A method and apparatus for preheating material in a glass melting furnace is provided. An indirect heat exchanger is utilized in which exhaust gases from the glass melting furnace are directed, in a counter flow relation, to raw materials and glass cullet being fed into a glass melting furnace. A first conduit is connected to the heat exchanger to withdraw gases formed from the decomposition of organic matter present in the materials being preheated and the gases are directed by the conduit into the glass melting furnace where they are combusted. A second conduit may also be provided for extracting water vapor released from the preheated materials prior to decomposition of the organic material.

The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for preheating glass and raw materials containing organic materials in an indirect heat exchanger, which has at least one preheating shaft and an adjacent heating chamber, to temperatures up to a maximum just below the softening temperature of the glass, for subsequent charging into a glass melting furnace, by passing the charging material through at least one preheating shaft and by heating the heating chamber with waste gases from the glass melting furnace.
In the case of indirect heat exchangers, the heat emitting and the heat absorbing media are separated from one another in order to prevent mixing.
In conjunction with glass melting furnaces it is also known that the raw material, which includes glass forming materials, the so-called batch, and cullet from recycled glass, can be heated in indirect heat exchangers by the waste gases from the melting furnace, for example in order to avoid the transfer of unwanted components present in waste gases to the raw material. This method does not lead to problems as long as the raw material only contains water. The batch normally contains approximately 4% water, the cullet approximately 1-1.5% water. The water is normally released from the raw material in the form of water vapor, which can be discharged to the surroundings without any particular problems. In fact, unless specific steps are taken this cannot be prevented, as the heat exchanger has openings at the inlet and outlet points for the raw material, through which the water vapor can exit.
However, preheating of raw material with recycled glass causes problems if the recycled glass contains organic substances or contaminant materials, the previous removal of which is either difficult or at least very expensive, and which undergo a carbonization process during preheating to the usual preheat temperatures, which leads to the formation of gases and vapors, which must not be released into the atmosphere because of environmental protection regulations.
These organic substances include paper, plastics and adhesives from labels, plastic coatings on bottles, plastic bottle tops, and also contamination resulting from the original contents. Also, corks are included as an organic contaminant material.
For economic reasons the raw material should be preheated to as high a temperature as feasible, if possible to just under the temperature at which the raw material tends to agglomerate. If glass cullet is present, this process begins above the softening temperature of the glass, so that the preheating is normally completed at a maximum temperature of approximately 550.degree. C.
At such temperatures however a carbonization process takes place, in which non-filterable gaseous or vaporous compounds such as carbon monoxide, organic cracking products, dioxines, furanes and the dangerous halogenated hydrocarbons are formed. If no specific steps are taken, these gases and vapors are also emitted from an indirect heat exchanger, as a chimney effect occurs in the type of preheating shaft normally used.
The German patent DE-PS 2,932,052 teaches that is possible to introduce glass raw materials and waste glass containing harmful organic materials into the glass melt of a glass melting furnace at various locations, and to control the furnace atmosphere so that there is an oxidizing atmosphere with high temperatures at the locations at which the waste glass with the organic materials is introduced, so that the organic materials are incinerated in the glass melting furnace. However, the maintenance of stable operation is complicated, and the formation of carbon-rich cords in the glass melt cannot be avoided, which leads to unusable end products. The energy consumption of such a melting process is also unsatisfactory, as the recycled glass, which normally forms the largest proportion of the material introduced into the furnace, is not preheated. This therefore concerns a non-generic process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,545 describes a further non-generic process, the main objective of which is the use of a pyroytic process for the treatment of glass fibers that are contaminated with organic materials, so that the fibers can be re-melted in a glass melting furnace. This is not a preheating process, as it is permissible to dump the end product. The pyrolytic process is carried out on loose piles of material, which are passed through a combustion chamber on a conveyor belt. In this case the material to be processed also has a tendency to stick, and so the temperature must be limited to prevent sticking, which means that the temperature must be kept below 550.degree. C. The only information given about the gas required for the pyrolysis is that it should contain less than 10% oxygen, in order to avoid local high temperatures, which could cause the material to stick. Since this means that full pyrolysis is not possible, it is stated that the waste gases from the process should be passed through gas treatment equipment and, if necessary, they should be recirculated. It is also stated that the pyrolysis gases should be transported to a special chamber for incineration. A combination of the energy balance of the pyrolysis process with that of the glass melting furnace is apparently not taken into consideration. Process operation, and the necessary equipment are complicated and expensive, and the method is therefore only suitable for special waste products, not for a normal glass melting process.

Method and apparatus for preheating charging material having organic contaminants for glass melting furnaces


An antenna includes a feeding element and at least one non-feeding element. A vertical distance between each non-feeding element and the feeding element falls within a specified threshold, each non-feeding element includes a first conductor that is grounded, a regulator circuit, and a control switch disposed on the first conductor and configured to control the regulator circuit, where the regulator circuit is configured to regulate a current path length of the non-feeding element. The non-feeding element forms a reflector when the regulator circuit is enabled, or the non-feeding element forms a director when the regulator circuit is disabled. A design in which the reflector and the director are compatible is used such that a combination of one feeding element, M directors and N reflectors is implemented for the antenna to achieve a high directive gain and interference suppression capability.

A wireless local area network (WLAN) is widely applied to homes, offices, and other indoor/outdoor environments. However, in indoor environments such as homes and offices, a horizontal coverage area and through-wall performance of an installed WLAN communications device, for example, an access point (also referred to as a hotspot) are important indicators that affect performance of a WLAN. Therefore, an adaptive switched-beam smart antenna with a high directive gain becomes extremely important in the WLAN communications device.
The following methods are available for implementing a smart antenna.
1. Different antennas or antenna arrays are selected using a radio frequency switch to perform radiation. Radiation directions of the antennas or antenna arrays are different, thereby implementing switching of antenna beams of a system.
2. An element and a feeding network are connected using a control switch, and different elements are selected by turning the control switch on or off, to perform radiation. Radiation directions of different elements are different, thereby implementing beam switching.
3. Reflectors in different directions are selected and connected using a control switch, thereby implementing beam switching.
However, these solutions have problems that a directive gain of an antenna is improved slightly relative to an omnidirectional gain, built-in and integration of an antenna array are difficult due to a large size, or the like.


A toy liquid storage tank includes an exterior cylindrical tank having a central vertical guide pole and a horizontally disposed flat roof. A motor gear drive mechanism linked to a pair of oppositely disposed cam lift arms raise and lower the roof along the guide pole. Roller wheels at the ends of the cams engage the roof to provide a smooth motion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy liquid storage tank having an internal mechanism which raises and lowers the roof to simulate the filling and emptying of liquid into and out of the storage tank. The device may be utilized in conjunction with a toy liquid transfer facility loading platform for simulating the transfer of liquids from the tank through a hose nozzle into a toy railroad tanker car fuel receptacle. The liquid transfer facility is the subject of copending application Ser. No. 09/950,371.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previous devices for simulating movement of accessories utilized with toy train apparatus include miniature electric motors which control mechanical actions of the accessories, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,887 to Rudell et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,440 to D""Andrade et al. shows the use of a rotatable vertical screw type mechanism for raising and lowering an elevator platform carrying objects up and down within a vertical silo building connected to a toy barn.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 195,041 to Genin et al. shows the external appearance of a water tower accessory for a toy railroad.
While these prior art devices show various mechanisms for simulating movement of toy train accessories, none of these concern a liquid storage tank having a roof raising and lowering mechanism which simulates the filling and emptying of liquid into and out of the storage tank.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel mechanism for simulating the filling and emptying of a toy liquid storage tank.
It is another object of the invention to provide a unique mechanism for raising and lowering the roof of a toy liquid storage tank.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a motor-actuated gear drive and lift cam arm which control movement of the roof along a central vertical guide.
These objects are achieved with a unique structure including an exterior cylindrical tank shell having a central vertical guide and a horizontally disposed flat roof which rides up and down along the vertical guide. A motor and gear drive mechanism are linked to a pair of oppositely disposed lift cam arms which raise and lower the roof. Roller wheels at the ends of the cam arms engage the underside of the roof to provide a smooth motion. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A heat transfer image-receiving sheet including (i) a substrate sheet, and (ii) a dye-receiving layer including an ultraviolet-absorbing agent having a melting point of from 50.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. and provided on at least one surface of the substrate sheet.

