A polyolefine composition for preparing a polyolefine film having high heat-sealing properties. The polyolefine composition includes from about 2 percent to about 35 percent by weight of metallocene polyethylene or its copolymer and from about 65 percent to about 98 percent by weight of polypropylene or its copolymer. The metallocene polyethylene or its copolymer has a long chain branching index between 0 and 20/1000 carbons, a density between 0.880 g/cm.sup.3 and 0.915 g/cm.sup.3, a melting index between 0.5 g/10 min and 30 g/10 min, and a molecular weight distribution of less than 3.5. The polyolefine composition is fabricated into films by the blown film method or casting laminated method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polyolefine composition and to a polyolefine film prepared from the same. More particular, it relates to polyolefine composition containing polyethylene or its copolymer and polypropylene or its copolymer and a polyolefine film having heat-sealing property.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Polyolefine films, in particular films prepared from polypropylene have been employed as wrapping and packaging materials for a variety of product such as instant noodles, compact disks(CD), and shirts. However, this kind of film has high sealing or high heat-sealing temperature and low heat-sealing strength, and thus the wrapping or packaging efficiency using such a film is low.

Polyolefine composition and polyolefine films prepared from the same

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A continuous flow process for sulfonating 1,2.diaminobenzene comprises introducing a sulfonation mixture into a microreactor inlet of a continuous flow microreactor to produce a flow of the sulfonation mixture through the continuous flow microreactor. The sulfonation mixture comprises 1,2 aminobenzene dissolved in a molar excess of sulfuric acid. The continuous flow microreactor comprises one or more individual fluidic modules each having various features with respect to channel width and thermal management. The process further comprises maintaining a reaction temperature of from about 150.230 deg C. in at least a portion of the individual fluidic modules while the sulfonation mixture flows from the microreactor inlet to the microreactor outlet. Thereupon, the sulfonation mixture is received from the microreactor outlet. Finally, a sulfonated reaction product is precipitated out of the sulfonation mixture received from the microreactor outlet. The sulfonated reaction product is 3,4.diaminosulfonic acid, free of doubly sulfonated impurities.

3,4-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), also known as orthaminic acid, is a useful compound having applications in the fields of crop protection, pharmaceutical preparation, cosmetics, and dyes. Particularly for pharmaceutical preparations and in cosmetics, a strong need exists for having highly pure DBSA. Common routes for synthesizing DBSA involve the sulfonation of 1,2-diaminobenzene (DAB). However, known large-scale sulfonation processes for DAB suffer from the disadvantages of inadequate yield, impure sulfonation products such as doubly sulfonated analogs of DBSA, costly apparatus requiring extreme pressure-resistance and corrosion-resistance in the presence of acids such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, and needs for energy-inefficient distillation steps.

Sulfonation in continuous-flow microreactors


A semiconductor integrated circuit having a plurality of wirings and a scan chain including a testing circuit configured to detect glitch noise caused by crosstalk between the wirings and a plurality of scan flip-flops connected in series, the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a retention circuit receiving a data signal propagating a test-subject wiring, and a detection circuit receiving the data signal and an output signal of the retention circuit, detecting glitch noise occurring in the data signal, and delivering an output signal to the retention circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit test, particularly to a semiconductor integrated circuit that is configured to execute detection of glitch noise, and a testing method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because interval distance between wiring decreases in correlation with miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits, influences of crosstalk noise, which is caused by factors such as coupling capacitance in between wiring, on semiconductor integrated circuit properties, becomes great. Because of this, occurrences of chips having bad properties, which are caused by crosstalk noise, are problematic.
The term "crosstalk noise" refers to an occurrence of a change in signal level in a wire that is brought about by an influential change in signal level of an adjacent wire. Also related to crosstalk noise are glitch noise, and signal distortion.
"Glitch noise" is when wiring that influences adjacent wiring with noise, (referred to as "aggressor wiring" hereinafter) undergoes a signal change, generating a pulse in adjacent wiring having a fixed signal level, such a pulse corresponding to the time at which the signal level of the aggressor wiring has changed. Wiring which takes on crosstalk noise influence is termed "victim wiring". In a case in which the signal level of victim wiring is low, occurrences of glitch noise, which cause the low signal level to become high, are problematic. In a case in which the signal level of victim wiring is high, occurrences of glitch noise, which cause the high signal level to become low, are problematic.
On the other hand, the term "signal distortion" refers to a phenomenon in which in a case in which the signal level of the aggressor wiring and the victim wiring change at roughly the same time, and according to the influential change in the signal level of the aggressor wiring, the time it takes for the signal level of the victim wiring to change varies compared to a case having no influential crosstalk noise.
Crosstalk noise occurs easily in spots in which wiring adjacent one another are established parallel over long stretches. Because of this, it is possible to extract at-risk locations to an extent, during the stage of designing the schematic of semiconductor integrated circuits. By changing wiring arrangements of at-risk locations, it is possible to cut risks of crosstalk noise occurrence.
However, there are cases in which at-risk locations, which could not be extracted during designing of a wiring schematic, remain after changing target wiring arrangements. Even if not extracted as at-risk locations, there also exist cases harboring an inconvenience of crosstalk noise influence within manufactured semiconductor integrated circuits, due to fluctuations that occur during manufacturing. Because of this, it is essential to provide a test capable of detecting occurrences of crosstalk noise in a manufactured semiconductor integrated circuit.
Detection for whether or not glitch noise is occurring in victim wiring is carried out by importing signals that propagate through victim wiring, into a flip-flop of a scan testing circuit. With the above method, the time period throughout activation of the clock signal that controls the scan testing circuit is a timing window for importing data into the flip-flop. And the occurring glitch noise is detected in the timing window of the flip-flop, into which signals that propagate through victim wiring is input. However, in scan testing circuit, in order to improve the controllability of the clock signal used in a scan testing circuit, bypass circuits may be inserted into the circuitry that propagates clock signals. In such a case, clock signal timing of normal operation of a semiconductor integrated circuit, and scan test operation, differ. Because of this, glitch noise occurring during normal circuit operation is generated outside of the flip-flop timing window in the operation of the scan test, leading to cases in which detection is not possible.
There is also a method in which signals that are capable of generating glitch noise are taken in order to facilitate observation outside of a semiconductor integrated circuit, and glitch noise is detected by an outside apparatus. However, the number of possible target aggressor wirings can become limited with this method.

Semiconductor integrated circuit detecting glitch noise and test method of the same


A system, conferencing application, and graphical user interface for supporting standards based, multiparty teleconferencing, video conferencing, and application sharing are disclosed. The system includes a hardware platform such as a desktop computer, a network computer, or a workstation computer. The hardware platform includes one or more processors, and a system memory as well as input and output devices for user interaction. Conferencing hardware such as a microphone and speakers for audio content and a video camera for video content are interfaced to the hardware platform, typically through an I/O bus of the hardware platform. The system further includes operating system software residing at least in part in memory. The operating system controls execution of application programs on the hardware platform. The system further includes an application for participating in a multi-party conferencing session. The conferencing application generates a graphical user interface that includes a call control section for managing an active conferencing session, a phone control section, including video windows displaying video content of one or more parties to the conferencing session, and a mode section for facilitating access to another conferencing system.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The invention is related to the field of teleconferencing, video conferencing, and application sharing, and more particularly to a user friendly application and interface for standards based, multiparty conferencing.
2. History of Related Art
Conferencing applications, in which two or more parties communicate audio, video, and other information over a network such as a local area network or the internet, are becoming increasingly popular for business and consumer applications. Several characteristics of multiparty conferencing make it challenging to design an efficient and user friendly conferencing application. For example, multiparty conferencing is typically used in a networked application environment where it is not uncommon to experience delays in call setup because of heavy network traffic, latency in the sending and receiving of audio, and irregular video frame rate. Without a properly designed application, a conferencing user might assume that one or more of these symptoms is caused by improper use, a faulty connection, or some other cureable problem and attempt to interrupt or otherwise interact with the application at an inappropriate time. Moreover, users of a particular conferencing platform such as a video conferencing system typically include both knowledgeable users, who may have regularly scheduled conferencing sessions, and one-time users who are thoroughly unfamiliar with the specifics of multiparty conferencing. Unlike desktop computer interfaces, conferencing applications cannot be designed under the assumption that the user has a working familiarity with the system. Thus, a conferencing application is ideally designed with a simple, clear, and intuitive interface that permits competent use by the novice while simultaneously allowing a range of functions for more familiar and skilled operators. In addition, the growing popularity of teleconferencing, video conferencing, and application sharing has resulted in the introduction of conferencing standards designed to facilitate the development and growth of this emerging technology. Among such standards, perhaps the most widely accepted are the ITU-T Recommendation H.323, Packet-Based Multimedia Communication Systems (the H.323 standard) for audio and video content and the ITU-T Recommendation T.120, Data Protocols For Multimedia Conferencing (the T.120 standard) for data, both propagated by The International Telecommunication Union (ITU). These standards, both available from the ITU at: Sales service, International Telecommunication Union, Place des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 20 (website: www itu int), are incorporated by reference herein. The H.323 and T.120 standards rigorously mandate almost every level of call setup and management and are difficult to comprehend and use for all but the most formally initiated users. A well designed conferencing application must support and adapt the complexity inherent in the existing body of standards while providing a useable interface to enable productive use by casual users. Unfortunately, currently available conferencing applications fail to achieve one or more of theses objectives. Therefore, it is desirable to implement a teleconferencing application that addresses these issued by providing a standards based, simple, and user friendly interface that enables reliable and productive usage of a conferencing application independent of the user""s level of expertise.
The invention addresses the problems identified above with a system, a conferencing application, and a graphical user interface for supporting standards based, multiparty teleconferencing, video conferencing, and application sharing. Broadly speaking the system includes a hardware platform such as a desktop computer, a network computer, or a workstation computer. The hardware platform includes one or more processors and a system memory as well as input and output devices for user interaction. Conferencing hardware such as a microphone and speakers for audio content and a video camera for video content are interfaced to the hardware platform, typically through an I/O bus of the hardware platform. The system further includes operating system software residing at least in part in the system memory. The operating system controls execution of application programs on the hardware platform. The system further includes an application for participating in a multi-party conferencing session. The conferencing application generates a graphical user interface that includes a call control section for managing an active conferencing session, a phone control section, including video windows displaying video content of one or more parties to the conferencing session, and a mode section for facilitating access to another conferencing system.
In one embodiment, the call control section of the graphical user interface may include icons for achieving various functions such as a hang-up icon for terminating the conferencing system, a hold icon for placing a party to the conferencing session on hold, and a join icon for adding an additional party to the conferencing session. The mode section of the user interface facilitates access to another conferencing system through the use of a speed dialing menu, a directory server listing, or a call log history menu which appear in response to clicking on an appropriate mode key in the mode section. In one embodiment, each mode key in the mode section of the graphical user interface is associated with a color. In this embodiment, clicking a selected mode key changes the background color of the graphical user interface to the color associated with the selected mode key to provide immediate confirmation to the user. The phone control section may include features such as speaker volume and mute controls, microphone sensitivity and mute controls, a local video display window and a remote video display for each remote party to the conferencing application. In one embodiment, the video windows in the phone control section may be detached or removed for the corresponding video window and placed on the desktop of the system. The video windows themselves are preferably scaleable by dragging the side of a video window.

