The invention relates to methods and devices for the detection of ions in an RF quadrupole ion trap. The invention consists of integrating a detector, such as a secondary-electron multiplier, into the end cap electrode with form and potential fit, thereby avoiding the ion outlet holes in the end caps, which might otherwise lead to field disturbances. Ions that leave the field by mass-selective and mass-sequential ejection using one of the known scan methods are measured when they impact on the end cap electrode. Both positive and negative ions can be measured. In the case of positive ions, it is also possible to measure the ions that impact on the side opposite the detector by means of their secondary electrons.

Ion trap mass spectrometers of the type considered here contain a quadrupole ion trap operated with RF voltage. This ion trap was invented by Paul and Steinwedel, and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,952. It consists of two opposed end cap electrodes and a ring electrode situated between them in the center plane; in its theoretical ideal form, it has hyperboloids of revolution for the end cap and ring electrodes, the hyperbolas having asymptotes which intersect each other with an angle 2=arc tang (1/{square root over (2)}).
Due to the patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,939 (Dawson and Whetten: xe2x80x9cMass-selective storagexe2x80x9d), U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,884 (Stafford, Kelley, Stephens: xe2x80x9cMass-selective instability of ionsxe2x80x9d), US Re 34,000 (Syka, Louris, Kelley, Stafford, Reynolds: xe2x80x9cMass-selective resonance ejectionxe2x80x9d), EP 0 383 961 (Franzen, Gabling, Heinen, Weiss: xe2x80x9cMass-selective ejection by non-linear resonancexe2x80x9d) and GB 2 278 232 or DE 43 16 738 (Franzen: xe2x80x9cMass-selective ejection by superimposition of additional dipole and quadrupole alternating fieldsxe2x80x9d), methods have become known for operating ion traps as mass spectrometers which work with various kinds of mechanism for ejection of the ions one after the other (xe2x80x9cmass-sequentialxe2x80x9d), separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio (xe2x80x9cmass-selectivexe2x80x9d) and which measure the ions by means of a detector fitted outside the ion trap, generally with a secondary-electron multiplier. In these methods, the end cap electrode facing the detector is perforated so that the ions can be ejected.
Mass spectrometry cannot determine the mass of ionsxe2x80x94but only their mass-to-charge ratio, which is termed xe2x80x9cspecific massxe2x80x9d in several places in the Paul and Steinwedel patent. The ions predominantly carry only a small number of elementary charges (mostly only one). In the following, when reference is made to the mass of ions and to xe2x80x9cheavy ionsxe2x80x9d as opposed to xe2x80x9clight ionsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmass-selective ejectionxe2x80x9d, this must always be understood to mean this xe2x80x9ccharge-related massxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cspecific massxe2x80x9d.
The resonance methods are based on the fact that the ions can be excited in the ion trap between the end cap electrodes so that they oscillate (xe2x80x9cfundamental oscillationsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csecular oscillationsxe2x80x9d). The frequency of the oscillations is strictly dependent on their charge-related mass, and also the type and strength of field in the ion trap, that is the RF voltage, the RF frequency or possibly superimposed DC voltage. For a field of constant frequency and without superimposed DC voltage, only the RF voltage and the specific mass determine the frequency of oscillation of an ion.
Due to the patents EP 0 321 819 (Franzen, Gabling, Heinen, Weiss: xe2x80x9cDistorted quadrupole field with Q less than 3.99xe2x80x9d) and EP 0 459 602 (Franzen: xe2x80x9cClean superimposition of hexapole and octopole fieldxe2x80x9d), improved forms of ion trap electrodes have become known, which produce an improvement in the ejection behavior of the ions during the scanning due to non-linear resonances by superimposition of higher-order multipole fields.
The perforations in the apex of the dome-shaped end cap electrode for the outlet of the ions represent a disturbance of the electrical field in the ion trap. This field is required to be essentially a quadrupole field, but on which higher-order multipole fields can be superimposed in a targeted manner so as to improve the oscillatory behavior of the ions in the ion trap and the enlargement of their oscillation amplitude for ejection to permit spectrum measurement. The disturbances of the field in the ion trap caused by the holes in the end cap mean that not all of the ions of a particular mass emerge at the same time: the ion signal of the ions of a particular mass is spread temporally, and the mass resolution of the mass spectrometer is reduced.
The outlet holes for the ions are usually formed as a seven-hole arrangement, and also as a single central hole in the apex of the dome-shaped end cap electrode. To minimize the disturbances of the electrical RF field in the ion trap, the holes only have a very small diameter. However, this means that not all the ions can emerge and reach the detector: more than half the ions impact on the margins of the electrodes around the holes and are discharged there. As a result, the sensitivity of the ion trap mass spectrometer is reduced.
It is known that the filling of the ion trap with ions must be restricted, as otherwise the resolving power, and also the mass calibration, that is the relationship between ejection time and exact ion mass, will be disturbed by space-charge effects. For this reason there is always an upper limit for filling the ion trap with ions; the sensitivity of the ion trap mass spectrometer therefore depends on the degree to which the limited number of ions in the trap is exploited for measurement of the spectrum.
Mass resolving power and sensitivity are, however, the essential selling criteria for ion trap mass spectrometers. A good mass resolving power permits faster scanning and thereby increases the sensitivity by increasing the number of spectra per unit of time. The sensitivity of the mass spectrometer is in demand, especially in the modem biosciences, where exceptionally small quantities of substance have to be measured. As a rule of thumb, it can be said that a possible doubling of sensitivity justifies the development of a new spectrometer.
The above-mentioned patent U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,952 of Paul and Steinwedel already proposed measuring the ion stream of the ions impacting on the end cap by measuring the effective load of the RF generator. It is now the basic idea of the invention to no longer allow the ions to emerge from the trap through holes in an end cap electrode for the purpose of detection, but to measure them when the ions impinge on the closed end cap electrode, as in Paul""s patent, but not as the effective load of the RF generator. The new idea is to integrate an ion detector into the electrode form. This ion detector exactly follows the ideal form of the end cap electrode, carries the potential of the end cap electrode on its surface and thereby causes no disturbance to the field in the ion trap. The detector can be a simple Faraday detector, which feeds the ion current to a measuring amplifier; and in particular, the ion detector can be a secondary electron multiplier.
Modern secondary electron multipliers (SEM) can be manufactured in flat shapes, for example in the shape of plates as so-called multi-channel plate multipliers. Another type of manufacture uses the pores of a frit consisting of ceramic or glass particles (e.g. microbeads) as secondary electron amplifying channels. In particular, these frit-shaped secondary electron multipliers can also be manufactured with curved surfaces. Their pores are very small; superficially, they look very smooth. With this frit-shaped type of secondary electron multiplier, the dome shapes of the end cap electrode are relatively easy to reproduce.
When the ions impact on the porous surface of this secondary electrode multiplier, secondary electrons are formed in the familiar way and are drawn into the pores by a strong voltage drop in the frit. There they are accelerated by inner fields, form further secondary electrons when they impact on the pore surfaces, and thus form an electron avalanche which emerges on the other side of the frit and can be measured as a real electron current by a collecting electrode. In this way, both positive and negative ions can be measured.
In the case of positive ions, another advantage of the arrangement can be utilized. Those positive ions which impact during enlargement of their oscillation amplitude for ejection onto the end cap electrode opposite the detector end cap electrode also give rise to secondary electrons there. These pass through the ion trap intermediate area in only a few nanoseconds and impact on the secondary electron multiplier. They therefore amplify the ion current measurement by also utilizing those ions which are ejected on the xe2x80x9cwrong sidexe2x80x9d of the ion trap. For this purpose, it is useful to provide the opposite end cap electrode with a surface which has a good yield of secondary electrons.
The method of operating the ion trap according to the invention with a smoothly fitting secondary electron multiplier in the end cap electrode has the additional advantage that it automatically compensates for the lower sensitivity of the secondary electron multiplier for heavier ions. The yield of secondary electrons during the first impact of the ions on the surface decreases greatly as the mass of the ions increasesxe2x80x94at the same ion energy level. Heavy ions, which are generally of particular interest, are thus detected far less sensitively than light ions. However, when operating the detector according to the invention, the impact energy of the ions is automatically increased as their mass increases, since all modern ejection methods operate with a mass-proportional increase of the RF voltage. This voltage determines the impact energy of the ions.

