Provided is a semiconductor device including an input/output buffer or an output buffer with a buffer transistor. The device can control the switching speed of the buffer transistor into a proper value even when there is an change in process conditions and/or temperature. The device includes a control circuit for changing the size of the buffer transistor. The control circuit changes the size of the buffer transistor based on the switching speed of the buffer transistor or a detection transistor, which speed changes in accordance with process conditions and/or temperature.

This application is based upon and claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-382699, filed on Dec. 15, 2000, the contents being incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, in particular, including output buffers or input/output buffers.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of a conventional output buffer. A buffer 110 with a small transistor size and a low driving capability is a buffer for a high power supply voltage and a buffer 120 with a large transistor size and a high driving capability is a buffer for a low power supply voltage. The level of a power supply voltage is detected, and either the buffer 110 or 120 is selected in accordance with the detection result. The buffer 110 includes P-channel MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) transistors 111 and 112 and N-channel MOS transistors 113 and 114. The buffer 120 includes P-channel MOS transistors 121 and 122 and N-channel MOS transistors 123 and 124.
A comparator 102 compares the power supply voltage with a reference voltage generated by a reference voltage generating circuit 101. An inverter 103 logically inverts the output of the comparator 102 and outputs it to the gates of the transistors 112 and 123. An inverter 104 logically inverts the output of the inverter 103 and outputs it to the gates of the transistors 113 and 122. The gates of the transistors 111, 114, 121, and 124 are supplied with an input signal Sin. When the power supply voltage is high, the transistors 112 and 113 are turned on and the transistors 122 and 123 are turned off, so the buffer 110 is selected. Inversely, when the power supply voltage is low, the transistors 122 and 123 are turned on and the transistors 112 and 113 are turned off, so the buffer 120 is selected. The buffer 110 or 120 outputs an output signal Sout. The output signal Sout is a logically inverted signal of the input signal Sin.
The switching speed of a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) transistor formed in a semiconductor changes in accordance with process conditions, temperature, and so on, as well as the above-mentioned power supply voltage. Such a change in the switching speed may cause the following problems.
FIG. 4 shows waveforms of the input signal Sin and the output signal Sout when the transistor switching speed is proper. The output signal Sout changes in its waveform with a substantially rectangular shape between the ground potential (0V) and the power supply voltage VDD. When the switching speed is proper, the thus proper output signal Sout is output.
FIG. 17A shows waveforms of the input signal Sin and the output signal Sout when the transistor switching speed is too low. The rising speed and the falling speed of the output signal Sout are low and the signal falls before it reaches the power supply voltage VDD. As a result, in binary logic consisting of a high level and a low level, the operation of the output signal Sout is delayed, which may cause a malfunction.
FIG. 17B shows waveforms of the input signal Sin and the output signal Sout when the transistor switching speed is too high. Excessive overshoot and undershoot occur in the output signal Sout at each rising timing and each falling timing, respectively. As a result, the output signal Sout is forced to exceed the threshold level of the logical value, which may cause a malfunction. Moreover, such overshoot and undershoot may cause big noise.
In the output buffers shown in FIG. 16, when a switching speed of the transistor has changed due to a change in the power supply voltage, either the buffer 110 or 120 is selected, thereby controlling the transistor switching speed to a proper value. However, no countermeasure can be taken against a change in the transistor switching speed due to a change in process conditions or temperature. As a result, the above-mentioned problem shown in FIG. 17A or 17B arises.
An object of the present invention is to provide semiconductor devices including input/output buffers or output buffers, which are capable of controlling the transistor switching speed to a proper value even when there is a change in, e.g., process conditions and/or temperature, and to provide control methods thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide semiconductor devices capable of detecting the transistor switching speed.
A semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises an output buffer or an input/output buffer including a buffer transistor and a control circuit for changing the size of the buffer transistor. The control circuit changes the size of the buffer transistor on the basis of the switching speed of the buffer transistor or a detection transistor, which speed changes in accordance with process conditions and/or temperature.
The switching speed of the buffer transistor or the detection transistor which changes in accordance with process conditions and/or temperature is detected in advance or in real time, and the size of the buffer transistor is changed in accordance with the detected switching speed. Even when there is a change in process conditions and/or temperature, the switching speed of the buffer transistor can be controlled to a proper value by changing the size of the buffer transistor accordingly.

Output buffer circuit with switching speed control circuit


An object is to provide a semiconductor device including a semiconductor element which has favorable characteristics. A manufacturing method of the present invention includes the steps of: forming a first conductive layer which functions as a gate electrode over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer to cover the first conductive layer; forming a semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer so that part of the semiconductor layer overlaps with the first conductive layer; forming a second conductive layer to be electrically connected to the semiconductor layer; forming a second insulating layer to cover the semiconductor layer and the second conductive layer; forming a third conductive layer to be electrically connected to the second conductive layer; performing first heat treatment after forming the semiconductor layer and before forming the second insulating layer; and performing second heat treatment after forming the second insulating layer.

There are a wide variety of metal oxides and such material oxides are used for various applications. Indium oxide is a well-known material and is used as a transparent electrode material which is necessary for liquid crystal displays and the like.
Some metal oxides have semiconductor characteristics. The examples of such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics are tungsten oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, and the like. A thin film transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics is known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 4, Non-Patent Document 1).
As metal oxides, multi-component oxides as well as single-component oxides are known. For example, homologous compound, InGaO3(ZnO)m (m is natural number) is known as a multi-component oxide containing In, Ga and Zn (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 2 to 4 and the like).
Furthermore, it is confirmed that an oxide semiconductor including such an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide is applicable to a channel layer of a thin film transistor (for example, see Patent Document 5, Non-Patent Documents 5 and 6, and the like).

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An apparatus and method for producing an oriented plastic strap having a predetermined desired thickness for use in strapping packages and the like is passed between a pair of cylinders or rollers placed closely together at a desired nip for reducing the thickness of the sheet. One roller is rotated at a faster lineal rate of speed than the other, and the rollers rotate in opposite directions. This apparatus and method achieves milling and stretching of the material substantially simultaneously at the nip of the rollers.

In a typical prior art stretching method, such as a SIGNODE.RTM. process, a cast sheet of thermoplastic material, for example, polypropylene, is first reduced in size by rolling it through a pair of closely spaced milling rollers or cylinders that rotate in opposite directions. After the thickness of the sheet is reduced, the sheet is drawn and stretched out of the milling rollers by a series of orienting rollers or a bridle assembly to its final desired size.
Another prior art method that is commonly used is a process called the short gap method and is generally comprised of an entry bridle, a stretching assembly and an exit bridle. A slow speed, heated bridle assembly advances a cast sheet of material, usually film, to a stretching assembly. The stretching assembly is comprised of a pair of rollers or cylinders set a distance apart. The first roller rotates at the same speed as the entry bridle. The second roller is rotating faster than the first roller and at the same speed as the exit bridle. Thus, as the film passes through the assembly, it is stretched to its final desired size
These prior art methods present several disadvantages. The properties of the strap produced by these methods provide limited increases in strength without significant decreases in other desired properties. Also, substantial necking occurs as the sheet is stretched over the distance between the rollers.
The present invention presents a novel milling and stretching apparatus and method intended to minimize these problems, as well as to present several other improvements.

Method and apparatus for producing simultaneously milled and stretched plastric strap


