A circuit can control a bit rate of information output from a multi-purpose register (MPR) of a semiconductor memory device in a test mode, thereby reducing current consumption for outputting information in a multi-purpose register (MPR). The semiconductor memory device includes a multi-purpose register configured separately to store a plurality of information, and to control a bit rate of the stored information in a test mode, each of the information having multiple bits, and a connection selector configured selectively to connect an output terminal of the multi-purpose register to one of a number of global lines according to an operation mode.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, particularly to a multi-purpose register (MPR) of the semiconductor memory device which is a circuit that can control bit rate of information output from the MPR and reduce current consumption for outputting the information from the MPR.
In a system with a variety of semiconductor devices, a semiconductor memory device serves as a data storage. The semiconductor memory device outputs data corresponding to addresses received from a data processor, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), or stores data received from the data processor into memory cells selected by addresses.
As the operating speed of the system increases and semiconductor integrated circuit technologies become more advanced, semiconductor memory devices are required to input and output data at higher speed. In order to obtain faster and stable operations, semiconductor memory devices include a variety of circuits for additional operations such as sensing internal temperature, in addition to a core region and a peripheral region for performing data input/output operation.
Consequently, the semiconductor memory devices are required to have the MPR in order to store information for these additional operations.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for illustrating the MPR 140 in the conventional semiconductor memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the MPR 140 may be connected to a data output path 120 including a plurality of data output pads DQ, according to an operation mode.
Specifically, in a normal mode NORMAL_MODE, the core region 100 is connected to the data output path 120 to output data stored in the core region 100 from the semiconductor memory device. In this case, because the MPR 140 is not connected to the data output path 120, information in the MPR 140 are not output from the semiconductor memory device.
In an information output mode MPR_MODE, the MPR 140 is connected to the data output path 120 to output the information in the MPR 140 from the semiconductor memory device. In this case, since the core region 100 is not connected to the data output path 120, the data in the core region 100 are not output from the semiconductor memory device.
That is, in the normal mode NORMAL_MODE, where basic operations such as data input/output operations of the semiconductor memory device are performed, the MPR 140 stores a series of information. However, in the information output mode MPR_MODE, the MPR 140 outputs the information from the semiconductor memory device.
TABLE 1ReadMR3MR3BurstAddressA[2]A[1:0]FunctionLengthA[2:0]Burst Order and Data Pattern100bReadBL = 8000bBurst Order 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7PredefinedPredefined pattern [0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1]100bPattern forBC4000bBurst Order 0, 1, 2, 3SystemPre-defined pattern [0, 1, 0, 1]100bCalibrationBC4100bBurst Order 4, 5, 6, 7Pre-defined pattern [0, 1, 0, 1]101bRFU———110bRFU———111bThermal000bBurst Order 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7111bSensor000bBurst Order 0, 1, 2, 3ReadoutBurst bit 0 is thermal sensor LSB111b100bBurst Order 4, 5, 6, 7Burst bit 7 is thermal sensor MSB (signbit)
Table 1 shows the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) specification for the MPR 140.
As shown in Table 1, the MPR 140 stores predefined information and temperature information. The predefined information (Read Predefined Pattern For System Calibration) is set to a predetermined value as a reference of an operation of the semiconductor. The temperature information (Thermal Sensor Readout) indicates internal temperature of the semiconductor memory device, which is output from an on die thermal sensor (ODTS).
To this end, the MPR 140 includes a plurality of register units 142 and an information selection unit 144. The plurality of register units 142 are configured to store a plurality of information, respectively, each of the information having multiple bits. The information selection unit 144 is configured to output information stored in one of the plurality of register units 142.
As shown in Table 1, which information is to be output from the MPR 140 is determined by a selection information A[0:2] defined in a memory register set (MRS).
Specifically, an uppermost bit A[2] of the selection information A[0:2] defined in the MRS is used to determine whether to enter the information output mode MPR_MODE or not. That is, when the uppermost bit A[2] of the selection information A[0:2] has a logic high level, the semiconductor memory device enters the information output mode MPR_MODE. When the uppermost bit A[2] of the selection information A[0:2] has a logic low level, the semiconductor memory device exits the information output mode MPR_MODE.
The bits A[0:1] of the selection information A[0:2] defined in the MRS are used to select one of the information stored in the MPR 140 in the information output mode MPR_MODE.
That is, when the bits A[0:1] of the selection information A[0:2] are all have a logic high level, the predefined information (Read Predefined Pattern For System Calibration) is selected. On the contrary, when the bits A[0:1] of the selection information A[0:2] are all have a logic low level, the temperature information (Thermal Sensor Readout) is selected.
In a case where one of the bits A[0:1] has a logic high level and the other has a logic low level, i.e., the bits A[0:1] have different logic levels, information RFU is selected, which can be arbitrarily stored by a user.
In the conventional semiconductor memory device, not only the data in the core region 100, but also the information in the MPR 140 should be output from the semiconductor memory device through the data output path 120. The data output path 120 refers to an internal element of the semiconductor memory device for transferring the data which will be output from the semiconductor memory device. The data output path 120 includes global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> and data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7> in FIG. 1.
The data path 120 for the data in the core region 100 is the same element as that for the information in the MPR 140. However, the operation of the data path 120 for the data in the core region 100 is different from the operation of the data path 120 for the information in the MPR 140, which will be described in detail below.
Regarding the data path 120 for the data in the core region 100, the data in the core region 100 are output from the semiconductor memory device through all of the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7>. This is because the data in the core region 100 are transferred through the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> at the same time.
Regarding the data path 120 for the information in the MPR 140, the information in the MPR 140 are output from the semiconductor memory device only through the data output pads UDQ<0> and LDQ<0>. This is because the information in the MPR 140 are transferred only through the global lines GIOU<0> and GIOL<0>, not through the other global lines GIOU<1:7> and GIOL<1:7>.
In other words, all of the elements of the data path 120 are used for transferring the data in the core region 100. However, only a few elements of the data path 120 are used for transferring the information in the MPR 140. More specifically, for transferring the information in the MPR 140, only the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0>, the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0>, the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0> and the zeroth lower data output pad LDQ<0> are used. That is, the other elements including the first to seventh upper global lines GIOU<1:7>, the first to seventh lower global lines GIOL<1:7>, the first to seventh upper data output pads UDQ<1:7> and the first to seventh lower data output pads LDQ<1:7> are not used.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for illustrating a path for transferring the information in the MPR 140 when connection relations of the global lines and the data output pads are varied according to variations of a data output bandwidth in a conventional semiconductor memory device.
Referring to FIG. 2, as the data output bandwidth is varied to ×16, ×8 and ×4, the connection relations of the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> and the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7> in the conventional semiconductor memory device are varied.
Specifically, when the data output bandwidth of the semiconductor memory device is ×16, the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are one-to-one connected to the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7>.
In more detail, the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> is connected to the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0>. The first upper global line GIOU<1> is connected to the first upper data output pad UDQ<1>. The second upper global line GIOU<1> is connected to the second upper data output pad UDQ<2>. The third upper global line GIOU<3> is connected to the third upper data output pad UDQ<3>. The fourth upper global line GIOU<4> is connected to the fourth upper data output pad UDQ<4>. The fifth upper global line GIOU<5> is connected to the fifth upper data output pad UDQ<5>. The sixth upper global line GIOU<6> is connected to the sixth upper data output pad UDQ<6>. The seventh upper global line GIOU<7> is connected to the seventh upper data output pad UDQ<7>. Similarly, the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0> is connected to the zeroth lower data output pad LDQ<0>. The first lower global line GIOL<1> is connected to the first lower data output pad LDQ<1>. The second lower global line GIOL<2> is connected to the second lower data output pad LDQ<2>. The third lower global line GIOL<3> is connected to the third lower data output pad LDQ<3>. The fourth lower global line GIOL<4> is connected to the fourth lower data output pad LDQ<4>. The fifth lower global line GIOL<5> is connected to the fifth lower data output pad LDQ<5>. The sixth lower global line GIOL<6> is connected to the sixth lower data output pad LDQ<6>. The seventh lower global line GIOL<7> is connected to the seventh lower data output pad LDQ<7>.
In this case, in the normal mode NORMAL_MODE, data in the core region 100 are loaded on all of the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7>, and the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are directly connected to the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7>, respectively. Therefore, the data in the core region 100 are output through the respective data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7>.
To this end, a first pad selector 200, a second pad selector 220 and a third pad selector 240 are all enabled. Here, the first pad selector 200 is configured to control connections of all of the global lines GIOU<0:3>, GIOU<4:7>, GIOL<0:3> and GIOL<4:7> to the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> according to the data output bandwidth. The second pad selector 220 is configured to control connections of the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> to the bottom upper data output pads UDQ<4:7> according to the data output bandwidth. The third pad selector 240 is configured to control the connections of the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> to the lower data output pads LDQ<0:7> according to the data output bandwidth.
The global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are directly connected to the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and LDQ<0:7>, respectively, as described above. However, the information in the MPR 140 used in the information output mode MPR_MODE are loaded only on the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> and the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0>. Therefore, the information in the MPR 140 are output only through the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0> and the zeroth lower data output pad LDQ<0>.
When the data output bandwidth of the semiconductor memory device is ×8, the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are connected to the upper data output pads UDQ<0:7> in two-to-one correspondence.
In other words, the zeroth to seventh lower data output pads LDQ<0:7> are not used. Hence, the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> and the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0> are connected to the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0>. The first upper global line GIOU<1> and the first lower global line GIOL<1> are connected to the first upper data output pad UDQ<1>. The second upper global line GIOU<2> and the second lower global line GIOL<2> are connected to the second upper data output pad UDQ<2>. The third upper global line GIOU<3> and the third lower global line GIOL<3> are connected to the third upper data output pad UDQ<3>. The fourth upper global line GIOU<4> and the fourth lower global line GIOL<4> are connected to the fourth upper data output pad UDQ<4>. The fifth upper global line GIOU<5> and the fifth lower global line GIOL<5> are connected to the fifth upper data output pad UDQ<5>. The sixth upper global line GIOU<6> and the sixth lower global line GIOL<6> are connected to the sixth upper data output pad UDQ<6>. Finally, the seventh upper global line GIOU<7> and the seventh lower global line GIOL<7> are connected to the seventh upper data output pad UDQ<7>.
In this case, in the normal mode NORMAL_MODE, the data in the core region 100 are loaded on all of the global lines including the upper global lines GIOU<0:7> and the lower global lines GIOL<0:7>, as described above. The global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are divided to the upper global lines GIOU<0:7> and the lower global lines GIOL<0:7>, and not only the upper global lines GIOU<0:7>, but also the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> are connected to the upper data output pads UDQ<0:7>. Therefore, the data in the core region 100 are output through the upper data output pads UDQ<0:7>.
To this end, the first pad selector 200 is enabled, which is configured to control the connections of all of the global lines GIOU<0:3>, GIOU<4:7>, GIOL<0:3> and GIOL<4:7> to the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> according to the data output bandwidth. Also, the second pad selector 220 is enabled, which is configured to control the connections of the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> to the bottom upper data output pads UDQ<4:7> according to the data output bandwidth. However, the third pad selector 240 is disabled, which is configured to control the connections of the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> to the lower data output pads LDQ<0:7> according to the data output bandwidth.
As described above, the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are divided to the upper global lines GIOU<0:7> and the lower global lines GIOL<0:7>, and not only the upper global lines GIOU<0:7>, but also the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> are connected to the upper data output pads UDQ<0:7>. However, the information in the MPR 140, which are used in the information output mode MPR_MODE, are loaded only on the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> and the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0>. Therefore, the information in the MPR 140 are output only through the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0>.
In order to determine whether the data output through the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0> is the data loaded on the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> or the data loaded on the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0>, a not-used bit of the row address (RA) is utilized.
When the data output bandwidth of the semiconductor memory device is ×4, the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are connected to the zeroth to third upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> in four-to-one correspondence.
In other words, the fourth to seventh upper data output pads UDQ<4:7> and the zeroth to seventh lower data output pads LDQ<0:7> are not used. Hence, the zeroth and seventh upper global lines GIOU<0> and GIOU<7> and the zeroth and seventh lower global lines GIOL<0> and GIOL<7> are connected to the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0>. The first and sixth upper global lines GIOU<1> and GIOU<6> and the first and sixth lower global lines GIOL<1> and GIOL<6> are connected to the first upper data output pad UDQ<1>. The second and fifth upper global lines GIOU<2> and GIOU<5> and the second and fifth lower global lines GIOL<2> and GIOL<5> are connected to the second upper data output pad UDQ<2>. The third and fourth upper global lines GIOU<3> and GIOU<4> and the third and fourth lower global lines GIOL<3> and GIOL<4> are connected to the third upper data output pad UDQ<3>.
In this case, only the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> are used, and the bottom upper data output pads UDQ<4:7>, the top lower data output pads LDQ<0:3> and the bottom lower data output pads LDQ<4:7> are not used. Thus, in the normal mode NORMAL_MODE, the data in the core region 100 are loaded on all of the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7>. The global lines are divided to the top upper global lines GIOU<0:3>, bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7>, top lower global lines GIOL<0:3> and bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7>. Here, not only the top upper global lines GIOU<0:3>, but also the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7>, the top lower global lines GIOL<0:3> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> are connected to the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3>. Therefore, the data in the core region 100 are output through the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3>.
To this end, the first pad selector 200 is enabled, which is configured to control the connections of all of the global lines GIOU<0:3>, GIOU<4:7>, GIOL<0:3> and GIOL<4:7> to the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> according to the data output bandwidth. However, the second pad selector 220 is disabled, which is configured to control the connections of the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> to the bottom upper data output pads UDQ<4:7> according to the data output bandwidth. In addition, the third pad selector 240 is also disabled, which is configured to control the connections of the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> to the lower data output pads LDQ<0:7> according to the data output bandwidth.
As described above, the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are divided to the top upper global lines GIOU<0:3>, the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7>, the top lower global lines GIOL<0:3> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7>. Here, not only the top upper global lines GIOU<0:3>, but also the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7>, the top lower global lines GIOL<0:3> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> are connected to the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3>. However, the information in the MPR 140, which are used in the information output mode MPR_MODE, are loaded only on the zeroth upper global line GIOU<0> and the zeroth lower global line GIOL<0>. Therefore, the information in the MPR 140 are output only through the zeroth upper data output pad UDQ<0>.
In order to determine whether the data output through the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> are the data loaded on the upper global lines GIOU<0:7> or the data loaded on the lower global lines GIOL<0:7>, a not-used bit of the row address (RA) is utilized. Furthermore, in order to determine whether the data output through the top upper data output pads UDQ<0:3> are the data loaded on the top global lines GIOU<0:3> and GIOL<0:3> or the data loaded on the bottom global lines GIOU<4:7> and GIOL<4:7>, a not-used bit of the column address (CA) is utilized.
The first to third pad selectors 200, 220 and 240 having the above described configurations allow the data loaded in the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> to be appropriately output from the semiconductor memory device, even if the connection relations of the global lines GIOU<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> and the data output pads UDQ<0:7> and GIOL<0:7> are varied according to the data output bandwidth.
The design of the first to third pad selectors 200, 220 and 240 is centered on appropriate outputting of the data in the core region 100. Accordingly, when the information in the MPR 140 are output only through the predetermined global lines GIOU<0> and GIOL<0>, data loaded on the other global lines GIOU<1:7> and GIOL<1:7> are output regardless of what the data are, and ignored because they are meaningless data.
However, the outputting of the meaningless data also consumes current. This means that the semiconductor memory device utilizing the first to third pad selectors 200, 220 and 240 having the above described configurations consumes unnecessary current in the information output mode MPR_MODE.
TABLE 2RACAGAXDB<0>GAXDB<1>GAXDB<2>GAXDB<3>X16XXLLHLX8LXHLLLX8HXLLHLX4LLHLLLX4LHLHLLX4HLLLHLX4HHLLLH
Logic level relations among signals for controlling the first pad selector 200, the second pad selector 220 and the third pad selector 240 are shown in Table 2. Here, as described above, the first pad selector 200 controls the connections of all the global lines GIOU<0:3>, GIOU<4:7>, GIOL<0:3> and GIOL<4:7> to the top lower data output pads LDQ<0:3> according to the data output bandwidth. Also, the second pad selector 220 controls the connections of the bottom upper global lines GIOU<4:7> and the bottom lower global lines GIOL<4:7> to the bottom lower data output pads LDQ<4:7> according to the data output bandwidth, and the third pad selector 240 controls the connections of the lower global lines GIOL<0:7> to the upper data output pads LDQ<0:7> according to the data output bandwidth.
As described above, the MPR 140 of the conventional semiconductor memory device can output the information from the semiconductor memory device through the predetermined data output pads UDQ<0> and LDQ<0> in the information output mode.
Here, since the information are also serial binary data, they should be output from the semiconductor memory device in synchronization with an external clock, like the data in the core region 100.
For example, the MPR 140 used in a double data rate (DDR) semiconductor memory device, which outputs data twice in one cycle of an external clock, should output two bits of the information in one cycle of the external clock through the predetermined data output pads UDQ<0> and LDQ<0>.
Similarly, the MPR 140 used in a double data rate 2 (DDR2) semiconductor memory device, which outputs data four times in one cycle of the external clock, should output four bits of the information in one cycle of the external clock through the predetermined data output pads UDQ<0> and LDQ<0>.
In a case where the semiconductor memory device is installed in a system, such as a personal computer, a server and a notebook computer, there won't be any disruptions in outputting the information in the MPR 140 at a speed corresponding to the operating speed of the semiconductor memory device.
However, when testing the performance of the MPR 140 during the manufacturing of the semiconductor memory device, the outputting of the information in the MPR 140 at the speed corresponding to the operating speed of the semiconductor memory device may cause errors in the test equipment.
As the semiconductor memory device is developed and improved rapidly, the operating speed of the semiconductor memory device is also increased rapidly. Thus, the test equipment for the semiconductor memory device hardly meets the rapidly increasing operating speed of the semiconductor memory device. Therefore, the difference in the operating speeds of the semiconductor memory device and the test equipment thereof may cause test errors while testing the semiconductor memory device during the manufacturing process.
This may be far more serious in the test for outputting the information in the MPR 140, where a test direction may be varied due to the meaningful information, than in the test for outputting the data in the core region 100, where meaningless data may be input/output.


