A hook switch circuit is shown wherein two high-voltage bipolar transistors, a PNP transistor Q1 and a NPN transistor Q2. that are connected in a regenerative feedback manner to form a bi-stable latch. The regenerative structure permits the use of low beta transistors that may be turned on with a low control current, but still conduct a sufficient off-hook current. Also shown is a polarity steering regenerative switch (MP1, MP2) that provides a power supply voltage from a telephone line pair and may be adapted for a polarity signal and can be combined with a current mirror (MP7) to produce a current signal proportional to the line voltage (LV1).

For telephone interfaces or for isolated DAAs, a controllable hook switch is necessary to close the telephone line loop current path in order to signal the telephone switch to answer or originate a call. Typically, a mechanical switch, an electro-mechanical relay, or an electronic switch provides this hook switch function. The minimum requirements of a hook switch are to block maximum normal line voltage (up to 300V), be able to pass up to 120 mA, and have an on-state resistance in the range of 0–100 ohms.
A hook switch may also provide dielectrical isolation between the switch and the control signal. Some examples of isolated hook switches are relays, mechanical switches, and optically isolated solid-state relays. However, dielectric isolation is not necessary for a hook switch if the source of the control signal is isolated. Such is the case in many electronic telephones or solid state DAAs. In these products, a controlling IC on the telephone line side generates signals that directly control the hook switch. The controlling IC responds to signals sent across a dielectrically isolated signaling means; such as, a transformer, optical isolator, or capacitor. In the current state of the art of DAAs, the hook switch commands are encoded along with audio and other signals that are sent across a shared isolated signal path.
Electronic hook switches are more commonly used in high volume telephone and DAA products because they offer lower cost than relays, consume less power, and are smaller. However, electronic hook switches are constructed from high voltage transistors and have difficulties being, driven from integrated circuits fabricated in low voltage processes. One difficulty is that the control current available on a DAA integrated circuit (IC) is very low. Another difficulty is that often at least one transistor is required to high voltage level shift control outside of the operating voltage range of the controlling circuit. Collectively, level shifting and cascading of transistors to get sufficient current gain typically require the use of at least 3 high voltage, bipolar transistors. Fewer transistors can be used if a more expensive high voltage enhancement metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) or a depletion MOS high voltage transistor is used. (See the prior art schematics shown in FIG. 1)
To explain in greater detail: The most common low cost electronic hook switch uses at least 3 high voltage bipolar transistors. At least this many transistors must be used because the beta of a high voltage transistor is low, e.g. in the range of 20–100, and the control current from a controlling IC may only be in the range of 0.1–10 uA. The control current is low because during on-hook idle less than a few microamperes of current may be pulled from the line in order to meet regulatory requirements. Although higher current may be available if the controlling switch can directly switch from the line, such a switch must be able to withstand the 300V peak line voltage. In practice. the controlling IC is usually fabricated in a low cost 5 volt or less process and hence cannot be directly powered from the line voltage.
One general method to overcome the low control current available from the line or the inability to power the hook controlling IC directly from the line is to send low voltage power across the isolation barrier. Conexant presently illustrates this method in their DAAs using a small high frequency transformer to send AC power across the isolation barrier to power the DAA IC. Although this method is quite effective, the power transformer is relatively expensive.
Another method illustrated in the optically isolated solid state switch is to send power across the isolation barrier in the form of light from a light emitting diode (LED) which falls on a stack of photodiodes in series which produces sufficient voltage and current to drive the gate of a high voltage MOS transistor which acts as a hook switch. Although this method is low power, it is also relatively expensive, requiring an LED, a photovoltaic stack, and 1–2 high voltage MOS transistors in a specialized optical package. This approach is demonstrated in FIG. 1a.
Another method is to send power across isolation capacitors with an AC signal as disclosed by Silicon Laboratories (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,229). Although in capacitor isolated DAAs, controlling signals for hook and other functions are sent across capacitors, it is possible to send much more power across than is available from the line in idle mode. This is especially true where the isolation capacitors are in the range of 30 pF to 300 pF. With a 1 MHz AC signal with 5V peak-to-peak swing, up to 150 uA to 1.5 mA of current can be sent across these size capacitors. This level of current can be used to drive low-cost high-voltage bipolar transistors with fewer gain stages. This technique is less expensive than a transformer or optical solid-state switch but the high voltage isolation capacitors are moderately expensive. This approach is demonstrated in FIG. 1c.
Another technique, illustrated in the linear opto-isolator DAA of U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,393, is to micro power the DAA IC controlling the hook switch with microamperes of current delivered through a current limiting resistor greater than 5 Meg ohm that is connected to the line. The IC provides an internal voltage clamp function to prevent over voltage damage. A resistor greater than 5 Meg Ohm is required to meet FCC part 68 on-hook DC resistance requirements for telephone devices. The internal micro power source is then used to drive the hook switch input with as little as 0.5 uA of current. See FIGS. 1b and 1d.
In order to have adequate gain when using lowest cost high-voltage bipolar transistors, usually at least two transistors and sometimes more need to be cascaded in order to provide a current gain of several thousand in order to amplify the control current sufficiently to switch up to 120 mA of loop current. Plus, at least 1 bipolar transistor is necessary to provide a high voltage level shift function between the low voltage IC and the cascaded transistors since the voltage required to drive the base of the input transistor of the cascade is outside of the supply voltage range of the low voltage controlling IC. See FIGS. 1b, 1c and 1d.
Besides the hook switch function, the low voltage, line powered ICs in telephone or DAA circuits require external voltage regulations protection from high voltage transients, and loop current limiting for European use. More high voltage transistors are typically required to provide these functions. Additionally, other high voltage components are necessary to provide low voltage signals for on-hook functions of RING detect, line status determination and Caller ID signal processing. For example, both RING detect circuitry and Caller ID line interfacing circuitry usually use high voltage capacitors of at least 250V to block the DC component of the line. See FIG. 1c.


An exposure process of a pattern on a transparent substrate of a plasma display panel is conducted on a flat principal surface of stage in which a depression is formed for accommodating an alignment optical source, wherein a movable shutter is provided on the stage so as to be movable in a plane substantially flush to the principal surface of the stage.

