The present invention provides a two-piece solid golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability. The present invention further relates to a two-piece solid golf ball comprising a core and a cover formed on the core, wherein the core has a JIS-C inward hardness of between 80 to 87 at a distance of 5 mm, the cover has a JIS-C hardness of 90 to 97 (as recited in claim 3) and the center hardness of the core has a JIS-C hardness of between 58 and 65 and surface hardness of the core is less than 78 in JIS-C hardness and the surface hardness of the core is lower than the core inward hardness by 1 to 5.

The present invention relates to a two-piece solid golf ball. More particularly, it relates to a two-piece solid golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability.
Many types of golf balls are commercially selling, but two-piece solid golf balls and thread wound golf balls are generally used for round games. The two-piece solid golf ball, when compared with the thread wound golf ball, has longer flight distance and better durability.
In order to improve the performance of the two-piece solid golf ball, there have been many proposals. The two-piece solid golf balls, of which the performances, such as flight distance (rebound characteristics), durability, shot feel, controllability are improved by adjusting a hardness and hardness distribution of the core to a proper range, have been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Kokoku Publication Nos. 21426/1986, 44302/1993, 98206/1996, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 182278/1990, 98949/1994, 154357/1994, 327792/1994, 194732/1995, 239067/1997, and the like.
Japanese Patent Kokoku Publication No. 21426/1986 suggests a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution of the core is controlled such that a JIS-C hardness of the surface layer is 72 to 78, a hardness at a distance of 5 mm inner from the surface in the direction of the center point is 77 to 83, a hardness at a distance of 10 mm inner from the surface is 72 to 80, a hardness at a distance of 15 mm inner from the surface is 67 to 75, and a hardness at a distance of more than 15 mm inner from the surface is less than 75. However, the golf ball has low surface hardness of the core and has poor rebound characteristics.
Japanese Patent Kokoku Publication No. 44302/1993 suggests a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution of the core is controlled such that a hardness in JIS-C hardness at a distance of less than 10 mm from the center point of the core is 60 to 79 and a hardness at a distance of more than 10 mm from the center point is 80 to 90, and a deformation amount when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf is 1.9 to 2.4 mm. However, the resulting golf ball has poor shot feel, because the golf ball has small deformation amount and is hard.
Japanese Patent Kokoku Publication No. 98206/1996 suggests a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution of the core is controlled such that a hardness difference in JIS-A hardness between the center point and the periphery of the core is not more than 10%. However, it is difficult to improve both the shot feel and flight performance of the golf ball, because of only a hardness difference between the center point and the periphery of the core is considered.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 182278/1990 suggests a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution of the core is controlled such as to substantially decrease the hardness from the surface to the center point of the core, and a relation of the hardness with the distance from the surface is adjusted to a specified range. However, the resulting golf ball has poor shot feel, because the surface of the core has the highest hardness in the core and the center hardness of the core is high.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 98949/1994 and 154357/1994 suggest a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution of the core is controlled so as to increase hardness in order, a center point, 5 to 10 mm from the center point, 15 mm from the center point and a surface.
However, the resulting golf ball has poor shot feel, because the surface of the core has the highest hardness in the core.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 327792/1994 suggests a two-piece golf ball in which a hardness distribution in JIS-C hardness of the core is controlled such that a center hardness is 65 to 79, a hardness at a distance of 5 mm from the center point in the direction of the surface is 70 to 80, a hardness at a distance of 10 mm from the center point in the direction of the surface is 73 to 80, a hardness at a distance of 15 mm from the center point in the direction of the surface is 75 to 82, the surface hardness is 70 to 85, and a hardness difference between adjacent locations of the measurements is not more than 5. However, since the center hardness of the core is high, the shot feel of the golf ball is poor.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 194732/1995 suggests a two-piece golf ball, of which a core has a center hardness in JIS-C hardness of 40 to 57, a surface hardness in JIS-C hardness of 70 to 95, and the difference between the surface hardness and center hardness of 20 to 40. However, since the center hardness of the core is low, the durability of the golf ball is poor and the rebound characteristics of the golf ball are sufficiently obtained.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 239067/1997 suggests a two-piece golf ball, of which a core has a surface hardness in JIS-C hardness of not more than 85, and a hardness distribution that a center hardness is smaller than the surface hardness by 8 to 20 and a hardness at a distance of not more than 5 mm from the surface is smaller than the surface hardness by not more than 8. However, since the surface hardness is the highest in the core, the shot feel of the golf ball is poor.
It is required to solve the above problem and to provide a two-piece golf ball having not only better flight performance and better durability but also having better shot feel. It is further required for the two-piece solid golf ball to improve the above-mentioned physical properties, especially shot feel, because a multi-piece solid golf ball having excellent flight performance and good shot feel has been introduced into market.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece solid golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability.
According to the present invention, the object described above has been accomplished by adjusting a center hardness, surface hardness and a hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface, and a hardness distribution of the core to a specified range, thereby providing a two-piece solid golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability.
The present invention provides a two-piece solid golf ball comprising a core and a cover formed on the core, wherein
when a center hardness in JIS-C hardness of the core is represented by A, a core inward hardness in JIS-C hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface of the core is represented by B, a surface hardness in JIS-C hardness of the core is represented by C, a cover hardness in JIS-C hardness is represented by D, a distance in mm between a center point of the core and a point of 5 mm inward from the surface of the core is represented by K and a radius in mm of the golf ball is represented by L,
the golf ball satisfies the following relations;
58 xe2x89xa6A  less than 65,
80 xe2x89xa6B xe2x89xa687,
78  less than C,
C is lower than B by 1 to 5, and
0.9xe2x89xa6[(Dxe2x88x92B)/(Lxe2x88x92K)]/[(Bxe2x88x92A)/K]xe2x89xa62.0.
In order to practice the present invention suitably, it is desired that the core have a deformation amount (a) of 2.6 to 3.6 mm when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf, the cover hardness (D) be 90 to 97, the cover have a thickness of 1.3 to 2.8 mm, and a ratio (a/b) of the deformation amount of the core (a) to a deformation amount of the golf ball (b) when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf be within the range of 1.05 to 1.25.
According to an investigation of flight performance of a two-piece solid golf ball comprising a core and a cover formed on the core, when the hardness difference from the center point to the surface of the core is small, that is, the core has generally even hardness distribution, energy loss with deformation of the core at the time of hitting is small. Therefore the rebound characteristics are sufficiently obtained, but the shot feel is hard and poor, because the hardness nearby the center point is high. When the core has a gradient of the hardness that the center point is soft and the surface is hard, the shot feel is soft and good, while maintaining the good rebound characteristics. However, when the hardness is too high, the shot feel is poor, and the durability is poor.
In the present invention, according to the investigation described above, a two-piece solid golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability can be obtained by adjusting a center hardness, surface hardness and a hardness nearby the surface, and a hardness of the cover to a specified range.
The two-piece solid golf ball of the present invention comprises a core, and a cover formed on the core. The core is obtained by press molding and vulcanizing a rubber composition using a method and condition, which have been conventionally used for preparing the core of solid golf balls. The rubber composition contains a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, an organic peroxide, an organic sulfide compound, a filler, an antioxidant and the like.
The base rubber used for the core of the present invention may be natural rubber and/or synthetic rubber, which has been conventionally used for solid golf balls. Preferred is high-cis polybutadiene rubber containing not less than 40%, preferably not less than 80% of a cis-1, 4 bond. The high-cis polybutadiene rubber may be mixed with natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) and the like.