This invention relates to a heat transfer image-receiving sheet, and more particularly to a heat transfer image-receiving sheet capable of producing an image which is excellent in color density, sharpness, fastness, and, in particular, light resistance.
Heretofore, a variety of heat transfer printing methods have been proposed. Among them, a typical one for producing a full-colored image is a method which employs a heat transfer printing sheet comprising a sublimable dye as a coloring agent which is retained in a substrate such as a polyester film, and a heat transfer image-receiving sheet receptive of the sublimable dye, comprising a dye-receiving layer provided on the substrate such as a sheet of paper or a plastic film.
In the above method, heat is applied to the heat transfer printing sheet by a thermal head of a printer, and a large number of dots in three or four colors are transferred to the heat transfer image-receiving sheet in an extremely short heat-application time. An original full-colored image can thus be reproduced in the heat transfer image-receiving sheet.
The image thus obtained is very sharp and clear because a dye is used as a coloring material. Therefore, the heat transfer printing method of this type can provide an excellent half-tone image with continuous gradation, comparable to an image obtained by offset printing or gravure printing. Further, the quality of the image is as high as that of a full-colored photo.
Not only the structure of the heat transfer printing sheet, but also that of the heat transfer image-receiving sheet in which an image is produced are quite important factors in this printing method.
Namely, the dye-receiving layer of the heat transfer image-receiving sheet needs to be highly receptive of the sublimable dye contained in the heat transfer printing sheet, and can firmly retain it.
In the case where the dye-receiving layer is formed from a resin having a high affinity for the sublimable dye, it can be well dyed with the dye. However, in this case, an image produced in the dye-receiving layer will be blurred during storage. In addition, the dye transferred to the dye-receiving layer cannot be firmly retained therein, so that it bleeds out of the dye-receiving layer and tends to stain articles which are brought into contact with the surface of the dye-receiving layer.
The above shortcomings can be eliminated if the dye-receiving layer is prepared from a resin which does not allow the dye transferred from the heat transfer printing sheet to easily migrate to the dye-receiving layer. However, when such a resin is employed, the dye-receiving layer cannot be well dyed with the dye, and cannot produce a sharp image with high density.


To provide a peeling member capable of suppressing a waving phenomenon of a peeling sheet, contacting linearly with a roller sufficiently, preventing deformation due to jamming of a paper and showing excellent paper peeling performance, and to provide a peeling device provided with the peeling member. The peeling member includes a peeling sheet 10 that peels a paper from a fixing roller 6 of an electronic photographic device. The peeling sheet 10 is formed of one metal plate, the peeling sheet 10 including a peeling portion 2 that forms the distal end portion, and a support portion 3 that is thicker than the peeling portion 2. The peeling portion 2 is arranged at one long side of the metal plate such that a paper passing surface 2b of the peeling portion 2 is formed as a flat surface continued to a surface of the support portion 3.

In an electronic photographic device such as a copying machine and a laser printer, various types of rollers that develop an electrostatic latent image, which is formed on a photoreceptor drum, on a paper by using a developing agent such as toner and then fixes the developed image is arranged. In a developing portion, the photoreceptor drum and an oil coating roller except in a dry type electronic photographic are arranged, and in a fixing portion, a fixing roller and a pressing roller are arranged. Conventionally, in a photoreceptor drum, a fixing roller or a pressing roller, a separation claw is arranged in order to facilitate smooth operation of a roller by preventing a paper from winding on the roller. The separation claw is formed to prevent a paper from winding on the roller by sliding a distal end of the separation claw on an outer peripheral surface so as to scoop an edge of the paper. A width of a contact portion of the separation claw with the roller is approximately 1 mm to 10 mm. The separation claws are arranged at four to sixteen portions in each roller. Since the separation claw is contacted with the roller in part, the roller is partially worn and an excellent quality image cannot be obtained. Further, since the separation claw is also contacted with a paper in part, the developing agent transferred to the paper is scraped easily, and therefore the paper might be get dirt due to the scraped developing agent stuck to the separation claw.
Against this problem, as a peeling member capable of linearly contacting with the roller of the electronic photographic device, a peeling member formed by joining a peeling sheet, which peels a paper from a roller, formed of a metal thin plate to a support member formed of a metal material by means of laser spot welding is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). In the peeling member, the peeling sheet can be linearly contacted with the roller, and thereby local wear of the roller can be prevented.
Further, as a separation plate (peeling member) of the electronic photographic device, a separation plate in which a distal end of the separation plate is rolled and an abutting portion formed of the same metal plate of the separation plate is arranged in order to form a gap against an opposite roller at both end portions of the distal end portion, is disclosed (see Patent Document 2).


Techniques for sensing the resistance of a load. In an aspect, a sense resistor is provided in series with the load. Each terminal of the sense resistor is alternately coupled via switches to a sense amplifier. A second input of the sense resistor is coupled to a terminal of the load. The voltage drop across the load and the voltage drop across the load plus sense resistor are alternatively measured. These voltage drops may be digitized and used to compute a resistance of the load using, e.g., a digital processor.

1. Field
The invention relates to a scheme for measuring the impedance of a load, e.g., an audio load, coupled to an amplifier.
2. Background
Portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, notebook computers, and/or portable media players commonly incorporate an audio output device, e.g., a miniature speaker. Miniature speakers are typically not very robust, i.e., they can readily fail due to over-heating if driven by excessively large voltages. To prevent such failure, a device incorporating the speakers may also include circuitry for detecting the load impedance, e.g., the resistance of the miniature speaker. Upon detecting the load impedance, the device may take various steps to prevent failure of the load, e.g., by limiting the maximum drive voltage applied to such load, and/or by using the detected impedance directly as an indication of load temperature to determine whether the load should be driven or not.
To detect load impedance, a sense resistor may be coupled in series with the load, and the load impedance may be derived from measurements of the voltage drops across the load and the sense resistor, combined with a priori knowledge of the resistance of the sense resistor. Typically, it is desired to make the sense resistor much smaller than the load to avoid unnecessary power dissipation. Accordingly, the gain characteristics of a first signal path used to process the load voltage drop may be very different from the gain characteristics of a second signal path used to process the sense resistor voltage drop, due to the significantly different voltage swings expected. The large difference between the signal path gains may degrade the accuracy of the load impedance measurement, as it may be difficult to obtain accurate matching between the two signal paths and to minimize relative gain errors.
It would be desirable to provide techniques to improve the accuracy of load impedance measurement given the design constraints of such a system.


A method for removing a cylindrical member from a radially expansible and contractible band-forming drum and transferring the cylindrical member to a subsequent station. The cylindrical member includes a cylindrical laminate structure prepared by winding tire constituent elements in the form of an inner liner and a carcass ply around the band forming drum, and a pair of bead rings axially spaced from each other and fixed and held at predetermined positions on the outer circumference of the laminate structure. The bead rings are grasped while maintaining a predetermined distance therebetween, without displacing the bead rings before the band-forming drum is contracted to decrease its diameter. At least the axial end of the cylindrical member close to the subsequent station is held in a slightly radially expanded state, and the band-forming drum is then contracted to decrease its diameter to allow removal of the cylindrical member from the drum in its axial direction.

This invention relates to a method of removing a cylindrical member from a band-forming drum around which the cylindrical member is wound, and for transferring the cylindrical member maintaining its shaped configuration to a building machine at a subsequent process step for forming a green case of a tire. The cylindrical member in this instance includes, as pneumatic tire constituent elements, a cylindrical laminate structure composed of an inner liner, chafers and a carcass ply, and a pair of bead rings which are arranged spaced from each other on the outer circumference of the laminate structure.
In order to form a green case of a tire, it has been a conventional practice to wind an inner liner, chafers and a carcass ply around a radially expansible and contractible band-forming drum to prepare a cylindrical laminate structure. A pair of bead rings of an inner diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the laminate structure are then arranged outwardly of the laminate structure, as being spaced from each other. Thereafter, the drum is caused to expand radially outwardly to increase its diameter so as to bring the laminate structure into close contact with the inner surfaces of the bead rings, thereby forming a cylindrical member. The cylindrical member is then grasped and transferred by means of a removal and transfer apparatus having grasping members which are adapted to surround the cylindrical member.
In the known removal and transfer method described above, the cylindrical member is simply grasped on its outer side by the grasping members, and the laminate structure is forced onto the inner circumferential surfaces of the bead rings by the expansion of the band-forming drum. Thus, the laminate structure due to the residual internal stresses tends to contract radially inwardly to decrease its diameter. Despite the arrangement of the bead rings, furthermore, regions of the laminate structure which are not engaged by the grasping members are likely to deform. Additionally, the grasping members when grasping the bead rings are in close contact with the laminate structure only, and the bead rings thus tend to move. Owing at least to these reasons, it has been very difficult to exactly maintain the desired positional relationship between the bead rings and the laminate structure. Moreover, the bead rings often exhibit the quite undesirable tendency of partial separation from the laminate structure, depending upon the grasped condition of the bead rings, thereby giving rise to an unsatisfactory formation of green cases and deterioration of its quality.

Cylindrical member removal and transfer method


A disposable toothbrush comprising an elongate handle having a fingergrip at one end and a bristle-carrying head adjacent the other end of the handle. The handle has an elongate shallow recess which extends from the fingergrip to the head and which contains toothpaste covered by a thin flexible membrane. The membrane defines a blister cover or a capsule. The head has a corresponding passage extending between the handle and an opening at the base of the bristles where the toothpaste will be extruded in use.