System and user interface for multiparty conferencing

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides an embolic assembly delivery apparatus having superior flexibility characteristics at its distal end, that is, at the point of attachment of the embolic assembly to the delivery apparatus. It also provides a method of using the apparatus to deliver an embolic assembly to a target site in a patient's body.

The use of embolic devices to prevent rupture, or to minimize blood loss in case of rupture, of aneurysms has become a relatively routine medical procedure. The basic approach is to deliver the device to the site of an aneurysm using a steerable catheter that is inserted in a vessel at a remote location and is then directed to a position adjacent to the aneurysm. A pusher wire, with the embolic device attached to its distal end, is then threaded through the catheter and beyond until the device is situated in the aneurysm. The presently preferred embolic device is a coil of wire, typically platinum/tungsten alloy, that when stretched assumes a linear helical configuration and when relaxed assumes a convoluted configuration that will fill the interior of the aneurysm. The convoluted configuration may be completely random or it may be controlled using shape-memory alloys. The wire generally has a diameter of 2-6 mils while the coils are usually in the range of 10-30 mils in diameter. The coils may be of any length appropriate for the intended use. Depending on its size, from one to a great many coils may used to fill a single aneurysm. Once in place, the embolic devise initiates formation of a thrombus that is soon complemented by a collagenous material that further lessens the potential for rupture or for significant blood loss should the aneurysm break.
Once a coil is in place in the aneurysm, it is detached from the distal end of the pusher wire. Detachment can be accomplished in numerous ways including mechanically (unscrew, remove key from slot, separate ball and socket, etc.), electrolytically (disintegration of junction between metals having different standard electrode potentials) and energetically (vibrational cohesive disruption). Electrolytic detachment is one of the currently favored method of releasing an embolic device due it lack of a need for complex remote manipulation of the connection and, therefore, its speed and precision.
In virtually all electrolytically separable embolic device delivery systems presently in use, the embolic device is attached essentially to the end of the pusher wire, the difference in electrode potential between the pusher wire metal and that of which the embolic device is constructed supplying the requisite potential. The pusher wire, however, is generally relatively stiff, a necessary characteristic that allows it to be controllably threaded through the catheter and beyond to position the embolic device at the target site.
While the current devices work well, certain advantages might accrue if the distal end of the device were somewhat more flexible than the pusher wire itself. For instance, without limitation, some operators might find that such a device provides a softer feel as the embolic device is positioned and released. This invention provides such a flexible device.


Circuit protection devices comprising PTC elements and circuits containing such devices. The PTC element includes a crystalline conductive polymer composition comprising a conductive particulate filler grafted to a modified polyolefin. The modified polyolefin comprises a polyolefin having a carboxylic acid or a carboxylic acid derivative grafted thereto. The conductive particulate filler is grafted via an esterification reaction to the modified polyolefin.

It is well known that the resistivity of many conductive materials change with temperature. The resistivity of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) conductive material sharply increases as the temperature of the material increases over a particular range. Many crystalline polymers, made electrically conductive by dispersing conductive fillers therein, exhibit this PTC effect. These polymers generally include polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene and ethylene/propylene copolymers. At temperatures below a certain value, i.e., the critical or trip temperature, the polymer exhibits a relatively low, constant resistivity. However, as the temperature of the polymer increases beyond the critical point, the resistivity of the polymer sharply increases. Compositions exhibiting PTC behavior have been used in electrical devices as over-current protection in electrical circuits comprising a power source and additional electrical components in series. Under normal operating conditions in the electrical circuit, the resistance of the load and the PTC device is such that relatively little current flows through the PTC device. Thus, the temperature of the device (due to I.sup.2 R heating) remains below the critical or trip temperature. If the load is short circuited or the circuit experiences a power surge, the current flowing through the PTC device increases greatly. At this point, a great deal of power is dissipated in the PTC device. This power dissipation only occurs for a short period of time (fraction of a second), however, because the power dissipation will raise the temperature of the PTC device (due to I.sup.2 R heating) to a value where the resistance of the PTC device has become so high, that the current is limited to a negligible value. The new current value is enough to maintain the PTC device at a new, high temperature/high resistance equilibrium point. The device is said to be in its "tripped" state. The negligible or trickle through current that flows through the circuit will not damage the electrical components which are connected in series with the PTC device. Thus, the PTC device acts as a form of a fuse, reducing the current flow through the short circuit load to a safe, low value when the PTC device is heated to its critical temperature range. Upon interrupting the current in the circuit, or removing the condition responsible for the short circuit (or power surge), the PTC device will cool down below its critical temperature to its normal operating, low resistance state. The effect is a resettable, electrical circuit protection device.
Conductive polymer PTC compositions and their use as protection devices are well known in the industry. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,237,441 (Van Konynenburg et al.), 4,304,987 (Van Konynenburg), 4,545,926 (Fouts, Jr. et al.), 4,849,133 (Yoshida et al.), 4,910,389 (Sherman et al.), and 5,106,538 (Barma et al.) disclose PTC compositions which comprise a thermoplastic crystalline polymer with carbon black dispersed therein. Conventional polymer PTC electrical devices include a PTC element interposed between a pair of electrodes. The electrodes can be connected to a source of power, thus, causing electrical current to flow through the PTC element.
However, in prior conductive polymer PTC compositions and electrical devices employing such compositions, the polymer PTC composition has been susceptible to the effects of oxidation and changes in resistivity at high temperatures or high voltage applications. This thermal and electrical instability is undesirable, particularly when the circuit protection device is exposed to changes in the ambient temperature, undergoes a large number of thermal cycles, i.e., changes from the low resistant state to the high resistant state, or remains in the high resistant (or "tripped") state for long periods of time.
Further, in electrical devices employing prior conductive polymer PTC compositions, poor physical adhesion (i.e., poor ohmic contact) between the PTC composition and the electrodes has resulted in an increased contact resistance. As a result, PTC devices employing these prior compositions have had high initial or room temperature resistances, thus, limiting their applications. Attempts to overcome this poor ohmic contact in prior PTC devices have generally focused on changes to the electrode design. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,882 (Kohler et al.) discloses a resistive element composed of a polymer having conductive particles dispersed therein and electrodes of meshed construction (e.g., wire screening, wire mesh, spaced apart wire strands, or perforated sheet metal) embedded in the polymer. Japanese Patent Kokai No. 5-109502 discloses an electrical circuit protection device comprising a PTC element and electrodes of a porous metal material having a three-dimensional network structure.
Other attempts at improving ohmic contact in PTC devices have included chemically or mechanically treated electrodes to provide a roughened surface. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,689,475 and 4,800,253 (Kleiner et al.), and Japanese Patent No. 1,865,237 disclose metal electrodes having chemically or mechanically treated surfaces to enhance surface roughness. These treatments include electrodeposition, etching, galvanic deposition, rolling or pressing. These treatments, however, increase the number of processing steps and increase the overall cost of the PTC device.

