The invention provides for a process for producing lube oil having excellent viscosity and viscosity index properties and a low pour point from a solvent refined gas oil. The process comprises contacting a raffinate having a solvent dewaxed viscosity index of at least 90 and boiling above 350.degree. F. with a catalyst comprising an intermediate pore size silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve and at least one Group VIII metal under dewaxing and isocracking conditions so as to produce a product having a viscosity index greater than about 110.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for catalytically dewaxing lube oils. In particular the invention relates to a process for producing lube oil having an increased viscosity index by contacting a solvent extracted hydrocarbonaceous oil feedstock with a silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the basic premise in lubricant refining is that a suitable crude oil, as shown by experience or by assay, contains a quantity of lubricant stock. The lubricant stock should have a predetermined set of properties, for example, appropriate viscosity, oxidation stability, and maintenance of fluidity at low temperatures. Current trends in the design of automotive engines are associated with higher operating temperatures as the efficiency of the engines increases. These higher operating temperatures require successively higher quality lubricants; one requirement is for higher viscosity indices (V.I.) in the lube oil in order to reduce the effects of the higher operating temperatures on the viscosity of the engine lubricants.
Viscosity index indicates the degree of change of viscosity with temperature. A high viscosity index of 100 indicates an oil that does not tend to become viscous at low temperature or become thin at high temperatures. For purposes of the present invention, whenever V.I. is referred to it is meant the V.I. as determined by ASTM D-2270.
Mineral oil based lubricants are conventionally produced by a set of subtractive unit operations to isolate the lubricant stock and to remove unwanted components from the oil. For the preparation of a high grade distillate lubricating oil stock, the current practice is to vacuum distill an atmospheric tower residuum from an appropriate crude oil as the first step. This provides one or more raw stocks having a boiling range of about 350.degree. to about 1050.degree. F. This is then further separated, under vacuum processes, into suitable boiling range distillate fractions (gas oils) and a residual fraction which, after deasphalting and severe solvent treatment may also be used as a lubricant base stock usually referred to as a bright stock. The gas oils undergo solvent extraction, also known as solvent refining, to remove low viscosity index components to produce oils known as neutral oils. These solvent extracted neutral oils are also known as raffinates.
The raffinates are solvent dewaxed by cooling oil-solvent admixtures under controlled conditions for crystallization of the paraffinic wax present in the admixtures. In such processes, the raffinates, or mixtures of raffinates and dewaxing solvent, are heated to a temperature at which the wax is dissolved. The heated charge is then passed into a cooling zone wherein cooling is undertaken at a uniform slow rate in the range of about 1.degree. to 8.degree. F./min. (0.56.degree. to 4.4.degree. C./min) until a temperature is reached at which a substantial portion of the wax is crystallized and at which dewaxed oil product has a selected pour point temperature. Upon achieving the desired dewaxing temperature, the mixture of wax crystals, oil and solvent is subjected to solid-liquid separation for recovery of a wax free oil-solvent solution and a solid wax containing a minor proportion of oil. This solid wax/oil composition is known as slack-wax.
The separated oil-solvent solution is subjected to distillation for recovery of a solvent fraction and a dewaxed oil product fraction. A refined lubricant stock may be used as such as a lubricant, or it may be blended with another refined lubricant stock having different properties. Or the refined lubricant stock, prior to use as a lubricant, may be compounded with one or more additives which function, for example, as antioxidants, extreme pressure additives, and V.I. improvers.
Slack wax may be recovered as is, or may be subjected to additional processing, such as repulp filtration for the removal of additional oil. Solid-liquid separation techniques which may be employed for separation of wax crystals from the oil-solvent solutions include known solid-liquid separation processes, such as gravity settling, centrifugation, and filtration. Most commonly, in commercial processes, filtration in a rotary vacuum filter, followed by solvent wash of the wax cake, is employed.
Solvents known to be useful as dewaxing solvents are the ketones containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms, for example, acetone, methylethylketone (MEK) and methylisobutylketone (MIBK); mixtures of ketones; and mixtures of ketones with aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene and toluene. Halogenated low molecular weight hydrocarbons, including dichloromethane and dichloroethane, and their mixtures are also known dewaxing solvents. Solvent dilution of waxy oil stocks maintains fluidity of the oil for facilitating easy handling, for obtaining optimum wax-oil separation, and for obtaining optimum dewaxed oil yields. The extent of solvent dilution depends upon the particular oil stocks and solvents used, the approach to filtration temperature in the cooling zone and the desired final ratio of solvent to oil in the separation zone.
Since processes which remove wax, such as solvent dewaxing, will give a low yield with very waxy feeds, catalytic dewaxing processes are preferred. Catalytic processes are more economical and lower the pour point of the waxy feedstock by selectively cracking the longer chain n-paraffins. A disadvantage associated with catalytically dewaxing a raffinate is that a number of useful products become degraded to lower molecular weight materials. For example, waxy paraffins may be cracked down to butane, propane, ethane and methane and so may the lighter n-paraffins which do not contribute to the waxy nature of the oil. Because these lighter products are generally of lower value than the higher molecular weight materials, it is desirable to limit the degree of cracking which takes place during a catalytic dewaxing process. Since lube oil is valuable, maximization of the yield is commercially important. Because the catalyst used in the process of this invention is very selective, the gas yield is reduced, thereby preserving the economic value of the feedstock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,539 discloses a method for isomerizing a naphtha feed using an intermediate pore size zeolite catalyst, such as an H-offretite catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,485 discloses a process for dewaxing a hydrocarbon feedstock containing paraffins by a hydrotreating and isomerization process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,138 discloses an isomerization process for reducing the normal paraffin content of a hydrocarbon oil feedstock using a catalyst comprising an intermediate pore size silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve containing a Group VIII metal component which is occluded in the crystals during growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,638 issued on Aug. 4, 1992 to Miller discloses a process for producing lube oil from a feedstock having greater than 50% wax. The feedstock is isomerized over a catalyst comprising a molecular sieve having generally oval 1-D pores having a minor axis between about 4.2 .ANG. and about 4.8 .ANG. and a minor axis between about 5.4 .ANG. and about 7.0 .ANG. and at least one Group VIII metal at a pressure of from about 15 psig to about 2000 psig.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,504 issued on Oct. 2, 1990 to Pellet et al. discloses a process for producing an oil having a reduced pour point by catalytically dewaxing the hydrocarbon feedstock using a catalyst comprising a silicoaluminophosphate and an inorganic oxide matrix. The patent does not indicate that it would be possible to produce a lube oil having an extra high V.I. from a solvent extracted feedstock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,311 issued on Aug. 22, 1989 to Miller, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a process for dewaxing a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock containing straight and slightly branched chain hydrocarbons by contacting the feedstock with a catalyst comprising SAPO-11 and a Group VIII metal.

Process for producing lube oil from solvent refined oils by isomerization over a silicoaluminophosphate catalyst

Chevron Research and Technology Company, a Division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc.


A spring pack for a transmission includes first rotatable piston and a second rotatable piston. The first rotatable piston includes a first retainer plate, and the second rotatable piston includes a second retainer plate. The spring pack further includes a tabbed retainer plate that is stationary with respect to the first piston and the second piston and also includes a set of biasing members with a first subset of biasing members and a second subset of biasing members. The first subset of biasing members is disposed between the first retainer plate and the tabbed retainer plate, and the second subset of biasing members is disposed between the second retainer plate and the tabbed retainer plate. As the first and second pistons are activated, they stroke independently of each other as each retainer plate compresses its respective subset of biasing members against the tabbed retainer plate.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Modern multiple speed motor vehicle transmissions commonly employ a plurality of planetary gear sets having sun gears, planet gear carriers and ring gears which are permanently coupled together or selectively interconnected by clutches or grounded by brakes to achieve reverse gear and a plurality of forward gear ratios.
While the foregoing described components provide the fundamental and necessary reverse and forward speeds or gear ratios, transmissions must also include control devices and components which select the desired or required gear ratio. In particular, transmissions may include spring packs that help facilitate the shifts to various gear ratios. For example, a transmission may include two spring packs, each with a set of springs associated with a respective return piston. Moreover, each spring pack occupies a different space within the transmission.
Accordingly, there is a need for spring pack that requires less space within the transmission.


The invention concerns a linearly or circularly polarized antenna, comprising a dielectric substrate and a conductive element fixed on the dielectric substrate and being delimited at its periphery by an edge which confers to this element a double planar symmetry along two perpendicular axes. In one embodiment, the conductive element includes an excitation point located on a first axis and a first pair of slots which extends along the second of the axes from the periphery towards the center of the conductive element. In another embodiment, the conductive element includes an excitation point which is located on a third axis by bisecting the angle formed between the first and second axis and having two pair of slots which extend respectively along the first and second axis, from the periphery towards the center of the conductive element.