There exists a long-felt want for a disposable toothbrush, Patents dating back more than 50 years are a testament to this need. Unfortunately, toothbrushes designed for this purpose have usually been too awkward to use to have any significant mass-appeal. One prevalent problem occurring in prior art toothbrushes with self-contained dentifrice is that the supply of dentifrice is insufficient for distribution to the bristle area as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,245. Another problem is that the application of the dentifrice to the bristle area is perhaps too widespread and unhygienically messy as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,550,190 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,776. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,524, the toothbrush handle defines a hollow container for receiving dentifrice and the handle is squeezed to extrude dentifrice into the bristle area. So that the handle can be held by the user during brushing, it must have a minimum rigidity and, accordingly, the handle will not remain in a collapsed condition after squeezing. Upon resumption of its original shape, some dentifrice may be sucked back into the handle because of the resulting vacuum. This problem is, in part, addressed in a second costlier embodiment in which a piston is moved along the length of the handle to extrude the dentifrice to the base of the bristle area.
It is an object of this invention to provide a disposable toothbrush which is convenient to use and which addresses at least some of the aforementioned problems.


A memory device, system, and method for operation of a memory device. In one such memory device, the memory device comprises a plurality of strings of memory cells. A plurality of drain select devices are coupled to each string of memory cells. An upper drain select device shares common support circuitry (e.g., selecting/deselecting transistors) with one or more upper drain select devices of other strings of memory cells. The support circuitry (e.g., selecting/deselecting transistors) for lower drain select devices can also be shared between a plurality of strings of memory cells.

Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source of non-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Common uses for flash memory include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, digital media players, digital recorders, games, appliances, vehicles, wireless devices, cellular telephones, and removable memory modules. Flash memory devices typically use a one-transistor memory cell that allows for high memory densities, high reliability, and low power consumption. Changes in threshold voltage of the cells, through programming of a charge storage structure, such as floating gates, trapping layers or other physical phenomena, determine the data state of each cell.
The memory cells of a memory device are typically arranged in a memory array having a plurality of groups (e.g., blocks) that can be organized as series strings of memory cells. Support circuitry can be used to select an individual string of a number of strings of memory cells in a group of strings of memory cells in order to program, read, or erase a cell(s) of the selected string.
FIG. 1 illustrates typical prior art support circuitry 150, 151 for selecting and deselecting individual series strings of memory cells in respective selected and deselected memory blocks 100, 101. Since a number of memory blocks can share the same access lines (e.g., word lines) and data lines (e.g., bit lines), only the memory block that is being accessed for a particular memory operation (e.g., program, read, erase) should be selected.
FIG. 1 shows a memory block 100 that is selected for a particular memory operation (e.g., program, read, erase) and a memory block 101 that is deselected such that its memory cells are not affected by signals on the word lines WL0-WL32, bit line 110, and/or source 111. Each memory block 100, 101 is shown with two typical series strings 120-123 of memory cells that represent, for example, a plurality of series strings in each block (e.g., 0-15). Each series string 120-123 can be coupled to a respective drain select device 125-128 that can be used to selectively couple the respective series string to a bit line 110 responsive to a local drain select gate control signal SGD0-SGD15 and a respective source select device 130-133 that can be used to selectively couple the respective series string to the source 111 responsive to a local source select gate control signal SGS.
For purposes of clarity, the support circuitry 150, 151 shown represents the typical circuitry used for selectively coupling a single global word line GWL0 to a local word line WL0 and a single global drain select gate GSGD0 to a local drain select gate SGD0. For the selected block 100, a word line selecting transistor 103 and a drain select gate selecting transistor 105 are shown enabled by a high signal BLKSEL(n). A drain select gate deselecting transistor 106 is shown disabled by a low signal BLKSELb(n). Similarly, for the deselected block 101, a word line selecting transistor 107 and a drain select gate selecting transistor 108 are shown disabled by a low signal BLKSEL(n) while a drain select gate deselecting transistor 109 is shown enabled by a high signal BLKSELb(n).
It can be seen from FIG. 1 that each word line can be selected by one selecting/deselecting transistor 103, 107 and each drain select gate can be selected by two selecting/deselecting transistors 105, 108 and 106, 109 respectively. While it is not shown, the source select gates can also each use two selecting/deselecting transistors. Since a typical memory device might have hundreds of thousands of word lines and select gates, it can be appreciated that the support circuitry for the memory device can use a considerable amount of integrated circuit die real estate that might better be used by additional memory cells for greater memory density.


Provided is a compound represented by formula (1):

Aminoguanidine is a raw material for synthesis of medicines, dyes, photographic chemicals, gunpowder, etc., and in particular, its anti-glycation effect is widely known in the field of medicines (see Non Patent Literature 1). As the anti-glycation effect of aminoguanidine have been found inhibition of the in vitro formation of AGEs, inhibition of the crosslinking or polymerization of a protein, and prophylaxis of nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy and an effect of preventing the progression of diabetes complications in an animal model of diabetes (see Non Patent Literature 2).
In addition to the above applications, aminoguanidine has been recently found to be useful for an absorber for odor components of aldehydes, i.e., an aldehyde catcher (see Patent Literature 1) and has been used as an additive for rubbers (see Patent Literature 2). More and more diverse physical properties have been required for the application, and a compound alternative to conventional aminoguanidine is required to be provided.
Fillers are additives for rubbers to be mixed in a rubber for the purpose of reinforcement or bulking of the rubber, imparting a special function to the rubber, etc. Carbon black, a representative filler, not only contributes to enhancement of the physical properties (reinforcing effect), such as elastic modulus and breaking strength, of a rubber, but also has a function of imparting conductivity, etc.
To obtain a reinforcing effect for rubbers similar to carbon black and obtain a rubber composition having low heat build-up, i.e., low loss properties, a method of using an inorganic filler such as silica is known, and has been applied, for example, to rubber compositions for environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient tires, etc.
In an inorganic filler-blended rubber composition, an inorganic filler, especially hydrophilic silica having a silanol group on the surface, blended therein agglomerates in the rubber composition due to its low affinity for a rubber, which is hydrophobic. Thus, it is required to enhance the affinity of silica for a rubber to enhance the reinforcing capability of silica and obtain an effect of lowering heat build-up. Known examples of such methods include use of a synthetic rubber the affinity of which for inorganic fillers is enhanced through end group modification with a polar group (see Patent Literature 3) and use of a synthetic rubber the affinity of which for inorganic fillers is enhanced through copolymerization of a polar group-containing monomer (see Patent Literature 4). Known examples of methods for modifying a natural rubber to introduce a polar group include a method in which a natural rubber is oxidized and then modified with a hydrazide compound having a polar group (see Patent Literature 5) and a method in which a silane coupling agent is added to a rubber composition containing a modified natural rubber having a polar group introduced and silica to further enhance the dispersibility of the silica (see Patent Literature 6).

Alkylidene aminoguanidine and salt thereof, modifying composition, modified rubber for tire, rubber composition for tire, and tire

Abstract: wherein X is an acid to form a salt with a guanidine site; and R1 and R2 are each independently any selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a C1-18 alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, an alkylaryl group, and an alkenyl group, each of the groups optionally having one or more substituents each containing a sulfur atom, a nitrogen atom, or an oxygen atom.


The programmable monitoring system comprises one or more motion sensors, one or more temperature sensors, one or more door sensors and one or more pill box sensors. Each sensor is tagged with a unique code readable by a smart phone camera and software program which allows alarms on the smart phone to be set. The alarms are individually set for any or all of the sensors based on habits of the person being monitored.

There are a number of monitoring systems known. Some systems include a device worn by an individual which sends a signal requesting an emergency response when activated. Such systems are sometimes referred to as personal emergency response systems (PERS) (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,639). Other systems directly monitor a patient's vital signs such as temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,553). Still other systems monitor an individual's weight and obtain information by asking the patient a series of questions designed to determine the patient's wellbeing and need for medical care (U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,106). There are other systems and each has a specific purpose which is accomplished in a somewhat different way. These systems generally endeavor to reduce overall medical costs by providing information related to a possible need for medical care back to a central location.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method and system is described which facilitates the proper association of radiographic film with a patient information. The invention maintains information for each patient to be examined in the current day and generates a unique identifying ID code for each patient to be examined. Before examining a patient, the current patient""s unique identifier is imaged on an unexposed radiographic film. After the patient is examined and the film is exposed, the film is developed and digitized. Patient information is retrieved and associated with the digitized medical images by analyzing the digital image data in order to determine the patient""s unique identifier. In this manner, the invention ensures the proper association of patient information with exposed radiographic film. Once properly associated, the digital image data and the patient information can be communicated to a Picture Archiving and Communication System. The present invention also allows for interfacing with a hospital""s Radiology Information System, thus eliminating the need for manual entry of patient information.

