The invention provides an instantaneous water heater which includes safety devices separately or in combination to prevent the explosion of the heat exchanger in the event of an excessive heating of the water in the heating coil and to shut-off the flow of gas to the burner in the event the atmosphere surrounding the water heater presents a dangerous decrease of its oxygen content or an excess CO/CO.sub.2 content, thus avoiding the risk of asphixiation or intoxication to the user. Additionally, the main gas flow control valve includes a settling chamber for separating the solid particles entrained in the combustible gas and preventing the obstruction of the internal gas passages in the gas control valve, as well as the plugging of the gas injectors of the pilot flame and/or burner nozzles. The invention also provides an improved gas control valve comprising a concentrical linear arrangement of several functional elements mounted on a common axis so as to eliminate the conventional levers, pivots an the like used in the prior art gas control valves thus providing a higher functional reliability and constructional simplicity.

The instantaneous water heaters, better known as "gas calefons", present several problems leading to deterioration risks of the apparatus when, for example, the water flow is drastically reduced and the gas flow control valve does not quickly operate which results in the over heating of the heating coil and an almost certain meltdown of the heating coil or even the explosion of the water heater. Another problem of a high potential risk to the user is the posibility of the heater operating in a closed and/or unventilated ambient area which in several opportunities has resulted in intoxication or asfixiation of the user sometimes resulting in death.
Another problem in the known water heaters is the obstruction of the inner passages of the gas valve and/or the operating difficulty of the valve spools due to the binding effect produced by the solid particles entrained in the combustible gas. A further problem in water heaters provided with water temperature themostatic control is the use of a plurality of pivots and levers for interconnecting the thermostatic element to the main gas control valve which makes the correct modulation of the gas flow difficult as a function of the amount of the water flowing through the heating coil and the temperature of the hot water discharge and further increases the manufacturing cost of the gas valve due to the difference machining steps and/or difficult mould casting of the valve body.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved instantaneous water heater wherein the cited problems are eliminated by the use of known and conventional elements, which elements up to date have never been used in the prior art instantaneous water heaters.
The present invention provides:
a) A solution to the problem of the risk of an explosion of the heating coil due to excesive water heating, by means of a heat sensing element disposed inside the heating coil and activating an interrupting means connected in series to the electromagnetic actuator of the primary gas flow solenoid valve so that in the event the temperature inside the heating coil raises above a predetermined level the solenoid valve interrupts the gas flow thus shutting-off the water heater burner as well as the associated pilot flame and the water heater going to a fail-safe condition.
b) A solution to the problem of generation of an oxygen deficient atmosphere and/or high CO--CO.sub.2 content atmosphere when the water heater operates in a closed or un-ventilated space through the provision of an "ambient analyzer" device which includes the pilot flame for heating the thermocuple that energizes the primary gas flow solenoid valve, said device mantaining the lighted pilot flame as long as the oxygen content of the ambient air is not decreased by more of 3%, the pilot flame being turned-off if the oxygen content is reduced below said level considered as unsafe or harmful to the human beings, said pilot flame light-off cooling the thermocouple and producing the inmediate shut-off of the solenoid gas valve thus turning-off the main burner and the pilot flame with the water heater going to a fail-safe condition.
c) A solution to the problem of entrainment and settling of the solid particles carried by the combustible gas, by the provision of a settling chamber positioned in the body of the gas control valve wherein the solid particles are separated by settling and are further retained by a screen filter.
d) A linear mounting and actuating arrangement between the manual gas closure/opening disk, the manual water temperature regulating means located in the exterior of the main control valve, and the thermostatic element responsive to the water temperature sensed by the thermostatic sensor bulb located inside the heat exchanger, thus eliminating the problems associated to the mechanical transmission by means of levers and simplifying the manufacturing process of the main control valve, which in turn reduces the manufacturing costs and increases the operating reliability of the valve.

Instantaneous water heater which includes safety devices separately or in combination to prevent the explosion of the heat exchanger in the event of an excessive heating of the water in the heating coil and to shut-off the flow of gas to the burner


A straddle-type vehicle that reliably leads fuel that overflows from a fuel fill opening away to a safe area without specialist components. A fuel tank includes a recess portion that is formed around a fuel fill opening, and a raised section that is formed to the outer side of the recess portion and that is at a higher position than the recess portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel tank for a straddle-type vehicle that reliably leads fuel that has overflowed from a fuel fill opening to a safe area.
2. Description of Related Art
In a straddle-type vehicle, such as a scooter or under bone motorcycle or the like, a fuel tank that supplies fuel to an engine may be provided above a rear wheel. A fuel fill opening cover with a bowl like shape may be provided around the fuel fill opening to catch fuel that has overflowed and to prevent the fuel from flowing to high temperature areas such as the engine (see, for example, JP-A-2003-54468, pages 3-4, FIGS. 2-4). Furthermore, a drain hose that extends as far as an intermediate section between the front wheel and the rear wheel may be fitted to a drain hole formed in the fuel fill opening cover.
However, this structure has a drawback in that specialist components such as the fuel fill opening cover and the drain hose increase the manufacturing cost of the vehicle.


An assembly for storing and deploying for use a hand held digital device, the assembly incorporating a case adapted for nestingly receiving the hand held digital device; a first pin and socket fastener having upper and lower halves, the upper half being fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the case; a flexible lanyard; a pair of loops interconnecting the flexible lanyard and the first pin and socket fastener's lower half; a base; a second pin and socket fastener; and a hinge mount interconnecting the second pin and socket fastener and the base; the first pin and socket fastener's socket being adapted to function as the second pin and socket fastener's pin.

Handheld digital devices such as cell phones and smart phones are commonly stored within purses or pockets, and, during use, such devices are typically held and supported by a user's hands. Storage of such devices within pockets and purses is often inconvenient and causes difficulties in accessing the device. Also, hand support of such devices during use often undesirably occupies the user's hands which may be needed for performance of other tasks.
The instant inventive assembly for storing and deploying for use a handheld digital device solves or ameliorates problems and challenges discussed above by providing specialized case, fastener, and base components which allow for lanyard suspension of the device from a user's neck, and which allow base supported deployment from the user's neck or upon a surface for hands-free use.

Assembly for storing and deploying for use a handheld digital device


The invention provides a p38 MAPK inhibitor of Formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof: Formula I for use in the treatment or prevention of hypercytokinemia in a human patient; wherein R is C1-3alkyl, optionally substituted by one or more halo, NR1R2 or hydroxy, and R1 and R2 are independently H, halo or C1-3alkyl, optionally substituted by one or more F. Also provided are compositions for use in the treatment or prevention of hypercytokinemia comprising the p38 MAPK inhibitor of Formula I; and methods for treating or preventing hypercytokinemia in a human patient in need thereof comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of a p38 MAPK inhibitor of Formula I. The invention also provides a p38 MAPK inhibitor and an antimicrobial agent, such as an antiviral agent, for use in the treatment or prevention of hypercytokinemia.