The present invention concerns antennas intended to convert an alternating voltage into a microwave and vice versa and, more particularly, antennas of this type comprising a conductive element and a ground plane separated by a dielectric substrate. These antennas are also known as microstrip patch antennas. The invention may be used to emit and/or to receive GPS (Global Positioning System) signals and, furthermore, it may be incorporated in watches or in other horological products. The invention will thus be described in the context of this exemplary application. However, it will be understood that the invention is of course not limited to this application.
The miniaturization of antennas of the type described above is generally accomplished by using a substrate having a very high permitivity. This invariably implies the use of a ceramic substrate. The fabrication costs of such a substrate are often high.
In addition, miniaturized antennas of this type possess a very narrow bandwidth. Consequently, due to manufacturing tolerances, the design and construction of these antennas is a difficult task. The mechanical adjustment of the edges of the conductive element is a technique which has been used for a long time to obtain the desired resonance frequency of the antenna. Nevertheless, such a solution is both destructive and cumbersome.

Miniaturized antenna for converting an alternating voltage into a microwave and vice versa, notably for horological applications


A picnic table system is provided that is modular in design for ease of storage out of inclement weather when not in use. A bench assembly sits atop two pedestal-type legs and the table top and is supported by the upper portion of the pedestal legs. Both the top and the benches are secured by frictional impingement. When the structure is to be moved, the bench assembly, table top and the two pedestal legs are stored in a manner conserving floor or storage space. The ability to store the structure inside during inclement weather or during off season allows for increased life of the structure, thus saving the user replacement or repair costs as well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a table having separable components and, more particularly, to a system having separable, assembled components that form a table and benches.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, picnic tables can be found in backyards, parks and campgrounds, and rest stops across the country. While most commonly used as an eating table, it is also pressed into service as a food preparation table, a work surface, a meeting table or the like. While the picnic table is certainly useful and versatile, it does suffer from the drawback that it is stored outside at all times, thus it is subjected to the sun's rays, rain, wind, and other inclement weather or harmful environmental conditions and/or elements. For those areas with a severe winter season, they are also subjected to snow and reduced temperatures. This extreme weather can induce damage and leads to increased repair costs or more frequent replacement costs. Those lucky enough to have a large garage or storage shed can store them inside during the off-season winter months thus extending its life. However, this takes a great deal of storage area due to the large footprint and volume occupied by an assembled picnic table.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
Of particular interest is U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,179, issued in the name of Wallace, III, which discloses a table and bench assembly moveable between a folded position and an unfolded position. Wallace, III discloses a table that is lockably secured and released via a ball-handle and a rod, allowing the device to foldably collapse into a single unit. However, Wallace, III suffers from several drawbacks, including the number of movable parts necessary to assemble and disassemble the apparatus. Furthermore, the collapse of the table into a single unit is not ideal for storage and or transportation, especially if storage space is limited.
Consequently, there is a need for a means by which the functionality of a picnic table can be provided in a small package for ease of assembly and disassembly, use and storage, thus addressing the shortcomings of conventional picnic tables as described above.


A pre-charging switch arrangement for charging a capacitor of a direct-current circuit is disclosed. The pre-charging switch arrangement has a pre-charging resistor, a pre-charging switch, and a voltage detection device connected to the pre-charging resistor and detecting a voltage across the pre-charging resistor.

Pre-charging switch arrangements for direct-current circuits are used in particular in high-voltage direct-current circuits in which a load, such as a capacitor, is intended to be connected to a power source. A frequent application involves, for example, Battery Disconnecting Units (BDU) in electric or hybrid drives of vehicles. Such drives generally have high-voltage batteries which are connected to an inverter for providing the required alternating-current or three-phase current voltage to a vehicle drive unit. For reasons of safety, such devices have two controllable switches, one for each pole. These switches may, for example, be contactors or relays.
If the high direct-current voltage source is connected directly to the uncharged capacitor, short-circuit currents may briefly flow and may lead to damage to the components. Consequently, the capacitor is commonly pre-charged before it is completely connected to the direct-current voltage source. A pre-charging switch arrangement is connected parallel with one of the two controllable switches. In order to pre-charge the capacitor, the other controllable switch and a pre-charging switch are then closed. The capacitor is thereby charged by means of a pre-charging resistor. If the capacitor has reached a desired charge state, the controllable switch which is connected parallel with the pre-charging switch arrangement is also closed and the load is connected to the direct-current voltage source. The pre-charging switch can then be opened again.
In order to monitor the charge state of the capacitor, it is conventional to tap and evaluate a voltage of the capacitor across the opened controllable switch. This voltage can provide information relating to the charge state of the capacitor. This type of voltage measurement, however, requires complex isolation of the high-voltage lines from an electronic control system which may be present and which evaluates the voltage and produces control signals for switching the controllable switches. In addition, the galvanic separation between the two sides of the controllable switches is consequently not reliably ensured; in the prior art, auxiliary relays are often used for galvanic separation. Known solutions thus make the pre-charging switch arrangement complex and costly.

Pre-charging switch arrangement, power supplying arrangement and method for connecting a load to a high direct-current voltage source


An improved wound dressing composite is disclosed, having a membrane film wound dressing, a relatively stiff substantially planar carrier sheet with tabs, and a releasable cover. The film dressing has an upper surface, a lower adhesive surface and opposed side edges for application in a spread out disposition to a wound site with the lower surface adhered thereto. The film dressing, being relatively thin, is substantially unable to support itself in a planar configuration. The carrier sheet has an upper surface, a lower surface, and opposed edges. The carrier sheet is releasably adhered on its lower surface to the upper surface of the film dressing in supporting relation for supporting the film dressing in a planar configuration, with the side edges of the film dressing and carrier sheet generally aligned in close adjacency. At least one tab is attached to the carrier sheet adjacent at least one of the side edges thereof, and extends out beyond the side edge of the carrier sheet and the adjacent side edge of the film dressing. The tab is used to remove the carrier sheet from the film dressing after application. A cover protects the lower adhesive surface of the film dressing prior to application, and is used to hold the composite during application.

Transparent membranes of thin polymeric films are well known in the art for their use as wound dressings. They are highly desirable because they allow passage of a controllable rate of moisture out of the wound site, and passage of a controllable rate of air into the wound site. Additionally, materials of this type will not allow liquids or pathogens such as bacteria to readily permeate through the membrane.
To achieve this balance of properties, the membranes have had to be extremely thin. Such thin membranes lack sufficient independent rigidity, and unless they are supported in some manner during application to the wound site, they tend to fold upon themselves. This problem is further compounded by the fact that such dressings have an adhesive on one surface to adhere the dressing to the wound site. When the dressing folds upon itself, the adhesive causes the dressing to stick together. Due to the thin nature of the membrane, it is difficult to peel the dressing apart and apply it to the wound site in a proper manner. Under conditions of dire medical emergency, the dressing may need to be applied quickly and accurately and current products do not lend themselves to rapid, accurate placement in such situations.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a membrane film dressing with an improved delivery system.
Another object of the invention is to provide a membrane film wound dressing and a delivery system therefor which can be applied accurately and rapidly to a wound site with a minimum of steps.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a transparent gas and moisture vapor permeable, and liquid impermeable, membrane film dressing and a delivery system therefor which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to use.
Other objects of the invention will be evident from the ensuing description and appended claims.

Wound dressing and delivery system therefor


A liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprising: a substrate, gate wiring including a gate line that is disposed on the substrate to extend in a first direction and a gate electrode that is connected to the gate line, a data conductor disposed on the gate wiring and including a data line that extends in a second direction different from the first direction, and a first electrode that overlaps the gate electrode, a common electrode disposed on the data conductor and including a first opening that partially exposes the first electrode therethrough, an opaque conductive pattern disposed on the common electrode; and a pixel electrode disposed on the opaque conductive pattern and electrically connected to the first electrode exposed through the first opening.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The importance of display devices has steadily grown with recent developments in multimedia technology. As a result, a variety of display devices, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display device, and the like, have been developed and widespread.
An LCD device, which is a widely-used type of flat panel displays, generally includes two substrates on which field-generating electrodes, such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode, are formed and a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the two substrates. The LCD device forms an electric field in the liquid crystal layer by applying a voltage to the field-generating electrodes, which determines the orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer and controls the polarization of light incident thereupon, thereby displaying an image.
The pixel electrodes and the common electrode, which are for forming an electric field, are disposed on a lower substrate on which thin-film transistors TFTs are arranged to be insulated from each other, and the LCD device may be driven in a Plane-to-Line Switching (PLS) mode in which the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is controlled by a fringe field formed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode.
However, the LCD device driven in the PLS mode may suffer from a crosstalk phenomenon, a decrease in black luminance, and a noise phenomenon on a touch panel due to ripples in a common voltage applied to the common voltage.