Windings of each phase in a three-phase AC motor are independent of one another. A motor control unit gives, to windings of each phase (U, V and W-phase), currents (IU, IV, IW) obtained by adding, to a fundamental sine wave current, a current having a frequency which is three times as high as that of the fundamental sine wave current. That is,IU=I·sin ωt+Ia·sin 3ωt:IV=I·sin(ωt+2/3π)+Ia·sin 3ωt:IW=I·sin(ωt+4/3π)+Ia·sin 3ωtAlso, amplitude Ia of a current having a frequency which is three times as high as that of the fundamental sine wave current is set to a predetermined value smaller than amplitude I of the fundamental sine wave current.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control unit for a three-phase AC motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in the three-phase AC motor, a sine wave current of a fundamental frequency has been caused to flow through each phase to drive the motor. The maximum torque that the motor is capable of outputting is determined by a peak current value of the sine wave current for flowing through each phase, that is, magnitude of amplitude.
In order to improve voltage utilization efficiency, there is known a control method for superimposing a voltage command having a frequency which is three times as high as a fundamental frequency on a voltage command of the fundamental frequency to each phase into the voltage command, creating a PWM signal and driving an inverter (See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 6-133558 and 11-69899).
In the invention described in the above-described patent document, the voltage utilization efficiency is improved by superimposing, on voltage of the fundamental sine wave, voltage having a frequency which is three times as high as the frequency of the fundamental sine wave to obtain each phase voltage command. A current flowing through each phase is sine wave, the maximum current value is a peak value of the sine wave, and the torque cannot be increased by any other than this peak value, that is, enlargement of the amplitude.


