An improved apparatus having a bumper-frame assembly suitable for light towing vehicles is disclosed. The invention can be utilized for attaching a pintle hook or receiver hitch to the rear end portion of the towing vehicle.

This invention relates to an apparatus for affixing a towing device, such as a pintle hook or receiver hitch to a towing vehicle. More particularly, the invention is directed to an apparatus which is secured to the rear end of a frame of a light towing vehicle such as a pick-up truck, van and/or utility vehicle. The apparatus comprises of a frame portion and a bumper portion, where in the frame potion has a general U-shaped channel beam located on a backside of the bumper and first and second support structures providing support and balance to the channel beam on the bumper. Such an apparatus also includes means for mounting a towing device such as a pintle hook or receiver hitch.
While the invention is particularly directed to the art of towing devices and the reinforcement of bumpers in the towing vehicle industry, and will be thus described with specific reference thereto, it will be appreciated that the invention may have usefulness in other fields and applications.
Typically, "step bumpers" utilized in connection with light towing vehicles are designed and particularly adapted to receive standard ball mount hitches. Such hitches represent connecting means of the "ball-and-socket" type as opposed to a "coupling-pintle" type, the two types of trailer hitches most commonly used today.
In this regard, the step bumper includes a horizontal pull plate spanning the bottom of the vertically disposed indented portion of the bumper, to which the ball mount hitch is attached. A reciprocating receiver socket is present in the draw bar of the vehicle to be towed. However, due to the height and configuration constraints of a pintle hook hitch and the inclusion of a horizontal pull plate spanning the bottom of the vertically disposed indented portion of the step bumper, a pintle hook hitch can not be directly utilized with a step bumper. As a consequence, a standard step bumper is not best suited for pintle hook assemblies and receiver hitches which require attachment directly to the face of the indented portion of the bumper. This is unfortunate because pintle hook assemblies and receiver hitches offer many advantages over standard ball mount hitches.
Briefly, as an alternative to the use of the ball mount arrangement, a pintle hook assembly is many times used. Usually, the pintle hook hitch is used to tow heavy equipment whereas the ball-and-socket type hitch is utilized with lighter equipment. A pintle hook hitch may be generally described as a hook or pintle attached by a mounting plate to the rear end of a towing vehicle which engages a ring-eyelet assembly that is attached to the draw bar of the vehicle to be towed. A closure member such as a spring-biased latch, mates with the hook or pintle. Due to the incorporation of an upwardly extending hook or pintle, a cavity disposed adjacent the pintle for receiving the coupling element (i.e. eyelet) of the drawn vehicle and a spring-biased, pivotally-mounted latch extending over the cavity, accidental disengagement (or decoupling) of the drawn vehicle is substantially reduced through the use of a pintle hook towing hitch assembly. Likewise, receiver hitch assemblies are often advantageously used.
In addition to the positioning and placement problems noted above for use of a pintle hook hitch with step bumpers, the configuration of the indented portion of the standard step bumper is such that it does not have sufficient strength and rigidity to efficiently utilize the full loading capacity of the pintle hook and receiver hitch assemblies. More particularly, for either the pintle hook or receiver hitch assemblies to be utilized, the horizontal pull plate positioned in the indented portion of the step bumper must be removed. The pintle hook or receiver hitch is then connected to the face of the indented portion. This face, however, is not designed to withstand the force of a load of this nature or potential magnitude. The load on the standard step bumper is intended to be absorbed by the horizontal pull plate, which generally must be removed when a pintle hook or receiver hitch assembly is used. Accordingly, insufficient strength and support exists.
As a result, if use of a pintle hook or receiver hitch is desired, an under chassis receiver hitch frame mount must be added to the towing vehicle along with a pintle hook mounting adapter or a receiver hitch mounting structure. However, such a combination requires a number of elements which must be constantly monitored and generally produces a coupling arrangement which is substantially lower than the height of the rear bumper of the towing vehicle.
Certain bumper reinforcement structures are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,736 to Shanks discloses an adapter plate for a vehicle bumper which uses a reinforcement member. However, the Shanks patent does not disclose a step bumper having an indented portion, a U-shaped channel beam of the present invention laterally disposed along the length of the bumper, corresponding support structures, or pintle hook and/or receiver hitch assemblies.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved towing apparatus for use on light towing vehicles and/or trailers which resolves the above-referenced difficulties and others. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pintle hook and/or receiver hitch assembly for attachment to the rear end portion of a vehicle.

Apparatus for affixing a towing device to a vehicle


An electric power control system of the present invention is connected to an electric power supplying means for supplying electric power and a load means for accepting supply of electric power and consuming the electric power. The electric power control system includes: a supplied energy acquiring means for acquiring a supplied energy, which is the amount of electric power supplied from the electric power supplying means; a consumed energy acquiring means for acquiring a consumed energy, which is the amount of electric power consumed by the load means; and an electric power supply and demand controlling means for, depending on a total supplied energy as the total of the acquired supplied energy and a total consumed energy as the total of the acquired consumed energy, transmitting and/or receiving electric power to and from another device to change the total supplied energy.

A popularly employed method for controlling an electric power system is centralized control of an electric power system (for example, see Patent Document 1). Centralized control of an electric power system requires building of a mechanism for concentrating information and a large-scale control system for grasping and analyzing the whole system configuration condition and also optimizing the whole system. Such a system is easily applied in countries and regions where electric power supply infrastructure has developed to some extent, because it can be built additionally. However, in regions including emerging countries where electric power infrastructure has not developed, new building of the above system requires a large investment in development of the infrastructure.
On the other hand, in terms of optimization of the whole system, there is a proposed approach of distributed control, which is less efficient but enables electric power control without a large investment by regulating voltages between neighboring power plants or comparatively near power plants (for example, see Patent Document 2). In control of an electric power system, generally, matrix calculation is carried out on the basis of information of each generator, and a solution is found. In the case of concentrated control mentioned above, large-scale matrix calculation should be done because all the information is included. On the other hand, in the case of distributed control, sparse matrix calculation is done because control between neighboring or near power plants is executed, and therefore, the amount of calculation is considerably less.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. JP-A 2002-165367
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. JP-A 2010-057311
In recent years, in consideration of the protection of global environment and energy security, natural energy such as solar light, biomass and wind power has been introduced worldwide. However, such natural energy has a problem with the stability of supply and, as such power sources become more popular in the future, it will become a critical issue how to keep the stability of the whole electric power network. In other words, when it comes to electric power generation by natural energy, new entrants to electric power supply increase because the introduction cost is low though the power generation capacity of each generator is small, and moreover, it is worried about that enough reserves cannot be secured in a small-scale electric power system configured mostly by such generators.


A ferrule for use in optical fiber connections has an optical fiber containing a bore extending therethrough. Within the bore is a member of shaped memory alloy (SMA) which clamps and affixes the fiber firmly in place within the ferrule without the necessity of cementing the fiber in place. The shaped memory alloy has two states: the initial or primary state and the secondary or deformed state. In the embodiments of the invention, the member is deformed from the initial state to the secondary state and the fiber is inserted in the ferrule. The member is then returned to the primary state in which it firmly clamps the fiber within the ferrule.

In optical fiber communications, connectors for joining fiber segments at their ends, or for connecting optical fiber cables to active or passive devices, are an essential component of virtually any optical fiber system. The connector or connectors, in joining fiber ends, for example, has, as its primary function, the maintenance of the fiber ends in a butting relationship such that the core of one of the fibers is axially aligned with the core of the other fiber so as to maximize light transmissions from one fiber to the other. Another goal is to minimize back reflections. Such alignment is extremely difficult to achieve, which is understandable when it is recognized that a fiber is 125.0±0.5 microns and that the mode field diameter, of, for examples, a singlemode fiber is approximately nine microns (0.009 mm) and a multimode fiber is 50 microns (0.050 mm). Good alignment (low insertion loss) of the fiber ends is a function of the alignment, the width of the gap (if any) between the fiber ends, and the surface condition of the fiber ends, all of which, in turn, are inherent in the particular connector design. The connector must also provide stability and junction protection and thus it must minimize thermal and mechanical movement effects. These same considerations apply to arrangements where the fiber, terminated in a plug connector, is to be used with active or passive devices, such as, for example, data links for computers or transceivers and the like.
In the present day state of the art, there are numerous, different, connector designs in use for achieving low insertion loss and stability. In most of these designs, typically a pair of ferrules (one in each connector or one in the connector and one in the apparatus or possibly in the device), each containing an optical fiber end which is adhesively bonded or cemented in an axial bore within the ferrule, are butted together end-to-end, and light travels across the junction. The fibers are usually bonded within the ferrules and the adhesive is cured during manufacture to produce a connectorized fiber. It is possible that the ferrule of a connector may also be plugged directly into the bore of a wide area detector or receiver.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,927 of Ahrens, et al, there is shown a method and apparatus for precisely controlling the diameter of the bore in a ferrule. The method comprises producing a ferrule, preferably of glass, having an oversized bore therein. A rod of metal, such as stainless steel, having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the fiber to be contained in the ferrule bore, is inserted in the oversized bore and the assembly is heated to collapse the glass ferrule around the rod. The assembly is then cooled, as by dipping in liquid nitrogen, so that the rod may be extracted, leaving a ferrule bore (at normal temperature, having a diameter equal to the diameter of the fiber). This is a production process for manufacturing ferrules, and is unsuitable for use in the field. Additionally, it appears that the fiber, after insertion in the ferrule bore, is cemented in place.
It is desirable that an installer in the field has the capability of replacing a connector on a fiber end, or mounting a connector to a newly created fiber end, as in splicing. Further, in replacing a connector that has been damaged, for example, the faulty connector must simply be cut off and discarded inasmuch as the fiber is cemented therein, and a new connector attached to the now somewhat shortened fiber. In the present state of the art, this means that the installer must have in his kit the adhesive, which if the adhesive is a two-part system, would have a limited pot-life, or an anaerobic adhesive would require the use of a catalyst, or a UV cement that would require a UV curing means therefore, and new fiber connectors (unmounted). Adhesives and cements are messy to handle and can also contaminate the precision outside surface of the ferrule if extreme care is not exercised. From a practical standpoint, adhesive or cement is messy to use; and from an economic standpoint, therefore, it becomes an expensive operation. Elimination of the need to bond the fiber within the ferrule using adhesives or cements, and the concomitant discarding of the connector being replaced, would be highly desirable.