Electrical circuits with improved overcurrent protection


The invention provides a process for the preparation of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series. This process comprises                a) reacting aniline and formaldehyde in a molar ratio of 1.5:1 to 6:1, in the presence of an acid catalyst at temperatures of 20° C. to 100° C., in which the water content in the acid reaction mixture is <20 wt. % and a degree of protonation of <15% is established, and        b) increasing the temperature of the reaction to a temperature of 110° C. to 250° C. when the ratio of the weight contents of p-aminobenzylaniline to 4,4′-MDA in the reaction mixture falls below a value of 1.00.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series.
Polyamines of the diphenylmethane series are understood as being compounds and compound mixtures which correspond to the following general formula:
                wherein:                    x represents a number from 2 to n, and            n represents a natural number >2.
The continuous, discontinuous or semi-continuous preparation of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series, also called MDA in the following, is described in numerous patents and publications (see e.g. H. J. Twitchett, Chem. Soc. Rev. 3(2), 209 (1974), M. V. Moore in: Kirk-Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol., 3rd ed., New York, 2, 338-348 (1978)). The preparation is conventionally carried out by the reaction of aniline and formaldehyde, in the presence of acid catalysts. HCl is conventionally employed as the acid catalyst. According to the prior art, the acid catalyst is neutralized, and therefore used up, by addition of a base at the end of the process and before the final working up steps (such as, for example, removal of excess aniline by distillation).
Generally, it is known that acid condensation of aromatic amines and formaldehyde to yield polyamines of the diphenylmethane series proceeds in several reaction steps. These are explained, by way of example, in the following equation:

In the absence of an acid catalyst, formaldehyde first undergoes condensation with aniline to yield so-called aminal and water. The rearrangement that results in MDA takes place under acid catalysis in a first step to yield para- and ortho-aminobenzylaniline. The aminobenzylanilines then rearrange in a second step to give MDA. The main products of the acid-catalysed reaction of aniline and formaldehyde are the diamine 4,4′-MDA, its position isomers 2,4′-MDA and 2,2′-MDA, and higher homologous polyamines of the diphenylmethane series.
In the presence of an acid catalyst, the aminobenzylanilines are formed directly from aniline and formaldehyde. These then react further to yield the MDA isomers having two rings and MDA homologues having more than two rings.
Polyisocyanates of the diphenylmethane series, called MDI herein, are prepared by phosgenation of the corresponding polyamines. The polyisocyanates of the diphenylmethane series prepared in this way contain here the various isocyanate isomers and higher homologues thereof in the same relative amounts as the polyamines from which they have been prepared.
A controlling parameter for influencing the distribution of isomers in the acid-catalysed reaction of aniline and formaldehyde is, in addition to the molar ratio of aniline and formaldehyde, the amount of acid catalyst employed in the process. In this connection, the degree of protonation of monoproton acids, such as HCl, is the molar ratio of the acid catalyst employed and the molar amount of amine functions present in the reaction mixture. In order to be able to prepare MDA with the desired distribution of isomers, sometimes considerable amounts of acid catalyst (which corresponds to a high degree of protonation), and correspondingly considerable amounts of base for the neutralization of the acid catalyst, must therefore be employed.
Thus, DE-A-1 643 449 describes the preparation of MDA having a high content of 4,4′-MDA by reaction of aniline which has been reacted with acid before being reacted with formaldehyde, such that the degree of protonation is at least 25%, preferably at least 50%, and more preferably 75 to 100%. In this context, it is necessary to employ the acid catalyst in an amount such that the reaction is carried out in a uniform phase. Both the water of reaction and the water originating from the starting substances remain in the reaction mixture.
DE-A-10 111 337 describes the preparation of MDA at a degree of protonation of <20%, however, MDA having an increased content of the 2,4′ isomer is obtained according to the invention. This process also discloses that the water of reaction and the water originating from the starting substances remain in the reaction mixture.
It is furthermore known that the distribution of isomers and homologues of the MDA can be controlled, within limits, by modifying the profiles of the dwell time and temperature. As described in EP-A-10 53 222, a high temperature is advantageous if 2,4′-MDA and 2,2′-MDA-rich types are preferably to be prepared.
It follows from the prior art, that the increasing amount of 2,4′-MDA formed at a low degree of protonation can be at least partly avoided by low temperatures during the rearrangement. A low degree of protonation, however, means a lower consumption of acid catalyst, and also a lower consumption of base required to neutralize the acid catalyst after the condensation reaction. A procedure with a low degree of protonation is, therefore, particularly economical.
However, the lower limit of the technically realizable protonation, surprisingly, is not marked by limits in the adjustment of the temperature and/or dwell time. Rather, it is found in the processes described in the prior art, that the acid reaction mixtures become heterogeneous or two-phase in the reaction below a degree of protonation of 25% (see, for example, DE-A-198 04 918). This two-phase nature leads to problems in conducting the reaction.
Therefore, an object of the present invention was to provide a simple and economical process for the preparation of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series in which the acid catalyst can be employed with degrees of protonation of <15%, without the reaction mixture demixing into a two-phase system. It is at the same time desired that polyamines having low isomer ratios of 2,4′-MDA to 4,4′-MDA be prepared.

Process for the preparation of polyamines of the diphenylmethane series at a low degree of protonation


According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a stacked structural body, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The stacked structural body includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, and a light emitting portion. The stacked structural body has a first major surface on a side of the second semiconductor layer. The first electrode is provided on the first semiconductor. The second electrode is provided on the second semiconductor layer. The first electrode includes a first pad portion and a first extending portion that extends from the first pad portion along a first extending direction. The first extending portion includes a first width-increasing portion. A width of the first width-increasing portion along a direction orthogonal to the first extending direction is increased from the first pad portion toward an end of the first extending portion.

Taking advantage of its characteristics of having a wide band gap, a nitrogen-based group III-V compound semiconductor such as gallium nitrogen (GaN) is applied to light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit high-luminance light of ultraviolet to blue and green and laser diodes (LDs) which emit light of blue purple to blue.
Such a semiconductor light emitting device is provided with a p-side electrode and an n-side electrode. There are two types in arrangement of the electrodes: a "face-up type" in which the p-side electrode and the n-side electrode are arranged on the same side of the semiconductor light emitting device; and a "flip chip type" in which the p-side electrode and the n-side electrode are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the semiconductor light emitting device.
A "face-up type" semiconductor light emitting device can be easily mounted onto a package. However, current density distribution in the device is likely to be non-uniform, and accordingly the device is likely to have non-uniform light emission distribution.
In JP-A 2001-345480 (Kokai), a group III nitrogen-based compound semiconductor device is described. In the device having an outermost diameter of 700 μm or more, a distance between an n electrode and a point of a p electrode farthest from the n electrode is 500 μm or less. Further, various shapes of electrodes are proposed.
However, even though such a conventional technology is used, there is room for improvement in fully achieved uniformity in light emission distribution.


An array inkjet head and an inkjet image forming apparatus having the array inkjet head. The array inkjet head is formed by sequentially combining a first member, a second member, a third member on an upper surface of which a plurality of base modules are mounted, and a cover member that covers the third member, and the cover member comprises a plurality of opening holes formed along the lengthwise direction of the cover member to expose the head chips and a plurality of concave units formed on both sides of each of the opening holes and to have a predetermined gaps between edge units of the base modules to be coated with an adhesive.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an inkjet head usable with an inkjet image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an inkjet image forming apparatus having an array inkjet head with an improved sealing structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an inkjet image-forming apparatus forms an image on a piece of paper by ejecting ink from a printing head (a shuttle type printing head) that reciprocally travels, at a predetermined distance apart from an upper surface of the piece of paper, in a perpendicular direction (in a widthwise direction) to the moving direction of the piece of paper.
Recently, a high-speed inkjet image forming apparatus including an array inkjet head having a nozzle unit that has a length corresponding to the width of paper has been developed. In this case, since the array inkjet head is fixed and only the paper moves, the driving apparatus is simple, and thus, a high-speed printing can be realized.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an array inkjet head of a conventional inkjet image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a portion of the array inkjet head of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the array inkjet head is assembled by sequentially coupling a first member 10, a second member 20, a third member 30, and a cover member 40. A plurality of base modules 31 is mounted on an upper surface of the third member 30 in a zigzag shape along the lengthwise direction of the array inkjet head. A head chip 32 is installed on an upper surface of each of the base modules 31. The head chips 32 are respectively connected to an electric wire unit 34. The base modules 31 are fixed on the third member 30 using a locking means such as screws 33.
The cover member 40 is combined with the upper part of the third member 30, and includes a plurality of opening holes 41 formed to expose the head chips 32 and a plurality of locking protrusions 42 formed on edges of the head chips 32 so that the cover member 40 can be fixed on the third member 30. A plurality of locking grooves 35 is formed on an edge of the third member 30 corresponding to the locking protrusions 42.
In the conventional array inkjet head, after the first member 10, the second member 20, and the third member 30 on which the base modules 31 are mounted are sequentially combined, the cover member 40 is combined with the third member 30. Thus, the head chips 32 are exposed through the opening holes 41, and gaps between the head chips 32 and the opening holes 41 are sealed by coating an adhesive 50 around the exposed head chips 32.
However, since the cover member 40 is fixed on the third member 30 using a plurality of locking protrusions 42, and the gaps between the cover member 40 and the third member 30 are sealed by coating the adhesive 50 around the head chips 32, the following problems occur.
First, the adhesive 50 is coated further higher than the head chips 32 since the adhesive 50 is coated around the head chips 32 after the cover member 40 is mounted on the third member 30. As a result, the wiping operation of the head chips 32 may be impossible since the adhesive 50 protrudes higher than the head chips 32.
Second, since the sealing is performed around the head chips 32 using the adhesive 50, the sealing may not be properly performed, thereby contaminating and damaging the head chip 32 and the array inkjet head. As a result, ink can penetrate into the third member 30, and thus, the electric wire unit 34 connected to the head chips 32 can be disconnected therefrom.