The present invention generally relates to flat-panel display devices and, more particularly, to fabrication of a so-called plasma display panel.
Plasma display panels (PDP) are used in various information display apparatuses, including a wide-screen TV set, as a thin information display device having a very large display area.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a conventional PDP 10 of the so-called AC type.
Referring to FIG. 1, the PDP 10 includes a rear glass substrate 11 and a front glass substrate 15, wherein the rear glass substrate 11 carries thereon a number of address electrodes 12 each formed of a metal such as Cr, such that each of the address electrodes 12 extends in a column direction on the substrate 11. The glass substrate 1 further carries thereon a dielectric layer 13 of a low melting glass such that the dielectric layer 13 covers the foregoing address electrodes 12. The dielectric layer 13 in turn carries thereon a number of rib patterns 14 each formed of a low melting glass and extending in the column direction, wherein a pair of the rib patterns 14 are disposed at both, i.e., the opposite, lateral sides of an address electrode 12. Further, a fluorescent substance corresponding to one of the three primary colors red (R), green (G) and blue (B) is provided between a pair of the rib patterns 14 in association with the corresponding address electrode 12.
The front glass substrate 15 carries thereon a number of mutually parallel display electrodes 16 of a transparent conductive material such as ITO (In.sub.2 O.sub.3.SnO.sub.2), such that each of the display electrodes 16 extends in a row direction on the glass substrate 15. In the present description, the row direction is defined as being perpendicular to the foregoing column direction.
Each of the display electrodes 16 carries thereon a bus electrode 17 of a metal such as Cr, such that the bus electrode 17 extends on the display electrode in the row direction with a reduced width as compared with the display electrode 16. Further, the glass substrate 15 is covered by a dielectric layer 18 of a low melting glass such that the dielectric layer 18 covers the display electrodes 16 and the bus electrode 17 thereon. Further, a protective film 19 of MgO is provided on the dielectric layer 18.
The glass substrates 11 and 15 are assembled as indicated in FIG. 1 such that the rib patterns 14 on the glass substrate 11 face the protective film 19 on the glass substrate 15. Further, the gap between the substrate 11 and the substrate 15 is filled by a gas such as He, Ne or Xe.
In operation, a drive voltage signal is applied between a selected address electrode 12 and a selected display electrode 17, and a gas plasma is formed in correspondence to the intersection of the foregoing selected electrodes. The gas plasma thus formed causes an optical excitation in the fluorescent substance on the substrate 11 covering the region corresponding to the foregoing intersection.
When fabricating the PDP 10, it is necessary to form the rib patterns 14 on the transparent glass substrate 11 after formation of the address electrodes 12 by conducting a photolithographic process. Similarly, it is necessary to form the bus electrodes 17 on the display electrodes 16 after the formation of the display electrodes 16. When a pattern is to be formed on another pattern by a photolithographic process, it is necessary to carry out an alignment process such that the upper pattern is aligned properly with the lower pattern. In relation to this, it should be noted that the rib patterns 14, formed of a low melting glass, have a whitish, opaque structure.
FIG. 2 shows the construction of an exposure system 20 used in the foregoing photolithographic patterning process when fabricating the PDP apparatus 10 of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, the exposure system 20, which includes an Ar laser 21 and an acoustic-optical modulator (AOM) 22 modulating a laser beam 21A emitted by the Ar laser 21, wherein the laser beam 21A thus modulated by the AOM 22 is deflected by a rotary polygonal mirror 23 and scans over the surface of a substrate 27 held on a stage 26, after passing through a lens 24 and a condenser lens 25 consecutively. The substrate 27 may either be the substrate 11 or substrate 15.
FIG. 3 shows the construction of an alignment apparatus used in the exposure system 20 for aligning an upper pattern to a lower pattern.
Referring to FIG. 3, the alignment of the upper pattern to the lower pattern is achieved in the apparatus of FIG. 3 by using an alignment mark as usual in a photolithographic process, and the apparatus of FIG. 3 includes CCD cameras 28A and 28B as well as an image processor 29 cooperating with the cameras 28A and 28B for detection of the alignment mark. In the construction of FIG. 3, it should be noted that the LEDs 26B in respective depressions 26A produce the output optical beams with a wavelength different from the wavelength of the exposure laser beam 21A. Thereby, the output optical beam of the LED 26A or 26B causes no substantial exposure of the photoresist 14A (see FIG. 4B). For example, the LED 26A or 26B may produce a red color beam.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show the cross sectional structure of alignment marks 15A and 11A provided respectively on the substrate 15 and the substrate 11 for the foregoing alignment.
Referring to FIG. 4A, the alignment mark 15A includes an ITO pattern 16A provided on the substrate 15 at a predetermined location, wherein the ITO pattern 16A is covered by a Cr electrode layer forming the bus electrode 17. Thus, the Cr layer is designated by the same reference numeral 17 in FIG. 4A.
In the construction of FIG. 3, the CCD cameras 28A and 28B are used to detect a projection 17A formed on the surface of the Cr layer 17 in correspondence to the ITO pattern 16A as the alignment mark 15A. It should be noted that the Cr layer 17 has actually a Cr/Cu/Cr structure in which a pair of Cr layers sandwich a Cu layer and exhibits a very high reflectance. In FIG. 4A, it should be noted that a resist film 17B is provided on the Cr layer 17.
In the alignment mark 11A of FIG. 4B, on the other hand, an alignment mark pattern 12A having the same Cr/Cu/Cr structure is provided in correspondence to a marginal region of the glass substrate 11 where no rib pattern 14 is formed, simultaneously to the address electrodes 12 that have the same Cr/Cu/Cr structure. In FIG. 4B, it should be noted that the alignment mark pattern 12A is embedded in the thick dielectric layer 13 typically having a thickness of about 10 .mu.m, and thus, the dielectric layer 13 has a substantially flat top surface also in the part covering the alignment mark pattern 12A. Thereby, the detection of the alignment mark pattern 12A by the CCD camera 28A or 28B is not possible as long as the camera 28A or 28B detects a reflection from the surface of the dielectric layer 13. In the construction of FIG. 4B, it should be noted that the dielectric layer 13 carries thereon a resist film 14A such that the resist film 14A covers the rib pattern 14.
Thus, in order achieve a proper alignment detection also for the alignment mark 11A of FIG. 4B, the alignment apparatus of FIG. 3 has a construction in which the stage 26 is formed with a depression 26A in correspondence to the alignment mark pattern 12A for accommodating an alignment optical source 26B, which may be an LED. When the substrate 11 is in a proper position on the stage 26, the alignment mark pattern 12A interrupts the output optical beam of the LED 26B, and the detection of the alignment becomes possible by detecting the state of the output optical beam of the LED 26B by the corresponding on of the CCD camera 28A and 28B. In other words, the alignment detection using the foregoing mark pattern 12A is achieved by the detection of a transmission optical beam, and thus, the mark pattern 12A is called transmission-type alignment mark. In FIG. 3, the LED 26B produces the output optical beam with a wavelength different from the wavelength of about 488 nm of the exposure optical beam 21A. For example, the LED 26B produces a red optical beam.
It should be noted that the alignment apparatus of FIG. 3 is actually the apparatus used for exposing printed circuit boards. In the case of exposing an opaque printed circuit board, a through hole 27A is provided as an alignment mark and the alignment detection is achieved by detecting the output optical beams of the LED 26B by the CCD cameras 28A and 28B.
FIG. 5 shows the process of forming the alignment mark pattern 16A on the substrate by using the exposure apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3.
Referring to FIG. 5, the glass substrate 15 carrying thereon an ITO film from which the alignment mark pattern 16A is formed and a resist film for pattrning the ITO film, is placed on the stage 26 and the exposure laser beam 21A is applied according to the desired pattern of the alignment mark pattern 16A. The exposure laser beam 21A thus applied passes through the transparent ITO film as well through as the glass substrate 15 underneath and reaches the LED 26B provided on the depression 26A. Thereby, the exposure laser beam 21A is reflected by the surface of the LED 26B and causes an unwanted exposure of the resist film provided on the ITO film. As a result of such an excessive exposure of the resist film, the size of the alignment pattern 16A is modified unwantedly. Further, there may be an anomaly in the display electrode 16 formed simultaneously to the alignment mark pattern 16A from the ITO film.
Further, a similar problem may occur also when the stage 26 is formed with a depression 26C for accepting a robot hand which is used for transporting the substrate.
Referring to FIG. 6, it should be noted that the depressions 26C extend and reach the area of the substrate 15 held on the stage 26 on which the transparent electrode patterns are formed. Thus, the exposure laser beam 21A also causes, when reflected by the depressions 26C, an unwanted extraneous exposure in the resist pattern that is to be formed on the ITO film on the substrate 15 in correspondence to the display electrode 16. Thereby, the pattern of the display electrode 16 may also include a pattern anomaly.
In order to avoid the foregoing problem, it has been practiced to use a completely flat stage for the exposure of the substrate 15, and the alignment apparatus of FIG. 3 is used only for the exposure of the substrate 11. Even in such a case, however, the problem explained with reference to FIG. 6 cannot be avoided.

Method of fabricating a flat-panel display device and an apparatus therefore


An image-forming apparatus, and a method thereof, that transfers the toner image formed on the photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt in a first transfer area during a first transfer. When the first transfers of prescribed toner images to the intermediate transfer belt are completed, the intermediate transfer belt transfers the toner images obtained in the first transfers from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium in a second transfer area during a second transfer. Moreover, the area of the intermediate transfer belt that is susceptible to creep buckling (the `creep buckling risk area`) is prevented from passing through the first transfer area during the first transfer, thereby improving the image formation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an image-forming apparatus, and a method thereof, such as a copier or printer using the electrophotographic method. More particularly, an image-forming apparatus that has an intermediate transfer belt, wherein a toner image formed on a photoreceptor, via a electrophotographic process, is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt in a first transfer area, and when first transfers of prescribed toner images are completed, the toner images obtained in the first transfers undergo a second transfer to a recording medium in a second transfer area.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
Some electrophotographic image-forming apparatuses carry out a first transfer of the toner images formed on the photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer unit in a first transfer area, and when first transfers of prescribed toner images to the intermediate transfer unit are completed, they perform a second transfer of the toner images obtained in the first transfers from the intermediate transfer unit to a recording medium in a second transfer area.
An image-forming apparatus that forms multi-color images (full color images, for example) would be a representative example of the image-forming apparatus described above. In a multi-color image-forming apparatus, in order to overlap the toner images of each color that are sequentially formed on the photoreceptor before they are finally transferred to a recording medium, they are sequentially overlapped and transferred to an intermediate transfer unit in a first transfer area, so that the overlapping toner images thus formed on the intermediate transfer unit may be transferred to the recording medium in a second transfer area and fused.
In a full-color image-forming apparatus, for example, toner images of cyan, yellow, magenta and black are sequentially formed on the photoreceptor, such as a photoreceptor drum, via the electrophotographic process. Each time a toner image of a color is formed, it is first transferred to an intermediate transfer unit. After toner images of each color have been transferred to the intermediate transfer unit and overlapping toner images have been formed on the intermediate transfer unit, these overlapping toner images then undergo a second transfer to a recording medium and are fused.
An intermediate transfer belt that is suspended over a group of rollers, including a belt drive roller and first transfer roller, would be one example of the intermediate transfer unit described above.
Some of the issues to be resolved by the present invention are discussed below. However, a conventional image-forming apparatus adopting such an intermediate transfer belt has the following problem.
The intermediate transfer belt is suspended over a group of rollers including a belt drive roller, that are driven to rotate, and a first transfer roller that puts the intermediate transfer belt into contact with the photoreceptor surface in order to carry out the first transfer. However, when the belt stops, the intermediate transfer belt that is suspended over a group of rollers in this way may be subject to creep buckling at the area that is suspended over a small-diameter roller. If a toner image is transferred to this creep-buckled area in a first transfer, a defective first transfer can easily occur due to this deformation or to the fluctuation in the electrical resistance caused by the deformation. Thereby, causing the image finally obtained on the recording medium to also turn out defective.
To resolve these problems, while it is possible to increase the diameters of the rollers over which the belt is placed, such a solution would not satisfy the current demand for size reduction and compactness in an image-forming apparatus.
In order to achieve size reduction and compactness and to obtain nipping useful for the first transfer from the photoreceptor to the intermediate transfer belt, a small-diameter backup roller that presses the belt against the photoreceptor from the inside is sometimes placed near to and upstream from the first transfer roller in terms of the direction of movement of the belt. However, when this construction is used, the part of the belt between the small-diameter backup roller and the first transfer roller--particularly the part which is suspended over the small-diameter backup roller--often becomes susceptible to creep buckling.