The co-crosslinking agent can be a metal salt of xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid, including mono or divalent metal salts, such as zinc or magnesium salts of xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acids having 3 to 8 carbon atoms (e.g. acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, etc.). Preferred co-crosslinking agent is zinc acrylate because it imparts high rebound characteristics to the resulting golf ball. The amount of the metal salt of the unsaturated carboxylic acid in the rubber composition may be from 20 to 40 parts by weight, preferably from 25 to 34 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base rubber. When the amount of the co-crosslinking agent is smaller than 20 parts by weight, the core is too soft, and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance, and the shot feel is heavy. On the other hand, when the amount of the co-crosslinking agent is larger than 40 parts by weight, the core is too hard, and shot feel is poor.
The organic peroxide includes, for example, dicumyl peroxide, 1,1-bis(t-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(t-butylperoxy) hexane, di-t-butyl peroxide and the like. Preferred organic peroxide is dicumyl peroxide. The organic peroxide is thermally dissociated to form free radical, and the degree of crosslink between the co-crosslinking agent and the base resin is high, thereby improving the rebound characteristics. The amount of the organic peroxide may be from 0.3 to 3.0 parts by weight, preferably 0.5 to 2.5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base rubber. When the amount of the organic peroxide is smaller than 0.3 parts by weight, the core is too soft, and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces flight distance, and the shot feel is heavy. On the other hand, when the amount of the organic peroxide is larger than 3.0 parts by weight, the core is too hard, and the shot feel is poor.
The organic sulfide compound used for the over-size hollow solid golf ball of the present invention includes thiophenols, such as pentachlorothiophenol, pentafluorothiophenol, 4-chlorothiophenol, 4-bromothiophenol, 4-fluorothiophenol, 4-t-butyl-o-thiophenol, 4-t-butylthiophenol, 2,3-dichlorothiophenol, 2,4-dichlorothiophenol, 2,5-dichlorothiophenol, 2,6-dichlorothiophenol, 3,4-dichlorothiophenol, 3,5-dichlorothiophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorothiophenol, thiosalicylic acid, methylthiosalicylic acid, o-toluenethiol, m-toluenethiol, p-toluenethiol, 3-aminothiophenol, 4-aminothiophenol, 3-methoxythiophenol, 4-methoxythiophenol, 4-mercaptphenyl sulfide, 2-benzamidothiophenol and the like; thiocarboxylic acids, such as thioacetic acid, thiobenzoic acid and the like; disulfides, such as diphenyl disulfide, bis(2-aminophenyl) disulfide, bis(4-aminophenyl) disulfide, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) disulfide, bis(4-methylphenyl) disulfide, bis(4-t-butylphenyl) disulfide, bis(2-benzamidophenyl) disulfide, dixylyl disulfide, di(o-benzamidophenyl) disulfide, dimorpholino disulfide, bis(4-chlorophenyl) disulfide, bis(2,5-dichlorophenyl) disulfide, bis(3,5-dichlorophenyl) disulfide, bis(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl) disulfide, bis(2-cyanophenyl) disulfide, bis(2-nitrophenyl) disulfide, bis(4-nitrophenyl) disulfide, bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl) disulfide, 2,2-dithio dibenzoic acid, 5,5-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid), bis(pentafluorophenyl) disulfide, dibenzyl disulfide, di-t-dodecyl disulfide, diallyl disulfide, difurfuryl disulfide, 2,2-dibenzothiazoryl disulfide, bis(2-naphthyl) disulfide, bis(4-mercaptphenyl) disulfide, 4-(2-benzothiazoryldithio)morpholine, 2,2-dipyridinyl disulfide, 2,2-dithiobis(5-nitropyridine), 2,2-dithiodianiline, 4,4-dithiodianiline, 2,4-dinitrophenylsulfenyl chloride, dithiodiglycolic acid, 4,4xe2x80x2-dithiodimorpholine, L-cystine and the like; thiurams, such as tetramethylthiuram disulfide, tetraethylthiuram disulfide, tetrabutylthiuram disulfide, tetramethylthiuram monosulfide, N,Nxe2x80x2-dimethyl-N,Nxe2x80x2-diphenylthiuram disulfide, dipentamethylenethiuram tetrasulfide and the like; thiazoles, such as 2-mercaptbenzothiazole, 2-mercaptbenzothiazole sodium salt, 2-mercaptbenzothiazole zinc salt, 2-mercaptbenzothiazole dicyclohexylamine salt, 2-(N,N-diethylcarbamylthio)benzothiazole, 2-(4xe2x80x2-morphorinodithio)benzothiazole, 2,5-dimercapt-1,3,4-thiadiazole, Bismuthiol I, Bismuthiol II, 2-amino-5-mercapt-1,3,4-thiadiazole, trithiocyanuric acid and the like; sulfenamides; thioureas; dithiocarbamates; and the like. These organic sulfide compounds may be used alone or in combination.
In the organic sulfide compound, Sxe2x80x94S bond or Cxe2x80x94S bond is easily dissociated under vulcanization condition to form free radical, and the formed free radical affects the main chain of butadiene. That is, the free radical affects the crosslinkage between the rubber and co-crosslinking agent, and the rebound characteristics is improved without hardening the core, that is, while maintaining good shot feel.
The amount of the organic sulfide compound is 0.05 to 3.0 parts by weight, preferably 0.3 to 2.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base rubber. When the amount is smaller than 0.05 parts by weight, the technical effect of improving the rebound characteristics by using the organic sulfide compound is sufficiently obtained. On the other hand, when the amount is larger than 3.0 parts by weight, the vulcanization rate is too small, and the vulcanization time is long. Therefore the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance, and the shot feel is heavy.
The rubber composition for the core of the golf ball of the present invention can contain other components, which have been conventionally used for preparing the core of solid golf balls, such as inorganic filler (such as zinc oxide, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate and the like), high specific gravity metal powder filler (such as tungsten powder, molybdenum powder and the like), antioxidant or peptizing agent. If used, an amount of the antioxidant is preferably 0.2 to 0.5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the base rubber.
The core is obtained by mixing the above rubber composition, and vulcanizing and press-molding it in a mold under the condition, which is not limited but at 130 to 180xc2x0 C. and 30 to 100 kgf/cm2 for 15 to 60 minutes.
The core of the golf ball of the present invention has a center hardness in JIS-C hardness of not less than 58 and less than 65, preferably 59 to 64, more preferably 60 to 64. When the center hardness of the core is less than 58, the core hardness is too low, and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance. In addition, the durability is poor. On the other hand, when the center hardness of the core is not less than 65, the core hardness is too high, and the shot feel is hard and poor. In addition, the launch angle is small, which reduces the flight distance, because the deformation at the time of hitting.
The core of the golf ball of the present invention has a hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface in JIS-C hardness of 80 to 87, preferably 80 to 86, more preferably 81 to 85. When the hardness is lower than 80, it is near to the center hardness, and the core has even hardness distribution. Therefore the shot feel is poor. On the other hand, when the hardness is higher than 87, the core hardness is too high, the shot feel is poor and the durability is poor.
The core of the golf ball of the present invention has a surface hardness in JIS-C hardness of more than 78. When the surface hardness is not more than 78, the rebound characteristics of the core are degraded, which reduces the flight distance. When the surface hardness of the core is too high, the shot feel is poor. Therefore it is desired that the upper limit of the surface hardness be not more than 90, preferably not more than 85.
The surface hardness of the core is lower than the hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface by 1 to 5, preferably 2 to 5, more preferably 2 to 4. The golf ball having small impact force and good shot feel, while maintaining high rebound characteristics, is obtained by accomplishing the hardness distribution of the core. When the difference (Bxe2x88x92C) between the surface hardness (C) and the hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface (B) is smaller than 1, the technical effect of improving the shot feel accomplished by lowering the surface hardness is not obtained. On the other hand, the difference is larger than 5, the rebound characteristics are degraded.
The term xe2x80x9ca surface hardness of a corexe2x80x9d as used herein refers to the hardness, which is obtained by measuring a hardness at the surface of the resulting golf ball as described above. The hardness other than the surface hardness of the core, that is, the term xe2x80x9ca center hardness of a corexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ca hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface of the corexe2x80x9d as used herein refers to the hardness, which is obtained by cutting the core into two equal parts and then measuring a hardness at center point and at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface in section. The surface hardness of the core (C) was determined by measuring the hardness at the surface of the resulting core.
It is desired that the core of the golf ball of the present invention have a deformation amount of 2.6 to 3.5 mm, preferably 2.9 to 3.4 mm when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf on the core. When the deformation amount is smaller than 2.6 mm, the core is too hard, and the shot feel of the resulting golf ball is poor. On the other hand, when the deformation amount is larger than 3.6 mm, the core is too soft, and the durability is poor and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance.