Optical fiber connection utilizing fiber containing ferrules


The present invention relates to a method of identifying a protein that binds to a target molecule and has intracellular functionality. This method includes providing a construct comprising a deoxyribonucleic acid molecule encoding the protein which binds to the target molecule, with the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule being coupled to a stall sequence. A host cell is transformed with the construct and then cultured under conditions effective to form, within the host cell, a complex of the protein whose translation has been stalled, the mRNA encoding the protein, and ribosomes. The protein in the complex is in a properly folded, active form and the complex is recovered from the cell.

Ribosome display is a powerful approach for affinity and stability maturation of recombinant antibodies. However, since ribosome display is performed entirely in vitro, there are several limitations to this approach including technical challenges associated with: (i) efficiently expressing and stalling antibodies on ribosomes using cell-free translation mixtures; and (ii) folding of antibodies in buffers where the concentration and composition of factors varies from that found in the intracellular milieu.
Since the development of hybridoma technology in 1975 (Kohler et al., "Continuous Cultures of Fused Cells Secreting Antibody of Predefined Specificity," Nature 256:495-7 (1975)) and, more recently, the development of various in vitro antibody display technologies, (Amstutz et al., "In vitro Display Technologies: Novel Developments and Applications," Curr Opin Biotechnol 12:400-5 (2001); Dower et al., "In vitro Selection as a Powerful Tool for the Applied Evolution of Proteins and Peptides," Curr Opin Chem Biol 6:390-8 (2002); Lipovsek et al., "In vitro Protein Evolution by Ribosome Display and mRNA Display," J Immunol Methods 290:51-67 (2004); Rothe et al., "In vitro Display Technologies Reveal Novel Biopharmaceutics," FASEB J 20, 1599-610 (2006); and Wark et al., "Latest Technologies for the Enhancement of Antibody Affinity," Adv Drug Deliv Rev 58:657-70 (2006)) 18 FDA-approved therapeutic antibody products are currently on the market. With many more antibodies in various stages of clinical development, their importance is expected to escalate in the coming years (Holliger et al., "Engineered Antibody Fragments and the Rise of Single Domains," Nat Biotechnol 23:1126-36 (2005); Hoogenboom, H. R., "Selecting and Screening Recombinant Antibody Libraries," Nat Biotechnol 23:1105-16 (2005); Reichert et al., "Monoclonal Antibody Successes in the Clinic," Nat Biotechnol 23:1073-8 (2005); and Hudson et al., "Engineered Antibodies," Nat Med 9:129-34 (2003)). Recently, innovative recombinant DNA techniques, such as chimerization and humanization, have opened the door to molecular reformatting of naturally produced full-length antibodies into smaller synthetic fragments. These formats exhibit many superior biophysical and biochemical properties and can typically be produced more efficiently and economically (Holliger et al., "Engineered Antibody Fragments and the Rise of Single Domains," Nat Biotechnol 23:1126-36 (2005)). One such format, the single-chain variable fragment (scFv), consists of covalently linked variable domains (VH and VL) that retain antigen-binding specificity and offers a more suitable format for expression and protein engineering in bacteria and yeast.
The scFv also shows great promise for binding and inactivating target antigens in an intracellular compartment such as the cytoplasm (Biocca et al., "Expression and Targeting of Intracellular Antibodies in Mammalian Cells," EMBO J 9:101-8 (1990) and Biocca et al., "Intracellular Immunization with Cytosolic Recombinant Antibodies," Biotechnology (N Y) 1:396-9 (1994)). In principle, the binding properties exhibited by monoclonal antibodies in the extracellular environment should be transferable to the inside of a living cell using intracellularly expressed scFvs, commonly referred to as intrabodies. However, despite the promise of intrabodies, cytoplasmic expression of scFvs is generally confronted with difficulties concerning stability, solubility, and aggregation. The primary reason for these difficulties is that the two conserved intradomain disulfide bonds found in scFvs cannot form under the reducing conditions of the cytoplasm. As disulfide bridges are known to contribute ˜5 kcal/mol to the overall stability of an scFv (Frisch et al., "Contribution of the Intramolecular Disulfide Bridge to the Folding Stability of REIv, the Variable Domain of a Human Immunoglobulin Kappa Light Chain," Fold Des 1:431-40 (1996)), lack of disulfide bonds typically results in scFv destabilization (Proba et al., "A Natural Antibody Missing a Cysteine in VH: Consequences for Thermodynamic Stability and Folding," J Mol Biol 265:161-72 (1997)), decreased intracellular solubility (Martineau et al., "Expression of an Antibody Fragment at High Levels in the Bacterial Cytoplasm," J Mol Biol 280:117-27 (1998)), limited half-life (Cattaneo et al., "The Selection of Intracellular Antibodies," Trends Biotechnol 17:115-21 (1999)), and loss of activity (Martineau et al., "Expression of an Antibody Fragment at High Levels in the Bacterial Cytoplasm," J Mol Biol 280:117-27 (1998)). Furthermore, the most commonly used approaches for selecting antibodies in the laboratory, including, for example, cell surface display and phage display, yield scFvs that are typically non-functional in the reducing cytoplasm (Visintin et al, "Selection of Antibodies for Intracellular Function Using a Two-Hybrid in vivo System," Proc Natl Aced Sci USA 96:11723-8 (1999)) likely due to the fact that the expression and isolation process occurs under non-reducing conditions.
Plückthun and coworkers elegantly demonstrated that in vitro ribosome display (Hanes et al., "In vitro Selection and Evolution of Functional Proteins by Using Ribosome Display," Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:4937-42 (1997) and Mattheakis et al., "An in vitro Polysome Display System for Identifying Ligands from Very Large Peptide Libraries," Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:9022-6 (1994)), whereby stabilized antibody, ribosome, and mRNA (ARM) complexes are generated entirely in vitro, can be used for isolating scFvs that are stable under reducing conditions. This was achieved simply by altering the redox potential of the buffer in which the folding of the displayed protein occurred (Jermutus et al., "Tailoring in vitro Evolution for Protein Affinity or Stability," Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:75-80 (2001)). However, this strategy required five rounds of mutagenesis and selection. Furthermore, numerous successes notwithstanding (Lipovsek et al., "In vitro Protein Evolution by Ribosome Display and mRNA Display," J Immunol Methods 290:51-67 (2004)), in vitro ribosome display can be limited in usefulness, because: (i) efficient in vitro translation and stalling can be technically challenging; (ii) concentrations of cellular factors that may be required for efficient scFv folding differ from concentrations found in vivo; and (iii) in vivo verification is ultimately needed to ensure that any functional improvements discovered in vitro are reproducible inside host cells, where the scFv will be expressed for either in vivo applications or for manufacturing.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.

