A VIBER vibrating mechanism is coupled to a cannula or needle and operates to provide flexural vibrations to move the needle and to enable detection of the position of a needle within a body of interest by a color ultrasound imaging system. The VIBER mechanism exhibits multiple modes of oscillation when energized. The VIBER mechanism is excited to exhibit predetermined oscillations at a given frequency in the X plane, a predetermined oscillation at another frequency in the Y plane and still another frequency of oscillation in the Z plane. In this manner, the VIBER mechanism device exhibits motion in all three planes, which motion is detectable by a conventional color ultrasound imaging system. The frequency of oscillation is a function of the entire system, namely the VIBER mechanism, the needle or cannula which is attached to the VIBER mechanism and the tissue. The resonant frequency is preferred as it provides larger vibrational amplitudes. In this manner, a resonant frequency is controlled by means of a feedback control loop, whereby the frequency applied to the VIBER mechanism is monitored to determine resonance and is held at the resonant frequency as the VIBER mechanism or needle is moved. The vibration in the representative planes causes a typical conventional color ultrasound imaging system to display the vibration or movement by means of a color variation. By viewing the display, a system operator, such as a physician can visualize the location of the needle because of the color indication provided by the display.

As is well known in the medical profession, ultrasonic imaging is utilized to enable a physician to view an internal area of a patient's body that is of concern to the physician. For example, ultrasonic imaging is utilized in procedures such as the biopsy of possibly malignant tumors, and so on. In a biopsy procedure, an interventional medical device, such as a biopsy needle, is inserted into the patient and moved to the internal area imaged by an ultrasonic imaging system. It is an objective during such procedures for the physician to clearly visualize tint needle arid therefore monitor the movement of the needle through the body as it approaches the tissue masses for removal by the biopsy needle.
There are various approaches, employing various means, to enable a user to view the movement of a needle as it is guided through a patient's body or otherwise. Particular reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,910 entitled ULTRASONIC IMAGING OF BIOPSY NEEDLE issued on Mar. 17, 1992 to Jeffry E. Powers (the '910 patent). This patent describes a system for imaging a biopsy needle with ultrasound, wherein the needle causes a Doppler response in a color ultrasonic imaging system through controlled, highly directional motion produced by the reciprocation of the needle tip. The '910 patent describes a biopsy needle which includes a hollow cannula that carries a removable stylet. There are shown means for reciprocating the stylet which is coupled to the proximal end of the stylet and the distal tip of the stylet is reciprocated at the distal end of the cannula. This motion is a reciprocal motion that is detected through Doppler interrogation of the imaged body region at which the biopsy is being performed. The Doppler shift occurring at the needle tip is detected and displayed in the image of the body region being scanned by the color ultrasonic imaging system. This allows the needle tip to be monitored as it approaches the tissue to be biopsied. This particular apparatus is described in conjunction with a color flow imaging system such as that employed in the Ultramark 9 colorflow imaging system available from Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc., of Bothell, Wash. In any event, the apparatus described attempts to reciprocate a biopsy needle over a relatively wide range of frequencies and the reciprocation of the needle tip results in a Doppler shift which is detectable by the ultrasonic imaging system, via Doppler signal interrogation.
As indicated above, the '910 patent depicts the use of reciprocating motion along the axis of a needle by the stylet (the inner, solid element within the hollow tube which is the outside of the needle, the cannula). This method depends upon the tip of the stylet extending out from the cannula, and moving the tissue near the tip. This motion is detected by the colorflow imaging system and shown as color. The described method, therefore, only shows the tip of the needle, and will not show the tip if the tissue is liquid, such as the necrotic center of tumors, or at right angles to the ultrasound beam. In the described method, a driver is in the hub of the needle, requiring specially prepared needles or other such devices for use in the described system.
Other methods also utilize ultrasound imaging techniques which are well suited for soft tissue analysis. In this regard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,278 entitled ANNULAR ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCERS EMPLOYING CURVED SURFACES USEFUL IN CATHETER LOCALIZATION, which issued on Dec. 31, 1991 to Vilkomerson, et al. This patent discloses an annular ultrasonic transducer that is sensitive over a broad range of angles of incident acoustic beams and which is mounted on a catheter or other medical device. By utilizing an ultrasonic imaging system, the position of the transducer on the catheter during ultrasonic scanning modes can be ascertained and incorporated into the image generated by the imaging system. As in the case of the system described in the '910 patent, only one point of the medical device is detected and displayed.
The color ultrasound imaging described in the '910 patent is a relatively new form of ultrasound imaging. Reference is also made to an article entitled "Medical Ultrasonic Imaging--State or The Art and Future", Electro-International Conference Record, Region 1, Central New England (Council, METSAC, IEEE and New England and New York Chapters, ERA, Apr. 16-18, 1991, pp. 64-65 by Vilkomerson, D., Gardineer, B., and Lyons, D for background information on color ultrasound imaging.
Color imaging has also been utilized in ultrasound systems used to measure blood velocity. The prior art recognizes that moving blood cells reflect ultrasonic energy that is Doppler shifted in frequency. Therefore, the velocity of the blood may be measured by utilizing an ultrasound imaging system. Moreover, ultrasound imaging systems have been utilized to locate the best point in a blood vessel in which to measure blood velocity by measurement of the Doppler shift. The Doppler shift in back-scattered ultrasound at a point in a blood vessel is measured by the detection of quadrature time samples of the back-scattered signal. This technique entails the monodyne detection of the signal in conjunction with sine and cosine mixing at a transmitted frequency in order to detect real and imaginary parts of a signal vector at a sampling time. The signal vector, which is a sum of the individual signal vectors from each blood cell, changes slowly (assuming the blood cells stay in the same relative positions) but advances or retreats in phase depending upon whether the blood cells are coming toward a transducer or away.
FIG. 1 (prior art) shows the result of two measurements in time of a signal vector 20. If the signal vector 20 is obtained at time t.sub.1, and after a time t the signal vector 20 is obtained from the same blood sample at time t.sub.2, the signal vector 20 will have advanced, in a counterclockwise direction, from .theta.(t.sub.1) to .theta.(t.sub.2). Continued measurements of the signal vector show that the signal vector rotates at a rate f.sub.d, which can be shown to be a Doppler frequency as calculated by a standard physics formula. The Doppler frequency or frequencies can then be analyzed by a spectrum analyzer in order to show the distribution of blood velocities as a function of time. However, Doppler information over the entire image frame is not provided with this technique. Furthermore, the Doppler ultrasound signal path is independent of the image ultrasound signal path.
In order to overcome these deficiencies, the prior art noted that the measurements depicted in FIG. 1 are enough to determine the blood velocity. The phase shift shown in FIG. 1 is proportional to the distance in wavelengths that the blood cells have moved. In addition, since the time interval between measurements is known, dividing the distance that the blood vessels have moved by the time interval between measurements yields the blood velocity. Since two samples at a point in a blood vessel were sufficient to calculate blood velocity, imaging pulses are then employed to determine blood velocity. Therefore, the velocity of the blood cells could be determined at every point in the ultrasonic image display. Furthermore, in the known blood velocity system, the velocity of the blood cells is provided on an image display with the pixels in the image display colored as a function of the velocity of the blood cells at every point.
Color ultrasound imaging systems are sensitive to the relatively small motion of blood in arteries, to displacements measured in microns. Typical state of the art systems are able to show velocity in the 1 to 100 centimeters per second (cm/sec) or more range on a color image display. In order to accomplish this, the first and second imaging pulses are produced every 80 to 330 microseconds (.mu.sec) depending on the scale of the velocity to be detected. If a 5 cm/sec velocity is detected where the sampling interval of the imaging pulses is 118 .mu.sec, the displacement of the point is 5 cm/sec times 118 .mu.sec, or approximately 6 microns. Therefore, small vibratory motions, on the order of microns, are detectable by color flow imaging.
Furthermore, there are commercially available needles with grooved tips, (e.g., the Echotip from W. Cook and Co.), to reflect ultrasound better to attempt to make the needles more visible in an ultrasound image.
In terms of additional background, some years ago physicians noticed color images appearing when needles were advanced through tissue (McNamara, M. P., AJR 152, p. 1123 (1989), Kurohiji et al., J. Ultrasound Med 9: pp. 243-245, 1990). Kimme-Smith et al., in a paper given at the AIUM, in February 1991 (see abstract in Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Volume 10, Number 3, p. 64) described making a needle visible on a colorflow imaging system by using a 400 Hz buzzer, an extension of the previous observations. The impression given in the Kimme-Smith article is that the buzzer acts in a reciprocating motion in the same manner as is done by hand, although the article is not clear on what exactly was done. The authors do not report consistent visualization using their method.