It is desired that the core of the golf ball of the present invention have a diameter of 37.0 to 40.5 mm, preferably 37.5 to 40.0 mm. When the diameter of the core is smaller than 37.0 mm, the cover is too thick, and the performance of the core does not sufficiently exhibit. On the other hand, when the diameter is larger than 40.5 mm, the cover is too thin, and the durability is poor. A cover is then covered on the core.
The cover of the golf ball of the present invention has a JIS-C hardness of 90 to 97, preferably 92 to 96, more preferably 92 to 95. When the cover hardness is smaller than 90, the rebound characteristics of the cover are degraded, which reduces the flight distance of the golf ball. On the other hand, when the cover hardness is larger than 97, the shot feel is hard and poor, and the durability is poor.
When assuming that the cover hardness is represented as D, the center hardness of the core is represented as A, the hardness at a distance of 5 mm inward from the surface of the core is represented as B, a distance between the center point and the point of 5 mm inward from the surface of the core is represented as K, and a radius of the golf ball is represented as L,
it is required that the golf ball satisfy the following formula:
0.9xe2x89xa6[(Dxe2x88x92B)/(Lxe2x88x92K)]/[(Bxe2x88x92A)/K]xe2x89xa62.0.
It is found that the durability and shot feel can be improved by attending to a hardness gradient of an inner portion of the golf ball and a hardness gradient of an outer portion of the golf ball, that is, adjusting the both hardness gradient so that the hardness gradient of the outer portion of the golf ball is slightly larger than that of the inner portion of the golf ball. The hardness gradient of the inner portion, which is represented by [(Bxe2x88x92A)/K] in the above formula, refers to the hardness gradient between the center point and 5 mm inward from the surface of the core, where the hardness is the highest in the core. The hardness gradient of the outer portion, which is represented by [(Dxe2x88x92B)/(Lxe2x88x92K)] in the above formula, refers to the hardness gradient between the cover at the surface of the golf ball and 5 mm inward from the surface of the core.
When the hardness gradient of the inner portion is the same as the hardness gradient of the outer portion, that is, when a ratio of both hardness gradient:
[(Dxe2x88x92B)/(Lxe2x88x92K)]/[(Bxe2x88x92A)/K]
is 1.0, the deformation between the core and cover is smooth, and the shot feel is good. However, the cover hardness is low and the flight distance of the golf ball is reduced, or the hardness gradient is too large in the core and the durability of the golf ball is poor. The golf ball having good shot feel at the time of hitting, excellent flight performance and excellent durability can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of the hardness gradient of the inner portion to that of the outer portion to the range of the present invention, which is within the range of 0.9 to 2.0. When the ratio of the hardness gradient is smaller than 0.9, the cover hardness is low, and the spin amount is large, which reduces the flight distance. When the ratio of the hardness gradient is lager than 2.0, the cover hardness is too high. Therefore the durability is poor, or the shot feel is poor. Otherwise, the hardness gradient of the core is small and even, and the shot feel is poor. Therefore it is desired that the ratio of the hardness gradient be within the range of preferably 0.95 to 1.80, more preferably 0.98 to 1.49.
It is desired that the cover of the golf ball of the present invention have a thickness of 1.3 to 2.8 mm, preferably 1.4 to 2.6 mm, more preferably 1.6 to 2.5 mm. When the thickness is smaller than 1.3 mm, the technical effects accomplished by the presence of the cover are not sufficiently obtained, and the durability is poor. In addition, the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance. On the other hand, the thickness is larger than 2.8 mm, the technical effects accomplished by the presence of the core are not sufficiently obtained, and the shot feel is poor. In addition, the deformation amount is small, and the launch angle is small, which reduces the flight distance.
The material used for the cover of the present invention is not limited, as long as the above physical properties are imparted to it, but includes thermoplastic resin, particularly ionomer resin, which has been conventionally used for the cover of golf balls, as a base resin. The ionomer resin may be a copolymer of ethylene and xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid, of which a portion of carboxylic acid groups is neutralized with metal ion, or a terpolymer of ethylene, xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid and xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, of which a portion of carboxylic acid groups is neutralized with metal ion. Examples of the xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid in the ionomer include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, crotonic acid and the like, preferred are acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. Examples of the xcex1, xcex2-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester in the ionomer include methyl ester, ethyl ester, propyl ester, n-butyl ester and isobutyl ester of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid and the like. Preferred are acrylic acid esters and methacrylic acid esters. The metal ion which neutralizes a portion of carboxylic acid groups of the copolymer or terpolymer includes a sodium ion, a potassium ion, a lithium ion, a magnesium ion, a calcium ion, a zinc ion, a barium ion, an aluminum, a tin ion, a zirconium ion, cadmium ion and the like. Preferred are sodium ions, zinc ions, magnesium ions and the like, in view of rebound characteristics, durability and the like.
The ionomer resin is not limited, but examples thereof will be shown by a trade name thereof. Examples of the ionomer resins, which are commercially available from Mitsui Du Pont Polychemical Co., Ltd. include Hi-milan 1555, Hi-milan 1557, Hi-milan 1605, Hi-milan 1652, Hi-milan 1702, Hi-milan 1705, Hi-milan 1706, Hi-milan 1707, Hi-milan 1855, Hi-milan 1856 and the like. Examples of the ionomer resins, which are commercially available from Du Pont Co., include Surlyn 8945, Surlyn 9945, Surlyn AD8511, Surlyn AD8512, Surlyn AD8542 and the like. Examples of the ionomer resins, which are commercially available from Exxon Chemical Co., include Iotek 7010, Iotek 8000 and the like. These ionomer resins may be used alone or in combination.
As the materials suitably used in the cover of the present invention, the above ionomer resin may be used alone, but the ionomer resin may be used in combination with at least one of thermoplastic elastomer and the like. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomers are not limited, but include polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, which is commercially available from Toray Co., Ltd. under the trade name of xe2x80x9cPebaxxe2x80x9d (such as xe2x80x9cPebax 2533xe2x80x9d); polyester thermoplastic elastomer, which is commercially available from Toray-Do Pont Co., Ltd. under the trade name of xe2x80x9cHytrelxe2x80x9d (such as xe2x80x9cHytrel 3548xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cHytrel 4047xe2x80x9d); polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer, which is commercially available from Takeda Verdishe Co., Ltd. under the trade name of xe2x80x9cElastoranxe2x80x9d (such as xe2x80x9cElastoran ET880xe2x80x9d); and the like.
The cover used in the present invention may optionally contain fillers (such as barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, etc.), coloring agents (such as titanium dioxide, etc.), and the other additives such as a dispersant, an antioxidant, a UV absorber, a photostabilizer and a fluorescent agent or a fluorescent brightener, etc., in addition to the resin component, as long as the addition of the additives does not deteriorate the desired performance of the golf ball cover. The amount of the coloring agent is preferably 0.1 to 5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the cover resin component.
A method of covering the core with the cover is not specifically limited, but may be a well-known method, which has been conventionally used for forming golf ball cover. For example, there can be used a method comprising molding the cover composition into a semi-spherical half-shell in advance, covering the solid core with the two half-shells, followed by pressure molding, or a method comprising injection molding the cover composition directly on the core to cover it. At the time of molding the cover, many depressions called xe2x80x9cdimplesxe2x80x9d may be optionally formed on the surface of the golf ball. Furthermore, paint finishing or marking with a stamp may be optionally provided after the cover is molded for commercial purposes.
It is desired that the golf ball of the present invention have a deformation amount of 2.5 to 3.1 mm, preferably 2.6 to 3.0 mm when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf on the golf ball. When the deformation amount is smaller than 2.5 mm, the golf ball is too hard, and the shot feel is poor. On the other hand, when the deformation amount is larger than 3.1 mm, the golf ball is too soft, and the durability is poor and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance. When the deformation amount of the golf ball is represented as xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d, and the deformation amount of the core when applying from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kgf as described above is represented as xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d, it is desired that the value of (a/b) be within the range of 1.05 to 1.25, preferably 1.10 to 1.20. When the value of (a/b) is smaller than 1.05, the cover is too soft compared with the core, and the rebound characteristics are degraded, which reduces the flight distance. On the other hand, when the deformation amount is larger than 1.25, the cover is too hard compared with the core, and the shot feel is poor and the durability is degraded. The two-piece solid golf ball of the present invention is formed, so that it has a diameter of not less than 42.67 mm and a weight of not more than 45.93 g, according to the PGA rule.


