not be as effective as necessary to ensure that the bottom panel flap 35 is properly folded when the first bottom panel 30 forces the bottom panel flap 35 downwardly. More specifically, it has been found that the bending unit 62 releases the bottom panel flap 35 much too soon and as a result, there is too long a period of time in which the bottom panel flap 35 can move forwardly before being contacted by the inwardly and downwardly folding first bottom panel 30. Consequently, the bottom panel flap 35 may fold back towards the first bottom panel 30. If the bottom panel flap 35 folds back towards the first bottom panel 30 too far, the bottom panel flap 35 may not be properly folded when contacted by the first bottom panel 30.

Method and apparatus for folding bottom panels of a carton blank


The present invention is related to a method of manufacture of a graft copolymer latex and its dried powder including a step of manufacture of a latex using a reactive surfactant for a surfactant in manufacturing of the graft copolymer latex containing acrylic polymers and a step of manufacture of dried powder in which the graft copolymer latex manufactured in the above step of manufacture of a latex is sprayed and dried. The method according to the present invention is effective in that it is possible to provide for dried powder of a graft copolymer latex having a low moisture content and a high powder density and to provide for a thermoplastic resin composition containing the above latex having superior luster, tensile strength, and thermal stability.

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS), acrylate-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA), acrylic impact modifier (AIM), etc. that are manufactured through emulsion polymerization have superior impact tolerance, strength, fluidity, etc., and are used extensively for reforming agents of various kinds of plastic materials. Although such graft copolymers are manufactured through emulsion polymerization, it is necessary to recover polymers in the dried powder form for melting and mixing with other resins.
Usually, one of the methods of recovery of dried powder of polymers from the latex obtained through emulsion polymerization is a method of recovery through dehydration and drying by adding an aggregation agent to the above latex and aggregating the graft polymers in the latex. However, this method of recovery of the polymer powder from the latex by adding an aggregation agent has been problematic in that it has been necessary to have the aggregation process, washing or dehydration process of the aggregation agent, and drying process until the polymers have been recovered in the dried powder form since polymer particles have been coagulated in water usually; facility expenses have been high; and it has not been easy to manage operation of the above processes.
Also, an excessive amount of waste water has been generated during the aggregation process as well as washing and dehydration processes, and it has required for an excessive amount of energy since the aggregation process has been performed at a high temperature. Further, there have been problems such as formation of chromophoric groups, generation of matrix adhesive materials, lowering of luster, etc. since the aggregation agent has remained in the polymer powder recovered from the latex by administering an aggregation agent such as inorganic salts such as aluminum chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium nitrate, calcium chloride, etc. or sulfuric acid, etc.
Another method of recovery of polymers in the dried powder form from the polymer latex is a process of spraying and drying the polymer latex directly with hot air. This process enables obtaining of dried powder from a polymer latex manufactured through emulsion polymerization at a time. It is a preferred process industrially in view of the simplicity of the process, installation expenses, and management of its operation.
The method of recovery of powder from the polymer latex through spraying and drying is disclosed in European Patent No. 1,201,692. Disclosed in this patent is a method of manufacture of a powdered composition of a high rubber impact controlling agent in which the weight fraction of the rubber phase is 90 weight % or greater through spraying and drying of a latex containing two kinds of core-shell polymer particles of which average particle diameter differs by 50% or greater. It has been reported that the high rubber impact controlling agent powder manufactured through spraying and drying as described in the above has been advantageous in that it has required for a less amount of a flowing builder in offering compaction-free powder.
Also, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2002-363292 is a method of recovery of polymer powder through spraying and drying of a polymer latex by controlling the temperature of the outlet portion of a spraying drier, separating and recovering polymer powder, aggregating moisture by supplying a part of exhaust gas to the aggregation device, heating and re-circulating, and controlling the concentration of oxygen in the spraying drier to be 5 volume % or less.
Further, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2002-226595 is a method of manufacture of diene graft polymer powder through spraying and drying of a diene graft polymer latex economically without worrying about ignition of the diene graft polymer by automatic oxidation, etc. in the drier by spraying the diene graft polymer latex into the drier and sending overheated water vapor to the inlet portion of the drier at the same time.
Still further, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2001-213969 is a method of reducing the amount of generation of fisheye while improving re-dispersibility during melting and mixing in the method of recovery of powder by spraying and drying of an emulsion polymerization latex of which main component is an acrylic polymer by lowering aggregation of the surface of acrylic resin composition powder by using overheated water vapor for heating gas for drying.
The conventional process of recovery of polymer powder by administering an aggregation agent is composed of the processes of aggregation, washing and dehydration, and drying. And therefore, it is possible to obtain powder from which most of impurities such as surfactants, electrolytes, etc. is removed. However, inasmuch as spraying and drying is a process of manufacture of dried powder of polymers by removing aqueous dispersion materials from the polymer latex manufactured through emulsion polymerization by using a heated gas, the powder manufactured through spraying and drying naturally contains an excessive amount of impurities such as surfactants, electrolytes, etc. added in view of characteristics of emulsion polymerization.
Accordingly, the dried powder manufactured through spraying and drying has had a problem of inferior thermal stability due to surfactants, electrolytes, etc. remaining in the dried powder. Particularly, it has been problematic that the surfactant remaining in the polymer powder has lowered the thermal stability during melting and mixing it with other resins.
When melting and mixing the polymer latex polymerized by using a non-reactive surfactant with other resins by using the polymer dried powder manufactured through spraying and drying, there occurs a phenomenon of lowering of the quality of appearance such as shining of the final product, etc. as the movement of the surfactant remaining in the dried powder becomes free. Also, the surfactant that can move freely as it remains in the dried powder has had a problem of lowering of strength of the final product as it has assumed the role of a plasticizer.
The above-described patent still had a problem of failing to present a method of solution for lowering of thermal stability due to the surfactant remaining in the polymer dried powder manufactured through spraying and drying.
In the meantime, the inventors of the present invention have found that it has been possible for a small amount of a surfactant to secure the stability of the latex through chemical bonding, not physical absorption, if it has been a reactive surfactant, and it has been possible to prevent lowering of thermal stability due to a surfactant during melting and mixing of the dried powder manufactured by using a reactive surfactant with other resins.