Internal detection of ions in quadrupole ion traps


A vacuum controlled three way butterfly valve for regulating the flow of fluids, as in internal combustion engine cooling systems and automotive heater systems, wherein a valve body includes a bypass port located in spaced relationship to the valve plate. In one position, the valve plate stops the flow of fluid through the valve body and permits the flow of fluid to return to the engine water pump. In the other position, the valve plate blocks off the bypass port, permits the flow of fluid through the valve body then restricts the throughput of fluid by means of a resilient orifice to protect the heater downstream of the valve core from excessive fluid pressure developed by the engine water pump and then to return the flow of fluid to the engine water pump.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to butterfly valves and particularly to butterfly valves as utilized for controlling the flow of fluids through three ports.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Butterfly valves having disc-shaped butterfly valve plates rotatable about an axis in the bore of the valve body are generally known in the prior art. Valves of this general description are employed in a variety of applications because of their straight flow-through construction and their excellent dirt handling characteristics.
In controlling the flow of fluids as in automotive heater systems coupled with air conditioning systems, it is common to shut off the flow of fluid to the heater core by means of a butterfly valve when the air conditioning system is in the maximum air conditioning mode. This permits the cold air from the air conditioner to pass through the heater core without transferring any heat from the heater to the cold air and thence directly to the passenger compartment. It is also common for liquid cooled internal combustion engines to be provided with a liquid bypass ahead of the heater shut-off valve to return liquid to the water pump when the engine block thermostat is closed to assist in the rapid warm-up of the engine block and associated components.
It has also been found desirable to restrict the flow of fluid to the heater core in order to protect it from excessive fluid pressure developed by the engine water pump at certain engine speeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,789 discloses a pivotally mounted butterfly valve which regulates the flow of fluid as in automotive heater systems. This valve has three ports. However, the butterfly valve is located such as to regulate the flow through only one port. Furthermore, the valve does not attempt to protect the heater core from excessive fluid pressure developed by the engine water pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,798 discloses a three way butterfly valve wherein the valve body is made from a "T" section fitting. A cup-shaped valve seat is secured to the main body of the "T" section fitting near the upright portion of the "T" section fitting. The valve seat carries a valve disc pivotally mounted thereon and adapted for movement between a first position closing an aperture formed in the valve seat and a second position in which the valve disc covers the open end of the upright portion of the "T" section fitting. This valve design does not protect the heater core from excessive fluid pressure developed by the engine water pump.
Neither of the above cited valve designs considered the possibility of eliminating the commonly used engine water bypass ports in the engine block with the attendant reduction in complications of small hoses and clamps. Furthermore, neither prior art design addressed the problem of leakage around the periphery of the valve disc and the need for virtually no leakage through the valve, as in automobile heating systems with air conditioning systems.


In a power supply apparatus for magnetron driving, as abrupt current change occurs under loaded power supplies of 3.7 K V.-4.1 K V, the power supply detects the currents of 3.7 K V-4.1 K V and protects the magnetron from the overcurrents by controlling output voltages through feeding back the voltages according to currents and by outputting stable power supplies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus for magnetron driving in a micro-wave oven, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus for driving a magnetron in the micro-wave oven wherein damages wrought on magnetrons by the overcurrent can be prevented by applying stable currents to a power supply apparatus for driving a magnetron which employs S.M.P.S. (Switching Mode Power supply) system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, high voltages are needed to drive a magnetron of a micro-wave oven and high-voltage transformers or inverters are used for generating high voltages.
A power supply apparatus for magnetron driving employing an inverter is described in Japanese laid open patent application NO. 53-27143, entitled "the power supply apparatus for driving magnetron".
According to Japanese laid open patent application NO. 53-27143, the power supply apparatus for driving a magnetron is composed of a frequency oscillation circuit which can change duty cycles of output signals, a high frequency oscillation circuit which controls signal transfer or signal oscillation according to output signals from a frequency oscillation circuit and a switching circuit being switched according to the signals from high frequency oscillation ciruits. Miniaturization lightening and reduced cost of the output transformer can be realized.
However, this kind of inverter-type power supply apparatus for magnetron driving has disadvantages including unstable output voltages against the load and voltage changes which causes damage to the magnetron. Further, when a high voltage transformer is used, the power supply apparatus tends to become bulky and heavy as it generates high voltages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power supply apparatus for driving a magnetron which can supply stable electric power to prevent damages on the magnetron by overcurrents, while at the same time providing a miniaturized power supply apparatus as well.

Power supply apparatus for magnetron driving


A cutting tool has two active members pivotally mounted around a common transverse axis. The rear portion of each active member has a cross-section of height greater than its width. The corresponding intermediate element is made by being overmolded around the rear portion. The rear portion and the corresponding intermediate element are pierced by at least two through holes for passing respective fasteners such as screws for fixing the corresponding tubular handle in place.

The present invention relates to a cutting tool or the like such as a pair of pruning shears or xe2x80x9csecateursxe2x80x9d comprising two active members such as a blade and an anvil pivotally mounted about a common transverse axis.
Numerous cutting tools or the like of the above-specified type are known, and many such tools have two tubular handles enabling actuator grips to be disposed at a distance from the common transverse axis so as to increase the cutting or clamping force of the tool by means of the lever arm effect.
In particular, a cutting tool or the like of the above-specified type is known in which the rear portion of each active member, i.e. blade or anvil, is surrounded by an intermediate element on which a tubular handle is engaged, means being provided for fixing each tubular handle to the rear portion of the corresponding active element.
In that known tool, the intermediate element is in two portions separated by a longitudinal plane and it is inserted inside the tubular handle, with the rear portion of the corresponding active member being inserted therein by force, said rear portion being substantially conical in shape so as to force the two portions of the intermediate element against the inside walls of the tubular handle.
In that embodiment, which gives entire satisfaction, it is necessary to apply considerable force in order to assemble the tool or to disassemble it in order to replace each active member, i.e. blade or anvil for a pair of secateurs.
The object of the present invention is to propose a cutting tool or the like of the above-specified type enabling the handle to be mounted and removed easily on the corresponding active member without reducing the reliability of the connection between the handle and the said active member.
The object of the invention is also to lighten the head of the cutting tool or the like beside the active members, by eliminating the two-part active elements.
In accordance with the present invention, in the cutting tool or the like of the above-specified type, the rear portion of each active member has a cross-section of height greater than its width, the corresponding intermediate element is made by being overmolded around said rear portion, and said rear portion and said corresponding intermediate element are pierced by at least two through holes, each for passing a fastener such as a screw for fixing the corresponding tubular handle in place.
Contrary to the teaching of the prior art as recalled above which recommends mounting the intermediate element at a force-fit inside the tubular handle, the present invention uses the fact that by making the intermediate element as an overmolding around the rear portion of each active element while leaving room for at least two through holes to pass respective fasteners such as screws, it is possible to obtain dimensions for the intermediate element that are sufficiently precise and regular to guarantee sufficient clearance to enable the tubular handle to be engaged on the intermediate element, while ensuring that said clearance is not excessive, which would become troublesome and harmful while the tool is in use.
The tubular handle can then be fixed on the intermediate element by at least two fasteners such as screws passing through the tubular handle and the intermediate element.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each intermediate element has, on one side of the corresponding rear portion, respective cavities around through hole for receiving respective nuts adapted to cooperate with corresponding screws.
The nuts are thus locked in said cavities when the tubular handle is engaged on the intermediate element and no longer constitute obstacles on the outside of the tubular handle.
It is thus preferable to use screws of length selected to avoid extending beyond the nuts when screwed therein. The tubular handle can thus be pierced by a single hole for passing each screw, the handle being effectively clamped against the intermediate element by tightening the screw, thereby eliminating all slack in transmitting forces between the tubular handle and the corresponding intermediate element.

Cutting tool or the like, such as a pair of secateurs comprising tow pivoting active members


An orthopedic traction apparatus for use with an adjustable hospital bed and capable of being operated by a patient within the bed to independently get in and out of the traction apparatus without the help of another person.

It is known to provide overhead support framing for hospital beds to assist in the treatment and movement of patients. Such framing is variously constructed and generally includes vertical, upright, support members suitably attached to the head and foot of the bed and interconnected by a horizontal member which extends the length of the bed in spaced relation above the mattress and the patient at a height to support various orthopedic equipment such as a hand trapeze, pulleys, weights and an interconnecting support line or cable.
It is also known to specifically provide an orthopedic traction apparatus for use with conventional, adjustable, hospital beds in which portions of the bed move to angularly position portions of the mattress and its supporting frame relative to other portions of the mattress and its supporting frame.
The conventional apparatuses for applying traction to a patient normally require the attendance of a suitably trained person such as a nurse, a nurse's aide or a physical therapist to apply and release the traction apparatus to and from the patient; thus the patient must be hospitalized on either an in-patient or out-patient basis to receive treatment which is extremely costly.
In view of the relatively high costs associated with conventional orthopedic traction apparatuses which require an attendant to apply and release traction to a patient, there is a need for a durable and inexpensive traction apparatus which permits the patient to easily get in and out of the traction without the help or assistance of another person such as a nurse, nurse aide, or a physical therapist.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and reliable traction apparatus which can be used in a conventional hospital bed either at home or in a hospital which does not require an attendant to apply or release traction to a patient.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a traction apparatus for use with conventional overhead framings and hospital beds which is adapted for independent operation by the patient to apply traction to and release traction from the patient.


A location tracking system is provided for tracking the location of a child or other individual. The location tracking system includes a location server and one or more location tracking devices. Communication protocols are provided for communications between the location server and the location tracking devices. The communication protocols provide a low complexity and low cost solution for location tracking applications.