The invention provides an adhesive applying method which makes it possible to perform a stabilized adhesive applying operation and to reduce the overall production time. In detecting the amount of adhesive applied and performing a corrective operation so as to ensure application of a predetermined amount of adhesive, a corrected value obtained by a corrective operation is stored at step #5. At step #7, an infinitesimal correction formula which shows the relationship of the corrected value with respect to the amount of adhesive used is found on the basis of the corrected values stored last time and this time and on the basis of the amount of adhesive used during the time from the preceding corrective operation and the current corrective operation. And a productive corrected value found by the infinitesimal correction formula is used for adhesive application from the next time on.

Recently, automatic machines for packaging electronic parts have been developed. For example, when electronic parts are to be adhesively fixed to a printed circuit board, an automatic adhesive applying machine, such as one disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 3-217100, is used as an apparatus for applying an adhesive to the fixing positions, wherein the amount of adhesive applied is automatically detected and on the basis of the result of the detection the amount of adhesive to be subsequently applied is corrected, whereupon the adhesive is automatically applied to the printed circuit board.
The conventional adhesive applying method using the aforesaid automatic adhesive applying machine will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, the production program which sets the conditions for applying adhesive is composed of some blocks of data on the conditions for production, and the production program is headed with data on the conditions for correction used to correct the applying time. The data on the conditions for correction determines the time required for adhesive application and the prescribed amount of adhesive to be applied then.
FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of an automatic adhesive applying machine for carrying out the conventional adhesive applying method, illustrating a head section for applying an adhesive, an actuating section for moving the head section to adhesive applying positions, and a detecting section for detecting the amount applied.
In FIG. 4, the head section comprises a mechanism section 402 supporting some tanks 401 which hold an adhesive and adapted to vertically and independently move one of the tanks 401 which is selected by the production program when performing an adhesive applying operation, an air control section 403 for pneumatically forcing a predetermined amount of adhesive out of the tank 401 which is independently moving up and down, and a recognition camera 404 for detecting the amount of adhesive applied. Further, each tank 401 comprises a nozzle or nozzles 405 through which the adhesive is forced out, and a plug 406 for confining the adhesive.
The actuating section comprises an X-axis robot 407 which longitudinally moves said head section, and a Y-axis robot 409 which transversely moves a table 408.
The detecting section comprises a tape 410 used for trial adhesive application in order to correct the amount of adhesive applied, a detecting table 411 for assisting in the application of adhesive onto the tape 410, and a cartridge 412 for holding the tape 410.
In the thus-constructed automatic adhesive applying machine, the adhesive applying operation is an operation for applying a predetermined amount of adhesive to predetermined positions on a board 413 held on the table 408, said operation comprising the steps of effecting positioning by means of the X-and Y-axis robots 407 and 409 according to positional information contained in the production program, forcing the adhesive in one or more tanks 401, selected by the production program, by an amount prescribed by the production program, to the tips of the nozzles 405, by pushing the associated plugs 406 by the air control section 403, and moving them up and down to apply the predetermined amount of adhesive to predetermined positions on the board 413.
Further, the adhesive application correcting operation is an operation for applying the adhesive for a predetermined time which is set by the data on the conditions for correction prior to performing a productive adhesive applying operation, so as to confirm whether or not the prescribed amount of adhesive has been applied, and if the prescribed amount of adhesive has not been applied, the applying time is adjusted to ensure that the prescribed amount of adhesive is applied.
In this adhesive application correcting operation, first the adhesive is applied to predetermined positions on the tape 410 supported on the table 411 and the amount of thus-applied adhesive is detected by the recognition camera 404. The amount of adhesive detected is compared with the prescribed amount of adhesive set by the data on the conditions for correction, and the applying time is adjusted to perform an adhesive application correcting operation again.
When the amount of adhesive applied for the applying time adjusted last time by the adhesive application correcting operation has finally converged to the prescribe amount of adhesive set by the data on the conditions for correction, the adhesive application correcting operation is terminated and is taken over by the productive adhesive applying operation. In this case, when the adhesive applying operation has been performed by a predetermined number of times, the tape 410 is fed out a predetermined length so as to prevent coatings of adhesive applied from overlapping each other. A series of adhesive application correcting operations are thus completed.
Referring to the adhesive application correcting method in the conventional adhesive applying method, the operation will now be described with reference to FIG. 4 by using a flowchart as shown in FIG. 5. In addition, in this adhesive application correcting method, the production program has been drafted so that an adhesive application correcting operation will be performed prior to a productive adhesive applying operation on a board.
First, at step #51, one of the tanks 401 is moved to the position of the detecting table 411 which is set by the data on the conditions for correction in the production program and a corrective adhesive applying operation is performed, in which the adhesive is discharged for a predetermined time which is set by the data on the conditions for correction. At step #52, the recognition camera 404 is moved to the detecting table 411 to detect the amount of adhesive.
At step #53, a decision is made as to whether the amount of adhesive detected at the step #52 is within the range of the allowable limits of the prescribed amount set by the data on the conditions for correction. If the amount of adhesive is not within the range of allowable limits, at step #52 the applying time is adjusted to correct the amount of adhesive to be applied. That is, if the amount of adhesive is too much, the corrected amount is such as to shorten the applying time, while if it is too small, the corrected value is such as to prolong the applying time. After the adjustment of the applying time, the program returns to step #51 and the adhesive application correcting operation is repeated.
On the other hand, if the decision made at step #53 is within the range of the allowable limits of-the prescribed amount set by the data on the conditions for correction, the program moves to step #55, where the corrected value of the applying time obtained by said adhesive application correcting operation is used to adjust the applying time in the data on the conditions for production in the production program and a productive adhesive applying operation is performed.
At step #56, the productive adhesive applying operation is interrupted and a decision is made as to whether to perform an adhesive application correcting operation. If an adhesive application correcting operation is not to be per formed, the program moves to step #55 and the productive operation is continued. If an adhesive application correcting operation is to be performed, the program moves to step #51 to perform such corrective operation so as to find a corrected value again.
In the case of a continuous productive adhesive applying operation, such operation may be continued until the adhesive in the tanks is used up. When the absence of adhesive in the tanks has been detected, the production is interrupted and a warning lamp or the like is used to notify the operator of the operation being interrupted.
Recently, in the field of packaging of parts, the frequency of the use of an adhesive during production has increased owing to packaged parts being in chip form or owing to the use of a large-sized board, such as a mother board in a computer, for packaging parts thereon. As a result, there has been a need for an automatic adhesive applying machine corresponding to an adhesive applying method which is capable of accurately effecting more stabilized application of adhesive.
With the aforesaid conventional adhesive applying method, however, in order to achieve stabilized application of a given amount of adhesive at all times in a continuous productive adhesive applying operation, it is necessary to change the conditions for adhesive application, i.e., the applying time, air pressure for adhesive application, etc., according to the amount of adhesive in the tanks, it being difficult to realize a stabilized continuous adhesive applying operation for applying a fixed amount of adhesive all the times.
As an approach to this problem, there is an adhesive application correcting method which adjusts conditions for applying a predetermined amount of adhesive each time the production of a given number of boards is completed. With such adhesive application correcting method, however, there arises a new problem that changes in the amount of adhesive applied during the production of a given number of boards cannot be corrected.
Further, another problem is the interruption of production owing to a shortage of adhesive during the adhesive applying operation. Other problems are that since said shortage of adhesive occurs suddenly, it takes substantial time to prepare a new supply of adhesive to resume production, and that such interruption of productive adhesive applying operation detracts from the reliability of boards produced.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system and method for validating packet classification within an input/output device or component. Based on a target DMA engine within the device, and a protocol path for testing the DMA engine, sets of packet attributes are generated and used to format packets for input to the device. The output of the device is examined to determine if the correct DMA engine was used within the device. The DMA policy specifying which DMA engine to use for a particular packet configuration or set of protocol attributes can be dynamically replaced or modified without halting the validation process.

This invention relates to the field of computer systems. More particularly, a system and method are provided for verifying end-to-end packet classification by an input/output component.
Before releasing a communication device or component, such as a network interface circuit, communication bus, disk controller, and so on, it is essential to verify its proper operation. Traditionally, to test the operation of a communication device a static set of predetermined inputs or stimuli would be applied to the component in a strict order to determine if its output matched what was expected. Hooks might be placed in the device being tested to obtain direct feedback regarding its operation.
To test an input/output component's classification of packets, a static set of packet inputs would be assembled and fed to the component. However, this set of input is generally only useful while the component applies one particular DMA (Direct Memory Access) policy, which specifies which DMA engine should be invoked to process a packet, based on the packet's composition.
When a different policy is to be tested, a different set of input packets must be assembled and applied. To fully test the component with various policies, a very large number of packets (e.g., thousands) may be needed, which will have to be pre-generated before the tests can commence. In addition, a substantial amount of storage may be needed to store the packets, and testing must be halted while one policy is exchanged for another.
This testing environment does not reflect an actual operating environment of the input/output device. In live operation, it may receive packets that have a far wider range of attributes than the predetermined static stimuli applied during verification. And further, it may be desirable to dynamically modify or replace its operating policy (e.g., DMA policy). Even if the device is capable of dynamic policy modification, if it has not been tested in this mode there is a substantial risk that the component will not function correctly. Thus, traditional verification environments and methods often fail to adequately test input/output components and do not allow for dynamic alteration of an operating policy without halting the testing.

System and method for validating packet classification


A circuit for increasing the slew rate of linear amplifier circuits. The circuit comprises two NPN and PNP transistor pairs arranged so that when the voltage level difference between the amplifier output and input voltage exceeds the base to emitter voltage of such transistors, the circuit is activated. The circuit provides a current proportional to such voltage difference in order to speed up the charging or discharging of the slew rate determining capacitance.

This invention relates generally to linear amplifiers and more specifically to a circuit for increasing the slew rate of such amplifiers.
As is known in the art, linear amplifiers are used in a variety of applications in which an input signal is desired to be amplified. That is, the amplifier circuit amplifies the input signal to provide an output signal proportional to such input signal. Or, in the case of an operational amplifier, the output signal is proportional to the difference between a pair of input signals. Ideally, the voltage level of the output signal changes instantaneously in response to changes in the voltage level of the input signal(s).
As is also known, linear amplifiers have capacitance associated therewith, such as may be internal, parasitic capacitance or capacitance which is externally added for compensation purposes (i.e. for modifying the frequency response of the amplifier to prevent oscillations). Since the voltage across a capacitor cannot change instantaneously, changes in the output signal cannot occur instantaneously in response to changes in input signal(s). The rate of change of the output signal with time is referred to as slew rate and the propagation delay refers to the delay between a change in the input signal and a corresponding change in the output signal. Both the slew rate and the propagation delay are limited by the size of the capacitance associated with the linear amplifier. Specifically, the slew rate is equal to the capacitance charging (or discharging) current divided by the value of the capacitance. The capacitance charging or discharging currents are provided by the amplifier's input, driver, or other stages. When the input signal changes slowly, these stages can charge or discharge the capacitance so that the output signal closely follows the input signal(s). Whereas, when the input signal changes quickly, the capacitor requires a relatively large amount of current for charging or discharging. In this case, the output signal will not change as fast as the input signal(s), thereby resulting in a propagation delay as well as a reduction in the slew rate.