Apparatus and method for preventing image transfer to an area of an intermediate transfer belt that is susceptible to creep buckling


Music piece data composed of audio waveform data are stored in a memory. Analysis section analyzes the music piece data stored in the memory to determine sudden change points of sound condition in the music piece data. Display device displays individual sound fragment data, obtained by dividing the music piece data at the sudden change points, in a menu format having the sound fragment data arranged therein in order of their complexity. Through user's operation via an operation section, desired sound fragment data is selected from the menu displayed on the display device, and a time-axial position where the selected sound fragment data is to be positioned is designated. New music piece data set is created by each user-selected sound fragment data being positioned at a user-designated time-axial position.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for creating a music piece by interconnecting sound fragments.
Among the conventionally-known music piece creation techniques is a technique called "audio mosaicing". According to the audio mosaicing technique, various music pieces are divided into sound fragments of short time lengths, so that sound fragment data indicative of waveforms of the individual sound fragments are collected to build a sound fragment database. Desired sound fragment data are selected from the sound fragment database, and then the selected sound fragment data are interconnected on the time axis to thereby edit or create a new music piece. Examples of literatures pertaining to this type of technique include:
[non-patent literature 1] Ari Lazier, Perry Cook, "MOSIEVIUS: FEATURE DRIVEN INTERACTIVE AUDIO MOSAICING", [on line], Proc of the 6th Int. Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx-03), London, UK, Sep. 8-11, 2003 [searched Mar. 2, 2007], Internet<URL: http://soundlab.cs.princeton.du/publications/mosievius_dafx—2003.pdf>; and
[non-patent literature 2] Bee Suan Ong, Emilia Gomez, SebastianStreich, "Automatic Extraction of Musical Structure Using Pitch Class Distribution Features", [on line], Learning the Semantics of Audio Signals (LSAS) 2006, [searched on Mar. 6, 2007], Internet<URL: http://irgroup.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/lsas2006/proceedings/LSAS06—053—065.pdf>.
In order to obtain expressive music piece data, it is necessary to prepare in advance a variety of sound fragment data having various characteristics and select and interconnect suitable ones of the sound fragment data. However, finding desired sound fragment data from among the enormous quantity of the sound fragment data is very hard work.

Music piece creation apparatus and method


A portable apparatus for storing small packets of perishable material so as to extend the storage life of the material is provided. A base and housing fixed to the base are provided. A heat exchange device which includes a sealed container filled with a cooling medium is mounted inside the housing. A plurality of vertically oriented tubes that have open tops and bottoms are provided for holding a plurality of small packets of the perishable material in heat exchange relationship with the cooling medium. A cover is mounted over the housing and the stored perishable material therein to keep the packets of material below room temperature until such time as one of the packets is dispensed for use.

It is well known that persons who drink hot beverages such as coffee and tea often like to alter the natural taste of their beverages by adding small quantities of cream and/or sugar (or their equivalents). When the beverages are to be dispensed on a self-serve basis, it is common to place small containers of cream and sugar next to an urn or pot or similar storage/dispensing for the beverage. Making small quantities of sugar or artificial sweeteners available to suit the individual tastes of a given person has not been a vexing problem, because sugar and artificial sweeteners can be safely stored at room temperature for a very long time. So, as long as empty containers are periodically picked up and discarded, there is essentially no difficulty in meeting the wishes of those who want to sweeten their coffee or tea. However, a dairy product--like cream--usually needs to be kept cold, or at least cool, in order to extend its "shelf" life, until it is consumed. (If cream is left at room temperature for an extended period of time, it can spoil, i.e., curdle, and lose its sweet taste.) In a cafeteria or the like, the quantity of cream that is consumed in a very few hours may justify a refrigerated holder/dispenser for cream, milk, or the product that is commonly known as half-and-half. But at a convenience store or sandwich shop, there may not be enough consumption of cream to justify a refrigerated holder/dispenser. Instead, relatively small containers of cream and the like are often placed at the serving area, where customers can help themselves to one or more containers after they have obtained their hot beverage.
To keep the contents of small containers reasonably fresh, it is a common practice to store a dozen or so containers in a shallow bath of ice and water (in an open-top bowl or tray). This technique may be serviceable for extending the shelf life of cream and the like, but it is really not very sanitary--because anyone who has germs on his or her hand will soon contaminate the entire bath during the act of reaching for a first container. A second person who reaches into the bath for a container of cream will then run the risk of coming into contact with whatever may have been introduced into the bath by the first person's dirty hands. And even hands that appear to be free of dirt can be carriers of germs and/or bacteria that have been picked up in a public restroom or from a door handle or telephone handset.
Too, it is common for the self-serve areas in most restaurants to have what is commonly called a "sneeze guard," which is a relatively large piece of transparent glass or rigid plastic that is suspended over stored food in such a way that a customer can see the food behind the guard--but the customer cannot accidentally sneeze directly onto the food. But it seems that no one has tried to offer equivalent protection for the open-top trays that hold small containers of cream and a bath of ice and cold water. Hence, any given person in a serving line, even if he or she is not partaking of the stored cream containers, can sneeze onto the bath and spread germs in an unwholesome manner. Children especially are not likely to realize the consequences of sneezing in the direction of things on a food-service counter. It is an object, therefore, to provide a device for storing a plurality of small containers in such a way that they can be kept cool for an extended period of time, without the need for a tray of ice and cold water (which can be messy) and without the need for placing another refrigerated appliance where it is accessible to the public.
Another object is to provide a device that can hold cream containers where they are visible to the public but relatively immune to being contaminated by the random spread of germs--by a person handling them or sneezing on them, etc.
It is another object to discourage the waste of creamer packets--by discouraging customers from grabbing a handful of packets just because they are present and readily available, in what may be described as a bulk condition.
A further object is to promote the sale of a new flavor or brand of coffee (or tea) in a convenience store or cafeteria, by providing a new space to advertise the flavor/brand in the vicinity of the dispenser of that particular beverage.
These and other objects will be apparent from a careful study of the disclosure that follows, along with reference to the drawings provided herewith.

Cool holder and dispensing device for small containers-such as creamer packets and the like


In a method for removing a myoma, a distal end portion of a tubular member is inserted through laparoscopic trocar sleeve disposed in the patient's abdomen. The distal end portion of the tubular member is inserted into the myoma tissues to form a core thereof inside the tubular member. The myoma core is fragmented via an energizable laparoscopic instrument and the fragments are aspirated from the tubular coring member. The tubular member may be provided along a distal edge with a cauterizing element for facilitating the insertion of the distal end portion of the tubular member into the myoma.

This invention relates to a laparoscopic surgical procedure for use in removing a myoma. This invention also relates to an associated surgical assembly.
A myoma is a fibroid mass of tumorous uterine tissue, solid and benign. A myoma can be as large as a baby's head and can squeeze the Fallopian tubes or the uterine cavity, preventing pregnancy. Because a myoma is massive and incompressible, it poses substantial problems in removal from the abdominal cavity via conventional laparoscopic procedures. Unlike a gall bladder, for example, a myoma frequently cannot be simply pulled through a laparoscopic trocar perforation. Moreover, chopping a myoma into smaller tissue parts can cause a significant amount of bleeding.
One technique is known for the laparoscopic removal of myoma tissues. That technique includes the manual insertion of a tubular member into the myoma, thereby forming a myoma core inside the tubular member. Subsequently, laparoscopic graspers are inserted into the tubular member to pull the myoma tissues therefrom.
This technique is difficult and requires a lot of energy.


A flow node includes characterized restrictor in series and adjacent with the valve seat to provide a primary flow restriction with a minimized volume between the two. A conductance of the characterized restrictor is low enough relative to the valve seat to cause a pressure drop that is sufficiently large relative to the pressure drop across the valve seat that a pressure measurement device is located upstream of the valve seat and poppet assembly is used to determine the pressure to the inlet of the restrictor. A vent can be included to reduce bleed time. Multiple flow nodes in parallel increase a dynamic range.