Graft copolymer latex and method for preparing dried powder thereof


A method of setting which includes: obtaining, from a smart meter, an ID of the smart meter; obtaining, from a HEMS-controller, an ID and a certificate of the HEMS-controller and an ID and a certificate of an appliance controlled by the HEMS-controller; generating management information in which the ID of the smart meter, the ID and the certificate of the HEMS-controller, and the ID and the certificate of the appliance are associated with one another; and transmitting, based on the management information, the ID and the certificate of the HEMS-controller and the ID and the certificate of the appliance which are associated with the ID of the smart meter, to the smart meter.

Along with the introduction of a smart grid (next-generation grid-system), smart meters including a communication and controlling function is becoming widely used.
On the other hand, the number of appliances, such as an air conditioner, which are used at home and having communication functions is increasing. Home energy management system (HEMS) which controls the appliances at home by a HEMS-controller using the communication functions of such appliances is gaining attention.
Furthermore, through the communication between the smart meters, the HEMS-controllers and the appliances, provision of various services is considered which is made possible, for example, by transmitting control signals, such as demand response (DR) signal, from the smart meters to the HEMS controllers and appliances.

Setting method, device authentication method, device authentication system, and server

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A structure for discharging an extreme ultraviolet mask (EUV mask) is provided to discharge the EUV mask during the inspection by an electron beam inspection tool. The structure for discharging an EUV mask includes at least one grounding pin to contact conductive areas on the EUV mask, wherein the EUV mask may have further conductive layer on sidewalls or/and bottom. The inspection quality of the EUV mask is enhanced by using the electron beam inspection system because the accumulated charging on the EUU mask is grounded.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a discharging structure, and more especially, to a structure for discharging the extreme ultraviolet mask (EUV mask) during the EUV mask is inspected by the charged particle beam inspection system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Optical inspection of a mask is based on a comparison of the light signals in the patterned regions relative to the non-patterned regions. A high contrast is necessary in order to achieve sufficient sensitivity for defect detection. The transmissive masks used in DUV (deep Ultra Violet) lithography can be inspected without difficulty since the contrast between the opaque regions and the clear regions is high at UV/DUV wavelengths. However, it is difficult to inspect the reflective masks, the EUV mask for example, used in EUV lithography since not only the contrast between the absorber region and the mirror region is low at UV/DUV wavelengths, but also wavelength of the UV/DUV is too lengthy to inspect EUV mask.
Now, a charged particle beam inspection system, an electron beam (E-beam) inspection tool, accordingly, is developed to inspect the EUV mask. However, accumulated charging on EUV mask will induce inspection issue while the EUV mask is inspected by E-beam inspection tool. This issue will not happen to silicon wafer because silicon wafer can be grounded. Substrate of the EUV mask is dielectric, and can not be grounded.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Structure electron beam inspection system for inspecting extreme ultraviolet mask and structure for discharging extreme ultraviolet mask


A method and apparatus for detecting policy violations in information content containing data in a character-based language is described. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying a policy for protecting source data having a tabular format. The source data contains one or more data fragments in the character-based language. The method further includes receiving information content having at least a portion in the character-based language, and determining whether any part of the information content, including the portion in the character-based language, violates the policy.