Array inkjet head and inkjet image-forming apparatus having the same


The electric shaver of the present invention is mounted with the beard cutting blade portion of the inner blade moving in a reciprocating motion and rubbing the inner face of the outer blade having several slit ports for introducing the beard. The width of the outer blade becomes wider in a tapered manner towards the extremity. In a preferred form, the cross-sectional shape of the inner blade is an upside down "J", and a space for introducing the beard is formed in the lower part of the beard cutting blade portion.

The present invention relates to a reciprocating motion electric shaver provided with outer blades and inner blades.
The reciprocating motion electric shaver cuts the beard with the outer blades provided with ports introducing the beard and inner blades provided with plural inner blade main pieces that move with a reciprocating motion rubbing the inner face of the outer blade. As to the shape of the outer blades and inner blades of the reciprocating motion electric shaver, the type with the inner blade main pieces formed like a circular arc and outer blade bent like an arch fitting the arc of the inner blade, is widely known.
The reciprocating motion electric shaver with an outer blade shaped with a square cross section, is also known. The outer blades or the inner blades with a square cross section are much easier to manufacture compared with the outer blades bent like an arch, and it is also possible to make them narrower.
Therefore, with the reciprocating motion electric shaver that is provided with more than one outer blade like 2 rows of blades or 3 rows of blades, it is possible to make the head part more compact by making the outer blades square.
The reciprocating motion electric shaver of the prior art with square shaped outer blades or inner blades is shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. In these Figures, the outer blade is numbered 26 and the inner blade 27. The outer blade 26 is formed square, the upper face part 28 is formed horizontal, from each extremity of the upper face part 28, the lateral face part 29 extends down vertically. Each extremity 29 of the upper face part 28 joined to the lateral face part 29 is shaped like an arch to provide a comfortable touch with the skin. Then, from the upper face part 28 to the upper part of each lateral face part 29 slit ports are provided to introduce the beard in. Then the outer blades 26 are fixed to the head part, of the body of the reciprocating motion electric shaver.
The inner blade 27 is shaped square. Furthermore, on the inner blade, the inner blade base 30 made of stainless steel or other, has a square bend and in the square bent part several parallel slits 31 are formed. As a result, owing to the thin parts located between the slits 31, the inner blade 27 is shaped with several inner blade main pieces 32. Each inner blade main piece 32 is composed of the base part 33 connected to the inner blade base 30 and of the beard cutting blade portion 34 connecting each opposing part of each extremity of the base part 33. Compared with the base part 33 that is formed vertically, the beard cutting blade portion 34 is formed perpendicularly horizontal. The upper face of the beard cutting blade portion 34 is formed by the sharply grinded edge 35. The inner blade 27 is located at the position where it contacts and rubs the inner face of the outer blade 26 and it is connected to the motor built-in in the reciprocating motion electric shaver to drive the reciprocating motion.
The length of upper face part 28 of the outer blade 26 is designed to be a little longer than the length of the beard cutting blade portion 34 of the inner blade main piece 32. Therefore, there is a gap between the lateral face part 29 of the outer blade 26 and the opposing base part 33 of the inner blade main piece 32. Through the existence of this gap, the beard is introduced more easily through the lateral face.
The beard that has been introduced by the slit port 4 of the outer blade 26, is cut by the edge 35 of the inner blade main piece 32. The edge 35 formed by the beard cutting blade portion 34 of inner blade main piece 32 and because it is formed by the span A of the FIG. 3, will not cut the beard if the beard that has been introduced, does not reach this span A. Nevertheless, in the case of a vicious beard like a long beard, it is very often introduced from the lateral face part 29 of the outer blade 26, and in this case because of the existence of the inner blade base 30, the space where the beard is introduced, is limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 3. the beard that has been introduced from the left side of the lateral face part 29 of the outer blade 26, is obstructed by the inner blade base 30 and cannot reach the span A. As a result, a vicious beard like a long beard cannot be shaved and unshaved zones will be left.
Furthermore, the outer blade of the hereabove construction has also the drawback that it is not able to pull the totality of the vicious beard into the slit ports. It is possible to improve the introduction of the vicious beard of the outer blade by making the slit ports wider. But, when making the slit ports wider. the, consequence is that the skin can more easily be damaged. The skin is pressed into the wide slit ports, and cut by the inner blade that rubs the inner face. To be able to protect the skin, the width of the slit ports is made narrower, the introduction of the vicious beard is proportionally worthless. Being able to cut the vicious beard precisely with the outer blades and not damage the skin are two opposite specific characteristics.
Because the present invention has been developed to solve the above drawbacks, the first purpose of the present invention, reducing the damage of the skin, is to supply an electric shaver that can precisely cut a vicious beard.
By the way, square shaped outer blades can be mass produced at low cost, by embossing a metallic sheet. By this method, after having opened the slit ports by embossing the flat metallic sheet, the latter is square bent. By this method it is possible to produce a large quantity of outer blades with a high efficiency but it is not possible to produce an ideal shape that cuts very well. It is possible to improve the cutting of the outer blade by sharpening the angle of the edge formed by the opposite face of the slit ports and the outer blades of the inner face. But in the manufacturing process by embossing, it is not possible to manufacture an edge with a sharper angle. Furthermore, to improve the cutting of the slit port and the inner blade it is necessary to position the inner blade a little slant compared with the slit ports. With this structure, the inner blade and the slit ports, like cutting the beard with scissors, approaching and crossing together, precisely cut the beard. But to be able to realize this structure, it is necessary to make the slit ports and the inner blade slant, and the manufacturing is then more difficult.
The second purpose of the present invention, is to solve this drawback, that is to say, to propose a manufacturing method of the outer blades of an electric shaver, that allows a low price, and simple and easy large quantity manufacturing of sharp outer blades.
Furthermore, the inner blade 27 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is formed by folding one sheet of stainless steel at 180 degrees to obtain a horizontal "U" shape. Therefore, the inner blade base 30 is positioned opposite with a fixed interval. For this reason, because the width of the inner blade 27 gets wider only where there is this interval, this hinders the miniaturization.
Furthermore, because the process of folding the inner blade base 30 is necessary, the production cost increases. Then, to allow the folding, because it is not possible to augment the thickness of the inner blade base 30, the drawback is that a large mechanical resistance cannot be reached.
The third purpose of the present invention is to supply an electric shaver provided with an inner blade with a high mechanical resistance, miniaturized and that can be manufactured extremely easily.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following description with accompanying drawings.

Electric shaver and a method of manufacturing an outer blade


The present invention relates to a component (1) for a motor vehicle (5), particularly an exhaust system, which can be fastened to a carrier (4) of the motor vehicle (5) by means of at least one fixture (3), with a component housing (2) comprising a housing wall (6), wherein the respective fixture (3) comprises at least one holder (8) having an inner leg (9) extending parallel to the housing wall (6) and an outer leg (10) standing away from the housing wall (6) to the outside.

On motor vehicles, particularly on commercial vehicles, different components such as for example a fuel tank or a component of an exhaust system which for example can be a silencer and/or an exhaust gas treatment device which in particular can operate with a catalytic converter and/or with a particle filter and/or with an SCR-system can be fastened to a carrier, such as for example a support frame, a transmission, an engine block.
Usually, such a component comprises a component housing having a housing wall. In order to now be able to fasten the component to the carrier, at least one fixture is provided, which on the component side comprises at least one holder. The respective holder comprises an inner leg extending parallel to the housing wall and an outer leg standing away from the housing wall to the outside. In particular, the respective holder can be configured L-shaped or T-shaped in profile.
In principle, it is possible to weld the inner leg to the housing wall outside, for example through spot welds and/or welding seams. However, it has been shown however that the respective fixture in vehicle operation is exposed to very high mechanical loads. On the one hand, the respective component fastened to the carrier via the respective fixture can have a comparatively high weight. On the other hand, comparatively severe shocks or vibrations can occur while driving, particularly in off-road mode. These high mechanical loads of the respective fixture can result in that cracks can form in the welded connection between inner leg and housing wall or even in the housing wall itself, which can lead to a weakening of the respective fixture and ultimately to a failure of the respective fixture.
The present invention deals with the problem of stating an improved embodiment for a component of the type mentioned at the outset or for the associated fixture which is particularly characterized in that it has a comparatively high fatigue durability.

Abstract: The fatigue strength of the fixture (3) can be improved if the housing wall (6) comprises a passage opening (7), through which the outer leg (10) protrudes, while the inner leg (9) areally bears against the housing wall (6) in the interior (11) of the component housing (2).