A motorized precision spindle apparatus (10) including an outer cartridge spindle (12) supported on a motor cartridge spindle (14) and a motor-driven outer cartridge spindle shaft (16) supported for rotation on bearings (22) disposed between the shaft (16) and an outer spindle shaft housing (20). A tool holder (26) releasably holds a tool in position for rotation with the shaft (16). A draw-bar (30) is supported through the shaft (16) and the motor cartridge spindle (14) for reciprocal axial motion, is connected to the tool holder (26), and is biased in an axial direction that causes the tool holder (26) to grip a tool (28). An actuator (32) is connected to the draw-bar (30) and moves the draw-bar (30) in a direction opposite the bias, thereby releasing any tool the holder may be holding. An isolation tube (36) is supported within the motor cartridge spindle (14), is connected to the shaft (16), and supports the shaft (16) against transmitting axial forces to the bearings (22).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a motorized precision spindle apparatus for rotating and automatically exchanging tools in a flexible machining operation.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Motorized spindles for rotating and automatically exchanging machine tools are known in the art. For example, the Mazak Machining Center Model FH-680X manufactured by Yamazaki Mazak Corporation, discloses such an apparatus that includes an outer cartridge spindle and a separate motor cartridge spindle. The outer cartridge spindle is removably and interchangeably supported on the motor cartridge spindle. The outer cartridge spindle includes an outer cartridge spindle shaft supported for rotation about a spindle axis within a coaxial outer cartridge spindle shaft housing on outer cartridge spindle bearings. The outer cartridge spindle bearings are operatively connected between the outer cartridge spindle shaft and the outer cartridge spindle shaft housing. A spindle motor is supported in the motor cartridge spindle and includes a motor shaft drivingly and detachably connected to an inner end of the outer cartridge spindle shaft. The Mazak machining center also includes a tool holder supported in an outer end of the outer cartridge spindle shaft. The tool holder releasably holds a tool in position for rotation with the outer cartridge spindle shaft about the spindle axis. A draw-bar is coaxially supported for reciprocal axial motion through the outer cartridge spindle shaft and the motor shaft. An outer end of the draw-bar is operably connected to the tool holder and is spring biased in an axially inward direction away from the tool holder, which causes the tool holder to grip a tool. The Mazak machining center also includes a draw-bar actuator including a hydraulic cylinder supported axially adjacent the spindle motor and operably connected to an inner end of the draw-bar. The draw-bar actuator moves the draw-bar in a direction opposite the spring bias, which releases any tool the holder may be holding. The draw-bar includes an outer draw-bar section that is housed in the outer cartridge spindle shaft and is releasably connectable end-to-end to an inner draw-bar section housed in the motor shaft.
However, the Mazak machining center is unable to move the draw-bar outward, opposite the spring bias direction, without axially loading the outer cartridge spindle bearings. This is because the detachable geared connection of the motor shaft to the outer cartridge spindle shaft provides for the transmission of torque loads only. To facilitate easy installation and removal of outer cartridge spindles, there is no provision for axially retaining the outer cartridge spindle relative to the motor shaft and the draw-bar actuator. As a result, the application of axial loads to the bearings whenever a tool is released from the outer cartridge spindle reduces bearing life and reduces the speed at which the spindle can be rotated.
What is needed is a motorized precision spindle that has an interchangeable outer cartridge spindle and a two-piece draw-bar and that can release a tool without applying axial pressure to outer cartridge spindle bearings of the spindle.