This invention relates generally to the field of medical imaging, and more particularly to a method and system for associating exposed radiographic films with proper patient information.
Many modern hospitals have implemented a variety of digital medical modalities such as a magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), digital radiography, and ultrasound devices. These modalities, often referred to as input imaging devices, produce vast numbers of diagnostic quality digital images. In order to handle the large volume of digital images, many hospitals have implemented networks of specialized equipment and components specifically designed to facilitate medical radiological imaging. Such a network is commonly referred to as a Picture Archiving and Communicating System (PACS). A PACS allows a radiologist to easily manage digital medical images including storing, retrieving, and viewing the images. For example, when a patient is imaged by a medical modality, a series of digital images, often referred to as a xe2x80x9cstudyxe2x80x9d, is generated and archived at a central database. Typically each study contains general patient information such as name, date of birth, an assigned physician and the type of medical modality that produced the images. This information is often entered by hospital personnel from a workstation while the patient is being imaged. After imaging is complete, a radiologist can easily retrieve the patient""s study from the database and print the images on a medical imager.
A medical imager processes the pixel data of the retrieved medical images and generates output image data. For example, in a continuous tone laser imager, the output image data represents exposure levels necessary for a scanning assembly to accurately reproduce the original image on an imaging element. The output image data is used to modulate the intensity of the scanning laser while exposing the imaging media, thereby forming the visible representation of the original image. Other medical imagers use different imaging techniques to form output images such as direct thermal imaging, ablation imaging, dye transfer, ink jet, dye sublimation and thermal mass transfer.
In addition to easily printing stored medical images, a PACS allows a radiologist to view each image on a diagnostic-quality display station. This eliminates any expense and effort involved in printing the images. Furthermore, after viewing the images, the radiologists can forward the study to another radiologist, perhaps located at a remote hospital, for further review. In this fashion, PACS have greatly improved patient care and the efficiency of radiology departments.
One area that has not benefited from the recent progress in managing and archiving images is conventional radiography (X-ray). In conventional radiography, a radiographic film captures an image-wise exposure of a patient. The exposed film is then chemically developed to form a visible image. Because of the high image quality, conventional radiography is still the predominant diagnostic technique employed by radiologists. Unfortunately, because of the exposure and development process, conventional radiography has been unable to enjoy the benefits associated with digital imaging described above. Many hospitals have attempted to address this problem by turning to film digitizers which digitize radiographic images formed on radiographic films. Once the radiographic image is available in digitized form, such an image can be archived, retrieved and manipulated in any of the various ways offered by a PACS. For this purpose, the developed film is manually removed from the developer and fed into the film digitizer. This approach, although producing a digital image, requires vast amounts of time and labor. Furthermore, manual operations are required in order to associate each digitized image to the proper patient and the communication of the complete study to the PACS. Such a manual operation requires a high degree of attention and is prone to error. For example, patient information is often associated with the wrong image. Another attempt to solve the above problem, as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,237,358, 5,583,663 and EP 452,570, has been to directly couple the film processor to the film digitizer such that developed film is fed directly into the film digitizer. This technique requires less time and manual labor and offers other benefits including reducing the chance the film is blemished with finger marks, dust, or the like. This technique, however, does not address the problem that the generated images must be associated with the proper patient information.
By facilitating the management of digital medical images, PACS have greatly improved patient care and the efficiency of radiology departments. For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a method and system which facilitate the use of conventional radiographic film in a PACS environment. There is also a need for a method and system which automatically associates medical images from exposed radiographic film to correct patient information.
The present invention is directed to a method and system for automatically associating a radiographic film with one of a plurality of patients. In one embodiment, the present invention generates a unique code for each patient that is scheduled for examination. When a particular patient is to be examined, the patient""s corresponding unique code is imaged on an unexposed radiographic film. The patient""s image is captured on the radiographic film which is then developed to form at least one visible medical image on the radiographic film. The developed radiographic film is digitized to produce digital image data. According to the present invention, the digital image data is analyzed to determine the unique code of the examined patient that was imaged on the film. The proper patient information is associated with the developed radiographic film based on the unique code as determined from the digital data. According to one aspect of the present invention, the digital image data is analyzed according to optical character recognition techniques.
According to yet another aspect, the present invention stores patient information in an information table having a plurality of entries such that each entry of the information table can be accessed by one the unique identifiers. After a radiographic film is digitized, the information table is accessed according to the unique identifier determined from the digital image data in order to retrieve proper patient information. In one embodiment, the present invention retrieves current patient information from a radiology information system.
According to one feature, the present invention retrieves the proper patient information and communicates the digital image data and the retrieved patient information to a Picture Archiving and Communicating System. In one embodiment, the digital image data and the retrieved patient information is communicated in compliance with the DICOM standard, such as by constructing a DICOM file.
According to yet another aspect, the present invention provides a visual display to allow an operator to modify the patient information of the information table. For example, an error message is displayed when the present invention is unable to determine the unique patient identifier from the digital image data. Providing a visual display allows the operator to enter patient information for the developed radiographic film.
In another embodiment, the present invention is a system for associating a radiographic film with one of a plurality of patients. The system includes an imager for imaging a label having a unique patient identifier on radiographic film. The system further includes an input imaging device having a processor for developing the radiographic film with the label imaged thereon, thereby forming at least one visible medical image on the radiographic film. A film digitizer is coupled to the processor for digitizing the medical image and the label image, thereby producing digital image data. An interface device receives the digital image data and analyzes the digital image data in order to correctly associate the developed radiographic film with one of the patients. According to one aspect of this embodiment, the interface device stores patient information in an information table having a plurality of entries such that each entry of the information table has a unique identifier. The interface device selects one of the entries of information table when the entry""s unique identifier corresponds to the unique patient identifier of the label as determined from the digital image data.
According to one aspect of this embodiment, the interface device further comprises (i) a patient identification station for managing the information table including retrieving patient information from the selected entry, and (ii) a network interface for receiving the digital image data from the input imaging device and communicating the patient identifier to the patient identification station. According to another aspect of this embodiment, the network interface includes a DICOM manager for building a DICOM file containing the digital image data and the patient information received from the patient identification system, wherein the network interface communicates the DICOM file to a Picture Archiving and Communicating System. These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Method and system for associating exposed radiographic films with proper patient information


The present invention provides devices for neck support and correction, for example, pillows, headrests, or cushions, designed to be placed under the head and neck of a person lying in a supine or side-lying position, Such devices are useful for maintaining or improving cervical and/or thoracic spinal curvature and/or alignment and for reducing pain associated with ailments of the neck or cervical vertebrae. Also provided are methods of improving cervical spinal alignment and for treating or ameliorating ailments of the neck or cervical vertebrae.

Because approximately one-third of all human existence is spent in a supine position, there has been great interest in developing pillows or cushions that properly support a person's body in such position. Some pillows are marketed as being posture or cervical pillows that are designed to support the head and spine, and in particular, the neck vertebrae, in the most normal, comfortable and unstressed position, thereby aiding in relieving stress in the cervical or neck portion of the upper spine, and for promoting proper posture.
The neck of a person lying in a supine or side-lying position is often out of alignment with the person's spine. This may be especially true when using either standard or contoured commercial pillows. This is commonly the case when the person's neck is supported by a pillow or multiple pillows such that the neck lies at an angle defined by the deflected height of the pillow(s) and this angle is typically not co-planar with the spine. The deflected height of the pillow is closely related to its stiffness, which is conventionally provided by filling material disposed within a fabric covering. Conventional filling material includes feathers, cotton, and synthetic fillers.
Recently, a number of pillows have been formed of viscoelastic material, such as a viscoelastic foam material. These types of pillows are often referred to as memory foam pillows. The viscoelastic foam responds to changes in temperature such that body heat molds the pillow to conform to the curves of a body for comfort and support. This allows the shape of the pillow to more closely follow the contours of the body and to promote an improved alignment of the neck and spine when a person is in a supine or side-lying position.
While currently available pillows provide comfort and some therapeutic effect, they often do not promote optimal alignment of the neck and spine. Indeed, many currently available pillows promote the misalignment of the neck and spine in otherwise healthy users. Therefore, there is a need to provide improved pillows and other neck support devices that are not only comfortable, but also provide a therapeutic effect and promote improved alignment of the neck and spine when a person is seated, or in a supine or side-lying position.


A feeder for cylindrical bales is of the tombstone type that is it includes a lower circular band defined by hoops and an upstanding sheet of material forming a skirt. U-shaped frames or tombstones are then attached to the outer frame and extend upwardly therefrom with the animal able to reach between the tombstones for grasping feed from a bale confined within the feeder. In accordance with the improvement of the present invention, the tombstones are bent inwardly and upwardly so that the animals front legs are confined outwardly away from the bale while the animal can reach over the inclined portion of the tombstone and through the vertical portion of the tombstone to the able. The animal is encouraged to feed within the outer frame and thus any waste is deposited within the outer frame and cannot be trampled or spoiled. The animal is inhibited from pressing its shoulders against the frame thus reducing damage or breakage and excessive movement of the feeder.