Hypercytokinemia is defined as a sudden surge in the circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF (Croft, M., The role of TNF superfamily members in T-cell function and diseases, Nat Rev Immunol, 2009; 9: 271-85).
Hypercytokinemia, or "cytokine storm", or "cytokine cascade", is associated with various conditions including infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases, autoimmune reactions and adverse drug reactions. Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as viruses, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective response that involves the immune system, blood vessels and numerous proteins. The purpose of inflammation is to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, to clear out dead and dying cells and to initiate tissue repair. In normal circumstances inflammation is short lived and repair to damaged tissues normally starts 2 to 3 days after the onset of symptoms.
Hypercytokinemia develops when the inflammatory response is exaggerated and high levels of pro-inflammatory proteins (cytokines) are released which can lead to damage of the blood vessels in the lung and other tissues resulting in liquid leaking into tissues (oedema). Rather than being protective the inflammatory response becomes destructive. This exaggerated inflammatory response can be viewed as a non-linear process where there is a critical point—a phase transition, tipping point, or threshold—where the normal inflammatory response becomes an abnormal response.
A variety of anti-inflammatory drugs and adjunct approaches have been adopted in an attempt to target hypercytokinemia. These include treatment with corticosteroids, aspirin, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), anti-cytokine and anti-chemokine agents, plasma exchange, and statins. Despite these efforts, none of these approaches have proved to be effective, and some have worsened the outcome (Brun-Buisson et al., Early corticosteroids in severe influenza A/H1N1 pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 May 1; 183(9):1200-6). The therapeutic approaches of the present invention are aimed at balancing the response by attenuating the inflammatory response rather than ablating it, thus reducing the damaging effects caused by the exaggerated inflammatory response whilst preserving the host's innate protective response.
Hypercytokinemia is seen in severe infections with three major influenza viruses: the pandemic 1918-19 Spanish H1N1 influenza; H5N1 avian influenza and; the pandemic H1N1 influenza of 2009. When compared to human H1N1, H5N1 viruses are more potent inducers of pro-inflammatory cytokines in primary human respiratory epithelial cells, and this hyperinduction of cytokines is likely to contribute to the disease severity of H5N1. The exact mechanism of hypercytokinemia in influenza is unknown, but endothelial cells have been identified as central regulators of "cytokine storm" (Teijaro J R et al., Endothelial Cells are Central Orchestrators of Cytokine Amplification during Influenza Virus Infection, Cell, 2011; 146: 980-991).
Influenza occurs globally with an annual attack rate estimated at 5%-10% in adults and 20%-30% in children. Illnesses can result in hospitalization and death mainly among high-risk groups (the very young, elderly or chronically ill). Worldwide, these annual epidemics are estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. (See WHO factsheet number 211: https://web.archive.org/web/20160613040907/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs 211/en/).
In North America, seasonal influenza causes excess hospitalisations in 230-1670 per 100,000 persons aged >65 years, 32,000 respiratory/cardiovascular deaths and 43,000 all-cause deaths annually. Persons with chronic medical conditions (e.g. pulmonary, cardiovascular, liver, renal and neurological diseases, diabetes or immunosuppression) have a >30-fold increase in risk of hospitalisation and death.
Among the circulating seasonal influenza subtypes, H3N2 is usually a more frequent cause of severe illness and hospitalisation. (See Lee, N. et al., Outcomes of adults hospitalised with severe influenza, Thorax, 2010; 65: 510-515).
The situation can be even worse during influenza pandemics. In early 2009, a novel influenza A/H1N1 virus (pH1N1) emerged and rapidly caused a pandemic. It has been estimated that in some populations, up to 20-40% of individuals were affected and resulted in excessive hospitalizations and deaths. In the United States, 195,000-403,000 people were hospitalized for severe pH1N1 infection and 8,870-18,300 died by April 2010. The pH1N1 virus has continued to co-circulate with the seasonal influenza viruses in the community.
While most patients develop mild upper respiratory-tract infection with pH1N1, some progress to develop severe lower respiratory-tract complications, such as, for example, pneumonia, or transition to experiencing symptoms that do not resolve or improve after several days (>2 days). In contrast to seasonal influenza, young adults and previously healthy individuals may also develop severe respiratory complications such as, for example, pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Among hospitalized adults, between 9-34% may require intensive care because of progressive respiratory failure, which can be associated with high mortality (14-46%); notably, some of the manifestations (e.g. pneumonia, ARDS, multi-organ failure) are quite similar to those of H5N1 avian influenza. (See Lee, N. et al., Cytokine response patterns in severe pandemic 2009 H1N1 and seasonal influenza among hospitalised adults, PloS One, 2011; 6: e26050).
WO 01/19322 A2 (SmithKline Beecham Corp) claims a method of treating influenza-induced pneumonia which method comprises administering to the human an effective amount of a CB SP/p38 inhibitor.
The p38 MAP kinases comprise a mitogen-activated protein kinase subfamily that regulates a variety of cellular processes including cell growth processes, cell differentiation, apoptosis and cellular responses to inflammation. The p38 MAP kinases are regulated by cytokine receptors and can be activated in response to bacterial or viral pathogens.
WO 2004/076450 A1 discloses the use of certain pyrazolopyridine derivatives for the treatment or prevention of diseases mediated by TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and/or IL-8, including immune, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, bone resorption disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, proliferative diseases and processes associated with the induction of cyclooxygenase-2.
WO 02/059083 A2 (SmithKline Beecham Corp) claims the use of substituted 2,4,8-trisubstituted-8H-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one compounds and compositions for treating a wide range of CBSP/p38 kinase mediated diseases, including ARDS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and influenza-induced pneumonia.
U.S. 2011/003848 A1 (Butcher) discloses the use of polymorphic form of the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, N-[3-tert-butyl-1-(3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl]-N′-{2-[(3-{2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfanyl]phenyl}[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridin-6-yl)sulfanyl]benzyl}urea, for treating obstructive, restrictive or inflammatory airways diseases of whatever type, etiology or pathogenesis.
Meanwhile, WO 2015/173788 A1 (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster) claims a MEK inhibitor, p38 inhibitor and/or NF-κB inhibitor for use in a method for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of a co-infection comprising a bacterial infection and an influenza virus infection or a bacterial infection alone.
A p38 MAPK inhibitor is disclosed in Mihara K, et al. A potent and selective p38 inhibitor protects against bone damage in murine collagen-induced arthritis: a comparison with neutralization of mouse TNFalpha., Br. J. Pharmacol., 2008 (May);154(1): 153-64, and Galan-Arriero I, et al. Early treatment with UR13870, a novel inhibitor of p38α mitogenous activated protein kinase, prevents hyperreflexia and anxiety behaviors, in the spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain. Neurosci. Lett. 2015 (Sep.) 14; 604:69-74.
Generally, as discussed in more detail below, a number of different anti-inflammatory agents have been proposed in the art for treating inflammation associated with influenza infection.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines severe influenza as: Influenza in patients who present clinical and/or radiological signs of lower respiratory tract disease, central nervous system (CNS) involvement, severe dehydration or present secondary complications, such as renal failure, multi-organ failure and septic shock (other complications can include rhabdomyolysis and myocarditis); influenza where there is exacerbation of underlying chronic disease; influenza where there is any other condition or clinical presentation that requires hospital admission for clinical management; and influenza where there are any of the following signs and symptoms of progressive disease:
Symptoms and signs suggesting oxygen impairment or cardiopulmonary insufficiency: Shortness of breath (with activity or at rest), difficulty in breathing, tachypnoea, presence of cyanosis, bloody or coloured sputum, chest pain, and low blood pressure; in children, fast or laboured breathing; and hypoxia, as indicated by pulse oximetry or arterial blood gases;
Symptoms and signs suggesting CNS complications: Altered mental status, unconsciousness, drowsiness, or difficult to awaken and recurring or persistent convulsions (seizures), confusion, severe weakness, or paralysis;
Evidence of sustained or spreading virus replication or invasive secondary bacterial infection based on laboratory testing or clinical signs (e.g. persistent or recurrent high fever and other symptoms beyond 2 or 3 days without signs of resolution); and
Severe dehydration, manifested as decreased physical or mental activity, dizziness, decreased urine output, and lethargy. (See WHO Guidelines for Pharmacological Management of Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 and other Influenza Viruses, Revised February 2010, Part I Recommendations, p. 5).