A forming die which includes a die cavity contains a forming blank composed of a metallic alloy having superplastic properties. The forming pressure in a pressurized space adjacent the forming blank is regulated by a pressure regulator. The volume of the die cavity is determined, as is the mass of gas initially contained in the die cavity at the beginning of the forming cycle. The total forming time is empirically determined. The average gas mass flow rate that will be exhausted from the die cavity is calculated by dividing the total mass of gas initially contained in the die cavity by the total forming time. A gas mass flow meter fluidly communicates with the die cavity and measures the mass flow rate of the gas displaced by the forming blank and exhausted from the die cavity. The gas mass flow meter is continuously monitored during the forming cycle or a gas mass flow rate signal is fed back to the pressure regulator. The forming pressure is regulated by the pressure regulator so that the gas mass flow rate exhausted from the die cavity approximates the predetermined average gas mass flow rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of superplastic forming and, more particularly, to the forming of objects from metallic alloys which exhibit superplastic characteristics when heated to particular temperature ranges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain metallic alloys will exhibit superplasticity when heated to known temperature ranges. This characteristic is used to form objects from such alloys by placing a metallic alloy blank in a forming die containing a die cavity, heating the blank to the desired temperature, and then applying a pressure differential to the blank for a period of time. The pressure differential, also known as the forming pressure, is obtained by introducing a pressurized inert gas into the die cavity on one side of the blank while the cavity on the other side of the blank contains inert gas fluidly communicating with the ambient atmosphere, and thus remains at atmospheric pressure. The forming pressure forms the heated blank to the shape of the die cavity or to the shape of a male die located in the die cavity.
Forming pressure and strain rate are related variables. A forming schedule, also called a pressure forming cycle, provides the forming pressure as a function of time. Although there are different ways of deriving such a forming cycle, it is typically calculated by assuming that the strain rate remains constant during the forming cycle at a value that will not cause rupture, yet is high enough to achieve the desired forming within a reasonable period.
The forming pressure, P, is a function of the forming stress, .sigma., instantaneous thickness, T, and instantaneous radius of curvature, R, of the forming blank. This relationship can be expressed as EQU P=f.sub.1 (.sigma.,T,R)
The thickness, T, and radius or curvature, R, are functions of a forming progress parameter, h. Thus, the forming pressure can be expressed as EQU P=f.sub.2 (.sigma.,h)
The time, t, required for the blank to strain to a particular thickness, T, is a function of the thickness, T, and strain rate, .epsilon.: EQU t=g.sub.1 (T,.epsilon.)
Since the thickness, T, is a function of the forming progress parameter, h, the equation for time, t, can also be written as EQU t=g.sub.2 (h,.epsilon.)
Solving the foregoing equation for the forming progress parameter, h: EQU h=j(t,.epsilon.)
Substituting the foregoing expression for the forming progress parameter, h, into the latter equation for the forming pressure, P, provides the following equation: EQU P=f.sub.3 (.sigma.,t,.epsilon.)
The forming stress, .sigma., is a function of the strain rate, .epsilon.. The relationship between these two variables is empirically known for most metallic alloys, or can be obtained from a forming test. When the strain rate, .epsilon., is chosen for constant strain rate forming, the stress, .sigma., can thus be determined and is also assumed to be a constant. Thus, as these two variables are assumed to be constants, the equation for forming pressure, P, simplifies to one where the forming pressure, P, can be expressed solely as a function of time, t: EQU P=f.sub.4 (t)
A plot of forming pressure, P, versus time, t, can be generated from this equation, bearing in mind that this is the forming pressure required to maintain the constant value of strain rate, .epsilon., that was initially chosen.
An example of the foregoing type of approach is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,829 by Hamilton et al. As can be seen, the calculations necessary to produce the forming pressure versus time plot are complex and very time consuming, even for the simple geometry of a rectangular pan.
Hamilton et al further disclose apparatus for automatically supplying the forming pressure called for by the pressure versus time plot to the die cavity. Others, using similar methods of mathematical analysis, also have produced pressure versus time plots and then used other means to adjust the forming pressure with time in accordance with their pressure plots.
The problem inherent to the foregoing approaches is that any mathematical model used to obtain a plot of forming pressure versus time is only an approximation because the assumed value for the strain rate used in the model cannot be determined with any degree of certainty. A further critical assumption is that the strain rate remains constant whereas, in fact, it varies during the forming cycle.
The foregoing approaches also assume that the strain rate is the same over the entire surface of the blank, whereas it actually varies from point to point over the blank due to the blank's varying geometry during forming, variations in thickness, and temperature gradients. Another factor contributing to inaccuracy is that the superplasticity for the metallic alloy will vary among blanks composed of the same alloy due to innate variations in the production process.
The problems inherent to using a pressure versus time plot in superplastic forming are best explained by means of the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows the superplastic forming of a deep cup in a deep cylindrical die cavity. A deep cup has a ratio of its depth to its radius that is greater than one. FIG. 2 is a graph of the actual forming pressure as a function of time for the superplastic forming of the deep cup shown in FIG. 1. The strain rate was kept as near as possible to a constant value.
To better understand FIGS. 1 and 2, one must bear in mind that as the blank strains, its radius of curvature decreases and, with the decreased radius, the forming pressure required to maintain a constant strain rate increases; and as the blank strains it thins, and with this thinning the forming pressure required to obtain a constant strain rate decreases. Initially, the blank is flat, thus having an infinite radius. This beginning position is shown in both figures as point 0. As the forming begins, the blank thins and spherically expands to a slight radius, as indicated by point 1. Through point 1 the radius is decreasing at a rate greater than the rate that the thickness is decreasing, and thus the forming pressure required to maintain a constant strain rate is increasing.
Through point 2 the radius continues to decrease at a rate greater than the thickness is decreasing, and so the required forming pressure continues to increase. At point 3 the blank forms a hemisphere. From point 3 to point 4, where the center of the blank first touches the bottom of the die cavity, the radius remains constant. As the thickness of the blank continues to decrease, the required pressure also decreases. The pressure thus reaches a local maximum at point 3, and steadily decreases thereafter until reaching point 4.
After contacting the bottom of the die cavity, the blank begins to form into the corner of the die cavity, with the result that the radius again decreases at a greater rate than the thinning of the thickness. The required pressure thus forms a local minimum at point 4, and thereafter increases as the corner is being formed at point 5. The pressure continues to increase until the corner is formed against the die radius at point 6 and the forming cycle ends.
As previously discussed, the forming pressure is typically regulated according to a pressure versus time plot derived by attempting to achieve a constant strain rate and applying the methodology of the prior art. There are two modes which may lead to excessive strain resulting in rupture of the blank: fast forming and slow forming.
In the former, the blank expands faster than anticipated due to the combined inaccuracies inherent to the methodology of the prior art that have been previously discussed. The blank thus enters the constant radius zone between points 3 and 4 of FIG. 1 before anticipated and thus during the period when, although the required pressure is decreasing, the pressure being applied pursuant to the pressure versus time plot is being increased until the local maximum is reached at point 3 of FIG. 2. The applied pressure thus becomes progressively higher than the pressure necessary to produce the desired constant strain rate, resulting in a strain rate which may exceed the rate that the blank can withstand.
In the extreme case, the blank may have a strain rate so high that it ruptures even before it reaches point 3 of FIG. 1.
If rupture has not occurred by time point 3 is reached on the pressure versus time plot of FIG. 2, the differential between the applied pressure and the pressure necessary to produce the desired constant strain rate will continue to widen, albeit at a lower rate, because the higher than anticipated strain rate will cause thinning to occur at a greater rate than would normally be the case, thus further reducing the required pressure and concomitantly increasing the strain rate. Rupture may occur at any time until the blank touches the bottom of the cavity and the required pressure begins to increase.
The slow forming mode occurs when the blank forms slower than anticipated. The local maximum for the applied forming pressure occurring at point 3 of FIG. 2 thus occurs before the blank actually reaches point 3 in FIG. 1. The pressure is thus decreased early, before the blank enters the constant radius zone between points 3 and 4 of FIG. 1. The result is that the forming lags even further behind the positions anticipated by the pressure versus time plot of FIG. 2.
The problem occurs when the pressure versus time plot reaches point 4 and the pressure is rapidly increased. At that time, the blank will probably lie between points 2 and 3 or between points 3 and 4 of FIG. 1. In the former case, the increased pressure will cause the blank to more rapidly strain and quickly enter the zone between points 3 and 4. Regardless of whether the blank subsequently strains into the foregoing zone or is already there by the time point 4 is reached on the pressure versus time plot of FIG. 2, the increasing forming pressure results in a drastically increased strain rate in this zone. The differential between the applied pressure and the pressure required to maintain the desired constant strain rate increases, and with it the strain rate, until either rupture occurs or the blank touches the bottom of the die cavity and the required pressure begins to increase.
A further drawback inherent to the use of a pressure versus time plot is that if the forming must be stopped for any reason, such as a malfunction of equipment, it is not possible to determine how much further forming will have progressed while the pressure was held constant, or even reduced, during the interruption. Continuing the forming cycle after an interruption thus increases the risk of rupture.
Efforts have been made to monitor the deformation of the blank so that the pressure can be adjusted to take into account deviation of the actual position of the forming blank from the predicted position, and avoid rupture due to this problem. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,579 Daime et al show a hollow tube slideably projecting into the die cavity and having one end in contact with the blank in order to measure the distortion of the blank. Electrical monitoring devices are situated at each recess angle of the die cavity to inform of the arrival of the blank. Further, Japanese Patent No. 1-210130 issued to Hisada shows a touch sensor slideably projecting into the die cavity. The sensor comes into contact at only one point on the blank, and thus would not be able to indicate how the blank is forming in corners or other recesses in the die cavity.
Both of the foregoing approaches require breaching the die cavity, and thus add mechanical complexity and expense to the forming die. Furthermore, both require having a sensor in contact with the forming blank. This will result in the area of the blank in contact with the sensor being prevented from forming normally, thus affecting the strain rate and causing a discontinuity in material thickness in the formed object between the area that was in contact with the sensor and the adjacent area.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,265 Mahoney et al use a video camera to view reference marks on the blank and thereby monitor its strain. The device described therein thus requires a special forming die having a window to allow observation of the forming blank. Such a special forming die would clearly be more expensive to fabricate than a conventional forming die. A further drawback is that the blank must be continually observed by the operator during the forming process, and therefore the use of the described apparatus does not lend itself to automation.
Computer programs have been created to predict the progress of the superplastic forming of a blank. However, the accuracy of these programs is no better than the accuracy of the input data of the original thickness of the blank and the slippage of the blank after it comes into contact with the surface of the die cavity. Further error is introduced by the failure of these programs to compensate for the effect on strain rate and thickness caused by variations in the temperature from point to point over the blank, in addition to changes in the temperature that inevitably occur with time throughout the forming cycle.
Another approach to controlling superplastic forming is shown by Yasui in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 636,791, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,248. Yasui is also the inventor of the present invention. The foregoing application is assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The aforementioned application shows controlling the rate of forming by measuring and regulating the flow rate of gas mass into the forming die. The apparatus and method shown therein present an advance over controlling forming by regulating pressure according to a plot of pressure versus time because they do not rely on the assumption that an empirically determined strain rate remains constant during the forming process and over the entire forming blank. The possibility of rupture inherent to the use of the pressure versus time plot is thus avoided for the reasons previously discussed herein.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,008 Yasui et al show an apparatus for controlling the superplastic forming of a blank by continuously monitoring the height of liquid in a manometer fluidly communicating with the gas being displaced and exhausted from a forming die cavity during forming, and by regulating the forming pressure responsive to the height of the liquid in the manometer. Yasui is also the inventor of the present invention, and the foregoing patent is assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
Before forming is begun, the use of the aforementioned device requires an empirical or mathematical analysis to determine the relationship between the forming pressure and the location of the blank as it is forming. The relationship between the location of the blank and the displaced volume of the exhaust gas is then determined. The displaced volume is then converted into exhaust pressure, and the exhaust pressure is converted into the height of liquid in a manometer fluidly communicating with the exhaust gas. The foregoing relationships are used to derive the relationship between forming pressure and the height of liquid in the manometer, which is the relationship used to guide the forming process. The foregoing analyses are complex even for formed objects having the simplest of shapes.