A modern organization typically maintains a data storage system to store and deliver records concerning various significant business aspects of the organization. Stored records may include data on customers (or patients), contracts, deliveries, supplies, employees, manufacturing, or the like. A data storage system of an organization usually utilizes a tabular storage mechanism, such as relational databases, client/server applications built on top of relational databases (e.g., Siebel, SAP, or the like), object-oriented databases, object-relational databases, document stores and file systems that store table formatted data (e.g., CSV files or Excel spreadsheet files), password systems, single-sign-on systems, or the like.
Tabular data stores are typically hosted by a computer connected to a local area network (LAN). This computer is usually made accessible to the Internet via a firewall, router, or other packet switching devices. Although the accessibility of a tabular data store via the network provides for more efficient utilization of information maintained by the tabular data store, it also poses security problems due to the highly sensitive nature of this information. In particular, because access to the tabular data store is essential to the job function of many employees in the organization, there are many possible points of potential theft or accidental distribution of this information. Theft of information represents a significant business risk both in terms of the value of the intellectual property as well as the legal liabilities related to regulatory compliance.
Existing security techniques typically monitor messages sent by employees of an organization to outside recipients to prevent loss of sensitive information. In particular, existing security techniques usually separate a message into tokens and determine whether any subset of these tokens contains sensitive information. The tokenization process works well with word-based natural languages that provide visible delimiters (e.g., spaces and punctuation marks) between words. Word-based languages include languages utilizing the Roman alphabet (e.g., English, French, etc.), the Arabic alphabet (e.g., Arabic, Persian, etc.), the Cyrillic alphabet (e.g., Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, etc.), etc. Character-based languages, however, do not provide visual delimiters between words. For example, Chinese and Japanese do not visually separate words. Rather, the reader is required to understand from the context where in a string of characters one word ends and the next word begins. In addition, character-based languages typically include thousands of characters and require support for multiple alphabets.
Current mechanisms for tokenizing content in character-based languages usually rely on dictionaries containing lists of known words in specific character-based languages. However, this approach is ineffective with names because each name in a character-based language such as Japanese or Chinese can be represented by any random combination of characters. Confidential information typically includes the name of an individual and his or her data identifier such as the social security number, credit card number, employee number, etc. Hence, there is a need for an efficient mechanism to protect confidential information that includes data in a character-based language.

Detecting policy violations in information content containing data in a character-based language


Embodiments of a system and method for asynchronous explanation and explanation-based constraint problem solving are generally described herein. In one or more embodiments, an apparatus includes an asynchronous constraint satisfaction problem solving module (ACSPSM), the ACSPSM can be executable by one or more processors. The ACSPSM can be configured to propagate at least one constraint to a plurality of variables by reducing a speculative propagation range of a first variable when a first value in the speculative propagation range of the first variable is in conflict with the constraint. The ACSPSM can be configured to update an explanation for the reduction in the speculative propagation range of the first variable, or backtrack when a choice of a second value for a second variable would result in the speculative propagation range of the first variable becoming empty. The ACSPSM can be multi-threaded.

Constraint satisfaction problems are mathematical or computer programming problems defined as a set of objects whose state must satisfy a number of constraints or limitations. Constraint satisfaction problems are the subject of research, since the regularity in their formulation provides a common basis to analyze and solve problems of many families of problems. Constraint satisfaction problems often exhibit high complexity and may use heuristics and combinatorial search methods to solve the problems. The complexity of constraint satisfaction problems can make it difficult to solve the problems efficiently or using multiple threads.

System and method for asynchronous explanation and propagation-based constraint solving


Provided are isoelectric point(pI) markers for isoelectric focusing with fluorescence detection. The markers are fluorescence-labeled oligopeptides which comprise a fluorescence dye bonded chemically to the amino group of N-terminal amino acid of oligopeptide. The marker shows its unique and narrow pI band(peak) in electrophoresis or isoelectric focusing. The markers can be designed to have appropriate pI value, and cover wide range of pI (3<pI<11). Further, the markers have good storage stability. The markers can be preferably applied to the capillary isoelectric focusing with fluorescence detection due to their sharp and narrow band with strong emitted fluorescence.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to isoelectric point markers for isoelectric focusing with fluorescence detection.
2. Related Background Art
Since Picton, H. and Linder, S. E. observed in 1892 that when an electric field is supplied as particles with charges on the surfaces are suspended in an electrolyte solution, the particles migrate toward the opposite poles to the charges of the respective particles, the phenomenon, electrophoresis has been used as means of separation and analysis. After Tiselius has completed his apparatus in 1937, fields of applications have been expanding rapidly heretofore.
Ordinary electrophoresis utilizes differences of net charge states at a certain specific pH, whereas after Vesterberg, 0. and Svensson, H. developed carrier ampholytes as an amphoteric electrolyte in 1966, the isoelectric focusing has been established utilizing a phenomenon that each amphoteric electrolyte has the effective net charge of zero at a certain pH so as to stop migrating.
Here, the value of pH where the effective charge becomes zero is called as an isoelectric point of that substance. In the isoelectric focusing method, a substance stops as concentrated at a position equal to the isoelectric point on a pH gradient formed in a focusing carrier.
Since substances are separated as concentrated in a focusing manner as described , it may provide a separation or analytical method with much higher sensitivity in an electrophoresis.
Further developed recently was a capillary isoelectric focusing in which electrophoresis was effected in a fine tube (capillary) made of a fused silica and having the inner diameter 5 to 100 .mu.m and the length of 30 to 100 cm. Since the capillary isoelectric focusing has a high resolution with a small amount of sample, it has been applied to not only separation and analysis of proteins, but also separation and analysis of inorganic ions, low-molecular weight compounds, and nucleic acids.
There are further attempts to quantify concentrations of separated components in a sample by a detector set at one end of the capillary tube.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Isoelectric point markers for isoelectric focusing with fluorescence detection