Applications such as semiconductor fabrication processing increasingly require more accurate measurements, lower equipment costs, and quicker and more consistency in timing in the delivery of gases from components such as a mass flow controller (MFC).
An MFC is a device used to measure and control the flow of fluids and gasses. Conventionally, in pressure based MFC, a pressure transducer is needed within an MFC to measure the process gas pressure in a known volume and temperature.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art pressure based MFC 100 with a volume (V1) in conduit 198A that is used to measure pressure, according to a prior art embodiment. MFC 100 has an inlet port 101, an outlet port 102, a proportional inlet valve 103, a first pressure transducer 104, a restrictor 105, a second pressure transducer 106A and a temperature sensor 107. The first pressure transducer 101 measures pressure over V1 as an input for pressure regulation and is operates so that pressure at the first pressure transducer 104 closely matches the pressure at an inlet of the restrictor 105. The second pressure transducer 106 is located downstream and a temperature sensor 107A is used to increase accuracy.
FIG. 1B is a block diagram of FIG. 1A illustrating a flow order for a process gas through the prior art pressure based MFC 100B, according to an embodiment of a prior art embodiment. As shown, a process gas moves through a proportional valve 103B to a conduit containing V1 199B where the process gas is measured by a first pressure transducer 104B. Next the gas passes through restrictor 105B into a conduit with volume V2, 199B, where the pressure representative of the pressure at the outlet of the restrictor is measured. Finally, the process gas often exhausts from the MFC 100B to a process through an isolation valve actuator and seat 110.
Problematically, the space consumed by V1 hinders further efficiencies in accuracy, bleed down performance, space consumption and costs of gas delivery systems used for processing. Furthermore, when an external control directs the MFC to stop or reduce the magnitude of the gas flow to a lower rate of flow, V1 produces undesirable slow bleed down times to the new flow value.
What is needed is a flow node to provide an accurate delivery of process gas without the inefficiencies of a conventional MFC having an local pressure measurement directly on V1, by utilizing a remote pressure measurement of V1 pressure to reduce the bleed down volume while still providing pressure measurements that represent the pressure of the gas inlet to the restrictor with sufficient accuracy to maintain the specified accuracy of the flow device.

Flow node to deliver process gas using a remote pressure measurement device


A toothbrush capable of inhibiting damage of an oral cavity of a user that includes: a head section that has a bristle implanting surface on a front end side; a handle section that is disposed on a rear end side from the head section and has a handle section main body; and a neck section that is disposed between the bristle implanting surface and the handle section. The toothbrush has a deforming portion that is located on the rear end side from the bristle implanting surface and is deformed, while stress characteristics associated with bending due to an external force acting on the head section are in a plane stress condition.

In the related art, when a user falls during brushing teeth with a toothbrush (specifically, in a state of holding the toothbrush in the mouth), the user suffers an extraoral bruise, in some cases. In particular, in a case where the user of the toothbrush is a one- to three-year-old infant, the user suffers the extraoral bruise, in many cases.
In the related art, as a toothbrush with which it is possible to inhibit a head section and a neck section from being damaged or broken, a toothbrush is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Patent Document 1 discloses the toothbrush provided with a coating layer on a front surface of a base configured of a hard resin, the coating layer made of a soft resin that covers 70% or larger of a total area of a surface area of the head section and a surface area of the neck section.
Patent Document 1 discloses that, in such a configuration described above, it is possible for a handle body not to be easily broken even in a case where a very large load is applied to the head section or the neck section, or it is possible for the coating layer to inhibit a broken zone from being exposed even in a case where the head section or the neck section is broken. In the toothbrush disclosed in Patent Document 1, which has the configuration, the base that configures a front end portion of the head section is covered with the soft resin, and thus the soft resin functions as a cushion member when the head section is strongly bitten, or a front end of the head section strongly collides with a portion inside an oral cavity.
Therefore, a use of the toothbrush disclosed in Patent Document 1 enables the inside of the oral cavity from being damaged due to the front end portion of the head of the toothbrush.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a toothbrush in which, in a case where a predetermined compressive force is applied to the toothbrush in a longitudinal direction of a handle section, bending occurs to a connecting section due to plastic deformation, and a bristle implanting surface of a head section is positioned on an inner side of the bending. With the toothbrush disclosed in Patent Document 2, an entering amount of the handle section into the oral cavity is further restricted, and thereby improvement in safety is achieved.

Toothbrush and method for manufacturing toothbrush


A port on a network device engages in auto-negotiation on a network link during a first operational state to select a transmission mode, either half duplex or full duplex. If half duplex operation is selected, the port commences half duplex operation in a second operational state. During the second operational state, the link is monitored for an error condition indicating that another network device attached to the link may not be operating in a half duplex mode. This error condition includes the occurrence of excessive collisions or late collisions. When the error condition is detected, the port commences full duplex operation in a third operational state, based on the presumption that device at the other end of the link may be configured for fixed full duplex operation. If proper operation ensues, the port remains configured for full duplex transmission. Because the presumption may be incorrect, the link is monitored during the third operational state for a second error condition indicating that transmissions by the network device may be interfering with transmissions by the other network device. Examples of the second error condition include excessive frame check sequence errors and an excessive number of abnormally truncated messages. If such a second error condition occurs, the port is disabled in a fourth operational state and the condition is reported to higher-level operating software. Repeated attempts at normal operation may follow, with further monitoring that may result in shutting down the port if normal operation cannot be achieved.

The present invention is related to the field of data communication networks and more particularly to auto-negotiation between communicatively coupled devices.
In data communications networks, devices that communicate with each other on a given network link may be configured for either half duplex or full duplex communication. In full duplex communication, two devices may transmit to each other simultaneously. In half duplex communication, only one device at a time may transmit and the devices therefore take turns transmitting to each other.
There are different ways in which the communication mode (half duplex or full duplex) on a given link is established. A device connected to a link may have a fixed capability of one or the other mode, and therefore always operates using its fixed mode. Other types of devices are "configurable", i.e., capable of operating in either mode. A configurable device is configured to operate in a given mode on a network link based in part on the capabilities of the link and the device attached at the other end of the link. In accordance with a configuration process used on Ethernet network links and specified in IEEE standard 802.3u, devices connected to a link engage in "auto-negotiation" to determine, among other things, whether to use half duplex or full duplex transmission on the link. Auto negotiation proceeds during an initialization stage of link operation. The devices exchange control messages conveying capability information and subsequently exchange control messages in an attempt to agree on the transmission mode to be used. The auto negotiation process can result in the devices agreeing to employ half duplex transmission, agreeing to employ full duplex transmission or failing to agree on a transmission mode. A failure to agree can result, for example, when one device does not engage in the auto-negotiation dialog, which is permitted by the 802.3u specification. When agreement is not reached, half-duplex transmission is used by default in accordance with the 802.3u specification.
In Ethernet networks, a device obtains access to the transmission medium by listening for a period of no transmissions, beginning to transmit, and listening to its own transmission. If the transmission is received as sent, the device continues transmitting until the end of the message being sent. The device may detect that the transmission on the medium is different from what has been sent. This situation is referred to as a "collision", because it typically results from two devices' transmitting at the same time. If a collision is detected, the device waits a random interval and then re-transmits the same message, again listening for proper completion. Because devices must detect silence before transmitting, collisions normally occur only during a brief initial interval of transmission, which is specified as the minimum packet duration. Collisions occurring later in transmissions are usually indicative of an error condition. Also, the rate of normal (i.e. early) collisions is generally relatively low in a properly operating network link. An excessive rate of collisions, whether normal or late, is also indicative of an error condition.
It has been observed in some networks that devices on transmission links become mis-configured with respect to the transmission mode to be employed, resulting in improper operation of the link and the attached devices. In particular, it has been observed that under some circumstances a device using 802.3u auto-negotiation chooses half duplex operation despite being connected to a device that is fixed to operate in full duplex mode. The devices attached to the link have different expectations about the conditions under which transmission is permitted. Consequently, the network link operates in an erroneous manner, which may be indicated by the occurrence of late collisions and/or an excessively high rate of collisions (whether normal or late). Under some circumstances, an excessive amount of re-transmitting occurs in response to these collisions, which can lead to undesirable congestion in the network. Some devices can detect this situation and shut down the connection to the misbehaving link. However, this remedy is generally undesirable because it renders the link completely unusable. It would be desirable to respond to mis-configurations in a manner that restores link usability if possible.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An irregularly shaped glass fiber is provided which enjoys improved resiliency, and openness in pack structures. Wool packs and other wool portions having such irregularly shaped fibers may be processed directly through needling to form a non-woven material without intervening steps such as carding or blending of fibers which accompany conventional glass fiber processing operations. In a further aspect of the invention, a non-woven material including irregularly shaped fibers in a generally continuous wool tow is produced by "unwinding" a fiberglass wool pack collected by a direct forming method. Product applications include simplified, lower cost processing, and new uses of the irregularly shaped fibers produced by rotary fiberization in filtration elements, sorbants, gaskets, packings, shingles, composite structural elements, furnishings, textiles, yarns, and blown-in insulation systems.