Using exhaust gas mass flow rate to control superplastic forming


The present invention provides a method for recycling a process cartridge removably mountable to an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: (a) dividing a process cartridge into a first frame including an image bearing member, and a second frame including a developing means and a developer containing means for containing developer used by the developing means and having an opening through which the developer is supplied to the developing means; (b) thereafter, removing the developing means from the second frame; (c) thereafter, replenishing developer to the developer containing means through the opening; (d) thereafter, removably attaching a seal for closing the opening to the opening; and (e) thereafter, locking the first and second frames to each other, thereby assembling the process cartridge.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for recycling a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus may be, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, a word processor, a facsimile machine and the like.
2. Related Background Art
In image forming apparatuses such as printers, a latent image is formed on a uniformly charged image bearing member by selective exposure, the latent image is then visualized as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium, thereby forming an image on the recording medium. In such image forming apparatuses, the maintenance for various parts must be repeated periodically.
In consideration of the above, various process cartridges wherein an image bearing member, a charger, a developing device, a cleaning device and the like are integrally housed in a frame as a cartridge unit which can removably be mounted to an image forming apparatus so that the process cartridge can be exchanged when toner is used up or when a service life of any part (for example, image bearing member) is expired, thereby facilitating the maintenance have been proposed and put to practical use (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,985,436; 4,500,195; 4,540,268 and 4,627,701).
In this way, only by changing the cartridge without periodical maintenance, maintenance can be omitted and toner can be replenished, thereby facilitating the handling of the copying machines, printers and the like.
On the other hand, recently, the destruction of the natural environment and the increase of dust and garbage have arisen as social problems. Thus, it is desirable to utilize resources effectively.

Recycle method for process cartridge and image forming apparatus


A series of velocity encoded MR image frames are acquired. To increase the temporal resolution of the acquired image frames radial projections are acquired and each image frame is highly undersampled. The radial projections for each velocity encoding direction are interleaved throughout the scan and a composite phase image is reconstructed from these and used to reconstruct a velocity image for each image frame in a highly constrained backprojection method.

The field of the invention is magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI") methods and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to the acquisition and reconstruction of MR images with pulse sequences that employ gradients indicative of motion.
When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it in random order at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, Mz, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment Mt. A signal is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal B1 is terminated, this signal may be received and processed to form an image.
When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (Gx Gy and Gz) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received NMR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well known reconstruction techniques.
The prevailing methods used to acquire NMR signals and reconstruct images use a variant of the well known Fourier transform (FT) imaging technique. This technique is discussed in an article entitled "Spin-Warp NMR Imaging and Applications to Human Whole-Body Imaging" by W. A. Edelstein et al., Physics in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 25, pp. 751-756 (1980). It employs a variable amplitude phase encoding magnetic field gradient pulse prior to the acquisition of NMR spin-echo signals to phase encode spatial information in the direction of this gradient. In a two-dimensional implementation (2DFT), for example, spatial information is encoded in one direction by applying a phase encoding gradient (Gy) along that direction, and then a spin-echo signal is acquired in the presence of a readout magnetic field gradient (Gx) in a direction orthogonal to the phase encoding direction. The readout gradient present during the spin-echo acquisition encodes spatial information in the orthogonal direction. In a typical 2DFT pulse sequence, the magnitude of the phase encoding gradient pulse Gy is incremented (ΔGy) in the sequence of views that are acquired during the scan to produce a set of NMR data from which an entire image can be reconstructed. With this method Fourier space, or "k-space", is sampled along Cartesian coordinates in a scanning pattern such as that shown in FIG. 2A.
To increase the rate at which an image is acquired, image quality may be sacrificed by acquiring fewer phase encoding views, or by using faster pulse sequences that inherently result in lower quality images. With the Fourier transform methods, therefore, there is a trade-off between the number of views that are acquired to achieve the desired image resolution and quality, and the rate at which NMR data for a complete image may be acquired.
MR methods have been developed that encode spin motion into the phase of the acquired signal as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,701. These form a class of techniques known as phase contrast (PC) methods. Currently, most PC techniques acquire two images, with each image having a different sensitivity to the same velocity component. Images may then be produced by forming either the phase difference or complex difference between the pair of velocity-encoded images. This motion encoding method is used to image flowing blood in what is commonly referred to as phase contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PCMRA).
Phase contrast techniques have also been used to image flow and provide quantitative measurement of blood flow. In flow imaging the motion encoding gradients used during the scan are sensitive to velocity components in two or three orthogonal directions. From the resulting velocity component images, total quantitative flow images can be produced. However, the scan becomes unduly long when four to six fully sampled images must be acquired using different motion encoding gradients.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,922 the acquisition of velocity encoded MR data can be shortened by sampling k-space with a series of interleaved projection views. Projection views sample k-space along radial trajectories and it was discovered that far fewer projection views are required to produce a quality image than with phase encoded views that sample k-space along Cartesian coordinates. Such a radial sampling pattern is shown in FIG. 2B.
There are two methods used to reconstruct images from an acquired set of projection views as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,686. In MRI the most common method is to regrid the k-space samples from their locations on the radial sampling trajectories to a Cartesian grid. The image is then reconstructed by performing a 2D or 3D Fourier transformation of the regridded k-space samples. The second method for reconstructing an MR image is to transform the radial k-space projection views to Radon space by first Fourier transforming each projection view. An image is reconstructed from these signal projections by filtering and backprojecting them into the field of view (FOV). As is well known in the art, if the acquired signal projections are insufficient in number to satisfy the Nyquist sampling theorem, streak artifacts are produced in the reconstructed image.
The standard backprojection method used in MRI is shown in FIG. 3. Each acquired signal projection profile 110 is Fourier transformed and then backprojected onto the field of view 12 by projecting each signal sample 14 in the transformed profile 10 through the FOV 12 along the projection path as indicted by arrows 16. In projecting each signal sample 16 in the FOV 12 we have no a priori knowledge of the subject being imaged and the assumption is made that the NMR signals in the FOV 12 are homogeneous and that the signal sample 14 should be distributed equally in each pixel through which the projection path passes. For example, a projection path 8 is illustrated in FIG. 3 for a single signal sample 14 in one transformed signal projection profile 10 as it passes through N pixels in the FOV 12. The signal value (P) of this signal sample 14 is divided up equally between these N pixels:Sn=(P×1)/N  (1)
where: Sn is the signal value distributed to the nth pixel in a projection path 8 having N pixels.
Clearly, the assumption that the backprojected signal in the FOV 12 is homogeneous is not correct. However, as is well known in the art, if certain corrections are made to each signal profile 10 and a sufficient number of profiles are acquired at a corresponding number of projection view angles, the errors caused by this faulty assumption are minimized and image artifacts are suppressed. In a typical, filtered backprojection method of image reconstruction, 400 projections are required for a 256×256 pixel 2D image and 103,000 projections are required for a 256×256×256 voxel 3D image.

Highly constrained reconstruction of motion encoded MR images


A computer system that is configured to conduct communications between a client process and a server process is disclosed. To conduct such communications, an inter-process communication thread is initiated that is separate from a main client inter-process communication thread and operates to establish a connection with a server. A client communication port is created during the establishment of the connection with the server. One or more non-blocking asynchronous communications are transmitted to a server communication port. Responses to the one or more non-blocking asynchronous communications are awaited for receipt by the client communication port.