Apparatus includes a first and second conduits configured to form an annulus between them. An adjustable structure includes a body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a circumferential surface abutting a portion of the internal surface of the second conduit. The structure is adjustable axially in relation to and removably attached to the first conduit via a hub. The hub defines a central passage for fuel or oxidant. The body has one or more non-central through passages configured such that flow of an oxidant or fuel therethrough causes the fuel or oxidant to intersect flow of fuel or oxidant exiting from the central passage in a region above the upper surface of the body.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of combustion burners and methods of use, and more specifically to burners, submerged combustion melters, and methods of their use, particularly for melting glass forming materials.
Background Art
Oxy-fuel burners have been used for many years in the glass industry in general especially in the fiberglass, TV glass, and container glass industry segments. There are few complete oxy-fuel fired float furnaces in the operation today and they have been using retrofit oxy-fuel burners designed specifically for smaller container or fiberglass furnaces. These conversions were most likely made to meet emissions standards. Known oxy-fuel burners are predominately nozzle mix designs and avoid premixing for safety reasons due to the increased reactivity of using oxygen as the oxidant versus air. Known oxy-fuel burners for submerged combustion are fixed designs, such that once built, they are not easily modified, for example for use with varying melter feeds, fuels, and oxidants.
Therefore, it would be an advance in the submerged combustion art to develop submerged combustion burners to melt glass-forming materials, reduce energy requirements a significant amount in glass manufacturing processes, and to make their implementation attractive, particularly in situations where melter feeds, fuels, and/or oxidants are changing or expected to change.

Burner apparatus, submerged combustion melters including the burner, and methods of use


A printhead assembly is described including multiple printheads, a manifold and multiple inlet tubes. The printheads each include: a fluid inlet to receive fluid into the printhead; and a set of one or more nozzles to deposit fluid on a substrate. The manifold is connected to the printheads and includes: a fluid inlet duct configured to receive fluid for delivery to the printheads; multiple fluid inlet channels for connecting the fluid inlet duct to the printheads; and multiple fluid inlet valves configured to control a flow of fluid from the fluid inlet duct to each of the fluid inlet channels. The inlet tubes each have a proximal end integral to either the manifold or one of the printheads, and a distal end connected to either the manifold or said printhead with a single fluid-tight connection.

A fluid ejection system, for example, an ink jet printer, typically includes an ink path from an ink supply to a printhead that includes nozzles from which ink drops are ejected. Ink is just one example of a fluid that can be ejected from a jet printer. Ink drop ejection can be controlled by pressurizing ink in the ink path with an actuator, for example, a piezoelectric deflector, a thermal bubble jet generator, or an electrostatically deflected element. A typical printhead has a line or an array of nozzles with a corresponding array of ink paths and associated actuators, and drop ejection from each nozzle can be independently controlled. In a so-called "drop-on-demand" printhead, each actuator is fired to selectively eject a drop at a specific location on a medium. The printhead and the medium can be moving relative one another during a printing operation.
Ink is provided to a printhead from a source that can be internal or external to the fluid ejection system. The longer the flow path from the ink source to the printhead and the greater the number of connections required along the path, the greater chance of air bubbles becoming entrapped in the ink. Air bubbles can have a detrimental effect on printing quality from the printhead. Air bubbles can become entrapped during a filling operation or during a printing operation through leaks along the length of the flow path.


The invention relates to a photorefractive device made of single crystal of which the chemical composition substantially is Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 (0.01<x<0.1 BST) The method for manufacturing said device comprises: growing BST single crystal by Czochralski technique; annealing said crystal in oxidizing atmosphere; machining said crystal into cuboid with polished surfaces; poling said cuboid mechanically and electrically into single-domain state. Said device may ba a piece of said single-domain crystal, or an optoelectronic assembly including at least one of said crystal as the core part. Performances of said device are similar to the one made of BaTiO.sub.3. A reflectivity as high as 52% has been reached using said device as a self-pumped phase conjugator. Compared to BaTiO.sub.3, the method for manufacturing BST crystal according to the invention has advantages such as shorter typical growth period of 3-4 days, simpler requirement for equipment and technique, higher yield, and easier to obtain crystal cuboid with larger dimensions.

Photorefractive device is a nonlinear optical device based on the photorefractive effect of material. It may be a piece of photorefractive crystal processed by certain technique, or an optoelectronic assembly including at least one piece of photorefractive crystal as the core part.
The fundamentals of the photorefractive device can be found in many public materials such as "Photorefractive Materials and Their Applications I and II" edited by P. Gunter and J.-P. Huignard, Topics Appl. Phys. Vol. 61 and 62 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1988 and 1989).
One group of most important photorefractive materials is the ferroelectric oxide crystal, among which tetragonal-phase BaTiO.sub.3 has the best photorefractive properties. The particular advantage of BaTiO.sub.3 is that the photorefractive effect is very large and it can produce a phase conjugate beam using self-pumping mechanism. One of the main disadvantages of BaTiO.sub.3 crystal is to have the difficulty in obtaining of single crystal which has desirable size and optical quality due to the existence of a hexagonal phase above 1460.degree. C. Single crystals of BaTiO.sub.3 are normally grown by TSSG technique, of which the growth period is typically 20.about.30 days, the equipment and technological requirements are complicated, and yield is low.
BA .sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 is a mixed oxide crystal. In the region of x<0.3, Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 crystal is tetragonal. ferroelectric phase (space group P.sub.4 mm-C.sup.1.sub.4.nu.) at room temperature. Upon heating, it transforms to a cubic, paraelectric phase (space group Pm.sub.3 m-O.sup.t.sub.h) at the Curie temperature Tc. The value of Tc depends on the value of x.
The phase diagram of BaTiO.sub.3 --SrTiO.sub.3 system has been reported by J. A. Basmajian and R. C. DeVries in Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 40, P. 373 (1957). They found that the BaTiO --SrTiO system is characterized by a complete series of solid solutions and the hexagonal phase is suppressed to a region extending no farther than 0.5% SrTiO.sub.3. Thus, for x>0.005, Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 can be grown from the melt. Since then, several efforts have been reported in literature to grow Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 single crystals with different value of x by czochralski method or solvent zone melting technique (e.g. D. Rytz et al. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 24 supplement 24-2, P. 622 (1985); R. M. Henson and A. J. Pointon, Journal of Crystal Growth vol. 26, P. 174 (1974)). So far, there has been no report on obtaining of Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 single crystal suitable for measurement of their photorefractive properties. And also no one has reported that Ba.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x TiO.sub.3 crystal possesses good photorefractive properties or can be used to construct a photorefractive device.

Barium strontium titanate photorefractive device and method for making the same

Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences


A replacement latch for a male RJ45 plug is presented. The replacement latch includes a housing and a latch within the housing, wherein the latch includes: a substantially U-shaped component having a middle section that joins a first arm of the U-shaped component to a second arm of the U-shaped component, wherein the first arm terminates at a first arm end that has a shape that is geometrically similar to a standard RJ45 retention protrusion, and wherein the middle section is rotatable about a pivot point that is inside the housing, and a horizontal activator having a depressor that is in sliding contact with the second arm, wherein a horizontal movement, in a first direction, of the horizontal activator causes the middle section to rotate about the pivot point to cause the first arm end to engage against a retention lip in a female RJ45 receptacle.

The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and hardware used in computer networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a replacement latch for a male RJ45 connection plug.
While early computers were often stand-alone machines, modern computers are usually connected to some type of network in order to share resources. Examples of such networks include the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area Networks (LANs). In order to tap into a network such as a LAN, a client computer must be coupled to the LAN either wirelessly (e.g., via an 802.11x router) or through hard wiring. A popular hard wiring system utilizes connectors known as RJ45 connectors.
Referring to FIG. 1a, a LAN 100 is depicted. A client computer 102 has a cable 104 that terminates at a male RJ45 plug 106. The male RJ45 plug 106 couples with a female RJ45 receptacle 108, which is coupled to a LAN 110 via cabling 112. Details of how male RJ45 plug 106 and female RJ45 receptacle 108 mate are shown in FIG. 1b. As depicted, male RJ45 plug 106 includes an RJ45 molded flexible latch 114, which has an RJ45 retention protrusion 116. This RJ45 retention protrusion 116 engages against a female RJ45 retention lip 118, thus securely pressing pins 120 in the male RJ45 plug 104 against corresponding contacts 122 in the female RJ45 receptacle 108. This system works well except when the RJ45 molded flexible latch 114 breaks, which often happens when the RJ45 molded flexible latch 114 is accidentally caught against wiring and other fixed objects. To replace the male RJ45 plug 106 is extremely difficult, due to the very fine gauge of wires leading from cable 104 to pins 120. Due to the difficulty in repairing a cable 104 with a broken RJ45 molded flexible latch 114, the entire cable 104 is usually thrown away and replaced with a new cable, which is expensive.

International Business Machines Corporation


A bed frame includes outer lateral and longitudinal bar units, each having a first end and a second end. Each of first, second, third, and fourth longitudinal bar units includes an upper longitudinal bar and a lower longitudinal bar. The first ends of the first and second longitudinal bar units are rotatably connected with each other. The first ends of the third and fourth longitudinal bar units are rotatably connected with each other. Of each respective longitudinal bar unit, the second end of the upper longitudinal bar is movably connected with the first or second end of a corresponding lateral bar unit, and the second end of the lower longitudinal bar is fixedly connected with the first or second end of the corresponding lateral bar unit.