A compact, 4-chamber gas meter comprising crankpost and valve drive mechanisms whereby each reciprocating valve moves from a stroke shifting point near center to a stroke endpoint and back to said stroke shifting point with each 180.degree. rotation of the crankpost and each stroke of each diaphragm occurs over said 180.degree. rotation of the crankpost.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact 4-chamber gas meter which provides the essential functions of a gas meter in a smaller volume, and, in particular, in a shallower depth, front to back. In particular, the gas meter of this invention comprises flag post to crankpost kinematics which provide good torque pulse characteristics within the constraints of a shallow meter box, valve drive kinematics which provide perfect coordination of valve timing with the ends of the strokes of the diaphragms of the gas meter, a lower box configuration which allows a molded plastic or die cast construction while accommodating rolling lobe diaphragms, and a valve plate with passages which accommodate a 4-chamber meter with parallel reciprocating valves.
2. Description of Prior Art
In a diaphragm-type gas meter, a quantity of gas is delivered through the reciprocation of measuring diaphragms by gas pressure. Generally, in this type of gas meter, the gas is introduced into a valve cage through an inlet port formed in the upper portion of the gas meter housing and alternately introduced into each measuring chamber formed in the lower portion of the housing through a distributing valve mechanism.
In a 4-chamber gas meter, the lower housing comprises two pairs of measuring chambers, each pair having a diaphragm which separates the measuring chambers. The motion of each diaphragm is controlled by a mechanism connecting that diaphragm to a crankpost. The mechanism and the crankpost, acting together, control the length of the stroke of each diaphragm and coordinate the timing of the stroke of each diaphragm to the stroke of the other diaphragm in the meter. Typically, an adjustment feature on the crankpost is provided to make small, precise changes to the length of the diaphragm stroke at the time of the final meter calibration. In some meters, temperature variations are compensated for by employing a bi-metallic device on the crankpost which varies the length of the stroke of the diaphragms in direct proportion to the absolute temperature of the gas being metered.
Each diaphragm has a corresponding valve in the meter. Valve opening is timed to begin to admit gas to the chamber on one side of the diaphragm when the diaphragm's position is approaching its minimum volume. The valve is timed to begin to exhaust gas from the chamber when the diaphragm is approaching the maximum volume of that chamber.
The timing of the valves is coordinated to the volume of the chambers by a mechanism that connects each valve to the crankpost. Typically, an adjustment feature on the crankpost for making small, precise changes to the valve timing at the time of final meter calibration is used. This adjustment allows for the advancement or retardation of the valve movements. Gas volume is measured by counting the revolutions of the crankpost. This is accomplished by a geared connection between the crankpost and a mechanical counting means.
Diaphragm meters of the type discussed hereinabove generally are taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,091,668; 3,589,189; 3,587,315; 3,415,121; 3,261,206; 3,161,049; 2,932,198; 2,818,046; 2,741,122; 2,667,147; 2,663,189; 2,544,665; 2,367,735; 2,346,229; 2,313,515; 2,296,485; 2,296,476; 2,281,671; and 2,223,555.
Designing a 4-chamber gas meter which is compact, that is, having a small front-to-back dimension compared to traditional meters, requires the design of crankposts and valve drive mechanisms which overcome the kinematic problems associated with compact 4-chamber gas meters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,668 teaches a diaphragm-type gas meter having one crank plate on which a pair of diaphragm movement transmission levers are mounted and a second crank plate on which a pair of valve actuating levers which overlap each other rockably around the central axis of a crank shaft are pivotally mounted. The valve actuating levers are connected to a pair of valve members which reciprocate over a fixed angular range according to the rotation of a crank mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,189 teaches a gas meter having two diaphragms operating flag rods disposed at diagonally opposite points in a plan view of the meter mechanism, each flag rod operating a gas transfer valve in such a way that the valve has a movement in an arc of a circle with the flag rod as its axis, and each valve being relatively long in a direction radial to the flag rod axis with its transfer passage in the said radial direction. U.S. Pat. No. 2,367,735 teaches a 4-chamber gas meter in which valves communicate with each main chamber through faces of the chamber which are not parallel to the diaphragm. U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,229 teaches a 4-chamber gas meter in which each diaphragm oscillates a spindle carrying an arm, the two arms rotating a crank spindle by which valve covers disposed parallel to each other are oscillated between the front and back of the meter along the same axis. And, finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,189 teaches a 4-chamber gas meter having a pair of slide valves, operated by a valve actuating mechanism pivotally connected to a single throw crank in a manner which advances the valve timing to permit greater accuracy at higher volumes of flow.
A 4-chamber meter produces the most uniform driving torque from the diaphragms to the crankpost if the motion of the two diaphragms is essentially 90.degree. out of phase. It is also highly desirable that the motion of the two diaphragms is delivered to the crankpost through a common crankpin. So doing allows the stroke adjustment to be uncomplicated while still influencing the length of both diaphragm strokes. It is also desirable that the links which connect the flag arms to the crankpin have a substantially greater length than the diameter of the crankpin motion. So doing helps to further improve the uniformity of driving torque. It is also desirable that each stroke of each diaphragm, where the inward motion of a diaphragm is a stroke and the outward motion is another stroke, occur over 180.degree. of crankpost rotation. In this way, a valve drive mechanism can be designed which assures the valve timing is equally coordinated to the ends of all four diaphragm strokes. None of the prior art references of which we are aware teaches a crankpost and valve drive mechanism which satisfies these criteria within a compact 4-chamber gas meter.


An illuminated indicating device includes a dial plate, a pointer, a first light source, a light guide and a light filter. The first light source emits a beam of light and the light guide diverts the beam of light into a first light to the pointer and a second light to a front side of the dial plate. The light filter includes a first filtering portion and a second filtering portion. The first filtering portion is located in a path of the first light to allow a first color of light to pass through and the second filtering portion is located in a path of the second light to allow a second color of light to pass through.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
An illuminated indicating device, such as a speedometer of a motor vehicle, typically includes a display surface, a light source, and a light guide therebetween. The light guide guides the light from the light source located at a rear side of the indicating device to the display surface to make the indicia on the display surface visible. A pointer located adjacent to the display surface may also be illuminated.

Illuminated indicating devices for instrument panels


3-pyrrolo[b]cyclohexylene-2-dihydro-indolinone derivatives of formula (I) or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts and uses thereof. The intermediates of formula (II) for preparing the above compounds. The bioassay shows that the above compounds and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts can modulate the activity of protein kinases (PKs), inhibit the activity of tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and inhibit many kinds of tumor cells as well as.