Protein discovery using intracellular ribosome display


A mechanical seal construction having an annular face ring, preferably of hard material such as tungsten or silicon carbide, interference fitted within an annular flange formed on a seal ring. One of the face and seal rings is undercut so that the effective holding force between the flange and the face ring, as created by the interference fit, acts effectively only at, or at least adjacent, the central transverse plane of the face ring to substantially prevent distortion of the face ring. The inner end face of the face ring is axially spaced from the opposed end face on the seal ring, so that the face ring is supported on and engaged with the seal ring solely by the engagement therebetween substantially along the central transverse plane.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,689, assigned to Durametallic Corporation, discloses a mechanical seal construction employing an improved mounting arrangement for securing a face ring to a seal ring. As disclosed in this patent, the face ring is press fit into an annular recess formed at one end of the seal ring so that the face ring seats against an end surface of the seal ring. The seal ring has an annular axially-projecting flange which surrounds the external cylindrical periphery of the seal ring, which flange is suitably undercut to create an interference fit with the periphery of the face ring substantially at the central transverse plane thereof. This mounting arrangement minimizes twisting distortion of the face ring which, due to its construction from a hard and wear resistant material such as tungsten carbide, must be maintained in a substantialy nondistorted condition so that the flatness of the front seal face will be maintained.
The improved mounting arrangement of the aforesaid patent has proven highly successful in minimizing or at least reducing leakage past the relatively rotatable seal faces, particularly under conditions wherein the seal construction is used with low temperature fluids and the seal construction is of rather small diameter. However, under operating conditions wherein the seal construction is exposed to higher temperature fluids in the order of 350.degree. to 400.degree. F., or above, it has been observed that mounting the face ring in the manner disclosed by the aforesaid patent still results in twisting distortion of the face ring, and hence the flatness of the seal face is sufficiently destroyed as to permit undesired and sometimes unacceptable leakage between the relatively rotatable seal faces. Further, many industries are presently attempting to utilize mechanical seal contructions on larger pumps and the like used for handling high temperature fluids, and this in turn requires larger diameter seals. This has been observed to still further increase the amount of leakage between the seal faces, particularly when exposed to a high temperature fluid.
In addition to the problem of leakage across the seal faces, the industry trend toward utilizing larger seals under high temperature conditions has also resulted in many of these mechanical seal constructions being modified so as to incorporate a metal bellows in association therewith, inasmuch as such bellows is able to withstand both the high temperatures and the corrosive or chemical characteristics of the fluids without being degraded. Incorporation of a metal bellows into the mechanical seal construction, however, creates additional problems due to the fixation (as by welding) of the bellows to the seal ring, thereby making mounting of the face ring to the seal ring a more difficult endeavor.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanical seal construction employing an improved mounting between the face and seal rings, which mounting still creates an interference fit therebetween but substantially eliminates undesired distortion of the face ring, particularly when the seal construction is utilized with high temperature fluids and/or is of large diameter, so as to greatly minimize any leakage past the relatively rotatable seal faces.
A further object is to provide an improved seal construction, as aforesaid, wherein the interference fit between the seal and face rings results in the seal ring applying a radial holding force to the face ring substantially within the central transverse plane thereof to prevent imposition of distortion-causing moments on the face ring, which holding force defines the sole support and engagement between the face and seal rings.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide an improved seal construction, as aforesaid, wherein the seal ring has an annular flange surrounding at least a portion of the face ring, with the inner end of either the flange or face ring being undercut so that the flange engages the face ring substantially at, but only at, the central transverse plane thereof to thus impose a holding force on the face ring substantially only at, or at least adjacent, said plane, irrespective of the deflection of the flange as caused by the interference-fit engagement of the face ring within the flange. The inner axial end of the face ring is maintained spaced from, and hence not engaged with, the opposed end face on the seal ring to prevent the latter from imposing any distortion-causing moments on the face ring due to differential thermal expansion and/or residual contact or mounting stresses.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved seal construction, as aforesaid, wherein the seal ring has a metal bellows fixedly joined to the end thereof opposite the face ring, and wherein the seal ring is also provided with internal and external tool-receiving grooves to facilitate the secure support of the seal ring to permit removal and replacement of a damaged face ring.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
The objects and purposes of the invention are met by providing an improved mechanical seal construction for sealing a shaft which is relatively rotatable with respect to a wall. The seal construction has a first annular element which is nonrotatably secured relative to the wall, and a second annular element which is nonrotatably mounted relative to the shaft, these elements having opposed seal faces which are resiliently urged into sealing and rotatable sliding engagement with each other. One of the annular elements includes a seal ring having holding structure associated therewith for nonrotatably mounting a face ring by means of an interference fit. The holding structure includes an annular flange which projects axially from one end of the seal ring and defines an annular recess into which the face ring is interference fitted. The flange and face ring have an annular clearance therebetween adjacent the inner ends thereof, so that the flange exerts a radially inwardly-directed holding force around the periphery of the face ring, which holding force is disposed substantially within the central plane of the face ring. The inner end of the face ring is also axially spaced from the opposed end surface on the seal ring, whereby the face ring is supported on and engaged with the seal ring solely by the flange and the holding force imposed substantially along the central plane.

Mechanical seal with improved face ring mounting


The present invention relates to a method for stabilizing beverage fountain syrups having a dispersed oil phase consisting essentially of incorporating into said syrups from about 0.02% to about 0.3% of a stabilizer which is xanthan gum.. The present invention further relates to beverage fountain syrup compositions, preferably dilute juice beverage fountain syrup compositions, comprising:. a) from about 0.02% to about 0.3% of a stabilizer which is xanthan gum; PA0 b) from about 0.2% to about 3% oil: PA0 c) from about 0.2% to about 10% of an emulsifier which is a modified food starch; PA0 d) an effective amount of a flavor component: PA0 e) an effective amount of sweetener; and PA0 f) from about 30% to about 70% water;. wherein said syrup has a Brix value of from about 30.degree. to about 70.degree. ; and a modified food starch to oil ratio of from about 0.1 to about 4.

Beverage fountain syrups are concentrated forms of beverages which can be diluted with water or carbonated water to form a single strength, ready-to-serve beverage. Beverage fountain syrups are typically utilized by fast food and restaurant retail establishments. The public is most familiar with the carbonated cola beverages that are dispensed via "soda" fountains.
Currently health consciousness or awareness by the public has increased the demand for the availability of fruit and botanical juice beverages. Particularly, parents prefer juice beverages over carbonated cola beverages for their children.
Juice beverages, such as the dilute juice beverage SUNNY DELIGHT.TM., heretofore have not been readily available in fast food and restaurant retail establishments except in bottled or canned ready to drink forms. There is a need for juice beverages and particularly dilute juice beverages to be supplied in a beverage fountain syrup form which can be readily utilized in fountain machines.
Generally, single strength dilute juice beverages comprise a dispersed oil phase (sometimes referred to as an oil cloud). In single strength beverages which comprise an oil phase, thickener combinations, such as the combination of carboxymethylcellulose and xanthan gum, have been used to stabilize the oil phase, i.e., to keep the oil form separating. PCT Application No. 9308704, Bunger et al., published May 13, 1993, discloses a beverage thickener system comprising propylene glycol alginate, xanthan gum and guar gum. The thickener system provides for stable oil-in-water emulsions in beverages.
It has been discovered that in fountain syrups of dilute juice beverages having from 0.29% to about, high Brix value (generally from about 30.degree. to about 70.degree. ), and no thickener, oil will separate from the syrup and rise to the top within a few days. Fountain syrups of dilute juice beverages having only carboxymethylcellulose or guar gum as the thickener show poor stability and separation of the oil phase occurs generally within about 35 days. Surprisingly, thickener systems that have been used for single strength beverages, and particularly dilute juice beverages, such as carboxymethyl cellulose/xanthan gum or propylene glycol alginate/guar gum/xanthan gum have also shown poor stability such that separation of the oil begins visible separation generally within from about 24 to about 70 days at 70.degree. F. (21.degree. C.). In addition to providing poor stability of the oil phases, these conventional thickener systems can cause significant increases in the viscosities of the beverage fountain syrups which can hinder the ability of the fountain syrups to be pumped through a typical fountain machine resulting in a viscosity of greater than about 250 centipoise at 51 sec.sup.-1 shear rate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a method for stabilizing the oil phase of beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, having a high Brix value.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, which exhibit stability of the oil phase, i.e. no visible separation of the oil phase, for at least about 90 days, preferably at least about 120 days and most preferably equal to or greater than about 140 days at about 21.degree. C. Further, it is an object that the beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, have good pumpability.

Stable beverage fountain syrups containing oil phase and method of stabilizing fountain syrup oil phase