The present invention relates to the processing of glass fiber wool and products therefrom, and more particularly, to methods for processing and products made from irregularly shaped glass fibers.
Conventional glass fibers are useful in a variety of applications including reinforcements, textiles, and acoustical and thermal insulation materials.
Continuous glass fibers are typically produced via bushings for reinforcement and textile applications. Such fibers are typically made of many glass filaments held together by sizing. The glass fibers are often further processed by combining them into continuous strands, yarns and rovings, or by chopping the glass fibers into preselected lengths defined by the end user. Where chopped, the resulting short, straight fiber segments may be mixed with other materials, wet processed into mats such as are used for shingles, or otherwise treated for use. While bushings have significant operational lifetimes, their throughput is limited relative to rotary fiberizing techniques for producing glass fibers.
Short, straight fibers typical of acoustic and thermal insulation materials are made by rotary fiberizing techniques and are interconnected by binders. In such techniques, molten glass is delivered from a furnace to an orificed centrifuge, commonly referred to as a spinner. Fibers produced by the spinner are drawn downward by a blower. A binder, which is required to bond the fibers into a wool product, is sprayed onto the fibers as they are drawn downward. The fibers are then collected and formed into a wool pack. The resulting materials suffer from non-uniform material distribution, the expense of binder, and costs to treat effluent and exhaust air to protect the environment from the impact of organic compounds in the binder.
In addition to insulation materials, other wool products are produced from the wool pack by further compressing and heat setting the wool into boards or panels. Alternately, the wool may be blended with other natural and synthetic fibers to form non-woven materials, and thereafter carded or combed to open up the fiber pack for further processing, such as needling. Carding and combing tends to align the fibers. The blended fibers serve both to open the glass fiber matrix and make the glass fibers amenable to needling by `lubricating` the needling action.
Conventional glass fibers, whether continuous, chopped, or in wool packs have found their way into a wide variety of products. It is desirable to further improve the characteristics of products including glass fibers, and to find new uses for glass fibers which take advantage of glass fiber properties.

Processing methods and products for irregularly shaped bicomponent glass fibers


According to a precision assembly technique, a first subassembly is precisely aligned relative to a plurality of alignment features in an alignment fixture and at least three non-coplanar flexures having complementary alignment features are located with respect to corresponding alignment features on the alignment fixture and mechanically attached to the first subassembly. The first subassembly with the attached flexure sheets is removed from the alignment fixture and located with respect to a second subassembly having a plurality of alignment features identical to the alignment features in the alignment fixture using the alignment features on the second subassembly and the complementary alignment features on the flexure sheets to precisely align the first subassembly with the complementary alignment features on the second subassembly. The flexure sheets are then mechanically attached to the second subassembly, whereby the first and second subassemblies are aligned and rigidly connected to one another.

The positioning of a raster scan line, like that generated by the optics of a polygon laser printer onto a photosensitive image recording medium involves assuring accurate alignment in the x (cross-scan) and z (beam path) translational directions, as well as in the .theta.x and .theta.z rotational directions respectively about each of the x and z directions. Proper positioning also requires attainment of the right angle of incidence of the beam onto the target medium.
Excessive focal shift errors of the scan line with respect to the recording medium can lead to a printing artifact called banding. Banding is an undesirable periodic density modulation in the image that is most noticeable in uniform density regions. A very high degree of accuracy of scan line placement is required especially for laser printers used for x-ray films, because banding artifacts can lead to false diagnoses. The eye is very sensitive to low frequency (1-8 cycles/degree) contrast modulation, having a threshold as low as 0.2% under the right illumination conditions. The design goal typically will use half this tolerance, so it will have 0.1% allowable line shift for the extreme polygon facet error. For a printer with a line pitch of 0.08 mm, the allowable error is thus only 80.times.10-9 mm. This requirement means that only a very small focus error can be present for the page cross section of the beam.
Scan line generating optics systems are susceptible to two types of focusing errors: those which cause deviations of the scan curve from a straight line; and those which displace the scan line from its intended generatrix line on the target drum. The f-.theta. condition correcting and other optical elements can be manufactured with sufficiently tight tolerances and alignment procedures to ensure the generation of an acceptably straight (i.e. non-arcuate) scan line in space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,441 issued May 25, 1993 to Blanding et al., discloses a method and apparatus for ensuring the proper placement of a scan line generated by the optics of a polygon laser printer onto a recording medium supported on a rotating drum. An inexpensive mechanism is provided for setting the x, z, .theta.x, .theta.z and angle of incidence positioning of the scan line. Beam source, shaping and scanning optics are mounted on a rigid module and adjustable means is provided to mechanically rigidly connect the optics module to the drum. The connection is provided by two inverted V-notched blocks that are selectively positionable in an alignment fixture relative to the module frame and which are brought into nesting relationship onto cylindrical surfaces of bearings mounted coaxially with the drum shaft. The V-notched blocks are rigid plates and rely on gravity, and possibly spring clips connected between the module and the frame of the printer to augment the nesting force between the V-notched blocks and the cylindrical bearing surfaces. It has been found that acceleration forces generated when the printer is moved, for example during shipping, and/or the clamping forces generated by the spring clips can result in excessive stress and deformation of the V-notched block material at the line interfaces between the cylindrical bearing and the V-notched blocks. Any such deformation results in a corresponding alignment shift of the scan optics with respect to the imaging drum.
There is a need therefore for an improved method and apparatus for accurately positioning scan line generating optics relative to an intended scan line receiving target medium in a laser scanner.