The following is offered as background information only and is not admitted to be prior art to the present invention.
At present, many 2-dihydroindolinone derivatives have been attemped to identify as protein kinase inhibitors, which are widely used in the treatment of a variety of diseases associated with abnormal kinase activity, such as cancer, psoriasis, hepatocirrhosis, diabetes, angiogenesis, ophthalmological disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, immune disease, cardiovascular disease, e.g. atherosclerosis, and a variety of kidney diseases. Of which, many indirubin derivatives (PCT WO2001037819, PCT WO2002092079), 3-methylenepyrrole-2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,251, PCT WO2001060814, PCT WO2003035009, PCT WO2005053686), 3-pyrrolo[b]cyclopentylene-2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (PCT WO2005016875), and other 2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (PCT WO 2000012084) etc, all are described as the kinase inhibitors for treating cancer.
Mammalian cells have similar molecular mechanisms to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and death in the entire cell cycle. Of these, protein phosphorylation is a major mechanism for transmembrane or intracellular signal transduction, with the function of cell cycle regulation, while phosphorylation is regulated by protein kinases (PKs) and protein phosphatases. Protein kinases are the largest known family of enzymes in humans, with a conserved catalytic domain and various regulation modes. Protein kinases are enzymes catalyzing the transfer of the terminal (γ) phosphoryl group of ATP to specific amino acid residues of substrate. According to the specificity of these amino acid residues, these kinases are divided into 4 types, of which the main two types are serine/threonine kinases (STKs) and protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs). In eukaryotes, there is physical segregation and distance between cell surface receptors and nuclear transcription. Extracellular signals affect the cascades of some protein kinases with multi-step phosphorylation, and finally alter the activity of transcription factors to activate or block gene transcription. Protein tyrosine kinases and protein serine/threonine kinases play an important role in the normal signal transduction process and their aberrant expression will result in a wide array of disorders and diseases such as cancer, arteriosclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory responses and so on. Thus, it is a novel therapy strategy to regulate kinase activity and restore the physiological balance.
The family of protein tyrosine kinases, consisting of transmembrane receptors (receptor tyrosine kinases, RTKs) and cytoplasmic forms (non-receptor tyrosine kinases, CTKs), are involved in cellular signal transduction. The protein kinase complement of the human genome (kinome) consists of 30 tyrosine kinase families containing about 90 distinct protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), of which 58 members are receptor tyrosine kinases. For a more complete discussion of tyrosine kinases, see Manning G, Science, 2002, 298:1912 which is incorporated by reference, including any drawings, as if fully set forth herein. Receptor tyrosine kinase is a class of transmembrane protein with cytoplasmic region and an extracellular portion which is composed of a very large protein domain binding to extracellular ligands e.g. a soluble or membrane-bound polypeptide, including insulin and a variety of growth factor. A Cytoplasmic portion contains the tyrosine kinase catalytic domain with autophosphorylation site, whose intrinsic catalytic activity that is activated upon ligand binding. Receptor tyrosine kinases include EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), VEGFR (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor), PDGFR (platelet-derived growth factor receptor), FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) and so on. The most important downstream signaling cascades activated by RTKs include the Ras-extracellular ERK/MAPK pathway, the PI-3′ kinase-AKT and the JAK/STAT pathway. PTKs provide communication signals that link all these pathways ultimately leading to regulation of gene transcription. Additional cascades may also be utilized. Through a different regulatory mechanism, non-receptor tyrosine kinases (CTKs) participate in response to extracellular signals by physically associating with transmembrane receptors (Grosios k, et al, Drugs Fut, 2003, 28:679).
These phosphorylated tyrosine residues serve as docking sites for phosphotyrosine binding domains (e.g., Src homology 2 and 3 [SH2 and SH3] and phosphotyrosine binding [PT-3] domains) found in a number of intracellular signaling proteins (e.g., Shc, Grb2, Src, Cbl, phospholipase Cg and phoshoinositol-3′ [PI-3′ kinase]). Assembly of activated complexes at the membrane initiates several cascades which are the key to downstream signaling and biological response. Formation of homo- or heterodimers is also possible. Receptors lacking catalytic activity can be coupled to nonreceptor PTKs via noncovalent association with the cytoplasmic domain of a receptor subunit, thus forming "binary" receptors. The most important downstream signaling cascades activated by RTKs include the Ras-extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)-mitogen activated (MAP) kinase pathway, the PI-3′ kinase-AKT and the JAK/STAT pathway. PTKs provide communication signals that link all these pathways ultimately leading to regulation of gene transcription. Additional cascades may also be utilized. For example, the InsR utilizes the adenylyl cyclase signaling system which, in turn, activates cAMP-dependent serine-threonine specific protein kinases. (Grosios k, et al, Drugs Fut, 2003, 28:679)
Non-receptor tyrosine kinases (CTKs) participate in response to extracellular signals by physically associating with transmembrane receptors, such as hormone, cytokine and growth factor receptors. They are then activated when these receptors are bound by extracellular ligands or cell adhesion components at particular phases of the cell cycle.
In normal cells, activated RTKs are rapidly internalized away from the cell surface and are subject to modifications that inhibit their enzymatic activity. This ensures that activation of signal cascades are only transient and the cell returns to its non-stimulated state in a timely fashion. However, a variety of structural alterations ranging from single amino acid substitutions to large deletions, or deregulation of inhibitory signals and autocontrol mechanisms, can lock kinases into the activated form in which the kinase domain is always active. A number of diseases have been shown to be due to mutations that activate or lead to misexpression/overexpression of PTKs. During molecular characterization of malignancies, approximately half of all known PTKs such as EGF, ErbB2, Ret, Kit, Src, Abl, PDGFR, VEGF1/2/3, FGFR1/2/3, etc, have been found in either mutated or overexpressed forms including sporadic cases. Clinical studies also show over-expression or disorders of PTKs is of important reference value for the prognosis of cancer patients and symptoms prediction (Madhusudan S, et al, Clin Biochem, 2004, 37:618). In summary, tyrosine kinases are very important for physiological self-regulation and gene mutation/rearrangemen may lead to the disorder or over-expression of PTKs, then result in the occurrence of diseases, so the agonist or antagonist of PTKs can be used in the treatment.
Irrespective of the underlying genetic alteration, the outcome i.e., altered, aberrant or inappropriate receptor presence, gives rise to respective disease phenotypes (e.g., cancer). This is not however, maintained only by receptor deregulation but also in the context of the whole cell circuit and intra-/intercellular communications, i.e., a multitude of paracrine and autocrine communications. Growth factors (e.g., EGF, VEGF, PDGF) and their receptors are frequently overexpressed in cancers and their coexpression is often associated with tumor cell proliferation and other tumor parameters such as angiogenesis and metastasis.
Angiogenesis is a physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Normal angiogenesis only occurs in some particular short-term physiological processes, such as reproduction and wound healing etc. However aberrant angiogenesis is one of the pathological manifestations of some diseases including malignant tumor, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic retinopathy and so on. Based on a large number of clinical practice and experiments, Folkman brought forth a hypothesis that tumor growth required angiogenesis: due to the lack of neovascularization, the diameter of tumors in the early stage of formation is limited in 2˜3 mm and cells number is less than one million; when entering the angiogenesis stage through the mediation of tumor angiogenesis factor (Tumor-angiogenesis Factor, TAF) secreted by tumor cells, the tumor can grow rapidly with adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients (Folkman J, N Engl J Med, 1971, 285:1182). Thus anti-angiogenesis therapy is a new anti-cancer strategy by blocking TAF.
Tumor cells can secrete a variety of angiogenic factors, which interact with each other. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is thereinto the most specific angiogenic factors with highest activity and other angiogenic factors exert angiogenic effect mostly by enhancing the expression of VEGF (Zhang Q X, et al, J Surg Res, 1997, 67:147). VEGF is expressed in the vast majority of tumor cells and a variety of tissues such as lung, spleen, kidney, liver, etc. The expression of VEGF is regulated by many factors, of which hypoxia is by far the strongest induced effect. In addition, the growth factors following such as basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), placental growth factor (PLGF), transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and NO can also promote the expression of VEGF. But interferon-α (IFN-α), IL-10, IL-12, etc can inhibit the expression of VEGF. Furthermore, oncogene ras, raf, src, anti-oncogene vHL and p53 mutations can increase the expression of VEGF (Neufeld G, et al, FASEB J, 1999, 13:9).
VEGF receptor (VEGFR) are known to have three members: VEGFR-1/Flt-1, VEGFR-2 (Flk-1/KDR) and VEGFR-3/Flt-4, in which VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 are expressed specially in vascular endothelial cells and associated with angiogenesis closely. VEGFR, a member of receptor tyrosine kinase family, is a class of transmembrane protein with a cytoplasmic region, and its expression is induced by VEGF. Compared to a low level of expression in normal human tissues, both VEGF and its receptors (VEGFR) show the high expression level in the vast majority of malignant tumors. Furthermore, VEGFR is expressed not only in vascular endothelial cells, but also in tumor cells. So besides paracrine, it indicates the existence of autocrine pathway. As a vascular endothelial cell-specific mitogen, VEGF secreted by the malignant cells acts on VEGF receptor in vascular endothelial cells of adjacent stromal tissue, that promotes vascular endothelial cell division and proliferation, and induces tumor angiogenesis. Moreover, it also increases vascular permeability, promotes tumor growth and metastasis, then acts on tumor cells directly and stimulates tumor cell growth. (Rong L, Foreign Medical Sciences•Section of Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine, 2002, 22:4475 and references cited)
Mutatioms in PKs and cross-talk in signal proteins are also involved in diseases other than cancer. Mutational inactivation of nonreceptor tyrosine kinase is observed in several immunodeficiencies. Inactivation of both copies of JAK3 causes severe combined immunodeficiency (Leonard W J, Nat Rev Immunol, 2001, 1:200; Leonard W J, Int J Hematol, 2001, 73:271). Mutation in the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK, also known as BPK or ATK), a member of the src family and a key regulator of B-cell maturation, causes X-linked Agammaglobulinemia (Cheng G, et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 1994, 91:8152; Maas A, et al, J Immunol, 1999, 162:6526). The physiological role of PTK in CNS signaling also suggests that deregulation of these proteins might also be involved in related disorders. This is supported by the observation that neuregulin-1 and ErbB4 immunoreactivity is associated with neuritic plaques in the Alzheimer's disease (Ferguson S S, Trends Neurosci, 2003, 26:119; Chaudhury A R, et al, J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, 2003, 62:42). Abnormal regulation of Insulin-like growth factor (IGFs) and its regulatory protein secreted by the cardiovascular system may lead to coronary atherosclerosis and the occurrence and development of restenosis. The role of IGFs is mediated by specific membrane receptors, in which IGF receptor-I shows tyrosine kinase activity and appears in smooth muscle cells, inflammatory cells and arterial endothelial cells in atherosclerotic injury (Bayes-genis A, et al, Circ Res, 2000, 86:125; Bayes-genis A, et al, Artherio Thromb and Vascu Biol, 2001, 21:335; Che W Y, et al, Circ Res, 2002, 90:1222). Vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors expressed in a variety of rheumatoid arthritis cells are a key factor in the pathological angiogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (De Bandt M, et al, J Immunol, 2003, 1712:4853). Jak2 is a cytoplasmic, non-receptor tyrosine kinase and its mutation causes at least three diseases, such as polycythemia vera (PV), idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), essential thrombocythemia (ET) as well as some other atypical myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). Mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of fibroblast growth factor receptor would lead to the most common hereditary dwarfism—bone Dyschondroplasia (Shiang R, et al, Cell, 1994, 78: 335).
On the other hand, a number of diseases are due to insufficient PTK signaling, such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes and peripheral neuropathies, and in such cases methods to enhance signaling could serve as viable therapies (Hunter T, Cell, 2000, 100:111). This is also a very attractive possibility for other angiogenesis-related conditions, including certain cardiovascular diseases where stimulation of angiogenesis might be required rather than inhibition.
With the in-depth study on molecular biology, it is an effective way to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and treat cancer by regulating the cellular signal transduction, mediating the function of growth factor and regulating oncogene expression at the molecular level. It is effective to weaken the effect of abnormal signal pathway, inhibit tumor growth and promote tumor cell death. Up to now, more than half of proto-oncogenes encode tyrosine kinase proteins. They participate in cellular signal transduction by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, while in the process of tumorigenesis, mutation or over-expression of PTK can transform normal cells into cancer cells and promote growth and mitosis of tumor cells.
At the same time, the growth and metastasis of malignant tumors rely on the adequate nutrient supply through the new peripheral blood vessels. The process of tumor angiogenesis can generally be divided into two stages: preangiogenesis period and angiogenesis period. Transformation of these two stages is called as "angiogenic switch". It is a key role in the process of deterioration that tumor cells switch to the angiogenic phenotype. Tumor cells can not get enough nutrients and discharge metabolites without peripheral angiogenesis, and mainly survive on oxygen and nutrients dispersed around cells, thus tumors can not grow beyond 1-2 mm in diameter. Once switch to angiogenic phenotype, tumors without blood vessels can grow rapidly utilizing the nutrients from the blood. Furthermore, these malignant cells can induce phenotypic changes of other cells, such as endothelial cells, then promote the formation of new blood vessels. Angiogenic factors participate in the regulation of angiogenic switch, cause endothelial cell migration, proliferation and morphological change, then initiate the generation of tumor blood vessels. All the known angiogenic factors mainly are the ligands of PTKs, such as VEGF, bFGF, PD-ECGF, etc (Bergers G, et al, Nat Rev Cancer, 2003, 3:401). Therefor it is an effective therapy to prevent the formation of tumor angiogenesis and control the growth of malignant tumors by using the tyrosine kinase inhibitors as anti-angiogenesis substances.
TKs play an important role in carcinogenic transformation of cells and relate to the occurrence and progress of tumors directly or indirectly, so it is especially appropriate for TKs inhibitors used in the treatment of tumors.
The serine/threonine kinases (STKs) are kinases family members that catalyze the phosphorylation of specific serine and threonine residues. STKs, like the non-receptor PTKs, are predominantly intracellular although there are a few receptor kinases of the STK type. STKs are the most common of the cytosolic kinases, i.e., kinases that perform their function in that part of the cytoplasm other than the cytoplasmic organelles and cytoskeleton. STKs affect the internal biochemistry of the cell, often as a down-line response to a PTK event. STKs have been implicated in the signaling process which initiates DNA synthesis and subsequent mitosis leading to cell proliferation. Additionally STKs are associated with many types of cancers, such as breast cancer etc. (Cance et al, Int. J. Cancer, 1993, 55, 571).
PTKs and STKs have all been implicated in a host of pathogenic conditions including, significantly, cancer. Other pathogenic conditions which have been associated with PKs include, without limitation, psoriasis, hepatocirrhosis, diabetes, angiogenesis, restenosis, ophthalmological disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, immune disease, cardiovascular disease, e.g. atherosclerosis, and a variety of kidney diseases.
Presently, many 2-dihydroindolinone derivatives attemped to identify as protein kinase inhibitors, such as indirubin derivatives (PCT WO2001037819, PCT WO2002092079), 3-methylenepyrrole-2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,251, PCT WO2001060814, PCT WO2003035009, PCT WO2005053686), 3-pyrrolo[b]cyclopentylene-2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (PCT WO2005016875), and other 2-dihydroindolinone derivatives (PCT WO 2000012084) etc, all are described as STK or PTK inhibitors for treating cancer.

Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical R&D Co. Ltd.


A freeform DOE for use in an optical transmitter and a method of designing and manufacturing the DOE are provided. The freeform DOE is capable of achieving the same, or nearly the same, functionality as that of a glass DOE, but has a design that has been transformed to make the surface profile of the DOE compatible with a molding process that can be used to manufacture the DOE with high quality at low costs. The method of designing and manufacturing the DOE includes preselecting a CGH that will obtain a target freeform DOE design, using a preselected smoothing function to smooth the surface profile of the target freeform DOE design to transform the design into a DOE design that is compatible with a molding process, and using a fabrication process to manufacture a freeform DOE that is based on the transformed DOE design.

In optical communications networks, optical transceiver modules are used to transmit and receive optical signals over optical fibers. A transceiver module generates amplitude and/or phase and/or polarization modulated optical signals that represent data, which are then transmitted over an optical fiber coupled to the transceiver. The transceiver module includes a transmitter side and a receiver side. On the transmitter side, a laser light source generates laser light and an optical coupling system receives the laser light and optically couples, or images, the light onto an end of an optical fiber. The laser light source typically comprises one or more laser diodes that generate light of a particular wavelength or wavelength range. The optical coupling system typically includes one or more reflective elements, one or more refractive elements and/or one or more diffractive elements.
In high-speed data communications networks (e.g., 10 Gigabits per second (Gb/s) and higher), multimode optical fibers are often used. In such networks, certain link performance characteristics, such as the link transmission distance, for example, are dependent on properties of the laser light source and on the design of the optical coupling system. Among the most dominant ones are the modal bandwidth of the fiber and the relative intensity noise (RIN) of the laser light source, which can be degraded by the optical back-reflection to the laser light source. Both of these parameters can be affected by the launch conditions of the laser light into the end of the multimode optical fiber.
The effective modal bandwidth of multimode fiber is dependent in part upon the launch conditions of the laser light into the end of the fiber. The launch conditions are, in turn, dependent upon the properties of the laser diode itself and upon the optical coupling system design and configuration. However, due to limitations on the manufacturability of optical elements that are typically used in imaging-type optical coupling systems, control of the launch conditions is limited primarily to designing and configuring the optical coupling system to control the manner in which it images the light from the laser source onto the end of the fiber. Other types of non-imaging optical coupling system designs exist, such as spiral launch designs, for example, that overcome certain disadvantages of the imaging-type optical coupling systems. Such non-imaging systems, however, also have shortcomings.
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser Diodes (VCSEL)-based multimode optical communication systems have been considered low cost solutions due to the relative ease of optical coupling system designs. However, the increasing data rate of optical communication requires better noise control in the transmission link. Noise types include back reflection, RIN, mode partitioning noise (MPN), mode selective noise (MSN), etc. Back reflection from the optical surfaces of the optical coupling system destabilizes the VCSEL and increases the RIN. By adding perturbation to the perfect optical surfaces, back reflection can be mitigated. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,841,571 (hereinafter referred to as "the '571 patent"), which issued on Dec. 12, 2017 and which is owned by the assignee of the present application, discloses such perturbations and their effects. DOEs created using computer generated holograms (CGHs) can also be used to suppress optical feedback, in a more controlled and systematic manner. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,019,233 (hereinafter referred to as "the '233 patent"), which issued on Sep. 13, 2011 and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses selecting a CGH that will achieve one or more a target launch conditions and creating a DOE that implements the CGH. Such DOEs can be used to suppress optical feedback.
There is a constant exchange of power between VCSEL modes and such exchanges can become the source of modal noise. When mode selectivity occurs in the optical coupling system, the coupled power will fluctuate, generating MSN. To overcome or reduce this noise source, the focus patterns generated by each VCSEL mode should overlap as much as possible spatially and the fiber modes excited should overlap as well so that mode selectivity is minimized at the connector joint. This effect can best be achieved by using a DOE designed to achieve this effect, as disclosed in the '233 patent.
MPN also surfaces through the combination of mode power exchange and the fiber modal dispersion. With a 50-micrometer (μm) graded index multimode fiber, VCSEL modes are typically coupled into the different fiber mode groups, which travel at different speeds in the fiber causing modal dispersion. When the power exchanges between VCSEL modes, MPN appears on the transmitted signals at any given time due to the time separation of fiber modes. To reduce this noise effect, the VCSEL modes should be mapped into the same fiber mode groups as evenly as possible so that at any given time, the transmitted signal contains all of the VCSEL mode content. Again this can only be best achieved by using a CGH to create a DOE.
DOEs that are designed to implement a selected CGH can be made in many different ways. A binary optics-based DOE made through a lithographic process is the most widely used DOE. The DOE is typically made on a glass substrate and the packaging of the DOE is a relatively complex design compared to plastic optics, which are often made using an injection molding process and can incorporate necessary mechanical features. DOEs are sometimes made of plastic, but plastic DOEs are not capable of achieving the same, or nearly the same, functionality as that of glass DOEs due to the inability to form the complex features of the diffractive pattern in plastic using current plastic fabrication techniques (i.e., injection molding and replication from a master mold). Such DOEs are typically either a Fresnel lens type of device having radially symmetric features or of the type having simple analytically describable surface molded in low temperature materials. It is difficult to replicate the features from a glass DOE used in transceiver design in injection molding, as the plastic material used for fiber optics applications is typically high temperature material, such as Ultem polyetherimide (PEI),
A need exists for a method of forming a plastic DOE that is capable of achieving the same, or nearly the same, functionality as that of a glass DOE in high temperature materials.

Freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) for use in an optical transmitter and method of designing and manufacturing the freeform DOE


A refrigerator includes a refrigerating chamber, a damper for opening and closing a cooling air supply channel, and an actuator for displacing the damper. A spring biases the damper closed. The actuator includes a rotary knob which rotates a cam disk. Rotation of the cam disk in one direction opens the damper against the spring bias. The knob includes a plurality of recesses which are selectively engageable by an elastic pin to yieldably retain the knob in various positions of damper adjustment.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a refrigerating compartment temperature control device for use in a refrigerator and the like.
Among the many types of refrigerating compartment temperature control devices, a typical model is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,092. In this device, a control knob for regulating cooling-air flow is provided with a cam on a portion of the rear surface of the knob. The side face of the cam forms a sloped surface. A support lever is operatively linked to a cooling-air flow regulator by the sloped surface of the cam such that upon movement of the control knob the cooling-air flow volume is controlled.
In the above control device, when cooling air flows into the refrigerating compartment through the cooling air channel, cooling air strikes against a control plate which controls the amount of cooling air volume entering the refrigerating compartment. However, the lever connected to the control plate is pushed in the direction of flow of the cooling air with the result that the knob is unintentionally rotated across the slope surface. This creates the potential problem for not maintaining a constant and continuous flow of cooling air.

Refrigerating compartment temperature control device


An open/close guard with a wiper device is attachable to a cab with a skylight. The wiper device includes a wiper for wiping a surface of the skylight, and a wiper drive unit that rotatably supports the wiper. The open/close guard includes a fixing frame attachable to the cab, and an open/close guard portion supported by the fixing frame. The open/close guard portion is supported by the fixing frame so that it can be opened or closed from or over the fixing frame.