Eberspaecher Exhaust Technology GmbH & Co. KG


An electric machine having a stator assembly that includes a stator core and a coil supported by the stator core and a rotor assembly that includes a shaft and a rotor supported by the shaft that is in magnetic interaction with the stator core. The electric machine may include a single sensor configured to detect magnetic polarities of the rotor as the rotor rotates relative to the sensor and to generate a signal representing the detected magnetic polarities of the rotor. The signal and an inverted version of the signal are utilized to control current through the coil. The current may be controlled indirectly by controlling the application of voltage to the coil. The sensor may be encapsulated on a circuit board to positively position the sensor relative to the circuit board. The circuit board may be mounted to a bearing housing of the electric machine. The sensor may be received in a pocket of a bearing housing of the electric machine so the sensor is positively positioned relative to the rotor. The rotor may be connected to the shaft with an encapsulation material. The rotor may be formed as a single cylinder of ferrite. A tapered air gap may be formed between a portion of the stator core and a corresponding portion of the rotor. The electric machine may be a C-frame electric motor with the I-bar portion formed of grain-oriented electric steel.

The invention relates to electric machines, and more particularly to electrically commutated C-frame electric motors.
C-frame electric motors are used in a wide range of applications including, among others, bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans, microwave oven fans, convection oven fans, furnaces, refrigerators, evaporative cooler fans, dishwashers, humidifiers, portable medical equipment, pumps, condenser fans, and the like. Improvements to C-frame electric motors that enhance performance and reduce costs would be welcomed by those in the art.

Electric machine including circuit board mounting means


The bur includes a shaft to which a bur head is attached. The bur head includes a plurality of flutes. Each flute at least has a rake surface, a cam surface and a cutting edge. The rake surface extends radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the head. The rake surfaces define the flute cutting edge (38). The associated cam surface curves away from the rake surface. One or more ribs extend radially outwardly from the cam surface.

A cutting accessory is an implement that typically removably attached to a powered surgical handpiece to perform a surgical procedure. One cutting accessory used to perform a surgical procedure is a bur. A bur generally comprises a head formed from rigid material, typically metal, shaped to have a number of flutes. The flutes are formed to define cutting edges. The cutting edges are typically designed to cut hard tissue, such as bone or cartilage. A shaft extends proximally from the head. A proximal end of the shaft often has a feature that facilitates locking the shaft to the powered handpiece. Actuation of the handpiece results in rotation of the bur. During a surgical procedure, the head of the bur is placed against a surgical site where a section of tissue is to be removed. The rotating cutting edges excise tissue away from the surgical site. Burs of various shapes and sizes are used in procedures such as orthopedic surgery, neuro and spinal surgery, ear nose and throat surgery and in other surgical procedures to selectively remove a section of tissue.
Conventional burs work well for the general purpose of removing tissue. Nevertheless, a problem associated with some burs is excessive noise/vibration and possibly chatter. Chatter is the escalation of the noise/vibration of the bur to a resonance level. Chatter is often visualized as a relatively large spike or group of spikes in the amplitude of the noise/vibration experienced by a bur. Some prior art burs exhibit better characteristics than others with respect to noise/vibration and chatter. However, when noise/vibration and chatter are minimized, cutting efficiency is often reduced. One such bur is the subject of the Applicants' Assignee's U.S. Patent Pub. No. US 2008/0132929 A1/WO 2007/010389 A1, SURGICAL BUR WITH ANTI-CHATTER FLUTE GEOMETRY, which is explicitly incorporated herein by reference. When cutting efficiency is reduced, the head of the bur must make additional rotations to cut the same amount of material thereby generating more heat. Thus, there is a need in the art for a bur that reduces excessive noise/vibration while preventing undesirable heating of the head of the bur.


A control system for a piston membrane pump having a pressure chamber is mounted on one side of the membrane, into which chamber a controllable loading and unloading device communicates, computing means connected to the loading and unloading device. Calculations occur in the computer that, dependent on, for example, the actual position of the membrane, the velocity of the membrane, the acceleration thereof, the pressure in the pressure chamber, the beat-frequency of the pump, etc., to determine the length of time for respective delay periods occurring before loading and unloading periods, during which periods hydraulic medium is brought into or allowed out of the pressure chamber by the loading and unloading device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a system for controlling a piston membrane pump embodied with at least one membrane, whereby the membrane can be moved in a controlled manner as detected by means of indicators and with a desired beat-frequency between two end positions in a pressure chamber to be loaded with hydraulic medium during suction and compression periods (for example, see periods S and P in FIGS. 2 and 3) , and whereby the system is provided with computer means, such as a microprocessor connected to the indicators, for the purpose of providing the computer means with position-indication signals, and a loading and unloading device connected to the computer means and the pressure chamber, for the purpose of adding and removing hydraulic medium during respective loading and unloading periods (for example, see periods c and d in FIGS. 2 and 3).
2. State of the Art
A prior art system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,528, for use in pumping aggressive or abrasive media. The piston membrane pump included in the known system possesses an elastically moveable membrane which separates moving parts of the pump from the medium to be pumped. The pumping motion of the membrane is brought about by using moving parts such as a piston, piston arm, etc., to periodically remove and add hydraulic medium from and to the pressure chamber during respective suction and compression periods. Electrical indicators, embodied as displacement detectors, are mounted on an arm fixed to the membrane, and these furnish a signal which is used as a basis for detecting the end positions in a range of movement of the membrane. The end positions, between which the membrane should move if the possibility of fracture is to be as small as possible, delimit the suction and compression periods occurring during the movement of membrane between end positions. Since leakage of the hydraulic medium between the cited moving parts of the pump cannot be avoided at the high pressures in the medium required to move the membrane to its end position, the hydraulic medium in the pressure chamber is constantly replenished and pumped off by means of a loading and unloading device under command from the position-indication signals furnished by the indicators. The purpose of this is to keep the pump-yield constant despite the different working pressures and varying viscosity of the sludge to be pumped. Loading of the pressure chamber with hydraulic medium from a reservoir occurs via a controllable filling valve in the loading and unloading device, and happens in the suction period i.e. while there is a relatively low pressure in the pressure chamber; on the other hand, unloading occurs during the pressure period, during an unloading phase which coincides with the pressure period, when there is a high pressure in the pressure chamber.
The known system functions under normal operating conditions with a suction pressure between approximately 1 and 4 bar (atmospheres of pressure), a compression pressure below approximately 120 bar, and an appropriate nominal beat-frequency of the membrane. However, if application occurs under circumstances which deviate substantially from the normal operating conditions, e.g. pumping a medium with a high yield at suction pressures substantially higher than 4 bar or compression pressures higher than 120 bar, the known system appears to be poorly capable of adjusting to the operating conditions concerned and functioning optimally in the working field.
The purpose of the invention is to provide a system for controlling a piston membrane pump, which system has a broader working field and yet functions in an accurate manner, especially when full capacity is attained.
To this end, the system according to the invention is characterized in that it includes computing means having inputs connected to the indicators, and in that the computing means is arranged to use the position-indication signals to calculate the duration of delay periods (as shown for example at e, f in FIG. 3) beginning around those times when the membrane is at its end positions, the calculation occurring on the basis of the chosen length of the respective separate unloading and loading periods (c, d) immediately following the delay periods (e, f).
The advantage of the system according to the invention is that the starting-times of the loading and unloading periods, which coincide with the cessation of the respective delay periods, can be freely chosen, along with the duration of the unloading and loading periods. If so desired, the choice can be made to depend on the specific operating conditions. Above all, the corresponding calculations of the starting-times and durations of the respective delay periods occur in an accurate manner in the computer means. In this manner, the possibility that too much or too little hydraulic medium will be injected into or removed from the pressure chamber during respective loading and unloading periods is substantially reduced, whereby possible overloading of the membrane, particularly at lower beat-frequencies and higher working pressures, is practically excluded, the lifetime of the system is correspondingly increased and wear in the system is reduced. As a result of the high accuracy in controlling the operation of the pump, the regulating system will enable stable and gentle regulation, without the system being subjected to continual filling, unloading, filling, etc.


The present invention is an ink jet printer utilized to enlarge color images. Signals from a scanned image are converted by a color correction computer into control signals representing the density of the individual pixels of that scanned image. The color density signals are used to control the application of ink from ink jet spray nozzles located on a pair of printheads. Thus, the ink jet printer of the present invention reproduces the image on both sides of a translucent substrate to enhance the quality of the viewed image. The present invention is further provided with dual air sources to apply the ink. A first air source is pulse width modulated to control the amount of ink sprayed onto the substrate. A second air pressure source is continuously applied to the ink jet spray nozzles to remove the excess ink that accumulates about the nozzles during print operations. The present invention, additionally, is provided with heaters and a wiper arm and sponge which operate together to enhance the adherence of the ink onto the substrate.