Liquid crystal display device and manufacturing method thereof


Disclosed is method and apparatus for operating a wireless network, the wireless network including a first eNB and a second eNB, including establishing an X2 interface between the first eNB and the second eNB and exchanging parameters between the first eNB and the second eNB via the X2 interface.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has initiated the Long Term Evolution (LTE) program to bring new technology, new network architecture, new configurations, new applications and new services to wireless cellular networks in order to provide improved spectral efficiency and faster user experiences.
While the demands continue for greater functionality, low maintenance LTE systems, particularly in terms of network deployment and runtime service optimization, are also in demand.
The UTRAN architecture used prior to LTE, the 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) system, is shown in FIG. 1. The core network 100 communicates with the UTRAN 110 that consists of multiple radio network systems (RNS) 120. Each RNS consists of a radio network controller (RNC) 130 and one or more Node-Bs 135. The configurations and operations of the deployed Node-Bs 135 are totally controlled by the RNC 130 with explicit commands over the Iub link 140. Iub 140 is an RNC-to-Node-B interface that has been previously defined. The configurations and service upgrade of Node-Bs depend on the RNC and other cell engineering and planning efforts. Prior to LTE, no connections existed between UTRAN Node-Bs 135 and no requirements existed for self configuration and optimization. No means of self configuration and no defined procedures operating among Node-Bs existed.
In the new LTE network system, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the E-UTRAN architecture has been changed. The former RNC node no longer exists. The evolved-Node-Bs (eNBs) 200, 205 perform the radio access network functionality for E-UTRAN 210, are linked directly with the Core Network (EPC) 220, and are linked together among themselves. In the E-UTRAN, the new eNBs 200, 205 assume the RAN configuration, operation and management control functions as well as the radio interface configurations and operations. Furthermore, each new eNB such as 200, now interacts directly with the LTE Core Network 220 over the S1 interface as well as interacting with neighboring eNBs 205 over the X2 interface 240 and X2 connection control (X2C) interface (not shown) for handling wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) mobility management tasks on behalf of the new E-UTRAN.
When a newly deployed eNB 200, 205 powers up, it performs self configuration tasks, including operations over the X2C interface to interact with neighboring operational eNBs. This initial interaction is used to gather information, to certify the eNB and to enable configurations and cooperation as the eNB readies itself to enter E-UTRAN operational mode for serving the WTRUs in its coverage area.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for base station self-configuration


The present invention allows the inclusion of a place mark in an electronic mail item. The place mark serves to identify and link an on-line reference to the mail item. When a user sends the mail item to a recipient, the place mark but not the reference goes with the item. Upon receipt, the recipient may select the place mark during review of the mail item and the on-line reference will be automatically called and displayed. Upon completing review of the reference, the recipient may transfer control from the on-line reference to the mail item without having to back out of the reference and then initiate the electronic mail.

The use of on-line publications systems and electronic mail systems is rapidly increasing. For individuals in an organization, the use of an electronic mall system is useful for sending notes, messages, letters, etc., within the same office or across the country. Simply by entering information into an electronic mail screen, one person can electronically send that information to another person for immediate review or action.
Additionally, with the access to many on-line databases which provide information such as, for example, airline schedules, weather, stock reports, news articles, etc., users of a terminal have many references literally at their fingertips. It is a simple matter for a user to call up an on-line service to obtain a copy of a reference contained therein for review.
If a first user desires to send a message along with a reference from an on-line source to another person, it is currently necessary to either type the entire information from the reference into the note, or type in identifying information to allow the recipient to locate the reference in the on-line service. If the text of the reference is typed into the message, the system ends up storing multiple copies of the information which wastes disk, tape, or permanent storage space. If identifying information to locate the reference is entered into the message, the recipient must exit the processing of the mail to go to the on-line publications system to locate and view the reference. In either case, is wasteful effort for both the sender and the recipient.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus which allows a user to enter a place mark in a note or message which would refer to an on-line publications system reference and send the note to a recipient. The recipient would then be able to select the place mark during viewing of the electronic mail. After viewing the selected on-line reference, control is returned to the electronic mail facility.

System for automatically establishing a link between an electronic mail item and a remotely stored reference through a place mark inserted into the item

International Business Machines Corporation


A twist-on/twist-off dispenser cap, of a type normally used for dispensing mustard or ketchup, comprises a bottom cap portion which screws onto a cooperating container and a generally cone-shaped spout portion which is captively held by a screw-type arrangement on the bottom cap portion. Rotation of the spout portion with respect to the bottom cap portion allows an orifice at the tip of the spout portion to be either opened or closed. A relatively wide annular flange at the base of the spout portion fits into a corresponding shallow recess in the top of the bottom portion of the dispenser cap. The flange and a plurality of spaced circumferential ridges at the periphery of the flange allow excellent gripping of a shrink-wrap seal to make the dispenser cap tamper-proof. The container onto which the dispensing cap is screwed has a circumferential collar adjacent a threaded neck portion. Two series of notches on opposing sides of the collar define intervening protuberances. The notched collar affords secure gripping by a shrink-wrap seal to hold the cap portion to the container in a tamper-proof manner.

This invention relates to a dispenser-type cap for use on ketchup or mustard containers or the like. In particular, the invention relates to a dispenser cap having tamper-evident features, and a container for use with the cap.
At present various types of food condiments are packaged and sold in containers having dispenser caps which allow small amounts of the condiment to be released by adjusting the cap from a first, closed position to a second, open position. With the cap in an open position the container is inverted and/or squeezed to release a desired amount of the contents.
In recent years there have been an increasing number of incidents involving the tampering with of the contents of products for use on or in the human body while the products are on the shelves of retail stores. Examples include the introduction of cyanide into headache remedy capsules and the introduction of caustic solutions into eyedrop bottles.
The prospects seem dim at best for improving the general mental health of the human race to the point where such incidents vanish. A more practical approach to the problem, which has been widely implemented with respect to over-the-counter drugs and eyecare products, is to provide a cap for the product container which displays evidence of having been tampered with.
The consumer is protected from possible injury or death by refusing to purchase any product with a container that appears to have been tampered with. The consequent losses associated with the tampering of product containers by deranged or cold-blooded individuals is thus limited to the economic losses of the merchant who discards products that show evidence of having been tampered with.
The following patents may have some relevance to the present invention:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Name of Inventor Date Issued ______________________________________ 960,898 J. Gullong June 7, 1990 1,009,536 J. F. Lokowich November 21, 1911 1,756,165 E. R. Petrie April 29, 1930 2,734,665 K. H. Flamm February 14, 1956 3,149,763 N. T. Exton September 22, 1964 3,486,503 A. J. Porter et al. December 30, 1969 3,570,726 Pomodoro March 16, 1971 3,581,953 Donoghue June 1, 1971 4,223,810 Sneider September 23, 1980 4,240,566 Bergman December 23, 1980 4,432,496 Ito February 21, 1984 4,572,386 Marcus February 25, 1986 4,487,336 Sneider December 11, 1984 4,946,075 Lundbaeck August 7, 1990 4,957,225 Childers September 18, 1990 ______________________________________
Reference to the above listed patents will show that there are varying degrees of relevance to the present invention. Brief descriptions of some of the more pertinent of the patents are given below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,566 to Bergman is directed to a cap and mixing cup arrangement for a multiple-chamber container. The container 10 includes a removable collar 116 having a central threaded aperture, and a cap 100 having a threaded lower body which threadably engages the threaded central aperture of collar 116.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,496 to Ito is directed to a foam liquid dispensing device. The liquid dispensing device includes a cylindrical container 10 having a threaded neck 11, an inner cover which threadably engages neck 11, and an outer cover member 40 which threadably engages an outwardly extending outer cylindrical portion 27 of cover 20. Neck cover 20 includes an inner cylindrical portion 22 which tapers outwardly to provide a frustoconical portion 23. Outer cover 40 includes a jet nozzle 42 at its uppermost end.
None of the patents listed in the table above is any more relevant than those that have been briefly described. Two examples of prior-art dispenser containers are depicted in FIGS. 7-10 of the drawing.
There has existed a long-felt need for a tamper-proof or tamper-evident type of dispenser cap for edible products such as ketchup, mustard, honey, or the like. Ideally such a dispenser cap would operate in a manner similar to the dispenser caps now on the market, but be amenable to safety sealing, so that any unauthorized opening and closing of the cap prior to sale would be immediately apparent to a prospective purchaser.

Dispenser cap having tamper-evident features


A feedback circuit, comprising: means for producing from a laser light output a feedback signal which is representative of the noise and frequency dependent output intensity of the laser light output; means for applying a phase shift to the feedback signal; means for converting the feedback signal to a level signal which is representative of the noise in the laser light output; amplifying means for amplifying the phase shifted feedback signal as a function of the level signal to produce a current gain signal; and means for superimposing the current gain signal on the current flowing through the laser diode.