Computer systems are systems that manipulate data according to a list of instructions called a program. A program contains instructions that are understandable and executable by a computer's main processor. An operating system is a type of computer program that controls applications that can be run on the computer. Computer programs can include sub-system components that drive various processes when they are executed. The various processes that can be associated with one or more computer program sub-systems can communicate through a protocol called inter-process communication (IPC).
IPC can be used to facilitate the coordination of activities among different program processes that run concurrently in an operating system. An advantage of coordinating the activities of different program processes is that it enables a program to handle many user requests at the same time. Since even a single user request can result in multiple processes running in the operating system on the user's behalf, each of the processes should be provided with the capacity to communicate with the others. IPC interfaces make this possible. A type of IPC is called local procedure call (LPC).
LPC is a protocol that one computer program can use to request a service from a computer program located in the same computer. LPC uses the client/server model. The service requesting program is called the client and the service-providing program is called the server. LPC is a synchronous operation that requires that operations of the requesting program to be suspended until the results of the local procedure are returned. However, the use of lightweight processes or threads that share the same address space allows multiple LPCs to be performed concurrently.
LPC can be implemented using kernel "port" objects. As a part of the process, a server process first creates a port object with a well known name and then waits for client processes to connect. A client process can connect by "opening" the port object and sending a connect message. If the server accepts the connection a new unnamed port object is created for the connection. Port objects are securable kernel objects that allow a process to identify a process on the other side of the connection.
LPC is the fastest IPC that is used on the WINDOWS™ platform. Unfortunately, LPC does not possess request or connection timeout support, which can cause client processes to "hang" (be suspended) while waiting for server replies (there currently is not a mechanism for aborting a client call to the server). To overcome this limitation, conventional products perform client side LPC communication from a separate thread.
FIG. 1 illustrates the operation of LPC. It should be appreciated that client subsystem 101 and server subsystem 105 that are shown in FIG. 1 represent respective processes that execute on a computer. As shown in FIG. 1, initially, a client subsystem 101 spawns a separate thread 103a as shown at 103, for the purpose of communicating with server subsystem 105 via server side port object 109a that has been previously created (e.g., 109). The separate thread 103a is maintained during client-server communications. After a connection between the client subsystem and the server subsystem has been established in a manner such as is discussed above, at 115-117, the separate thread 103a can perform synchronous calls (see 119-125) to server subsystem 105 via server side port object 109a. LPC seeks to isolate possible delays from the main client process through the use of separate thread 103a.
It should be appreciated that although this approach achieves better stability than regular LPC, it introduces extra memory and speed costs that are associated with maintaining the additional thread on the client side. Another approach is to tolerate the lack of client side LPC timeout support and address resultant crashing or hanging as it occurs. This approach is dependent on an unsatisfactory manual response to the problem. Still other approaches to addressing the lack of client timeout support require undesirable infrastructural changes at the operating system level and consequential core changes on both client subsystem and server subsystem sides at the application level.

Conducting client-server inter-process communication


A method for preparing the tinted contact lens with the covalently bonded novel reactive tinting compound is disclosed. The reactive tinting compound with mono vinyl functionality is prepared by reacting the reactive dye with a hydrophilic monomer containing both pendent hydroxyl and vinyl groups under an alkaline condition. The water soluble reactive dyes containing either difluoro-chloropyrimidine or β-sulphatoethylsulphone reactive groups are used for synthesis of the reactive tinting dye. The lens forming materials are photo-polymerized in the presence of the reactive tinting compound to prepare a tinted contact lens. The reactive tinting compound is copolymerized with the lens forming monomers in a single photo-polymerization step that requires no subsequently alkaline soaking or developing step as used in the prior art. In addition, the covalently bonded dye is stable and durable in the lens and does not fade or leach out after multiple high-pressure thermal sterilizations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a reactive tinting compound and the use of such a compound to manufacture the tinted soft contact lenses. More particularly, the invention relates to a tinted hydrophilic soft contact lens containing covalently bonded dye that does not leach out and fade after multiple autoclave sterilization.
2. The Prior Arts
Many different processes have been disclosed to produce tinted or color ophthalmic lenses, such as contact lenses, for various functional purposes. For example, the tinted lens not only can serve the purpose of changing the apparent color or the iris of the wearer but also offer the lenses to be easily located in the clear solution within the lens storage, disinfecting, or cleaning container.
Usually, the tinting dye can be imparted to the lens either before or after the lens forming materials are polymerized. A conventional method to impart color to the contact lens is to dissolve or disperse the inorganic pigment or the long chain organic dye in the monomer precursor or in the polymer matrix before the lens is formed. The inorganic pigment or the long chain organic dye is entrapped in the lens to give the desirable color. However, this method is inadequate for coloring the hydrophilic soft contact lens because the great water content in the lens usually induces a migration or leaching of the colorant. This undesirable migration or leaching can be accelerated during the high-pressure heat sterilization treatment as commonly applied with the hydrophilic soft lens.
The use of a water insoluble dye in the soft lens to alleviate the aforementioned shortage is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,421. The tinted lens is prepared by heat curing hydrophilic lens forming monomers with the presence of the water insoluble phthalocyanine dye such as the copper phthalocyanine. The phthalocyanine dye is entrapped in the finished lens and believed to be stable at a maximal hydration content of 35.7%. Unfortunately, this water insoluble phthalocyanine dye still can leach out of the lens with the use of the hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as the hydrophilic comonomer and with a water content of 40%. Moreover, the leaching problem may worsen with greater water content.
The use of copper phthalocyanine pigment (Color Index Pigment Blue 15) to prepare a tinted contact lens is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,842. The copper phthalocyanine pigment is firstly dispersed in an aqueous solution containing the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a dispersing agent, and then mixed with the crosslinkable PVA precursor and subsequently photopolymerized in the mold to form the lens. No detail in performance of this dye in the as-formed lens is disclosed. As described previously, the leaching occurred at large water content is a potential problem.
A similar concept is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,467 in which a vat dye (for example, C. I. Vat Blue 6) is converted to a leuco compound and dissolved in the hydrophilic N,N-dimethyl acrylamide monomer to prepare a tinted monomer solution. Then this solution is polymerized with other constituents under heat to form the lens and subsequently boiled to convert the solubilized leuco compound into an insoluble vat dye. Although the vat dye is not covalently bonded with the lens forming materials, it is reported to have a great stability and does not fade after 200 hours in the boiling water. However, the fixed vat dye may again be converted to the soluble leuco compound under a suitable alkaline condition and be unevenly reacted under an acid environment.
The other method for imparting color to a contact lens is to coat the finished lens by printing or transfer printing method. Basically, this method usually applies coloring ink containing solvent-based colorant to the lens with a silicone rubber pad. The transferring method is questionable because it could not give an unblemished, solid covering of colorant on the dry lens surface. Many attempts have been suggested to solve this problem. Some propose to use multiple transfer printing steps to coat mottled color dots onto the lens surface. Some apply pigment/monomer suspension to the mold that is stamped or printed with specific geometries and spacing, and then form the tined lens with the conventional spin casting technique as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,805. Despite the ease of the blemish defect, all these modified methods suffer the potential risk of colorant migration during autoclave sterilization because of using the non-covalently bonded dyes. As a result, the reactive tinting dye that can be copolymerized with lens materials is preferred to prevent leaching of the dye from the lenses during various service environments.
A reactive dye used for preparing the transfer printing ink to remedy the previous migration shortage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,245. The patent proposes using a reactive dye, e.g., Ramazol Black B, together with the polyvinylpyrolidone binder and a non-ionic surfactant to prepare the ink and then transfer printing it onto the hydrophilic contact lens to form the tinted lens with the desired pattern. The reactive dye is supposed to be covalently bonded with the lens materials after subsequent immersion in the basic solution. Yet no performance detail of the tined lens is disclosed. In addition, the method is tedious and has the shortage similar to that present in the soaking-to-fix techniques.
Many patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,559,059, 4,468,229, 4,157,892, 4,891,046, 4,553,975, 4,929,250, 5,292,350, and 5,480,927 propose the lens tinting method by soaking the formed lens together with the reactive dye in the alkaline solution to chemically bond the dyes with the lens materials. The reactive tinting dye can either be premixed with the monomer mixtures before the polymerization step or be added to the basic solution after the lens is polymerized. Regardless of different reactive dyes and procedures proposed in these patents, they are usually time-consuming and require multiple steps, such as neutralization, extraction, and rinsing steps to tint the lens. Additionally, the processing variables should be carefully controlled to prevent uneven dispersion and colorization.
A more promising method to add the desirable color to the lens is to covalently bond the monomer or prepolymer with the reactive dye first and then introduce this functionalized precursor to the mold and cure. This technique will greatly alleviate the processing problems described in soaking-to-fix methods. A few of patents, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,421, 5,944,853, 5,938,795, 5,871,675, 6,149,692, 4,795,794, and 6,162,844, use the aforementioned technique to chemically fix the dye with the lens forming materials before the polymerization step. The differences among these patents are mainly on types of reactive dye and precursor reacted. Although advantages are obtained in these patents, some patents still have problems such as the low yield and tedious purification step. For example, a vinyl-sulfone type reactive dye (C. I. Reactive Black 5) that reacted with the hydroxyethyl methacrylate to prepare the dye-monomer compound with no activating step used is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,853 but a very low yield is obtained. This dye-monomer compound is not used to prepare the soft contact lens as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,795 from the same inventors of U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,853.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,692 issued to Lally et al. discloses a method of contacting a functionalized dye with a high molecular weight crosslinkable polymer precursor, dispensing the solution into a mold and applying radiation, thereby forming a molded article having dye covalently boned to the polymer backbone. The dye essentially copolymerizes with the polymeric precursor. The polymer precursor (such as PVA) used in Lally et al. has an average molecular weight of at least about 2000. The PVA oligomer used by Lally et al. does not have reactive vinyl groups in the beginning. Therefore, a so-called polymer precursor functionalizer is prepared first and then the functionalizer is reacted with the PVA oligomer to introduce the crosslinkable vinyl group to the PVA molecules. The crosslinkable polymer precursor is then purified and subsequently reacted with the activated dye. There are multiple procedures involved in preparing the crosslinkable PVA-DYE compounds.
In summary, the previous patents disclosed for the production of tinted contact lenses usually suffer one or more undesired nature such as long processing time, low degree of conversion, leaching of weakly bonded dye, fading, inconsistent shade of the tinted lens, and tedious reacting or purification process. Henceforth, there exists a need for preparing the tinted contact lens with a great color fastness but without aforementioned shortages.