Construction machines in which a wiper device is provided on the front windshield of a cab are known. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-267195 (PTD 1), for example, suggests a hydraulic excavator in which a wiper device is provided on the front windshield of a cab. In the hydraulic excavator, a bucket provided at an end of a work implement is lifted above the cab during execution of work. In order to ensure visibility for work in this state, the cab may be provided with a skylight.
In this case, an open/close guard may be provided for protecting the skylight from stones and the like falling from the bucket. This open/close guard has a fixing frame, and an open/close guard portion supported by the fixing frame so that it can be opened or closed from or over the fixing frame. The fixing frame is configured to be attachable to the cab. The open/close guard portion has a mesh portion to prevent passage of stones and the like falling from the bucket, and ensure visibility for work above the cab. The mesh portion is formed to cover the skylight while the fixing frame is attached to the cab and the open/close guard portion is closed over the fixing frame.
Even with the above-described open/close guard being provided on the skylight, rainwater and dust or the like falling from the bucket pass through the meshes of the above-described mesh portion, and adhere to the skylight. It is thus desirable to provide a wiper device on the skylight of a cab as well.
As a wiper device for a vehicle device rather than a construction machine, a wiper device for a vehicle roof is mentioned in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-70856 (PTD2).

Wiper device, open/close guard with wiper device, and cab for construction machine


A golf putter is provided with a head that rotates to slightly increase the loft of the face during impact and thereby lifts a golf ball from a low spot on the putting surface with reduced backspin and provides the golfer with greater control of the resulting putt. In addition, the tang of the neck received within a cavity within the head is surrounded by a resilient material that not only permits the loft-increasing rotational movement but also dampens vibration from the impact between the head and the golf ball and transmits a softer more desirable feel to the golfer's hands.

The game of golf includes the use of a variety of golf clubs to propel the contestant's golf ball toward and ultimately into the designated golf holes. Most of the golf clubs are designed to loft a struck golf ball into the air for some considerable distance. The area of the golf course immediately surrounding each golf hole is the green, a plot of carefully tended turf to facilitate the use of another type of golf club, the putter. A putter is designed with relatively little loft, or even no loft at all, to roll a struck golf ball across the green in the direction of the hole. Because putting strokes will typically comprise from one-third to one-half of a contestant's strokes in any given round of golf, a contestant's skill at putting is one of the most important aspects of the game. Considerable attention has therefore been devoted to putter design and as a result there are many putters known in the prior art.
Most putter designs have been developed to improve the accuracy of contestants' putting. These designs focus on facilitating the contestants' alignment of the putter; minimizing torque or twisting of the putter head on contact with the golf ball; minimizing the turning moment if the golf ball is not struck precisely on the center of gravity of the putter; and facilitating the contestants' swinging of the putter head in the manner of the arc of a pendulum. In virtually all cases, prior art putter designs address the physics of putting as if the golf course greens were a smooth, firm, planar surface such as a pool table rather than the somewhat less perfect topography of real turf.
In the real world, there is frequently a problem with the lie or resting place of a golf ball in the green where it has to be putted. Gravity usually causes the golf ball to settle into a low spot in the green as opposed to a high spot and this dictates that putter heads should be lofted slightly in order to lift the golf ball from a low resting place. A typical putter head will have a loft of 1.degree. to 6.degree. from the vertical and this loft imparts a backwards spinning rotation to the golf ball as it is struck and lifted from its resting place. The "backspin" enhances the tendency of the golf ball to bounce or skip as the ball first contacts the surface of the green until its forward movement and friction with the surface of the green causes the spin of the golf ball to reverse and the ball then spins forward in the direction of the ball's path.
The present putter design is intended primarily to reduce the amount of backspin on a putted golf ball while still allowing the golf ball to be lifted from a low spot on the green. The reduced backspin allows for smoother and more predictable putting. In the preferred design of the present improved putter design, a resilient material such as silicone is also used to reduce vibrational shock transmission from ball impact through the putter shaft to the hands of the golfer. The improved feel from this reduced shock allows golfers to putt more smoothly and more confidently.


An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a support member and a photosensitive layer formed thereon. A surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains diorganopolysiloxane represented by the following formula (1): ##STR1##. wherein R.sub.1 to R.sub.6 independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon group; B represents a substituted or unsubstituted organic group containing a perfluoroalkyl group; D represents a group selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted organic group containing a polyoxyalkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having at least 12 carbon atoms, and a substituted or unsubstituted organic group having a siloxane chain; E.sub.1 and E.sub.2 independently represent a group selected from groups of R.sub.1, B and D, X represents an integer of 0 to 1000, and Y and Z independently represent an integer of 1 to 1000.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each comprising the electrophotographic photosensitive member. Particularly, the present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a surface layer containing a specified silicone resin, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each comprising the electrophotographic photosensitive member.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic photosensitive member is required to have sensitivity, electric characteristics and optical characteristics according to the electrophotographic process used. Particularly, the repeated use of an electrophotographic photosensitive member causes direct application of electric and mechanical external forces for charging, image exposure, toner development, transfer, cleaning, etc., and thus durability against these forces is also required. Specifically, durability is required against chemical deterioration due to ozone and nitrogen compounds produced in charging, and mechanical and electric deterioration due to discharge during charging and sliding friction of a cleaning member.
Unlike an inorganic photosensitive member, an electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising a relatively soft material containing an organic photoconductive substance exhibits low durability against mechanical deterioration, and thus various attempts have been made to satisfy durability characteristics.
Particularly, as a method for effectively preventing mechanical deterioration to improve durability, the friction coefficient of the surface of an electrophotographic photosensitive member is decreased by containing a fluororesin powder in the surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. This method causes smooth sliding friction with a cleaning member, thereby preventing application of strong shear stress to the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member.
However, a fluororesin powder has low surface tension, and is thus difficult to uniformly disperse in a resin having relatively high surface tension. Therefore, combinations with various auxiliary dispersants are proposed. However, while many of commercially available auxiliary dispersants have excellent dispersibility for fluororesins, and thus have complicated structures, they cause difficulties in stabilizing secondary aggregations of a fluororesin during dispersion. This problem is particularly significant in an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a thin surface layer having a thickness of about 1 to 100 .mu.m, causing spots or fogging in an image.
The auxiliary dispersant also causes a potential change due to carrier trapping.

Electrophotographic photosensitive member process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus


A substantially solvent-free fast low temperature curing polyurethane coating composition is disclosed as well as a procedure for synthesizing it and a procedure for applying it to a flexible substrate. It has a long shelf-life yet cures in about 1 to 5 minutes at temperatures of between about 80.degree. and 180.degree. C. to give a flexible coating. The composition is a mixture of a polyisocyanate melting at more than about 100.degree. C. and a hydroxyl bearing polyurethane prepolymer based upon branched polyethers, monomeric glycols, and polyamines made with a deficit of polyisocyanate. The composition includes an isocyanate addition catalyst and a sodium aluminum silicate type molecular sieve and may include a polyester polyol as an additive or a reactant in forming the prepolymer.

A process for coating fabric tubes is known from German Auslegeschrift No. 1,504,690, in which polymeric solutions are initially doctored onto the fabric in a thin layer and the coatings are subsequently dried by heating the tube. This process does, however, have two serious disadvantages. The tube has to be heated from the inside in order to impart a bubble-free surface to the fabric coating and this means an additional outlay on apparatus. Moreover, the presence of solvents makes processing more difficult since numerous measures have to be taken to suck off the solvent vapors, and processing plants which are protected from explosion are needed.
A process for coating fabric tubes with solvent-free systems (application of a polymer melt) is described in German Pat. No. 1,778,877. A disadvantage of this process is the high temperatures of about 200.degree. C. needed for processing thermoplastic materials. The melt bath, pipe work and stripping apparatus have to be kept at this high temperature level. In addition, the deeper penetration of the plastic coating into the fabric induced by the process causes marked stiffening of the material so that the finished tube becomes more difficult to handle.
Solvent-free reactive polyurethane compositions for coating fabrics, which are stable in storage, are described in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 1,570,48 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,200 and are composed of polyhydroxyl compounds, uretdione diisocyanates which melt above 100.degree. C. and chain extenders which melt above 80.degree. C. Although coating pastes of this type are stable in storage over relatively long periods of time, they need uneconomically long reaction times (for example, 90 minutes at 110.degree. C.) in order to cure completely.
The object of the invention is therefore to avoid the disadvantages described above of the known processes for coating fabrics--presence of solvent; too short pot-life; high processing temperatures and long curing times and simultaneously to allow simple and problem-free handling of the coating compositons.
This object is achieved by the polyurethane systems provided according to the invention.