One important use of lasers is in communications and information transfer, wherein one or more lasers transit modulated light intensity signals through one end of an optical fiber or cable. A receiver at the opposite end of the cable then converts the intensity variations in the laser light into useful information. Preferably, the intensity of the laser light is only a function of the modulation. Signal detection and separation of a plurality of light signals is easier if the laser light is free of noise. Moreover, more useful information can be transmitted if intensity variations can be spread over a wide frequency range or band. Ideally, the amplitude of any noise present in the laser's output is not a function of frequency.
A spectral analyzer is a device or instrument which displays the relative intensity of the frequency components of a laser light signal. Unwanted amplitude variations or changes in intensity represent noise. Laser noise is defined by the term Relative Intensity Noise (RIN), which is a measurement of optical power fluctuations over a specified band width. The observed spectrum from such an instrument represents the Relative Intensity Noise of a laser light signal. RIN is usually expressed in dB/Hz.
Semiconductor laser sources, such as laser diodes and laser diode arrays can be used alone or they can be used to pump another laser, such as laser using Nd:YAG (i.e., neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet as the lasant material. However used, a laser diode is activated or driven to produce laser light in response to the flow of DC electrical current from a power supply. When the RIN of the output of a diode-pumped solid-state laser is observed, it is characterized by distinct peak or a spectral region of high RIN. This peak is the result of the phenomenon of relaxation oscillation. A. E. Siegman, Lasers, University Science Books, Mill Valley, Cailf.; Chapter 25, 1986. Relaxation oscillations are small amplitude, quasi-sinusoidal exponentially damped oscillations. For diode pumped solid-state lasers (e.g., Nd:YAG), the spectral region is typically between 100 KHz and 1 MHz. Relaxation oscillation is thought to be dependent on the fluorescence lifetime of the lasant material, cavity lifetime of the laser system, and cavity losses.
One means of reducing RIN in a diode-pumped solid-state laser is to use electronic feedback. Kane, "Intensity Noise in Diode-Pumped Single-Frequency Nd:YAG Lasers and its Control by Electric Feedback", IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 2, No. 4, April 1990. In particular, a photo-diode was used to sense the output of the laser system, and an amplifier was used to convert the output of the photo-diode into a phase shifted feedback signal which is added to the output of the DC Power Supply which is used to drive the system's laser diode. A positive phase shift, applied at all frequencies from the relaxation oscillation frequency up to the frequency where loop gain goes below unity, was needed to avoid instability. This phase lead was accomplished by designing the amplifier so that gain is rising as a function of frequency, as is the case of a differentiator.
The Kane feedback circuit does not take in consideration changes in the performance of the laser diode over the life of the laser diode. The relaxation oscillation frequency of a laser system changes over its life. Moreover, there is no teaching or suggestion as to how such a circuit should be arranged or physically located relative to the laser diode and its power supply to minimize noise and interference. Thus, there are many areas in which improvements can be made.

Laser feedback control circuit and method


The x-ray imaging system comprises an x-ray source for producing an x-ray beam and an x-ray detector. The x-ray detector comprises a solid state integrated circuit having a silicon substrate. The detector is constructed as a PiN diode with the voltage bias direction parallel to the direction of incident radiation. A tissue sample, such as a breast, is positioned between the x-ray source and x-ray detector. The x-ray detector directly receives the x-ray photons transmitted through the tissue and produces electrical signals. The detector signals are processed to provide a digital image of the tissue sample.

1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates to x-ray imaging systems and particularly to a primary x-ray imaging system which utilizes a solid state x-ray detector to directly convert x-ray photons to usable electrical signals to form an image.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Since the discovery of x-rays and their first application in radiology for diagnostic imaging, some hundred years ago, the basic x-ray imaging systems and methodologies have stayed essentially unchanged. X-ray imaging involves transmission through the object by an x-ray beam and recording the image on photographic film producing a shadowgram. Computed Tomography (CT) is an exception and a special case because it produces a numerically computed image of a cross section of the object instead of a shadowgram.
Presently, x-ray imaging systems are utilized in a variety of applications, both as medical diagnostic tools and for industrial quality control. The most common form of x-ray detection resides in the use of silver halide film. However, the use of such film requires chemical developing steps. In addition, this film is expensive, thus increasing the cost of x-ray images produced in this manner.
For clinical diagnosis and routine screening of asymptomatic female population, screen-film mammography today still represents the state-of-the-art for early detection of breast cancer. However, screen-film mammography has limitations which reduce its effectiveness. Because of the extremely low differentiation in radiation absorption densities in the breast tissue, image contrast is inherently low. Film noise and scatter radiation further reduce contrast making detection of microcalcifications difficult in the displayed image. Film gradient must be balanced against the need for wider latitude.
Computed Radiography (CR) systems can be broadly categorized as primary digital and secondary digital systems. Primary digital systems imply direct conversion of the incident radiation on the sensor into usable electrical signals to form a digital image. Secondary digital systems, on the other hand, involve an intermediary step in the conversion of radiation to a digital image. For example, in digital fluoroscopy, image intensifiers are used for intermediary conversion of x-radiation to a visible image which is then converted to a digital image using a video camera. Similarly, digital x-ray systems using photostimulated luminescence (PSL) plates, first store the virtual image as chemical energy. In a second step, the stored chemical energy is converted into electrical signals using a laser to scan the PSL plate to form a digital image. Furthermore, various schemes using silicon photodiode arrays in scanning mode for CR systems have been employed. However, these photodiode arrays require intermediate phosphor screens to convert the x-radiation to visible light, because of the steep fall-off in quantum efficiency (sensitivity) of the arrays at energies above 10 KeV. The above described secondary digital systems have several disadvantages, including loss in image resolution.
Recent technological advances have made it possible to overcome these difficulties by allowing semiconductor x-ray detectors to be used to generate usable x-ray images. High quality semiconductor x-ray detectors have been known for many years, but these detectors require a very sensitive preamplifier to produce a useable signal. With recent advances in high density analog complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit technology and high density interconnection between semiconductor chips, the integration of thousands of these detector elements with preamplifiers on a single hybrid integrated circuit called a sensor chip is now possible. For example, Cox et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,265, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a semiconductor detector having an absorbing layer located between the x-rays from an object and the x-ray semiconductor sensors.


A solenoid valve includes a housing having a cylindrical shape and having a valve path, a spool adjusting an opening degree of the valve path, a coil producing a magnetic force when a current passes therethrough, a first and a second stator core excited by the magnetic force of the coil, a shaft configured to be movable along axial direction together with the spool, a plunger fixed to the shaft and moving in the axial direction by adsorption force acting between itself and the first stator core by the magnetic force of the coil, and a coil spring biasing the spool against the adsorption force acting on the plunger. A spring constant of the coil spring increases as the adsorption force increases by the movement of the plunger.

With a solenoid valve, an adsorption force toward a stator core is produced for a plunger by a magnetic force of a coil, and a spool is moved by equilibrium between the adsorption force acting via the plunger and a biasing force by a spring member.
JP2012-229738A discloses such a solenoid valve that is provided with a sleeve having a plurality of fluid passages in a cylindrical wall, a fixed core engaged integrally with the sleeve via a body, a spool reciprocating inside the sleeve to switch between the fluid passages, a plunger arranged in series with the spool in the axial center direction and fitted to and inserted into the body to be able to slide, a case holding a cylindrical core supporting the plunger and a coil applying an electromagnetic force, and a spring biasing the spool to the side of the plunger.


Systems with an array camera augmented with a conventional camera in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In some embodiments, the array camera is used to capture a first set of image data of a scene and a conventional camera is used to capture a second set of image data for the scene. An object of interest is identified in the first set of image data. A first depth measurement for the object of interest is determined and compared to a predetermined threshold. If the first depth measurement is above the threshold, a second set of image data captured using the conventional camera is obtained. The object of interest is identified in the second set of image data and a second depth measurement for the object of interest is determined using at least a portion of the first set of image data and at least a portion of the second set of image data.

An array camera includes a plurality of individual cameras (i.e., cameras) that can capture images of a scene where the image obtained by each camera is from a slightly different viewpoint. The individual images from each of the cameras are used to generate a single image having a higher resolution than the resolution of each of the individual cameras in the array. The use of an array camera to generate real-time video can be problematic because of the high computational load involved in synthesizing a single frame of video from the individual images captured by the cameras in the frame every frame interval. This is especially true in a mobile device where high computational load can require a large amount of processing time and/or expend a significant amount of power. For example, an array camera may include 16 individual cameras in the area, where each camera includes 1000×750 pixels. A common output for video data is either 720p (1280×720 pixels) or 1080p (1920×1080 pixels). However, the resolution of the individual cameras (1000×750 pixels) is lower than either of these desired output resolutions. As such, the video images derived from the array camera must undergo a cropping process to convert to a 16:9 format (960×540 pixels) and correspondence (parallax) estimation process to determine a correspondence between the images and a super-resolution processing process (2×) to output video in the desired format. Each of these processes increases the power requirement on a mobile telephone over the existing solution of capturing video using a conventional camera. In a conventional camera, the video is captured in the desired resolution and may be processed using hardware in the sensor. As such, the video from a conventional camera is likely to require less of a computational load and draw less power than an array camera.