Beds are usually the main furniture in bedrooms and often occupy the majority of the space. In modern days, foldable beds become daily necessities in particular when the space is limited. Foldable beds are desirable because they are convenient to use and require less space for storage. However, lateral and longitudinal bar units of most existing bed frames are welded together. It is expensive to make such bed frames. In addition, the resulted frames are difficult to fold, in particular, when the lateral or longitudinal bar unit is made of a stack of bars.
Given the current state of the art, there remains a need for collecting structures and bed frames that address the abovementioned issues.
The information disclosed in this Background section is provided for an understanding of the general background of the invention and is not an acknowledgement or suggestion that this information forms part of the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Connecting structure and bed frame having same


Compositions for topical use in herpes virus infections comprising anti-herpes nucleoside analogue phosphate esters, such as acyclovir monophosphate, acyclovir diphosphate, and acyclovir triphosphate which show increased activity against native strains of herpes virus as well as against resistant strains, particularly thymidine kinase negative strains of virus. Also disclosed are methods for treatment of herpes infections with nucleoside phosphates. Anti-herpes nucleoside analogues phosphate esters include the phosphoramidates and phosphothiorates, as well as polyphosphates comprising C and S bridging atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the topical treatment of cutaneous virus infections. It relates particularly to the topical treatment of herpes simplex infections, including herpes simplex types 1 and 2, using formulations comprising phosphate esters of anti-herpes antiviral nucleoside analogues such as acyclovir.
2. Background of the Art
Acyclovir (ACV) is an antiviral nucleoside analogue of guanosine which contains an unusual incomplete (acyclic) sugar moiety. Nucleoside analogues interrupt the process of DNA replication in cells, and are for that reason useful as antiviral and antineoplastic agents. ACV is particularly effective in treating herpes simplex virus infections of types I and II. The antiherpes virus activity of ACV in cells occurs with low toxicity because ACV is selectively phosphorylated by HSV thymidine kinase, but not host cell thymidine kinase. As a consequence, only cells infected with HSV can form ACV monophosphate (ACV-MP). ACV-MP is then anabolically converted by cellular enzymes to ACV triphosphate, the active agent that interferes with viral replication. (Fyfe, J., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 253:8721-8727 (1978); Furman, P., et al., J. Virol. 32:72-77 (1979)).
The anti-herpes virus activity of acyclovir has been demonstrated in inhibiting the replication of herpes simplex virus in tissue culture cells (O'Brien, W., et al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 34:1178-1182 (1990); it has also been demonstrated in clinical studies wherein patients infected with HSV were treated with orally administered ACV (Whitley, R., Immunobiol. and Prophylaxis of Human Herpesvirus Infections, C. Lopez et al, (eds) Plenum Press, NY 1990; and Straus, S., Sexually Transmitted Diseases 16(2):107-113 (1989).
Acyclovir is the treatment of choice for mucosal and cutaneous HSV infections, although patients receiving topical acyclovir therapy experience some reductions of their symptoms, healing is slow and incomplete (Spruance, S., et al., J. Infect. Dis. 146:85-90 (1982); and Spruance, S., et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 25:553-555 (1984).
Combination treatment using ACV together with interferon for herpes virus infected cultured cells (O'Brien, W., et al., Antimicrob. Agents and Chemother. 34(6):1178-1182 (1990) or using ACV together with A1110U, an HSV inactivator, as a topical therapy for herpetic keratitis in athymic mice (Lobe, D., et al., Antiviral Research 15:87-100 (1991) showed synergistic antiherpesvirus I activity over the use of ACV alone.
Acyclovir has been used with qualified success in a clinical trial to treat another viral disease, varicella (chickenpox) (Whitley, R., et al., Immunobiology and Prophylaxis of Human Herpesvirus Infections, C. Lopez (ed), Plenum Press, New York (1990) pp. 243-253. It has also been used experimentally but without success in treating other disorders in which a viral etiology was hypothesized, such as aplastic anemia (Gomez-Almaguer, D., et al. Amer. J. of Hematology 29:172-173 (1988) and duodenal ulcer (Rune, S. J., et al., Gut 31:151-152 (1990)).
Acyclovir phosphates have been shown to be efficacious against wild type or laboratory isolates of HSV-1 infected cultured cells in vitro, but have little or no efficacy against thymidine kinase defective mutants of HSV under the same conditions. (See data of FIGS. 1 and 2).
In immunosuppressed patients, such as those with HIV (AIDS) infections or transplant recipients who are taking immunosuppressive drugs to prevent transplant rejection, ACV has been given chronically to prevent troublesome outbreaks of herpes. Such therapy provides a selective pressure which leads to mutations in HSV thymidine kinase (90% frequency) as well as DNA polymerase (10% frequency), which in turn results in ACV-resistant viral strains. There is no effective topical therapy for these acyclovir resistant herpes virus strains.

Nucleoside analogue phosphates for topical use


A system including: a self-contained unit including a first data carrier having an electronic identification device that is readable by radio frequency and the reading of which activates an electronic data sheet in a first database; and a third data carrier including a second identification code readable by an optical reader. A method is also described which uses the reading of the third data carrier to activate an electronic data sheet in a second database, and to allow the associative data between both identification codes to be visualized.

The invention relates to a system and a method to facilitate the identification of a pet, in particular to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge of data related to the animal and more specifically its veterinary data, among other data, and ensure citizen control. It relates in particular to a system and a method for pet identification that provides for the use of an identification code that is independent and additional to the identification code of an electronic identification device, which was previously implanted in the pet, and is legible by means of a radio frequency system, but invisible to the direct view of the interested party.

System and method of identifying a domestic animal


A paper transportation device includes a paper guide body, which forms an inner guide surface of a transportation path, side frames on which a shaft of a transportation member disposed in the transportation path for transporting an original document is mounted and a gear shaft of a drive transmitting gear, which is provided in a standing condition on the side frames and transmits rotation of a drive source to the shaft of the transportation member. The paper guide body, the side frames and the gear shaft are formed integrally by resin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper transportation device for transporting an original document to an image scanning unit in a scanner, a facsimile, a copying machine or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A scanner, a facsimile, a copying machine or the like includes a paper transportation device such as an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) that feeds a plurality of original documents sequentially. The plurality of original documents stacked on a document tray can be transported continuously and automatically to a scanning position by the paper transportation device.
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a copy-and-facsimile multifunction peripheral 900 having an ADF. As shown in the drawing, the copy-and-facsimile multifunction peripheral 900 includes a scanning table 901, a document pressing plate 902, an operation panel 903, a main frame 904 and paper feed cassettes 905. On the scanning table 901, a platen glass where an original document is to be placed is provided. The original pressing plate 902 presses and fixes the original document on the platen glass. The operation panel 903 is used for inputting a start of a scanning process of the original document or the like. The main frame 904 includes an image recording unit which records an image onto recording paper and a transmission unit which transmits the image electrically through a public network or the like. The paper feed cassettes 905 accommodate recording papers for recording the scanned image.
In the copy-and-facsimile multifunction peripheral 900, the ADF in the document pressing plate 902 constitutes the paper transportation device. By the ADF, the sheeted original document placed on a document tray 906 is transported downwards to a paper discharge tray 907, which is provided below the document tray 906, while front and back sides of the original document are reversed (so as to make a U-turn). While being transported, when the original document passes a scanning position on the platen glass, an image of the original document is scanned by an image scanning unit such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) provided inside the scanning table 901.
In the conventional paper transportation device, a transportation path leading from the document tray 906 via the scanning position to the paper discharge tray 907 is formed of an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface having a shape of the letter U sideways. For example, the outer guide surface is formed of a housing of the document pressing plate 902. The inner guide surface is formed of a paper guide disposed inside the document pressing plate 902.
Metal plates are secured on both sides of the paper guide by screws. Bearings are mounted in holes formed on the metal plates, and a transportation roller shaft on which a transportation roller made of silicon rubber is secured is provided appropriately. Accordingly, the transportation roller is disposed at a prescribed position in the transportation path, and the original document is transported through the transportation path by rotation of each transportation roller.
Furthermore, in the document pressing plate 902, a metal gear stud is secured to the metal plate between two metal brackets by a caulk. A drive transmitting gear is supported axially by the gear stud. In addition, a drive unit, which includes a motor for applying a drive force to the drive transmitting gear, is provided in the document pressing plate 902. The drive force is transmitted from the motor of the drive unit to the transportation roller shaft. According to the above-described conventional paper transportation device, although rigidity is high, there is an increase in weight. In addition, a number of components that constitute the paper guide and the drive unit or the like becomes large, and an assembling process is complicated. Therefore, the paper transportation device results being expensive, and a maintenance work is troublesome.
Thus, there is proposed a paper transportation device in which a paper guide, which is a guide surface of a transportation path having a shape of the letter U sideways, is formed integrally by a frame made of resin such as plastics. Accordingly, a number of components of the paper guide or the like and a number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the cost of the paper transportation device can be reduced.
However, since paper is transported while being slid against the guide surface of the paper guide, static electricity is generated by friction of the paper and the paper guide, and the static electricity is accumulated on the paper. As a result, there are cases in which the transported paper is skewed by being adhered to the paper guide or the like or a transportation speed becomes unstable, and an image quality of a scanned image is deteriorated. If the paper guide is made of resin, such a generation of the static electricity becomes even more apparent.
Recently, the scanner, the facsimile and the copying machine or the like are demanded to be even more downsized and economical. In addition, the paper transportation device to be equipped in these machines are also demanded to be even more downsized and economical. Therefore, a reduction in the number of components and a simplification of the assembling process are required even more.
Moreover, in the scanner, the facsimile and the copying machine or the like, recycling of resources or the like is becoming important. Each of the components of the paper transportation device is required to be disassembled according to different kinds of materials such as metals and plastics, and then to be reused or disposed. Therefore, not only the assembling process but also the disassembling process carried out when disposing the components is preferable to be simplified.