Coating compositions from polyurethanes containing a molecular sieve of the sodium aluminum silicate type


The movement of a control sleeve in the circumferential direction is made to interlock with the movement of a timer piston to ensure that the control sleeve has a function of pre-stroke control. In order to interlock the movements of the timer piston and the control sleeve, they are linked with first through third link members and the control sleeve is caused to rotate in the circumferential direction at a specific ratio relative to the quantity of movement of the timer piston. In a fuel injection system provided with an actuator for adjusting the fuel force feed end by moving the control sleeve in the direction of the axis and an actuator for controlling the timing with which the cam lift begins, pre-stroke control can be achieved without requiring a separate actuator, with a simple mechanical structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel injection system provided with a timer mechanism and a control sleeve, such as a VR pump (an inner-cam distributor type fuel injection pump provided with plungers at a rotor that rotates in synchronization with an engine, facing opposite each other in the direction of the radius of the rotor, to compress and inject fuel by causing the plungers to make reciprocal movement with the inner-cam) and a VE pump (a distributor type fuel injection pump with a rotor that rotates in synchronization with an engine being caused to make reciprocal movement itself relative to a plunger barrel by a cam disk to compress and inject fuel) and, in particular, it relates to a fuel injection system provided with a pre-stroke control mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of fuel injection system includes the one disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. S61-23832, in which a cam disk 29 is placed in contact with a roller 32 that is held by a roller ring 31. A plunger 26, which faces a plunger high pressure chamber 25, is secured to the cam disk 29 and is caused to make rotating and reciprocal movements by the cam disk 29, which rotates in synchronization with an engine. In the plunger 26, a through hole 50, through which fuel is taken into the plunger high pressure chamber 25 from a pump chamber 22 during the intake process, a distribution port 35, through which fuel pressurized in the plunger high pressure chamber 25 is delivered during the force feed process, and spill ports 51 and 52 for cutting off the fuel delivery, are formed. Fuel supplied to the plunger high pressure chamber 25 is compressed with the reciprocal movement of the plunger 26, and the fuel thus compressed is distributed with the reciprocating movement of the plungers 26.
A control sleeve 53 is externally fitted on the plunger 26 covering the spill ports 51 and 42, and by moving this control sleeve 53 in the direction of the axis, the fuel injection quantity is varied by changing the fuel force feed end timing and, at the same time, by rotating the control sleeve 53 in the circumferential direction, the start timing of fuel force feed, i.e., the length of time elapsing from the start of cam lift until the start of fuel force feed (pre-stroke), is controlled. In addition, the cam lift start timing is adjusted by varying the positional relationship between the cam disk 29 and the roller 32.
In the fuel injection system described above, because of its structural features, the fuel force feed end timing, the cam lift start timing and the fuel force feed start timing can be controlled independently of one another and a number of advantages are achieved, such as: (1) the injection pressure can be increased to reduce the generation of black smoke and NOx by setting the injection period during high load operation in the low rotation speed range or during partial load operation (partial operation, medium load operation) in a range over which the cam speed is high; (2) if it is necessary to reduce the size of the nozzle hole of the injection nozzle to conform to exhaust gas regulations, it is possible to extend the range over which cam lift is in effect during high rotation speed, high load operation, and; (3) since the injection timing can be practically modified by adjusting the fuel force feed start timing as well as adjusting the cam lift start timing, the range over which the injection timing can be adjusted freely is extended. However, since the structure described above requires that an actuator for controlling the fuel force feed start timing be provided separately, apart from an actuator for controlling the fuel force feed end timing and an actuator for controlling the cam lift start timing, the number of actuators increases, making the control more complicated and increasing the production cost.


A combined pulsed and FMCW AESA radar system is described. The radar system includes an AESA array of radiating elements, an array of TR modules, an RF combiner/splitter, a transmitter, a pulsed radar receiver and an FMCW radar receiver. Each TR module corresponds to a respective radiating element of the array of radiating elements. The transmitter is configured to transmit an excitation signal to excite selected or all radiating elements of the array of radiating elements via the TR modules. When the transmitter is in a pulsed radar mode, the pulsed radar receiver is configured to receive radar return signals via the RF combiner/splitter from radiating elements of the array of radiating elements via the TR modules. When the transmitter is in an FMCW radar mode, the FMCW radar receiver is configured to receive radar return signals from selected radiating elements of the array of radiating elements via the TR modules.

The present invention relates generally to the field of radar systems.
Pulsed radar systems provide a pulsed radar beam and reception of pulsed radar returns, and have a longer range than frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar systems. On the other hand FMCW radars may provide higher (than pulsed) radar resolution and good radar detection for shorter range applications.
Combined FMCW/pulsed radar system are known which require two federated time division multiplexed systems and/or a diplexor for full-duplex. Such combined systems use two completely independent FMCW and pulsed systems with separate antennas or separate AESAs (active electronically scanned arrays).

Affordable combined pulsed/FMCW radar AESA


A dash mounted microfiche reader and support is provided for attaching a portable microfiche reader to the dashboard of a vehicle. The reader includes an adjustable miniature lens assembly and a mirror unit that swings open for operation. A slide out housing for the reader is pivotally mounted on a leveling tray that is detachably mounted to the dashboard of the vehicle. A microfiche index is used to support the fiche during use.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to microfiche reading equipment specifically for use in motor vehicles. The invention provides quick access to information that recently has become available in microfiche form relating to telephone numbers and addresses for many communities in the United States.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, microfiche readers have been developed for various uses in permanent or portable locations. Although some units can be operated in a motor vehicles, no prior art relating to microfiche readers has been developed to provide specific and convenient use in a motor vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,429 to Thompson does show a map display device mounted on the steering column of a vehicle but is functionally awkward and optically impractical.
Currently, microfiche readers are available either as large desk top models, medium size brief case enclosed models or hand held models.
While the desk top models such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,598 permit easy reading of microfiche information via large screens, the overall size of the unit makes it impractical and inconvenient to use in mobile applications such as motor vehicles. In addition, most units require AC power that is unavailable in a motor vehicle.
The medium size brief case models such as in the Informant II or model Elite II by Anacomp Inc., Atlanta, Ga., permit the user more mobility than the desk units but require an area that is relatively flat and large enough in size to permit opening of the reader and reader housing. Since the viewing screen of the reader is attached to the housing and the screen must be positioned at a minimum distance in order for the operator to be able to clearly see the image, this special requirement may or may not be available within the vehicle. If space is available, the location where the unit may be opened such as a passenger seat, is awkward for a driver to use without changing his seating position. More conveniently, the vehicle driver finds operation of the unit less cumbersome if he moves out of the drivers seat for operation of the viewer.
A hand held microfiche reader is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,593, but the unit requires both hands for operation. In a vehicle, finding an optimum reading position under natural light can be difficult and awkward for the seated driver. If the user attempts to obtain information through the viewer at night or on dark days, he must use batteries that require recharging or replacement at regular intervals. The hand held units can easily be dropped, damaged or lost inside the vehicle. In summary, prior art has not considered a microfiche reader configuration that can be conveniently used by the seated driver of a motor vehicle.