Autofocus system for a conventional camera that uses depth information from an array camera


Apparatus for partial dewatering of raw sludge, includes at least two filter units each defining a filter chamber which receives raw sludge and has an outer wall surface formed as filter for discharge of filtrate from raw sludge. Accommodated within the filter chamber is a double-acting plunger which extends across the entire cross section for dividing the filter chamber in two working chambers, and reciprocates in the filter chamber along the inside wall surface for movement between a first end position and a second end position, with each working chamber having an inlet for receiving raw sludge from a suitable conveying unit and an outlet for discharge of partially dewatered raw sludge. A control unit actuates valves for regulating a flow of raw sludge into the working chambers, such that raw sludge entering one working chamber forces the plunger to move from the first end position to the second end position, and raw sludge entering the other working chamber forces the plunger to move from the second end position to the first end position.

The present invention refers to an apparatus for partial dewatering of raw sludge.
The process technology for operating sewage plants will be modified within the near future, for example by introducing a preliminary precipitation, a fourth clarification stage and/or an additional rain water treatment. Thus, a greater amount of sludge will be produced which, as now, will have to be supplied to digestion towers. It is expected that the increase in the amount of sludge will level out in a magnitude of 8 to 15%. Since the construction of digestion towers incurs significant investments, intense efforts are underway to find alternative treatment methods.
The use of plants for partially dewatering raw sludge is known from other technological fields. These plants, however, are of very complicated structure and cannot be suited and dimensioned to satisfy individual demands, for example sewage plants, without significantly increasing the complexity of the overall plant.

Apparatus for partial dewatering of raw sludge comprising reciprocating plunger presses


A method of providing information to a user at a remote terminal (12) is described. The method comprises the steps of: receiving from the remote terminal (12) status information relating to an irregularity in the remote terminal; determining from the status information what action may be required to resolve the irregularity; identifying an agent capable of performing the action; transmitting the status information to a portable device (50) associated with the agent to inform the agent of the irregularity; and allowing the portable device (50) to access a repository containing operational information for presentation to the agent.

The present invention relates to a method of providing information to a user at a remote terminal. In particular, the invention relates to a method of providing status and operational information to an agent to enable the agent to resolve an irregularity at the remote terminal. The invention has particular application to automated teller machine (ATM) networks.
In a typical ATM network, each ATM reports status information to a central management center. This status information indicates the state of health of an ATM, and may include details of the number and types of transactions that have been executed by the ATM.
When an irregularity occurs at the ATM (conventionally referred to as an incident), then the ATM sends a status report including a fault code to the central management center. This fault code indicates the nature of the incident. Examples of possible incidents include: the ATM having run out of media (such as receipt paper, cash, journal paper, and such like) or anticipated to run out of media in the near future, and a module in the ATM malfunctioning (for example, a card reader being unable eject a card).
The central management center uses this fault code to determine the nature of the incident. If the incident requires replenishment (either immediately or some time in the near future) then a human operator typically contacts a replenisher to replenish the ATM. If the incident requires some maintenance then the operator typically selects and contacts a suitable service agent to resolve the incident. The skill level of the service agent selected may depend on the nature of the incident. Typically there are two skill levels of service agent: those who can perform first line maintenance, and those who can perform second line maintenance.
First line maintenance is used to resolve incidents that do not require specialist tools or a skilled technician. Second line maintenance is more expensive than first line maintenance, and is used for those incidents that require specialist tools and a skilled technician.
One problem commonly experienced with second line maintenance is that the service agent has to contact the operator to obtain more information relating to the incident or how to resolve the incident. If this information is detailed and/or technical, then the operator may have to fax the information to the agent, which can be difficult if the agent has limited access to a fax machine.


Tertiary-butyldiethanolamine subject to color deterioration is purified and stabilized against color formation by vacuum distilling said amine at a pressure within the range of 1 to 50 mm.Hg (1-50 torr) in the absence of a reducing agent,

This invention concerns the treatment of tertiary butyldiethanolamine subject to color deterioration to remove color-forming contaminants and to stabilize the amine against color formation. More particularly, it concerns a process for treating said tertiary (t-)butyldiethanolamine by vacuum distillation.
To produce t-butyldiethanolamine, two moles of ethylene oxide are usually reacted with one mole of t-butylamine. If one desires to produce t-butylaminoethanol, one mole of ethylene oxide is reacted with one mole of t-butylamine. In this latter reaction, t-butyldiethanolamine is coproduced with t-butyl- aminoethanol. The crude products of these reactions are contaminated with impurities which include water and color-forming bodies. In the production of t-butylaminoethanol, the coproduced t-butyldiethanolamine, in the past, has been discarded because there was no satisfactory method for purifying it.
There is a need for high purity/low color t-butyldiethanolamine in the chemical market. The product is used in photographic and other chemical processes as a reaction component. Previously, obtaining this product which is both chemically pure and substantially color-free in a commercially successful process has not been realized.

Process for preparing color-stable tertiary butyldiethanolamine


In a multilayered silver halide color light-sensitive sensitive material having a yellow dye forming silver halide emulsion layer, a magenta dye forming silver halide emulsion layer, and a cyan dye forming silver halide emulsion layer on a support, at least one type of an acylacetamide-based yellow coupler in which the acyl group in the acylacetamide is represented by formula (I) below and at least one type of a water-insoluble polymer are contained in the yellow dye forming layer, In formula (I), R.sub.1 represents a monovalent group, and Q represents a nonmetallic atom group required to form, together with C, a 3- to 5-membered hydrocarbon ring or a 3- to 5-membered heterocyclic ring having at least one hereto atom selected from N, S, O, and P in the ring, R.sub.1 is not a hydrogen atom and is not combined with Q to form a ring: ##STR1##

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silver halide color light-sensitive material containing a novel acylacetamide-based yellow dye forming coupler and, more particularly, to a silver halide color light-sensitive material in which color turbidity in a yellow color formed region is reduced.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material, the oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent and dye forming couplers (to be referred to as couplers hereinafter) react with each other to form a color image when the material is subjected to exposure and color development.
Generally, a color reproduction technique according to subtractive color processes is used in this case. That is, in order to reproduce blue, green, and red, color images of their complementary colors, i.e., yellow, magenta, and cyan are formed. In the formation of a yellow image, an acylacetamide coupler and a malondianilide coupler are used as yellow dye forming couplers (to be referred to as yellow couplers hereinafter). In the formation of a magenta image, a 5-pyrazolone coupler and a pyrazolotriazole coupler are used as magenta couplers. In the formation of a cyan image, a phenol coupler and a naphthol coupler are used as cyan couplers.
Each of yellow, magenta, and cyan dyes obtained from these couplers is generally formed in a silver halide emulsion layer having a color sensitivity to radiant rays absorbed by that dye, or in a layer adjacent to the emulsion layer.
As the yellow coupler, particularly as a yellow coupler for image formation, acylacetamide couplers represented by a benzoylacetanilide coupler and a pivaloylacetanilide coupler are generally used. The former coupler has a high coupling activity with the oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent during development and can produce a yellow dye having a large molecular absorptivity coefficient. Therefore, this coupler is mainly used in a photographic color light-sensitive material required to have a high sensitivity, particularly in a color negative film. The latter coupler is excellent in spectral absorption characteristics and stability of a yellow dye and is therefore mainly used in color paper or a color reversal film.
The benzoylacetanilide type coupler has a high coupling activity with the oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent during color development and can produce a yellow azomethine dye having a large molecular absorptivity coefficient. However, this coupler has a problem of poor spectral absorption characteristics of a yellow image. The pivaloylacetanilide type coupler is excellent in spectral absorption characteristics of a yellow image but has a low coupling reactivity with the oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent during color development and a small molecular absorptivity coefficient of a produced yellow azomethine dye.
A high coupling reactivity of a coupler and a large molecular absorptivity coefficient of a produced dye enable a high sensitivity, a high gamma value, and a high color forming density, thereby yielding so-called high dye forming properties. Good spectral absorption characteristics of a yellow image means absorption characteristics in which the sharpness on the long-wavelength side of spectral absorption is good and an amount of unnecessary absorption in a green region is small.
A demand, therefore, has arisen for development of a yellow coupler having both the advantages of the two types of couplers, i.e., high dye forming properties (a high coupling reactivity of a coupler and a large molecular absorptivity coefficient of a dye) and good spectral absorption characteristics of a color image.
As examples of an acyl group of the acylacetanilide type coupler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,506 discloses a pivaloyl group, a 7,7-dimethylnorbornane-1-carbonyl group, and a 1-methylcyclohexane-1-carbonyl group, and JP-A-47-26133 ("JP-A" means Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application) discloses a cyclopropane-1-carbonyl group and a cyclohexane-1-carbonyl group. However, each of these couplers is poor in any of the characteristics described above, i.e., low in a coupling reactivity, small in a molecular absorptivity coefficient of a dye, or poor in spectral absorption characteristics of a color image.
On the other hand, a method of using a water-insoluble polymer together with a coupler in a high boiling point organic solvent is disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,619,195, 4,201,589, or 4,120,725. WO/00723 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,453 describe an example in which a cyan coupler or a magenta coupler is codispersed with a water-insoluble polymer in order to improve the dye stability of that coupler. In addition to the above U.S. Patents, JP-A-64-50049 describes that the dye stability of a yellow coupler is improved by the use of a combination of a water-insoluble polymer and an epoxy compound.
In a silver halide color light-sensitive material, not only the spectral absorption characteristics of a yellow dye have an effect on yellow color reproduction. Generally, regardless of the structure of a dye to be produced, some formed dye images more or less have undesired absorption in a red light region or a green light region in yellow dye formed region and give turbid color image (hereinafter, referred "color tribidity") depending on the structure of a split-off group of the coupler or a combination of the arrangement of a light-sensitive material and the compositions of the development processing solutions.
Although the absorption of the color dye itself is excellent, grayish dark yellow is reproduced due to this color turbidity when the dye is used in a light-sensitive material.
Possible causes are, for example, a residual silver image caused by poor desilvering in a desilvering step, color mixing derived from interlayer movement of the oxidized form of a developing agent during development, and a coloring component produced by a side reaction of the oxidized form of a developing agent. However, the details or the extent of contribution of these causes are not well known. In addition, a dye image produced by an acylacetamide-based yellow coupler represented by formula (I) of the present invention is unsatisfactory in stability against light or heat and therefore must be improved.