Location tracking devices for monitoring the location of a child are known. Typically, a tracking device is incorporated into an article that is worn or carried by the child. The tracking device typically includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for determining its location and a transceiver unit for sending the location information to a location server. The location tracking device may be programmed to send its location to the location server at predetermined intervals, or in response to predetermined events. The location server may include a portal that can be accessed by a parent to monitor the location of the child. Knowing the location of a child may provide peace of mind to a concerned parent. If a child happens to get lost or abducted, the location tracking system can be used to find the child.
To date, location tracking devices for tracking the location of a child or other individual have not been used on a widespread basis. One impediment to such widespread use is the cost and complexity of such devices. Accordingly, there remains a need for a simple, low cost solution for tracking the location of a child.


A method and apparatus for providing ventilation to a building structure's roof is provided. The apparatus provides a low profile roof vent having improved resistance to bending and thus increased resistance to damage caused by the wind or other forces. Particularly, the apparatus provides a roof vent having generally I-beam shaped internal bracing in both vertical and horizontal directions. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention provides a roof vent that is highly resistant to failure due to exposure to strong winds. The present apparatus also offers improved air flow through the roof vent. The method of the present invention comprises providing a roof vent having a passageway that includes a front and a rear section. The rear section is in communication with a hole in the roof, while the front section is in communication with an exterior of the structure. A baffle between the hole and the exterior of the structure, along the surface of the roof, prevents water from entering the hole directly. The method further includes providing internal bracing to provide increased resistance to bending and thus increased resistance to damage caused by the wind or other forces applied to the vent.

There are various designs in existence for providing ventilation for the areas beneath building roofs. The ventilation of such areas is desirable to reduce the accumulation of heat in the summer, and to reduce the accumulation of moisture during all times of the year. In providing ventilation, it is important to prevent the entry of water into the structure through the vent. Also, it is desirable to prevent debris and small animals from entering the structure through the vent.
Existing off-ridge roof vent designs are available in various configurations. One such design consists of simply a duct having a baffle mechanism over the top to prevent the entry of rain into the structure. A variation of this simple design is the turbine type roof vent, which consists of a rotating element on the exterior of the duct and interior baffles to prevent the entry of water into the building. However, both such designed provide only a limited area through which air and moisture may escape from the structure. Also, such designs typically extend a considerable height from the surface of the roof, making them vulnerable to being knocked from the roof by tree limbs, wires, or simply the wind itself.
Other designs fit more closely to the surface of the roof, and provide a long rectangular opening through which air and moisture may exit the structure. Generally, a slot is cut in the roof that is slightly smaller than the foot print of the vent. The slot then communicates with a passageway that, in profile, is generally in the shape of an inverted J. Thus, the opening of the vent faces down, towards the roofing surface. In this way, water is prevented from entering the structure. Such vents may also be provided with a mesh or screen covering the opening, to prevent the entry of debris or small animals into the structure.
However, existing low profile designs suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, such designs are vulnerable to damage by wind or by impacts from debris. This is because the relatively large area of the opening is unbraced throughout the center of the vent. As a result, even relatively mild winds are capable of exerting sufficient force to damage the device. Typically, damage from the wind to such vents is in the form of bent or deformed top pieces or hoods. Such damage makes the vent more easily penetrated by rain and debris, because portions of the vent opening are enlarged, and often results in deformation of those portions of the vent that interface with the surface of the roof, thus interfering with the proper sealing of the vent to the roof surface. Damage from debris or from careless workers walking on the roof often occurs as crushed or otherwise inwardly deformed top pieces or hoods. This type of damage impedes the movement of moisture and air through the vent and is unsightly. In addition, existing vents can be deflected by the wind or forces to an extent short of what is required to cause permanent damage to the vent. However, such deflection is undesirable for several reasons. Where the opening of the vent is enlarged, rain may more easily enter the structure through the vent. Where the opening of the vent is made smaller, the movement of air and moisture through the vent is impeded. Also, existing designs have a top piece or hood which offers little clearance between itself and the interior baffle, limiting the amount of air that can move through the slot.
Although the prior art describes designs for providing through-roof ventilation to structures, it would be advantageous to provide a design which provided a vent that resists deflection and bending caused by the wind or other forces. In addition, it would be advantageous to provide such a design which had a low profile, and which offered a relatively unimpeded flow of air and moisture from the area beneath the roofing surface to the outside atmosphere.


Embodiments for at methods, apparatus and systems for operating a voltage regulator are disclosed. One method includes generating, by a switching controller, a switching voltage through controlled closing and opening of a series switch element and a shunt switch element, and generating an output voltage by filtering the switching voltage with an output inductor and a load capacitor. The method further includes generating an assisting current based on a value of current conducted through the output inductor, and assisting the load current by summing the assisting current with the current conducted through the inductor.

Switched-mode power converters are widely used to convert between differing DC voltages. FIG. 1 shows an example of a typical buck converter (used to provide a reduced voltage from a higher-voltage supply).
Transistor switches are used to alternately connect an inductor to a supply voltage and a ground, at a switching frequency fsw. The output of the inductor is connected to a capacitor and resistive load. The output voltage is connected to the terminal VSENSE, allowing closed-loop feedback control thereof. The target output voltage may be intentionally varied, as discussed in more detail below. In FIG. 1, a terminal VREF is depicted, which may be used to provide an analog voltage used to control VOUT.
Most DC-DC converter applications must support changes in load current (load transients). Some applications also require rapid changes in output voltage. In certain specialized applications, both rapid changes in output voltage and current are required, and further, the relative timing of these changes is constrained to support specific requirements of the load. For example, a mobile device may use the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol to communicate with a base station. GSM uses time-division multiplexing, wherein each mobile device is allocated one or more time slots, during which it is the only mobile device transmitting on a given channel. In a default operating condition, used, for example, for voice communication, a mobile device is assigned one of eight possible time slots in which to transmit, and a constant-envelope phase modulation (Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying, or GMSK) is used. Data communications configurations, in which a linear modulation is employed, may use up to four consecutive timeslots. Further, it is also possible to have consecutive time slots with differing modulation. When the device is not transmitting, the power amplifier (PA) used to supply the final transmitted signal to the antenna is usually turned off to save power. The best overall efficiency is obtained by using a switched mode power supply to provide the supply voltage for the PA. Further, it may be desirable to set the regulated power supply to a low level or 0 when the PA is not in use.
In consequence, the switched mode power supply for the PA must supply a rapidly-changing load current at constant output voltage. The rate at which the RF power, and therefore the load current, increases during the beginning of the burst is set by the requirement that the transmitted power be very low outside the desired channel. An excessively rapid increase in output power results in radiated signals outside the desired band, due to the well-known property of Fourier transforms that rapid changes in the time domain correspond to wide bandwidth in the frequency domain.
FIG. 2 provides time lines that summarize typical control of an output ramp of a power amplifier. The graph 210 represents an example of output power versus time 250 near the slot boundary, taken to be at 0 microseconds. Also shown are limits on the allowed output power within specific time windows around the slot edge, 230 and 240, as prescribed in the relevant GSM standards. The graph 220 depicts the corresponding changes in current drawn by the power amplifier as a function of time, 260. About 15 microseconds before the beginning of the transmission slot, the PA is enabled and the voltage of the regulated supply is brought to the desired value (if it was lowered after the previous transmission). At about 13 microseconds before the slot edge, the RE power 250 is turned on and set temporarily at a low level. The power is then ramped up smoothly over a period of about 10 microseconds, after which the modulated transmission begins. A similar ramp is used to reduce the output power at the end of the slot. The current 260, depicted in a linear scale, rises rapidly over the corresponding times. The final power is fixed to within ±1 dB.
The current required by the power amplifier may change substantially depending on the load presented at the antenna. For example, a typical power amplifier designed for 2 Watts transmitted average power may require 1200-1600 mA supply current at 3.3 V when the antenna is well-matched. However, when a 10:1 mismatch occurs (as may result, e.g., when a user's hand is placed over the antenna), the current may increase to as much as 2700 mA. These excursions must be supported, but are relatively rare. An output inductor Lout large enough to supply the maximum current without encountering saturation of the magnetic core would be substantially larger and more expensive than required for normal operation.
Various approaches to the problem of supporting load transients in a switched DC-DC converter have been reported. In one approach, an auxiliary switched converter, for example using a smaller output inductor for faster response, is placed parallel with the main converter. A second switched converter requires additional switches and an additional output inductor, the latter being large enough to support the required saturation current, and thus does not provide the desired reduction in size relative to a high-saturation-current main output inductor. In another approach, a transistor or linear regulator drives the output node of the converter. It is necessary to ensure that the linear regulator controller and the switching converter controller do not interact in an undesired fashion, leading to oscillations and instability. Control approaches include adjustment of the switched converter current to drive the linear regulator current to 0, which is obviously unsuitable for solving the problem discussed above, since then the switched converter would eventually provide all the output current, and require a large output inductor. The linear and switched regulators may be used alternately, with one active only when the other is inactive. Obviously not helpful for reducing maximum switched current. Alternatively, conventional controls can be used for both the switched converter and linear regulator, but with the target voltage for the linear regulator set lower than that of the switched converter. Since the linear regulator can only pull the output voltage up, this results in a graceful transition between linear and switched converter control. However, this approach does not allow a constant-output-voltage operation with sustained controlled current sharing between the linear regulator or bypass FET and the switched converter.
It is desirable to have methods, apparatuses, and systems for providing additional current to the load of a switching regulator, without requiring switches and an output inductor be sized to support the maximum current that might be required.