The present invention is concerned with a magnetic recording apparatus, such as a video tape recorder, in which the recording circuit, provided with an amplifier connected to a magnetic head, is provided on the side of a rotary head drum. The record control signals for controlling the recording circuit are indicated by serial data and data enable signals indicating the data start and data end points of the serial data. The edge pulses of sync clocks of the serial data are gated by the data enable signals and connected to the serial data, and the transmission mode signals indicating the start and the end of the transmission are further annexed to serial transmission data to form serial control signals, which are then serially transmitted as record control signals from outside of the rotary head drum to the side of the rotary head drum from outside the rotary head drum for simplifying the transmission system for the record control signals.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for transmitting record control signals to a recording circuit of a magnetic recording apparatus, in which the recording circuit provided with an amplifier connected to a magnetic head is provided on the side of a rotary head drum, and a record control circuit for controlling the operation of the recording circuit. The present invention may be applied to, for example, a video tape recorder provided with a rotary head drum.
2. Prior Art
In some of the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder, provided with a rotary head drum, a recording amplifier and a reproducing amplifier or the like are provided within the rotary head drum in consideration that otherwise the frequency response or transmission efficiency by a rotary transformer provided between the magnetic head provided in the rotary head drum and the recording processing or reproducing processing circuit on the side of a fixed substrate may be lowered. In the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus in which the recording amplifier, the reproducing amplifier and the like are provided in the rotary head drum, various control signals are transmitted with the aid of, for example, a slip ring device or an optical transmission system for performing switching control of the recording head within the rotary head drum, on-off control of the recording current and switching control of the reproducing head from outside the rotary head drum.
By way of illustration, FIG. 1 shows a recording system for a four channel digital video tape recorder in which a recording circuit 103 provided with four channel recording amplifiers (102A), (102B), (102C) and (102D) is provided on the rotary head drum side. These recording amplifiers amplify recording signals REC.A.sub.CH DATA, REC.B.sub.CH DATA, REC. C.sub.CH DATA and REC.D.sub.CH DATA for respective channels, transmitted from outside via a rotary transformer 100 as four channel recording signals REC.DATA, and supply the amplified signals to recording heads 101A, 101B, 101C and 101D for respective channels. In such recording system, there is provided a four-channel digital to analog (D/A) converter 104 in a recording circuit 103 on the rotary head drum side for forming gain control data CNT.A.sub.CH, CNT.B.sub.CH, CNT.C.sub.CH and CNT.D.sub.CH to perform channel-wise gain control of the recording amplifiers 102A, 102B, 102C and 102D. In this recording system, the gain control data CNT.A.sub.CH, CNT.B.sub.CH, CNT.C.sub.CH and CNT.D.sub.CH as well as data indicated by serial data D/A DATA, sync clock D/A CK and control signals D/A ENABLE therefor are transmitted from outside the rotary head drum to the rotary head drum side by way of transmission lines 105, 106, 107 provided in a slip ring device 108 to activate the D/A converter 104 on the basis of the sync clocks D/A CK and control signals D/A ENABLE to form the gain control data CNT.A.sub.CH, CNT.B.sub.CH, CNT.C.sub.CH and CNT.D.sub.CH from the data D/A DATA at the D/A converter 104 to perform gain control of each of the recording amplifiers 102A, 102B, 102C and 102D to effect recording control for each of the respective channels.
In general, in a serial data transmission system, when serial data are received at the receiving side by D-flipflop or shift register, there are required clocks synchronized with these serial data or control signals indicating the start and stop points for the serial data. Thus the transmission line 105 for the serial data D/A DATA, the transmission line 106 for the sync clocks D/A CK and the transmission line 107 for the control signals D/A ENABLE are provided in parallel, as in the above mentioned recording system.
In a so-called self-clock type transmission system in which clock signals are superimposed on the transmitted serial data, as shown in FIG. 2, a clock generator 110 by a phase locked loop (PLL) made up of a phase comparator 111 and a voltage controlled oscillator 112 is provided at the receiving side and the data edge phase of the serial data DATA transmitted from the transmitting side over a transmission line 120 is compared with the oscillating phase of the voltage controlled oscillator 112 at the phase comparator 111 to control the oscillating frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator 112 to form the sync clocks CK for the serial data DATA at the clock generator 110. These sync clocks CK are supplied to a clock input terminal of the D-flipflop 115 on the receiving side, while the serial data DATA are supplied to a data input terminal of the D-flipflop 115.
Heretofore, in a magnetic recording apparatus in which a recording circuit provided with an amplifier connected to the magnetic head is provided on the rotary head drum side, when the record control signals controlling the recording circuit are indicated by the serial data and data enable signals indicating data start and data end points of the serial data and these serial data and data enable signals are serially transmitted simultaneously with the sync clocks therefore, the serial data, data enable signals and the sync clocks are transmitted from outside the rotary head drum towards the rotary head drum over respective separate transmission lines, so that, with the use of ship ring devices as a transmission line, it is necessary to provide multistage slip ring devices, which in turn prove to be a hindrance to the reduction in size of the magnetic recording apparatus. The multistage slip ring devices are also inconvenient in that the torque of the drum motor adapted to cause rotation of the rotary head drum is thereby affected adversely and in that the S/N ratio is also lowered due to occasionally produced shaft oscillations.
Although the number of stages of the slip ring devices may be reduced by transmitting the serial data indicating the record control signals simultaneously with the sync clocks superimposed thereon, it is necessary in this case to provide the PLL type clock generator as described above on the receiving or rotary head drum side, so that a rather wide space need be set aside for this clock generator.

Method for transmitting record control signals and record control circuit


A new style of a compact case for cosmetics and a powder puff is provided with a smooth outer surface without protruding portions. Due to the soft and elastic front structure connected to the latching device, it is convenient and easy to open and close simply by pressing the front surface of the circumference frame. A structure of a compact case comprises the following components: a cylindrically-shaped lower case (40) integrally formed with a recessed axle-bearing portion (41) for mounting a hinge axle, a cylindrically-shaped cover (10) integrally formed with a hook at the front portion and a projected hinge (11) at the rear portion for rotatably mounting to the recessed axle-bearing portion (41) through the hinge axle, a circumferential, cylindrically-shaped external frame (30) with a soft, elastic front portion for releasing the hook by pressing the front external surface, the circumferential external frame (30) disposed between the lower case (40) and the cover (10), a latching slot (31) located on an arcuated segment (31a) of the circumferential external frame (30) for latching the hook, and an inner liner (20) formed with a cylindrically-shaped lateral skirt and a disk-shaped flange (21) at the top surface and inserted inside of the circumferential external frame (30).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a compact case comprising a cover integrally formed with a latch at the front portion and a built-in hinge at the opposite side, a circumferential outer frame formed with a latching slot and a hinge mount at the opposite side, a guide liner for filling with cosmetic materials, and a bottom base integrally formed with a hinge at the rear side. More particularly, the present compact case is provided with smooth external features without any protruding portions, and an elastic outer frame that easily may be opened and closed simply by pressing the front of the outer circumferential frame.
2. Related Prior Art
A conventional compact case is generally configured with a compartment of the main body for filling with cosmetic materials and a powder puff, and a cover equipped with a mirror on the inside as well as a hinge attaching the rear portion of the cover to the main body for rotatably supporting the case.
A latching device formed in the front portion of the main body and the cover is essential for latching the compact case. There are various structures of latching devices introduced and currently used. However, most conventional latching devices and hinges protrude from the compact cases.
As shown in FIG. 1, the structure of a conventional compact case usually consists of a lower main body (2) for filling with cosmetic materials, a cover (4) being operable for opening and closing, with a hinge attached to the main body (2) and the cover at its rear end. In addition, an inner liner (6) is provided inside of the main body (2) for filling with cosmetic materials and a powder puff (5).
Most conventional compact cases have a dent (2a) and hook (4a) structure for locking and opening the cover (4). Usually, the dent (2a) and hook (4a) are disposed at the edge of the main body (2) and cover, (4) respectively, for engaging each other.
Such a structure must be provided with an additional opening device such as a push button to separate the dent (2a) and hook (4a). Otherwise, a user has to push the cover (4) upward while grasping the main body (2), or place her fingertip between the main body (2) and the cover (4) in order to open the case.
However, it is not convenient to open the cover (4) by pushing and grasping the case or by placing a finger between the main body (2) and the cover (4), as is necessary in dent (2a) and hook (4a) structures. Although a push button device is easy to operate, it presents many problems in assembly and durability.
Further, the dent (2a) and hook (4a) may inadvertently become separated by external impact, causing the case to open and cosmetics to spill from the case into the user's handbag.
Furthermore, protruding parts, such as a hinge system and latching device of the compact case, may cause damage to the handbag or to expensive jewelry in the handbag.


Proposed is a system and a method for a parametric risk transfer system based on automated location-dependent probabilistic tropical storm risk and storm impact forecast, wherein weather measuring parameters of weather events are measured by means of a plurality of delocalized distributed weather flow stations and transmitted to a central system, and wherein the measured weather measuring parameters at least comprise measuring parameters of wind speed and/or maximum wind speed within a predefined time frame. A spatial high-resolution grid comprising grid cells is generated over a geographical area of interest, and a wind field profile is dynamically generated, wherein by triggering an indexed wind field parameter of the wind field profile exceeding a predefined trigger, an output activation signal is generated based on the wind field parameter and transmitted to an associated activation device, wherein the operation of the activation device is steered by the transmitted output activation signal.