Silver halide color light-sensitive material


Disclosed is an embedded electronic component which can improve reliability of connection with external wiring and efficiency of an embedding process by including: a contact pad provided on at least one surface of a body portion and made of a conductive material; a first insulating layer for covering the at least one surface of the body portion; a first pad in contact with a surface of the contact pad and made of a conductive material; a rearrangement portion provided on a surface of the first insulating layer to be in contact with the first pad; a second pad provided on the surface of the first insulating layer to be in contact with the rearrangement portion; and a second insulating layer having an opening to expose a portion of the second pad while covering the first insulating layer, the first pad, the rearrangement portion, and the second pad.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an embedded electronic component and a method of manufacturing an electronic component embedded substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Even though various electronic components such as passive elements and active elements are continuously becoming smaller, the functions of the electronic components are being further improved. Further, there are continuous efforts to make electronic devices slim by embedding the electronic components in substrates.
Meanwhile, as the function and performance of the active elements such as IC chips are improved, the number of contact pads for electrically connecting external wiring and the inside of the active element are also increased.
Further, the thickness and area of the active element itself are continuously becoming smaller.
Accordingly, since the area of the contact pad itself should be reduced and the interval between the contact pads also should be reduced, a process of electrically connecting the contact pads of the active element to an external device is becoming more difficult.
In addition, when the electronic component is embedded in the substrate, a via, which passes through an insulating layer, should be electrically connected to the contact pad, but as the area of the contact pad itself and the interval between the contact pads are reduced, there is a great reduction in the connection reliability in a process of forming a via-hole or in a process of plating a via by plating.

Embedded electronic component and method of manufacturing electronic component embedded substrate


A flame-retardant TAIC is polymerized in the presence of a polymerization modifier and a polymerization initiator. As the polymerization modifier, 6H-dibenz [c,e] [1,2] oxaphosphorine-6-oxide is used in an amount of 1 to 200% by weight on the basis on the weight of triallyl isocyanurate.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a new flame-retardant triallyl isocyanurate prepolymer having a relatively low molecular weight.
Triallyl isocyanurate (referred to as "TAIC" hereinafter) is a chemical compound also called chemically triallyl ester of isocyanuric acid or allyl isocyanate trimer and is also a tautomer of triallyl cyanurate. Since TAIC is superior in chemical and thermal stability to the latter, it has attracted special interest recetly as a vinyl monomer which can be used as a crosslinking agent for various thermosetting resins and synthetic rubbers or a modifier for their thermal resistances, mechanical properties, hydrolysis resistances and the like.
Although it is widely practised that TAIC is added in a form of monomer to various synthetic resins or rubbers to be modified to crosslink them, it is often used in a form of prepolymer of relatively low molecular weight depending on the applications including electronic materials, synthetic resins, paints, adhesives and other industrial materials, as described, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications No. 74245 of 1981 and No. 16911 of 1986. In these applications, flame retardancy is firmly required. Accordingly, the development of a flame-retardant TAIC prepolymer is of high industrial importance.
Various methods for the preparation of a TAIC prepolymer have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 26586 of 1963 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 54192 of 1973 disclose a method of reacting TAIC with an aliphatic aldehyde having 2 to 8 carbon atoms in the presence of a polymerization initiator. However, the TAIC prepolymer prepared by this method shows no flame retandancy and the final product tends to discolor on standing.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 77294 of 1978 describes a method for the preparation which improves improving in yield and purity and in which the solid TAIC prepolymer is separated and then the methylcarbonylpropyl group containing residue included in the mother liquor is recovered for use. Even this method cannot solve the above problem. Further, it is disadvantageous for industrial manufacturing because of requiring an autoclave as the reactor.
On the other hand, as a method for flame retarding the TAIC prepolymer, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 198739 of 1982 describes that diallyl tetrabromophthalate is used as a reactive flame retarding agent to the TAIC-diallyl phthalate copolymerized prepolymer. This method lowers the content of TAIC moiety naturally and thus the deterioration of physical properties possessed originally by TAIC cannot be avoided.
Furthermore, a method is well known in which, as a method for the preparation of a flame retardant prepolymer having a low molecular weight, TAIC is polymerized in a halogenated hydrocarbon and a segment of the solvent is combined to the prepolymer molecule by utilizing the chain transfer reaction to the solvent in order to synthesize a halogenated TAIC prepolymer. According to the inventors' tracing, however, not only a colored product was prepared but also the lowering of molecular weight, that is, the chain transfer effect, was insufficient when the selected halogenated hydrocarbon was not suitable and, in some cases it inhibited the polymerization reaction. Accordingly, this method is also unsuitable as the method for the preparation of a TAIC prepolymer of high quality.
Therefore, the primary object of the invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a method for industrial preparation of a flame retardant TAIC prepolymer which has not only excellent flame retardancy but also good physical properties.

Method for preparing a flame-retardant triallyl isocyanurate prepolymer


A rotatable fountain display device rotatably displays an indicia, such as advertisement over a fountain. The device comprises a plurality of spheres immediately adjacent and sequentially connected to each other to rotatably display an indicia, such as an advertisement. The device works in conjunction with a fluid source, such as a fountain, to receive a fluid carrying a fluid pressure. A lower sphere contains a rotation mechanism that harnesses the fluid pressure from the fluid source to generate rotational energy on the lower sphere, which then rotates sequentially connected middle and upper spheres. A central channel runs through the spheres. A nylon elastic member and a rubber band interconnect the spheres and enables multidirectional movement by the spheres. A guide wire passes through the spheres to help counterbalance the movement. An annular bearing apparatus restricts rotation of the central channel and reduces friction during rotation of the rotation mechanism.

It is known that a fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air to supply drinking water and/or for a decorative or dramatic effect. Often, shopping malls, airports, bus stations, and other public venues have at least one fountain that forms a central meeting point and around which coffee shops, benches, information booths, and children amusement toys are positioned. The shoppers generally spend time in proximity to the fountain.
Typically, shopping malls include one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to walk from unit to unit. Some establishments in the shopping mall can include clothes boutiques, furniture galleries, shoe stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. The merchants for these businesses compete with each other for "eyeballs" from the shoppers in the shopping mall.
Often, an advertising poster and billboards can include any printed medium designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically advertising posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Advertising posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. The merchants at the shopping mall often utilize the advertisement posters to highlight specials and direct shoppers to their store.
In many instances, the posters orient on a wall, glass display, or stand throughout the shopping mall. However, because of the myriad advertisements, stores, and general hustle and bustle around the posters, the message on the advertisement poster can often be overlooked. It may be desirable in public venues to bring to the attention of the public product or service information that pertains to the particular locale. For example, airline or airport restaurant advertising matter would be beneficially displayed at an airport. Likewise, retail shopping advertisements would be desired in a shopping mall.
It is known that advertising space is normally at a premium in airports, bus terminals, shopping malls and the like. Judicious use of available yet unused advertising space benefits the advertiser in conveying a marketing message to the consuming public as well as the consumer who is apprised of perhaps unknown products and services available nearby. A unique platform, such as a fountain, for displaying the poster, billboard, or other medium of advertisement would help attract attention to the desired advertising message.
Decorative water fountains and advertising posters have been used for displaying advertising in public venues in the past, yet none with the present characteristics of the present invention. See Patent numbers: CN 2357396; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,768,409; and 3,640,463.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a fountain display device comprising a plurality of spheres immediately adjacent and sequentially connected to each other to rotatably display an advertisement.