Uncomplicated influenza is a mild inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli damaging cells, such as viruses, toxins or irritants; it is a protective response that involves the immune system, blood vessels and numerous proteins. The purpose of inflammation is to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, clear out dead and dying cells and to initiate tissue repair. In uncomplicated influenza the inflammation is short lived and repair to the damaged epithelial cell lining of the upper airways starts about 2-3 days after onset of symptoms.
In contrast to uncomplicated influenza, the inflammatory response in severe influenza is exaggerated or extended respectively. Rather than being protective, the response becomes destructive. High levels of pro-inflammatory proteins (cytokines) in the blood are an early indication of poor clinical outcomes in influenza patients (Lee, N. et al. 2011). In these patients the exaggerated inflammatory response can lead to damage of the blood vessels in the lung and other tissues resulting in leakage of liquid into the tissue (oedema). Accumulation of fluid and immune cells in the lungs can lead to pneumonia, acute lung injury and ARDS and respiratory failure in severe cases. The exaggerated inflammatory response in severe influenza can be viewed as a non-linear process where there is a critical point—a phase transition, or tipping point—when the normal inflammatory response becomes an abnormal or more destructive response. In severe influenza, rather than going down a resolution path after peak symptoms at around day 3 after infection, patients progress to develop other respiratory complications, a process driven by an exaggerated inflammatory response.
Armstrong S M et al., Endothelial activation and dysfunction in the pathogenesis of influenza A virus infection, Virulence, 2013; 4(6): 537-542, review evidence in support of endothelial activation and dysfunction as a central feature preceding the development of severe influenza.
Using gene expression microarrays to compare the transcriptomic profiles of influenza-infected patients with severe, moderate and mild symptoms with febrile patients of unknown etiology, Hoang et al. (Patient-based transcriptome-wide analysis identify interferon and ubiquitination pathways as potential predictors of influenza A disease severity, PloS One 2014, 9: e111640e) reported that influenza-infected patients, regardless of their clinical outcomes, had a stronger induction of antiviral and cytokine responses and a stronger attenuation of NK and T cell responses in comparison with those with unknown etiology and that interferon and ubiquitination signalling were strongly attenuated in patients with the most severe outcomes in comparison with those with moderate and mild outcomes. This agrees with the inventors' own data, which show elevated cytokine levels in serum from patients hospitalised for severe influenza relative to influenza-infected individuals without severe influenza (see Example 5 below).
Hoang et al., 2014 found p38 MAPK signalling to be up-regulated in moderate as well as severe patients. MMP9, SOCS3, IFITMs, TLR10, RIG-I, CD244 and NCR3 were proposed as candidate genes for further studies. However, targeting individual cytokines is unlikely to have broad anti-inflammatory effects that are required, and redundancy in the inflammatory response system means that knocking out multiple cytokines simultaneously is likely to be required for a therapy to be effective.
U.S. 2010/0151042 A1 (Liang et al.) claims a method for reducing the severity, intensity or duration of complications or symptoms associated with an influenza infection, wherein the method comprises diagnosing a subject with the influenza infection; and concurrently administering to the subject an effective amount of a cysteamine compound and a second viral therapeutic. The complications associated with the influenza viral infection may comprise rhinitis, bacterial infections, cardiac complications, neurologic complications, myositis, renal failure, pulmonary fibrosis, exacerbations of asthma, exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, empyema or heart failure. The second viral therapeutic may be selected from the group consisting of: amantadine, rimantadine, ribavirin, idoxuridine, trifluridine, vidarabine, acyclovir, ganciclovir, foscarnet, zidovudine, didanosine, zalcitabine, stavudine, famciclovir, oseltamivir phosphate, zanamivir, valaciclovir, antitussives, mucolytics, expectorants, antipyretics, analgesics and nasal decongestants.
Immunomodulatory therapy for severe influenza has been reviewed by Hui et al., Adjunctive Therapies and Immunomodulatory Agents in the Management of Severe Influenza, Antiviral Research, 2013; 98: 410-416; Hui & Lee, Adjunctive Therapies and Immunomodulatory Agents for Severe Influenza, Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2013; 7 (suppl. 3): 52-59; and Liu et al., Cellular & Molecular Immunology, 2015; 1-8, doi: 10.1038/cmi.2015.74.
Darwish et al., Immunomodulatory Therapy for Severe Influenza, Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther., 2011 (July); 9(7): 807-22, doi: 10.1586/eri.11.56, describe the influenza viral and host pathogenicity determinants, present the evidence supporting the use of immunomodulatory therapy to target the host inflammatory response as a means to improve clinical outcome in severe influenza, and review the experimental data on investigational immunomodulatory agents targeting the host inflammatory response in severe influenza, including anti-TNF therapy, statins, glucocorticoids, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, macrolides, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, AMP-activated protein kinase agonists and high mobility group box 1 antagonists, concluding with a rationale for the use of mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells and angiopoietin-1 therapy against deleterious influenza-induced host responses that mediate end-organ injury and dysfunction.
Fedson D S, Confronting an influenza pandemic with inexpensive generic agents: can it be done?, Lancet Infect. Dis., 2008; 8: 571-76, proposes research to determine whether statins, fibrates, chloroquines and other generic agents could mitigate the effects of an H5N1 avian influenza A pandemic. See also Fedson D S, Confronting the next influenza pandemic with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents: why they are needed and how they might work, Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2009; 3(4): 129-142, and Fedson D S,
Treating influenza with statins and other immunomodulatory agents, Antiviral Research, 2013; 99(3): 417-435.
An S C et al, Triple combinations of neuraminidase inhibitors, statins and fibrates benefit the survival of patients with lethal avian influenza pandemic, Medical Hypotheses, 2011; 77(6): 1054-157, hypothesise that statins and fibrates, both of which have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and other multiple biologic activities, may exhibit synergistic effects when they were combined to neuraminidase inhibitors to treat the A (H5N1) virus infections via inhibiting the production of either the early inflammatory mediators (e.g., many cytokine/chemokine) or the late mediator (e.g., High Mobility Group Box Protein 1), even showing the antiviral activities with the prevention of the development of antiviral resistance.
As described by Bermejo-Martin J F, et al, Macrolides for the treatment of severe respiratory illness caused by novel H1N1 swine influenza viral strains, J Infect Developing Countries, 2009; 3(3): 159-161, macrolides are molecules with antibacterial activity that also have remarkably anti-inflammatory properties. They exert both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on leukocytes. These effects seem to be related to the activation state of the leukocytes, facilitating bacterial killing as well as resolving local inflammation. The use of macrolides in the treatment of severe disease caused by the novel H1N1 swine flu reassortment influenza viruses is proposed, particularly in combination with antivirals, in order to diminish the systemic inflammatory response leading to pneumonia and fatal outcome.
Sato K et al, Therapeutic Effect of Erythromycin on Influenza Virus-induced Lung Injury in Mice, Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 1998; 157: 853-857, evaluated the use of erythromycin (EM), an antibiotic with potent anti-inflammatory effects that is used for treating chronic lower respiratory tract infections, on influenza-virus-induced pneumonia in mice. It was found that the administration of EM at a dose of 3.3 mg/kg/d (intraperitoneally, from Days 1-6 after infection) significantly improved the survival rate of mice infected with influenza virus, and the survival rate of the virus-infected mice at Day 20 of infection increased in a dose-dependent fashion with EM administered to the animals, from 14% among controls to 42% among animals given EM at 1.0 mg/kg/d and 57% amongst those given EM at 3.3 mg/kg/d.
Börgeling et al., (Inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase impairs influenza virus-induced primary and secondary host gene responses and protects mice from lethal H5N1 infection, J Biol Chem. 2014 Jan. 3; 289(1):13-27), describe the use of SB 202190, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, to control interferon signalling in the very early stages of influenza infection, and the resulting suppression of excessive cytokine expression. SB 202190 is administered at the same time as exposure to virus. The effects of viral infection concomitant with administration of SB 202190 are analysed up to 2 days post-infection in influenza infected mice. The data are limited to the effects of SB 202190 on cytokine expression when administered at the onset of infection with influenza virus (i.e. concomitant with exposure to virus). The effects of first SB 202190 administration at time points following exposure to the virus are not investigated and the effects of SB 202190 once the critical point (or tipping point) has been reached and the cytokine response becomes exaggerated and excessive are certainly not considered.
At the time of the present invention there remains an unmet need for a treatment to attenuate hypercytokinemia, and in particular hypercytokinemia associated with severe influenza virus infection.