This invention relates to a feeder for receiving a large cylindrical bale for distributing the bale to a number of animals which are particularly but not exclusively cattle. Round bale feeders are well known and manufactured in large numbers. The feeders are designed to receive a single cylindrical bale of feed material which is confined within the bale feeder for access by a number of animals surrounding the bale feeder. The most simple feeders of this type comprise simply a plurality of circular rails which are connected to form a cylindrical body of a size to fit around the periphery of the bale. The connecting members comprise either vertical bars or slant bars so that the animal can pass its head through the bars to reach the feed from the bale which is confined within the feeder. Often a sheet metal skirt is provided from the lowermost ring which rests upon the ground to a height of the order of eighteen inches to assist in confining the feed material inside the feeder. Bale feeders of this type are manufactured in large numbers and by a large number of manufacturers. They do however a number of faults. Firstly there is a tendency for the animal particularly at the early stages of eating from a bale to pull material outwardly from the bale to the outside of the frame and to drop some of the material in that area outside of the frame wherein it becomes trampled and spoiled. Secondly the frame is prone to damage from being pushed around in the feed lot by the animals. The animal can press its shoulders against the bars and push forwardly in an attempt to reach feed within the frame and this pushing action often causes premature failure of the welded connections.
One type of feeder which is becoming more popular is that known as a "tombstone" feeder which is generally of the same construction as previously described except that the feeder is formed by a lower band reaching up approximately to the shoulders of the animal and a plurality of "tombstones" which project upwardly from the upper edge of the band. Each tombstone comprises a U-shaped frame member which is generally tubular in construction with the U-shape inverted to define a curved upper edge and the legs extending downwardly and connected to the band. This type of construction tends to be more rugged than the hoop type construction. In addition in between each tombstone and the next tombstone is a path or channel within which the animal can place its head with that path being open at the top so that the animal can lift its head out freely without contacting an upper rail or hoop of the feeder.
One example of a feeder of this general type is shown in British patent No. 1292185 which includes the outer band and tombstones but is of a modified construction in that it includes a hopper feeder arrangement centrally of the outer band. The tombstone feeder does however continue to have the problem of the waste material since the animal can pull the material outwardly from the bale to the outside of the feeder where it is trampled and wasted.
One improved arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,609 (Delichte) which shows an arrangement of the hoop type feeder in which an outer frame is provided having bars spaced sufficiently to allow the animal to pass its head between the bars into the area between the outer frame and an inner frame with the inner frame confining the bale away from the outer frame. In this way the animal reaches in through the outer frame to the bale confined inside of the inner frame and tends to eat with its head between the inner and outer frames so that any material falling from the mouth of the animal collects between the inner and outer frames and thus cannot be trampled. This feeder has therefore achieved some success since it resolves the problem of feed waste and significantly reduces waste to an amount which is economically viable despite the increased cost of the device due to the increased complexity.
This device does however have particular problems in that it is larger than conventional feeders and cannot be broken down into simple parts so that transportation of the large bulky feeder becomes very difficult and expensive. Conventionally feeders are often broken down into angularly separated parts which can be stacked readily one on top of the other allowing large numbers of feeders to be transported and subsequently bolted together to form the complete circular feeder. This transportation system is not possible in the improved feeder of Delichte leading to further increases in cost relative to conventional feeders
As the cost of feed increases and improved cost efficiencies become necessary, more attention is being given to feed saving and hence improvements to the conventional feeder are becoming urgent. In addition the tombstone feeder is becoming more popular in view of its above stated advantages.


Disclosed are drive chip, drive circuit and drive method capable of eliminating LED ghost. The drive chip comprises a processing unit, a blanking unit and a constant current drive unit. By blanking unit, parasitic capacitances of each row of scanning lines of an LED array is discharged during a blanking period, eliminating an upper ghost without needing to pull down additional circuits such as a resistor, no caterpillar effect or the reverse bias of LED lamp beads; charging parasitic capacitance of each column of scanning lines of the LED array, eliminating lower ghost. By constant current drive unit, constant current control is performed on LED lamp beads. Performing blanking and constant current control individually in two time periods, when displaying LED lamp beads, parasitic capacitance and both upper and lower ghosts are eliminated.

When a single-point brightness pattern is on presenting, an LED display scheme will appear a plurality of slightly bright points around the single-point, which is commonly known as a ghost. A reason of a ghost generation is, there is a plurality of Cp and Cn parasitic capacitances on a row and a column of a plurality of scanning lines on a PCB, when a system is switching a state, an incorrect voltage of the Cp and Cn may cause a leakage current generating, while a plurality of LEDs around the bright spot may further generate an abnormal light leakage.
Referencing to FIG. 1, the ghost may be divided into an upper ghost and a lower ghost, a mechanism of generating the ghost is as follows:
State 1: when a first row of the scanning lines COM1 finishes displaying, a parasitic capacitance Cp1 of the first row of the scanning lines is charged by a transistor of P1 and kept in a high voltage. When a next line COM2 (a second row of the scanning lines) starts, if a SEG2 lights up a Q22, then a plurality of charges of the parasitic capacitance Cp1 in the first row of the scanning lines will be discharged by the SEG2 through a Q12, thus generating a light leakage from the Q12, called an upper ghost.
State2: The Q22 is lit up, when the COM2 finishes displaying, a parasitic capacitance Cn2 of a second column of the scanning lines is discharged by a transistor of N2 and kept in a low voltage, and at a short time of turning on a COM3, a current charges and lifts the voltage of Cn2 from a P3 through a Q32, thus generating a light leakage from the Q32, called a lower ghost. Wherein from Q11 to Q33, all are light emitting diodes.
All above, the ghosts are all generated by a plurality of abnormal voltages from the parasitic capacitances in the system, thus, an appropriate bias voltage helps to eliminate a phenomenon of the ghost.
In the industry, improving the lower ghosts is currently achieved by pulling high a voltage of a SEG terminal via a column constant current drive chip before switching a COM line to keep the parasitic capacitances Cn of the columns of the scanning lines in a high voltage, keeping no current from charging the Cn when switching between the COM lines, therefore eliminating the lower ghosts.
According to a problem of the upper ghosts, when designing a circuit for an LED displayer, a process of discharging the rows of the scanning lines will be made, that is, a blanking circuit will be added. And in the present arts, a blanking circuit has a plurality of schemes as listed below:
1. pull down a ground resistance;
2. a Zener diode+a pull-down resistance.
Currently, on a market, all solutions of eliminating the upper ghost are achieved by discharging the rows of the scanning lines, which needs to add a plurality of additional circuits, causing a plurality of problems including a caterpillar effect and a reverse bias voltage of an LED lamp bead.
Specifically, the scheme 1 has a plurality of characters including a low cost and a convenience, however, to a plurality of rows of the scanning lines, it may have a constant pull-down current, generating a pretty large reverse bias voltage to the LED lamp beads and having a caterpillar phenomenon exist. The scheme 2 suppresses the rows of the scanning lines to 3.3V, without any caterpillar effects, however, it may still generate a pretty large reverse bias voltage to the LED lamp beads, and the scheme has a plurality of components.
Therefore, the current technology needs to be improved and developed.

Drive chip, drive circuit and drive method capable of eliminating LED ghost


A thin, rigid plane of plastic, wood or heavy card stock approximately 9 inches on a side to define a square is arranged to engage a person's chest. A right angle 90.degree. protractor in turn is secured to the stock with the zero angle line extending along the surface of the device. A weighted pointer hangs free to indicate on the protractor the chest angle to the vertical; that is, the inclination angle of the member to the vertical which in turn determines the chest angle. This chest angle is the same angle to be provided in a control (bust) dart. In other words, this chest angle corresponds to the angle needed to be taken up in the control (bust) dart of the bodice of the pattern for a garment to bring the cross grain line of the fabric to the necessary horizontal position for a proper unwrinkled fit. Other appropriate measurements are made cooperating with the dart angle measurement described to define proper positioning for the dart, so that a proper unwrinkled fit is assured.

In making garments for ladies, the usual practice is to try the particular garment on the person involved and then make appropriate adjustments so as to assure a wrinkle-free fit. For example, the material for the bodice pattern is physically placed over the person's chest and appropriate gathers are made for the control (bust) dart, the amount of material to be put in a dart being directly determined by fitting on the body. In other words, the material is worked while physically on the person to bring the cross grain line of the fabric to the necessary horizontal position for the desired fit. The actual position of the dart angle point has always been determined by direct fitting of fabric on the body. This is later transferred to the pattern if a commercial pattern is being used, or to the master pattern if one is being developed. The bust point itself is determined by two conventional measurements. While these latter measurements can be taken from the person involved and later transferred to the garment pattern, it has always previously been necessary to actually place the fabric for the garment on the person to determine the proper dart angle or degree of gathering to form the dart as above described, and to properly position it in relation to the other elements of the pattern.