A remote-control fishing vessel has a trip-release pole to jerk line for engagement of a hook in a fish that nibbles bait, a motorized reel with optional spring tension, a broad transom and an optional water anchor constructed to resist reverse drag by a hooked fish, steering with dual water screws to obviate need for a rudder, a deep-ballast hull with water-resistant sections to provide unsinkable stability and an optional top float to restore upright position of the vessel in the event it were capsized.

I. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to the field of mini fishing vessels which can be maneuvered, operated and controlled remotely through radio signals.
II. Description of the Prior Art.
It has long been a desire of fishermen to send out a little fishing tool under their remote control to catch fish in any place and at any time where fish were feeding without them getting away. It has been tried before but not with the self-catching fishing tackle, remote reset, remote reel control, remote directional propulsion and related features of this invention.
An example of a different remote-control fishing vessel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,077 granted to Ciaccio et al. The Ciaccio et al patent taught a toy marine vessel that doubled as a remote-control fishing vessel. An angler held a reel portion of fishing tackle while the toy marine vessel carried a hook portion of the line to where fish were to be caught in a body of water. Then the hook portion of line held at the vessel would be released in desired timing with biting of bait on a hook, leaving the angler to manipulate the line thereafter for drawing in a fish on a hook end of the line. It was, in effect, a means for casting a line in a desired position on a body of water with the toy marine vessel being employed as a mobile casting tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,761 granted to Bonham disclosed a battery-powered fishing vessel that was remotely steered by a line held by an operator and connected to the vessel. A tug or a jerk of the line was used to steer the vessel in accordance with design of an indexed steering mechanism on the vessel. Different from this invention, the Bonham device had no autohook fishing pole and was steerable by a rudder instead of by variable rotation of a water screw on each side of the vessel. A variety of other motorized fishing aids are known but are further yet different from this invention.


A device for bending glass sheets which includes a furnace for heating the glass, a conveyor, a bending station within which there is suspended, notably from a plate, an upper bending mold at least partly disposed inside the skirt of a peripheral suction box, and the lower face of which is covered with a covering in such a way that this covering is supported by an attachment device which can be removed and is not integral with the upper mold.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention deals with techniques for bending and possibly for the thermal treatment of glass sheets, used notably for the production of automobile glazing panes. The invention concerns, more especially, those techniques that consist of heating the glass sheets up to their softening temperature, then bending them by application against an upper bending mold by pneumatic means and/or by means of a lower mold, and finally of causing them to undergo a controlled cooling after bending.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a conventional technique the sheet passes through a horizontal heating furnace, conveyed on a bed of rollers, to be brought into a bending station where it is raised from the rollers, notably by means of a peripheral suction created by a suction box. The upward movement of the sheet terminates on its contact with the curved lower face of the upper bending mold, the curvature of which the sheet more or less follows under the effect of the suction. Shaping is then completed, either under the conjugate action of inertia and gravity by dropping the sheet onto a curved annular lower mold on which the sheet can then be removed towards the toughening station, or by a mechanical pressing operation of the sheet gripped between the upper mold and an annular lower mold. The sheet is then removed to the toughening station on this same mold or on another annular mold specifically adapted for the toughening. Reference should be made, notably, to Patents FR-B-2 085 464, EP-B-241 355, Ep-A-240 418, Ep-A-241 355 and EP-A-255 432.
This technique of taking over the sheet by peripheral suction is particularly advantageous because it makes possible the use of a large number of variants of the bending process, all starting from a first identical step of preshaping against the curved upper mold.
In this way any intervention of mechanical means for lifting is avoided, which means might result in local excess lifting, a cause of inevitable marks that would mar the optical quality of the curved sheets.
For creating a sufficient pressure difference between the two faces of the sheet, a suction chamber is thus constructed, closed at the top by the upper mold, at the bottom by the sheet, and at the sides by the walls of an open-bottomed box usually termed a "skirt", the depressurization usually being provided by air suction pumps.
Different variants relate to the dimensioning and relative positioning of the upper mold with respect to the existing skirt. Thus, from Patent FRB-2 085 464, there are known skirts profiled in such a way as to channel the lateral escapes or leakages. In this case, the upper molds are entirely housed within the skirt, for the purpose of optimizing the efficiency of the suction, notably at the critical instant at which the sheet lifts off.
It has also been proposed, in Patents EP-A-214 355 and EP-A-240 418 to operate with a "short" skirt, the curved face of the upper mold being flush with the bottom of the said skirt, which enables any harmful contact to be avoided between the walls of the skirt and the sheet in the case where the sheet might be slightly off-centered relative to the upper mold.
But whatever the profile of the skirt, the curvature of the mold and their relative positions, it has hitherto always proved essential to provide the curved face of the upper mold, which is intended to be in contact with the sheets, with an intermediate covering which, when stretched, hugs its contours. This covering, due to its flexibility and its smooth surfaces, softens the contact between glass and mold, notably by "smoothing over" the small surface imperfections of the mold which may remain even after careful machining. Furthermore, if it has a velvety nature, it is suitable for absorbing the dust which would otherwise be trapped between mold and glass, leaving its imprint on the softened glass.
Various types of covering fulfil these functions, notably those described in Patents EP-A-312 439, FR-A-2 606 398 and FR-A-2 644 156, these coverings being essentially based upon knitted or woven metal fabrics.
But even if these fabrics are satisfactory in performance, their gradual wear requires that they be periodically and fairly frequently replaced, in view of the mechanical stresses to which they are subjected, particularly where a pressing step is provided, and in view of the very high temperatures (at least 650.degree. C.) reached by the upper mold and by the whole of the bending station, which cause accelerated oxidizing of the metal of said coverings.
These coverings are currently fixed in a detachable manner to the upper part of the upper mold, where means for attaching them under tension are uniformly distributed.
An operator can only deal with the replacement of the intermediate sheet outside the bending station, both on account of the heat and on account of the lack of access from the side to the upper part of the mold which is housed within the skirt, and this becomes all the more difficult as the mold is enclosed within the skirt. The operator must therefore stop production, disengage the assembly comprising upper mold and skirt from the bending station, both of these being attached, for example, to a removable plate, carry out the change after having allowed the mold and skirt to fall to ambient temperature, and then replace the entirety in the station and await the time necessary for these tools to reach the desired temperature. Apart from the non-negligible time during which production is interrupted by these operations, it is also necessary to allow for an adjustment time necessary following each replacement, due to the fact that it is not entirely possible to guarantee that the operator replaces the assembly comprising plate, skirt and mold exactly where they were before, to the nearest millimeter. A slightly different repositioning leads to a risk of causing slight decentering, notably of the upper mold and skirt relative to a lower annular pressing mold which, even though it may remain within the tolerance limits, would not allow the series of curved sheets to be produced in an identical manner, which is what is always desired.

Device for bending glass sheets on bending mold having a cover


An analog-to-digital converter generates and adjusts a digital signal based on a delay caused by an analog signal. The analog signal controls a delay of a first delay chain, and the digital signal controls a delay of a second delay chain. Dependent on a comparison of an output of the first delay chain and an output of the second delay chain, circuitry of the analog-to-digital converter adjusts the digital signal.

A computer system includes several components that are collectively used by a user to perform various functions such as, for example, preparing and generating a document with a word-processing application. Using the computer system, the user may input data to a computing portion using peripheral devices such as a keyboard or a mouse. Data may also be provided to the computing portion using data storage media, e.g., a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. The computing portion, using memory and other internal components, processes both internal data and data provided to the computing portion by the user to generate data needed by the computer system and/or requested by the user. The generated data may be provided to the user via, for example, a display device or a printer.
The computing portion of a computer system typically includes various components such as, for example, a power supply, disk drives, and the electrical circuitry required to perform the necessary and requested operations of the computer system. The computing portion may contain a plurality of circuit boards on which various circuit components are implemented. For example, a computing portion designed to have enhanced sound reproducing capabilities may have a circuit board dedicated to implementing circuitry that specifically operates to process data associated with the reproduction of sound.
On a circuit board, a crystal oscillator provides a reference of time to various integrated circuit (IC) packages that are connected onto the circuit board. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the integrated circuit packages may be used to house and support various types of integrated circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors, and digital logic chips). The integrated circuit packages communicate with one another, i.e., pass data, using wires or traces of conductive material (e.g., copper or gold) embedded in the circuit board.
Within a computer system, signals between components and devices of the computer system may either be analog or digital. An analog signal takes on continuous values within some range of values and a digital signal has discrete values within some range of values. For example, in a system having a supply voltage of 1V, an analog signal may have a value anywhere between 0V and 1V, whereas a digital signal in the same system might have a value of either 0V or 1V.
Often, it may be necessary to convert between analog and digital values. For example, an analog signal generated by a temperature sensor in a computer system may need to be converted to a digital signal for use by a digital-based integrated circuit. Such conversion may be achieved using an analog-to-digital converter.