Method for preparing the reactive tinting compound and the tinted contact lens


Disclosed herein is a method of graphically presenting an indicating marker over a 3-D model of a tissue surface during a catheterization procedure, comprising determining a region over the 3-D model, deforming the indicating marker to congruently match a shape defined by the 3-D model across the region at a plurality of positions; and rendering the 3-D model into an image including the deformed indicating marker by generating an image of the 3-D model covered by said deformed indicating marker.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to systems and/or methods for assisting a surgeon in catheterization procedures, more particularly, but not exclusively, to such system and/or methods that make use of dynamic visual representations.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/074011 discloses "A method of displaying at least one point-of-interest of a body during an intra-body medical procedure. The method is effected by (a) establishing a location of the body; (b) establishing a location of an imaging instrument being for imaging at least a portion of the body; (c) defining at least one projection plane being in relation to a projection plane of the imaging instrument; (d) acquiring at least one point-of-interest of the body; and (e) projecting said at least one point-of-interest on said at least one projection plane; such that, in course of the procedure, the locations of the body and the imaging instrument are known, thereby the at least one point-of-interest is projectable on the at least one projection plane even in cases whereby a relative location of the body and the imaging instrument are changed."


In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor, a power supply unit for supplying electrical energy to information handling resources of the information handling system, a battery backup unit for supplying electrical energy to the information handling resources responsive to a power event associated with the power supply unit, and a non-transitory computer-readable readable medium having embodied thereon a program of instructions configured to, when executed, in response to the power event, gracefully terminate one or more applications executing on the processor in accordance with a desired priority ranking.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system may include one or more power supply units for providing electrical energy to components of the information handling system. Typically, a power supply unit is configured to operate from an input alternating current (AC) source of electrical energy, which the power supply unit converts to a direct current (DC) output. Thus, typically a power supply unit may include a rectifier and/or power factor correction stage to receive the input AC source and rectify the input AC waveform to charge a bulk capacitor to a desired voltage. A direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) stage may convert the voltage on the bulk capacitor to a DC output voltage which may be used to power components of the information handling system.
Some information handling systems also utilize one or more battery backup units. A battery backup unit may be configured to, in response to a power event (e.g., an alternating current source loss to a power supply unit or other fault or failure of such a power supply unit), supply energy stored in a battery or other energy storage device (e.g., a capacitor) to components of the information handling system. Accordingly, in information handling systems equipped with battery backup units, power may be retained for a small amount of time after the power event. However, the energy available from the battery backup unit may not be sufficient to allow for graceful shutdown of all applications executing on the information handling system, which may lead to catastrophic outcomes.

Systems and methods for graceful termination of applications in response to power event


An electronically stored financial document is either maintained in a first storage system when a parameter associated with the document is greater than a pre-selected parameter or in a second storage system when the parameter associated with the document is less than or equal to the pre-selected parameter. A request for a stored financial document is received and the requested financial document parameter is compared to the pre-selected financial document parameter to determine if the electronically stored financial document's parameter is more than, less than, or equal to the pre-selected parameter. In processing the request, a processing unit electronically accesses one of the storage systems in response to the comparison of the pre-selected parameter to the electronically stored financial document's parameters. After accessing the appropriate storage system, the requested electronically stored financial document can be reproduced, and/or distributed.

1) Technical Field
The subject invention relates to a method for a financial institution to obtain electronically-stored financial documents from an off-site storage system remotely-located from an on-site storage system.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Methods for obtaining electronically-stored financial documents are generally known in the art. Financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, utilize such methods to rapidly and efficiently obtain financial documents for distribution to clients upon request. Such financial documents include paid checks, account statements, and other related documents. These financial documents are typically stored on microfiche, microfilm, digitally, or by some other electronic storage means. Further, these financial documents are typically electronically-stored in an on-site storage system located at the financial institution or in an off-site storage system. Electronic storage of these financial documents permits financial institutions to eliminate storage of paper or "hard" copies of these documents. The electronic storage of these documents also provides a means of retrieving the information from the on-site and off-site storage systems.
Once the document is stored, the client may request an image of a particular stored document. Client requests are made to replace lost or stolen documents, for tax purposes, for proof of financial transactions, for legal disputes, and other similar matters. The client's request is inputted into a computer terminal at the financial institution. More specifically, conventional methods for obtaining an electronically-stored financial document enable an employee of the financial institution, such as a bank teller, to input the request into an interface incorporated into the computer terminal. The interface is inter-linked with the on-site storage system. Typically, all requests for a particular period are grouped together and subsequently downloaded for retrieval of the requested image by the financial institution. The financial institution retrieves the image, e.g. a photocopy of the check, and then distributes the photocopy to the client via facsimile, mail or hand delivery. The storing, downloading, and retrieving of the financial document, including the reproduction and the distribution of the document, are known in the industry as back office production. Back office production for financial institutions is particularly resource intensive, time consuming, and expensive. Also, back office production becomes increasingly expensive if the client requests a particularly old financial document because older financial documents frequently require more resources and time to locate and retrieve.
The majority of financial institutions electronically store financial documents only in an on-site storage system and not in an off-site storage system. Consequently, these financial institutions are unable to outsource the responsibilities for the back office production to third party entities to alleviate the expenses and resources associated with the back office production. These financial institutions realize a significant financial burden since the back office production is concentrated strictly at the financial institution.
Other financial institutions do electronically store financial documents in on-site and off-site storage systems. However, the methods utilized by these financial institutions to access the financial documents stored in the off-site storage system are deficient in that the interface utilized in such methods is only inter-linked with the on-site storage system. That is, there is no interface independently inter-linked with the off-site storage system. As a result, the financial documents stored in the off-site storage system can not be efficiently accessed. These financial institutions are still responsible for retrieving the requested financial documents through their back office production and their expenses remain high. One such method of retrieving documents from on-site and off-sited storage systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,610 to Copeland, III et al.
Due to the inefficiencies identified in the conventional methods used by financial institutions to obtain financial documents, it is desirable to implement a method for a financial institution to obtain electronically-stored financial documents from both on-site and off-site storage systems that reduces, if not eliminates, the back office production of the financial institution by providing a direct interface inter-linked with the off-site storage system. With such an interface, the responsibility for retrieving financial documents from the off-site storage can be outsourced to third party entities while still providing the financial institution with efficient access to any financial documents electronically-stored in the off-site storage system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of obtaining an electronically-stored financial document


A super-wide zoom lens system having sufficient zoom ratio and a high speed, capable of obtaining high optical performance. The system includes at least, in order from an object, a first lens group G1 having negative refractive power, and a second lens group G2 having positive refractive power. When zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, a distance between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 varies. The first lens group G1 includes at least one negative lens element and a glass material constructing at least one negative lens element (SL1) in the first group G1 satisfies given conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens system and in particular to a zoom lens system suitable for a single-lens-reflex camera having an angle of view of 75 degrees or more in a wide-angle end state and a zoom ratio of 3 or more.
2. Related Background Art
A zoom lens system having a negative lens group locating at the most object side (a so-called negative-lead type zoom lens) is easy to be made a wide-angle lens and has been made various proposals. On the other hand, the negative-lead type zoom lens has a drawback that it is difficult to satisfy both of a high zoom ratio and a high speed. Accordingly, high-speed zoom lenses overcoming the drawback have been proposed such as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-241704 and 2000-221399.
However, the zoom lenses proposed by the patent documents do not satisfy both of a wide angle of view in the wide-angle end state and a high zoom ratio.


A driver assistance system of a vehicle where the driver assistance system is able to control the vehicle at least partially automatically, a method alerts the driver to retake control of the vehicle from the driver assistance system based on the distance between the current location of the vehicle and an end of the autopilot capable route section. An end of an autopilot route section in a route planned for the vehicle is determined and distance information is determined between a current position of the vehicle and the end of the autopilot route section. The distance information is compared to a first and a second threshold value, and a first or a second indication is output as a function thereof.