Apparatus and method for locating an interventional medical device with a ultrasound color imaging system


A golf swing training device is described which provides visual and audible indicators to guide the golfer's visual focus thereby enhancing hand-eye coordination and providing audible feedback as the accuracy of the golf swing. This invention solves the outside-in and inside-out golf swing training problem with device and method which lightweight, easy to set up, adjustable, durable, that is capable of withstanding a direct club hit and requires no attachment to the golfer. This invention operates on the principle of training the golfer's eyes to focus on the intended swing path rather than merely providing a golf stance trainer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the techniques and devices for teaching or training correct swing techniques to golfers. More specifically, this invention provides an apparatus which can be used to train golfers to employ correct eye-body coordination to recognize and improve their golf swings, permitting the trained golfers to learn to consistently hit the ball with greater accuracy by correcting the common outside-in swing path problem. Furthermore, this invention provides an apparatus which is easily carried and used by the golfer and which is adaptable to a wide variety of clubs, the needs of nearly all golfers, and both right and left-handed golfers. Moreover, this invention provides both visual guidance and audible feedback to the golfer user.
2. Description of Related Art
Golf skill training devices and the problems they purport to address are well known in the art. It is common to use various devices to teach golfers how to improve their golf skills. For many years golf professionals have experimented with many techniques and drills to help golfers solve the specific problem of an outside-in swing path. Generally, these techniques involve some combination of instruction, "mechanical thoughts," and mechanical corrections to swing. These approaches have limited, generally temporary success.
A large body of related art patents have been issued to devices for the improvement of golf swings. However, the applicant is unaware of any device or system that encompasses the combination of useful features that are embodied in this invention. In general, related art patents fall into three general classifications, as follows: (1) A group of devices which may be generally described as having a generally upwardly extending structure, employing rather complicated and inflexible guide surfaces, but which do not disclose the combination of flat strips and visual indicators of the present invention. (2) A group of mats or generally flat mechanical devices which typically do not provide the flexibility and the eye-body training of the present invention. (3) A group of devices, some of which employ flat strips or are foldable, but which fail to include the line of sight training that is the heart of the present invention.
For general background the reader is directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,208,995, 3,350,101, 3,542,369, 3,550,946, 3,561,764, 3,580,584, 3,920,248, 4,164,352, 4,384,718, 4,526,373, 4,544,161, 4,718,674, 4,736,952, 4,779,872, 4,784,393, 4,786,057, 4,852,881, 4,871,175, 4,913,440, 4,915,387, 4,930,786, 5,035,433, 5,110,133, 5,139,263, 5,171,017, 5,221,089, 5,255,921, 5,275,570, 5,294,125, 5,306,011, 5,338,037, 5,350,177, 5,375,833, 5,398,937, 5,415,407, 5,423,548, 5,433,445, 5,478,081, 5,492,330, 5,527,037, 5,529,305, 5,577,967, 5,582,551, 5,595,545, Re. 32,397, and United Kingdom Patent Nos. 16,930 and 5,91,840 and Australian Patent No. AU-B-24759/88, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material disclosed therein.
The advantages of this invention over the existing devices include that it is designed specifically (1) to focus the golfer's eyes away from the ball to a position inside and in back of the target line thereby focusing the golfer on the pre-impact golf head swing path, making it much more likely that the golfer will swing the club on the correct path; (2) to utilize the golfer's natural eye-hand coordination to improve the down swing; (3) to provide a moveable sighting device and a movable audible feedback device which when used in combination give the golfer guidance for the club head path and nearly instantaneous feedback as to whether the desired path was followed; and (4) to provide a golfer training device that is adjustable, to meet the requirements of nearly all golfers, lightweight, so that it can be easily carried and set up, sized to fit in a standard golf bag and made of long lasting durable material.


A medium ejection device includes an ejection member, a stacking member and a rib. The ejection member ejects a medium toward a medium ejection direction. The stacking member stacks the medium ejected from the ejection member. The rib is disposed in a substantially up and down direction, and is contacted by a tailing end of the medium ejected from the ejection member. The rib includes a convex portion protruding toward the stacking member in an upper portion thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medium ejection device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A prior art image forming apparatus includes a prior art ejection mechanism to eject a medium such as a sheet therefrom.
Japanese Un-examined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-219378 discloses a sheet conveyance device as an example of the prior art ejection mechanism. The sheet conveyance device includes a drive roller and a driven roller to eject the medium from the prior art image forming apparatus. A surface of the driven roller includes a plurality of protrusions. Specifically, a surface of an outer circumference of the driven roller includes the plurality of protrusions extended in an axial direction of a rotation axis thereof. In this regard, when the driven roller is rotated, a tailing end of the medium is pushed toward a medium ejection direction by an inclined plane having the protrusions so that the medium is smoothly conveyed.
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the conventional ejection mechanism such as the sheet conveyance device is illustrated. A driven roller 101 pushes a tailing end of a medium PP, and a medium stacker 103 stacks the medium PP thereon as a stacking member. A wall member 105 is disposed in a standing manner from the medium stacker 103 toward the driven roller 101. In such a sheet conveyance device, the tailing end of the medium PP pushed by the driven roller 101 contacts the wall member 105, causing an increase in a frequency of inappropriate stack of the medium PP on the medium stacker 103.

Medium ejection device and image forming apparatus


The invention provides a golf ball composed of a core, a cover having a plurality of dimples on an outside surface thereof, and an intermediate layer disposed between the core and the cover. The core has a deflection, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of at least 3.0 mm but not more than 5.0 mm. The intermediate layer is formed of a highly neutralized resin material, and has a Shore D hardness of at least 40 but not more than 60 and a thickness of at least 1.7 mm but not more than 4.0 mm. The number of dimples is at least 272 but not more than 348. The golf ball, through a combination of dimples which do not cause a loss of lift in the low-velocity, low-spin rate region of the ball trajectory and a low-spin construction, travels farther and is therefore beneficial for competitive use by both skilled and amateur golfers.

The present invention relates to a golf ball composed of a core, an intermediate layer and a cover having a plurality of dimples formed thereon. More specifically, the invention relates to a golf ball which, in terms of distance, scuff resistance and durability, is beneficial for competitive use by highly skilled golfers and amateur golfers.
It is known that a golf ball, when hit at a low spin rate and a high launch angle, will travel a longer distance. With recent advances in golfing gear (balls and clubs), it is no longer unusual for a ball to be hit under exceedingly low spin conditions such as a backspin of 2,000 rpm. Under such low spin conditions, the ball has a low coefficient of drag (CD), which works to increase the distance of travel. However, with conventional dimples, in the low-velocity region after the ball has passed through the highest point of its trajectory, a loss of distance occurs due to insufficient lift and the resulting drop in trajectory.
Recently, golf balls often have an internal construction with a plurality of layers. The layers enclosing the ball core typically include a cover and an intermediate layer situated between the core and the cover. Numerous disclosures (see the ten patent documents listed below) have been made in the art relating to the use of materials for forming such an intermediate layer which are based on highly neutralized polymers.                JP-A 2006-087949        JP-A 2006-087948        JP-A 2005-342532        JP-A 2005-218859        JP-A 2005-218858        JP-A 2003-175129        JP-A 2002-345999        JP-A 2002-315848        JP-A 2002-085589        JP-A 2001-218873
However, in these golf balls, the rebound sometimes decreases on account of the cover material which encloses the intermediate layer. Hence, there remains room for further improvement in the distance traveled by the ball. Moreover, the golf balls according to the above-cited prior art often have a scuff resistance and durability that leave something to be desired.
In addition, the patent documents listed below relate to golf balls which focus on the deflection or initial velocity of a sphere composed of a core encased by an intermediate-layer, although there remains room for improvement in the distance traveled by such balls.                JP-A 2006-230661        JP-A 2005-211656


A method and system for accessing devices through use of an abstraction layer interface that “hides” the access methods from components accessing the devices, such as device drivers and OPROMs. The abstraction layer interface includes a set of resource access methods and a database containing bus, device, function and resource information for various devices in a system. During an initialization process, bus and device configuration information is determined and stored in the database. When an application or operating system requests access to a device, the application or OS uses the device's device driver or OPROM to pass identification information, resource information and one or more resource access commands to the abstraction layer interface, which then verifies the identification information against the database, and converts the resource access request into appropriate resource access methods that are used to access the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally concerns access methods for computer peripheral devices, and in more particular concerns an access scheme that enables communication between a component and a peripheral device via an abstraction layer interface that prevents the component from directly accessing the device.
2. Background Information A typical computer platform, such as a personal computer, workstation, or server, generally includes one or more root buses to which various peripheral devices (devices) may be connected. These root buses include PCI buses, which are commonly found in many newer computers, as well as ISA, EISA, and micro-channel buses, which are termed legacy buses.
"Plug and play" functionality was introduced to the personal computer world when the PCI bus first became available in 1993. Plug and play functionality enables operating systems and other computer software and hardware to become apprised of a PCI device's capabilities and characteristics, whereby the user is not required to provide such configuration information. For example, on a first reboot after a PCI card has been installed, an operating system may be able to determine that the PCI card is a video card or modem with certain characteristics, and may further automatically configure the device, including identifying appropriate device drivers, and loading such drivers into the operating system when the PCI card is initialized.
While configuring PCI devices on a single root bus is generally handled well by today's computers, it is anticipated that more powerful computers and servers will be introduced that support a variety of different interface and peripheral types through the use of multiple root buses. In some configurations, these root buses may comprise fundamentally different types of root buses.
With most present BIOS's, an open IO (input/output) access is used. This means that IO access methods are assumed uniform through the POST process, and any device driver or optional ROM (OPROM) has full access to every other device's resources. There are situations where some devices may violate the access of other devices. For example, they can overwrite a resource without moving that resource, or self identify other devices so as to create problems for OPROM devices. They may also have unrestricted IO access (e.g., ISA bus devices). In addition, a driver may generate a PCI reset of its own without the POST process knowing about it. These problems become even larger in multiple root bus platforms.