Methods and compounds for the treatment or prevention of hypercytokinemia and severe influenza


This disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and devices for a prosthetic digit usable with persons with amputations at or proximal to the metacarpophalangeal joint. The device restores prehension in a person with missing fingers or thumb by providing opposition to forces in the extension direction via a spring-loaded pawl and locking rack ratchet mechanism, thereby allowing an individual to manipulate or stabilize objects. The digit may be spring-loaded in the extension direction by a torsion spring or other biasing member. The pawl may be automatically disengaged from the rack when the digit reaches full flexion, and the full flexion disengage stop may be adjustable. The pawl may be automatically engaged with the rack when the digit reaches full extension, and the extension stop may be adjustable. The pawl may contain a lateral feature that creates interference with the anchoring linkage under load and limits deflection of the structure.

Partial hand loss is the most common upper extremity amputation and has historically been underserved by conventional treatment. Most partial hand amputations are traumatic in origin, and many amputations occur in workplaces where manual labor is performed. Partial hand loss alters the ability to sort mail, play an instrument, return to a vocation, or even dress oneself and cut or hold food. The injury is so devastating that manual laborers are often unable to return to the same line of work.
The primary goal of functional partial hand prosthetic intervention is to restore opposition grasp: a sufficiently forceful grasp between the thumb and the fingers such that objects can be stabilized and manipulated. Conventional technology, however, has struggled to provide restorative interventions because of the wide range of anatomical and functional presentations post-amputation, and the complexity of replacing a powerful, dexterous, and small portion of the human hand. Partial hand loss includes any amputation distal to or through the carpal bones, including finger loss. Within this definition, four distinct zones can be considered: (1) distal to the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP, or "knuckle"); (2) at or proximal to the MCP joint, but distal to the carpal bones (transmetacarpal); (3) at the carpal bones; and (4) thenar (full or partial thumb).
Available prosthetic interventions for transmetacarpal partial hand amputees can be broadly divided into three categories: (1) cosmetic restoration; (2) passive prostheses; and (3) driven (active) prostheses. Cosmetic restoration describes a realistic silicone restoration meant to resemble the original anatomy, which almost exclusively provide psychosocial support for the individual, with very little functional capability. While invaluable in the rehabilitation process, cosmetic restorations are often abandoned within a few years.
Passive prostheses are devices which are not actively driven. These prostheses can be task-specific end-effectors, such as a grip shaped to fit onto a bicycle handlebar, which are donned and doffed for particular activities. The passive prostheses also include fixed posts that restore opposition grasp in the hand, either between a fixed-post thumb and intact fingers, or an intact thumb and fixed fingers. In recent years, this passive category has expanded to include adjustable opposition systems. These devices typically replace digits, and have one, two, or three joints mimicking the MCP, PIP, and DIP joints. The devices can also be applied to a socket on any upper limb amputation, such as an end effector for a mechanism (e.g., applied to a transradial amputation). They are spring loaded and adjustable to several postures representing different angles of digit orientation. Due to their robust nature and simplicity, passive prostheses are often the most utilized choice for return to work in manual labor environments.
Active prostheses can be powered by the body or by electricity. Body-powered devices are typically operated by a more proximal intact joint via linkages, cables, or straps. Some systems use cables run across the wrist joint to actuate artificial fingers in response to wrist flexion. One exemplary partial hand system uses a shoulder harness to drive fingers or a thumb in an open/close fashion. Electric partial hand solutions usually have individually motorized fingers and rely on a battery pack mounted on the forearm and myoelectric signals to generate several hand grasps with the fingers. One drawback of these systems is inhibition of wrist motion and sensitivity to moisture. Both body-powered and electrically driven partial hand systems have historically been restricted in their use environments due to weak forces and sensitive componentry.

Biomedical finger assembly with ratcheting lock


A photoconductor that includes a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and at least one charge transport layer that contains at least one charge transport component, and a polysiloxane/polyetherimide polymer.

This disclosure is generally directed to photoreceptors, photoconductors, and the like. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to multilayered drum, or flexible, belt imaging members, or devices comprised of a first layer, a supporting medium like a substrate, a photogenerating layer, and a charge transport layer (CTL), including a plurality of CTLs, such as a first CTL and a second CTL, an optional adhesive layer, an optional hole blocking or undercoat layer, and an optional overcoat layer. More specifically, the photoconductors disclosed contain a CTL comprised of a polysiloxane-b-polyetherimide block copolymer.
The CTL of the present disclosure possesses a desirable low surface energy, thus the wear resistance of this layer is excellent and is comparable to a CTL containing a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Moreover, the CTL of the present disclosure contains an environmentally non-hazardous polymer as compared, for example, to PTFE; the coating solution containing the polysiloxane/polyetherimide copolymer is stable for extended time periods; minimal agglomeration of the CTL layer components result thereby increasing the slipperiness of this layer as compared to a CTL with micron-sized particles of PTFE; the use of molecularly dispersed (soluble) or micro phase separated (nano-sized domains) additives of a polysiloxane/polyetherimide copolymer, such as a polysiloxane-b-polyetherimide copolymer, that substantially avoid the escape of the polymer particles when the CTL is worn down that adversely impact the systems in which the CTL layer is present; and other advantages as illustrated herein for photoconductors with charge transport layers comprising a polysiloxane/polyetherimide copolymer.
The CTL layer, which can be solution coated, for example, on the photogenerating layer may comprise a number of suitable polysiloxane-b-polyetherimide materials such as those components that substantially reduce surface contact friction and prevent or minimize wear/scratch problems for the photoreceptor device. In embodiments, the mechanically robust CTL layer of the present disclosure usually will not substantially reduce the layer's thickness over extended time periods to thereby adversely affect its hole transport characteristics causing print defects which prevent the imaging process from continuously allowing a satisfactory quality copy or printout quality; and moreover, CTL wear also produces dirt and debris resulting in dusty machine operation condition.
The CTL layers illustrated herein, in embodiments, have excellent wear resistance, extended lifetimes, and permit the elimination or minimization of photoconductive imaging member belt CTL scratches.
Also included within the scope of the present disclosure are methods of imaging and printing with the photoresponsive or photoconductor devices illustrated herein. These methods generally involve the formation of an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member, followed by developing the image with a toner composition comprised, for example, of thermoplastic resin, colorant, such as pigment, charge additive, and surface additive, reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,560,635; 4,298,697 and 4,338,390, the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, subsequently transferring the toner image to a suitable image receiving substrate, and permanently affixing the image thereto. In those environments wherein the device is to be used in a printing mode, the imaging method involves the same operation with the exception that exposure can be accomplished with a laser device or image bar. More specifically, the flexible photoconductor belts disclosed herein can be selected for the Xerox Corporation iGEN® machines that generate with some versions over 100 copies per minute. Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital and/or color printing, are thus encompassed by the present disclosure. The imaging members are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 400 to about 900 nanometers, and in particular from about 650 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source. Moreover, the imaging members of this disclosure are useful in color xerographic applications, particularly high-speed color copying and printing processes.

Polymer containing charge transport photoconductors


The present invention is directed to a message interfacing agent 224 enables a circuit-switched communication device 106, such as a telephone, to receive and respond to electronic messages and the feature server 228 enables external endpoints to access switch/server functionality using packet-switched communications.

Electronic messaging is gaining in popularity in both business and private applications. One type of electronic messaging is referred to as e-mail. E-mail is widely available not only within local area networks but also in wide area networks such as the Internet. Email is typically archived for long periods pending review by the recipient or as instructed by the recipient. Another type of electronic messaging is referred to as Instant Messaging. In Instant Messaging, the electronic mail is coupled with an awareness of presence of each participant (as enabled by protocols such as the Session Initiation Protocol or SIP) to provide a near realtime electronic conversation back and forth between the participants. Typically, instant messages pop up on the display of the recipient and, when responded to, are deleted automatically. Instant messaging has proven to be quite popular in the Internet Service Provider or ISP/portal space.
Service providers (both Internet Service Providers (ISP) and cell phone service providers) offering instant messaging/presence services today include Yahoo™, AOL™, AT&T™, Microsoft™, to name but a few. Most service providers require a PC platform, though some have built cell phone interfaces for instant messaging, such as the MLIFE™ offer of AT&T™. Service providers have yet to provide instant messaging capabilities to any non-SIP endpoint or software enabled phone. Businesses and private parties are desirous of obtaining such service on a wider variety of communication devices, including Digital Control Protocol or DCP and H.323 enabled telephones.

Instant messaging to and from PBX stations


A method is disclosed for the robust fabrication of a microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator. In this method, a pattern of holes is formed in the resonator mass with the position, size and number of holes in the pattern being optimized to minimize an uncertainty Δf in the resonant frequency f0 of the MEM resonator due to manufacturing process variations (e.g. edge bias). A number of different types of MEM resonators are disclosed which can be formed using this method, including capacitively transduced Lamé, wineglass and extensional resonators, and piezoelectric length-extensional resonators.