Assisting a load current of a switching voltage regulator


Disclosed is a thermosetting resin composition comprising cyanate resin, a compound containing at least one or more than one of a phenolic hydroxyl radical and an epoxy resin, wherein said resin has excellent adhesive and heat resistant properties while at the same time possessing a low hardening contraction rate and contributing to higher dimensional stability, and method of making the same.

The present invention relates to thermosetting resin composition that can be used for adhesive agent requiring low hardening contraction rate, coating agent, paint, injection molding resin, sealing resin used for substrates for mounting electronic parts, solder resist, housing material resin for electric and electronic apparatuses, or the like, and method of manufacturing the inventive thermosetting resin composition.
Recently, relative to down-sizing and thinning of electric and electronic parts, circuit structure has also been thinned. However, varied dimensions of built-in parts may incur unwanted failure such as disconnection or short circuit against extremely thinned circuit structure. Thus, highly precise dimensional stability is required for such material used for electric and electronic parts, and as a result, a greater amount of epoxy resinous thermosetting resin has been used for such thermosetting resin composition available for the above material than that was used in the past.
Epoxy resinous thermosetting resin is basically composed of epoxy resin and an epoxy resin hardening agent. Amines, acid anhydrides, polyamides, imidazoles or isocyanates are used for the epoxy resin hardening agent.
Hardening of epoxy resin is promoted by effect of link-breakage reaction of epoxy link generated by the above-cited epoxy resin hardening agent. Incidentally, since molecules of hardened epoxy resin contain polar hydroxyl radical and ether union, hardened epoxy resin exerts distinguished adhesion to other material with substantial adhesive strength. In addition, hardened epoxy resin also contains outstanding heat resistant property and features less hardening contraction than other thermosetting resins. Nevertheless, even though hardened epoxy resin incurs less hardening contraction than other thermosetting resin, since hardening contraction may be the cause of generating crack inside of hardened epoxy resin or deformation of adhered object, hardened epoxy resin is not suited for such uses requiring highly precise dimensional stability. As a method to deal with such problem caused by hardening contraction of thermosetting resin, filler material is blended in resin. However, this method not only causes smoothness on the surface of resin to be spoiled by blended filler material, but it may also cause proper strength of resin to be lowered. On the other hand, since hardening contraction cannot fully be offset by means of content of filler material within scope of maintaining strength of resin, such problem caused by hardening contraction of thermosetting resin has not yet been solved.
To deal with the above-referred problem caused by hardening contraction of thermosetting resin remaining unsettled in the use of epoxy resin or filler-blended epoxy resin, such a method to solve the above problem by introducing thermosetting resin such as cyanate resin having property to generate expansion via hardening has been conceived. Concretely, this method makes up thermosetting resinous component by means of cyanate resin only, or blend comprising cyanate resin and compound including at least one or more than one of phenolic hydroxyl radical or blend comprising cyanate resin and epoxy resin.
Nevertheless, even when introducing one of the above constituent compositions of thermosetting resin, the following problem is generated. Concretely, when introducing constituent composition of the above cyanate resin alone, it is necessary to execute reaction at a high temperature close to 200.degree. C. to fully terminate hardening of cyanate resin, and thus it is by no means suited for sealing resin or solder resist. On the other hand, when introducing such composition comprising cyanate resin and compound containing at least one or more than one of phenolic hydroxyl radical, although hardening of cyanate resin can be promoted at a temperature lower than the case of solely using cyanate resin, since the above composition is insufficient in adhesive strength, it is not suited for an adhesive agent.
On the other hand, another method is also conceived, which combines epoxy resin exerting strong adhesion with cyanate resin so that properties of both resins in blend can properly be harmonized. This method can indeed provide blend with outstanding heat resistant property and adhesive property. However, since cyanate resin also generates reaction with epoxy resin in addition to own hardening reaction, it results in obstacle to hardening reaction of cyanate resin itself. In consequence, hardening expansion proper to cyanate resin cannot fully be exerted to result in diminished effect of including cyanate resin in constituent composition of thermosetting resin in anticipation of such property as exerting hardening expansion.
Under the above circumstances, in order to fully solve the above problems, inventors followed up researches to provide novel thermosetting resin composition capable of generating distinguished adhesive property, heat resistant property, negligible contraction via hardening, and contributing to achieve high dimensional stability before eventually consummating the invention.

Thermosetting resin composition and method of manufacturing it from an epoxy resin, cyanate and phenol

Kanegafuchi Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A bed for machine tools which includes at least one hole of a structure such that chips or cutting oil fallen on the bed from a working stage is caused to fall into the hole. The bed is formed with an inclined surface of such inclination that chips or cutting oil fallen on the bed from the working stage of the machine tool is caused to gathered in a predetermined place on the bed. The inclined surface is sloping toward the hole formed in the bed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bed for machine tools (particularly for metal working) and a construction for such machine tools.
2. Prior Art
The bed of a machine tool is a rigid base which supports substantially all the load of any of a variety of machine tools of relatively heavy weights when installed on the floor, and the bed includes a stage mounting frame (stage guide) and a base portion for supporting the column for the spindle and the center feed shaft of the machine tool.
In the machine tool, machine operations such as the cutting of a workpiece to be machined by a tool inserted into the spindle are performed and in such a case the positions of the working stage of the machine tool and the tool are moved to machine the workpiece into any of a variety of shapes.
Generally, cutting oil is used during the machining and the turnings or chips and the cutting oil are scattered in the vicinity of the machine tool.
If the chips and the oil are scattered so that they deposit on the stage guide and the center feed shaft which are positioned below the stage, the sliding movements of the stage guide and the center feed shaft are impeded, thus causing troubles.


A foam dispensing apparatus which includes a foamable liquid container and a foam generating device for mixing a gas with a foamable liquid. The foam generating device has a plurality of passages through which pressurized gas flows simultaneously with foamable liquid into the foam generating chamber past a flow restrictor. The passages are formed by a plurality of vertical flutes or horizontal grooves in one of the members.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for producing and dispensing foams made by mixing foamable liquids and pressurized gases. More particularly, this invention is directed to a device for dispensing a foam such as a soap fluid which can be manually or automatically actuated without requiring the squeezing or deformation of a foam containing vessel and which can be disposable in whole or part.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand operated dispensing bottles such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,689 are used for dispensing liquid soaps cleaning fluids, and the like. Handheld squeeze bottles of relatively small capacity for generating foams by non-aerosol techniques are widely known, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,709,437, 3,937,364 and 4,531,660. Squeeze bottles, while effective for many purposes are necessarily of limited capacity and do not permit the hands of the user to be uninvolved in the use of the device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,218 discloses a manually operated foaming device and dispenser which uses manually generated positive pressure to generate foam and negative pressure to refill an auxiliary pump reservoir. Other foam generating devices are described in my prior patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,901,925 and 4,991,779.


A system for collecting and processing donated blood comprises a first porous medium interposed between a blood collection bag and a satellite bag and a second porous medium interposed between the blood collection bag and another satellite bag. The porous media are leucocyte depletion media. The system may also include one or more of the following: a red cell barrier medium, a separation medium, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet. The system can be used to centrifuge whole blood into one or more components, and includes a means for protecting the system during centrifugation.