Method or apparatus for establishing a plug and play (PnP) communication channel via an abstraction layer interface


Disclosed are improved devices, systems and methods for external fixation and/or support of damaged or fractured limbs or other anatomies of a patient.

Reduction is a medical procedure to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment. When a bone fractures, the fragments lose their alignment in the form of displacement or angulation. For the fractured bone to heal without substantial deformity the bony fragments must be re-aligned to their normal anatomical position. Orthopedic surgeons attempt to recreate the normal anatomy of the fractured bone by reduction.
Fractured bone reduction or treatment can include use of fixation methods that can reinforce the fractured bone and keep it aligned during healing, including use of external devices or casts as well as internal devices such as rods, bone plates and/or fasteners. Under certain circumstances, a physician may decide that external fixation is the best treatment for a patient. Fixation with external devices and assemblies includes surgical techniques for setting bone fractures and/or for limb lengthening that was first used more than a century ago. Since that time, the technique has evolved from being used primarily as a last resort fixation method to becoming a main stream technique used to treat a myriad of bone and soft tissue pathologies.
In some cases, external fixation can be accomplished by placing pins or screws into the bone of a patient and securing the pins through the use of an external frame assembly positioned at least partially outside the body. During the treatment, the external frame can hold bone fragments at adjustable spacing and angles to create a desired overall bone length and angular disposition of the bone fragments. To connect the external fixation device to the bone, pins can be placed, for example, on either side of the break in the bone and pass through the skin and sometimes the muscles. Sometimes wires can also be used with the pins, or in place of pins, to secure the bone pieces. The pins and/or wires can hold the bone in place and anchor the fixator securely, while also avoiding damage to vital structures, allowing access to the area of injury, and meeting the mechanical demands of the patient and the injury. Treatment using external fixation can take about 6 weeks for a simple fracture, and up to one year or longer for a more complicated fracture.
As compared to other fixation methods, external fixation devices can provide numerous advantages. When compared with internal plates and intramedullary nails, for example, external fixators can cause less disruption of the soft tissues, osseous blood supply, and periosteum. Accordingly, external fixation devices can be useful for soft tissue management in the setting of acute trauma with skin contusions and open wounds, in chronic trauma where the extremity is covered in thin skin grafts and muscle flaps, and in patients with poor skin whose healing potential is compromised as in the case of rheumatoid disease, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and Charcot disease. In addition, the temporary nature of the pins and wires can provide bony stability in the setting of osteomyelitis where the presence of internal implants make eradication of infection more challenging. The ability to avoid putting fixation into the infected area is equally beneficial.
Unlike internal plates and intramedullary nails, external fixators also provide postoperative adjustability. This allows the extremity to be manipulated in the operating room to gain exposures to fracture fragments. In the situation of limb lengthening or deformity correction, gradual manipulation is possible with frame adjustment over time. As a result, external fixations have found use in pediatric fracture care where open physes preclude intramedullary nailing. Leg length discrepancy can also be reliably treated with circular and monolateral design fixators.
Many different designs and arrangements of fixation frames are known in the art, but the existing designs suffer from a number of disadvantages. For instance, many have been characterized by requiring a multiplicity of rods or bars interconnecting pin-holders in the frames. Such has resulted in increased weight and bulk, and the complexity of the frames has interfered with surgical management during placement of the frames and adjustment of the bone segments interconnected by the frames. Others have lacked full adjustment capability, making adjustment of the frame difficult when assembled on the patient. Additionally, complexity in prior known construction introduces difficulties in properly assembling the frame on the patient and in subsequently tightening the various adjustable parts therein, to produce the necessary rigidity required if the bone segments attached by the frame are to be properly held.
In general, existing external fixation devices and assemblies still remain limited in their application for treatment of bone fractures. For example, while the devices known in the prior art can help provide valuable treatment of fractures, particularly in the surgical setting, existing devices can be somewhat cumbersome and limited in versatility. In particular, room for improvement exists in providing a lightweight fixation frame that can be particularized for the needs of an individual patient, including the incorporation of various removeable and/or configurable components of the frame that allow the frame to be reconfigured in a variety of ways without requiring removal from the patient, and which performs similar or superior to existing fixation frames and/or that can be produced at a reasonable cost. Thus, there is continued interest in providing improved external fixation devices that are more versatile and can be used, for example, as more ambulatory or portable devices.


A projection lens is provided having a positive refractive power as a whole and including a correction group consisting of a plurality of lens groups that corrects field curvature by moving in an optical axis direction and changing the distance between each lens group. The conjugation length of a combined optical system combining the most magnification side lens group constituting the correction group to the most reduction side lens group constituting the correction group in the projection lens is constant before and after the movement of the correction group for correcting field curvature. If the projection lens is variable in magnification or focusable by moving at least some of the lens groups, the movement of the correction group for correcting field curvature is allowed to be performed independently of the movement for either changing magnification or focusing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection lens and a projection apparatus, and more particularly to a projection lens suitable for magnifying and projecting an original image formed, for example, by a light valve and a projection apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, projection display devices (projectors) that magnify and project images displayed on image display surfaces of light valves, such as liquid crystal display devices, DMDs (Digital Micro-mirror Device: registered trade mark), and the like, have been used when conducting presentations or the like. As for the lenses used in the projection display devices, wide angle lenses are in high demand because large screen sizes with short projection distances are often required. Further, there is a tendency that zoom lenses are preferred as the screen size needs to be adjustable with a high degree of freedom under limited installation conditions. As a wide angle projection zoom lens, for example, the lens described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-251316 may be cited.
Further, in the projection display devices, it is required that the quality of the projected image does not change largely when the projection distance is changed. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-257005 describes a projection zoom lens whose object is to correct variation in the field curvature when the projection distance is changed. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-145580 described a projection display apparatus whose object is to obtain an image which is in focus in a wide range through the projection onto a spherical or curved projection surface and the degree of curvature of the image surface due to field curvature is performed adjustable by changing the distance between two lens groups.

Projection lens and projection display apparatus


The present invention relates to compounds that bind to and modulate the activity of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, to processes for preparing these compounds, to pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, and to methods of using these compounds for treating a wide variety of conditions and disorders, including those associated with dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS).

The therapeutic potential of compounds that target neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs), also known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), has been the subject of several reviews (see, for example, Braining et al., Ann. Rep. Med. Chem. 40: 3 (2005), Hogg and Bertrand, Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 3: 123 (2004), Suto and Zacharias, Expert Opin. Ther. Targets 8: 61 (2004), Dani et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Left. 14:1837 (2004). Bencherif and Schmitt, Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 1: 349 (2002)). Among the kinds of indications for which NNR ligands have been proposed as therapies are cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit disorder, and schizophrenia (Newhouse et al., Curr. Opin. Pharmacol. 4: 36 (2004), Levin and Rezvani, Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 1: 423 (2002), Graham et al., Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 1: 387 (2002), Ripoll at al., Curr. Med. Res. Opin. 20(7): 1057 (2004), and McEvoy and Allen, Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 1: 433 (2002)); pain and inflammation (Decker et al., Curr. Top. Med. Chem. 4(3): 369 (2004), Vincler, Expert Opin. Invest. Drugs 14(10): 1191 (2005), Jain. Cur. Opin. Inv. Drugs 5: 76 (2004). Miao et al., Neuroscience 123: 777 (2004)); depression and anxiety (Shytle et al., Mol. Psychiatry 7: 525 (2002), Damaj et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 66: 675 (2004), Shytle et al., Depress. Anxiety 16: 89 (2002)); neurodegeneration (O'Neill et al., Curr. Drug Targets: CNS Neurol. Disord. 1: 399 (2002), Takata et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 306: 772 (2003), Marrero et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 309:16 (2004)): Parkinson's disease (Jonnala and Buccafusco, J. Neurosci. Res. 66: 565 (2001)); addiction (Dwoskin and Crooks, Biochem. Pharmacol. 63: 89 (2002), Coe et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 15(22): 4889 (2005)); obesity (Li et al., Curr. Top. Med. Chem. 3: 899 (2003)); and Tourette's syndrome (Sacco et al., J. Psychopharmacol. 18(4): 457 (2004), Young et al., Clin. Ther. 23(4): 532 (2001)).
There exists a heterogeneous distribution of nAChR subtypes in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. For instance, the nAChR subtypes which are predominant in vertebrate brain are α4β2, α7, and α3β2, whereas those which predominate at the autonomic ganglia are α3β4 and those of neuromuscular junction are α1β1δγ and α1β1δε (see Dwoskin et al., Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents 10: 1561 (2000) and Holliday et al. J. Med. Chem. 40(26). 4169 (1997)).
A limitation of some nicotinic compounds is that they are associated with various undesirable side effects due to non-specific binding to multiple nAChR subtypes. For example, binding to and stimulation of muscle and ganglionic nAChR subtypes can lead to side effects which can limit the utility of a particular nicotinic binding compound as a therapeutic agent.
The compounds of the present invention exhibit a high degree of specific binding to the α7 nAChR subtype and low affinity for the α4β2 subtype as well as ganglionic and muscle nAChR subtypes. Thus, these compounds can serve as therapeutic modulators of α7 nAChRs in patients in need of such treatment, without producing side effects caused by non-specific nAChR subtype binding.