A memory diagnostic circuit includes: a diagnostic circuit which sets a plurality of memory banks to an access/enable state at one time, writes predetermined common data into the memory banks, and parallelly reads out storage data of the plurality of memory banks; a comparison circuit which compares the data read out from the plurality of memory banks with the data written into the memory banks; and a discrimination circuit which discriminates whether or not there is any defect in the plurality of memory banks based on a comparison result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device having a memory array including a plurality of memory banks, and, more particularly, to a memory diagnostic circuit and a method for diagnosing a plurality of memory banks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor memory device, such as a DRAM or the like, a memory array is divided into a plurality of banks which can independently be operated.
In such a semiconductor memory device, it is necessary to diagnose whether a defect exists in each memory bank, after the complete manufacture of the semiconductor memory device and before shipping of the device. Hence, a circuit for diagnosing the memory is included inside the semiconductor memory device or externally connected thereto.
In conventional memory diagnostic circuits, the diagnosis of any defect in each memory array of the semiconductor memory device is performed in the unit of memory banks. Therefore, in the conventional memory diagnostic circuits, the more the number of banks, the longer the time for diagnosing the memory device.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a memory diagnostic circuit which can complete diagnosing a memory array including a plurality of memory banks in a memory device within a short period of time even if the number of memory banks increases.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for diagnosing a memory array including a plurality of memory banks which can independently read/write data, said method comprising:
parallelly writing identical data into the plurality of memory banks, when diagnosing the memory array;
reading out storage data from the plurality of memory banks; and
comparing the data read out from the plurality of memory banks and the written data, determining that the memory banks are in a normal state when the read data and the written data coincide with each other, and determining that a defect exists in either one of the memory banks when the read data and the written data do not coincide with each other.
According to the above method, the memory including the plurality of banks can be diagnosed at one time. Hence, there is no need to diagnose the memory for each bank. This results in that the diagnosing can be completed within a short period of time, regardless of the number of the banks.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory diagnostic circuit for diagnosing a memory array divided into a plurality of memory banks which can independently read/write data, said circuit comprising:
a diagnostic controlling section which writes predetermined common data into the plurality of memory banks, and parallely reads out storage data from the plurality of memory banks;
a memory which stores the predetermined common data written into the plurality of memory banks; and
a comparison circuit which compares the data read out from the plurality of memory banks with the write-data stored in said memory, and outputs a comparison result.
In the memory diagnostic circuit of this invention, when to diagnose the memory array divided into the plurality of memory banks, the diagnostic controller controls the memory banks to collectively write data at one time, and the comparison circuit compares the written data and the data from the memory banks. In this structure, the plurality of memory banks can be diagnosed at one time. Hence, the diagnosing the plurality of memory banks can be achieved within a short period of time, regardless of the number of the memory banks.

Semiconductor memory device capable of concurrently diagnosing a plurality of memory banks and method thereof


A method for increasing the placental blood flow, which comprises administering a human-originated antithrombin-III. The human-originated antithrombin-III increases the placental blood flow in mammals and particularly improves intrauterine growth retardation caused by a decreased blood flow. The method is highly safe to the mother and fetus, since it uses human-originated AT-III as an active ingredient, thereby enabling effective and safe treatment of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and the like.

AT-III is one kind of glycoproteins belonging to .alpha..sub.2 -globurin present in blood plasma and has a molecular weight of 65,000-68,000. It has an inhibitory activity on blood coagulating protease and strongly inhibits coagulative activity of thrombin.
In addition, AT-III has, besides inhibitory activity on thrombin, an inhibitory activity on other coagulation factors such as activated X factor and activated IX factor. It has been reported that AT-III has an inhibitory activity on plasmin and trypsin. These inhibitory activities are known to generally proceed more quickly in the presence of heparin.
AT-III having such pharmacological action is used for the correction of abnormally enhanced coagulation, specifically for the therapy of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
It has been considered that a reduced placental blood flow is responsible for intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) observed in gestosis, exerting detrimental effects on fetus. However, a medicament or a method for increasing the decreased placental blood flow has not been found. As a result, the means for protecting the fetus has been the separation of the fetus from the mother, namely, cesarean section.