A modulator for modulating an incident beam of light, the modulator comprising a plurality of equally spaced-apart elements, each of which includes a light-reflective planar surface. The elements are arranged parallel to each other with their light-reflective surfaces parallel to each other. The modulator includes means for supporting the elements in relation to one another and means for moving particular ones of the elements relative to others so that the moved elements transit between a first configuration wherein the modulator acts to reflect the incident beam of light as a plane mirror, and a second configuration wherein the modulator diffracts the light reflected therefrom. In operation the light-reflective surfaces of the elements remain parallel to each other in both the first and second configurations. The perpendicular spacing between the reflective surfaces of the respective elements is equal to m/4 .times. the wavelength of the incident beam of light, wherein m equals an even whole number or zero when the elements are in the first configuration and m equals an odd whole number when the elements are in the second configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for modulating a light beam and more particularly to the use of a reflective, deformable diffraction grating for performing such modulation.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Devices which modulate a light beam, e.g. by altering the amplitude, frequency or phase of the light, find a number of applications. An example of such a device is a spatial light modulator (SLM) which is an electronically or optically controlled device which consists of one or two-dimensional reconfigurable patterns of pixel elements, each of which can individually modulate the amplitude, phase or polarization of an optical wavefront.
These devices have been extensively developed, particularly for applications in the areas of optical processing and computing. They can perform a variety of functions such as: analog multiplication and addition, signal conversion (electrical-to-optical, incoherent-to-coherent, amplification, etc.), nonlinear operations and short term storage. Utilizing these functions, SLMs have seen many different applications from display technology to optical signal processing. For example, SLMs have been used as optical correlators (e.g., pattern recognition devices, programmable holograms), optical matrix processors (e.g., matrix multipliers, optical cross-bar switches with broadcast capabilities, optical neural networks, radar beam forming), digital optical architectures (e.g., highly parallel optical computers) and displays.
The requirements for SLM technology depend strongly on the application in mind: for example, a display requires low bandwidth but a high dynamic range while optical computers benefit from high response times but don't require such high dynamic ranges. Generally, systems designers require SLMs with characteristics such as: high resolution, high speed (kHz frame rates), good gray scale, high contrast ratio or modulation depth, optical flatness, VLSI compatible, easy handling capability and low cost. To date, no one SLM design can satisfy all the above requirements. As a result, different types of SLMs have been developed for different applications, often resulting in tradeoffs.
Texas Instruments for instance, has developed a "Deformable Mirror Device (DMD)" that utilizes an electromechanical means of deflecting an optical beam. The mechanical motions needed for the operation of the DMD are relatively large and, as a result, the bandwidths are limited to tens of kilohertz. This device, however, gives good contrast ratios and high-resolution and is, furthermore, compatible with CMOS, and other low power technologies.
Nematic and ferroelectric liquid crystals have also been used as the active layer in several SLMs. Since the electrooptic effect in liquid crystals is based on the mechanical reorientation of molecular dipoles, it is to be expected that liquid crystals are faster than the DMD-type devices. Modulators using ferroelectric liquid crystals have exhibited moderate switching speeds (150 .mu.sec to 100 nsec), low-power consumption, VLSI compatible switching voltages (5-10 V), high extinction ratios, high resolution and large apertures. However, these devices suffer from the drawbacks of limited liquid crystal lifetimes and operating temperature ranges. In addition, the manufacturing process is complicated by alignment problems and film thickness uniformity issues.
Magnetooptic modulation schemes have been used to achieve faster switching speeds and to provide an optical pattern memory cell. Although these devices, in addition to achieving fast switching speeds, can achieve large contrast ratios, they suffer from a low (<10%) throughput efficiency and are, therefore, often unsuitable for many applications.
The need is therefore for a light modulation device which overcomes these drawbacks.
Beside SLMs, another area of use of light modulators is in fiber optics. Fiber optic modulators are electronically controlled devices that modulate light intensity and are designed to be compatible with optical fibers. For high speed communication applications, lithium niobate (LiNbO.sub.3) traveling wave modulators represent the state-of-the-art, but there is a need for low power, high efficiency, low loss, inexpensive fiber optic modulators, that can be integrated with silicon sensors and electronics, for data acquisition and medical applications.
A typical use of a modulator combined with fiber optic technology, for example, is a data acquisition system on an airplane which consists of a central data processing unit that gathers data from remote sensors. Because of their lightweight and electro-magnetic immunity characteristics, fiber optics provide an ideal communication medium between the processor and the sensors which produce an electrical output that must be converted to an optical signal for transmission. The most efficient way to do this is to have a continuous wave laser at the processor and a modulator operating in reflection at the sensor. In this configuration, it is also possible to deliver power to the sensor over the fiber.
In this type of application the modulator should operate with high contrast and low insertion loss to maximize the signal to noise ratio and have low power consumption. It should further be compatible with silicon technology because the systems are largely implemented in silicon.
Another use of a modulator combined with fiber optic technology is in the monitoring of sensors that are surgically implanted in the human body. Here optical fibers are preferred to electrical cables because of their galvanic isolation, and any modulator used in these applications should exhibit high contrast combined with low insertion loss because of signal to noise considerations. Furthermore, as size is important in implanted devices, the modulator must be integratable with silicon sensors and electronics.
There exist no prior art devices that have the characteristics enumerated above. Modulators based on the electro-optic, Franz-Keldysh, Quantum-Confined-Stark or Wannier-Stark effect in III-V semiconductors have high contrast and low insertion loss, but are expensive and not compatible with silicon devices. Waveguide modulators employing glass or epi-layers on silicon, require too much area and too complex fabrication to be easily integratable with other silicon devices. Silicon modulators that do not employ waveguides and that are based on the plasma effect, require high electrical drive power and do not achieve high contrast.
The need is therefore for a light modulator which can be used with fiber optic technology with low power, high efficiency, low loss, low cost and compatibility with multimode optical fibers and silicon technology.

Method and apparatus for modulating a light beam

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford, Junior University


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for storing small volumes of data within a grid-scale storage system. The method includes creating a container within a storage disk. The method includes distributing data evenly between storage disks. A partition is created within the container. Data is received and stored in the partition, wherein the partition is at least as large as the data. The method may also include setting an offset associated with the partition to allow for partition expansion.

The present invention relates generally to the field of data storage, and more particularly to supporting small volumes of data on a grid-scale disk storage system.
In computer storage, a logical unit number, or LUN, is a number used to identify a logical unit, which is a device addressed by the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) protocol or Storage Area Network (SAN) protocols which encapsulate SCSI, such as Fibre Channel or iSCSI. A LUN may be used with any device which supports read/write operations, such as a tape drive, but is most often used to refer to a logical disk as created on a SAN. The term "LUN" is often also used, and will be used throughout this application, to refer to the logical disk itself.
To provide a practical example, a typical multi-disk drive has multiple physical SCSI ports, each with one SCSI target address assigned. An administrator may format the disk array as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) and then partition this RAID into several separate storage-volumes. To represent each volume, a SCSI target is configured to provide a logical unit. Each SCSI target may provide multiple logical units and thus represent multiple volumes, but this does not mean that those volumes are concatenated. The computer that accesses a volume on the disk array identifies which volume to read or write with the LUN of the associated logical unit. In another example: a single disk-drive has one physical SCSI port. It usually provides just a single target, which in turn usually provides just a single logical unit whose LUN is zero. This logical unit represents the entire storage of the disk drive.
In a grid-scale storage system like IBM XIV Storage System ("XIV"), each LUN is spread across the entire system. XIV uses 180 disks and each LUN occupies at the minimum storage space, which is approximately 17 GB, as at least one 1 MB partition is reserved in each of the 16,411 slices. It should be appreciated that 18 disks is the minimum number of disks for XIV code running on IBM Spectrum Accelerate. It should also be appreciated that 78 disks is the minimum number of disks for XIV code running on XIV hardware.

Virtual accounting container for supporting small volumes of data


A image archiving apparatus is connected to a digital still camera and acquires the serial ID and product ID of the camera. The image archiving apparatus reads image files from the camera. If a camera folder corresponding to the connected camera has been generated, the read image files are stored in this folder. If the folder has not been generated, a new folder is generated and the read image files are stored in the generated folder. Image files are organized and stored in a folder that corresponds to the model of the camera that applies the image files to the image archiving apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image archiving apparatus and to method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are greater opportunities for taking photographs owing to the widespread use of digital still cameras and mobile telephones equipped with a camera. Since photographs can be taken so easily, there has been an enormous increase in the number of image frames obtained through such photography.
An apparatus that uses a television to enjoy images captured by a digital still camera also has been considered. For example, see the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-341614.
However, even this apparatus does not take the organizing and archiving of images into account. For this reason, the state of the art is such that although large numbers of pictures are taken, they cannot be organized and are merely allowed to accumulate without being given the opportunity to be viewed. In particular, a user who does not possesses a personal computer would find it difficult to organize images.

Image archiving apparatus and method of controlling same