Preparation and therapeutic applications of (2S,3R)-N-2-((3-pyridinyl)methyl)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)-3,5-difluorobenzamide


Systems and methods to genetically modify B cells to express selected antibodies are described. The systems and methods can be used to: obviate the need for classical vaccinations; provide protection against infectious agents for which no vaccinations are currently available; provide protection against infectious agents when patients are otherwise immune-suppressed; and/or provide a benefit provided by a therapeutic antibody, such as in the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

Vaccines are designed to increase the immunity of a subject against a particular infection by stimulating B cells to produce antibodies against the targeted infectious agent. Routine pediatric vaccination is a long established clinical intervention with comparatively low risk and high efficacy. Unfortunately, however, vaccinations are not available for all infectious agents. As one example, every year in the United States, millions of children visit a doctor or emergency room due to infections with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
For decades, researchers have been trying to develop a vaccine that can induce B cells to produce antibodies that are effective to protect against viruses such as RSV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Zika virus. But all efforts to induce protective antibodies have failed. The only RSV vaccine tested widely actually made infection worse: antibodies generated following vaccination did not disable the virus, but instead, enhanced its ability to infect cells. Besides RSV, HIV, and Zika virus there are a number of other infectious agents for which no effective vaccines are available.
In addition to combating infections, antibodies can also be useful as treatments for other conditions such as autoimmune diseases. However, these antibody-based therapies typically require repeated injections of the antibodies to maintain protection.
Also of note, numerous patients undergo bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell transplants as treatments for hematological malignancies (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma). Other patients receive infusions of genetically-modified hematopoietic stem cells that provide a therapeutic gene that the patient lacks. All of these treatments require that the patient's existing immune system be removed before administration of the transplant or genetically-modified hematopoietic stem cells, leaving a dangerous window of immune suppression before the patient's immune system repopulates following the treatment. During this time of immune suppression, patients are incredibly susceptible to infections, such as RSV, influenza, parainfluenza, and metapneumovirus (MPV). These infections are a high risk factor and associated with numerous fatalities following these treatments.

Systems and methods to produce B cells genetically modified to express selected antibodies


“Honest” is a nice word. Sadly, some people in this world are not honest. In an increasingly wired world, dishonest people have found myriad opportunities to illicitly acquire one's confidential data, to monitor or interfere with one's networking activities, e.g., to monitor what you are doing, downloading, accessing, etc., to eavesdrop on or hijack telephony control and voice data or other protocols on your network, etc. To address such risks, typically a secured communication protocol, e.g., TLS or SSL, is utilized to protect communication. Unfortunately, TLS, SSL, and many other security environments require the underlying communication protocol to be TCP/IP, while some protocols needing communication protection, such as VoIP, RTP, SNMP, etc. only operate on UDP and not TCP/IP. Thus, a network shim or other embodiments disclosed herein may be used to allow such UDP based application programs and protocols to use security environments requiring a TCP/IP type transport.

Sadly, some people in this world are not honest. In an increasingly wired world, dishonest people have found myriad opportunities to snoop or otherwise illicitly acquire one's personal or confidential data, such as to monitor one's activities on a network, e.g., to monitor what you are doing, downloading, watching, accessing, etc., to monitor your telephony (e.g., VoIP and equivalents) control and voice data, to monitor and/or interfere with protocols on your network, such as to interfere with SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) commands, RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol) data, etc.
To address risk of another's dishonesty, typically secured communication protocols, such as SSL (Secured Socket Layer), TLS (Transport Layer Security), and the like are utilized to protect one communication of one's data. For more information regarding TLS, see, for example, Internet RFCs (Request for Comments) 2246 (The TLS Protocol Version 1.0), 2712 (Addition of Kerberos Cipher Suites to TLS), 2817 (Upgrading to TLS Within HTTP/1.1), 2818 (HTTP Over TLS), 3268 (AES Ciphersuites for TLS), 3546 (TLS Extensions), and 3749 (Protocol Compression Methods). Please note, all RFCs cited herein are available at Internet URL www:ietf:org/rfc. See also the GNU TLS Library [Overview] at URL www:gnu:org/software/gnutls. (Note, to prevent inadvertent hyperlinks, periods in URLs cited herein have been replaced with colons.)
Unfortunately, TLS, SSL, and many other security environments expect an underlying communication protocol to be TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Unfortunately, some protocols and application programs, such as VoIP, RTP, SNMP, etc. only operate on an unreliable communication transport such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol) that is not supported by TLS, SSL, and the like. There have been attempts to provide security over unreliable transports such as UDP, for example, the IPSec (IP Security) protocol or SNMPv3 which provides protocol specific security. For more information regarding IPSec, see related RFCs available at www:ietf:org/html:charters/ipsec-charter:html. Unfortunately, these solution attempts suffer from overhead, complexity, as well as protocol-specific limitations, such as having to rewrite a protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) into SNMP v3 in order to use the security features. Other limitations include, for example, interoperability and deployment issues because of using proprietary, non-standard security solutions for these protocols.

Security protocols on incompatible transports


Apparatus for recapture of fresh water flow released from a shower head (12). The collection device (10) includes a supported frame (18) that is proximate the shower head (12) and adjacent a wall (16) to which the shower head (12) is ultimately attached. The device (10) also includes a movable water flow diverter assembly (32), capable of being moved from a first in use position to a second at rest position, and at least one collection container (24) that is supported by the frame (18). The moveable water flow diverter assembly (32) is connected to an upper portion of the frame (20) by a pin (34). Diverter assembly (32) includes an arm (36, 36'), and a collection basin (38) that is connected to arm (36, 36') and a flow director (42) that directs the water flow to the at least one collection container (24, 24').

It is estimated that only a minuscule percentage of all water on earth is fresh water. And of the fresh water that exists on the earth, only a fraction of 1% is available for use since most of the water is locked up in ice and snow masses and is not readily available. In a 1990 U.S. Geological Survey, the average U.S. resident uses in excess of 100 gallons per day for publicly supplied water and approximately 79 gallons per day for each person using his or her own water system.
It is also estimated that 32% of this estimated water consumption is used for showering. Waiting for cold shower water to warm-up to a desired temperature accounts for much of the idle time. As any unused shower water that falls into the drain is channeled into the sewer system, there is no natural recapture of fresh water used in showering. At 60 psi water flow, a single minute of idle shower flow will waste approximately two gallons of fresh water.
The recapture of fresh water during showering has been addressed in complex piping systems in new construction or major remodel projects. However, there are few economically feasible recourses for the average consumer beyond using a "low-flow" shower head with an external diverter in order to reduce unnecessary waste of fresh water. However, the turning on and off of the shower head during shampooing can prove to be complicated and unsatisfactory as the water temperature may not be adequately stabilized (i.e. that which the bather had become accustomed).
An object of the present invention is to provide an economical and easy-to-use fresh water recapture device that can divert, collect, and store fresh water used in a period when the bather does not require the water, such as during water temperature adjustment or during shampooing. It is an additional object of the present invention to also provide a aesthetically-pleasing, relatively unobtrusive, and functional device that can function as a caddy for shampoo, wash cloths, and the like.

Apparatus for recapture of idle shower water


A communication system using a two-way bus capable of detecting contentions from nodes other than nodes concerned in communication to ensure confidentiality of communication. A plurality of nodes are connected to a two-way multiple access bus. A transmitting node first monitors the multiple access bus for contention detection before transmission and then transmits a packet only when the bus is not busy. The transmitting node further monitors the multiple access bus for a predetermined time period even after the start of transmission. In the meantime, a receiving node transmits an answer after a predetermined wait time upon reception of the packet addressed to itself. Assuming that the maximum two-way propagation delay time of the multiple access bus is .tau..sub.0, the predetermined time period during which the transmitting node monitors the multiple access bus after the start of transmission for contention detection is .tau..sub.1, and the wait time between the reception of the packet by the receiving node and the start of transmission of the answer is .tau..sub.2, such that the relationship .tau..sub.0 <.tau..sub.1 <.tau..sub.2 is satisfied.