Microelectromechanical (MEM) resonators are being developed to miniaturize oscillators and filters for a number of applications including wireless communications and radio-frequency (RF) systems. MEM resonators are less bulky than the conventional quartz crystal and surface acoustic wave (SAW) oscillators which they can replace. Additionally, the MEM resonators can be fabricated using conventional semiconductor IC processes so that they can be directly integrated into an IC for reduced cost and size. Batch fabrication and the ability to place arrays of MEM resonators onto a single chip for use as filters and oscillators is also appealing for a number of high volume RF transceiver applications such as cell phones. For such applications, a frequency tolerance is required which is beyond that currently available with conventional MEM fabrication processes without post-fabrication laser trimming.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a method for designing and making MEM resonators which have a resonant frequency f0 which can be made substantially insensitive to manufacturing variations including an edge bias. This is advantageous since profitable commercial production of batch-fabricated MEM resonators and other types of MEM devices relies on attaining a high reliability and a high fabrication yield. If such devices are not designed up-front to be robust to manufacturing variations, then exhaustive post-fabrication screening, calibration, or laser trimming is often required. The MEM resonators fabricated according to the present invention, which have a reduced manufacturing variation Δf in the resonant frequency f0, are expected to significantly reduce the need for post-fabrication screening, calibration and laser trimming.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art.

Microelectromechanical resonator and method for fabrication


A method and apparatus for driving a liquid crystal display wherein a picture quality can be clearly kept upon conversion of a resolution mode of the liquid crystal display. In the method and apparatus, a reset signal is generated at an enable initiation time of a data enable signal, and a source shift clock for sampling video data is reset in response to the reset signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for driving a liquid crystal display wherein a picture quality can be clearly kept upon conversion of a resolution mode of the liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) of active matrix driving system uses thin film transistors (TFT's) as switching devices to display a natural moving picture. Since such a LCD can be made into a smaller device in size than the existent Brown tube, it has been widely used for a computer monitor well as office automation equipment such as a copy machine, etc. and portable equipment such as a cellular phone and a pager, etc.
Such a LCD trends toward a high resolution and a large-scale screen. Recently, a liquid crystal monitor of a personal computer has supported resolutions required for high-class equipment such as a workstation. FIG. 1 schematically shows such a LCD.
Referring to FIG. 1, the LCD includes a liquid crystal display panel 2 having TFT's and liquid crystal cells provided between gate lines GL1 to GLm and data lines DL1 to DLn, a source drive integrated circuit (IC) 6 for supplying a data to the data lines DL1 to DLn, a gate drive IC for sequentially applying scanning pulses to the gate lines GL1 to GLm, a timing controller 8 for applying required timing control signals to the source drive IC 6 and the gate drive IC 4, and an interface circuit 12 for supplying a data from a graphic card (not shown) to the timing controller 8.
The source drive IC 6 samples and latches red (R), green (G) and blue (B) data in response to a source shift clock (SSC) from the timing controller to convert a timing system of 'dot at a time scanning' into that of 'line at a time scanning'. The data converted into a system of 'line at a time scanning' is synchronized with the scanning pulses and simultaneously applied to n data lines DL1 to DLn.
Timing control signals applied from the timing controller 8 to the source drive IC 6 include a source start pulse (SSP) for instructing an initiation of a data sampling or latch in one horizontal synchronization interval, a source output enable signal (SOE) for controlling an output of the source drive IC 6 and a polarity control signal (POL) for inverting the polarity of a data upon frame/line/column inversion driving, etc. besides the SSC.
The gate drive IC 6 includes a shift register and a level shifter, etc. The gate driver IC 6 sequentially applies scanning pulses having a gate high voltage in response to a gate start pulse (GSP) from the timing controller 8, to thereby charge a data in the liquid crystal cells.
Timing control signals applied from the timing controller 8 to the gate drive IC 4 include a gate shift clock GSC for determining a time when the gate of the TFT is turned on or off and a gate output enable signal (GOE) for controlling an output of the gate drive IC 4, etc. besides the GSP.
The timing controller 8 receives RGB signals inputted via the interface circuit 12 to distribute it into the source drive IC 6 and control the source drive IC 6 and the gate drive IC 4. The timing controller 8 generates the timing control signals required for the source drive IC 6 and the gate drive IC 4 using the SSC applied from a reference clock generator (not shown).
The interface circuit 12 applies RGB data, a data enable signal I_DE and a dot clock Dclk from the graphic card (not shown) to the timing controller 8.
The timing controller 8 and the interface circuit 12 may include a LVDS circuit so that they can reduce the number of data supply lines and an electromagnetic interference.
The VESA (Video Electronics Standard Association) has defined the number of dot clocks Dclk having a frequency of 65 Mhz at a blanking interval (or a low logic interval) of a data enable signal I_DE inputted from the graphic card to the timing controller 8 in resolution modes of UXGA, SXGA, XGA, SVGA and VGA by an even number. However, if the resolution mode is converted from UXGA, SXGA or XGA into SVGA or VGA, the number of dot clocks Dclk is changed into an odd number. When the resolution mode is converted, a horizontal noise emerges on the screen.
As can be seen from FIG. 2, the conventional timing controller 8 toggles a dot clock Dclk from the interface circuit 12 irrespectively of a resolution conversion of the graphic card to generate the SSC. More specifically, the conventional timing controller 8 operates a reset circuit at a dot clock Dclk generated at the third sequence from a time when the data enable signal I_DE is changed into a high level independently of a resolution to reset a source shift clock SSC. Herein, as shown in FIG. 3, if a resolution mode is UXGA, SXGA or XGA, the number of dot clocks Dclk (65 Mhz in the XGA mode) at a blanking interval of the data enable signal I_DE is an even number (n). In this case, the source shift clock SSC has normal waveform and frequency. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, if a resolution mode is SVGA or VGA, the number of dot clocks Dclk at a blanking interval of the data enable signal DE is changed into an odd number. As a result, when the resolution mode is converted from UXGA, SXGA or XGA into SVGA or VGA, the source start pulse SSP and the source shift clock SSC inputted to the source shift clock SSC go beyond a timing specification stipulating a set-up time and a hold time to cause a horizontal noise on the screen, as shown in FIG. 5.
In FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the data enable signal DE is created by an internal circuit of the timing controller 8 to instruct a sampling initiation time of an odd data and an even data divided from an input data by means of the timing controller 8. This can be more easily understood from waveform diagrams of FIG. 9A to FIG. 11B capturing a scope screen. In the waveform diagrams of FIGS. 9A to 11B, the horizontal axis represents a time (i.e., 25.0 ns unit), and the vertical axis does a voltage (i.e., 2.0V unit).
As can be seen from FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B that represent waveforms of a source start pulse SSP and a source shift clock SSC at the set-up time and the hold time in a resolution of XGA, since the number of dot clocks Dclk in a resolution of XGA is an even number, waveforms of the source start pulse SSP and the source shift clock SSC take a normal shape. On the other hand, as can be seen from FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B that represent waveforms of the source start pulse SSP and the source shift clock SSC at the set-up time and the hold time when a resolution is converted from XGA into VGA, since the number of dot clocks Dclk is changed from an even number into an odd number, a period of the source shift clock SSC is changed to distort a waveform of the source shift clock SSC at a conversion time of resolution. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B shows an overlapped state of waveforms of the source start pulse SSP and the source shift clock SSC at a time when an XGA resolution is sustained and at a time when a resolution mode is converted from XGA into VGA, respectively.

Method and apparatus for driving liquid crystal display


A Shared Data Access Serialization mechanism for sharing data among a plurality of systems while maintaining data integrity. User data is maintained on a primary and optionally an alternate data store. Each data store contains a set of lock blocks, one for each system sharing the data. The contents of the lock blocks, normally a time-of-day value, indicate system ownership status of the associated data. "Lock Rules" are disclosed for determining resource ownership, as well as a "lock stealing" mechanism for obtaining resource ownership from a temporarily stopped system. Suffix records and check records are used to insure data integrity. Error indications deduced from inconsistent suffix and/or check records are used to trigger a data recovery mechanism, and the recovery mechanism can synchronize a primary and secondary data store without the necessity of suspending access to the primary during the synchronization process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to operating systems for computers and computer complexes. More particularly, this invention describes a mechanism and process for sharing data among different users of the computer or computer complex.
2. Background Art
Data sharing in a multiprocessor complex, or sysplex, is accomplished in a variety of ways depending on the location of the data to be shared, (e.g. main storage, or DASD) the nature of the access permitted (e.g., read-only; read-write; etc.) and the granularity of sharing (e.g., device level sharing, data set level sharing, or record level sharing). Common to virtually all sharing mechanisms is a locking mechanism, to insure that data being modified by one user is not referenced by another user until the modification is complete. An example of a locking mechanism used in the IBM MVS system is the RESERVE mechanism for serializing access to DASD data sets. As described in MVS/ESA SPL: Application Development Macro Reference (GC28-1857-1), RESERVE permits the reservation of a device for use by a particular task on a particular system. Using this mechanism, all data sets on a RESERVEd device will be unavailable to other tasks on other systems until the owning task releases the device. While insuring data integrity, the granularity of this mechanism is clearly not fine. Another mechanism, ENQ/DEQ (described in the same publication), allows a user to define and similarly control a serially reusable resource (i.e., a resource that can be shared among users, though only one can access it at a time). Still another scheme is described in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 22, No. 6, Nov. 1979, at pp. 2571-2573: this mechanism provides for record-level sharing of a data-set across different systems by means of the storing of a user-unique key, along with a time-of-day indicator, in an access record--to serve as a lock indicator to subsequent accessors.
Common to these and most similar schemes is a deficiency in that a resource locked by a user can become lost to other users if the system of the locking user becomes disabled for an extended period of time. Further, they provide no facilities or assistance in the event of damage to the data, nor do they deal with the situation where a backup data set is to be maintained for availability purposes.