The development of plastic blood collection bags has facilitated the separation of donated whole blood into its various components and analogous products, thereby making these different blood products (e.g., platelet concentrates) available as a transfusion product.
With the passage of time and accumulation of research and clinical data, transfusion practices have changed greatly One aspect of current practice is that whole blood is rarely administered; rather, patients needing red blood cells are given packed red cells, patients needing platelets are given platelet concentrate, and patients needing plasma are given plasma.
For this reason, the separation of blood into components has substantial therapeutic and monetary value. This is nowhere more evident than in treating the increased damage to a patient's immune system caused by the higher doses and stronger drugs now used during chemotherapy for cancer patients. These more aggressive chemotherapy protocols are directly implicated in the reduction of the platelet content of the blood to abnormally low levels; associated internal and external bleeding additionally requires more frequent transfusions of PC, and this has put pressure on blood banks to increase the platelet yield per unit of blood.
A typical component separation procedure used in the United States, the citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (CPDA-1) system, utilizes a series of steps to separate donated blood into three components, each component having substantial therapeutic and monetary value. The procedure typically utilizes a blood collection bag which is integrally attached via flexible tubing to at least one, and preferably two or more, satellite bags. Using centrifugation, whole blood may be separated by differential sedimentation into such valuable blood components as plasma, packed red cells (PRC), platelets suspended in clear plasma (platelet-rich plasma, or PRP), platelet concentrate (PC), and cryoprecipitate (which may require extra processing).
A typical whole blood collection and processing procedure may include the following: (1) A unit of donated whole blood (about 450 ml in United States, practice) is collected from the donor's vein directly into the blood collection bag which contains the nutrient and anti-coagulant containing CPDA-1.
(2) The blood collection bag is centrifuged (slow speed, or "soft-spin" centrifugation) together with its satellite bags, thereby concentrating the red cells as PRC in the lower portion of the blood collection bag and leaving in the upper portion of the bag a suspension of PRP.
(3) The blood collection bag is transferred, with care not to disturb the interface between the supernatant PRP layer and the sedimented PRC layer, into a device known as a "plasma extractor." The plasma extractor or expressor typically includes front and back plates; the two plates are hinged together at their lower ends and spring biased toward each other such that a pressure of about 90 millimeters of mercury is developed within the bag.
With the blood collection bag positioned between the two plates, a valve, seal or a closure in or on the flexible tubing is opened allowing the supernatant PRP to flow into a first satellite bag. As the PRP flows out of the blood collection bag, the interface with the PRC rises. In current practice, the operator must closely observe the position of the interface as it rises and clamp off the connecting tube when, in his judgment, as much PRP has been transferred as is possible, without allowing red cells to enter the first satellite bag. This is a labor intensive and time consuming operation during which the operator must visually monitor the bag and judiciously and arbitrarily ascertain when to shut-off the connecting tube.
The blood collection bag, now containing only PRC, may be detached and stored at 4.degree. C. until required for transfusion into a patient, or a valve or seal in the tubing may be opened so that the PRC may be transferred to a satellite bag using either the pressure generated by the plasma extractor, or by placing the blood collection apparatus in a pressure cuff, or by elevation to obtain gravity flow.
(4) The PRP-containing satellite bag, together with another satellite bag, is then removed from the extractor and centrifuged at an elevated G force (high speed or "hard-spin" centrifugation) with the time and speed adjusted so as to concentrate the platelets into the lower portion of the PRP bag. When centrifugation is complete, the PRP bag contains sedimented platelets in its lower portion and clear plasma in its upper portion.
(5) The PRP bag is then placed in the plasma extractor, and most of the clear plasma is expressed into a satellite bag, leaving the PRP bag containing only the sedimented platelets and about 50 ml of plasma; then in a subsequent step, this platelet composition is dispersed to make platelet concentrate (PC). The PRP bag, now containing a PC product, is then detached and stored for up to five days at 20.degree.-24.degree. C., until needed for a transfusion of platelets. Multiple units of platelets (e.g., from 6-10 donors, if for transfusion into an adult patient) may be pooled into a single platelet transfusion.
(6) The plasma in the satellite bag may itself be transfused into a patient, or it may be separated by complex processes into a variety of other valuable products.
Commonly used systems other than CPDA-1 include Adsol, Nutricell, and SAG-M. In these latter systems, the collection bag contains only anticoagulant, and the nutrient solution may be preplaced in a satellite bag. This nutrient solution is transferred into the PRC after the PRP has been separated from the PRC, thereby achieving a higher yield of plasma and longer storage life for the PRC.
In view of this, there is a growing need for an efficient system and method for separating a biological fluid (e.g., whole blood) into its components. Blood bank personnel have responded to the increased need for blood components by attempting to increase PRC and PC yields in a variety of ways. In separating the PRC and PRP fractions (e.g., step 3 above), blood bank personnel have attempted to express more PRP prior to stopping flow from the blood collection bag, but this has often proved to be counterproductive, since the PRP, and the PC subsequently extracted from it, are frequently contaminated by red cells, giving a pink or red color to the normally light yellow PC. The presence of red cells in PC is so highly undesirable that pink or red PC is frequently discarded, or subjected to recentrifugation, both of which increase operating costs and are labor intensive. As a result, blood bank personnel must err on the side of caution by stopping the flow of PRP before it has been fully expressed. Thus, the PC is uncontaminated, but the unexpressed plasma, which is valuable, may be wasted.
This reflects another problem when attempting to increase the yield of individual blood components. While each component is valuable, any savings resulting from increasing the yield may be offset by the increased labor cost, if the operator of the processing system must continuously and carefully monitor the system to increase the yield.
The devices and methods of this invention alleviate the above-described problems and, in addition, provide a higher yield of superior quality PRC and PC.
The separation of the various blood components using centrifugation is attended by a number of other problems. For example, when PRP is centrifuged to obtain a layer consisting principally of platelets concentrated at the bottom of the PRP-containing bag, e.g., step 4 above, the platelets so concentrated tend to form a dense aggregate which must be dispersed in plasma to form platelet concentrate. The dispersion step is usually carried out by gentle mixing, for example, by placing the bag on a moving table which rotates with a precessing tilted motion. This mixing requires several hours, a potentially undesirable delay, and is believed by many researchers to produce a partially aggregated platelet concentrate. It is further believed that the platelets may be damaged by the forces applied during centrifugation.
Finally, a problem attendant with the separation of various blood components using a multiple bag system and centrifugation is that highly valuable blood components become trapped in the conduits connecting the various bags and in the various devices that may be used in the system.
Conventional processing and storage techniques may also present problems. For example, air, in particular oxygen, present in stored blood and blood components, or in the storage container, may lead to an impairment of the quality of the blood components, and may decrease their storage life. More particularly, oxygen may be associated with an increased metabolic rate (during glycolysis), which may lead to decreased storage life, and decreased viability and function of whole blood cells. For example, during storage red blood cells metabolize glucose, producing lactic and pyruvic acids. These acids decrease the pH of the medium, which in turn decreases metabolic functions. Furthermore, the presence of air or gas in the satellite bag may present a risk when a patient is transfused with a blood component. For example, as little as 5 ml of air or gas may cause severe injury or death. Despite the deleterious effect of oxygen on storage life and the quality of blood and blood components, the prior art has not addressed the need to remove gases from blood processing systems during collection and processing.
In addition to the above-listed components, whole blood contains white blood cells (known collectively as leucocytes) of various types, of which the most important are granulocytes and lymphocytes. White blood cells provide protection against bacterial and viral infection. The transfusion of blood components which have not been leucocyte-depleted is not without risk to the patient receiving the transfusion. Some of these risks are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,620, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,548, which are incorporated herein by reference.
In the above described centrifugal method for separating blood into the three basic fractions, the leucocytes are present in substantial quantities in both the packed red cells and platelet-rich plasma fractions. It is now generally accepted that it is highly desirable to reduce the leucocyte concentration of these blood components to as low a level as possible. While there is no firm criterion, it is generally accepted that many of the undesirable effects of transfusion would be reduced if the leucocyte content were reduced by a factor of about 100 or more prior to administration to the patient. This approximates reducing the average total content of leucocytes in a single unit of PRC to less than about 1.times.10.sup.6, and in a unit of PRP or PC to less than about 1.times.10.sup.5. Devices which have previously been developed in attempts to meet this objective have been based on the use of packed fibers, and have generally been referred to as filters. However, it would appear that processes utilizing filtration based on separation by size cannot succeed for two reasons. First, leucocytes can be larger than about 15 .mu.m (e.g., granulocytes and macrocytes) to as small as 5 to 7 .mu.m (e.g., lymphocytes). Together, granulocytes and lymphocytes represent the major proportion of all of the leucocytes in normal blood. Red blood cells are about 7 .mu.m in diameter, i.e., they are about the same size as lymphocytes, one of the two major classes of leucocytes which must be removed. Secondly, all of these cells deform so that they are able to pass through much smaller openings than their normal size. Accordingly, it has been widely accepted that removal of leucocytes is accomplished mainly by adsorption on the internal surfaces of porous media, rather than by filtration.
Leucocyte depletion is particularly important with respect to a blood component such as PC. Platelet concentrates prepared by the differential centrifugation of blood components will have varying levels of leucocyte contamination related to the time and to the magnitude of the force developed during centrifugation. The level of leucocyte contamination in unfiltered conventional platelet preparations of 6 to 10 pooled units is generally at a level of about 5.times.10.sup.8 or greater. It has been demonstrated that leucocyte removal efficiencies of 81 to 85% are sufficient to reduce the incidence of febrile reactions to platelet transfusions. Several other recent studies report a reduction in alloimmunization and platelet refractoriness at levels of leucocyte contamination below about 1.times.10.sup.7 per unit. For a single unit of PC averaging a leucocyte contamination level (under current practice) of about 7.times.10.sup.6 ; leucocytes, the goal after filtration is less than 1.times.10.sup.6 leucocytes. The existing studies, therefore, suggest the desirability of at least a two log (99%) reduction of leucocyte contamination. More recent studies suggest that a three log (99.9%) or even a four log (99.99%) reduction would be significantly more beneficial.
An additional desirable criterion is to restrict platelet loss to about 15% or less of the original platelet concentration. Platelets are notorious for being "sticky", an expression reflecting the tendency of platelets suspended in blood plasma to adhere to any non-physiological surface to which they are exposed. Under many circumstances, they also adhere strongly to each other.
In any system which depends upon filtration to remove leucocytes from a platelet suspension, there will be substantial contact between platelets and the internal surfaces of the filter assembly. The filter assembly must be such that the platelets have minimal adhesion to, and are not significantly adversely affected by contact with, the filter assembly's internal surfaces.
If the leucocyte depletion device comprises a porous structure, microaggregates, gels, fibrin, fibrinogen and fat globules tend to collect on or within the pores, causing blockage which inhibits flow. Conventional processes, in which the filter for depleting leucocytes from PRC is pre-conditioned by passing saline through the filter assembly with or without a post-filtration saline flush, are undesirable because the liquid content of the transfusion is unduly increased, thus potentially overloading the patient's circulatory system with liquid. An objective of an embodiment of this invention is a leucocyte depletion device which removes leucocytes and these other elements with high efficiency and without clogging, requires no preconditioning prior to processing PRC derived from freshly drawn blood, and does not require post-filtration flushing to reclaim red cells remaining in the filter.
Because of the high cost and limited availability of blood components, a device comprising a porous medium used to deplete leucocytes from biological fluid should deliver the highest possible proportion of the component present in the donated blood. An ideal device for the leucocyte depletion of PRC or PRP would be inexpensive, relatively small, and be capable of rapidly processing blood components obtained from about one unit or more of biological fluid (e.g., donated whole blood), in, for example, less than about one hour. Ideally, this device would reduce the leucocyte content to the lowest possible level, while maximizing the yield of a valuable blood component while minimizing an expensive, sophisticated, labor intensive effort by the operator of the system. The yield of the blood component should be maximized while at the same time delivering a viable and physiologically active component--e.g., by minimizing damage due to centrifugation, and/or the presence of air or gas. It may also be preferable that the PRC porous medium be capable of removing platelets, as well as fibrinogen, fibrin strands, tiny fat globules, and other components such as microaggregates which may be present in whole blood.