The invention relates to a protocol (communication control procedure) in LANs (Local Area Networks), and more particularly, to a communication system for controlling communications by detecting contentions in a network.
Generally, in a LAN a plurality of nodes are connected to a bus and the nodes are intercommunicated through the bus. A multiple access bus is one of the buses used in such a LAN. The term "multiple access bus" means a bus that allows a signal transmitted from a certain node to be received by all the nodes simultaneously. Ethernet.RTM. is one well known LAN using this multiple access bus and its protocol is called "CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Contention Detection) and standardized as IEEE 802.3.
Ethernet.RTM. employs a coaxial cable as a transmission medium. Nodes are connected to the coaxial cable and a transmitting node first checks whether a signal is present on the coaxial cable from another node and then starts its transmission if such signal is absent. However, in such a case, it is likely that two or more nodes will start transmitting messages simultaneously. This condition is called a "contention" and Ethernet.RTM. detects contentions by a voltage level.
A node that has detected a contention, waits for a random time after sending a jamming signal for a predetermined period of time. This jamming signal must be longer than the maximum round trip time within the network. The jamming signal serves to inform all the nodes connected to the network of the contention. The reason why the node waits for a random time is that, if the nodes that failed to transmit a message try to make transmissions all together simultaneously when the bus is not busy, a contention occurs again. Thus, each node is made to wait randomly to avoid recurrence of contentions.
Meanwhile, there is an increasing tendency to apply optical communication systems to LANs. However, optical LANs using optical fibers as transmission media cannot be expanded simply by providing taps as in the case of LANs configured by using a coaxial cable, to add nodes to the networks.
To overcome this problem, a network configuration has been proposed, in which terminals are provided separately for transmission and reception per node and star couplers are employed to distribute a signal to all nodes (E.G. Rawson, "Fibernet: Multimode Optical Fibers for Local Computer Networks," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. COM-26, No. 7, July 1978).
If this star coupler is of a passive type, an increase in the number of nodes to be connected to such a star coupler leads to reduce the level of a received signal per node. To avoid this problem, it is conceivable to use a star coupler of an active type. However, a new problem arises therefrom when nodes are to be additionally provided. That is, when accommodating the addition of nodes by combining a plurality of star couplers, each star coupler having a predetermined number of terminals, a feedback loop is formed between the interconnected star couplers, causing inconvenience such as oscillation. For this reason, when using an active star coupler, the maximum number of connectable nodes is equal to the number of terminals predetermined per star coupler.
To overcome this problem, the applicant of the invention proposed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 296332/1991 a technique for forming no feedback loop even if a plurality of star couplers are combined. The technique involves the star coupler in which every transfer constant between input terminal and output terminal is zero. And in an optical communication network configured by interconnecting such star couplers as shown in the specification of the above application, a transmitting node does not have its transmitting signal returned to itself. Therefore, a node in transmission is ready to receive a signal from another node, allowing the node to transmit and receive signals simultaneously. That is, the optical communication network disclosed in the aforesaid specification forms a two-way bus.
With respect to a network configured by a combination of star couplers, the present inventor proposes two-way communication implemented by a single optical fiber in the co-pending U.S. patent application no. 07/813,443 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein for reference.
To implement two-way communication on the aforesaid two-way bus, when communication is started between a first node and a second node, the possibility is not excluded that a third node, i.e., a node other than the concerned party, will start transmitting a message. The contention caused by the third node is similar to a contention caused by another transmitting node in one-way communication.
In a network using a multiple access bus such as in Ethernet.RTM., a signal transmitted by a node can be received by all other nodes, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of confidentiality.

Method of communication using a two-way bus with contention detection


The present invention relates to novel hydroxamic acid derivatives as inhibitors of meprin β and/or α, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, methods for treatment or prophylaxis of diseases or conditions, especially such that are related to meprin β and/or α, and compounds and pharmaceutical compositions for use in such methods.

Meprin α and β both represent zinc-dependent metalloproteases of the astacin family and the metzincin superfamily. They show a similar domain structure and the human enzymes are of 45% sequence homology to each other. Meprin β is a type 1 transmembrane protein with extracellular protease activity whereas meprin α is shed during the secretory pathway and secreted into extracellular space. Both enzymes are expressed as zymogens with high expression rates in epithelial cells of the kidney and intestine, and they have been demonstrated in intestinal leukocytes, skin and certain cancer cells.
The meprins show distinct substrate specificity with a preference of acidic amino acids in the P1′-position (Becker-Pauly, C.; Barre, O.; Schilling, O.; auf dem Keller, U.; Ohler, A.; Broder, C. et al. (2011), Mol. Cell Proteomics, doi: 10.1074/mcp.M111.009233). A number of in vitro substrates have been identified including extracellular matrix proteins, peptide hormones and cytokines. Known in vitro substrates of meprin β comprise orcokinin, gastrin 17, Peptide YY, kinetensin, osteopontin, interleukin 1β, APP, MUC 2 mucin, and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator E-cadherin, whereas known in vitro substrates of meprin α comprise bombesin, neurotensin, Substance P, angiotensin I, luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, valosin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, bradykinin, α-melanocyte stimulating hormone, MCP-1, and occludin. Known in vitro substrates of both meprin β and α are, e.g., the Gastrin-releasing peptide, and Cholecystokinin.
Although the function of meprins in vivo still remains to be elucidated, there is increasing evidence for their role in collagen assembly, inflammation, intestinal immune response and neurodegeneration.
Meprin β has been shown to act as β-secretase of amyloid precursor protein to form amyloid β (Aβ) peptides in vitro (Bien, Jessica; Jefferson, Tamara; Causević, Mirsada; Jumpertz, Thorsten; Munter, Lisa; Multhaup, Gerd et al. (2012), The Journal of biological chemistry 287 (40), pp. 33304-33313). The Aβ peptide, which is abundantly found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, is central in the pathogenesis of this disease. Said study showed that, in contrast to BACE I, meprin β is capable of formation of N-terminally truncated Aβ and therefore might be involved in the generation of potentially more toxic species of Aβ. Accordingly, meprin β appears to be involved in the pathogenesis and/or disease progression of, e.g., Alzheimer's disease.
The lack of meprin β and α in mouse or the use of Actinonin (a meprin inhibitor) have been shown to protect against renal injury and bladder inflammation (Bylander, John; Li, Qing; Ramesh, Ganesan; Zhang, Binzhi; Reeves, W. Brian; Bond, Judith S. (2008), American journal of physiology. Renal physiology 294 (3), pp. F480-90; Yura, Renee E.; Bradley, S. Gaylen; Ramesh, Ganesan; Reeves, W. Brian; Bond, Judith S. (2009), American journal of physiology. Renal physiology 296 (1), pp. F135-44). Accordingly, meprin β and α appear to be involved in the pathogenesis and/or disease progression of, e.g., nephritis, renal injury, renal ischemic injury, ischemic acute tubular necrosis, acute renal failure, and bladder inflammation.
Both enzymes have been demonstrated to be C- and N-procollagen proteinases and to induce collagen maturation and assembly (Biasin, Valentina; Marsh, Leigh M.; Egemnazarov, Bakytbek; Wilhelm, Jochen; Ghanim, Bahil; Klepetko, Walter et al. (2014), The Journal of pathology 233 (1), pp. 7-17; Prox, Johannes; Arnold, Philipp; Becker-Pauly, Christoph (2015), Matrix biology 44-46, pp. 7-13). Under fibrotic conditions (keloids, pulmonary hypertension), overexpression of the enzymes has been found in these studies. Accordingly, meprin β and α appear be involved in the pathogenesis and/or disease progression of, e.g., fibrosis and fibrotic conditions (keloids, pulmonary hypertension) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).
Meprin α has been shown to be a susceptibility gene for IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) and that its absence increases chronic inflammation, while meprin β has pro-inflammatory activity and its lack results in some protection from injury (Banerjee, Sanjita; Jin, Ge; Bradley, S. Gaylen; Matters, Gail L.; Gailey, Ryan D.; Crisman, Jacqueline M.; Bond, Judith S. (2011), Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 300 (2), pp. G273-82). Accordingly, meprin β and α appear to be involved in the pathogenesis and/or disease progression of, e.g., chronic inflammation, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Pro-angiogenetic activity and non-polarized secretion have been described for meprin α, thereby increasing invasiveness of colorectal cancer (Lottaz, Daniel; Maurer, Christoph A.; Noël, Agnes; Blacher, Silvia; Huguenin, Maya; Nievergelt, Alexandra et al. (2011), PloS one 6 (11), p. e26450). Accordingly, meprin α pathogenesis and/or disease progression of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.
Several broad-spectrum metalloprotease and MMP inhibitors have been elucidated concerning their inhibitory activity towards meprin α and β (Broder, Claudia; Becker-Pauly, Christoph (2013), The Biochemical Journal 450, 253-264). Although some compounds showed inhibition of meprin α, for all the compounds, the inhibition of Meprin β was much lower, (exhibiting inhibition constants in the micromolar range) or were lacking acceptable drug-like properties (Madoux F, Tredup C, Spicer T P, Scampavia L, Chase P S, Hodder P S, Fields G B, Becker-Pauly C, Minond D (2014), Biopolymers 102 (5), pp. 396-406). Broder C., Characterization of the metalloproteases meprin α and meprin β within the protease web (August 2013; Doctoral dissertation; Universitätsbibliothek Kiel; Accession No. urn:nbn:de:gbv:8-diss-146034; pp. 29, 53) discloses a phosphinic meprin β inhibitor (PMI).


The present invention provides wood preservative compositions comprising micronized particles. In one embodiment, the composition comprises dispersions of micronized metal or metal compounds. In another embodiment, the wood preservative composition comprises an inorganic component comprising a metal or metal compound and organic biocide. When the composition comprises an inorganic component and an organic biocide, the inorganic component or the organic biocide or both are present as micronized particles. When compositions of the present invention are used for preservation of wood, there is minimal leaching of the metal and biocide from the wood.