Shared access serialization featuring second process lock steal and subsequent write access denial to first process


A method includes detecting a topology change on a link in a network and determining which zone group corresponds to the topology change. The method also includes identifying a zone group in the network that is permitted to access a device on said link and determining an address of an expander that has the zone group permitted to access the device on the link. The method further includes generating an expander-targeted zoned broadcast command to report a topology change in the network. The expander-targeted zoned broadcast command has, as a destination address, the address of the expander determined to have a zone group permitted to access a device on the link.

Network fabrics include an infrastructure that permits various initiators to access various target devices. The infrastructure may include one or more switches or other types of message-routing devices. A communication link between the fabric and an "end" device may malfunction for a variety of reasons. For example, the cable between the fabric and the device may malfunction or the end device may be physically disconnected from the fabric. Regardless of the reason for the failure of the link, some fabrics respond by broadcasting a message throughout the entire fabric alerting all initiators of a change in topology.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A portable optical data reader for optically sensing and decoding data, comprising a carrier oscillator for producing a carrier signal at a predetermined frequency, an optical emitter electrically connected to the carrier oscillator for emitting optical radiation in an optical path to an optical data carrier at the predetermined frequency, an optical detector for detecting the emitted optical radiation returning from the optical data carrier thereby receiving the optical data and producing a detected electrical signal responsive thereto, and a double balanced demodulator electrically connected to the optical detector and the carrier oscillator for combining the detected radiation signal with the carrier signal to demodulate the optical data with the optical data carrier.. A method of sensing and decoding optical data comprising-the steps of oscillating a carrier signal, transmitting the carrier signal to an optical emitter, thereby illuminating the optical emitter adjacent optical data, reflectively sensing the illumination from the optical emitter, thereby receiving the optical data, and demodulating the optical data by use of the oscillating carrier signal.

Systems for optically sensing and decoding data have been known for some time. Portable systems are also known for optically sensing and decoding data. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,353 entitled Portable Record Reader by Sundblad et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,699 entitled Method and Apparatus for Optical Code Reading by Eckert, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,410 entitled Hand Held Apparatus for Sensing Data Bits Carried on a Sheet by Ragland et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,483 entitled Indicating Device for Use In Optical Sensing Equipment by Englund et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,639 entitled Method and Apparatus for Reading Bar Coded Data Wherein a Light Source is Periodically Energized by Hester, U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,859 entitled Wand Turn-On Control by McWaters, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,156 entitled Method and Apparatus for Reading Bar Coded Data Wherein The Light Source Is Periodically Energized by Sherer.
These portable units have been used for data collection in a broad range of operations, from inventory control in retail stores to the more recent use in the tracking of packages or cargo for shipment purposes. These portable optical reading units typically are battery powered or attached to a terminal unit which supplies a power source.
To increase the accuracy of such data collection systems, codes have been produced and printed on products or containers. One such code is a "bar code" which may be read by passing an optical sensing unit over the bar code on the product or by passing the product over the optical sensing unit. These bar codes are patterned in a unique way in order to specifically identify the product or container.
A bar code typically consists of a pattern of dark and light bars of varying widths with the encoded information determined by the sequence of these varying width bars. These bars are scanned by the optical sensing unit and the widths of the bars are then translated into a specific identifying sequence for that particular product.
Notwithstanding many improvements, two problems have limited the use of portable bar code units. The first problem is that a portable unit must be battery powered. The optical sensing unit typically requires a source of radiation to illuminate the bar coded data which typically places a significant drain on the battery. As the applications of these portable optical sensing units continue to expand, users of such units continue to demand lighter weight, lower cost, and extended usage time from these units. Hence, the amount of power used by the radiation source and the accompanying sensing and decoding circuits continues to be a major obstacle in expanding applications.
A second problem is that because the bar code itself is a pattern of dark and light bars, optically reading these bars is often difficult in high ambient conditions, such as direct sunlight. The high ambient light interferes with the radiation source used to illuminate the bar coded data. When the optical sensing unit is passed across the code, the ambient light causes signal recognition errors or problems for the sensing unit and the data is not correctly decoded.
Therefore, there is a continued need for a low powered optical sensing unit that also greatly reduces the reading errors in these high ambient conditions.

Method and apparatus for low power optical sensing and decoding of data


A dynamic balance testing device includes a vibrating unit configured to rotatably hold a predetermined rotating body being a specimen, a first spring configured to elastically support the vibrating unit and restrict displacement of the vibrating unit in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the predetermined rotating body, and at least three second springs configured to elastically support the vibrating unit and restrict displacement of the vibrating unit in a predetermined direction orthogonal to the rotation axis. The at least three second springs are attached to the vibrating unit on a same predetermined plane, and the vibrating unit holds the predetermined rotating body such that a projection of a center of gravity of the predetermined rotating body onto the predetermined plane is substantially at the same position as a position where the first spring is attached to the vibrating unit.

A dynamic balance testing device has been known that is configured to measure dynamic balance of a specimen by rotatably holding a rotating body, being a specimen, on a vibrating table vibratably supported on a mount, making the rotating body to rotate, and measuring vibration occurring to the vibrating table due to dynamic imbalance of the rotating body while the rotating body is rotating.
A conventionally-known dynamic balance testing device has a configuration in which a substantially rectangular flat-plate-shaped base of the vibrating table is vibratably coupled to the mount by hanging the base by attaching the base to a vertical spring at a substantially central portion in a width direction of an upper end of the base and further supporting the base by attaching portions near four corners of the rectangular shape to horizontal springs.
Another conventionally-known dynamic balance testing device has a configuration in which the specimen is held by an air bearing.
Still another conventionally-known dynamic balance testing device is provided with a nozzle for blowing compressed air to rotationally drive the rotating body and is configured such that a blowing height and a blowing direction of the nozzle with respect to the rotating body can be adjusted.


Dehydroxylated, silica-containing, glass surfaces are known to be at least partially terminated by strained siloxane rings. According to the invention, a surface of this kind is exposed to a selected silane compound or mixture of silane compounds under reaction-promoting conditions. The ensuing reaction results in opening of the strained siloxane rings, and termination of surface atoms by chemical species, such as organic or organosilicon species, having desirable properties. These species can be chosen to provide qualities such as hydrophobicity, or improved coupling to a polymeric coating.