Today, an appropriate automated storm rating system, and specifically an automated, self-sufficient parametric risk-transfer system based on automated recognized or measured storm risk exposures, is painfully lacking. For many countries, with specific topological structural conditions or geographic realities, already providing a technically correct storm rating or measure of storm risk exposure is technically nearly impossible. A glance at the loss history shows that economic losses caused by storms, in particular tropical storms, are as high or higher than those of earthquakes, floods and other perils. For most of these other perils, there are already various rating, forecast, and prediction systems allowing technically the automated risk-transfer by means of appropriately realized self-sufficient risk-transfer systems. Large amounts of money, industrial power and time are lost due to storm events. Additionally, with the trend of increasing risk transfer penetration for storms, the insurance industry and re-insurance industry as well as the countries and its population is affected ever more by storm losses. To extend storm rating and forecasting to detailed predictions and impact measurements, however, the threat of immense quantities of data must be addressed. This is done through completely new concepts on the hazard event side as well as on the system and/or method side.
Storms, and in particular tropical storms such as cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons, etc., cause severe damage in various parts of the world at regular intervals. Climate change has worsened the situation considerably, causing a wide variety of technical problems, inter alia for precise forecasting systems and adequately signaled intervention systems for physical or monetary intervention to at least mitigate the problems in-situ. Sophisticated forecast systems are the most important technical means to face and mitigate such potential future events in advance. Such systems impact preventive measures and systems, such as steering and initiating fortification measures, actual measures during the occurrence, such as controlling, timing, and steering intervention means, signaling and alarm systems, and finally controlling and steering measures following such a storm event.
In particular, the examples given in this document address storms and tropical storms, whereas specific types of tropical storms such as cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, etc. can be treated in the same manner. Hurricanes are the most severe category of the meteorological phenomenon known as the "tropical cyclone." Hurricanes, like all tropical cyclones, include a pre-existing weather disturbance, warm tropical oceans, moisture, and relatively light winds aloft. If the right conditions persist long enough, they can combine to produce the violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rains and floods associated with this phenomenon. Thus, the formation of a tropical cyclone and its growth into a hurricane, for example, requires: 1) a pre-existing weather disturbance; 2) ocean temperatures of at least 26° C. to a depth of about 45 m; and 3) winds that are relatively light throughout the depth of the atmosphere (low wind shear). Typically, tropical storms and hurricanes weaken when their sources of heat and moisture are cut off (as happens when they move over land) or when they encounter strong wind shear. However, a weakening hurricane can reintensify if it moves into a more favorable region. The remnants of a land falling hurricane can still cause considerable damage. Each year, an average of ten tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Many of these remain over the ocean. Six of these storms become hurricanes each year. In an average 3-year period, roughly five hurricanes strike the United States coastline, for instance, killing approximately 50 to 100 people anywhere from Texas to Maine. Of these, two are typically major hurricanes (wind speeds exceeding 110 mph).
However, it is technically difficult, if not impossible, to predict the occurrence of such weather events over the long term and furthermore to forecast and in-depth rate their actual localized impact on the ground. Even with a detailed wind field map, which can not be provided by prior art systems on an aggregated high-resolution grid level for definable territories or counties, the path or movement of an existing storm can also be difficult to predict over a period of hours or days. As an example, consider storm Isaac (AL092012), which lasted from Aug. 21 to Sep. 1, 2012. Isaac was a tropical storm, which became a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, just a few hours before landfall in southeastern Louisiana. The tropical cyclone produced heavy rainfall and inland flooding across portions of the Caribbean as it moved through the Lesser Antilles, and it made landfalls along southwestern Haiti and eastern Cuba. Isaac became a large tropical cyclone and caused an extensive storm surge and inland flooding over southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana. Isaac is estimated to be directly responsible for 34 deaths, including 24 in Haiti, 5 in the Dominican Republic, and 5 in the United States.
To illustrate the technical problems associated with forecasting and impact rating systems for tropical storms, the synoptic history of Isaac provided below may be useful. It first bears mentioning that one of the problems that comes with capturing and forecasting the development of tropical storms such as Isaac is caused by the finite nature and structure of automated electronically produced systems. Isaac originated from a tropical turbulent flow that moved off the coast of Africa on August 16. A broad area of low pressure developed along the tropical turbulent flow axis south of the Cape Verde Islands on August 17th, but did not develop a well-defined center of circulation until 1200 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on August 20 over the central tropical Atlantic. Deep convection became sufficiently organized near the center of the structural low for the system to be classified as a tropical depression at 0600 UTC August 21, when it was centered about 625 n mi east of the Lesser Antilles. The depression strengthened and became a tropical storm 12 hours later, about 450 n ml east of the Lesser Antilles. Isaac's path is illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a diagram schematically illustrating tracking positions of Hurricane Isaac from Aug. 21-Sep. 1, 2012 provided by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Table 1 gives an overview of the tracked positions and intensities.
TABLE 1tracking for Hurricane Isaac, Aug. 21-Sep. 1, 2012Date/Wind TimeLatitudeLongitudePressureSpeed(UTC)(°N)(°W)(mb)(kt)Stage20/120015.744.8101025Low20/180015.646.8100930″21/000015.248.5100830″21/060014.950.1100730tropical depression21/120015.051.6100630″21/180015.253.1100535tropical storm22/000015.454.8100440″22/060015.756.6100345″22/120015.958.6100445″22/180016.160.4100445″23/000015.762.0100445″23/060015.063.4100445″23/120015.165.0100345″23/180015.666.4100345″24/000015.767.8100245″24/060015.469.199845″24/120015.770.499550″24/180016.671.299355″25/000017.371.899255″25/060018.372.799155″25/120019.673.999750″25/180020.875.299750″26/000021.876.799750″26/060022.778.399555″26/120023.480.099555″26/180023.781.499250″27/000024.282.699050″27/060025.083.698950″27/120015.770.499555″27/180016.671.299360″28/000017.371.899260″28/060018.372.799160″28/120019.673.999765hurricane28/180020.875.299770″29/000021.876.799770″29/030022.778.399570″29/060023.480.099570″29/120023.781.499265″29/180024.282.699060tropical storm30/000025.083.698955″30/060025.784.798755″30/120026.385.798245″30/180026.886.797935″31/000027.487.697830tropical depression31/060028.088.397525″31/120028.688.897220″31/180028.989.496720″01/000029.089.796520″01/060029.190.096620″01/1200dissipated29/030029.089.796570minimum pressure25/060018.372.799155landfall nearJacmel, Haiti25/150020.174.599750landfall near Cajobabo,Guantánamo, Cuba landfall at Southwest29/000028.989.496770Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River29/080029.290.296670landfall near PortFourchon, Louisiana
The boundary conditions and influences on the path and wind fields of storms, in particular tropical storms, are complex and technically difficult to capture. Continuing the above example, a strong deep-layer subtropical ridge over the western Atlantic caused Isaac to move quickly westward at 15 to 20 kt for the next two days. The center of the tropical storm moved through the Leeward Islands between the islands of Guadeloupe and Dominica between 1800 UTC August 22 and 0000 UTC August 23, but the strongest winds were located well to the north of the center, spreading across the northern Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands. Isaac continued generally westward over the eastern Caribbean Sea until early on August 24, and aircraft and satellite data indicated that the structure of the cyclone became less organized when the low-level center reformed farther south and the circulation became more tilted. Nonetheless, Isaac strengthened to an intensity of 55 kt on August 24, when it turned northwestward toward Hispaniola. The structure of the cyclone began to improve with the formation of a more developed inner core and the first hints of an eye just before Isaac made landfall on the southern coast of Haiti, near the city of Jacmel, around 0600 UTC on August 25. The center of Isaac quickly traversed the narrow southwestern peninsula of Haiti, and the cyclone weakened slightly when the circulation interacted with the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola. Isaac continued northwestward over the Gulf of Gonâve during the early morning hours of August 25 and moved just south of the Windward Passage, making landfall along the southeastern coast of Cuba near Cajobabo, Guantánamo, around 1500 UTC with maximum winds of 50 kt. The center emerged from the northern coast of Cuba into the Atlantic near Rafael Freyre, Holguin, around 2015 UTC. Isaac grew in size during its passage across Haiti and Cuba, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 180 n mi to the north of the center across the Turks and Caicos Islands and most of the Bahamas.
After emerging over the Atlantic, Isaac turned west-northwestward and moved faster on August 26 between a large deep-layer low over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and a midtropospheric ridge over the western Atlantic. Isaac had maximum sustained winds of 50 kt while the center moved parallel to the northern coast of Cuba toward the Straits of Florida, passing south of the Florida Keys later in the day. Tropical storm-force winds, especially in gusts, affected the Florida Keys and South Florida in rain bands that moved across the area for much of the day. Isaac entered the southeastern Gulf of Mexico early on August 27, moving more slowly toward the west-northwest and northwest as it reached the southwestern periphery of the subtropical ridge. The wind field remained large, and microwave data indicated that deep convection became more organized in a ring around the center of circulation. Isaac gradually strengthened while moving across the Gulf of Mexico and became a hurricane around 1200 UTC on August 28 while centered about 75 n mi southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. A midlevel blocking ridge to the northwest of the hurricane caused Isaac to slow down considerably while it approached the coast of Louisiana, which prolonged the strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rains along the northern Gulf coast. Isaac made its first landfall along the coast of Louisiana at Southwest Pass on the mouth of the Mississippi River around 0000 UTC on August 29 with maximum sustained winds of 70 kt. The center then wobbled westward back over water and made a second landfall just west of Port Fourchon, La., around 0800 UTC on August 29. Isaac gradually weakened once it moved inland over southeastern Louisiana, and it became a tropical storm at 1800 UTC on August 29, when the center was located about 35 n mi west-southwest of New Orleans. A mid-level anticyclone over the southeastern United States steered Isaac northwestward across Louisiana on August 30, and the cyclone weakened to a tropical depression around 0000 UTC on August 31, just after crossing into southern Arkansas. The depression turned northward and moved into extreme southwestern Missouri later on August 31. The center of circulation then lost its definition over western Missouri early on September 1, and Isaac dissipated just after 0600 UTC about 55 n mi west-southwest of Jefferson City, Mo. The remnants of Isaac moved northeastward and eastward across Missouri and Illinois, producing several tornadoes across the Mississippi River Valley later on September 1.
In prior art systems, such tracking may for example include subjective satellite-based Dvorak technique intensity estimates, for instance from the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) and the Satellite Analysis Branch (SAB), and/or objective Dvorak estimates from the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies/University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-CIMSS). Other data and images, as shown by FIG. 2, are for example available from NOAA polar-orbiting satellites including the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Aqua, the European Space Agency's Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), the Naval Research Laboratory WindSat, and/or Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites, which can, inter alia, be also useful in constructing an existing track, such as Isaac's track. Another type of data is available from Aircraft observation and measurements including flight-level, stepped frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR), and dropwindsonde observations from flights as for example of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command and/or flights of the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) WP-3D aircraft. In the case of Isaac, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the NOAA AOC G-IV aircraft for example flew respective synoptic surveillance flights around Isaac. Further, national weather services, such as WSR-88D Doppler radar data from San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, Fla.; Key West, Fla.; and Slidell, La., can be used to make center fixes and obtain velocity data to track storms, if they are near the coast. Météo-France radar data from Guadeloupe and Martinique, for example, as well as radar data from the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba, for example, can also help to track the center of a tropical storm. Finally, another source of data can be found in ship reports of tropical storm force winds associated with the tropical storm and/or selected surface observations from land stations and data buoys.