Wood preserving compositions are well known for preserving wood and other cellulose-based materials, such as paper, particleboard, textiles, rope, etc., against organisms responsible for the destruction of wood, including fungi and insects. Many conventional wood preserving compositions contain copper amine complexes. Copper amine complexes have been used in the past because the amine solubilizes the copper in aqueous solutions. The copper in such copper amine complexes is obtained from a variety of copper bearing materials, such as copper scrap, cuprous oxide, copper carbonate, copper hydroxide, a variety of cuprous and cupric salts, and copper bearing ores. The amine in such copper amine complexes is normally obtained from an aqueous solution of ammonia and ammonium salts, such as ammonium carbonate, and ammonium sulfate, ethanolamines, et cetera. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,248 describes forming copper amine complexes by dissolving copper (II) oxide [CuO] (also known as cupric oxide) in ammonia in the presence of ammonium bicarbonate.
The disadvantage of using ammonia as a copper solubilizing agent lies in the strong odor of ammonia. Additionally, copper ammonia preservatives can affect the appearance of the treated wood giving surface residues and undesirable color. In recent years, many amine-containing compounds, such as the ethanolamines and aliphatic polyamines, have been used to replace ammonia to formulate water-soluble copper solutions. These compounds were chosen because of their strong complexing ability with copper and because they are essentially odorless. U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,248 discloses a method of preparing copper amine complexes by dissolving a mixture of copper (II) carbonate [CuCO3] and copper (II) hydroxide [Cu(OH)2] in ethanolamine and water. The complexing amine (i.e., the ligand) and copper (II) ion combine stoichiometrically and thus the weight ratio of reagents will be different for each complexing amine. However, copper amine based preservatives have higher copper loss due to leaching as compared to traditional copper based preservatives such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA).
In addition to metal biocides, existing wood preservatives can also contain organic biocides. However, many organic biocides currently in use are not water soluble. Therefore, solubilizing agents, surfactants and wetting agents are often added to either solubilize or form emulsions of the organic biocide to formulate a product that is suitable for the treatment of wood or other cellulose substrates.
However, the solubilizing agents, surfactants, and wetting agents are costly and the use of these products may result in enhanced leaching of the biocides when the treated material comes into contact with moisture. Such enhanced leaching is considered to be the result of the solubilizing agents, surfactants and wetting agents which remain in the wood after treatment. Because these compounds continue to cause leaching of the metal and/or biocide from the treated wood, field performance problems or environmental issues can result.
Despite many efforts to address these deficiencies in existing wood preservatives, there has been an unmet need to produce aqueous metal-based preservatives that are suitable for treating wood and other cellulose-based materials while minimizing the undesirable leaching of metal ions and/or biocide from treated materials when exposed to water. This need is met by the invention disclosed herein.

Micronized wood preservative formulations


An optical recording medium is provided which achieves a higher recording capacity. This optical recording medium includes a base formed of thermoplastic resin which has a thickness ranging from between approximately 0.3 to 1.2 nm, a guide groove formed on the base, at least a reflective film and a phase-change recording layer successively formed on the guide groove, arid a light transmissive layer having a thickness ranging from between approximately 3 to 177 .mu.m. In this optical recording medium, the unevenness .DELTA.t of the thickness of the light transmission layer is set within the range of: EQU .DELTA.t.ltoreq..+-.5.26(.lambda./N.A..sup.4)(.mu.m). wherein N.A. represents a numerical aperture of an optical head device of the optical disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus and .lambda. represents the wavelength of laser light utilized by the optical disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus.

An optical recording medium capable of recording and/or reproducing NTSC signal data of up to four hours on one side thereof has been proposed for optical discs of the next generation. This proposed optical recording medium allows a home-use video disk recorder to record and reproduce data for up to four hours, thereby functioning as a new recording medium which can be replaced with a cassette used in a current video cassette recorder (VCR).
Since the above optical recording medium has the same shape and size as a compact disc (CD), even a user accustomed to easy handling and operability of a CD will feel similar ease in use of this medium. Moreover, if the fast access feature of this optical recording medium is utilized, an optical disc apparatus is provided which not only serves as a small-sized and easily operable :recorder but also has various functions such as video recording, playback, a trick play, edition, etc. that can be performed instantaneously.
It has been found that such an optical disk apparatus requires an optical disk medium having a storage capacity of at least 8 GB or more. However, optical recording mediums currently available do not have storage capacities of 8 GB or more.
A digital versatile disc (DVD) only has a storage capacity of 4.7 GB (ROM) when a wavelength .lambda. is 0.65 .mu.m and a numerical aperture (N.A.) is 0.6.
If a higher storage capacity is desired without any change of signal format, such as an error correction code (ECC), a modulation system or the like, establishment of the following equation (1) is required for obtaining of a storage capacity of 8 GB or more. EQU 4.7.times.(0.65/0.60.times.N.A./.lambda.).sup.2 .gtoreq.8 (1)
According to the above equation (1), N.A./.lambda..gtoreq.1.20 must be established. As a result, it is therefore necessary to set the wavelength .lambda. of the laser light utilized by the optical disk apparatus shorter or to set the N.A. higher wherein N.A. represents the numerical aperture of an optical head device of the optical disk apparatus.
In order to satisfy the above condition, if the value of N.A. is set higher, it is necessary to decrease the thickness of the light transmissive layer of the optical recording medium through which irradiated reproduction light is transmitted. This reduced thickness is necessary to compensate for a consequent reduction in the allowance for a tilt angle wherein the disk surface is displaced from a surface perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical pickup. Specifically, the tilt angle is easily affected by optical aberrations resulting from the thickness of the base of the optical recording medium.
For a similar reason, unevenness of the thickness of the light transmissive layer must be reduced to no more than a predetermined value.

Optical recording medium and optical disk apparatus


Embodiments of the present invention provide a high-K dielectric film for use with silicon germanium (SiGe) or germanium channel materials, and methods of fabrication. As a first step of this process, an interfacial layer (IL) is formed on the semiconductor substrate providing reduced interface trap density. However, an ultra-thin layer is used as a barrier film to avoid germanium diffusion in high-k film and oxygen diffusion from the high-k film to the interfacial layer (IL), therefore, dielectric films such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3), zirconium oxide, or lanthanum oxide (La2O3) may be used. In addition, these films can provide high thermal budget. A second dielectric layer is then deposited on the first dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer is a high-k dielectric layer, providing a reduced effective oxide thickness (EOT), resulting in improved device performance.

As technology dimensions scale for semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs), new challenges are being created with regards to metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Silicon germanium and germanium channel materials are being introduced due to higher mobility (electrons and holes) when compared to conventional Si devices. In order to continuously scale devices, maintaining equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and gate leakage are needed to meet stringent requirements. In addition to channel materials, scaling further requires gate dielectric materials with higher k values. It is therefore desirable to have improvements in dielectric films and methods of fabrication.

Alternative gate dielectric films for silicon germanium and germanium channel materials


Methods and systems that allow a sender of a mail piece to easily specify delivery instructions and/or services for a mail piece and that allows mail processing systems to identify and account for the specified delivery instructions and/or services without the need for any pre-sorting or input of information prior to processing the mail piece. The sender of a mail piece provides a marking on the mail piece representing instructions desired for delivering the mail piece. A mail processing system utilized to process the mail piece reads the marking provided on the mail piece, and based on the type/color of the marking, interprets the delivery instructions requested by the sender. The mail processing system processes the mail piece according to the instructions requested by the sender based on the marking provided on the mail piece by the sender.