A freshly formed, silica-containing, glass surface will include a distribution of reactive sites that may include structural surface defects. It is well known that atmospheric moisture will react with these sites, leading to the attachment of hydroxyl groups to silicon atoms. As a result, a glass surface that has been exposed to the ambient atmosphere for a substantial period of time may be described as a "silanol-terminated" surface.
It is conventional to use silane coupling agents, such as RSi(OMe).sub.3 in the example below, to improve the adhesion of polymers to a silanol-terminated surface. Thus, for example, the water-mediated reactions: EQU RSi(OMe).sub.3 +H.sub.2 O+HOSi.tbd..fwdarw.MeOH+RSi(OMe).sub.2 !OSi.tbd.+H.sub.2 O EQU 2RSi(OMe).sub.2 !OSi.tbd.+H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.2MeOH+.tbd.SiOR(OMe)!SiOSiR(OMe)!OSi.tbd.
provide a cross-linked siloxane surface that contains covalent coupling points R for a subsequent organic reaction with a polymer.
Such reactions may be useful for promoting the adhesion of an optical fiber to a polymeric jacket material. Even absent such jacket material, reactions of this kind may be useful for attaching chemical species to the glass surface that are effective for reducing the affinity of the surface, or of the glass-polymer interface, to water. For both of these reasons, a surface reaction of this kind may be able to impart desirable properties to glass fibers for use, e.g., in fiber-optic cables.
However, a surface treatment that relies upon the availability of a silanol-terminated surface will not, in general, be the most economical or effective treatment to use in optical fiber manufacture. This is because in large-scale fibermaking operations, the application of the polymeric coating is typically integrated in a continuous process that begins with drawing of fresh fiber from a heated preform, and ends with winding the coated fiber on a spool. The freshly drawn glass will not have a silanol-terminated surface. Instead, it will have a nearly dehydroxylated surface that is partially terminated by strained and unstrained siloxane rings.
In fact, there are known surface reactions that can attach organic species directly to a dehydroxylated glass surface. These reactions are described, for example, in L. H. DuBois et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 115 (1993) 1190-1191, and L. H. DuBois et al., J. Phys. Chem. 97 (1993) 1665-1670. As discussed there, an alkoxy silane can react directly with a type of surface defect referred to as a "strained siloxane dimer ring," or, in reference to its geometrical configuration, as an "edge-shared tetrahedral defect." However, the resulting surface product contains a hydrolyzable alkoxy ester. This is undesirable because it may provide a nucleation site for the condensation of water. This, in turn, can weaken an optical fiber by way of a stress-induced corrosion mechanism. Moreover, the alkoxy ester is undesirable as a coupling point between the glass surface and a polymeric coating, because the adhesive bond to the polymer will be hydrolytically unstable. The surface reaction and subsequent hydrolysis are illustrated in FIG. 1.
Thus, practitioners in this field have hitherto failed to provide an effective chemical treatment for dehydroxylated glass surfaces, that affords protection from moisture and can promote adhesion to polymeric coatings.

Method for chemical surface modification of fumed silica particles


A system for processing emergency calls in a telecommunications network includes: receiving a first call at a node (30) of the telecommunications network from a calling party that originated the first call; detecting that the received first call is an emergency call; establishing a conference bridge in response to the detected emergency call; connecting the emergency call over the conference bridge to a designated facility (40) that handles emergency calls; and, automatically originating at least one second call from the node (30) to at least one predetermined third party that is different than the calling party and the facility (40).

In general, it is known to use a telecommunications network, e.g., such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or the like, to complete an emergency call. In many European countries, for example, an emergency telephone service is accessed by dialing 2-1-1. In the United States, 9-1-1 and enhanced 9-1-1 emergency telephone services and the like are known and widely available. Typically, when an emergency call is placed (e.g., by dialing a designated telephone number such as 9-1-1), the emergency call is directed in the usual manner to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or other like network facility that serves the calling party or is otherwise situated to receive the emergency call.
Commonly, the emergency call placed by the calling party or caller is answered by a call taker or operator manning a workstation at the PSAP facility. Ideally, the calling party reports the nature of the emergency to the operator, e.g., so that the operator can dispatch the appropriate form of aid, such as, the police, fire fighters, ambulance, etc. Of course, as can be appreciated, there are numerous circumstances in which the calling party is unable to effectively communicate with the PSAP operator. For example, the calling party and the operator may speak different languages or the calling party may be physically impaired or disabled so as to be unable to speak or hear. As can be appreciated, when the caller is not able to communicate readily with the call taker it is difficult for the call taker to know what type of emergency response should be dispatched. Moreover, delays in dispatching the correct form of help can be disadvantageous.
To address the foregoing issues, certain solutions have been developed and/or implemented. For example, to better serve the hearing impaired population PSAPs are commonly equipped or otherwise provisioned to accept TTY/TDD calls, i.e., calls in which a telephony teletype (TTY) and/or telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is employed. Additionally, by employing multi-lingual operators, a PSAP is able to more effectively communicate with a wider range of callers that speak different languages. While the foregoing solutions are generally effective, they have some limitations, and they do not address other circumstances in which a communication barrier may still exist between the calling party and the operator.
For example, while a staff of multi-lingual operators can be advantageous, it is typically too burdensome to have a staff of operators on duty that can speak all the different languages that may be encountered from time to time. That is to say, the operators are normally fluent in only a limited number of languages that are most commonly spoken by the general public in the geographic region that the PSAP serves. Accordingly, PSAP operators may not be able to converse in relatively more obscure languages, for example, which may be spoken by visiting foreigners, outsiders, small local minority populations, etc.
In yet another example, the calling party may be mentally handicapped or disabled or otherwise mentally impaired and therefore unable to effectively communicate or report the nature and/or circumstances of the emergency. For example, the occupants of group homes that may have mental or other impairments and other similarly situated individuals may be able to recognize an emergency situation and call 9-1-1, but they are not able to convey the nature of the emergency. Additionally, the manner in which a mentally impaired caller may speak or communicate may lead the operator to misunderstand the caller or not appreciate the calling party's true demeanor or the actual circumstances surrounding the emergency. For example, a mentally impaired caller may appear childlike or even intoxicated from the manner in which they speak and the operator might erroneously infer that the call is a hoax or prank or otherwise misconstrue the seriousness of the call.
Furthermore, there are cases in which it is advantageous to notify a third party that an emergency call has been originated. The group home situation is again an example where notifying a responsible third party of an emergency or problem can be beneficial. For example, such notification may be useful for marginally capable people living semi-independently but otherwise relying on a trusted third party for assistance.
In cases such as the foregoing, it would be advantageous to have a system or method whereby the assistance of one or more third parties could be automatically enlisted to help overcome the communication barrier. Heretofore, however, emergency telephone services have not been developed which suitably achieve this goal.
Accordingly, a new and improved method and/or system for automatically bridging third parties into emergency calls is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.