Wind and pressures are important parameters for tropical storms. In the above example of Isaac, Isaac's analyzed strengthening to a tropical storm is based on a measured 1500-ft flight level wind of 44 kt at 1843 UTC on August 21, which suggests maximum surface winds of about 35 kt, and on bias-adjusted SFMR estimates of about 35 kt between 1800 and 2000 UTC on August 21. Measurements and estimations of the intensity of tropical storms are complex. Typically, there is a great discrepancy between the flight level and surface estimates, and for example the likelihood that an adjustment of the SFMR estimates does fully account for the peak in rain rates, moreover, when the tropical storm moved across an island or land. The large wind field of a tropical storm can lead to extensive storm surge flooding. In the case of Isaac, Isaac for instance impacted extensive storm surge flooding along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, especially in southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The highest storm surge measured by a NOS tide gauge was 11.03 ft above normal tide levels at Shell Beach, La., on the southern end of Lake Borgne. A storm surge of 6.69 ft was measured at Pilottown, La., near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and a surge of 6.35 ft was observed in New Orleans at New Canal Station on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. In Mississippi, a storm surge of 8.00 ft was measured by the NOS gauge at the Bay Waveland Yacht Club. Farther east, a storm surge of 4.63 ft was measured in Mobile Bay, Ala., at the Coast Guard Sector Mobile facility. Further, the inundation levels of tropical storms, typically expressed above ground level, can be prevalent near the immediate coast, lakeshore, or levee systems due to the storm tide.
One of the most fundamental problems of the prior art system is that there is no such thing as a true measure of a storm. One impressive example can be given by hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh named storm and fifth hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. The storm is currently ranked as the third most intense United States land-falling tropical cyclone, behind only the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and Hurricane Camille in 1969. The problem was that when hurricane Katrina surged towards New Orleans, people faced the prospect of abandoning their homes to find shelter. Those worst affected were some of the city's most vulnerable citizens, the poor and the elderly, parents with young children, people without cars, and people living in flood-prone areas. Yet Katrina, which was in fact a category 5 storm, was demoted to a category 3 by the time it hit land. However, the forecasting and rating systems were mistaken, since the category rating of the hurricane was not the best measure of the raw destructive power of the storm. So many people, governments and industries did not take the right measures to prevent the catastrophe. As a result of the forecasting systems not correctly capturing the impact of the tropical storm, at least 1,833 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods, making it the deadliest United States hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Total property damage was estimated at $108 billion (2005 USD), roughly four times the damage wrought by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Later, Hurricane Ike in 2008 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused more damage than Hurricane Andrew, but both were far less destructive than Katrina. The hurricane Katrina surge protection failures in New Orleans are considered the worst civil engineering disaster in U.S. history and prompted a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the designers and builders of the levee system as mandated by the Flood Control Act of 1965.
In the prior art systems, in particular in the western hemisphere, hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson scale, an empirical measure of storm intensity. To trigger a storm's category rating, the systems measure the highest speed sustained by a gust of wind for an entire minute. The wind's speed is measured at a height of 10 meters because wind speeds increase in relation to the height where they are measured, and it is typically in the vicinity of 10 meters that storms do the most damage. Based on how large this maximum speed is, a storm is assigned in the Saffir-Simpson rating to one of five different categories. The following table 2 shows the Saffir-Simpson rating system.
TABLE 2Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scaleCategoryWind speedSaffir-Simpson rating systemFive≥70 m/s, ≥137 knots≥157 mph, ≥252 km/hFour58-70 m/s, 113-136 knots130-156 mph, 209-251 km/hThree50-58 m/s, 96-112 knots111-129 mph, 178-208 km/hTwo43-49 m/s, 83-95 knots96-110 mph, 154-177 km/hOne33-42 m/s, 64-82 knots74-95 mph, 119-153 km/hFurther important classificationsTropical storm18-32 m/s, 34-63 knots111-129 mph, 63-118 km/hTropical depression≤17 m/s, ≤33 knots≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SS-Scale) system allows a rough estimation of possible impacts of a tropical storm. As seen above, the SS-scale defines hurricane intensify by categories. A Category 1 storm is the weakest hurricane (winds 64-82 kt); a Category 5 hurricane is the strongest (winds exceeding 135 kt). With respect to the damage caused, it can be said that typically, Category 1 storms with winds between 64-82 kt can normally cause no real damage to building structures. Damage is primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery and trees. There can be also be some coastal flooding and minor pier damage. Category 2 storms with winds between 83-95 kt can normally cause some roofing material, door and window damage. There can also be considerable damage to vegetation, mobile homes, etc., or flooding damages piers and small craft in unprotected moorings may break their moorings. Category 3 storms, with winds between 96-113 kt, can normally cause some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings, with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Mobile homes are destroyed. Also, flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures, while larger structures are damaged by floating debris. Terrain may be flooded well inland. Category 4 storms, with winds between 114-135 kt, can normally cause more extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failure on small residences. There can be also major erosion of beach areas. Terrain may be flooded well inland. Finally, Category 5 storms, with winds of 135+ kt, can normally cause complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. There may be some complete building failures, with small utility buildings blown over or away. Flooding causes major damage to lower floors of all structures near the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas may be required.
The problem with such prior art systems is that they only capture one aspect of a storm's intensity—the highest speed that if can sustain. Not only is it difficult to measure the appropriate peak speed, but different organizations typically come to different conclusions about it, depending on their coverage of the wind data. This number doesn't reveal anything about the size of the storm, or about how the wind speeds are distributed overall. An example can be given by considering the existence of two storms—the first is fierce but more contained, while the second is larger, and though it has lower peak wind speed, these wind speeds are spread over a larger area. The Saffir-Simpson scale would give the first storm a higher score, even though the latter may be more destructive. Based on the rating, people were misled in their expectation about Katrina. Therefore, the rating system based on the SS scale is too simplistic, indicating that the scale takes into account neither the physical size of a storm nor the amount of precipitation it produces. Additionally, the Saffir-Simpson scale-based system, unlike the Richter scale used to measure earthquakes, is not continuous, and is quantized into a small number of categories. Proposed replacement classifications include the Hurricane Intensity Index, which is based on the dynamic pressure caused by a storm's winds, and the Hurricane Hazard Index, which bases itself on surface wind speeds, the radius of maximum winds of the storm, and its translational velocity. Both of these scales are continuous, akin to the Richter scale; however, neither of these scales has been used efficiently up to now.
It is one aim of this invention to provide a reliable, localized measure of a storm. Storms are dangerous because of the energy carried in the moving air. In a storm, strong winds ram into stationary objects, such as trees, buildings, or the surface of the ocean, and impart some of their energy of motion. Some structures can safely absorb this energy, while others will give way. Tropical storms, in particular hurricanes, create a vortex. Vortices are a consequence of the non-linear equations that govern the flow of fluids. In normal situations, these vortices die out, as their energy drains out to the fluid around them. But hurricanes are self-sustaining, fed by evaporating columns of air rising from warm ocean water. Prior art systems, based solely on mathematical simulation, typically fail to model the dynamics of hurricanes adequately. The simulations are complex. On a larger scale, they have to capture the flow of the atmosphere that is responsible for steering the hurricane. On a finer scale, they have to capture the interactions near the core that give the storm its strength. Normally, they try to add just enough essential simulation to reproduce the behavior of the storm, while leaving out the details that will make it impossible to run the simulation with available processor power.
Moreover, correctly forecasting a storm, i.e., its local wind speeds, is only half of the problem. The other part is to forecast how destructive it will be. The storms' strength affects other objects, since every object in motion carries a certain amount of energy, known as its kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of an object depends on the square of its speed, and is directly proportional to the mass of the object. More simply put, it can be assumed that the wind energy over the real size of a storm is related to its true destructive potential. What makes this method very different from the SS scale is that different sizes of wind fields, having the same or different wind speeds, must be appropriately additively captured, which is much more than just the peak intensity of a storm. Therefore, the forecasted parameters must at least take into account how the wind speeds are distributed throughout the bulk of a storm. Some prior art forecasting systems, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, try to measure the strength of a storm by using the so-called integrated kinetic energy of the storm at a certain location. However, these systems also fail to predict the impact correctly, since they do not take the local topological background of the structure into account and are necessarily based on simulations, which then face the same technical problems as described above.
Another aspect is, that automated risk transfer systems, such as automated insurance systems, need to develop ways of assessing and parameterizing the risks associated with such weather events, and factoring that knowledge into the pricing of insurance products and the magnitudes and frequencies of damage to expect over time. Information is available for use in this regard in the form of historical data on storms, which have, occurred through the years. Approximately 80 such storms occur worldwide each year. Data is collected for the storms including positional data for the storm path or track, wind speeds, barometric pressures, and other factors. Such storms are best documented in the North Atlantic (i.e., the portion of the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator), where reliable data covering more than 100 years of activity is available. Approximately 10 storms occur in the North Atlantic region on an annual basis. Historical data is also available for cyclones occurring in the Northwest Pacific, where approximately 26 storms occur each year. Suitable data for these Pacific storms is available only for about the last 50 years. Less data is available for storms in other regions. Using all available historical data, information relating to a few hundred storms is available for review by engineers and scientists for appropriate system design. Such information is useful in assessing risks associated with storm damage in the subject areas. However, given the unpredictable nature of storm behavior, and the number of factors influencing such behaviors, the available data set of historical storms is relatively small from a probabilistic viewpoint. Given that this data set will grow by only a relatively small number of storms per year, a problem exists with regard to performing statistical analysis relating to the possibility of a storm occurring in a particular location.
In summary, in the prior art, existing systems are not able to account correctly for the physical size of a storm, the amount of precipitation it produces, and the effective impact on local structures. Further, they cannot provide a true forecasted measure of a storm and impact rating on an aggregated high-resolution grid level for predefined territory cells and/or counties, which can appropriately be used for corresponding alarm systems and means, damage prevention systems, damage protection systems and/or automated risk transfer systems.