System and method for processing biological fluid


An apparatus for selecting at random one item of N items on the average comprising counter and reset elements for counting repeatedly between zero and N, a number selected by the user, a circuit for activating and deactivating the counter, a comparator to determine if the counter stopped at a count of zero, an output to indicate an item has been selected when the count is zero or not selected if the count is not zero. Randomness is provided by having the counter cycle very often while varying the relatively longer duration between activation and deactivation of the count. The passive circuit components of the activating/deactivating circuit and those of the counter are selected for the sensitivity of their response to variations in temperature and other physical characteristics of the environment so that the response time of the circuitry varies. Additionally, the items themselves, which may be people, may vary in shape or the time they press a pushbutton, so that, for example, an ultrasonic beam broken by the item or person passing through it will add to the duration of the count and thus to the randomness of the selection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical apparatus for making random selections and more particularly to apparatus for making at random one selection on the average in every "N" cases where "N" is an integer having a value greater than one.
2. Discussion of Background
Systems for making random selections are useful in a very wide variety of activities, from games of chance to quality control to security applications, where one token or manufactured item or person on the average out of some number of items is randomly selected. In secure facilities, employees and visitors, selected at random, may be subjected to searches or contraband. It is important that security not be defeated by those seeking to avoid being searched and that inspections of manufactured items be sufficiently random so that a true picture of product quality is presented.
A number of devices exist for generating random numbers or random selections. Many of these are computer-based and some use pseudorandom numbers in making selections. See as examples, the apparatus disclosed by Malady, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,247, by Bennison in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,226 and by Bishop in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,169. Malady employs a decade counter, a dual 4-bit register, two 16:1 multiplexers and a dual BCD counter to make select/non-select determinations. Bennison stores pseudorandom numbers in a large computer memory. Bishop generates pseudorandom numbers by AND-gating a random series of "1's" and "0's" against a series of clock pulses.
In another approach, Simkus, et al., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,818, uses counters to cycle quickly through a count, stopping at some number in the range during one of the cycles, to simulate the roll of dice. If two dice are simulated, one counter is stopped on the pressing of a "roll" button and the other counter is stopped on the release of the button.
Many of these devices are unduly complicated, expensive and are unsuitable for environments which are not climate controlled, such as the floor of a manufacturing facility or the entrance to a secure facility. There is a need for a simple, rugged apparatus for selecting, at random and on average, one item out of every N items.


An image processing system for predicting ovulation using a test channel for collecting saliva sample and a miniature camera for capturing the image of the saliva at dried state for analyzing the crystalline patterns for ovulation prediction. A rotary bristle element is attached to the drive head and a notch-like test channel traverses the width of the drive head. A conductivity sensor is mounted on a wall of the test channel for detecting filling and drying of the saliva sample. An algorithm in the microprocessor analyzes the image of the dried saliva and calculates the characteristic line length of line segments of connected saliva dots. A ferning index is also defined and calculated based on the percentage of area coverage of line segments which are exceeding the threshold line length. Trend curves are established based on the daily saliva analysis in a woman's menstrual cycle for predicting days from the ovulation.