A flexible bag (4) that is filled with a product (5) is accommodated in a rigid container (1). The bag is welded to a valve unit A, which provides an absolute seal for the container (1) by means an annular membrane (17) that is pressed into the neck of the container (19) and a double annular rib (19) that is pressed into an annular groove (20) as well as by the welding (23) of a closing sleeve (22) to the container (1). The product (5) is forced into the bag (4) and compressed air is forced through a drilled hole (11) of a valve plate (7) into the container (1) by downward pressure on a valve plunger (8). The valve unit (A) closes the bag (4) a sealing washer (12), working as a non-return valve, seals the container (1) and avoids any loss of pressure, whereafter, when the valve unit is open, the container pressure compresses the bag ( 4) so that the product is dispensed through a spray head (14).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the storage and the controlled deliver of products under pressure. This apparatus, compared with conventional spray cans, makes it possible to use either a reduced quantity of liquid gas or else compressed gases as the propelling force.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The ban on halogenated hydrocarbons, known under the names of FRIGEN or FREON, has led to the extensive use of hydrocarbons such as propane and butane, or dimethylether and mixtures of these. Both FRIGEN and FREON are hazardous for the ozone layer that surrounds the earth, and butane and propane, as well as dimethylether, are dangerous for the filling industry because of their explosive characteristics, as well as for the user, since deaths have been caused by the explosion of these substances.
In addition to these flammable gases, it is known that non-inflammable, only partially halogenated FREON 22 (chemical formula CHClF.sub.2) can be used as a propellant. This can also be used in the USA and in the Scandinavian countries, where both FREON and FRIGEN are banned, because FREON 22 contains an additional hydrogen atom and, for this reason, is not as persistent as the fully-halogenated hydrocarbons. Since, however, the vapour pressure of the non-inflammable FREON 22 is extremely high and at 20.degree. C. is approximately 9 bar, it must either be mixed with a gas with a lower vapour pressure, such as dimethylether or butane (which are flammable), or else used in reduced quantities, which is to say, between 18-50%-wt, depending on container quality. In particular, its use in glass vessels, without any plastic, for toilet preparations is problematic. This is because a pressure of 1.5 bar at 20.degree. C. must not be exceeded but, depending on the content of water or ether oil, this pressure is reached at a FREON 22 content of 18%-20%. Since, however, the atomizing quality of conventional sprays depends to a great extent on the proportion of liquid gas, and thus on its expansion, the percentage of approximately 20% FREON 22 in place of the normal 50% FREON 114/12 is not sufficient to atomize toilet water such that the size of the droplets is so fine that the spray will be perceived as "not wet."
Metal cans are also subject to pressure limits imposed by law, so that here, too, one has to work with smaller quantities of FREON 22 that are smaller than those used in conventional spray cans.
The search for a solution for the problem described above has lead to a spray nozzle as described in European Patent No. 0000688, which produces extremely fine vaporization by purely mechanical means. In addition, apparatus have been developed as described in European Patent Nos. 0057226 and 0109361, and in PCT-application CH86/00103, published on Jan. 20, 1987 under the number WO87/00513, that permit the use of compressed air instead of liquid gas as the propellant, wherein, despite a diminishing propellant pressure, an almost constant ejection rate per unit time and a steady particle size are achieved.
Both the use of a reduced quantity of liquid gas, of only approximately 20%, or of compressed air, leads to difficulties. The aerosols that are commercially available all permit some leakage of the product after use, despite the fact that the valve has been closed. If such a valve is used with a high (normal) percentage of liquid gas, one cannot detect this leakage, because when in their liquid phase these gases simultaneously serve as solvents mixed with the active product. They are expelled in liquid form when the valve is opened which leads, when in contact with atmospheric pressure, to an explosion-like vaporization of both the liquid gas as well as of the product carrier, such as alcohol or water. If, however, one uses compressed gas such as air or nitrogen as the propellant, or if one uses a lower percentage of liquid gas, e.g. less than 25%, then this rapid-vaporization factor is either absent or else is so small that the violent vaporization that conceals the leakage or after-flow does not take place.
This leakage or after-flow can be attributed to several factors. In the so-called "male" valves, a plunger is provided with side holes which, when the valve is closed, lie within the substance of the rubber seal, so that no product can escape. Since, however, the central hole of the seal is stamped out, it has vertical grooves that are parallel to its axis, the depths of these varying as a function of the quality or amount of wear in the die, and through which the product can leak once the valve has been closed, until such time as the rubber creeps into the side holes of the plunger and closes them off. In so-called "female" valves, the valve is closed off by the annular rib of a plunger penetrating into a rubber gasket. The edge of most annular ribs is 0.4 to 0.5 mm wide, which means that, depending on the hardness of the rubber, the plunger will penetrate into the seal slowly, which can also lead to a leakage through such valves once they have been closed.
Depending on the quality of the valves, up to 0.03 ml can leak out each time the valve is opened. This leakage is not only messy; it can also lead to blockage of the vaporizer nozzles. In the case of hair spray, drying out of the film binders on the nozzle occurs, if the propellant force is generated by a lower percentage of liquid gas or compressed gas. The use of compressed gases or a lower proportion of liquid gas also causes other problems in that, because of a lack of pressure, not all the product can be expelled from the container.
In a spray can that is filled with liquid gas, the pressure is built up once again after every use by the continuing gasification of the liquid phase so that for all practical purposes there is a constant pressure in the can. At a lower percentage of liquid gas the quantity of gas is just sufficient to keep the pressure constant and to expel all the contents from the container. However, if one sprays for too long a period during one valve opening, this gasification leads to a cooling of the can, which then slows down the gasification, which means that not only does the pressure fall but more liquid gas than is intended is expelled and, for this reason there is insufficient to empty the can. Even if the can is used with the spray head underneath, the gas will be lost so that once again there will not be enough of it.
This problem is much more serious when compressed gas is used as a propellant because then the pressure cannot build up again. Depending on the position of the can, all the pressure can be completely lost, so that the remaining contents of the can, which can no longer be expelled, are wasted.
Despite the sealing that is used there can be a loss of pressure between the valve plate and the neck of the can. For example, if aluminum cans are produced by deep-drawing aluminum disks, grooves that are parallel to the axis of the can are formed in the outer wall of the can. Depending on the diameter of the can, these grooves can be between 0.02 and 0.08 mm deep, but are so narrow that the outer rubber seal cannot penetrate into them and thus cannot seal them off. Even though these grooves can be ground out or filled with a coat of lacquer, depending on the type of can that is involved, there is still a loss of pressure if the valve is not installed with the necessary precision.
A loss of pressure in compressed gases caused by holding the can incorrectly can be avoided by using a two-chamber system, in which the product is stored in a flexible inner container and the propellant, compressed gas, is stored in a rigid outer container. The latter acts on the flexible inner container and compresses this, which means that the product contained therein is expelled. Such systems are known. Their flexible inner containers must, however, be installed prior to the attachment of the base of the can or, in the case of monobloc cans, before the shoulder section is rolled. In addition, filling the cans with compressed gas is relatively complicated and demands a high level of precision, which is costly. In this regard, the base of the can may be provided with an opening which can be closed by means of a rubber stopper, the compressed gas is introduced into the can, whereupon the rubber plug is pressed completely into the opening, which it then seals hermetically. In addition to the necessary precision, this charging procedure takes up a great deal of time so that mass production becomes extremely costly.
Metal cans require many times the energy--both for the production of the metal as such and also for the producation of the cans-- than is required to produce plastic, and cans of this material. Corrosion problems may also be encountered, depending on the type of metal that is used.
In order to avoid pressure losses caused by incorrect manipulation of the can when compressed gases are used there are valves on the market which, thanks to a ball, make it possible to spray the product even if the can is held upside down. However, such cans cannot prevent a loss of pressure if the can is held in an inclined position and the riser tube for the valve, because it is nearly always curved, is not in, but out of, the product.

Apparatus to provide for the storage and the controlled delivery of products that are under pressure


An electronic component carrier includes an elongated substrate having a series of electronic component-setting portions spaced from one another at a predetermined interval along the length of the substrate. The substrate has push bar-insertion holes formed therethrough and disposed respectively at the electronic component-setting portions. Adhesive layers are formed respectively on surfaces of the electronic component-setting portions. The electronic components are adapted to be bonded respectively to the electronic component-setting portions through the adhesive layers. A push bar is adapted to be inserted into the push bar-insertion hole so as to be engaged with the electronic component to release the same from the adhesive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic component carrier for continuously transferring and feeding electronic components, such as an integrated circuit (IC) and a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI), to an applicator for applying them to circuit boards.
2. Prior Art
Electronic component carriers of the tape reel type have now been extensively used since they are considered to be best suited for automatic high-speed processing of electronic components. One such known carrier of the tape reel type comprises a tape-like substrate having a series of feed perforations formed through one lateral edge portion of the substrate and spaced equally from one another along the length of the substrate, and an adhesive layer formed either continuously or discontinuously on one side of the substrate, so that electronic components are bonded to the adhesive layer in spaced relation to one another.
In such a conventional carrier, although it is necessary that the electronic components be firmly bonded to the adhesive layer during the transfer thereof or during the storage thereof, the electronic components also need be smoothly removed from the adhesive layer when feeding them to the applicator for applying them to circuit boards. Thus, if an adhesive having a high adhesive strength is used so as to firmly hold the electronic components, then in contrast, the electronic components can not so easily be removed from the adhesive layer, thus failing to smoothly supply the electronic components to the applicator.


In the hydrogenaton of a polyunsaturated oil, the activity of a homogeneous Ziegler-type copper catalyst is enhanced by the physical presence of an autonomous insoluble material.

1. Field of the Invention
The acceptability of polyunsaturated oils in many commercial applications, particularly in the food industry, requires the reduction of the polyenes to a more stable monoene or diene stage. For example, the stability of soybean oil as it relates to flavor reversion can be vastly improved by eliminating the linolenate, which exists at a level of about 6 to 9% in the natural oil. This is preferably accomplished by selectively hydrogenating the oil in order to reduce the proportion of linolenate without a concurrent increase in the level of saturates. In a commerical operation, the ideal catalyst for promoting such hydrogenations is one which is not only selective, but also highly active so as to minimize the duration of the reaction. This invention relates to a novel catalyst system for the rapid, partial hydrogenation of polyunsaturated oils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Two basic catalytic systems have developed widespread acceptance in the selective hydrogenation of natural oils: insoluble catalysts and homogeneous catalysts. Insoluble types include those which have been supported on an inert carrier by adsorption, ion exchange, or precipitation, as well as those which have been coprecipitated with a suitable agent. Exemplary supported catalysts are taught in de Jonge et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,568 wherein elemental copper, or copper compounds are dispersed on a variety of carriers including activated clay, diatomaceous earth, silica gel, and several metallic oxides. Koritala [J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc. 45(3): 197-200 (1968)] and U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,678 teach supporting copper catalysts by precipitation onto micronized silica or alumina, and by exchange onto molecular sieve zeolites. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,681, Koritala shows adsorbing copper ammonium complex onto a microspheroidal silica gel. A coprecipitated catalyst is disclosed in Koritala, U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,300 wherein sodium silicate is reacted with a water-soluble copper salt to form a precipitate which is subsequently vacuum dried and heat treated. While insoluble catalysts tend to be characterized by high selectivities, their activities are often insufficient for practical commercial application.
The potential of soluble or homogeneous catalysts in the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated oils has been extensively studied in recent years. By virtue of being in the same phase as the oil, they have the inherent advantage of possessing more activity than their insoluble counterparts. While there are many types of homogeneous catalysts, one which is acceptably selective and moderately active is the Ziegler-type catalyst as described by R. Stern et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,295. These are composed of transition metal salts in combination with a reducing agent, as exemplified by copper stearate-triethylaluminum.