Vehicles, in particular passenger cars or cargo trucks for road traffic, are increasingly equipped with driver assistance systems that allow for the vehicle to be driven in road traffic partially or even fully automatically. Under certain conditions, such driver assistance systems are able to control both the lateral guidance as well as the longitudinal guidance of the vehicle autonomously. If an automatic guidance of the vehicle is possible with the aid of the driver assistance system, a driver of the vehicle does not have to monitor this automatic guidance permanently, but is able to hand over the guidance of the vehicle to a so-called autopilot function of the driver assistance system at a desired point in time and later take back the responsibility for driving. When the guidance of the vehicle is taken over by the autopilot function, the driver is able to devote himself at least partially to other activities. When the autopilot function recognizes that a route section is coming up along which the autopilot function is not able to control the vehicle automatically, or when the autopilot function recognizes a driving situation or situation in the surroundings, in which the autopilot function is not able to guide the vehicle automatically, the driver assistance system asks the driver to take over the guidance of the vehicle.
In this context, German Patent Application Publication No. DE 19 743 024 describes a motor vehicle having the means for temporary autonomous vehicle guidance and for the communication of a vehicle user with at least one electronic communication system. An operating device is provided by which it is possible to activate the communication means for the purpose of carrying out a communication process and to activate the vehicle guidance means for the purpose of autonomous vehicle guidance. When recognizing that a manual vehicle guidance is becoming necessary, the activated vehicle guidance means communicates takeover information to the communication means, which indicates this takeover information on a display device.
German Patent Application Publication No. DE 10 2007 039 375 relates to a motor vehicle comprising a longitudinally guiding driver assistance system having a stop-and-go function with a detection device for detecting information concerning a preceding vehicle. Using the driver assistance system, it is possible to brake the motor vehicle automatically to a standstill as a function of the information ascertained by the detection device, and to start up the motor vehicle again automatically as a function of an activation signal provided by the driver via an input device when a renewed startup of the preceding vehicle is detected.

Method for driver assistance system of a vehicle


The present invention provides methods and compositions for expanding Treg cells ex vivo or in vivo using one or more conjugates comprising a costimulatory moiety that stimulates at least one of three signals involved in Treg cell development and/or using dendritic cells pulsed with antigens and modified to display TGF-β, or hematopoetic stem cells or bone marrow cells modified to display TGF-β. The methods and compositions are useful, for example, in the treatment and prevention of autoimmune disease, including Type 1 diabetes and in preventing foreign graft rejection, as well as to establish mixed chimerism, induce tolerance to autoantigens, alloantigens or xenoantigens, beta cell regeneration, prevention of foreign graft rejection, and treatment of a genetically inherited hematopoietic disorder.

T regulatory (Treg) cells constitute 5-10% of CD4+ T cells in humans and rodents and constitutively express CD25, CD28, CTLA-4, GITR, CD62L, and 4-1BB, as well as the transcription factor FoxP3, which is involved in their development and function. IL-2 also appears to play an important role in Treg cell development and homeostatsis because animals deficient for IL-2 or components of its receptor develop T cell hyperproliferation and autoimmune diseases that can be corrected by adoptive transfer of Treg cells from naive animals. Similarly, a lack of signaling through CD28/CD80 interaction is associated with reduced number and functionality of Treg cells, suggesting that this receptor/ligand system plays an important role in the development and function of Treg cells.
Naturally arising CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells are a distinct cell population of cells that are positively selected on high affinity ligands in the thymus and that have been shown to play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of immunological tolerance to self antigens. Deficiencies in the development and/or function of these cells have been associated with severe autoimmunity in humans and various animal models of congenital or induced autoimmunity.
Treg cells manifest their tolerogenic effects directly via cell-to-cell contact or indirectly via soluble factors. Although the suppressive mechanisms of these cells remain to be fully elucidated, blockade of IL-2 expression in effector T cells (Teff), physical elimination of Teff cells, induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) via CTLA-4/B7 axis, and inhibition of Teff cells via TGF-β and IL-10 are some of the mechanisms that have been implicated to date. It also has been shown that reverse signaling through CTLA-4/CD80 into Teff cells plays an important role in their inhibition by Treg cells. Similarly, interactions between CTLA-4 on Treg cells and CD80 on DCs can result in reverse signaling and upregulation of the indoleamine dioxygenase enzyme that is involved in tolerance via the regulation of tryptophan metabolism.
In addition to their natural role in establishing and maintaining tolerance to self-antigens, Treg cells also have been shown to play a role in peripheral tolerance to foreign antigens induced by various immunomodulatory approaches. For example, it appears that Treg cells are the common denominator of mechanisms involved in peripheral tolerance to transplantation antigens, irrespective of the immunomodulatory approach used to achieve tolerance. Treg cells also have been implicated in immune evasion mechanisms by tumors and various pathogens.
The importance of Treg cells in establishing and maintaining tolerance to self-antigens and induced tolerance to foreign antigens has generated significant interest in methods for expanding Treg cells ex vivo for therapeutic purposes. See, e.g., Tang et al., 2004, J. Exp. Med. 199: 1455-65; Battaglia et al., 2005, Blood 105: 4743-48; Earle et al., 2005, Clin. Immunol. 115: 3-9; Godfrey et al., 2004, Blood 104: 453-61; Hoffmann et al., 2004, Blood 104: 895-903. Inasmuch as Treg cell development occurs via signaling through T cell receptors (TCR), CD28, and IL-2, methods of expanding Treg cells have focused on providing these three signals. See, e.g., Tang et al., supra; Godfrey et al., supra; Hoffmann et al., supra. For example, Tang et al., supra, reported that Treg cells could be expanded from nonobese diabetic (NOD) animals using stimulation with beads conjugated to anti-CD3 and CD28 antibodies in the presence of high doses of IL-2 (2000 IU/ml). Adoptive transfer of expanded TCR transgenic Treg cells specific for an auto-antigen prevented diabetes in an adoptive transfer model and reversed diabetes in newly diabetic NOD mice. A limited number of other expansion protocols based on this protocol have recently been developed with some success in expanding Treg cells from rodents and humans. See, e.g, Earle et al, supra; Godfrey et al., supra. For example, Godfrey et al. reported expansion of human Treg cells using a FcγRII (CD32) expressing cell line as an alternative to beads for fixing antibodies against CD3 and CD28 on the cell surface via Fc receptors. Almost all reported ex vivo expansion protocols are based on similar schemes and require the use of high doses of IL-2 to be effective.
Despite these advances, there remains a need for methods and compositions useful for expanding Treg cells ex vivo. There is a particular need for methods that do not require the use of a solid support. There also is a particular need for methods that do not require high doses of IL-2 for efficacy. There also is a need for methods and compositions useful for expanding Treg cells in vivo.
Type 1 diabetes remains a major cause of long-term morbidity and mortality in over one percent of population worldwide. Although insulin treatment and islet transplantation are currently the most effective therapeutic regimens, both of these approaches suffer from major limitations. Thus, there remains a need for methods of inducing islet-specific auto- , allo-, and xeno-tolerance for efficient and permanent treatment of Type 1 diabetes.
As discussed above, Treg cells play an important role in the control of self-reactive responses and in the establishment and maintenance of tolerance to foreign antigens. Treg cells, therefore, present an important therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of various autoinunune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, rejection of solid organs, tissues, stem cells, bone marrow cells, hematopoietic stem cells, and graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). There remains a need for methods for the controlled and deliberate expansion of Treg cells in vivo for the treatment of these conditions.

Methods and compositions for expanding T regulatory cells

University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.


A thin deck water property sensor includes a base, an upper lid, a positive and negative probe, an electric connection element, a processing unit and a display unit. The base and the upper lid are coupled together to form a flat deck. The upper lid has a recess to hold sample water to be tested. The positive and negative probe is extended into the recess in contact with the sample water. The electric connection element has one end connecting to the processing unit and another end coupling with a conductive elastic member. The conductive elastic member is connected to the positive and negative probe. The processing unit receives charged signals of the sample water to generate a test result which is displayed on the display unit.

With the living standard of people increased people have a greater awareness of health improvement. Drinking water is one of the important factors that affects the health of people. U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,947, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, discloses an apparatus to detect water property. It includes a seat 1, a cup body 2, a measuring body 3 and a display 4. The seat 1 has a handle 5 extending upwards. The handle 5 has a latch portion 6 on the top end. The cup body 2 is rested on the seat 1 with the edge of the cup body 2 latched by the latch portion 6. The cup body 2 contains a liquid and has at least one probe 7 on the inner wall in contact with the liquid. The measuring body 3 is located in the handle 5 to be electrically connected to the probe 7 to measure the resistance parameters of the liquid. The display 4 is located on the top side of the handle 5 and connected to the measuring body 3 to display the measured results. Thereby the property of the liquid contained in the cup body 2 such as concentration, pH value and parameters of sweetness and saltiness can be tested and detected.
While the conventional technique mentioned above can detect water property, the cup body 2 and the measuring body 3 are different elements and separated. They have to be coupled together when in use. If one of them is lost, it becomes useless. Moreover, it is quite bulky and not easy to carry. All this creates problems in use, thus cannot meet user's requirements.