Precision assembly technique using alignment fixture and the resulting assembly


It is so constructed that electric power for actuating auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body may be obtained from an instrument panel wire harness by way of a control unit connected to the auxiliary equipments and having control function for controlling a specified one of the auxiliary equipments according to a detection signal outputted from the specified auxiliary equipment concerning the specified auxiliary equipment, and the detection signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment or a control signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment may be respectively transmitted to the instrument panel wire harness by way of the control unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering body which is provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and more particularly to a steering wire harness, a steering module and a wiring system of the steering wire harness which can deal with any change in design of a steering section without modifying a control board, and in which wire arranging performance is easy.
2. Related Art
A related steering module designates a steering body provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and which has a structure as shown in FIG. 5. In particular, a steering module (steering body) 1 includes a combination switch box 2, to which a wiper lever 3 and a light control lever 4 are attached. In this combination switch box 2, are incorporated a wiper control switch and a wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever 3, and a light control switch and a light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever 4 respectively.
By operating this wiper lever 3, controls of the wiper such as injection of window washer liquid, start of the wiper, setting of intermittent working time of the wiper, etc. are conducted. By operating the light control lever 4, controls of various lights such as switching on and off head lamps, stop lamps, parking lamps, etc. are conducted.
The combination switch box 2 is provided with a steering column main shaft 5. This steering column main shaft 5 is expanded and contracted by actions of a telescopic motor 6 thereby to adjust positions of a steering wheel (handle) in forward and backward directions. The steering module (the steering body) 1 further includes a tilt motor which is not shown in the drawing because it is located on a lower face side in FIG. 5. This tilt motor is adapted to bend the steering column main shaft 5 to adjust vertical positions of the steering wheel (the handle).
Numeral 7 represents a steering column upper tube. Numeral 8 represents a steering column tube.
Numeral 9 represents a key cylinder fixed to the steering column tube 8 and adapted to actuate an engine and accessory switches on and off by means of an engine key inserted and rotated in the key cylinder.
Numerals 10 and 11 represent mounting plates attached to the steering column tube 8. The mounting plate 10 is provided with a pair of bolt holes 12, 13 into which bolts are inserted, while the mounting plate 11 is provided with a pair of bolt holes 14, 15 into which bolts are inserted. The mounting plate 11 is further provided with a pair of steering energy absorbing plates 17 for absorbing backlash which occurs when the steering module (the steering body) 1 is fixed to a reinforce 16. This reinforce 16 is fixed between left and right walls of the vehicle for the purpose of reinforcing the vehicle body and formed in a C-shape in cross section. An instrument panel wire harness 26 is contained in the reinforce 16.
Numeral 18 represents a wiper connector. Numeral 19 represents a light control connector. Numeral 20 represents a telescopic connector. Numeral 21 represents a tilt connector.
In the steering module (the steering body) 1 which is shown in FIG. 5, wiring arrangement is as shown in FIG. 6. In particular, a wiper control switch 30 is connected to a combination switch 27 with its connectors 34, 35 on a wiper side engaged with connectors 36, 37 on a combination switch side. Further, a light control switch 31 is connected to the combination switch 27 with its connectors 38, 39 on a light side engaged with connectors 40, 41 on the combination switch side. A tilt and telescopic switch 32 for switching the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to the combination switch 27 with its connector 42 on a tilt and telescopic side engaged with a connector 43 on the combination switch side. This combination switch 27 is connected to a connector 45 on an instrument panel side which is fitted to an end of the instrumental panel wire harness 26 through a connector 44 which is provided on the combination switch 27 for connection with the exterior.
The telescopic motor 6 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 47 through a connector 46. The tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 49 through a connector 48. Actuating power is supplied from the instrument panel wire harness 26.
A tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 for controlling the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 51 by way of a connector 50. The telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 are controlled by the tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 through the instrument panel wire harness 26. This tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 is fixed to the body.
In the related steering module constructed in this manner, the wiper control switch 30 and the wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever 3, and the light control switch 31 and the light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever 4 are respectively contained in the combination switch box 2. Connectors 18, 19 for connection with the exterior are attached to this combination switch box 2. The instrument panel side connector 45 of the instrument panel wire harness 26 is connected to the connector 44 for the connection with the exterior of the combination switch 27 which is connected to the connectors 18, 19, whereby the wiper control switch 30 and the light control switch 31 are connected to the instrument panel wire harness 26.
A driver control circuit of a steering angle sensor 28 is provided inside the steering angle sensor 28. This steering angle sensor 28 is connected directly to the instrument panel wire harness 26, by connecting a connector 52 for connection with the exterior to an instrument panel side connector 53 of the instrument panel wire harness 26.
The tilt and telescopic control circuit 33 for controlling the telescopic motor 6 and the tilt motor 22 is connected to an instrument panel side connector 51 through a connector 50, and fixed to the body.
Such being the wiring arrangement, on each occasion where an outer design of the combination switch box 2 is changed, circuit boards for the wiper control circuit and the light control circuit must be redesigned, and it has been a problem that versatility of the circuit boards is low.
Moreover, since the various control circuits and the instrument panel wire harness 26 are directly connected, it has been necessary to prepare a number of connectors which are extended to various auxiliary equipments. Therefore, it has been another problem that wiring work becomes complicated and takes a lot of troubles, and workability of connecting the connectors on occasion of mounting the steering module will be low.
An object of the invention is to provide a wiring arrangement in which any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce, thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering wire harness includes a first steering wire harness which is connected at its one end to auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body and provided with a first connector portion at the other end, and a second steering wire harness which includes a second connector portion adapted to be engaged with the first connector portion at its one end and a third connector portion adapted to be connected to an instrument panel wire at the other end.
By constructing the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by simply fitting the steering module to the reinforce, and the workability of connecting the connectors can be enhanced.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering wire harness is connected to a control unit at its one end, and includes at the other end an instrument panel side connector portion which is connected to an instrument panel wire, and at least one auxiliary equipment side connector portion which supplies a control signal from the control unit to an auxiliary equipment provided on a steering body.
By constructing the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce, thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering module is provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and comprises a steering wire harness connected to a control unit at its one end, and including at the other end an instrument panel side connector portion which is connected to an instrument panel wire, and at least one auxiliary equipment side connector portion which supplies a control signal from the control unit to an auxiliary equipment provided on a steering body, the steering wire harness being fixed to the steering body.
By constructing the steering module in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, in the steering module, the instrument panel side connector portion is fixed to the steering body and face to a mounting face of a vehicle body side.
By constructing the steering module in this manner, according to the invention, assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by simply fitting the steering module to the reinforce, and the workability of connecting the connectors can be enhanced.
In order to attain the above described object, a wiring system of a steering wire harness is constructed in such a manner that electric power for actuating auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body is obtained from an instrument panel wire harness by way of a control unit connected to the auxiliary equipments and having control function for controlling a specified one of the auxiliary equipments according to a detection signal outputted from the specified auxiliary equipment concerning the specified auxiliary equipment, the detection signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment or a control signal outputted from the auxiliary equipment being respectively transmitted to the instrument panel wire harness by way of the control unit.
By constructing the wiring system of the steering wire harness in this manner, according to the invention, any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.

Steering wire harness, steering module, and wiring system of steering wire harness


In embodiments of removing noise from an image via efficient patch distance computations, weights are computed for patches of pixels in a digital image, and the computed weights are multiplied by respective offset values of offset images that are pixelwise shifted images of the entire digital image. The weights can be applied to the pixels in the digital image on a patch-by-patch basis to restore values of the pixels. Additionally, the digital image can be pixelwise shifted to generate the offset images of the digital image, and the digital image is compared to the offset images. Lookup tables of pixel values can be generated based on the comparisons of the digital image to the offset images, and integral images generated from the lookup tables. Distances to the patches of pixels in the digital image are computed from the integral images, and the computed weights are based on the computed distances.

Patch-based image denoising is a process of operating on a select set, or a "patch", of pixels in an image at a time (also known as a "window" of pixels) to remove/replace noise from the pixels in the image. For example, an image may be corrupted with some level of Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) creating a sort of "salt and pepper" look in the image. One patch of pixels is selected at a time to denoise the image by adjusting a grayscale vector of a center pixel value of the patch. In doing so, a series of comparable "search patches" is selected from the image and compared to the patch undergoing denoising. Based on distances from the patch being processed, the search patches are weighted and applied to the center pixel of the patch to linearly adjust the grayscale value of the center pixel. This process is commonly referred to as a Non Local Means (NLM) denoising process and it is generally applied to each pixel in the image to restore the image to its original color values.
NLM and other similarly complex processes, such as Block-Matching and 3D filtering (BM3D), can be applied to images in other ways to improve image quality. For example, these processes can be used to "upscale" a lower resolution image by providing comparable pixels to regions in the image. In other words, when a lower resolution image is upscaled to a higher resolution image (i.e., an image with more pixels), the extra pixels need to be created. Patch-based imaging processes can be used to create these extra pixels by locating pixels in regions of the image and inserting the comparable pixels.
Again though, current patch-based processing uses distances between comparable patches to weight a pixel under consideration. Patches that are farther away from a pixel being operated on may have less effect on visual appearance and are therefore given less weight in adjusting the pixel. But, the current patch-based processes determine the distances in a computationally intensive and inefficient manner. For example, in an image where there are "N" pixels and there are "P" patches being used to process the image with "K" pixels in each patch, current patch-based processing performs N×P×K computations. When N and P are relatively large numbers as is typically the case with high resolution images (e.g., images having N and possibly P values in the millions), current patch based processing uses substantial processor and memory capabilities. Such may be of lesser concern in larger computing systems. But, many mobile platforms, such as smart phones and tablet computers, have limited computing resources. In any case, reducing the number of computations in patch-based image processing conserves power and allows processing resources to be distributed to other tasks.

Removing noise from an image via efficient patch distance computations


System and method relates to a fuel control and distribution system comprising a fuel source, a fuel line, wherein the fuel source is connected to the fuel line, a fuel pump, wherein the fuel line is connected to the fuel pump, a main fuel line, wherein the fuel pump is connected to the main fuel line, a first remote transport truck, wherein the first remote transport truck comprises a first remote transport truck fuel line, wherein the main fuel line is connected to the first remote transport truck and wherein the first remote transport truck fuel line is connected to the first remote transport truck, a first tap line, wherein the first remote transport truck is connected to the first tap line, and a first fuel cap, wherein the first fuel cap comprises a first fuel level sensor, wherein the first tap line is connected to the first fuel cap and wherein the first fuel cap is adapted to be removably attached to a first equipment fuel tank.

Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation process, utilizing pressurized fluids to fracture rock formations. The equipment used for hydraulic fracturing, namely pumps and other equipment, are located at or near the surface of the well site. The equipment operates semi-continuously, until refueling or repair is required, at which time the equipment may be shut down for refueling or replacement. Shut-downs are expensive and time consuming. To avoid such shut-downs, fuel needs to be replenished in a continuous manner to functioning equipment while malfunctioning equipment is quickly removed and replaced. This permits fracturing operations to continue with minimal disruption to the functioning equipment.
Therefore, there is a need for a modular fuel control and distribution system and methods thereof.

Fuel control and distribution system and methods thereof


A waffle-iron type cooking apparatus is used as an apparatus for cooking and forming one or more sandwiches. Each sandwich has a totally encircling cooked waffle-type substance, with a filling opening, leading to a filling cavity, on one end and with the other end being unopened. In this way, the product of the apparatus is such that a filling can be conveniently added into the cavity, after cooking, to present a novel, and yet convenient, sandwich for eating without the filling leaking from the side edges of the sandwich. Alternatively, the filling can be re-inserted to the apparatus after being placed in the cavity formed thereby, for further cooking by the apparatus, in those cases where it is preferable to heat the filling as well.

Originally, the traditional sandwich-making process required no apparatus whatsoever. In other words, with two pieces of bread and a filling, sandwiches were formed.
In two respects, the art of sandwich-making grew to require two alterations. The first related to the fact that with certain fillings, the fillings would leak through the side edges as the sandwich was being handled by the eater. The second related simply to the problems created by, generally, the varying styles of sandwiches that became part of modern fast-food and faddish culture, including the various hot sandwiches so popular today.
With respect to the former, an example of the problem presented by the original sandwich relates to the use; for instance, a sandwich filled with egg salad and lots of mayonnaise. Such a sandwich, especially if filled too much would be quite messy for the eater, the filling leaking from the side edges of the sandwich onto hands and clothes. An example of the second type of sandwich is probably best exemplified by sandwiches which use pita bread and a salad filling, wherein the walls of the pita bread are so thin as to lead to the same type of mess as previously described herein. In other words, the walls break, and the filling, whatever it is, leaks through the cracks and openings in the pita bread.
As a backdrop to all of the foregoing, waffle-irons, in traditional form, have been a staple apparatus in food kitchens all around the world. However, a waffle-iron, in its traditional shape, although an excellent apparatus for cooking and shaping waffles, is not particularly useful for making sandwiches, since the waffle pattern of indentations and protrusions provides too thin of a cover for the filling, and also makes cutting into two slabs very difficult.