Method of enhancing activity of homogeneous Ziegler-type copper catalysts

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


The present invention provides a brazing filler metal whose brazing temperature is 1060-1120.degree. C. which is close to that of BNi-2 specified in JIS Z3265. The present invention also provides a brazing filler metal which has a melting point of 890-980.degree. C. (which is close to that of BNi-7) and is capable of brazing at a temperature lower than 1000.degree. C. The brazing filler metal of the present invention improves the base metal in corrosion resistance without deterioration. In addition, it has good resistance to oxidation and good resistance to corrosion by sulfuric acid. It has high strength, good heat resistance, and good wetting characteristics. It is used to produce durable EGR coolers by brazing. The first brazing filler metal is composed of Cr (20-30 wt %), P (3-10 wt %), Si (2-7 wt %), and Ni (remainder). It may be incorporated with another brazing filler metal composed of Cr (10-15 wt %), P (7-12 wt %), and Ni (remainder) in an amount of 2-15 wt %. The second brazing filler metal is composed of Cr (18.5-29.7 wt %), P (3.1-10.3 wt %), Si (1.7-6.9 wt %), and Ni (remainder). The present invention also provides an EGR cooler brazed with the brazing filler metal mentioned above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brazing filler metal superior in corrosion resistance and heat resistance. More particularly, the present invention relates to a brazing filler metal superior in resistance to corrosion by sulfuric acid, which is used for a component of the EGR system (such as EGR cooler). The present invention relates also to an EGR cooler brazed with said brazing filler metal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among components requiring high corrosion resistance and heat resistance is that of the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system. This system is designed to take out part of exhaust gas from the exhaust system and return it to the induction system of the engine, thereby adding it to mixture. EGR is effective in suppressing the formation of nitrogen oxides, reducing the pumping loss, decreasing the temperature of combustion gas, thereby reducing radiation heat which escapes to the coolant, and increasing the specific heat due to change in amount and composition of the working gas, thereby improving the cycling efficiency. Therefore, it is regarded as an effective means to improve the thermal efficiency of an engine while purifying exhaust gas.
The EGR system mentioned above consists of such components as EGR pipe and EGR valve. Unfortunately, the EGR valve is subject to thermal deterioration (leading to early breakage) as the EGR gas increases in temperature and volume. Coping with this needs a water-cooled structure. In addition, EGR increases the intake temperature and hence decreases the charging efficiency, which leads to a decrease in fuel efficiency. In order to get around these difficulties, there has been developed a cooled EGR system which is so designed as to cool EGR gas with the engine coolant. The cooled EGR system is equipped with an EGR cooler which is a multi-tubular heat exchanger made of austenitic stainless steel (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 89491/1997) or a plate-type heat exchanger (Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 89880/1998).
Meanwhile, the component (particularly the EGR cooler) of the cooled EGR system is assembled conventionally by brazing with a brazing filler metal designated as BNi-5 in JIS Z3265. BNi-5 is composed of Cr (18-19 wt %), Si (9.5-10.5 wt %), B (0.03 wt % or less), C (0.10 wt % or less), P (0.02 wt % or less), and Ni (remainder). This brazing filler material, however, suffers the disadvantage of having a high melting point of about 1080 to 1135.degree. C. It needs a brazing temperature as high as 1150-1205.degree. C. Brazing at such a high temperature deteriorates the base metal and also produces an adverse effect on corrosion resistance due to precipitation of chromium carbide. This created demand for a brazing filler metal capable of brazing at a lower temperature than before. This demand has been met by the one designated as BNi-2 in JIS Z3265. BNi-2 is composed of Cr (6.0-8.0 wt %), B (2.75-3.50 wt %), Si (4.0-5.0 wt %), Fe (2.5-3.5 wt %), C (0.06 wt % or less), P (0.02 wt % or less), and Ni (remainder). It has a melting point of about 970-1000.degree. C. and is capable of brazing at 1010-1175.degree. C.
BNi-2 is still unsatisfactory because it is poor in resistance to sulfuric acid. Exhaust gas being circulated in the EGR system condenses upon cooling, and the resulting condensate contains sulfuric acid which causes corrosion to the brazing filler metal itself and its diffused part.
Among brazing filler metals specified in JIS Z3265, BNi-7 is the lowest in melting point. It is composed of Cr (13.0-15.0 wt %), B (0.01 wt % or less), Si (0.10 wt % or less), Fe (0.20 wt % or less), C (0.08 wt % or less), P (9.7-10.5 wt %), and Ni (remainder). It has a melting point of 890.degree. C., which is lower than that of BNi-2; however, it is poor in resistance to corrosion by sulfuric acid.

Brazing filler metal superior in corrosion resistance and heat resistance, and EGR cooler brazed with said brazing filler metal


A novel patching device comprises discrete modules, each having a unitary molded housing which incorporates a pair of standard female modular jacks on a front face thereof. A rear face of the housing includes retaining means for retaining a printed circuit board having circuitry associated therewith which normally maintains a constant electrical interconnection between respective conductive pins in each of the jacks. This normally constant interconnection is interrupted or "pre-empted" when a known and standard modular plug is inserted into a jack whereby the resilient conductive pins are urged outwardly from contact with the printed circuit board. Each discrete module includes novel snap fitting means which permits disengageable snap fit attachment to an opening of a panel. Significantly, the module may be snap fit either from the front or opposed rear planar surface of the panel.

This invention relates generally to patching devices for use in the telecommunications field. More particularly, this invention relates to devices for accessing, monitoring, testing and patching of telecommunication circuits wherein the devices comprise discrete pre-emptive patching modules which are easily snap fit onto a suitable panel.
Modular jack distribution systems allow standard 25 pair (50 pin) telephone connectors (Telco) cabeling systems to be redistributed for multiple modular jack access. These devices allow efficient break-out, interconnection and patching for modems, terminals, CPU's and the like. In particular, panel systems of this type provide quick and efficient means for monitoring, isolating, testing and patching of four, six and eight wire communications circuits.
Patching devices for telecommunications signalling applications have been in use for many years. The earliest widespread use of patch connectors for signalling circuits consisted of "Bantam" jack fields: plugs with a single probe element consisting of a series of aligned but electrically isolated cylindrical conductors designed to mate with appropriately spaced contact spring fingers in a female receptacle with a circular opening. The receptacle spring fingers are configured many ways including those with switchable connections activated by the insertion of the cylindrical plug. Electrical schematics for various prior art Bantam jack configurations are described in "DSX Digital Signal Cross-Connect", Catalogue No. 218 9/86, pp. 54-55 published by ADC Telecommunications, Minneapolis, Minn. Although Bantam jacks are still in use for signal applications between telephone company central office facilities, their cost and physical limitations with respect to ease of cable and patch cord terminations (wrapped wire and solder terminals) and a maximum of only two switchable connection points per connector have inhibited their acceptance and use for commercial and industrial wiring applications. Also, because temporary shorts occur between tip and ring conductors as the plug is inserted, Bantam connectors present an electrical hazard to some types of voltage sensitive equipment. Instead, the connector of choice for administering patching functions for private data and voice communications networks operating over unshielded twisted pair wiring are the well known modular jack connectors used for residential and commercial telephone outlets.
Installations with modular jack patching are most commonly comprised of two sets of patch panels; one set wired directly to equipment or backbone cables which service broad areas of the network and another set connected to horizontal wiring (individual cables extending to each work area outlet). Connections between horizontal wiring and the network equipment are made via patch cords that bridge the two sets of jack fields. Although this wiring scheme is one of the most common methods for accessing, monitoring, testing and patching unshielded twisted pair telecommunications circuits, it has several disadvantages with respect to cost, ease of use and appearance. First, because this method requires two physically separate jack fields, the user is forced to purchase two separate jack connectors and a patch cord along with associated wire termination and mounting hardware for each active node (network access point). Second, the requirement of a patch cord for each node leads to problems with wire management, transmission integrity and the administration of adds, moves and changes. For example, provisions must be taken into account for the physical loading and space requirements of the many patch cords required for large commercial installations. Administration ease is further reduced by large numbers of patch cords because they inhibit the ability to trace port to port connections and obscure circuit identification markings on the front surface of the patch panels.
In addition, the appearance of conventional patch field installations often lacks any semblance of order or organization due to the quantity of cords required for a completed installation. When network moves or changes are made, incidental contact with other patch cords can cause movement of jack/plug connections which degrade transmission integrity.
One other limitation of the prior art modular jack based patching method is that there is no inherent physical relation between the input and output jacks. The physical separation of the two jack fields restricts the ability to modify patch hardware to include application specific wiring or circuitry between input and output jacks that may facilitate installation and functional adaptations that often accompany advanced networking installations such as ISDN. Bantam jack schematics shown in the above-referenced ADC Telecommunications catalogue are examples of application specific jack configurations, many of which require circuit elements and switching features that extend beyond the capabilities of conventional modular jack patch panels.
The present invention utilizes a method for reversibly interrupting patched connections between contact elements similar to prior art jack designs with internally bussed contact positions. A good example of such a device is a standard modular jack interface known in the industry as a type RJ31X modular jack which, when unmated, provides bridged connections between jack positions 1 and 4 and positions 5 and 8. When a standard modular plug is mated with the jack, the aforementioned bridged connections are reversibly interrupted. An illustration of this type of bussed jack arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,698 assigned to the assignee hereof. A major limitation of this type of prior art jack configuration is that there is no allowance for the use of intrajack bridging elements for interruptable interjack circuit schemes that permit independent access to bridged jack contact elements. Nor do they allow for the introduction of circuit elements in series or in parallel with bridged (or patched) connections.