The present invention relates to ink jet printer systems for reproducing and enlarging color images. A scanner electronically scans an original color image to develop electrical signals representing that image which are then used to control the paint spraying of the larger duplicate image. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the ink jet printer of the present invention is a large format printer designed for producing color reproductions on an imaging medium for numerous interior and exterior uses including, but not limited to: signs, fleet graphics, backdrops, illuminated panels, architectural displays, and billboards.
With the development of scanning techniques capable of accurately reducing a color image to a series of electrical signals, systems using those signals to reproduce photos, pictures, and the like into enlarged images for use on signs, billboards, etc. have been developed. One such system is U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,371 issued on Jan. 5, 1971 to Suenaga. The Suenaga patent discloses a method for producing an enlarged multi-colored print by scanning an original picture. Electric signals representative of that picture are produced and used to control the rate of discharge of ink from a group of spray nozzles. Each electrical signal corresponds to a pixel and represents the density of ink to be applied to the paper. The electrical signals vary ink density by controlling both the amount of nozzle opening and the flow rate of compressed air past the nozzle. As the nozzles are opened, the variable stream of compressed air flows past the nozzle, thereby picking up the ink and applying it to the paper.
The above method of paint density control experiences problems in ink application. Densely colored pixels require increased ink flow, accomplished through large nozzle openings and increased compressed air flow rates. The expelled ink strikes the paper with sufficient force to cause a paint mist to form which settles back onto the paper in either previously painted or unpainted pixels. The misted ink on the paper may result in noticeable marks on the finished image.
Additionally, the mist settles on the nozzles, resutling in a coloring problem. Excess ink on the spray gun nozzles cause extra ink to be applied to the paper during subsequent spray cycles. The excess ink changes the color density of subsequent pixels. That is, the actual color of the pixels is incorrent from the desired color, thus changing the color of the entire image. The color changes are noticeable to the human eye and result in a reproduced image of poor quality.
An attempt to overcome the problems encountered in the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,522 issued Apr. 3, 1990 to Duffield, et al. The '522 patent scans a color image to produce control signals representative of the density of the color to be applied to an imaging medium. The '522 patent uses the developed control signal to operate four spray heads which spray ink onto the imaging medium to a desired density. However, unlike Suenaga, the '522 patent produces the desired ink density by modulating the amount of time the ink is applied to the imaging medium rather than modulating the intensity of the ink flow. The '522 patent attempts to solve the misting problem encountered by Suenaga by delivering the ink for longer periods of time under reduced pressure. Although the ink strikes the imaging medium at a reduced pressure, some misting is unavoidable, which results in ink accumulation on the spray head nozzles.
The '522 patent attempts to remove the excess ink by providing a continuous air flow about the nozzles of the spray heads. However, the design of the '522 patent is such that the ink accumulation is not prevented. The '522 patent does not solve the ink accumulation problem because it uses a single constant air pressure source. The single constant air pressure source applies the ink onto the imaging medium with sufficient force to cause misting, but is of insufficient force to prevent the ink from accumulating on the nozzles. The excess ink changes the density of the applied color, thereby changing the overall color of the image as described above.
Furthermore, because the air flow is insufficient to clear the nozzles, they will clog up and cease to function before printing of the entire sign is finished. Once the ink nozzles clog up, they must be cleaned, which is a labor intensive project, extremely wasteful of time. Although cleaning is a problem, the major concern with the '522 patent is that the image cannot be produced in one continuous print. If a reproduced image is not produced in one continuous print, color variations occur which are noticeable to the human eye. That is, incorrect color densities occur which result in the production of incorrect color shades. Thus, the system disclosed in the '522 patent is incapable of producing an enlarged image having the desired color scheme.
As a result of the difficulties encountered in the '522 patent, an alternative design of the spray head was adopted. That design is embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,651 issued on Mar. 12, 1991 to Duffield, et al. In the '651 patent, the continuous air supply about the nozzles to prevent ink accumulation was eliminated. Instead, housings positioned about the nozzles to minimize the deleterious ink accumulation on the nozzles are provided. The housings operate to shield the nozzles from the mist that results from the ink striking the imaging medium. Although the housings help to reduce the ink accumulation on the nozzles, they do not eliminate it. To overcome the ink accumulation problem, the '651 patent cautions system users to clean the nozzles and the face of the housings at reasonable intervals. Thus, the system of the '651 patent is incapable of producing an image in one continuous print, which again results in incorrect ink densities. Images produced using the '651 patent will have noticeable color flaws.
Accordingly, the ink jet printer system of the present invention implements a design which overcomes the problem of ink accumulation on the spray head nozzles. The present invention is provided with dual pressure sources, a low volume high pressure constant air source to prevent the accumulation of excess ink on the nozzles, and a high volume low pressure constant air source for drawing the ink from the nozzles for application to the imaging medium.


A method of installing sprinkler-head mounting pipes for supply of water to sprinkler heads employed for a fire water release system and a piping arrangement for sprinkler-head mounting wherein the joints each have at least two outlet ports and sprinkler heads are coupled to the outlet ports via flexible pipes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of installing pipes for sprinkler head mounting, and sprinkler-head mounting piping arrangement. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of installing sprinkler-head mounting pipes for supply of water to sprinkler heads employed for fire water release, and piping arrangement for sprinkler head mounting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, sprinkler heads of this type are arranged in plurality in spaced apart relation so as to enable fire water release to spread generally over the entire room space. Hitherto, it has been known to install pipes for sprinkler head mounting in manner as shown in FIGS. (5a), (5b), and 6, for example.
The conventional piping arrangement shown comprises a plurality of auxiliary water-supply pipes 5 led from and arranged in intersecting relation to a main supply pipe 1, and mounting members such as tees 16, elbows 17, and nipples 18 for mounting a plurality of sprinkler heads 15 at specified intervals to each auxiliary water-supply pipe, the mounting members being arranged in a suitable combination between each auxiliary pipe and each individual sprinkler head 15 as shown in FIG. 6.

Method of installing pipes for sprinkler head mounting, and sprinkler-head mounting piping arrangement


A plurality of pairs of segments to be weighted/added are selected non-linearly with respect to a time axis of audio data. A speed conversion is achieved by performing the weighting/addition on the selected pairs of segments. The non-linear selection is performed by (a) obtaining all possible pairs of segments constituting the audio data, (b) calculating a degree of similarity pertaining to each possible pair, (c) ranking the all possible pairs of segments according to the degrees of similarity, and (d) overlapping at least one of the all possible pairs of segments that holds the highest degree of similarity.

The audio speed conversion technology is technology for changing only the duration time of audio data while maintaining the fundamental frequency (pitch) thereof, and is implemented into a video/audio playback device for improving the audio quality of the audio data during trick playback. The following is a description of a conventional speed conversion.
According to the conventional speed conversion, audio data is divided into a plurality of cycles, and each cycle is further divided into segments each having a length of 12 milliseconds. Assuming here that each cycle is divided into five segments A, B, C, D and E, the following are performed in one of the cycles: (a) obtaining all possible combinations of the five segments; (b) calculating a degree of similarity of each possible combination, the degree of similarity indicating inter-segment similarity; and (c) judging, out of all possible combinations of the five segments, which combination has the highest degree of similarity. If a pair of B and C has the highest degree of similarity of all combinations of A, B, C, D and E, then B and C are overlapped such that B and C are played back simultaneously. B and C can be overlapped by performing the following in listed order: (a) multiplying the segment B, which temporally precedes the segment C, by a window function that gradually decreases with time (hereafter, "decreasing window function"); (b) multiplying the segment C, which is temporally behind the segment B, by a window function that gradually increases with time (hereafter, "increasing window function"); and (c) adding the segments B and C. A result of this overlap is B/C. Accordingly, if the above A, B, C, D and E are output in the form of A, B/C, D and E, then a time length of the cycle would be ⅘ of the original time length thereof. By performing the above-described similarity calculation and overlap in every cycle, a time length of the audio data can be decreased to ⅘ of the original time length thereof.
B and C can also be overlapped by performing the following in listed order: (a) multiplying the segment B, which temporally precedes the segment C, by an increasing window function; (b) multiplying the segment C, which is temporally behind the segment B, by a decreasing window function, and (c) adding the segments B and C. A result of this overlap is C\B. If this C\B is added to the above A, B, C, D and E, and A, B, C, D, and E are output in the form of A, B, C\B, C, D and E, then a time length of the cycle would be increased to 6/5 of the original time length thereof. By performing the above-described similarity calculation and overlap in every cycle, a time length of the audio data can be increased to 6/5 of the original time length thereof.
Known examples of the above-described speed conversion include a method for hearing assistance with a function for controlling the speech speed in audio data (Patent Reference 1), and an audio conversion device that performs the conversion linearly with respect to audio data (Patent Reference 2 or Non-Patent Reference 1).    Patent Reference 1:            Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H05-80796            Patent Reference 2:            Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H04-104200            Non-Patent Reference 1:            Suzuki and Misaki, "An Implementation of a Time-Scale Modification Method on a DSP," Shingakugiho, SP90-34, 1990.


Methods and apparatus of channel estimation using time-domain parameter extraction are disclosed. The wireless channel can be modeled by a multipath model with a limited number of parameters in the continuous time domain. In the discrete time domain, the multipath model leads to channel impulse responses that have a limited number of channel taps with non-negligible energy. Extracting the time-domain parameters and then reconstructing the channel yields channel estimates that have better accuracy. Time-domain parameter extraction also has lower computational complexity than existing methods.