Mail processing systems for preparing mail pieces, e.g., generating and printing postage indicia on envelopes and other forms of mail pieces, have long been well known and have enjoyed considerable commercial success. There are many different types of mail processing systems, ranging from relatively small units that handle only one mail piece at a time, to large, multi-functional units that can process thousands of mail pieces per hour in a continuous stream operation. The larger mailing machines often include different modules that automate the processes of producing mail pieces, each of which performs a different task on the mail piece. The mail piece is conveyed downstream utilizing a transport mechanism, such as rollers or a belt, to each of the modules. Such modules could include, for example, a singulating module, i.e., separating a stack of mail pieces such that the mail pieces are conveyed one at a time along the transport path, a moistening/sealing module, i.e., wetting and closing the glued flap of an envelope, a weighing module, and a metering module, i.e., applying evidence of postage to the mail piece. The exact configuration of the mailing machine is, of course, particular to the needs of the user.
Typically, in most office environments, the preparation of a mail piece for sending to a recipient occurs in several discrete steps. In many situations, each of the steps are performed by a different party. For example, the contents of the mail piece, e.g., a letter or the like, is typically prepared by the sender (or the sender's assistant) using a personal computer, word processor or the like. After the contents has been completed and, if necessary, signed, the contents are provided to an assistant for preparation of an envelope in which the contents will be inserted, along with any desired instructions specific to that mail piece for sending the mail piece to the intended recipient. Such instructions could include, for example, specific mailing instructions, e.g., type of service (next day, two-day, etc.), or the like, or any type of value added services, e.g., insurance, certified mail, registered mail, return receipt, signature confirmation, delivery confirmation, or the like, that are desired for the mail piece. For some instructions, the sender (or the sender's assistant) would be required to fill out one or more forms, apply special labels to the mail piece, manually log information for tracking (if requested), and in some cases, actually bring the mail piece to a post office for processing.
Once the mail piece, including envelope and contents, has been completed, the mail piece is typically sent to a mail room for final processing before giving the mail piece to the postal service or other carrier. The mail room is typically where the mail processing systems as described above are located and used by mail room personnel to finish the mail piece and apply an indicium evidencing payment for delivery of the mail piece. Because of the numerous options available to senders for sending a mail piece, e.g., carrier, type of service, value added services, etc., the mail room personnel must first pre-sort each of the mail items received by trying to determine the sender's mailing intent for each mail piece and placing them into batches of mail pieces having similar delivery requests. The mail room personnel must then manually input information into the mail processing systems to ensure that the senders' requests with respect to the mail pieces are honored and the proper account is billed for the charge, before processing the mail pieces through the mail processing systems. For example, if a sender requested a value added service that has an additional fee, the mail room personnel must enter this information into the mail processing system such that the requested value added service is accounted for and an appropriate indicium is printed on the mail piece. The mail piece can then be provided to the selected carrier for delivery.
The above described process for generating and mailing a mail piece presents serious limitations with respect to processing mail pieces. The process requires significant manual labor, including the sender (or sender's assistant) having to manually fill out forms indicating desired delivery instructions for each mail piece. For professionals that generate large amounts of mail pieces, a significant amount of time each day can be spent performing such tasks. The amount of labor required by the mail room personnel to presort the mail pieces and input information with respect to each mail piece is also significant. The amount of manual labor required overall is cumbersome and can be prone to errors. For mail rooms located in large offices where hundreds or even thousands of mail pieces are generated each day, most of the mail room personnel's time can be spent doing these tasks, leading to a very inefficient use of time and resources.
Thus, there exists a need for a method and system that allows a sender of a mail piece to easily specify delivery instructions and/or services for a mail piece and that allows mail processing systems to identify and account for the specified delivery instructions and/or services without the need for any pre-sorting or input of information prior to processing the mail piece.

Method and system for embedding mailer specified mailing instructions on a mail piece to automate mail processing


A bingo system having individual bingo player terminals on which players purchase bingo cards at varying costs and play bingo, coupled to backend computer systems called bingo game managers (BGMs). The BGMs manage bingo game play in two modes, banked and non-banked. Non-banked mode forms bingo games from requests at the same wager level, and forms bingo sessions from bingo games where a bingo session uses a single bingo ball draw. Each wager level has at least one prize pool associated with it; each prize pool is constructed such that it guarantees a given percentage hold to an operator and further enables realistic mimicking of highly complex games such as 5-reel 9-payline slots for use in post-bingo-play displays. Banked mode uses no pools; bingo prizes are generated using an RNG and game template or paytable.

Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to automated bingo games. More particularly, the invention is a bingo game system and method that may be operated in either banked or non-banked modes, where non-banked mode uses pre-determined pools of prize values from which prize amounts are drawn for each bingo game winning event and banked mode uses either prize pools or random number generator (RNG) output to select prize amounts. Both modes provide an entertainment display mimicking non-bingo games of chance having novel display-mapping capabilities.
The Prior Art
Traditional bingo games, using paper bingo cards with either manual or automated ball-draw systems, are known. Players buy a bingo card or cards, and when the minimal number of players as determined by the bingo hall or casino are ready to play (can be on the order of 20 per game, but varies widely), the current bingo session is considered closed; players subsequently purchasing cards will play in future game session sessions. Those having purchased cards for the current bingo game session may be considered "enrolled" in the game about to start. Players currently enrolled watch as a sequence of bingo balls is drawn. The players daub (mark) their cards in squares or spaces corresponding to the balls drawn (alternatively, an electronic card version may be auto-daubed). After a player daubs a pre-specified winning pattern on their card(s) and declares they have won by calling out "bingo", the current game is typically considered over.
Many variants of bingo exist, including the ability to have multiple winners in a single bingo game and the ability for players to participate in progressive jackpots. An example of a bingo game with multiple winners would be to provide a first prize to the first player to cover 5 squares in a row or diagonally, and then a second prize to the first player to complete an "X" pattern consisting of two diagonals.
If a player misses declaring a winning pattern on a card by failing to call out "bingo", the ball draws continue until someone proclaims bingo on a subsequent ball. Further, although there is one (or sometimes more than one) card pattern(s) designated as the game winning patterns (such as filling in a row or column), there are typically other predesignated patterns that enable a player to win additional prizes. Examples include "corners" (filling in each of the four outer corners of your bingo card), "boxes" (e.g., filling in a 2×2 box anywhere on the card) and blackout (covering all the entire card's spaces after using a specified number of drawn balls less than 75). After play stops, players with winning cards are paid. The next game then begins with players enrolling for that game.
With the advent of Amerindian casinos operating under IGRA (25 USC §2701-§2721), where bingo games may be run without entering into state compacts, there has been an increased demand for bingo games providing more varied play, quicker game turn-around, and more betting options than are currently possible.
Additional player interest to broaden the commercial appeal of bingo can be generated by providing additional visual displays after completion of a bingo game, while preserving all the critical defining elements of bingo. One such additional display may be called an entertainment display. Entertainment displays are displays showing the results of bingo games in ways other than a traditional bingo card. This is often displayed to a player by first showing the bingo game's results on a bingo card, followed by a secondary display (may or may not be on the same physical device) where the secondary display shows the same winning amount as the bingo card in an alternate fashion.
The most commercially desirable secondary display is a visual representation of a casino-style reel game. After showing an initial reel display followed by apparent reel motion (spinning), the reels must become stationary such that the symbols and payline or other simulated game element (like a bonus display) show a payout that is equivalent to the amount won on the bingo card. The term "entertainment display" is used because the reel game (or other displayed game) is shown to the player after the bingo game has been completed. No outcome is determined by the visual display of reels spinning, etc.; the outcome is pre-determined by the bingo game results. Since the display cannot affect winnings (game outcome), and the winnings are already known at the time the display starts, it is for entertainment purposes only. This is different than traditional reel slot machines, where the game outcome is determined by the position of the symbols on the reels after the reels (or the video representation of them) stop moving. Entertainment displays tend to dramatically improve the commercial appeal of the game of bingo.
Entertainment displays may mimic any known games of chance, such as slot machines, poker, or keno. Players who play at both bingo halls and in Nevada-style casinos have a "feel" for the familiar games being mimicked, where "feel" means developing an intuitive familiarity with the frequency of game events including the occurrence of pay events and the typical payout amounts. Thus, to have a realistic feel to players of both types of machines the best entertainment displays are those that truly mimic the look and feel of how the actual reel game plays, not just the graphical characteristics of the game.
In prior art systems the method used for generating a mapping between bingo card winnings and existing reel games is to map each winning line from the pay table of the existing reel game directly into a winning bingo card pattern. This limits bingo game entertainment displays to mimicking only older, simpler reel games having single pay lines due to the complexity of finding mathematically equivalent bingo card patterns. An example follows.
Looking at FIG. 8, shown are example tables used with a simple 3 reel, 32 stops/reel, equally weighted, single payline slot machine. For the purposes of discussing the prior art, table 8A is used. For each line in table 8A, a corresponding winning bingo card configuration must be generated using probability calculations. For example the likelihood (probability) of getting three suns, "", while playing the reel machine may correspond with the probabilities of getting a four-corners win in less than 6 balls in a bingo game. Next, a winning bingo pattern for "3-Bar 3-Bar 3-Bar" must be calculated, and so on for each line. For simple reel games using 3 reels and a single payline, these calculations can be lengthy but are achievable within reasonable effort. As can be seen in from Table 8A, 12 lines need to be mapped from the reel game being mimicked back to winning bingo cards. Note that not only will each different machine require this set of calculations, but even each single-payline, 3 reel, 32 stops/reel game will typically require this set of calculations as well, as each game, even when using the same hardware, will typically have different payout tables (i.e., its own version of table 8A). This becomes so time intensive as to be prohibitive, typically resulting in a limited number of games used in entertainment displays.
The problem becomes virtually insurmountable when reel games having more complexity, such as the currently popular 5 reel 9 payline games, are targeted for use in an entertainment display. These games have literally thousands of table entries which must somehow be mapped to winning bingo cards; as a result, current entertainment displays do not mimic these newer, more complex reel machines or reel games. Entertainment displays are thus limited to mimicking older, simpler 3 reel games with single paylines.
There is a need for providing entertainment displays that can realistically mimic high complexity reel games and reel machines, while maintaining traditional bingo game play including, at the operator's choice, the ability to insure a fixed, constant percentage of player's card purchases (wagered amounts) is retained by the casino or bingo hall.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method, apparatus and computer program product for minimizing code duplication in a statically typeable language program is presented. A plurality of trees of functional instructions for a program are received, each of the plurality of trees including at least one functional node. The plurality of trees of functional instructions for a program are compared and similar trees of functional instructions are merged to eliminate similar function nodes. A combined module is produced from results of the merging, the combined module having code duplication removed therefrom.