Apparatus and methods are provided for encoding a predefined number of bits of binary data into codewords having a predefined number of bits for a partial-response maximum-liklihood (PRML) data channel in a direct access storage device (DASD). Rate 8/9 block codes having maximum ones and run length constraints (0,8,12,.infin.) and (0,8,6,.infin.) provide timing and gain control and reduced susceptibility to misequalization effects in PRML channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to encoding data, and more particularly to data encoding methods and apparatus for a partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) data channel in a direct access storage device (DASD).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computers often include auxiliary memory storage units having media on which data can be written and from which data can be read for later use. Disk drive units incorporating stacked, commonly rotated rigid magnetic disks are used for storage of data in magnetic form on the disk surfaces. Data is recorded in concentric, radially spaced data information tracks arrayed on the surfaces of the disks. Transducer heads driven in a path toward and away from the drive axis write data to the disks and read data from the disks. Partial-response signaling with maximum-likelihood sequence detection techniques are known for digital data communication and recording applications. Achievement of high data density and high data rates has resulted in the use of a PRML channel for writing and reading digital data on the disks.
Uncoded binary data is not suitable for use in PRML data channels because unconstrained customer data may contain long spans of null signal or adjacent zeroes which provides no timing or gain information to the channel and prevent proper timing and gain tracking to the read back signal waveform. Rate 8/9 modulation codes are known for use with PRML channels to assure a minimum correction rate for the PRML timing and gain control loops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,890 discloses a class-IV PRML channel using a run-length limited (RLL) rate 8/9 code. The disclosed class-IV partial response channel polynomial equals (1-D.sup.2), where D is a delay operator and D.sup.2 is a delay of 2 bit times and the channel response output waveform is described by taking the input waveform and subtracting from it the same waveform delayed by a 2 bit interval. A (d=0,k=3/k1=5) PRML modulation code is utilized to encode 8 bit binary data into codewords comprised of 9 bit code sequences, the maximum number k of consecutive zeroes allowed within a code sequence is 3 and the maximum number k1 of consecutive zeroes in the all-even or all-odd subsequences is 5. A minimum number d of consecutive zeroes greater than zero is not needed because in PRML channels compensation for intersymbol interferences (ISI) is inherent in the ML detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,681 discloses rate 8/9 RLL block codes having (0,4/4) and (0, 3/6) constraints.
Disadvantages of known codes relate to timing and gain control and susceptibility to misequalization effects in PRML channels for at least some of the codewords in the codes.

Method and apparatus for implementing PRML codes with maximum ones


There is disclosed a continuously variable ratio power transmission means comprising truncated cones having concave parabolic circumferential surfaces which surfaces are in rolling contact one with another and which can be moved in a linear fashion to provide a variable ratio dependent on point extent of overlap and rolling contact. In a preferred form of the invention positive drive is provided by a rack or band of gear teeth being provided in a helix around the periphery of each cone in a constant helix or lead angle.

This invention relates to a power transmission means, e.g., to achieve drive between an input and an output shaft, allowing for continuous variation of the drive between these shafts, even while the means of the invention is rotating. The transmission means of the invention relates in a preferred form to positive drive variable ratio power transmission means utilising gear teeth or the like in overall constant mesh between input and output members, the ratios nonetheless being continuously variable while the transmission means is rotating.
Variable ratio power transmission means are known which produce a substantially continuous variation of ratios between an input and an output, for example by the VARIOMATIC (trade mark) belt drive transmission adopted in DAF (trade mark) motor cars and the Perbury type gear which utilises disc rollers bearing against toroidal members. Both means rely on friction for their drive and their continuous variability of drive ratio. Positive drive gearboxes have hitherto provided variable ratios but not without a discontinuity or disrruption of transmission between input and output.


A tape running system for a slide loading type magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. The system comprises a stationary base plate mounted on a deck mechanism of the apparatus, a slide base mounted on the stationary base plate such that it is reciprocated with respect to the stationary base plate within a predetermined range, a pair of loading gears mounted on the lower surface of the stationary base plate and engaging with each other and connected to a pair of slant post assemblies through individual loading levers, and a rotational force transmitting unit transmitting the rotational force of the loading gears to the slide base for driving the slide base. The rotational force transmitting unit is connected between one of the pair of loading gears and the slide base and linearly reciprocates the slide base using the rotational force of the loading gears. The pair of slant post assemblies as well as the slide base are driven by the rotational force of the loading gears, thereby achieving the recent trend of compactness and light weight design.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a deck mechanism of a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, such as a slide loading type camera recorder, and more particularly to a tape running system for such a deck mechanism of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a slide loading type camera recorder, so to speak a slide loading type camcorder, comprises a slide base which is mounted on a stationary base plate such that it reciprocates frontwards and backwards. A rotary head drum is slantingly mounted on the stationary base plate while both a supply reel table and a take-up reel table are mounted on the slide base. The conventional slide loading type camcorder further includes an operable cassette housing hinged to a side of the stationary base plate by means of a hinge shaft. In order to load a tape cassette in the deck mechanism of the camcorder, the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette housing in an eject position and turned downwards about the hinge shaft along with the cassette housing. At this state, the slide base moves backwards, that is, in the direction toward the rotary head drum, thereby achieving the loaded state of the cassette tape.
In the above slide loading type camcorder, a loading lever mechanism comprising a plurality of link levers is operated in cooperation with a pair of loading gears, mounted on the stationary base plate such that they engage with each other. Hence, the loading lever mechanism moves a slant post assembly to its play mode position. At this time, the slide base is moved to its play mode position by an auxiliary drive power transmission unit.
As described above, the conventional slide loading type camcorder should drive the slant post assembly and the slide base employing individual drive units, thereby increasing in the number of required elements, resulting in increase of manufacturing cost. In addition, the requirement of varieties of elements complicates the construction of the camcorder and prohibits the achievement of the recent trend toward compactness and lightweight designs.
On the other hand, in the case of a conventional portable video cassette recorder (VCR) of the VHS type which is more generalized than the aforementioned portable camcorder, it is well noted that the designing condition for the rotary head drum and the slant post, both elements being regarded as kernel elements of the tape running system of the VCR, have a large effect upon the tape running performance of the VCR. Otherwise stated, the designing condition, such as a slant direction and a slant angle of the rotary head drum, a lapping angle of the tape with respect to the rotary head drum and a lapping angle of the tape with respect to the slant post has a large effect upon the tape running performance of the VCR of the VHS type. In this regard, the above designing condition has been regarded as an important factor in the determination of the tape recording and playback performance of the VCR.
However, in the case of the conventional slide loading type camcorder, there is a problem in that the above designing condition for the rotary head drum and the slant post is not suitable for shortening of the Y-directional length of the result camcorder as well as for reduction of the tape running load.
Moreover, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the conventional camcorder is provided with an automatic tension control unit for automatically controlling the tensile force of the tape. Thus, the tensile force of the tape, otherwise stated, the tensile force imparted to the tape in a tape running mode, such as a playback mode, is intended to be constantly maintained at, a predetermined level. However, in the conventional camcorder, the tensile force imparted to the tape in both the playback mode and a stop mode is fixed, so that there is a problem in that the rotary head drum is not smoothly operated due to the tensile force of the tape when the rotary head drum, stopped in the stop mode, starts to be rotated in the playback mode. The above problem becomes worse in the case of a dewed state of the inside of the camcorder even when the dew level of the inside of the camcorder is relatively low such that it is not detected by a dew sensor.
In order to overcome the above problem caused by the tensile force of the tape, there has been proposed a device for smoothly starting the rotary head drum by making the tensile force of the tape in the stop mode be maintained at a predetermined level lower than that in the playback mode. However, a problem of this device is resided in that it should include a complicated turning mechanism for turning a tension arm having a tension post and which inefficiently consumes a large quantity of driving power for driving the complicate turning mechanism.