Field of Application
The following description relates generally to telecommunications systems and wireless communications systems.
Prior Art
Channel estimation plays a key role in modern communications systems. When data is transmitted over a communications channel, the receiver needs the knowledge of the channel for data recovery, thus channel estimation is a critical function in the receiver. The quality of the channel estimation directly influences the receiver performance in terms of bit error rate and/or block error rate.
State-of-the-art wireless cellular networks employ highly spectrum-efficient transmissions such as high-order modulation and MIMO (multi-input multi-output). Such transmission schemes require even more accurate channel estimations in order to successfully recover data at the receiver. Typically channel estimation is derived from the correlation of a known pilot signal and the received signal. The accuracy of the correlation approach is limited by the correlation length and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can be poor when the channel changes rapidly or when the mobile user is at the cell edge. For example, in an OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) network such as LTE (long-term evolution), the pilot signals are carried by certain subcarriers in frequency domain, and the channel at each pilot subcarrier can be estimated independently. If, however, the mobile user is at the edge of the serving cell, the interference from other neighbor cells can be much stronger than the pilot subcarriers. Consequently, the channel estimation quality can be very low.
The accuracy of the channel estimation can be improved by certain optimum approaches according to various criteria. Among them are least square (LS) and minimum mean-square error (MMSE). Those approaches, when applied to LTE systems, however, are often computationally intensive due to processing of large matrices, the dimension of which can be up to several hundreds. This is far beyond the processing power in the mobile-user devices to date and in the near future.
Accordingly, methods, apparatus, and systems that provide efficient and accurate channel estimation are highly desired.

Channel estimation by time-domain parameter extraction


Techniques are disclosed for performing operations in a distributed computing environment comprising a plurality of computing devices implementing a Kubernetes environment. An indication is received of one or more custom resources of the Kubernetes environment. The custom resources are grouped into a commit set. The commit set is defined as an atomic unit which either succeeds or fails atomically. It is determined that at least one of the custom resources has failed to complete. In response to the determination, the custom resources of the commit set are reverted to a previous consistent state.

A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and various networking, storage, and other related components. Data centers may, for example, provide computing services to businesses and individuals as a remote computing service or provide "software as a service" (e.g., cloud computing). To facilitate efficient utilization of data center resources, virtualization technologies allow a physical computing device to host one or more virtual machines or containers that appear and operate as independent computing resources. The data center can create, maintain or delete virtual machines or containers in a dynamic manner. Many platforms use Kubernetes as a container orchestration system for application deployment, scaling, and management. In some cases, it may be desired to enforce dependencies between processes in the Kubernetes environment. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.


Disclosed is a method of imparting constraint in a biaxially elastic nonwoven laminate, and the constrained laminate itself, the method comprising providing a biaxially elastic nonwoven laminate comprising at least one meltspun elastic fabric and at least one extensible fabric or film; and fusing at least, or preferably, only a portion(s) of the at least one meltspun elastic fabric to at least one of the extensible fabrics to create at least one inelastic zone. Desirably, the at least one meltspun elastic fabric and at least one extensible fabric or film is biaxially elastic, and referred to as being “nonwoven” due to the at least one layer of meltspun elastomer. The meltspun elastic fabric may comprise a polyolefin-based elastomer or blend of an elastomer with a thermoplastic.

Typically, elastic components used in the hygiene absorbents market are designed to have either cross direction-stretch ("CD") only or machine direction-stretch ("MD") only. Products with CD-stretch only are usually for the baby diaper or training pant market where as MD-stretch only products are usually required or preferred for the adult incontinence market. The reason for these two different preferred orientations is directly related to the orientation of the garment and fabric feeds during the converting and manufacturing process.
Some level of biaxial stretch may be required for the more sophisticated adult incontinence garments. In adult incontinence garments, in order to maintain leakage protection, the product needs to fit comfortably with a high level of conformity over a large area around the waist, abdomen, lower back, and crotch. In order to do this the fabrics need to be able to stretch around the user's waist as well as to offer some stretch vertically along the torso of the user.
A unique approach to manufacturing a single fabric that combines both an elastic core with an aesthetically pleasing and extensible outer cover is to meltspin relatively high molecular weight elastomers to provide adequate elasticity and provide at least one softer outer cover or "facing" layer bound to the elastic fabric to form a laminate. The layered fabric construction would be biaxially elastic, making it more challenging to use the fabric in various hygiene converting processes owing to the force required to unroll and feed the fabric into the machine which can cause potential dimensional changes, narrowing/necking of the fabric, making the manufacturing process more challenging. It is much preferred in certain articles to have the fabric elastic in only one direction and non-elastic in the other direction.
To overcome the converting challenges posed by biaxially elastic fabrics, the inventor has found that calendaring can be utilized to introduce inelastic zones in the fabric. The orientation as well as the number, spacing, size and pattern of these calendared zones can be used to create CD-stretch only, MD-stretch only or combinations of both resulting in controlled levels of biaxial stretch.
A further advantage to this process is that it can enable the creation of "deadzones" or larger inelastic zones in the fabric. The importance of these in-elastic zones is that it allows the elastic wings and "ears" in baby diapers or side panels in training pants, or even in certain adult incontinence garments, to be more robustly attached to the chassis, as well as providing an attachment point for the hook/diaper fastening system. Without deadzones, concerns exist that creep and shear of the elastic fabric could occur adjacent to the attachment point to the chassis or hook which could cause issues with fit and function of the garment, resulting in increased leakage or failure of the garment to remain in place on the baby or adult.
Relevant prior publications include U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,073 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,717,028.

Biaxially elastic nonwoven laminates having inelastic zones


The present invention provides a light-emitting element that includes a pair of electrodes, and an organic compound that has a glass-transition temperature of 150° C. or more, preferably 160° C. or more and 300° C. or less, and a metal oxide that are provided between the pair of electrodes, or includes a pair of electrodes, and a compound having a spiro ring and a triphenylamine skeleton and a metal oxide that are provided between the pair of electrodes. It is a feature that the compound has a spiro ring and a triphenylamine skeleton is a benzidine derivative represented by a general formula (1) In the formula, R1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

Many of light-emitting elements that are used for displays have a structure in which a layer including a luminescent material is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, and luminescence is produced when an exciton formed by recombining an electron injected from one of the electrodes and a hole injected from the other electrode returns to the ground state.
Regarding these light-emitting elements, studies for improving a luminous efficiency and stability and preventing increase in driving voltage have been conducted.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a highly durable organic thin-film light-emitting element that is able to keep light-emitting performance. According to Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that a lower driving voltage for the light-emitting element is achieved by using a metal oxide that has a higher work function, such as a molybdenum oxide, for an anode.
In addition, crystallization of a material constituting a light-emitting element is cited as a cause of deterioration of the light-emitting element. Therefore, a material that is not likely to be crystallized is desired, and for example, Patent Document 2 disclosed a heat-resistant organic material that has a higher glass-transition temperature.
[Patent Reference 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-63771
[Non-Patent Reference 1]
WO Publication No. WO00/27946

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Light-emitting element and light-emitting device using the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A diode such as a cell string bypass diode or a reverse-current preventive diode exhibiting excellent heat dissipativity and preferably sealed integrally in a solar cell module. An N terminal (11) consists thickness part of 0.8 mm or above, i.e. an N substrate part (12), one thin part, i.e. an N thin part (13), and a P connecting wire receiving part (24). In a state where a diode chip (31) is connected, the thicknesses of the entire lead terminals are substantially the same, the total value of the plane area of the N substrate part and the P substrate part is 200 (mm)2 or above, and the diode with a lead terminal is sealed together with the solar cell between the front surface material and the rear surface material for sealing the solar cell.

A solar cell array has groups of solar cells (hereinafter called "cell string") in which a plurality of solar cells are connected in series, bypass diodes (hereinafter called "CST bypass diode") that are connected to each of the groups in parallel, and reverse-current preventive diodes that are connected to one or more cell strings in series.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of the circuit of a solar cell array. A solar cell array 91 contains a cell string 92a in which a plurality of cells (95a1, 95a2, and 95an) are connected in series and a cell string 92b in which a plurality of cells (95b1, 95b2, and 95bn) are connected in series in the same way. CST bypass diodes 93a and 93b are connected to the cell strings 92a and 93b in parallel, respectively. In addition, CST bypass diodes 93c and 93d are connected to other cell strings 92c and 92d in parallel, respectively. A reverse-current preventive diode 94p is connected to the cell strings 92a and 92b in series. A reverse-current preventive diode 94q is connected to the cell strings 92c and 92d in series in the same way. Bypass diodes for a single cell (96a1, 96a2, 96an, 96b1, 96b2, and 96bn) are placed to protect each cell from reverse current. Said bypass diodes for a single cell may be omitted.
In conventional approaches, there have been proposed solar cell modules in which a CST bypass diode, together with a plurality of solar cells, is integrally sealed between the front surface member and the rear surface member of the modules. The CST bypass diode for the proposed solar cell modules comprise a bear chip diode, an attaching section having conductive members arranged on each side of the bear chip diode (such conductive members constitute a mounting surface), and a base unit made from materials with excellent heat dissipativity, which base unit is arranged together with the attaching section outside the bear chip diode (refer to the patent document 1, for example).
Furthermore, a diode in which the upper surface and the under surface of the diode with lead terminals connected are arranged almost on the same plane has been proposed as a bypass diode for a single solar cell (refer to the patent document 2, for example).                Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-164910 bulletin        Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-277785 bulletin


The present invention is based in part upon the discovery that the use of pyruvate in enteral formulations, in combination with anaerobic exercise produces a synergistic effect in increasing the amount of lean body mass or muscle tissue in a mammal. The present invention relates generally to a composition for enhancing the protein concentration or muscle mass of a mammal and a method for enhancing the protein concentration or muscle mass in a mammal. More specifically, the present invention relates to the consumption of a composition which comprises calcium pyruvate and potassium pyruvate and derivatives of pyruvate such as pyruvyl-creatine and anaerobic exercise to enhance muscle mass. The method of the present invention comprises administering to a mammal in need of enhancing its protein concentration or muscle mass, a composition comprising pyruvate and the subjecting of a mammal to anaerobic exercise. The pyruvate composition can take the form of powders, liquids, pills, capsules, tablets, food additives, candies or confections.