Method for increasing placental blood flow


A method for precisely adjusting the sensitivity of a polarized crystal hydrophone by applying a voltage signal to the hydrophone. Voltage pulses having selected characteristics are repeatedly applied to the crystal until it is determined that the sensitivity of the crystal has reached a desired level.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to seismic measuring equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for precisely adjusting the sensitivity of a polarized crystal hydrophone.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to the increasing difficulty and cost of finding petroleum resources in the world today, exploration techniques are becoming more and more technologically sophisticated. For example, many have found crystal hydrophones to be useful in petroleum exploration. Basically, hydrophones are used to measure seismic waves created by a source such as an air gun or a dynamite charge, to obtain detailed information about various sub-surface strata of earth.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical crystal hydrophone 100 includes a diaphragm 102, a crystal 104, and a housing 106 that is typically filled with a gas 107. The diaphragm 102, which has front and rear sides 102a, 102b, is made from a material such as Kovar.TM. or a Berylium Copper compound, and is electrically connected to the crystal by a conductive epoxy 108. The crystal 104 is made from a material such as Lead Zirconium Titanate, and is silver-plated on its top 104a and bottom 104b to achieve better conductivity. The crystal 104 is initially polarized by applying a high-voltage electrical charge to the crystal 104. When the polarized crystal 104 experiences pressure resulting from a physical input, such as sound, fluid pressure, or another type of pressure, it produces a voltage representative of the pressure experienced. The crystal 104 is electrically connected to electrical output leads 110, 112. To protect the crystal 104 from contaminants, and to maintain the crystal 104 in atmospheric pressure, the crystal 104 and the rear side 102b of the diaphragm 102 are sealed within the gas-filled housing 106. The housing 106 protects the crystal 104 and diaphragm 102, and facilitates mounting of the hydrophone 100.
The diaphragm 102 functions to vibrate in response to physical pressures it experiences. The physical deflection of the diaphragm 102 is transferred by the epoxy 108 to the crystal 104, which deforms the electron structure of the crystal 104, causing an electrical potential to be provided across the leads 110, 112.
As mentioned above, hydrophones are often used in petroleum exploration in conjunction with seismic equipment. In one example of such an application (FIG. 2), a streamer 200 and a seismic source 202 are towed behind a ship 204. The streamer 200 is made up of many adjacent hydrophone "arrays" (not shown), where each array includes a plurality of hydrophones. All hydrophones of a single array are positioned on the same axis, so that all hydrophones respond similarly to a given pressure input. An exemplary hydrophone array may contain 16 hydrophones. The seismic source 202 is typically an air gun, a dynamite charge, or the like.
During operation of the system of FIG. 2, the seismic source 202 produces a large explosion. Seismic waves from the explosion travel through water 206, are refracted through various layers of earth 208, and are reflected back to the streamer 200, which senses the disturbances that it experiences and conveys them to the ship, where they are recorded by recording equipment 210. By studying these records, analysts can determine the makeup of the earth 208.
One analysis technique, called "amplitude versus offset," is based upon the fact that seismic waves have a different reflection coefficient for layered, non-isotropic rock at shallow angles than for homogeneous consolidated material. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein the reflection coefficient (R.sub.c) versus angle of entry (.THETA.) curves are compared for a non-isotropic rock formation (curve 312) and a homogeneous formation (curve 314). The curves 312, 314 can be readily distinguished since, at a 45.degree. angle of incidence, the reflection coefficients of the curves 312, 314 vary by 12-15%. Accordingly, for a seismic wave, such as the wave 212, a wave reflected from a formation will probably be detected by the hydrophones near a region 214 of the streamer; with similar amplitudes for homogeneous and non-isotropic formations, while a seismic wave 215 detected by the hydrophones near a region 216 will have different amplitudes dependent on the formation lithology. In a manner that is beyond the scope of this disclosure, but well-known to ordinary skilled seismic geologists, a mathematical equation can be generated to represent the magnitude of the reflected signals received by the hydrophones of the streamer 200 as a function of their position in the streamer 200, the composition of the earth 208, the depth of the water 208, and other relevant factors. However, for such an equation to be useful and accurate, the sensitivities of the hydrophones must be uniform along the entire length of the streamer 200.
Having hydrophones of uniform sensitivity is also critical in calibrating the hydrophone arrays. In land-based operations, a geophone array may be easily calibrated with computer analysis data, since the positions of the seismic source and the array are fixed with respect to the earth. However, calibrating a hydrophone streamer 200 is more difficult since both the source 202 and the streamer 200 are moving simultaneously with respect to the earth. Therefore, if the hydrophones of a streamer 200 vary in sensitivity, the hydrophones cannot be computer-calibrated as effectively as desired, and data from the hydrophones is likely to contain errors
There are a number of techniques currently being used to help ensure hydrophone homogeneity. One method is to simply select or purchase hydrophones having a desired sensitivity. Usually, hydrophone manufacturers test their hydrophones to determine their sensitivities, and then sort the hydrophones into groups of similar sensitivities. Specifically, a nominal or average sensitivity is defined in volts output per unit of pressure input, and the hydrophones are sorted by their variance from the nominal value, e.g. +10%, +5%, -5%, -10%, etc. In a typical hydrophone batch, there is usually a maximum variation in sensitivity of .+-.20% from the average value. Therefore, the hydrophone purchaser may elect to purchase hydrophones of a single level, or purchase a batch of hydrophones and discard hydrophones that do not display the desired sensitivity. Discarding non-conforming hydrophones results in a great deal of waste, and is grossly cost inefficient.
Therefore, many use a second approach to obtain hydrophones of uniform sensitivity. This method uses a circuit 400 employing a capacitive divider (FIG. 4). Under this approach, a hydrophone array 402 is modeled as a power source 408, since the array 402 produces voltage in response to pressure, and an array capacitor 410, to represent the capacitance of the array 402. Under this approach, the output of a hydrophone 402 is electrically connected to a matching capacitor 404. The output across the matching capacitor 404 and hydrophone 402 is measured at a pair of terminals 412, 414 by signal-measuring equipment 405. The equipment 405 is modeled as a load capacitor 406. Since the capacitance 406 of the equipment is fixed, the voltage output at the terminals 412, 414 can be adjusted by changing the capacitance of the matching capacitor 404. Accordingly, the effective pressure sensitivity of the circuit 400 may be designated by either selecting an appropriate matching capacitor, or by utilizing an adjustable matching capacitor.
Although this method is useful for some applications, it is limited from the standpoint of accuracy. In particular, even when this method is used to normalize the outputs of multiple hydrophone arrays, the outputs of the arrays will still diverge by about .+-.5%, due to variations in the capacitances of the matching capacitors 404. This amount of inaccuracy is sometimes unacceptable, since some applications require accuracy of .+-.2% or .+-.1%. Even if more accurate capacitors can be found, this method is still limited from the standpoint of labor and cost, since a typical streamer 200 contains thousands of hydrophones, each of which may require a different capacitive adjustment. Moreover, the use of adjustable capacitors may be undesirable, since adjustable capacitors can introduce unwanted noise into the circuit.