Replaceable liner for the discharge assembly of a rotary grinding mill or the like is disclosed, in the preferred embodiment, as including first, second, and inner most self-supporting box members. The first box member includes closed sides, bottom, and second end, and includes an open top and first end. The second box member includes closed sides, top, and bottom, and includes open ends. When the grate is removed from the first discharge casting, the second box member can be inserted within the first discharge casting and moved into the second and third discharge castings. Then the first box member can be placed within the first discharge casting. Thus, when the grate is attached to the first discharge casting, the first and second box members will be captured within the first and second discharge castings. The inner most box member is provided for installation in the three inner most castings which form the discharge cone of the discharge assembly. The inner most box member includes closed sides, top, and bottom, and includes open ends. The inner most box member further includes a discharge outlet formed by the top generally extending beyond the open end and terminating in a curved portion which follows and protects the three inner most castings. Further, one of the sides also extends beyond the open end of the inner most box member and terminates in the curved portion of the top such that the sides extend past the open end alternately in the mill and the inner most box members in adjacent tiers of discharge castings form a unitary outlet.

The present invention relates generally to liners, more particularly to replaceable liners, and specifically to replaceable liners for the discharge end of a rotary grinding mill or the like.
It is well known that the discharge end of a rotary grinding mill or the like, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,882, is subjected to extreme abrasive wear due to the ground material passing therethrough. Discharge diaphram assemblies formed of discharge castings, grates, and wear plates, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,882, are used in grinding mills in an attempt to maximize the useful life of the machines. However, it is necessary to form the discharge diaphram assembly out of very expensive material such as Ni-Hard iron. Furthermore, the discharge diaphram assembly of the prior art, after being worn by the ground material, had to be removed and replaced piece by piece, which is expensive in both labor and also down time in that the grinding mill cannot be operated for significant periods during replacement of the discharge diaphram assembly.
Thus, a need has arisen in the art for a replaceable liner for insertion into the discharge castings such that the liners can be inexpensively replaced with substantial savings in labor and down time and also allowing the discharge diaphram assembly to be made of less costly material.
Past attempts to provide such a replaceable liner have not proven successful and have, in instances, failed to remain in place at least in view of the extremely hostile environment.


A capacitive pressure sensor is provided which has a conductive silicon diaphragm having a thick supporting portion at the periphery thereof and a thin inner deflecting portion which is reduced in thickness from the supporting portion by means of an etching process which makes possible a very accurate dimensioning of the hollow formed by the deflecting portion of the diaphragm. A substrate of borosilicate glass has a flat surface which is placed against the side of the diaphragm in contact with the supporting portion and the two elements are joined by a process of anodic bonding so that a pressure chamber is formed between the substrate and the thin deflecting portion of the diaphragm. Within the pressure chamber, a thin electrode is provided on the surface of the substrate thereby forming electrostatic capacity between the substrate and the diaphragm and a hole is provided through the substrate for supplying of fluid into the pressure chamber.

This invention relates to a pressure sensor, and more particularly to a capacitive pressure sensor which detects the deviation of a diaphragm responsive to a pressure in the form of a change in an electrostatic capacity.
As disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,114, a capacitive pressure sensor has heretofore been provided in which a resilient diaphragm is formed of metal under uniform tension. It is required of the capacitive pressure sensor that the proportionality (linearity) between the input pressure and the output voltage is high. For meeting this requirement, it is a very important factor that the diaphragm is formed under uniform tension. In the disclosure of the above patent, the diaphragm is maintained under a stress of approximately 60,000 pounds, and its marginal portion is disposed between and is welded to two metal housing sections. The diaphragm, for the above reasons, must be carefully welded to the two housing sections while in stressed condition. Such a process has been carried out with, for example, arc welding or electron-beam welding. However, it has been very difficult to fix the diaphragm under the high tension and uniform state, resulting in the disadvantage of low productivity.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,885, there is disclosed a diaphragm construction for a capacitive pressure transducer in which the measuring components, particularly a pressure-deformable diaphragm, are constructed from a brittle material, such as fused quartz, to take advantage of low hysteresis and creep factors and a low thermal coefficient of expansion. However, the brittle materials disclosed in this patent are insulators, and a conductor must be evaporated onto the surface of the pressure-deformable diaphragm formed of the insulator. In addition, the shape of the diaphragm is cylindrical.
Various techniques for joining elements are also known in the art; for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,278 discloses an anodic bonding technique.


A seat cushion adjuster in one aspect of the present disclosure comprises at least one bracket, at least one slider, and a plurality of interposing members. The plurality of interposing members is disposed between an inner wall of the at least one bracket and the at least one slider so as to interpose the at least one slider among the plurality of interposing members in an inner hollow portion of the at least one bracket. At least one interposing member of the plurality of interposing members comprises at least one supporting protrusion portion protruding toward the at least one bracket.

The present disclosure relates to adjustment of a seat cushion.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-015867 discloses a seat for a vehicle, which comprises a cushion body part, a cushion adjustable part, and an adjustment mechanism serving as a seat cushion adjuster.
The cushion body part includes a seating surface of the seat. The cushion adjustable part is configured to change its position with respect to the cushion body part. The adjustment mechanism is configured such that sliding of a rod causes the cushion adjustable part to change its position, thereby changing a size of the seating surface of the seat cushion.

Seat cushion adjuster, seat, and adjustment method of seat


A network switching apparatus and method which does not necessitate booting a computer system when switching networks by directly changing an Internet protocol (IP) address using a power saving mode provided in an operating system of the computer. The network switching apparatus includes a switching device for selecting at least one of the networks, and a control section for communicating with the network selected by the switching device, identifying a kind of the selected network, and performing a control operation using the power saving mode so that the selected network can be used without booting the computer system connected to the selected network when the network is switched.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for switching networks. In particular, the present invention relates to a network switching apparatus and method which does not necessitate booting a computer by controlling a power saving mode when the networks are switched.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in accordance with the development of the computers and communication techniques, information from all parts of the world can be easily obtained through Internet by connecting a computer provided with a communication device to networks.
A conventional network is classified into an internal network connected to a local area network (LAN), and an external network which is a public network connected to Internet. In case of need, a user can separately obtain required information from the internal network or from the external network by connecting the computer to either the internal network or the external network.
Also, in order to secure data maintained in the internal network while using the external network such as Internet for instance, in order to secure the data from hackers invading through the external network, a separate network may be provided wherein the internal network and the external network are not connected together.
In this case, the network switching device provided in the computer, i.e., the network switching device for connecting the internal network to the external network through cables, is connected to a LAN card of the computer, and the networks are selectively connected to the computer by a mechanical switching operation of the switching device, so that the user can obtain diverse information from the computer which is connected to the internal network or the external network.
However, the conventional computer network has the drawbacks in that the computer system should be rebooted for its environmental determination whenever the computer system is switched to a new network. Thus, the user should wait during the rebooting time of the computer system to use the switched network. Also, abrasion of contacts of the switching device may occur due to its frequent mechanical switching operation, and this causes the contact state of the switching device to be degraded, thereby deteriorating an on-line connection function of the switching device.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the problemsinvolved in the related art, and to provide a network switching apparatus and method which performs an electronic network switching operation by directly changing an Internet protocol (IP) address according to the kind of the network using a power saving mode provided in the operating system, and thus does not necessitate booting a computer for its environmental determination even if the network is switched.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network switching apparatus for connecting a plurality of networks to a computer system, comprising:
a switching section for selecting at least one of the networks; and
a control section for communicating with the network selected by the switching section, identifying a kind of the selected network, and performing a control operation using a power saving mode of the system so that the selected network can be used without booting the computer system connected to the selected network when it is identified that the network is switched and selected.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network switching method for performing a control operation so that a computer system is connected to and communicates with at least one of a plurality of networks, the method comprising the steps of:
identifying a kind of a connected network and communication type of the computer system connected to the network;
storing identified information in the computer system to consider the information when the network is switched;
applying the information on the switched network to an operating system of the computer system in accordance with a power saving mode of the computer system if the network is switched; and
using the switched network without booting the computer system by the operating system to which the information on the switched network is applied.


Systems and methods are provided for distinguishing between elements located at different distances from a radiation detector used in neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy using a Doppler effect. A pulsed neutron generator may emit neutrons out of a downhole tool in a geological formation at an energy level high enough to cause inelastic scattering with nuclei of an element to generate gamma-rays. A gamma-ray detector may detect the energy levels of the gamma-rays, in the reference frame of the detector, and data processing circuitry takes the detected spectrum of gamma-rays and distinguishes spectra of gamma-ray energy levels for nuclei of the element located nearer to or farther from the detector based at least in part on the Doppler shift of the energy levels of respective gamma-rays.