There is a growing need for a home diagnostic system for monitoring various personal physiological conditions especially for the prediction of ovulation for women. A reliable method of predicting ovulation can determine a woman s fertility period for pregnancy as well as for birth control. A convenient oral device such as an electrical toothbrush having a built-in ovulation-monitoring capability is desirable for checking a woman's fertility condition on a daily basis.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ovulation-monitoring oral devices and electrical toothbrushes by detecting the crystallization and ferning pattern of dried saliva samples.
(2) Related Art
It is known that a woman's menstrual cycle, in general, lasts from 27 to 30 days, while menstruation lasts from 3 to 7 days in the cycle. In each cycle a woman can conceive only during about a three to six day window. As a woman's fertile period lasts about six days and ends on the day of ovulation a fertility test based upon detection of ovulation on the ovulation day is too late to be useful in determining the fertility time for planning. For advanced prediction a urine test on the concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH) can detect ovulation 1-2 days ahead of time but the test is not sufficient to detect the entire fertile period of three to six days.
There are many methods for predicting a woman's ovulation. It is known in the art to measure a woman's body temperature which increases with estrogen's rise to detect fertile times. It has been demonstrated that shortly after menstruation begins the body temperature decreases until ovulation starts, after that the temperature increases. During the menstruation period, the vaginal secretions also becomes increasingly viscous and to peak at the time of maximum fertility. These body temperature and viscosity measurements methods, however, are not reliable in determining fertile periods. Other ovulation prediction methods include a blood test and an urine test for detecting a surge in estrogen-related hormone. These tests can determine whether the woman is at ovulation instead of providing advanced signal of impending ovulation.
Saliva is a complex body fluid containing several different electrolytes including salts of sodium, potassium chloride and non-electrolyte components including several proteins, enzymes, and immunoglobulins. U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,186 by Regas et al. uses a sensor probe for measuring the electrical resistance of a saliva. Daily measurements are made beginning not more than five days following the beginning of menstruation. The onset of ovulation is determined as a function of a peak electrical resistance measurement following the onset of menstruation. A Stage A peak of salivary electrical resistance (SER) occurs approximately six days, plus or minus one day, prior to ovulation. After a sharp dip following the Stage A peak, Stage B peak occurs approximately 2 days before ovulation, plus or minus one day and it is a sign of imminent ovulation. Although the trend of changing electrical resistance of these electrolytes in saliva can be used to predict the impending ovulation, the appearance of multiple peaks prior to ovulation is too complicated to make a reliable judgement. Furthermore, the signal level of the electrical resistance is generally too weak to enable an accurate prediction.
Specifically, several patents in prior art describe various methods for collecting and diagnosing the contents of saliva for the prediction of ovulation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,011 by Manautou et al. shows the use of the optical density curves of saliva samples to indicate pregnancy. Such curves have a first peak and a smaller second peak in daily measurements; however, the second peak is eliminated when pregnancy occurs. In application, a paper test strip impregnated with a peroxidase and guaiac shows a color change when wet with saliva during the fertile period. The change is caused by the presence of peroxide in the saliva. The test strip is costly and may not be reused. U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,125 by Preti et al. monitors saliva for the concentration of certain long-chain alcohols, particularly dodecanol, for detecting ovulation. The dodecanol content of saliva remains at a relatively constant level throughout the menstrual cycle, but exhibits a single peak at the time of ovulation. Because the method requires the use of an incubated saliva sample, it is more suitable for laboratory tests than home use. Also the fact that the dodecanol level exhibits a single peak or spike precisely corresponding to ovulation does not enable prediction of a fertile period ahead of ovulation necessary for planning. U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,271 by Law et al. discloses that a saliva's calcium and magnesium concentration drops in the three to five day period immediately prior to ovulation. It provides methods of monitoring the calcium and magnesium concentration. All the methods include using a reagent composition such as calcium or magnesium sensitive dye or pigments which undergoes a visible change in the presence of a clinically significant threshold concentration of the ion. However, the use of reagent for a test stripe, ion-selective electrodes, or a handheld reflectometer for detecting different color shades is inconvenient for regular home testing.
Several commercially available hand held devices predict ovulation based on a measured peak in electrical resistance corresponding to sodium and potassium electrolyte levels which are reflective of hormone changes that occur several days before ovulation. The measured data on the changes of electrolytes in saliva may be inconsistent since an oral sensor probe is placed on the tongue where the thickness of the saliva layer may vary. While there are disadvantages associated with all of the above methods, each method demonstrates the feasibility of using an optical sensor or a conductivity sensor for measuring signals derived from a saliva sample to predict a fertile period or ovulation.
Another method for determining the ovulation is by visual examination of a woman's dried saliva. The method is based on observations of crystallized salt pattern in a dried saliva, which is referred as ferning pattern. The physical basis of ferning pattern is not well known. Some research results correlate the crystallization pattern with increases in the chloride content, changes in ionic strength and/or the content of sodium or potassium in the saliva. Research results mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,835 by Corona indicates that saliva crystallization appears when the blood folliculin level has reached a certain height that coincides with the third or fourth day before ovulation. The crystallization pattern is visible under 100-fold magnification of a saliva sample on a slide. The crystallization lasts until 3 or 4 days after ovulation, when the presence of lutein inhibits the crystallization. At fertile times, microscopic viewing of dried saliva reveals a structure of salt distribution pattern that starts to form chains. This method of examination of saliva offers a reliable way to determine fertility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,370 by Cho describes an apparatus for determining the fertile periods of women based on laboratory observations of crystallized saliva under high magnification. When a woman is most fertile, the saliva dries in fern-like patterns and during non-fertile periods the saliva pattern is random and generally appears as unconnected dots. When a combination of dots and fern-like patterns appear, it indicates that the woman is in a transitional period that a conception is possible but not highly likely. The patent states that laboratory tests have shown the fern-like structures appearing approximately three to four days prior to ovulation and ending two to three days after ovulation. However, the described method relies on the experience of visual observations and comparisons with standard patterns for determination of the fertile and non-fertile conditions of the woman being tested, therefore, it is subject to inaccuracies. Also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,424 by Rausnitz is a portable fertility tester for viewing the ferning pattern of a dried saliva sample. The tester has a circular disc with transparent regions indexed to each of the days of the menstrual cycle for storing the saliva patterns for viewing. An ocular is provided with a magnifying lens for examining the appearance of a woman's saliva sample placed on the tester. After drying, a fern-like pattern indicates the woman at a fertile time or a structureless dotted pattern indicates non-fertile. The ovulation tester was approved by FDA in January of 2002 (The Associate Press news article on Jan. 19, 2002). The device, however, depends solely on qualitative viewing of multiple stored saliva samples for determining the fertility condition and no quantitative trend is established for more accurate prediction of ovulation.
Instead of qualitative visual observations of crystalline patterns, U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,159 by Canter et al. describes an approach of ovulation monitoring by quantitatively determining the degree of ferning on the basis of diffraction of light by a crystallized saliva sample. A laser light is directed onto a targeted location on a dried sample that reflects scattered light onto a two-dimensional photo diode array. The photo diode array inputs the light intensity profile to a microprocessor. The microprocessor has a programmed algorithm that calculates a local ferning index representing a characteristic structure in the diffraction pattern of the targeted location. By this means, a number of locations are selected for obtaining a summary ferning index that represents the degree of ferning of the whole saliva sample. The approach uses a threshold value for determining the fertility of the saliva sample. The accuracy of this method, however, depends on selected measurement locations, which may not represent the whole imaged area of a dried saliva.
The analysis of a ferning pattern requires image processing of a captured image of a dried saliva sample by a digital camera. The analysis involves the framing of line segments appearing in the imaged area of a dried saliva sample. A method of framing a test image for comparing with a template is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/059477 by Kuo et al. for signature verification and character recognition. With the input of the stored pixel values, an OCR program proceeds to frame a first test character by scanning from the left end of the field toward the right end of the field. The first test character frame increases in size in the direction where the coverage area of dark pixels increases. This operation is repeated until the final frame is reached, by which further increase of frame size in any direction does not increase the coverage area of dark pixels. The template character that presents the best match is identified as the character for the test character. The methodology as described is for determining the best match of images, however, it is not applicable for characterizing the structure of a crystallization pattern of a dried saliva sample.
For daily home measurement of the Ferning pattern of a dried and crystallized sample, a convenient and well defined saliva collection method needs to be developed. The prior art has disclosed various means for collecting saliva samples. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,110 by Richard describes a suction cup for collecting a saliva sample. Suction is applied to a person's cheek around the parotid salivary duct and a pulsing pressure or electrical stimulation is applied to promote the flow of saliva to a collector vessel. The device is for one-time use in laboratory testing and it does not control the sample size for testing. Another device using a collecting cup for monitoring saliva is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,586 by Kuperman et al. The device includes a sample kit and an electrode assembly for immersion within a patient's saliva. The sample kit is comprised of a syringe-like element with a piston and a sponge member for absorbing the saliva which is to be compressed by the piston into the collecting cup. Disadvantages of the method are potential contamination of saliva by the sponge and the mechanical handling of the saliva that may impact the alignment of salts pattern.
A convenient saliva collection and testing method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,698 by Kuo. It describes the use of a biosensor electrical toothbrush that has a drive head having a test channel and a renewable biosensor system within the test channel for performing routine saliva tests. The drive head stimulates saliva production and collects a fixed quantity of saliva in the test channel where measurement signals are produced by sensors. The signals are transmitted to a microprocessor in the handle for storage and diagnostic analysis of the saliva sample. The brush handle also includes a display means, a battery, a motor and a reservoir for storing a reagent which is supplied in controlled quantities to the channel during saliva testing. The biosensor electrical toothbrush as described, however, is for measuring properties of a liquid saliva. It is not for capturing an image of a dried saliva sample for detecting crystallization.
In summary, there have been a significant number of patents which utilize saliva samples to predict a woman's ovulation. While various patents in the prior art describe methods for predicting ovulation, none is capable of performing the stimulation and collection of saliva and testing the saliva sample in an all-in-one handheld device for economic, efficient and convenient repeated regular uses at home.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a portable handheld diagnostic oral device which stimulates saliva production and collects saliva samples in a test channel. It is another object of the invention to test dried saliva samples of a user for the purpose of monitoring the Ferning crystallization pattern on a daily basis. It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable hand held diagnostic device which has a toothbrush component.

Image processing system for predicting ovulation


The semiconductor device includes a first layer including a first transistor, a second layer including a first insulating film over the first layer, a third layer including a second insulating film over the second layer, and a fourth layer including a second transistor over the third layer. A first conductive film electrically connects the first transistor and the second transistor to each other through an opening provided in the first insulating film. A second conductive film electrically connects the first transistor, the second transistor, and the first conductive film to one another through an opening provided in the second insulating film. A channel formation region of the first transistor includes a single crystal semiconductor. A channel formation region of the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor. The width of a bottom surface of the second conductive film is 5 nm or less.

A technique in which a transistor is formed using a semiconductor material has attracted attention. The transistor is applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (IC) or an image display device (also simply referred to as a display device). As semiconductor materials applicable to the transistor, silicon-based semiconductor materials have been widely used, but oxide semiconductors have been attracting attention as alternative materials.
For example, a technique for forming a transistor using zinc oxide or an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide semiconductor as an oxide semiconductor is disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
In recent years, demand for integrated circuits in which semiconductor elements such as miniaturized transistors are integrated with high density has risen with increased performance and reductions in the size and weight of electronic devices. For example, a tri-gate transistor and a capacitor-over-bitline (COB) MIM capacitor are reported (Non-Patent Document 1).

Semiconductor device, manufacturing method thereof, and electronic device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method for referencing a message comprises the steps of receiving selection of an area or object associated with the message on a display, optionally providing an indication that the selection of the area or object has been received, allowing a further message to be formed with a link to the message, wherein the link is associated with the further message responsive to the selection, and causing display of the information associated with the message responsive to selection of a further area or portion.

Electronic communication, including messaging, provides a very efficient manner of information exchange. In such forms of electronic communication, messages are exchanged between multiple parties in order to convey information. In one known form of messaging, two users operate respective client devices and effectively engage in conversation by transmitting messages between each other. Such communication may be in the form of a single continuous stream of back and forth messaging. Also, in some situations, more than two users (operating, for example, more than two respective client devices) may be communicating in a single continuous stream. While a single stream of messages may be transmitted in an ongoing sequence, it is also possible to have multiple channels, each with their own respective stream of messages.
A "conversation" of messages may be short or it may occur over an extended period of time. Such a period of time can last for hours, days, or even years. During the process of such a conversation, a large quantity of messages may be transmitted between multiple users. Typically, in order to reference an earlier message within a stream of messages, it may be desirable to scroll or somehow visually traverse through messages until an earlier message is located.