XSL Transformations (XSLT) is a standard way to describe how to transform (change) the structure of an XML (Extensible Markup Language) document into an XML document with a different structure. XSLT is part of the XSL specification, comprising the general XSLT programming language and the XSL-FO document formatting vocabulary). XSLT is used to describe how to transform the source tree or data structure of an XML document into the result tree for a new XML document, which can be completely different in structure. The coding for the XSLT is also referred to as a style sheet.
Dynamically typed languages such as XSLT and XQuery sometimes support constructs for separating code into reusable libraries. Typically, however, the dynamic type system imposes context sensitivity on the linking of such reusable modules. Several products and projects exist to detect source code similarities in large codebases. (see for example http://www.redhillconsulting.com.au/products/simian/) These tools however, are designed only as an aid to developers to flag sections of code that may be eligible for reuse. This obviously does nothing to improve runtime memory costs without human intervention, and further, does not solve the problem of context-sensitive importing of code modules in dynamically statically typeable languages.
In the area of Internationalization, most prior work has gone into tooling and library support for manual modularization. This can require careful planning, and human intervention to achieve. Furthermore, as mentioned above, in the presence of context-sensitive inclusions, source-code modularity may not translate to runtime modularity. Our invention is differentiated by focusing on the automatic determination of runtime modularity, regardless of the actual source code modularity.

Method and apparatus minimizing code duplication in a statically typeable language program

International Business Machines Corporation


A dustless hole saw includes a compressible dust catcher surrounding a saw blade removably affixed to a rotating circular frame. The generally cylindrical compressible boot has an end plate at the end furthest from the saw blade. One end of a generally cylindrical sleeve is affixed to the end plate and the other is attachable to a drill motor. The boot encloses the chuck of the drill motor and has an access opening in its sidewall to permit adjustment of the chuck. The end plate may be at least partially transparent to permit the operator to align the pilot drill of the saw. As the hole saw cuts into the work surface, the boot is pressed against the surface outside the perimeter of the cut catching the dust and debris created by the cutting operation.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates generally to the field of motorized hand tools and in particular to hole saws adapted for use with drill motors.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Improved hole saws are now available which are constructed by fastening one or more flexible metal saw blades to the circumference of a cylindrical frame. The saw blade is attached to the frame so that the teeth of the saw blade or blades extend beyond the end of the frame. The frame may contain holes for weight and or balance and is adapted to fit in the chuck of a portable drill motor.
The use of such hole saws in the building trades presently creates an environmental problem. The saws produce a significant amount of dust and debris as openings are cut into walls, ceilings and other flat surfaces. The dust is normally scattered over the work area, the operator and the drill motor. This problem is of particular concern when making overhead openings of the type required for the installation of recessed lighting fixtures.
While the operator may use protective clothing and a dust mask for personal protection, this does not resolve the problem of dust scattering around the work area or falling into a drill motor. The environmental problem is of particular concern when openings are needed in interior surfaces of existing structures where the dust will fall on carpets, furniture and other room furnishings. Drop cloths may be used to protect the immediate area around the hole cutting operation, however, finer dust particles may settle a significant distance away from the work area.
What is needed is a hole saw which will permit the cutting of openings in walls, ceilings and other surfaces, while preventing the dust created by the cutting operation from escaping into the environment.


The invention relates to a system for directing an apparatus, such as a crane bridge (1), moving on wheels along rails, which apparatus comprises a specified drive arrangement (m.sub.1, m.sub.2, m.sub.3, m.sub.4 ; k.sub.1, k.sub.2) on both sides of a roadway defined by rails (3), and which system comprises in the apparatus at least on one side of the roadway at least two successive detectors (d.sub.1, d.sub.2) in the direction of the rail (3) for measuring a lateral distance (l.sub.1, l.sub.2) of a specific part of an edge (e.sub.1, e.sub.2) of the apparatus to be driven from the rail, a control loop (CS) guiding the drive arrangements, a controller of the loop being able to direct the distance measurements (l.sub.1, l.sub.2) of the detectors (d.sub.1, d.sub.2) to desired values so that the apparatus to be driven will move straight, and an outer control loop (CU) whose controller is able to direct the reference value of the controller of the inner control loop in such a manner that the average of the distance measurements (l.sub.1, l.sub.2) provided by the detectors (d.sub.1, d.sub.2) reaches the desired reference value so that the wheels (2) of the apparatus to be driven will move in the middle of the rails (3).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for directing an apparatus, such as a crane bridge, which moves on wheels along rails.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a situation where apparatuses, such as crane bridges which are elongated in the transverse direction with respect to rails, are driven along the rails at a distance from one another, the wheels of the apparatus to be driven are maintained in the middle of the rails by means of mechanical guide rollers. The guide rollers provide some freedom of action so that the mechanical elasticity and deflections of the apparatus to be driven will be managed. However, for cranes, in particular, where the span length of the bridge is long and the driving speed is high, the wear of mechanical guide rollers or other such structural parts is a significant problem.
When bridge driving is accomplished with two or more motor drives with a precise speed control, it is often necessary to compensate the speeds specifically for each motor drive because there are generally many differences in the speed directions and the actual speed of the drives such that the crane bridge tends to be driven aslant. The speed differences between the ends of the bridge are due to both mechanical factors (e.g. differences in wheel dimensions because of wear, for example) and electrical factors (small differences in speed directions because of component tolerances and signal routes, for example).
These problems are attempted to be solved by the control systems for even driving a crane bridge disclosed in references GB-A-2 112 548, DE-A-25 28 293 and DE-A-28 35 688, for example, where the distance of the end of the bridge from the rail is measured with two separate detectors. The controller directs the difference of the distance measurement of the detectors to a desired value in such a manner that the crane bridge will move straight.
However, the controllers of the prior art control systems will still typically be driven on guide rollers, either inside or outside the bridge and are not able to drive the ends of the crane bridge along a desired truck.

System for directing an apparatus such as a crane bridge moving on wheels along rails

KCI Konecranes International Corporation


The present invention includes, in addition to transistors each (Mm,n) provided at the intersection of a gate bus line (GLn) with a data bus line (DLm): block potential applying transistors (DMn) connected to respective ends of gate bus lines (GLn) which ends are not connected to a gate driver (11); a potential supply line (VLL) connected to the gate bus lines (GLn) via the block potential applying transistors (DMn); and a blocking signal supplying section (131) for, immediately after the gate driver (11) supplies a first conduction signal for bringing the transistors (Mm,n) into conduction, supplying to the block potential applying transistors (DMn), a second conduction signal for bringing the block potential applying transistors (DMn) into conduction.

Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of liquid crystal display devices in use. A liquid crystal display device includes a display panel for displaying an image. A display panel includes, provided therein, a liquid crystal driving circuit for driving liquid crystal.
A display panel includes a plurality of pixels, each of which includes liquid crystal and a thin film transistor (TFT) for driving the liquid crystal.
A display panel further includes: gate bus lines each for supplying a gate signal (in the form of a pulse) to the gate electrode of a thin film transistor; and data bus lines each for supply a data signal to the source electrode of a thin film transistor. A thin film transistor includes a drain electrode connected to a corresponding pixel electrode. A thin film transistor is switched between a non-conductive state and a conductive state in correspondence with the value of the gate signal. A data signal to a data bus line is supplied to a pixel electrode only when the corresponding thin film transistor is in the conductive state.
A gate bus line normally has an internal resistance and an internal capacitance. These internal resistance and internal capacitance cause the pulse of a gate signal propagating through a gate bus line to have an edge with a distortion (round-off) corresponding to the distance over which the gate signal propagates through the gate bus line. A gate signal, in particular, has a longer tail in correspondence with a longer distance over which the gate signal propagates through a gate bus line.
Such a tail problematically causes a thin film transistor to supply a data signal to its corresponding pixel electrode at a timing at which the thin film transistor is supposed to block such a data signal.
Patent Literature 1 discloses (i) a system for driving a liquid crystal display device, the system including delaying means for delaying a source signal (data signal) for each source line (data bus line) and (ii) a system for driving a liquid crystal display device, the system including delaying means for delaying a gate signal for each gate line (gate bus line).
The technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, however, provides the delaying means to each data bus line or each gate bus line, and thus problematically leads to a complicated configuration for a liquid crystal driving circuit provided to the display panel.
There has conventionally been known a two-sided driving system that (i) provides a liquid crystal driving circuit on each side of the display section of a display panel and (ii) supplies a gate signal to a gate bus line from both ends thereof. This system prevents a tail in the pulse of a gate signal. This system, however, requires a large space, for providing a liquid crystal driving circuit, on each side of the display section of a display panel. This system is thus problematic in that it is difficult to apply to a liquid crystal display device, such as a portable liquid crystal terminal, for which it is essential to reduce space that it takes up.
Japanese Patent Application Publication, Tokukai, No. 2000-242241 A (Publication Date: Sep. 8, 2000)

Display panel, liquid-crystal display device and drive method