Method and system for automated location-dependent recognition of storm risks and exposure-based parametric risk-transfer


The use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) to form a zirconium substituted layer of barium titanium oxide (BaTiO3), produces a reliable ferroelectric structure for use in a variety of electronic devices such as a dielectric in nonvolatile random access memories (NVRAM), tunable dielectrics for multi layer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), infrared sensors and electro-optic modulators. The structure is formed by depositing alternating layers of barium titanate and barium zirconate by ALD on a substrate surface using precursor chemicals, and repeating to form a sequentially deposited interleaved structure of desired thickness and composition. Such a layer may be used as the gate insulator of a MOSFET, or as a capacitor dielectric. The properties of the dielectric may be tuned by adjusting the percentage of zirconium to titanium to optimize properties such as a dielectric constant, Curie point, film polarization, ferroelectric property and a desired relaxor response.

The semiconductor device industry has a continuous market driven need to reduce the size of devices such as transistors. Smaller transistors result in improved operational speed and clock rate, and reduced power requirements in both standby and operational modes. To reduce transistor size, the thickness of the silicon dioxide (SiO2) gate dielectric is reduced in proportion to the shrinkage of the gate length. For example, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) might use a 1.5 nm thick SiO2 gate dielectric for a gate length of less than 100 nm. Such physically thin gate dielectrics may be a potential reliability issue with gate leakage and breakdown problems in upcoming generations of smaller MOSFETs. Small, low power consuming, and more reliable integrated circuits (ICs) will likely be used in products such as processors, mobile telephones, and memory devices such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs).
The semiconductor industry relies on the ability to scale the dimensions of its basic devices, such as the MOSFET, to achieve improved operational speed and power consumption. Device scaling includes scaling the gate dielectric, which has primarily been silicon dioxide (SiO2). A thermally grown amorphous SiO2 layer provides an electrically and thermodynamically stable material, where the interface of the SiO2 layer with underlying silicon provides a high quality interface with superior electrical isolation. However, increased scaling and other requirements in microelectronic devices have created reliability issues as the gate dielectric has become thinner. It has been proposed to form a gate dielectric by the use of materials with higher dielectric constants (k).
The semiconductor memory industry has a need for non volatile memory elements that do not lose the stored information in the memory when power is shut down. One method includes forming electrically floating gates between a control gate and the substrate. However, the need to form multiple levels of gate electrodes increases the cost of manufacture, and the electrically floating gates must be charged and discharged by means of tunneling currents and avalanche currents, which may be slow, require high programming voltages, and may have reliability problems. It has been proposed to use a dielectric material for the gate insulator that is affected by impressed signals.