Athletes engage in strenuous training to accomplish the goals of their sport. This strenuous training essentially amounts to trauma to the body, in that the human body interprets every strenuous work-out as a threat to its survival. It is known that muscle damage, caused by excessive training, releases the catabolic hormone prostaglandin-E2. Strenuous exercise also causes the release of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which is a pituitary hormone. The presence of increased levels of ACTH increases the production of the catabolic hormone cortisol. Cortisol is also known as hydrocortisone, which is a glucocorticoid of the adrenal cortex that is a derivative of cortisone which is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, cortisol is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory steroid. This catabolic hormone results in the release of amino acids from muscle tissue and prevents absorption of glucose. Cortisol, as a catabolic stress hormone, cannibalizes muscle tissue. High cortisol levels also result in the breakdown of connective tissue, lowered immunity and reduced muscle RNA synthesis. While cortisol may be a detriment to the athlete, scientists have conjectured that when the human body is stressed or traumatized, it triggers a "fight or flight" survival response. The biological design of cortisol is such that when a human is threatened, cortisol levels rise and mobilize the body for action by breaking down fat and muscle stores for emergency energy. Cortisol also reduces swelling in the event of injury. After the threat or trauma has subsided cortisol levels return to normal. The cortisol-stress relationship is designed for intermittent physical threats and not the constant stimulation provided by today's aggressive athletes. Ongoing training results in cortisol levels that do not return to normal for extended periods of time and thereby result in the breakdown or loss of muscle tissue.
After strenuous exercise, muscle tissue enters a stage of rapid nitrogen absorption in the form of amino acids and small peptides in order to rebuild the muscle fibers, grow and add new muscle fibers. During this period of repair and growth, it is important that the muscle cells have available to them sufficient levels of nitrogen in the form of amino acids.
Exercise is the repeated use or activity of a muscle group or organ. Exercise is bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness. Anaerobic exercise occurs when the activity results in the body incurring an oxygen debt. In contrast, aerobic exercise is physical conditioning involving exercise that does not cause an oxygen debt, such as distance running, jogging, walking, swimming, circuit training or cross country skiing strenuously performed so as to cause a marked, but steady increase in respiration and heart rate over an extended period of time. The most familiar form of anaerobic exercise is weightlifting; but handball, football and tennis are other examples.
Athletes that overtrain sometimes enter into a catabolic state. Muscle catabolism occurs when the athlete enters a negative nitrogen balance. People on diets usually have a negative nitrogen balance and therefore lose muscle tissue when they lose weight. In contrast, a positive nitrogen balance means the animal has enough nitrogen left over to synthesize muscle proteins.
The caloric requirements of a mammal are dependent upon the energy expenditure of the mammal. A hypocaloric diet is one that is under or less than the energy expenditure of the mammal. The typical weight loss diet is hypocaloric, thus the body will use energy stores such as fat and muscle tissue to make up the difference between the energy content of the diet and the energy expended. Thus, the animal will lose weight. In contrast, a hypercaloric diet will supply an amount of energy beyond that required for a given level of activity. In such a situation, the body will store the excess energy in the form of fat and/or muscle tissue. In the usual circumstances, the excess energy will be deposited as adipose tissue or fat.
The present invention is based in part, upon the discovery that the use of pyruvate in combination with anaerobic exercise, produces a synergistic effect in increasing the muscle tissue of a mammal while at the same time increasing the metabolism of fat in the body.
As used herein and the claims, the term "pyruvate" means any salt or ester of pyruvic acid. Pyruvic acid has the formula: ##STR1##
Pyruvic acid is a colorless liquid with an odor resembling that of acetic acid and has a melting point of 13.degree. C. Pyruvic acid is an intermediate in the breakdown of sugars to alcohol by yeast. The mineral salts of pyruvic acid, such as magnesium pyruvate, potassium pyruvate or calcium pyruvate or mixtures thereof are useful in the present invention. Sodium pyruvate is not especially preferred as it is known that sodium is associated with various negative medical conditions such as high blood pressure, water retention and heart disease. Further, certain athletes, such as bodybuilders, desire to present a defined visual image of their body which shows muscle definition and thus, the water retention properties of the sodium salt are not beneficial. Pyruvate precursors in the form of pyruvamides or pyruvyl-amino acids are also useful in the present invention. Pyruvyl-glycine is representative of the useful pyruvyl-amino acids. Another form of pyruvate precursor is pyruvyl-creatine, wherein pyruvate is bonded to creatine either covalently or ionically. Creatine or methylguanidineacetic acid has the chemical formula: ##STR2## and is present in the muscle tissue of vertebrates. It plays an important part in the cycle of chemical changes involving muscular contraction. Normally, creatine is the form in which creatine is excreted. Creatine is formed in the body by the methylation (by methionine) of glycocyamine.
Pyruvate has a number of known useful applications in medicine. Pyruvate in combination with other compounds has been described for retarding fatty deposits in livers (U.S. Pat No. 4,158,057); for treating diabetes (U.S. Pat. No.4,874,790); for retarding weight gain (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,812,879, 4,548,937, and 4,351,835); to increase body protein concentrations in a mammal through decreasing the deposition of fat (U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,576); for treating cardiac patients to increase the cardiac output without accompanying increase in cardiac oxygen demand (U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,641); for extending athletic endurance (U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,835); for retarding cholesterol increase (U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,162); for inhibiting growth and spread of malignancy and retarding DNA breaks (U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,374) and for inhibiting generation of free radicals (U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,909). All of these references are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,687 relates to compositions and methods for achieving improved physiological response to exercise. More specifically, this patent discloses a beverage comprising water, sugar, electrolytes, glycerol and pyruvate; and its use to ameliorate the effects of physical exertion. The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,687 are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,477 discloses the use of pyruvate in a liquid composition that is used to prevent weight loss in agricultural animals resulting from dehydration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,650 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,684 discloses and claims a fluid composition comprising water, electrolytes, sugar, glycerol, lactate and pyruvate. The teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,147,650 and 5,238,684 are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,712 discloses and claims a beverage containing water, electrolytes, pyruvate and alanine in a concentration of from about 0.5% to about 10%. The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,712 are incorporated herein by reference.
Pyruvate in various forms has been proposed for enteral administration and for parenteral administration. Typically, pyruvates are available in the form of salts, for example, calcium pyruvate and sodium pyruvate. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,283,260 and 5,256,697 disclose uses for the pyruvyl-amino acids and methods for their production.
Pyruvate has been administered to mammals enterally or parenterally typically at superphysiological levels. The amount of pyruvate administered generally ranges from 0.5 to 20% of the mammal's daily caloric intake. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this would range from 2.5-100 grams per day of pyruvate. For enteral consumption, the pyruvate may be disbursed or dissolved in a beverage product or may be included in cookies, candies or other foods. Pyruvate may also be introduced as an aqueous solution parenterally.
Protein supplementation for serious athletes, such as body builders, is well accepted and is well known to increase the muscle mass of the athlete. Typically recommended dosages range between 2.0 and 3.5 gms of quality protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Numerous sources for the protein supplements are known, such as milk, egg, soy, beef and vegetable protein. Isolated fractions of these sources are also known such as ion-exchange whey protein, caseinates, whey protein concentrates, immunoglobulin and egg albumin. Protein supplements typically are provided as powders. It is also known to provide protein supplementation in the form of peptides (hydrolyzed protein) or even free amino acids. These approaches have two major limitations; cost and taste.
There are more than 600 skeletal muscles in the body. Skeletal muscles are also called "voluntary muscles" because they are responsible for purposeful movement of the body such as running and jumping. The brain sends signals to each and every skeletal muscle fiber enabling us to perform actions when we wish to do them.
There are three (3) different types of muscle in the body: skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. All three types of muscle are composed of fibers that permit movement through coordinated contraction and relaxation. At the microscopic level, the three types of muscle share a common mechanism for contracting. The basic working elements are actin and myosin filaments. When a muscle contracts, the individual myosin filaments slide over the actin filaments, much like an extendable ladder does when it closes. This causes the overall length of the muscle to shorten. One surprising aspect of the present invention is that a special mixture of potassium and calcium salts of pyruvate can be effective in increasing the muscle mass in a mammal when consumed in conjunction with anaerobic exercise.
In view of the present disclosure or through the practice of the present invention, other advantages or solutions to other problems will become apparent.

Method for increasing muscle mass in a mammal