Tape running system for magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus


A communication apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives a data frame including a plurality of pieces of unit data and transmitted from a communication partner; a determining unit that determines whether there is data loss, for each piece of unit data included in the data frame received by the receiving unit; a transmission right acquiring unit that acquires a transmission right; and a generating unit that generates grant data for granting the transmission right acquired by the transmission right acquiring unit to the communication partner, when the determining unit determines that at least any one of the pieces of unit data has been lost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, a communication method, a program, and a communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11n for achieving high-speed wireless communication has been studied. In the IEEE802.11n, in order to achieve transmission efficiency of MAC (Media Access Control), retransmission control schemes such as packet aggregation and selective ACK are expected to be used in combination.
In IEEE802.11n ("IEEE802.11n" The 802.11n Working Group of the 802 Committee), for a protocol used by communication apparatuses to perform bidirectional communication, a reverse direction sequence (hereinafter, referred to as an "RD scheme") is proposed.
More specifically, the RD scheme is a scheme in which an initiator that has acquired a transmission right (access right) for a communication path, by a CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) procedure, etc., performs granting of the transmission right (RD Grant; hereinafter, referred to as "RDG") to a responder. The RD scheme enables transmission by the responder within a transmission opportunity (TXOP) acquired by the initiator and thus is effective in that the collision probability for bidirectional communication can be reduced.
Note that an IEEE802.11 MAC layer requires packets provided from an upper layer of a transmitter side to be delivered to an upper layer of a receiver side in the order that the packets are provided. Therefore, the receiver side arranges packets that have arrived in an overlapping manner or in a reverse order through varying wireless communication paths, according to sequence numbers provided to the packets by the transmitter side and then supplies the packets to the upper layer of the receiver side.

Communication apparatus, communication method, program, and communication system


In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to neural language modeling. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented neural network includes a plurality of neural nodes, where each of the neural nodes has a plurality of input weights corresponding to a vector of real numbers. The neural network also includes an input neural node corresponding to a linguistic unit selected from an ordered list of a plurality of linguistic units, and an embedding layer with a plurality of embedding node partitions. Each embedding node partition includes one or more neural nodes. Each of the embedding node partitions corresponds to a position in the ordered list relative to a focus term, is configured to receive an input from an input node, and is configured to generate an output. The neural network also includes a classifier layer with a plurality of neural nodes, each configured to receive the embedding outputs from the embedding layer, and configured to generate an output corresponding to a probability that a particular linguistic unit is the focus term.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems seek to automate the extraction of useful information from sequences of symbols in human language. Some NLP systems may encounter difficulty due to the complexity and sparsity of information in natural language. Neural network language models (NNLMs) may overcome limitations of the performance of traditional systems. A NNLM may learn distributed representations for words, and may embed a vocabulary into a smaller dimensional linear space that models a probability function for word sequences, expressed in terms of these representations.
NNLMs may generate word embeddings by training a symbol prediction task over a moving local-context window. The ordered set of weights associated with each word becomes that word's dense vector embedding. The result is a vector space model that encodes semantic and syntactic relationships. A NNLM can predict a word given its surrounding context. These distributed representations encode shades of meaning across their dimensions, allowing for two words to have multiple, real-valued relationships encoded in a single representation. This feature flows from the distributional hypothesis: words that appear in similar contexts have similar meaning. Words that appear in similar contexts will experience similar training examples, training outcomes, and converge to similar weights.
Once calculated, word embeddings based on word analogies can allow vector operations between words that mirror their semantic and syntactic relationships. The analogy "king is to queen as man is to woman" can be encoded in vector space by the equation king-queen=man-woman.
Conventional NNLMs may not account for morphology and word shape. However, information about word structure in word representations can be valuable for part of speech analysis, word similarity, and information extraction. It is with respect to these and other considerations that aspects of the present disclosure are presented herein.

Systems and methods for neural language modeling


A golden-colored sintered product having a high hardness, strength, Young's modulus (rigidity) and excellent oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance and is useful as a sliding material, golden-colored ornamental material exhibiting beautiful color tone and as an abrasion-resistant material for such applications as a wall material, a timepiece material, brooches, necklaces, medals, buttons, fishing tools and the like, and to a method of preparing the same. The golden-colored sintered product has, as constituent elements, at least titanium, nitride and boron, and comprises 67 to 78% by weight of titanium, 6 to 15% by weight of nitrogen and 6.5 to 21.0% by weight of boron, wherein the carbon content is 3% by weight or smaller, titanium nitride and titanium boride are present as crystal phases in said sintered product, and crystal grains of said titanium nitride are linked to each other like chains.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golden-colored sintered product and a method of preparing the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a golden-colored sintered product having a high hardness, strength, Young's modulus (rigidity) and excellent oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance and is useful as a sliding material, golden-colored ornamental material exhibiting beautiful color tone and as an abrasion-resistant material for such applications as a wall material, a timepiece material, brooches, necklaces, medals, buttons, fishing tools and the like, and to a method of preparing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As materials for ornamental purposes exhibiting gold color, there have heretofore been used a variety of metals such as pure gold, alloys thereof, brass and the like, as well as those metals of which the surfaces are plated with gold. However, these metals all have small hardnesses and get scratched on the surfaces or cracked when they come into contact with hard substances.
In order to solve such problems, there has so far been used the titanium nitride exhibiting high hardness, excellent oxidation resistance and beautiful gold color. To obtain the titanium nitride in the form of a sintered product, however, it must be sintered at a temperature which is as high as 2300.degree. C. or more in compliance with a particular method. Besides, the obtained sintered product has a low flexural strength and is brittle.
In recent years, therefore, there have been used sintered alloys of gold color obtained by bonding the titanium nitride with metals of the iron group such as nickel and cobalt (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 58335/1990).
When a sintering aid composed of a metal of the iron group is added to the titanium nitride, however, discoloration takes place due to, for example, sea water or sweat as the corrosion proceeds in the metal phase in the sintered product, and the color of the ornamental material is impaired. Moreover, the sintering aid exhibits poor wetting property with respect to the titanium nitride, whereby many voids appear in the whole crystals and grain boundaries, and vivid mirror surface is not obtained despite the mirror-surface polishing is effected.
Moreover, the sintered alloys obtained by adding metals of the iron group or other corrosion-resistant aids to the titanium nitride followed by sintering all exhibit Vickers' hardness of smaller than 1500 kg/mm.sup.2, which are not sufficient in terms of abrasion resistance and scratch resistance required for a variety of ceramic products and products having highly hard coatings which have been placed in the market in recent years.
With the sintered alloys using the above-mentioned metals of the iron group, furthermore, a sufficiently high Young's modulus is not obtained making the machining very difficult from the standpoint of, for example, obtaining a high dimensional precision required for the insertion products.
The present inventors have forwarded the study in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and discovered the fact that a golden-colored sintered product having a sufficiently high strength, Young's modulus and excellent oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance is obtained when a titanium boride and a metal boron is added to the titanium nitride followed by sintering, without losing high hardness inherent in the titanium nitride.

Golden-colored sintered product and method of preparing the same


A fabric-finishing machine comprises a tank in which there is a series of drums driven in the same direction and forming an entrainment path extending from the front portion of the tank to the rear portion in a rectilinear direction. The drums entrain a single piece of fabric spread out or a plurality of pieces gathered into ropes. At least one nozzle is associated with each drum, for supplying an air-jet which presses the fabric, spread out or in ropes, onto the respective cylinder so as to achieve conditions of adhesion such that dry, moist or wet fabrics can be entrained.

The present invention relates to fabric-finishing operations.
Finishing means the set of operations which are carried out on fabrics to confer on them certain characteristics which improve their appearance, presentation, and drape and render them more suitable for the purposes for which they are intended.
Finishing or dressing techniques involve problems of a mechanical, physical and chemical nature. In general, during finishing, account must be taken of the possible reactions of the fabric to the mechanical operations, to humidity, to heat, to steam and to the various chemical reagents. The methods of carrying out the finishing therefore depend on many factors such as, for example, the type and quality of the raw material, the physical properties of the fibres, the susceptibility of the fabric to absorb auxiliary finishing products, the susceptibility of the material to chemical change, etc.
All this involves the need to modify the operative parameters of the finishing step according to the type of fabric (woollen fabrics, cotton fabrics, mixed fabrics with chemical fibres, combed fabrics, carded fabrics, etc.) and according to the type of treatment to be achieved. There are many finishing steps to which a fabric may be subjected and amongst these may be mentioned wet treatment with enzymes or complementary finishing products, raising of fabrics, washing, bleaching, etc. Some fabrics, owing to their nature, require the finishing treatment to be carried out whilst they are spread out whereas others can be washed in ropes. Moreover, according to the type of treatment, steps may be carried out wet, that is, in the presence of a bath, with moist fabric (which has previously been subjected to wringing or spinning), or with dry fabric.

Fabric finishing machine with air-jet fabric to drum entrainer