A method implemented by a network exposure function network element includes: sending first information of a monitoring event to a first mobility management network element; receiving identification information of a second mobility management network element from a data management network element, where the first mobility management network element supports interworking between a first network and a second network without an interface, and the first mobility management network element and the second mobility management network element respectively serve a user equipment in the first network and the second network; and sending second information of the monitoring event to the second mobility management network element based on the identification information of the second mobility management network element.

With development of an Internet of Things (IoT) service, terminal devices supporting the IoT service may be found everywhere in various industries. There is a high probability that a terminal device supporting the IoT service deploys power saving features such as a power saving mode (PSM) and extended discontinuous reception (eDRX). That is, the IoT terminal device is in a sleep state most of the time. The terminal device does not interact with a network, and if an application side blindly interacts with the terminal device, an exception occurs. Therefore, an application layer needs to learn of a status of the terminal device before interacting with the terminal device. An IoT capability exposure function provides a mechanism and a specific subscription event used to learn of a current status of the terminal device (for example, whether the terminal device is reachable, or a location change).
In an evolved packet system (EPS) network, a third-party application server (AS) or a service capability server (SCS) obtains information such as a status and a location of the IoT terminal device from the network using a service capability exposure function (SCEF) network element, or deliver some parameters (for example, an active timer parameter and a tracking area update (TAU) timer parameter) to the terminal device using the SCEF network element, to affect behavior of the terminal device. After receiving a capability subscription request of the SCEF network element, a home subscriber server (HSS) sends the capability subscription request to a mobility management entity (MME) network element, and the MME network element returns a subscribed-to report to the SCEF network element. In this way, the AS may provide a service for the IoT terminal device based on the status of the terminal device.
In a 5th generation (5G) network, a network exposure function (NEF) network element is a network element supporting functionality of external exposure of a network function. Functionality of the NEF network element include a monitoring function. The monitoring function is used to monitor a specific event of the terminal device in a 5G system, and enable, using the NEF network element, information about the monitoring event to be exposed externally. In this way, the network can obtain the monitoring event (for example, an event such as a location, reachability, a roaming status, or a loss of connectivity of the terminal device) of the terminal device using the NEF network element.
Currently, after the terminal device moves from the 5G network to the EPS network, or moves from the EPS network to the 5G network, continuous monitoring on the monitoring event before the movement cannot be ensured. Consequently, the AS cannot serve the terminal device based on the status of the terminal device.

Monitoring event management method and apparatus


A pressure control valve for controlling vapor pressure in a fuel tank has an inlet line from the fuel tank, a pressure sensing line from the filler pipe, and an outlet line to a canister for handling the fuel vapor. Fuel vapor flow through the valve is controlled by ambient pressure from the filler pipe and tank pressure from the fuel tank, with those pressures acting on two diaphragms within the valve to alternately allow flow through the valve during normal vehicle operation and to prevent flow during refueling. A pressure relief valve is connected between the filler pipe line and the canister outlet line to prevent tank overpressurization should the valve malfunction.

Fuel inside a vehicle fuel tank regularly produces a vapor which collects above the fuel and, if not released, causes an increase in tank pressure. Control of this fuel vapor is necessary to prevent overfilling and overpressurization of the tank. In addition, environmental concerns and regulations dictate that the fuel vapor be controlled so that it does not escape to the atmosphere.
Several methods and devices have been used to control and recapture fuel vapor, most employing a carbon canister to trap the vapor. These devices differ mainly in the type of valve used to route the vapor to the carbon canister and the mechanism for triggering the valve. Many such valves are triggered by insertion of a fuel pump nozzle or by removal of the gas cap during refueling. These valves include, for example, a vacuum actuated piston vent valve (U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,742, Covert, et.al.), a solenoid assisted float valve (U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,528, Saitoh), a two-way valve (U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,281, Uozumi et.al.), and a check valve (U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,404, Tagawa).
The valve type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,880 (Szlaga et.al.) uses spring-biased diaphragm assemblies to maintain sufficient tank pressure during refueling to prevent overfill. The diaphragm assemblies are arranged such that fuel vapor remains in the tank while refueling, but is routed to a canister when the filler cap is replaced and tank pressure exceeds a preset value. Several chambers in the valve allow the diaphragm assemblies to route the fuel vapor to the canister. However, operation of such a valve will fail if an equalization orifice (for example, bleed passageway 56 in FIG. 1 of the '880 patent) between chambers on either side of a diaphragm becomes blocked. When equalization of pressure between chambers does not occur, opening of the diaphragm may be impeded, thus hindering the vapor flow from the tank to the canister. Tank pressure could then exceed design limits. Such a valve design does not allow for the possibility of contamination and the consequent tank overpressurization.
Another valve utilizing a diaphragm arrangement for venting a fuel tank was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,508 (Benjey). This valve, however, has no mechanism to relieve tank pressure should contamination or malfunction prevent normal operation.

Automotive fuel tank pressure control valve


A method for improving the image quality of a thermal print image uses preprocessed image and color matrices, in which special combinations of black dots and black dot patterns are filtered out. These patterns are then replaced with printer-friendly patterns. This altering technique improves the image quality and reduces halo effects.

The present invention relates to thermal printing techniques and, more particularly, to a method for improving the crispness of the thermal printing image, with the reduction and elimination of halo effects.
Two-color, direct, thermal printing is a process in which combinations of colors, such as red and black, are imaged onto a coated paper. In the area of two-color printing, most of the printing is text based. The printing is controlled by an algorithm. The algorithm must be carefully coordinated with the design of the print head and the type of paper being used, in order to achieve an optimal image.
The method of this invention seeks to improve the image quality of graphics and other high resolution data.
The method of the invention uses a thermal printing paper type that is designed for red and black. Red dye in the paper has an image temperature that is distinct from the image temperature for black dye in the paper. Increasing the applied energy to the print head therefore causes a transition from red to black. Moreover, careful control of the dot-to-dot energy on the thermal print head provides distinct red and black color shades.
In two-color printing systems, there is a phenomenon commonly known as the xe2x80x9chalo effectxe2x80x9d. The halo effect is a bleeding of the lower energy color (red), after the higher energy color (black) has been printed. At the termination of the higher energy level, the black dots being printed develop a surrounding shade of red as the printing temperature decays. This decay, or xe2x80x9cthermal fallxe2x80x9d, creates the red border or halo about the black image. The magnitude of the halo is proportional to the thermal fall time.
The halo effect is known to be less perceivable when higher concentrations of black are used. However, the halo is not related to the amount of black being imaged. It is related only to the thermal fall time of the print head. The thermal fall time is constant, and is a function of the print head design. The result is that large black squares appear black, while smaller black squares appear maroon, or a combination of red and black.
Typically, real-time control (i.e., dot-history) can be achieved only in limited sections during printing. This is sufficient for text, but complex graphics, such as logos, coupons, etc., require additional preprocessing.
It is possible to preprocess an image in order to filter out special combinations of black dots and black dot patterns. These patterns can be replaced with printer-friendly patterns without significantly altering the shape of the image form. This pre-filtering method, which is essentially an off-line dot-history control, greatly reduces the associated halo effects. Pre-filtering of an image can be achieved using a printer or a host personal computer. The use of pre-filtering:
a) reduces the demand upon the printer or firmware,
b) can be applied to more combinations for which real-time dot-history can compensate, and
c) can be applied to the entire image.
The result can be previewed before printing, when applied upon a host personal computer.
A series of special algorithms has been developed, in accordance with this invention, for computing and adjusting an image to provide the best clarity under a certain set of constraints. These constraints are based upon the dot-history control and the thermal properties of the print head.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for improving a thermal print image. A series of special algorithms has been developed for computing and adjusting the thermal print image to provide the best clarity under a certain set of constraints. These constraints are based upon the dot-history control and the thermal properties of the print head. An image is preprocessed using image and color matrices, in order to filter out special combinations of black dots and black dot patterns. These patterns are then replaced with printer-friendly patterns. This altering technique improves the image quality, does not significantly alter the shape of the image form, and greatly reduces associated halo effects. Cell areas having a cell size of 4xc3x971 or less are the maximum processing area that can be achieved without deviating from the original image. A 4xc3x972 cell can be processed by horizontally copying a 4xc3x971 cell into its adjacent neighbor.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for improving a thermal print image.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for improving a thermal print image quality by filtering out certain black dots and black dot patterns of the thermal print image, and thereafter replacing these patterns with printer-friendly patterns.