Method for adjusting crystal hydrophone output


An entertainment head-end provides broadcast programming, video-on-demand services, and HTML-based interactive programming through a distribution network to client terminals in subscribers' homes. A number of different features are provided, including novel user interfaces, enhanced video-on-demand controls, a variety of interactive services (personalized news, jukebox, games, celebrity chat), and techniques that combine to provide user experiences evocative of conventional television.

Interactive video promises to be a major component of future home entertainment systems. One antecedent—hotel video-on-demand systems—illustrates some of the failings of the prior art.
In an exemplary hotel video-on-demand system, a user with a remote control tunes a television to a predetermined channel on which a menu of on-demand video services is presented. The menu typically solicits entry of a two-digit code, such as 30 for comedy movies, 40 for action movies, 50 for children's movies, etc. In response to user entry of a two-digit code, a further menu is presented detailing movies available under the selected category. The user is then prompted to enter a code corresponding to the desired movie (e.g. 51 for Anastasia, 52 for Antz, 53 for Snow White, etc.).
After entry of a movie selection code (and after confirmation of the video charge that will appear on the hotel bill at checkout), the movie begins playing. The movie thereafter plays continuously. If the viewer receives a telephone call, or wishes to tune the television briefly to another channel, there is no provision for interrupting the on-demand video delivery—the viewer simply misses part of the video. In most systems, if the television is tuned to another channel for more than a brief interval, the on-demand video is terminated. If the viewer wishes to continue viewing the video, it must be started again at the beginning, typically incurring another charge.
Various embodiments of the present invention redress these, and related failings of prior art on-demand video systems.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.