Apparatus and method for message reference management


This invention relates to a remote signature system in which a signatory located at a remote location from the original document can receive a virtual image of the document to be signed and, using an electronic pen or the like, sign the virtual document. Information regarding the signature is then transmitted to the location where the actual document exists and is imprinted upon the document using a plotter or printer incorporated in or associated with the scanner which transmitted the original image. A security enclosure may be used around the scanner/plotter/printer to eliminate the possibility of tampering with the document once the document has been loaded into the system. In order to prevent unauthorized access or reuse of the signature, or the document, information regarding the signature and the document is encrypted prior to transmission or storage in memory.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a remote transmission system, and more particularly to one which allows for the remote recording of an authorized signature upon a document.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of computer transmission schemes are well known in the art, and provide for a transmission of information or documents between remote locations. Such systems typically involve the use of computers and modems along with suitable printing apparatus in order to provide the user with the means of transmitting and viewing documents and the like over conventional telephone lines. While such systems are useful for the purposes intended, the legal, banking, credit card and securities industries often require the use of an actual signature executed by a signatory at a point of purchase or Agreements. The use of such systems as presently exist in the art for transmitting such a signature provide insufficient security and reliability for the direct execution of documents in remote locations.
Often, as a means of overcoming such deficiencies, the parties agree that a telefax copy of the signed document can be provided, with a confirming copy by mail. However, such a system still introduces the delays of originally sending originals, the possibility that they will be lost or damaged, and the costs of transmittal. Thus, such a system is unwieldy and expensive, offering only slight advantages over merely sending and receiving the documents by courier.
One rapidly expanding use of signatures is remote authorization of credit card purchases. Unfortunately, it is often the case that credit card fraud includes inadequate checking of an authorized signature at a point of purchase. Accordingly it would be helpful if such a system could provide for computerized checking of the signature being offered.
While remote writing apparatus are well known and form the subject of a variety of patents, such remote writing systems do not provide the ability to provide direct execution of documents from a remote authorized writer while providing the security that the signature cannot be used for other purposes at a later time. Accordingly, it would be desirable if a signature apparatus were available which allowed for a document to be executed by a signatory from a location remote from the document.

Remote signature rendering system & apparatus


A cable sleeve, which has a closable, longitudinal slit and is a tubular member of shrinkable material, has a closure formed by a pair of overlapping edge portions, which extend along the longitudinal slit. The outer edge portion has a bead formed by a fold which extends the length of the edge portion and forms a longitudinally extending groove opening toward the inner edge portion, which has an outwardly extending bead snappably engaged in said groove to form a sealed relationship. A support clamp is disposed on the fold of the outer edge portion to engage the fold adjacent the opening to hold the bead of the inner edge portion in the groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a cable sleeve, which consists of a shrinkable material and has a closable, longitudinally slit, and a closure for closing the slit.
2. Prior Art
Longitudinally extending hose-shaped covering or cable sleeves of thermoplastic synthetic material with a form memory and with a longitudinally extending interface are known and disclosed in German OS No. 1,525,815. This interface exhibits a bead on both sides of the slit over which beads a C-shaped clamp can be drawn to hold the divided bead together to close the slit.

Cable sleeve having a closable, longitudinal slit


An image reading apparatus includes a linear sensor unit for reading the side shape of a document on a document platen and outputting the outcome of the reading as an image data and a detector for detecting a binder based on the presence of a space (a protrusion) in the image data inputted by the linear sensor unit. This apparatus infallibly judges that such an object as a binder, which is unnecessary for image reading, is present in the document.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image reading apparatus for reading, by means of optical scanning, a document placed on a document platen, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus which is capable of focussing a lens during the image capture by detecting the leaf face height.
2. Description of the Related Art
The image reading apparatus, which is designed to capture an image of a document so placed as to direct the leaf face upward, has been heretofore known to adopt the apparatus which scans the edge of the terminal end of a document, detects the difference in brightness between the back end and the background, thereby recognizes the shape of the relevant part of the document and detects the leaf face height (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application (A) 07-079324). According to this technique, a detector as an image sensor scans and reads the leaf face placed on a document platen and the terminal end of the document reflected by a mirror disposed aslant behind the rear side of the document platen at the same time. The apparatus, therefore, is enabled to determine the leaf face height by counting the number of picture elements of the image sensor corresponding to the edge of the terminal end of the document which has been read out. It is enabled to bring all the points of the leaf face into focus and obtain a perfect in focus image of the document.
Further, there is a known image reading apparatus (JP-A-60-254869), which is provided on the rear side of a document platen with a distance measuring plate as a stopper for positioning of a document and is so designed to press against the distance measuring plate the top end of a document (on the rear side) so placed as to direct the leaf face upwardly, capture the edge of the top end of the document, detect the difference in brightness between the leaf face and the distance measuring plate disposed on the background, and correct the read image, based on the difference of brightness. In this apparatus, the surface of the distance measuring plate forms a focus detecting surface with a reflectance different from that of the document platen and that of the document surface. When a given document is thick, as in the case of a book or a document, and the thickness varies in the lateral direction, part of the focus detecting surface is covered on account of the thickness of the document. As a consequence, there is a change in the length in the main-scanning direction (recessing direction) of the focus detecting surface which is discerned by an image sensor such as a linear CCD image sensor, for example. By discerning this length, the apparatus can detect the variation in the thickness of the document and focus a lens on the image.
The image reading apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 05-169720, which is so designed to focus a lens on an image based on the height of the document detected by scanning the terminal end of the document, has a possibility that binding rings are mistaken for the leaf face when a given document having opposite faces bound with the binding rings is placed on the document platen. It is at a disadvantage when exposing the focus to deflection and inducing the phenomenon of blurring in the produced image.
Incidentally, such binders used for binding pages of the document produce shadows at the center of the leaf face. The shadows, therefore, create the problem of obscuring the image being read out.


An acceleration pulse modulation method for HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) crash simulation sleds uses servo-controlled accelerators on moveable parts of the crash simulator components and acceleration measurement instrumentation for comparison of measure acceleration of the sled with a desired acceleration to enable dynamic adjustment of the total accelerating force applied to the sled via servo-controlled accelerators, based upon measured acceleration error in order to eliminate acceleration error.

The present invention pertains generally to the control of the acceleration pulse delivered by HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) crash simulation sleds used in safety testing of vehicle components.
The HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) system derives its powerful thrust force from an actuator assembly 1 which uses differential gas pressure acting on the two faces of a thrust piston 10 in a closed cylinder 12, as shown in FIG. 1. The cylinder is separated into two chambers A, B by an orifice plate 14. A relatively low gas pressure in chamber A, known as the Set Cylinder, forces the thrust piston 10 against a seal ring 16 on the orifice plate 17. The area of the entire thrust piston face is exposed to the gas pressure in chamber A, defined by floating pistons 26 opposed to thrust piston 10. On the other side of the piston, only the small area within the seal is exposed, through the orifice opening, to the gas pressure in chamber B, known as the Load Cylinder, in which a floating piston 24 is located.
In preparation for firing, compressed gas is introduced into the Load Cylinder until the forces on the thrust piston 10 are equalized. To fire the piston, a small burst of compressed gas is introduced into the trigger chamber 18, which is the small area within the seal on the chamber B side of the piston. This burst upsets the equilibrium, opening the seal at the orifice plate 17 and exposing the entire surface area of the piston to the the seal at the orifice plate 17 and exposing the entire surface area of the piston to the higher pressure in the Load Cylinder. This results in a powerful thrust force being applied to the thrust piston in the direction of chamber A. This thrust force is then transmitted to a crash sled through the thrust column 20.
The thrust force has, until now, been controlled by regulating the compressed gas flow through the orifice plate by the shape of the metering pin 22, which is progressively drawn through the orifice as the metering pin, thrust piston, and thrust column assembly move in the direction of chamber A during the firing event.
The HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) reaction simulates the longitudinal deceleration conditions of an impact, but in reverse. Prior to an actual crash, the test vehicle and test dummies each move at a constant velocity. At impact, they are stopped very rapidly. During a HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) crash simulation sled test, the test vehicle and dummies, which are attached to the sled, are initially at zero velocity. This situation simulates the constant velocity condition prior to an actual crash. The metering pin programmed acceleration of the HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) sled drives an automobile assembly attached to the crash sled, which is shown in FIG. 2, out from under the test dummies, producing a response similar to that caused by the rapid deceleration of a moving vehicle. The acceleration and deceleration effects are interchangeable because the accelerationxe2x80x94time relationships are the same in both cases.
The metering pin controlled force output works well, but is cumbersome and time-consuming to change to another forcexe2x80x94time profile, requiring disassembly of the Set and Load Cylinders and removal and insertion of a different-shaped metering pin. A large inventory of such metering pins may be required in order to represent all the forcexe2x80x94time shapes required.
Control of the forcexe2x80x94time relationship during actuator motion is possible by other means than just metering pin shape. Instead of allowing all the force applied to the thrust piston to be directly applied to the thrust column and then used to accelerate the sled, an electronically controlled force control device may be employed to control the amount of force being made available to accelerate the sled.
Such an acceleration control (accelerator) device may take the form of a brake or force actuator acting in parallel with the HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) actuator to provide a force-path to ground either in parallel with the sled, or a force generator/absorber in parallel with the HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) actuator. This parallel accelerator device is to be closed-loop controlled using sled acceleration as the feedback signal source to compare with the desired acceleration value at a sequence of time increments and to apply a corresponding acceleration output to the sled or HYGE (Hydraulically Controlled, Gas Energized) actuator to drive the acceleration error (difference between desired and actual acceleration) toward zero, thus achieving true closed-loop control over the accelerationxe2x80x94time pulse during the actuator firing event.

Method and systems for control of acceleration pulses generated by HYGE type crash simulation sleds