This disclosure relates to using neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy to distinguish between nuclei of an element (e.g., carbon) located nearer to a detector of a downhole tool from nuclei of the element (e.g., carbon) located farther from the detector of the downhole tool in the well.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as an admission of any kind.
Producing hydrocarbons from a wellbore drilled into a geological formation is a remarkably complex endeavor. In many cases, decisions involved in hydrocarbon exploration and production may be informed by measurements from downhole well-logging tools that are conveyed deep into the wellbore. The measurements may be used to infer properties and characteristics of the geological formation surrounding the wellbore. The discovery and observation of resources using downhole techniques generally takes place down in the wellbore with sensors. These sensors may be a part of a tool-string that may be attached to a drill or other downhole device.
One particular type of sensor uses a method of direct carbon measurement using neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy. This method may be used to estimate the prolificacy of oil or other carbon-based resource of interest in the area. This technique may include a neutron source and one or more gamma-ray detectors. In general, this technique is practiced by emitting high-energy neutrons into the environment and detecting gamma-ray radiation from the surrounding carbon nuclei. The high-energy neutrons emitted into the environment may collide with and/or scatter off a carbon nucleus, thus causing gamma-ray emission of a certain energy. These gamma-rays may then be detected and the information processed to reveal the carbon in the environment.
The method of neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy may, however, be subject to inaccuracies due to the carbon in the wellbore itself. Carbon in the wellbore, such as oil or oil-based mud, may appear in the same signal measuring the carbon in the surrounding geological formation. Because the wellbore carbon and the carbon in the geological formation are measured at the same time, it may be difficult to accurately estimate the amount of carbon in a reservoir in the geological formation, thus causing inaccuracy in the resource's volume estimate.

Systems and methods to differentiate elements located at different distances using neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy and the doppler effect


A sun operated installation for heating liquids generally comprises a collector of insolation and a storage tank. The collector and the tank are interconnected by a circulation pipe. In that pipe are provided two inlet openings, one in the upper and one in the lower part of the storage tank. The upper opening is larger than the lower one. In consequence the liquid in the upper part of the tank is heated earlier than that in the lower part. Installations of that type are destined primarily, but not exclusively to heating water for use in domestic establishments.

A solar liquid heating installation is usually comprised of a storage tank and a solar collector. The system is generally filled with a liquid and a conduit leading liquid from the solar collector to the upper portion of the storage tank, as well as a conduit returning liquid from the storage tank to the solar collector. With the absorption of sun rays by the solar collector, a natural or motoric circulation is created between the storage tank and the solar collector.
In the prevalent type of such installations, the larger the internal volume of the storage tank, the more time it takes to heat the liquid in the storage tank. The solar collectors, which provide heat to the storage tank, are subject to the heating of all the liquid in the storage tank. That means that a hot liquid of desired temperature from the storage tank is not obtainable until all the liquid in the storage tank has reached that temperature. This disadvantage is especially present with relatively large storage tanks, since one must wait a long time, in order to utilize the respective liquid--mostly hot water.


An antibody and immunogen for generating an antibody to nitrofuran and/or nitrofuran metabolite such as tissue or protein bound nitrofuran metabolites. Nitrofurans and and/or nitrofuran metabolites in a biological sample can be detected by contacting the sample with the antibodies to form a complex that can be detected. The antibodies may also be incorporated into test kits for the detection of nitrofuran and/or nitrofuran metabolites.

Nitrofurans are synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotics used in animal, aquaculture and honey production. Nitrofurans are antibacterial, antiprotozoan and growth promoters. In animal studies the parent drugs and their metabolites showed carcinogenic and mutagenic characteristics. For that reason, nitrofuran use in the treatment of animals used for food production is prohibited. Despite such bans, residues continue to appear in the food supply. In particular, metabolites of nitrofurans can be tissue or protein bound resulting in residue remaining long after administration of the parent drug.
Common parent nitrofuran drugs, and their respective side chains (the R groups), include: furazolidone (side chain: 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone=AOZ), furaltadone (side chain: 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone=AMOZ), nitrofurantoin (side chain: 1-aminohydantoin=AHD) and nitrofurazone (side chain: semicarbazide=SEM). The structures are as follows:

Nitrofurans are rapidly metabolized. The in situ half-life can be less than two hours. During metabolism, the nitrofuran parent may be reduced, such as by one or more nitroreductases. In one such scenario, the basic nitrofuranyl moiety (the common portion attached to the R group), is transformed into a different chemical group, while the R group (on the right hand side of the nitrofuran parent structure) remains intact.
Several methods for determining the use of a nitrofuran parent drug are via indirect metabolite detection. Such methods include liquid chromatography with ultra violet detection (LC-UV), liquid chromatography with mass spectrometer detection (LC-MS), liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometer detection (LC-MS/MS) and immunodiagnostics. The metabolite can be protein bound and, therefore, a hydrolysis step is used to cleave the side chain.
For UV detection, the released side chain can form a hydrazone derivative with 2-nitrobenzaldehyde. For example, in the cases of furazolidone and furaltadone, hydrazones with the acronyms of NPAOZ and NPAMOZ, respectively, are formed by the above process. It is the hydrazones—NPAOZ and NPAMOZ—not the actual metabolite, that are targeted for detection. Those hydrolysis and derivatization reactions require 16-24 hours prior to sample detection.

Method and antibodies for detecting nitrofuran


A portable container package for a relatively large number of can-like containers comprising the combination of the plurality of containers arranged in ranks and rows interconnected or partially interconnected by a packaging device resiliently engaging the top portion of the containers against chime regions and a unitary, endless band resiliently encircling the array, and more particularly providing a carrying member integral with the band and unconnected to the top engaging packaging device.

The invention concerns generally a package for a plurality of can-type containers and more particularly a package for a large plurality of such containers, for example 12, which can be carried comfortably and reliably.
A typical multipackage for can-type containers, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,874,835 and 3,874,502, includes a sheet plastic device having a plurality of integrally interconnected bands creating apertures equal in number to the number of containers to be packaged thereby adapted to be placed about the tops of containers so that the bands resiliently engage the top portions directly adjacent the chime or enlarged lid portion of the containers. Such carrier devices have been found to be convenient and highly advantageous in packaging groups of containers numbering six or less. More recently, this concept has been suggested for integrally packaging larger numbers of containers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,331 shows such an integral carrier device for packaging 12 containers.
Other efforts to package containers in numbers more than six have typically included paperboard or plastic film totally overwrapping 12 loose containers. These techniques are generally complicated and expensive to apply and either completely package or completely unpackage the containers.
In packaging a large number of containers, such as 12, it has been found that such a package, as created by prior art techniques, is rather large, heavy and cumbersome to be easily handled.
It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a package which is easy to handle and which minimizes the risk of accidental removal of one or more containers from the package without requiring a total encapsulation of the array of containers.
A further object of this invention is to provide a package of 12 or more containers which is tightly unitized and which presents an easily handled package which may be readily identified relative to packages of lesser numbers of similar containers.
In keeping with these objects, the invention will be shown to basically include an upper carrier device retaining all or selected numbers of the top regions of the containers and a second carrier device spaced from and totally unconnected to the first device consisting of a resilient band encircling the array and which includes an integral handle. The package is so designed that the package can be carried without producing a force on any or all of the cans tending to remove them from the first package making device.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:


An inertial navigation system utilizing a servo-controlled two-degree of freedom pendulum to obtain specific force components in the locally level coordinate system. The pendulum includes a leveling gyroscope and an azimuth gyroscope supported on a two-gimbal system. The specific force components in the locally level coordinate system are converted to components in the geographical coordinate system by means of a single Euler transformation. The standard navigation equations are solved to determine longitudinal and lateral velocities. Finally, vehicle position is determined by a further integration.