A slide-type writing instrument with a dry prevention unit which allows a nib to be extended and exposed to an outside through a non-contact extension operation while sealing a portion around the nib, prevents ink of the nib from being dried up without using any cap, and safely protects the nib. A slide-type writing instrument with a dry prevention unit comprises a shaft to provide a body of the writing instrument, with a nib hole provided at a lower end of the shaft; a knock part inserted into an insert hole provided at an upper end of the shaft; a cartridge inserted into the shaft while being coupled at opposite ends thereof to the knock part and a nib, respectively; first and second springs coupled to the cartridge to elastically bias the cartridge in an axial direction of the cartridge; a link holder provided in the shaft and supported by the first spring; a link slidably inserted into the link holder and supported by the second spring, the link including a link projeciion to engage with a guide groove provided on a predetermined portion of the cartridge; and a spherical door having a pin slit to engage with a parallel pin of the link.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to writing instruments, and more particularly to a slide-type writing instrument with a dry prevention unit, which is constructed so that a nib which dispenses ink supplied from a cartridge is projected out only when the writing instrument is in use, and the nib is retracted into a body of the writing instrument to be sealed in the body when the writing instrument is not in use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, writing instruments are typically classified into fixed-type writing instruments, rotary-type writing instruments, knock-type writing instruments, and slide-type writing instruments. The fixed-type writing instruments are designed so that a cartridge is fixed in a shaft and a cap is used to cover a nib. The rotary-type writing instruments are designed so that a part of a shaft rotates to make a part of a cartridge be projected out. The knock-type writing instruments are designed so that a cartridge is projected out by a spring when a part of a shaft is pressed. Further, the slide-type writing instruments are designed so that a cartridge slides to be retracted into and projected out of a shaft.
The slide-type writing instruments have an advantage in that it is unnecessary to open or close an additional cap. However, the slide-type writing instruments have a problem in that a nib hole is formed on an end of the writing instrument, so that such a slide-type structure may be limitedly applied to only non-volatile writing instruments, such as oil-based ink.
Thus, writing instruments having high volatility, for example, a marker pen, a correction pen, a roller ball pen, a highlight pen, etc., must have caps, although it is inconvenient to open or close the caps. The reason why the writing instruments having high volatility have the caps is that ink of the nibs is dried up when the nibs of the writing instruments are exposed to the air, thus shortening the life spans of the writing instruments.
In order to solve the problems, there have been efforts to develop a writing instrument which prevents ink of the writing instrument using liquid or semi-liquid ink, or volatile or non-volatile ink from being dried up, while protecting a nib of the writing instrument.
In Japanese Patent No. 1987-0012570, there is proposed a writing instrument titled 'capless writing instrument with dry prevention unit'. The writing instrument disclosed in the document has a slide-type structure, and prevents a nib from being dried up while protecting the nib. When a user presses a push-button of the writing instrument once, a cover is opened to open a nib hole by a tensile force of an elastic cord. Further, when the user presses the push-button once more, the cover is closed, thus preventing ink from being dried up.
However, the writing instrument according to Japanese Patent No. 1987-0012570 has problems in that it uses the tensile force of the elastic cord, so that the opening or closing of the cover is not rapidly executed, and it has low durability, and further, a sealing effect of the cover to temporarily close a nib hole is very poor.
Furthermore, there is a proposed writing instrument in Korean U.M. Registration No. 172486, registered in 1999 and titled 'slide-type writing instrument with a tip protective unit'. According to Korean U.M. Registration No. 172486, the writing instrument is provided with the tip protective unit to prevent a nib from being dried up. In this case, the tip protective unit seals the tip of the nib while the products are transported and marketed, thus preventing ink from being dried up.
However, the writing instrument according to Korean U.M. Registration No. 172486 has a problem in that the tip protective unit must be discarded during the use of the writing instrument, so that the writing instrument loses a dry prevention function. Further, the writing instrument may be limitedly applied to a ball-point pen.
Furthermore from Korean U.M. Registration No. 174279, which was registered in 1999, there is a known nib dry prevention unit. According to Korean U.M. Registration No. 174279, when a push-button of a slide-type writing instrument is pressed, the nib passes through a cut slit of a rubber packing to be exposed to the atmosphere, so that a user can write with the writing instrument. Meanwhile, when the push-button is released or is pressed once more, the nib returns to an original position thereof, and the cut slit is closed by elasticity of the rubber packing, thus preventing ink from being dried up.
However, the writing instrument according to Korean U.M. Registration No. 174279 has a problem in that plastic deformation of the cut slit may occur due to frequent use of the writing instrument. The writing instrument has another problem in that it is difficult to seal the push-button, which executes a sliding motion, so that sealing efficiency is low.
In Korean Patent Application No. 10-2000-65693 there is a proposed 'writing instrument with inseparable elastic cap'. According to Korean Patent Appln. No. 10-2000-65693, the writing instrument is provided with an elastic cap. The elastic cap has, at a predetermined position thereof, a cut slit through which a nib passes. Further, a predetermined portion of the elastic cap, which is opposite to the cut slit, is in close contact with a guide groove of the writing instrument. Thus, when the cap moves backward, the nib is exposed to an outside so that a user writes with the instrument. Conversely, when the cap moves forward, the cap prevents the drying of ink. A middle portion of the writing instrument has the same shape as a body of a usual writing instrument.
However, the writing instrument according to Korean Patent Appln. No. 10-2000-65693 has a problem in that a portion around the cut slit may be stained with ink, because the nib is exposed to the outside through the cut slit. Further, since the cut slit is closed by a subsidiary unit, such as a rubber ring which may be easily elastically deformed, the nib is in direct contact with the cut slit and thereby is broken or damaged, and durability of the writing instrument is relatively low. The writing instrument is problematic in that the rubber ring is exposed to the outside of the cut slit, so that the rubber ring may be damaged when the rubber ring is in contact with an external object. Further, the cut slit may, be deformed due to frequent use of the writing instrument, so that efficiency of sealing the nib may be deteriorated.

Slide-type writing instrument with a dry prevention unit


The present invention relates to a device for introducing filling material (21) into capsules (22), comprising a filling device (25) for feeding filling material (21) to the capsules (22), a capsule holder (30) with at least one row of seats (31) in which the capsules (22) that are to be filled are arranged, a station arrangement with several stations arranged one after another, wherein the station arrangement comprises at least one filling station (5) and a synchronously operating drive, and a movement device which, at the capsule-filling station (5), executes a relative movement between the filling device (25) and the capsule holder (30), wherein the filling device (25) adopts, relative to the capsule holder (30), at least a first filling position for filling a first capsule and a second filling position for filling a second capsule.

The present invention relates to a device for introducing filling material, in particular powdery filling material, into capsules.
Capsules, e.g. from gelatin, which are produced from substantially cylindrical hollow forms with hemispherical end regions, are used frequently, in particular for medicines. One half of the capsules is filled with a filling material, in particular a medicine, and then the other half of the capsule is placed thereon in order to obtain a closed capsule. In this connection, the filling of the capsule is effected in filling machines which have to ensure a high level of precision when introducing the respective quantities in order to prevent faulty dosings of a medicine. This is why longer capsule filling times are frequently produced, which restricts a production capacity of a filling machine. DE 199 15 259 A1 makes known, for example, a device for dosing and introducing powdery filling material into containers where two filling units are arranged next to each other in a row. In this connection, it is possible, in particular, to effect a part filling by means of the first filling unit and a subsequent final filling by means of the second filling unit.

Device for introducing filling material into capsules


A wireless end-user device has wireless wide-area network (WWAN) and wireless local-area network (WLAN) modems. One or more processors classify when an application is interacting in the device foreground with a user. For a time period when data for Internet service activities is communicated through the WWAN modem, the processors use a differential traffic control policy to selectively block and allow network access for an application based on whether the application is classified as interacting in the device foreground with a user. The processors provide a network access condition to the application through an application program interface (API), and thus can indicate that Internet data service is unavailable to that particular application based on the classification. A different policy may apply to WLAN modem usage and/or to different WWAN networks.

With the advent of mass market digital communications, applications and content distribution, many access networks such as wireless networks, cable networks and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks are pressed for user capacity, with, for example Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), DOCSIS, DSL, and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) becoming user capacity constrained. In the wireless case, although network capacity will increase with new higher capacity wireless radio access technologies, such as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), and with more frequency spectrum and cell splitting being deployed in the future, these capacity gains are likely to be less than what is required to meet growing digital networking demand.
Similarly, although wire line access networks, such as cable and DSL, can have higher average capacity per user compared to wireless, wire line user service consumption habits are trending toward very high bandwidth applications and content that can quickly consume the available capacity and degrade overall network service experience. Because some components of service provider costs go up with increasing bandwidth, this trend will also negatively impact service provider profits.
The foregoing example of trends and issues is intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the art will become apparent to those of skill in the relevant art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

Wireless end-user device with differentiated network access and access status for background and foreground device applications