The apparatus is arranged to include an individual or a plurality of abutment members, having first plates mounting at their first ends a second plate for engagement of a roof edge or tile edge portion, wherein a second end of the first plate mounts an abutment plate extending orthogonally and laterally of the first plate in an orthogonal relationship to a reverse side relative to the first plate. A support plank is arranged for positioning to an adjacent of the abutment members to provide for abutment of debris that may be directed along the roof surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to roofing apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved roofing abutment apparatus wherein the same is arranged to provide for abutment to prevent debris from falling from a roof surface during a roofing procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Roofing apparatus of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art such as a platform structure, as indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,450,935 and 5,004,072.
The instant invention is arranged to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for abutment apparatus arranged to include a plurality of engaging abutment members to prevent debris from falling from a roof surface during a roofing procedure and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A steam generator for generation of steam in a water tube boiler having first and second upright headers in sealed communication with lower and upper inclining banks of tubes communicating therebetween. An end portion of the tubes in the upper bank, changes to a declining angle toward its communication with the upright header. The declining angle provides for increased separation of steam from hot water in the tubes.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed and described herein relates to steam generators. More particularly the apparatus and method of employment herein disclosed relates to an improved design for a water tube boiler and steam generator which provides for improved separation of steam from residual water and enhanced protection from overheating of water tubes. The unique inclined design with curved end portions can be employed in any number of fields using steam including driving steam engines, for process steam, for steam heating, for hospital sterilizers, for most commercial power plants, for nuclear generators using steam boilers, or in any application where steam is employed.
2. Prior Art
Water-tube style boilers for steam generation have been in use for decades and generally consist of natural-circulation style and submerged style water tube boilers. Water tube boilers were developed to satisfy the demand for large quantities of steam at pressures and temperatures far exceeding those possible with fire-tube boilers.
Water tube boilers have a low risk of disastrous explosion compared to fire box boilers or fire tube boilers, and they are space saving. They also provide for rapid steam raising and ease of transportation. However, water tube boilers have required that supply water should be substantially pure and specially treated to protect the steam tubes and may require special maintenance procedures for this reason.
Because of their safety and large production capacity for steam, water tube boilers are employed in products from steam engines to nuclear power plants and are considered an especially safe design for steam generation in a steam powered system. A wide variety of sizes and designs of water tube boilers are used in power stations, nuclear reactors, ships and factories. Well known designs such as those by Babcock and Wilcox have been in use for decades and those skilled in the art will understand the positioning and employment of the included water tube device herein, in proper communication with a heat source, for use in all such boilers.
Heating the water tubes of a water tube boiler or steam generator requires that fuel is burned inside a furnace, creating hot gas. The hot gases are communicated to the water tubes in various ways known in the art to heat up water in the steam-generating tubes.
Submerged water-tube boilers generally employ a means to heat water or fluid in the steam generator. The heat from fossil fuels, nuclear power, natural gas, or other sources, is communicated to a lower bank of inclined tubes through a first substantially upright header. The first or lower bank of tubes is inclined to communicate steam upwards through a plurality of the vertical headers. In such submerged boilers, the lower bank of tubes is substantially submerged in the heated water being communicated from the first upright header. Each of the lower bank of tubes communicates at an inclined end with a second substantially vertical header wherein steam rises in the second header and water will return to the reservoir below feeding the first header.
An upper bank of tubes communicating with the second header above the water line, receives the steam communicated through the second header from the lower bank of tubes, and communicates that steam through the upper bank of tubes at an inclined angle from the second substantially vertical header back to the first header. A preferred inclining angle for the first and second bank of tubes is at an angle between 11 and 15 degrees with a current especially preferred mode being substantially 12 degrees.
Various patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 309,282, (Babbitt) describe such conventional submerged water-tube steam generators and all suffer from inadequate separation of remaining water from the steam which has been communicated to the upper bank of tubes. As such, there exists a need for an improved water-tube style boiler or steam generator which both dries and separates water from the steam. Such a device should also minimize the danger of overheating the water tubes which damages the apparatus and in doing so, results in an increased power rating for the steam generator device. Such a device should provide steam for turbines and the like which is substantially free of water droplets which can severely damage turbine blades.