In spite of the abundance and sophistication of radio navigation systems available today, it is not unusual for an aircraft during a long flight mission to be occasionally cut off from radio navigation signals for significant periods. Although a self-contained inertial navigation system would alleviate such a problem, such systems are just too expensive for many aircraft owners. Known inertial navigation systems capable of an accuracy of one nautical mile per hour cannot be implemented at prices low enough to attract general aviation customers. Present day inertial navigation systems of the 1 nm/hr class cost in the $50,000--$100,000 range.
Conventional inertial navigation systems are based on measurement and double integration of the linear accelerations of the vehicle. In one class of systems a plurality of orthogonally disposed accelerometers are mounted on a gyroscopically stabilized platform that is supported by three, four or even five gimbals. A key element in the development of this inertial system has been the stabilized platform on which the accelerometers are mounted and whose attitude is controlled by the gyroscopes. The platform performs two critical functions. It establishes a coordinate system for the accelerometers and isolates them from angular motions of the vehicle. The first function simplifies navigation computations while the second simplifies computations as well as sensor design. The accelerometers must be precisely horizontally aligned. If they have any tilt, they record acceleration due to gravity and this is added to the measured horizontal acceleration. As the effect of gravity is continuous and provides an acceleration that is usually larger than that experienced by the aircraft, accelerometer misalignment may cause considerable errors. For example, if an accelerometer sensed 0.1% of the gravity field, double integration of that acceleration would produce approximately an 18-mile position error after a minute of flight. A representative gimballed inertial system is described in "Guidance System," U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,545, C. S. Draper et al., Sept. 24, 1963.
In another class of systems, known as strapdown inertial navigation systems, a plurality of orthogonally displaced gyros and a plurality of orthogonally aligned accelerometers are strapped directly to the airframe. In the strapdown inertial system the stable platform is replaced by two computer functions: one to establish a coordinate reference based on the gyro outputs and the other to transform the accelerometer outputs into the established coordinate frame. The strapdown sensor must operate to the same order of accuracy as its platform counterpart. The angular rate regime for the strapdown sensor is in deg/sec instead of the deg/hr category for a stable platform sensor. The major design impact is of course on the gyro rather than the accelerometer, as the former must measure the rates very precisely. The dynamic range for the gyro could, for example, begin at a threshold of 0.01 deg/hr and extend to the area of 100 deg/sec or so, for a span of about 10.sup.7 compared with a 10.sup.4 span in gimballed platforms.
Efforts to improve reliability and to reduce the cost and size of inertial navigation systems have, in the past decade, been largely directed to strapdown systems. "Strapdown Navigation Technology: A Literature Survey," Garg et al., AIAA Journal of Guidance and Control, Vol. 1, No. 3, May-June 1978, pp. 161-172. In strapdown systems the advantages gained from dispensing with gimbals are largely off-set by the increased demands placed on the gyroscopes and the computational apparatus. The greater sensitivity of strapdown systems to alignment errors, and to correlated noise components in the accelerometers and gyroscopes, have so far impeded their successful competition with gimballed systems in the 1 nm/hr class. "Advantages of Gimballed Inertial Navigation Systems," Roland Peterson, Proceedings of the IEEE 1976 National Aerospace and Electronics Conference, pp. 508-514.
A few departures from the aforementioned types of inertial systems have been noted. The article "Kalman Filter Divergence and Aircraft Motion Estimators," A. E. Bryson, AIAA Journal of Guidance and Control, Vol. 1, No. 1, Jan.-Feb. 1978, pp. 71-79, describes a method of estimating velocities from measurements of roll rate, pitch rate, heading and altitude. Although it may have possibilities for short-term navigation, further work is needed in the areas of parameter variation sensitivity, trim error and wind modeling. Hector ("The RAMP Inertial Navigation System," Philips Technical Review, Vol. 29, 1968, No. 3/4, pp. 69-85) discloses an inertial system in which two single-axis pendulums are supported and orthogonally aligned on a stabilized platform. Displacement of the vehicle is determined by twice integrating the angular acceleration of each pendulum. Monaco et al., ("Schuler Tuned Vertical Indicating System," AIAA Journal of Guidance and Control, Vol. 1, No. 6, Nov.-Dec. 1978, pp. 413-419) show a gyro-less, vertically-oriented, single-axis pendulum that they say can be employed in a navigation system. The motion of the single-axis pendulum is sensed by an angular accelerometer. The sensor output is amplified and fed to a torque generator that positions the pendulum. Both Hector and Monaco suggest that their pendulums be Schuler tuned by artificially increasing the moment of inertia by a factor of the order of 10.sup.8. Such a scheme calls for each torque generator to be preceeded by an amplifier with a gain of approximately 10.sup.7. The problems attendant with such a massive gain (stability, noise, etc.) raise doubts as to how such systems would perform in an actual flight environment. For example, if the amplifier input noise or gyro pick-off noise were only 10 .mu.v, the amplifier would easily be saturated and would induce a large extraneous torque in the pendulum.

Frosch; Robert A. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with respect to an invention of


The method for cleaning of heat exchangers after passage of fluid, pulpy material through the heat exchangers is characterized by the fact that the heat exchangers are exposed to a cip (cleaning in place) treatment with a solution of an enzyme preparation, which contains pectolytic, cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities. This method for cleaning of heat exchangers is less time and energy consuming and more environmental-friendly than the hitherto used methods of this kind.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention comprises a method for cleaning of heat exchangers after passage through the heat exchangers of a fluid which comprises vegetable dry matter, and which by transport through a passage will tend to generate deposits on exposed positions in the passage. Such fluid is typically a fluid, pulpy material, preferably fruit or vegetable juice, e.g. orange, pineapple, grape fruit, banana, grape or apple juice, or carrot, tomato, or celery juice. For the sake of brevity in the following such fluid will be identified as "fluid, pulpy material", and the deposits will be identified as pulp or pulp particles. The heat exchangers are preferably of the plate type.
In order to generate a good heat exchange the plates in a plate heat exchanger are usually placed in close proximity to each other, e.g. with a gap of around 2.2-6 mm, preferably 3.5-4 mm. Also, two adjacent plates have to touch each other at several hundred pointed positions per m.sup.2 in order to secure the physical stability of the plate package during operation, when the pressure differential is at its maximum. It has been found, however, that the free passages between two adjacent heat exchanger plates are being clogged or at least narrowed considerably after passage of fluid, pulpy material, due to obstinate adherence of pulp particles to the plates, especially at the above indicated pointed positions, where two adjacent plates touch each other. This layer of pulp particles has to be removed from the heat exchangers in order to reestablish a satisfactory performance of the heat exchangers and furthermore for hygienic reasons. Also, if the pulp particles are not removed effectively, they can be released during a later heat exchange with a clear liquid, e.g. clear apple juice, which would be detrimental to the quality of the clear liquid. Hitherto two methods have been used for the purpose of removing the pulp particles from the heat exchangers. In the first place the plate heat exchanger assembly can be dismantled completely and cleaned mechanically. This is effective, but also a time consuming and cumbersome method. Ordinarily the so-called cip method (cip is short for cleaning in place) is used, i.e. great amounts of high pressure water is flushed through the heat exchanger in order to remove the layer of pulp particles, and also hot lye (NaOH) and/or a peroxide solution or hot lye and complex builders, such as EDTA, is flushed through for cleaning purposes. Even if this method is effective, it is time consuming, as it ordinarily lasts around 2-4 hours, and also energy consuming due to the necessity of the supply of high pressure water, the lye and/or peroxide solution treatment damages the rubber gaskets, which have to be replaced at shorter intervals, and also the lye and/or peroxide treatment presents an environmental problem. Furthermore, especially EDTA also presents an environmental problem. Also, in case the cip method is used, it has been found that even so it is necessary at certain time intervals, e.g. once a week, to dismantle the plate heat exchange assembly completely and carry out a mechanical cleaning. This cleaning problem is not a minor problem, but a problem which haunts the industrial world to a significant degree in consideration of the fact that on a global basis the annual amount of fluid, pulpy material which is sent through heat exchangers, run into millions of tons. Great efforts to solve this problem have been exercised, but so far in vain. An attempt to circumvent the problem is the so-called free flow heat exchanger, in which the gap between adjacent plates is much larger than in ordinary plate heat exchangers and in which no contact points between adjacent plates exist; however, the heat exchange capacity in such free flow heat exchangers is unsatisfactorily low.
Thus, the purpose of the invention is the provision of a method for cleaning of heat exchangers after passage of fluid, pulpy material, which is fruit or vegetable juice, through the heat exchangers, which method should be less time and energy consuming and present fewer environmental problems than the hitherto used methods of this kind.
Now, surprisingly, it has been found, according to the invention that the purpose of the invention can be fulfilled enzymatically.
Thus, the method according to the invention for cleaning of heat exchangers after passage through the heat exchangers of a fluid, which comprises vegetable dry matter, and which by transport through a passage will tend to generate deposits on exposed positions in the passage is characterized by the fact that the heat exchangers are exposed to a cip treatment with a solution of an enzyme preparation, which contains pectolytic, cellulolytic, and hemicellulolytic activities.
Surprisingly it has been found that the indicated enzymatic cip treatment effectively cleans the heat exchanger plates in much less time than usual, e.g. in around an hour, that high pressure treatment with large amounts of water is unnecessary, and that the lye or peroxide solution treatment is superfluous after the enzymatic cip treatment, whereby environmetal problems due to the lye or peroxide solution treatment are eliminated.
2. Discussion of Related Art
From GB-A-2094927a method of the category corresponding to the preamble of the main claim is described. However, the solution is not enzymatic, and it has been found that the enzymatic solution which is used according to the invention exhibits a superior cleaning effect in comparison to the prior art method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,994 describes a method of attacking and removing microbial slime in slime covered surfaces and maintaining a slime-free surface as in exposed cooling tower surface and in waste water treatment and paper making. This prior art method comprises the use of an effective amount of a composite enzyme preparation consisting of a ratio of 2 parts of cellulase, 1 part of .alpha.-amylase and 1 part of protease. In the first place, the method according to the invention is directed specifically to cleaning of heat exchangers after deposition of pulp particles, whereas the prior art method is directed to removal of microbial slime from surfaces of e.g. cooling towers. In the second place, the enzyme mixture used according to the invention is quite different from the enzyme mixture used in the prior art method.

Method for cleaning plate heat exchangers