A solid laser produces a laser beam of a 1 xcexcm wavelength band with an Nd-doped solid laser medium. An oscillation mode is brought to a single longitudinal mode with a Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot etalon located within a resonator. An etalon thickness, an etalon reflectivity, an etalon inclination, and a resonator longitudinal mode interval satisfy the relationships, 1.2%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa615% and 0.5xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa62.0xc2x0, in which RN represents an effective reflectivity of the etalon with respect to wavelengths xcex=xcex0xc2x1xcex94xcexc deviating by a resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc from a resonance wavelength xcex0 of the etalon, and xcex8 represents an inclination of an etalon optical axis with respect to a resonator optical axis.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a solid laser. This invention particularly relates to a solid laser, wherein an etalon is located in a resonator in order to bring an oscillation mode to a single longitudinal mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various solid lasers, which utilize a solid laser medium doped with neodymium (Nd) and produce a laser beam having a wavelength of a 1 xcexcm band (ranging from approximately 1.0 xcexcm to 1.1 xcexcm), have heretofore been proposed. Examples of the solid laser media doped with neodymium (Nd) include Nd:YVO4, Nd:YAG (Y3Al5O12), Nd:YLF (YLiF4), Nd:GdVO4, Nd:YAlO (YAlO3), and Nd:glass. In the solid lasers of such types, a technique is utilized broadly, wherein a Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot type of etalon is located within a resonator in order to bring an oscillation mode to a single longitudinal mode. The solid lasers utilizing the technique described above are described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 5(1993)-218556 and 6(1994)-130328, and 7(1995)-263785. (In this specification, the term xe2x80x9cetalonxe2x80x9d means the Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot type of etalon.)
However, in the conventional single-longitudinal-mode solid lasers, wherein the oscillation mode is brought to the single longitudinal mode by the utilization of the etalon, conditions of the etalon (i.e., the thickness of the etalon, the reflectivity of the etalon, and the inclination of the etalon) and conditions of the resonator (i.e., resonator longitudinal mode intervals), under which good single longitudinal mode characteristics are capable of being obtained, were not clear. Therefore, the problems occur in that, in cases where an etalon, which yields good single longitudinal mode characteristics when being located within a certain resonator, is utilized directly in a different resonator, good single longitudinal mode characteristics cannot be obtained.
Also, the problems occur in that, though good single longitudinal mode characteristics are capable of being obtained, a beam profile becomes bad, and the output becomes low. Thus the conditions of the etalon and the resonator, which simultaneously satisfy the requirements for the single longitudinal mode characteristics, the beam profile, and the output, were not clear.
The inventors conducted extensive research and found that, in cases where each of the thickness of the etalon, the reflectivity of the etalon, and the inclination of the etalon is set at a large value, the single longitudinal mode characteristics become good, but the beam profile becomes bad, and the output becomes low. Also, it was found that, in cases where each of the thickness of the etalon, the reflectivity of the etalon, and the inclination of the etalon is set at a small value, the beam profile becomes good, the output becomes high, but the single longitudinal mode characteristics become bad.
Further, it was found that, in cases where a resonator length is set at a large value (i.e., the resonator longitudinal mode intervals are set to be small), the single longitudinal mode characteristics become bad. Furthermore, it was found that, in cases where the resonator length is set at a small value, the single longitudinal mode characteristics become good, and the beam profile and the output are not much affected by the resonator length.
As for a solid laser, which utilizes Nd:YAG as a solid laser medium and produces a laser beam having a wavelength of a 0.9 xcexcm band, the inventors have already found the conditions of the etalon, under which good, reliable single longitudinal mode characteristics, a good beam profile, and a high output are capable of being obtained simultaneously. The conditions of the etalon are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8(1996)-186316. However, as for the solid laser, which produces a laser beam having a wavelength of the 1 xcexcm band, appropriate conditions of the etalon have not yet been clarified.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a single-longitudinal-mode solid laser, which produces a laser beam having a wavelength of a 1 xcexcm band and which exhibits good, reliable single longitudinal mode characteristics, a good beam profile, and a high output.
The present invention provides a single-longitudinal-mode solid laser capable of producing a laser beam having a wavelength of a 1 xcexcm band, the solid laser comprising:
i) a solid laser medium doped with neodymium,
ii) a resonator, and
iii) a Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot type of etalon, which is located within the resonator and brings an oscillation mode to a single longitudinal mode,
wherein a thickness of the etalon, a reflectivity of the etalon, an inclination of the etalon, and a resonator longitudinal mode interval are adjusted so as to satisfy the relationships represented by the formulas:
1.2%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa615% and 0.5xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa62.0xc2x0
in which RN represents an effective reflectivity of the etalon with respect to wavelengths xcex=xcex0xc2x1xcex94xcexc deviating by a resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc from a resonance wavelength xcex0 of the etalon, and xcex8 represents an inclination of an optical axis of the etalon with respect to an optical axis of the resonator.
The single-longitudinal-mode solid laser in accordance with the present invention should preferably be modified such that the thickness of the etalon, the reflectivity of the etalon, the inclination of the etalon, and the resonator longitudinal mode interval are adjusted so as to satisfy the relationships represented by the formulas:
3.0%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa610% and 0.80xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa61.5xc2x0
in which RN represents the effective reflectivity of the etalon, and xcex8 represents the inclination of the optical axis of the etalon with respect to the optical axis of the resonator.
Effects of the single-longitudinal-mode solid laser in accordance with the present invention will be described hereinbelow.
The Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot type of etalon is a wavelength selecting device utilizing multiple interference of light. FIG. 3 is a graph showing relationships among an effective reflectivity of an etalon, an etalon longitudinal mode, and a resonator longitudinal mode. In FIG. 3, a curve xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d indicates the wavelength characteristics of an effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon changes periodically, and the etalon longitudinal mode occurs at points, at which the effective reflectivity Reff becomes equal to 0 at a wavelength interval xcex94xcexe (FSR: free spectral range).
In FIG. 3, a curve xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d indicates a gain spectrum of a solid laser medium. Ordinarily, the resonator longitudinal mode occurs at a plurality of points falling within an oscillation wavelength width W in the gain spectrum. Therefore, in cases where the etalon is not utilized, the laser undergoes oscillation in a multiple longitudinal mode. In cases where the etalon is inserted into the resonator, the loss, to which each of the longitudinal modes of the resonator is subjected, is modulated in accordance with the effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon. Also, oscillation occurs only in the mode, which is subjected to the smallest loss among the plurality of the resonator longitudinal modes falling within the wavelength width W.
In the manner described above, with the etalon, the oscillation mode is brought to the single longitudinal mode. However, heretofore, it was not clear how the loss modulation with the effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon and the inclination of the etalon are to be set in order for all of the three requirements with respect to good, reliable single longitudinal mode characteristics, a good beam profile, and a high output to be satisfied.
The inventors conducted extensive research in order to clarify how the loss modulation with the effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon and the inclination of the etalon are to be set in order for all of the three requirements with respect to good, reliable single longitudinal mode characteristics, a good beam profile, and a high output to be satisfied. It was thus found that all of the three requirements described above are capable of being satisfied in cases where appropriate loss modulation is given by setting the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon with respect to the wavelengths xcex=xcex0xc2x1xcex94xcexc deviating by the resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc from the resonance wavelength xcex0 of the etalon (as illustrated in FIG. 3) so as to fall within a specific range, and in cases where the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon is also set so as to fall within a specific range. As described above, the specific range of the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon is represented by the formula 1.2%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa615%, and should preferably be represented by the formula 3.0%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa610%. Also, the specific range of the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon is represented by the formula 0.5xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa62.0xc2x0, and should preferably be represented by the formula 0.8xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa61.5xc2x0.
How the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon is calculated will be described hereinbelow. Firstly, ordinarily, in accordance with Airy""s Formulae, the effective reflectivity Reff of the etalon may be represented by Formula (1) shown below.                                                                         R                eff                            =                              xe2x80x83                                                                            F                                                        xe2x80x83                                                                                sin                      2                                                                                (                                              δ                        /                        2                                            )                                                                                1                  +                                      F                                                              xe2x80x83                                                                                sin                        2                                                                                (                                                  δ                          /                          2                                                )                                                                                xe2x80x83                                                          F                =                                                      4                                        R                                                                              (                                              1                        -                        R                                            )                                        2                                                                                xe2x80x83                                                          δ                =                                                      4                                        π                                                              xe2x80x83                                                                                n                      e                                                                                l                      e                                                        λ                                                                                (        1        )
wherein R represents the coating reflectivity of the etalon, ne represents the refractive index of the etalon, le represents the thickness of the etalon, and represents the wavelength of light.
Also, the longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexe of the etalon may be represented by Formula (2) shown below.
xcex94xcexe=xcex02/(2nele)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
wherein xcex0 represents the oscillation wavelength of the etalon.
Thereafter, the resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc is calculated in the manner described below. In cases where media (including air) respectively having refractive indexes of n1, n2, n3, n4, . . . stand side by side within the resonator, and the thicknesses of the media are respectively l1, l2, l3, l4, . . . , a resonator optical path length Lopt may be represented by Formula (3) shown below.                               L                      o                                      xe2x80x83                                    p                                      xe2x80x83                                    t                          =                              ∑            i                                                        n              i                                                  l              i                                                          (        3        )
Therefore, the resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc may be represented by Formula (4) shown below.
xcex94xcexc=xcex02/2Loptxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
From Formulas (1), (2), and (4) shown above, the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon with respect to the wavelengths xcex=xcex0xc2x1xcex94xcexc deviating by the resonator longitudinal mode interval xcex94xcexc from the resonance wavelength xcex0 of the etalon may be approximately represented by Formula (5) shown below.                                                                         R                N                            =                              xe2x80x83                                                                            F                                                        xe2x80x83                                                                                sin                      2                                                                                (                                                                        δ                          N                                                /                        2                                            )                                                                                1                  +                                      F                                                              xe2x80x83                                                                                sin                        2                                                                                (                                                                              δ                            N                                                    /                          2                                                )                                                                                xe2x80x83                                                                            δ                  N                                =                                                                            Δ                                                                    xe2x80x83                                                                  λ                                                                    xe2x80x83                                                                  c                                                              Δ                                                                    xe2x80x83                                                                  λ                                                                    xe2x80x83                                                                  e                                                        xc3x97                  2                                                        xe2x80x83                                                      π                                                                                (        5        )
Bases for the value ranges of the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon described above will hereinbelow be described in detail.
(a) Single Longitudinal Mode Characteristics
In the solid laser, in which the oscillation mode is brought to the single longitudinal mode by the utilization of the Fabry-Pxc3xa9rot type of etalon, the resonator temperature is successively changed by 10xc2x0 C., and the rate of the temperature region, in which the oscillation occurs in the single longitudinal mode, is calculated in units of %. The thus calculated rate of the temperature region is taken as an index for the single longitudinal mode characteristics. Basically, the index for the single longitudinal mode characteristics changes as illustrated in FIG. 4 in accordance with the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon.
(b) Output
The laser output, which is obtained when an etalon provided with an anti-reflection (AR) coating layer (RN=0) is inserted into the resonator at an etalon inclination xcex8 approximately equal to 0xc2x0, is taken as 100%. Also, the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon are set at various values, and the laser outputs are measured. The ratios of the thus measured laser outputs to the aforesaid laser output taken as 100% were calculated. FIG. 5 shows how the ratio of the measured laser output changes in accordance with the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon. In the determination of the characteristics, the resonator length was kept at a predetermined value.
(c) Beam Quality
Basically, the beam quality, expressed in terms of the M2 value, changes as illustrated in FIG. 6 in accordance with the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon. In the determination of the characteristics, the resonator length was kept at a predetermined value.
From the characteristics shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, it is capable of being known in what ranges the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon are to be set with respect to arbitrary specifications concerning the single longitudinal mode characteristics, the output, and the beam quality. For example, comparatively loose specifications as shown below:
Single longitudinal mode characteristicsxe2x89xa780%
Outputxe2x89xa730%
M2xe2x89xa61.2
are capable of being accomplished in cases where the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon are set so as to fall within the range hatched in FIG. 7. In such cases, 1.2%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa615% and 0.5xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa62.0xc2x0.
Also, for example, comparatively strict specifications as shown below:
Single longitudinal mode characteristicsxe2x89xa7100%
Outputxe2x89xa750%
M2xe2x89xa61.05
are capable of being accomplished in cases where the effective reflectivity RN of the etalon and the inclination xcex8 of the optical axis of the etalon are set so as to fall within the range hatched in FIG. 8. In such cases, 3.0%xe2x89xa6RNxe2x89xa610% and 0.8xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa61.5xc2x0.


A transfer for the application of a design on textiles, comprising a carrier paper, with a layer of adhesive on the carrier paper, with a design layer, and with, disposed on top of the design layer, a hot glue layer. The carrier paper is rigid in respect of temperature and/or moisture. An interface of separating layer is applied on the design layer in areas which are intended to have an effect other than that of the design layer. Imprinted on the separating layer is an effect layer which acts in a different manner. The separating layer has separating properties with regard to the effect layer. On the effect layer there is a hot glue layer.

Such transfers have a carrier paper, a layer of adhesive on the carrier paper, a design layer for producing an effect on the textile, and a hot glue layer disposed on top of the design layer. Such transfers are disclosed, for instance, in German Offenlegungsschriften Nos. 28 55 711, 28 35 834, 30 15 510 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,929.
The disadvantage with the prior art constructions is that only one effect can be transferred by the transfers. For example, flock can be transferred or a metal coating can be transferred. Therefore, of the originally produced carrier systems, it is possible just to transfer one effect, namely, the effect applied to the carrier system, with any fidelity to the pattern.