Apparatus is provided to limit the current drawn from a power supply output connected to furnish power to a docking station or electronic device, when a fault connects the output to ground or other docking connection. The power supply is disconnected when such fault is present during power-up. In one embodiment, the apparatus controllably limits current delivered to a docking station and a mobile device connected thereto. The apparatus includes a switch device located along a current path extending between the power supply and docking station, to regulate current flow. A current limiting entity operates the switch device to prevent current flow, when the fault affects the circuit, and current through the path exceeds a pre-specified threshold level. The pre-specified current threshold level can be less than the current level provided to the docking station and mobile device without said fault. A disabling component de-activates the current limiting entity, when current is flowing to the charging station but the current is unaffected by the fault.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed and claimed herein generally pertains to an apparatus for providing fault protection, in a power supply or in a circuit that connects an electronic device to a power supply. More particularly, the invention pertains to apparatus of the above type wherein faults can occur that cause excessive levels of current to flow to the connection of the electronic device from the power supply. Even more particularly, the invention pertains to apparatus of the above type wherein one or more mobile or other electronic devices are removably insertable into a docking station, or otherwise connected to a power supply, in order to receive power.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of electronic devices for computing and communications is becoming increasingly diverse, as the mobility of such devices increases and their costs diminish. As an example, mobile computing devices are currently being made available to customers at certain large discount stores. The mobile computing devices reside in a rack near a store entrance, and can easily be mounted on shopping carts by customers, to assist them in their shopping. When a device is returned to the rack, it is inserted into a charging or docking station, to allow the device battery to be recharged from a power supply.
It is very common for a mobile device to be connected to a docking station, with the power turned on to both the docking station and the device. Because of this, power supplies used to provide current for recharging mobile devices are typically provided with over-current sensor and shutdown circuits. Thus, if excessive current is drawn from the power supply, so that a threshold is exceeded, the circuit will operate to shut the power supply down. The threshold for the amount of current drawn that will cause shutdown is usually selected to be significantly more than the amount of current required for normal operation of the docking station. This is done so that shutdown will not occur falsely or erroneously. The threshold can in fact be so high that the connector pins, or other elements used to connect the mobile device to the docking station, can become pitted or otherwise damaged by faults that cause excessive current. Moreover, typical shutdown circuits pulse the power supply back on, in order to sense if the fault is still present, and if so, act to shut the power supply back down. This causes the power supply to pulse on and off, possibly for a long period of time, until the fault has been corrected.
Unfortunately, in highly public places such as stores of the above type, it is common for debris comprising conductive material, such as coins, tin foil or the like, to become scattered around the recharging rack that contains the mobile devices while not in use. It has been found that if debris of this sort comes into contact with a structure connecting a device to the charging station, the connecting structure may be short circuited to ground. Such a short circuit fault can cause an excessive amount of current to be drawn from the power supply. Moreover, a fault of this type tends to remain until corrected manually. Thus, if a short circuit fault occurs, a power supply provided with a current shutdown circuit as described above could continue to pulse on and off for a very long period of time, which is not desirable
A further problem in circuits used with charging or docking stations relates to inrush current. When a mobile device is connected to a charging station and the battery charge of the device is low, a substantial inrush current will initially flow into the charging station and the device, from the power supply. The inrush current can cause the connectors to pit, and can also drag down the voltage on the host machine to the point where the power supply of the host machine goes out of regulation. Accordingly, it is common to provide an inrush control circuit that includes power transistors. However, the combination of an inrush control circuit, together with an over-current protection circuit of the type described above, can create further problems. For example, if the over-current shutoff threshold is high enough to avoid false shutdowns, the resulting current may be high enough to damage the power transistors of the inrush control circuit. This is especially likely to happen with power supplies that pulse on and off for long periods of time, when too much current is being drawn. Under this condition the inrush current control circuit acts repeatedly, to try and limit the large current, and will overheat unless large transistors with heat sinks are used.
It would be desirable to provide an improved mechanism for protecting against excessive current in circuits that connect a power supply to a docking station. Such mechanism would be particularly useful in regard to excess currents that are caused by short circuit faults of the type described above.

Apparatus for providing fault protection in a circuit supplying power to an electronic device

International Business Machines Corporation


A flexible display supporting substrate of the present disclosure includes: a glass base (11); a plastic film (12) which has a surface (12s), the surface having a polish recess (12c), the plastic film being supported by the glass base (11); and an oxide layer (20) overlying a part of the surface (12s) of the plastic film (12) and covering at least part of the polish recess (12c).

A typical example of the flexible display includes a film which is made of a synthetic resin such as polyimide (hereinafter, referred to as "plastic film"), and elements supported by the plastic film, such as TFTs (Thin Film Transistors) and OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes). The plastic film functions as a flexible substrate. The flexible display is encapsulated with a gas barrier film (encapsulation film) because an organic semiconductor layer and an electrode layer which are constituents of the OLED are likely to deteriorate due to water vapor.
Production of the above-described flexible display is carried out using a glass base on which a plastic film is formed over the upper surface (flexible display supporting substrate). The glass base functions as a support for keeping the shape of the plastic film flat during the production process. Elements such as TFTs and OLEDs, a gas barrier film, and the other constituents are formed on the plastic film, whereby the structure of a flexible device is realized while it is supported by the glass base. Thereafter, the flexible device is separated from the glass base and gains flexibility. The entirety of a portion in which elements such as TFTs and OLEDs are arrayed is also referred to as "functional layer".
A foreign substance such as particles (hereinafter, also referred to as "contamination") is likely to adhere to the surface of a plastic film supported by a glass base. The contamination can deteriorate the device characteristics and the gas barrier film. A particle whose diameter is greater than, for example, 0.5 μm (typically, a particle which has a height of 1 μm to 5 μm) can be a cause of defects in TFTs, a cause of short-circuit or breakage of wires in the functional layer, or a cause of formation of a leak path for water vapor in the gas barrier film.
Patent Document No. 1 discloses a minute protrusion polishing apparatus for polishing away minute protruding portions on a flat plate by bringing a polishing tape into contact with the minute protruding portions. When such a protrusion polishing apparatus is used, particles can be removed by polishing.
Patent Document No. 2 discloses the technique of applying a mixture prepared by dissolving an insulative material in a solvent from the tip of a needle to defective portions such as a foreign substance on a pixel electrode and raised and recessed portions so as to cover these defective portions. The mixture is in the form of a liquid when it is applied. By subsequent heating, the mixture changes into a solidified insulating film. The insulating film that covers the defective portions suppresses occurrence of an abnormal electric current which is attributed to the defective portions.

Flexible display, method for manufacturing same, and support substrate for flexible display