Emergency call service with automatic third party notification and/or bridging


A system and method is provided for performing sound synthesis with delay-based special effects which may be algorithmically implemented using one or more time-delay elements The system implements the time-delay elements by using system memory to store time-delay data. The system and method described herein utilizes the benefits of a high bandwidth I/O bus while mitigating the disadvantages introduced by having to arbitrate for a shared system bus. By using system memory for storing time-delay data, a more cost effective PC audio system can be produced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of computer systems which perform sound synthesis and, more particularly, to a computer system which generates delay-based sound effects by using system memory to perform the function of a delay element.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Personal computer (PC) audio systems have traditionally employed a technique called Frequency Modulation (FM) synthesis to generate audio sounds. FM synthesis works by combining the outputs of multiple sine wave oscillators which are relatively close in frequency to produce complex sound waves with close-to-natural timbres, attacks and delays. An advantage of FM synthesis is that it is relatively inexpensive to implement. A disadvantage is that FM synthesized sounds are generally recognizable as synthesized sounds.
A new music synthesis method, wavetable music synthesis, has the advantage of producing more life-like sounds than FM synthesis. Wavetable music synthesizers store digitally sampled audio data in digital memory. Thus, in wavetable synthesis, samples of actual audio are used to create sounds, as opposed to synthesizing sine waves in FM synthesis. Typically, wavetable synthesizers do not store a sample of each note which the instrument is capable of playing. Rather, to minimize the memory requirement, wavetable synthesizers typically store samples of a few representative notes of the instrument For example, a wavetable music synthesizer might store eight of the eighty-eight possible notes of a piano. Wavetable synthesizers then retrieve one of these stored data samples, shift the pitch of the sampled data to the desired new pitch, and then perform digital-to-analog conversion on the new data so that an analog device such as a speaker or headphone can reproduce the original sound. Often many audio sources, also known as voices, are sampled and stored in memory. Examples of such voices are musical instruments and human voices. A collection of samples of one or more voices is commonly referred to as wavetable data.
The quality of the music generated in either of the manners described above can often be improved when some of the voices are processed with delay-based audio effects. Examples of delay-based audio effects are echo, reverb, chorus, and flange. The echo effect imitates the delayed version of a sound that results from reflection from a large object. The reverb effect imitates the many delayed and distorted versions of a sound that result from many echoes bouncing back and forth in a small enclosed space of high acoustic reflectivity. The chorus effect imitates the not-quite-simultaneous repeated versions of a sound that results from many sound sources acting in concert. The flange effect imitates the slow decay of a sound that results from a sound propagating in multiple paths from the source to the listener.
To create these effects it is necessary to provide a method for producing delayed versions of the audio output. The conventional method for doing this is to store the audio samples in a queue in memory. The queue then functions as a time-delay element to provide a time-delay data stream.
The cost of having a dedicated memory to store time-delayed data samples could be eliminated by using the personal computer's system memory to store time-delay data. Applicant is aware of various unified memory architectures which attempt to store video data in the main or system memory. The following U.S. Patent applications disclose a system for using system memory for storing wavetable data:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,397, filed Mar. 25, 1996, and titled "Computer system and method for performing wavetable music synthesis which stores wavetable data in system memory"
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/623,850, filed Mar. 25, 1996, and titled "Computer system and method for generating delay based audio effects in a wavetable music synthesizer which stores wavetable data in system memory"
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/622,471, filed Mar. 25, 1996, and titled "Computer system and method for performing wavetable music synthesis which stores wavetable data in system memory employing a high priority I/O bus request mechanism for improved audio fidelity"
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/622,761, filed Mar. 25, 1996, and titled "Computer system and method for performing wavetable music synthesis which stores wavetable data in system memory which minimizes audio infidelity due to wavetable data access latency"
This approach has generally had performance penalties, however, because of bandwidth and bus mastering issues associated with the system bus.
In the past, personal Computer system I/O buses have not provided enough bandwidth for a unified memory architecture implementation. A typical Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus implementation, for example, is only capable of sustaining a bandwidth of a few megabytes per second. With the advent of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, this problem has been substantially reduced in that PCI bus implementations are capable of sustaining on the order of 100 MB/second.
The PCI bus, however, introduces some additional problems. Specifically, PCI is tied very closely with the PC's CPU. As a result the PCI bus has been optimized around the burst nature of refilling the CPU's cache memory. Further, the latency involved in gaining control of the PCI bus once a request for bus mastership is generated is both significant and indeterminate. PCI bus master latency is typically 2-3 microseconds, often 20-30 microseconds, and delays as long as 100-200 microseconds are possible. Thus the PCI bus is not ideal for isochronous or real-time transfers.
A typical sound DSP can have multiple voices active simultaneously. The number of simultaneous active voices is referred to as the polyphony of the DSP. A sound DSP operates as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) system, and as such has an associated sample rate hereinafter called the frame rate, which we will assume is 44,100 frames per second. During each frame time, which is the reciprocal of the frame rate (22.7 microseconds at a frame rate of 44,100 frames per second), the DSP must calculate a new output value for each of the active voices (up to 32 in our example). Assuming the polyphony is 32, this implies that the DSP hardware must process up to 44,100.times.32=1,411,200 voice outputs per second. The data samples are typically one byte or two bytes wide.
When performing digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion on sampled audio data, the data samples are supplied to a D/A converter. Each data sample has an associated arithmetic value which is supplied to the D/A converter. A ramp rate, or slope, exists between the arithmetic values of any two consecutive samples Audible artifacts, such as a "pop" from the speaker or other audio output device, are heard in the reproduced sound if two consecutive samples of audio data are supplied to the D/A converter which have a slope beyond a maximum value. These audible artifacts are commonly referred to as "zipper noise".
When D/A converters are not supplied with a sample value at their clock edge, i.e., not supplied at the required sample rate, in this case at or above the Nyquist frequency, the D/A converter can interpret the value as either the minimum or maximum arithmetic value receivable by the D/A converter. Hence, if samples are not supplied to an audio D/A converter on time there exists a high probability of creating unwanted pops and clicks.

Computer system and method for implementing delay-based effects using system memory


A vehicle door checker is provided that includes a housing attachable to a vehicle door, an arm having a first portion attachable to the vehicle, and wherein a second portion of the arm moves through the housing when the door is moved. The door checker also includes at least one slider held within the housing that is in sliding contact with the second portion of the arm inside of the housing. At least one biasing member is held within the housing, the biasing member biasing the slider against the second portion of the arm. A water management dam provides a barrier in the housing such that water is prevented from accumulating within the housing and freezing, wherein such freezing would cause damage to the housing and/or prevent the biasing member and slider from moving.

Vehicle door checkers are used to hold vehicle doors in one of a number of desired positions, such as three quarters of the way opened and fully opened. Most vehicle door checkers include an arm that is attached at a first end to the frame or body, via a pivotable mount. When the door is fully opened, the second, opposite, end of the arm is inside of a housing that is attached to the vehicle door, while a middle portion of the arm between the first and second ends is located between the housing and the pivotable mount. As the door is closed, the housing slides over the arm, starting from the second end of the arm through the middle portion, toward the first end of the arm.
The arm includes a series of notches along the length of the middle portion that correspond to desired holding positions of the door. As the housing moves over the arm, a slider held within the housing rides along the surface of the arm. The slider is biased against the arm, typically by a helical spring, so that when a notch or peak is encountered, contact is maintained between the slider and arm. An additional amount of force applied to the door is required to move the arm past the slider when either a peak or notch of the arm is encountered. Thus, in such a position, the door is held in place until the extra amount of force is applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,570 to Lezuch et al. discloses a door checker that further includes a rubber or foam-like cylinder that is used as a dampening member inside the helical type springs of the housing.
In the art, housings are typically mounted on the inside of the vehicle door. In this position, the housing is subject to the intrusion of water. Because vehicles are used outdoors and often stored outdoors, water that enters the housing in liquid form is susceptible to freezing. Expansion during freezing can cause failure of the housing and prevent the components inside the housing from moving. The foam cylinder of the Lezuch et al. patent does not prevent water from accumulating in the housing. What is desired is an effective water dam to prevent accumulation of water in the housing of a typical vehicle door checker.

Vehicle door checker having a water management dam


An improved quilt comprising a first, second and third layer of material or fill providing a quilt having superior insulating capabilities and, thus, providing superior warmth to the user. These layers are comprised of at least one layer of fur or simulated fur disposed directly adjacent to a fill layer. Further, the quilt generally, but not necessarily, has a repeating pattern on the third layer of material disposed directly adjacent to the other side of said fill layer. The invention may be used, for example, as bedwear or throw as well as a lap robe.

A quilt is generally defined as a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth, filled with padding, such as down or batting, held in place by ties or stitched designs. Comforters, bedspreads, quilts and like bedwear have long been used, in addition to normal sleeping usage, to protect other bedding from soil as well as serve a decorative purpose. However, to achieve superior warmth, the consumer has had to forfeit aesthetics and, thus, these items are then not the centerpiece of bedroom decor. Heretofore, no bedwear has served the dual purpose of providing superior warmth via insulating features, while being aesthetically pleasing and serving a primary decorative purpose as well.
In attempts to solve this limitation, prior art quilts and other bedding, including for example, bed spreads and comforters, have been proposed which are either insulating or decorative. These aspects allow the user to achieve only one of their goals, but however do not provide a decorative and superiorly warm bed covering, a quilt.
The prior art discloses several different types of bed coverings. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,025, to Owen, describes a single article of bedwear to serve the dual purpose and function of both a bed spread and a blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,271,281, to Whitman, discloses a novel type of bedding that employs air pockets for warmth. Said bedding may provide superior warmth in comparison to average bedding, however, it does not employ fur or simulated fur to provide such warmth, nor is it intended for use other than bedding.
Danova, U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,930, describes a soft sculpture creature useful as a blanket. Said creature is intended as a novelty bedding item, not as a superior warmth providing piece of bedding.
An improved bedspread having a number of reversible and interchangeable panels is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,350, to Bordenave, Sr. et al. Said bedspread is useful for aesthetic purposes--to change the look of a room. It is not a superior warmth providing quilt that is also aesthetically pleasing.
U.S. Pat. No. 56,573 to Klamke, discloses an improvement in robes having both fur and cloth and useful in a way similar to a blanket, throw or wrap. However, these robes may serve to vary the utility of a bed covering, but do little, if anything, to vary the aesthetic appeal of a bed covering.
Shortcomings found in the prior art include, for example, lack of aesthetic appeal, lack of warmth, limited usefulness and various combinations of the above. In fact, aesthetic appeal and superior insulating qualities appear to be almost mutually exclusive in the art. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by integral incorporation of insulating and decorative surface characteristics and features into the same quilt. The construction of the instant invention is highly suitable for the above-stated purposes as it is made from, for example, at least one layer of fur or simulated fur, one layer of fill such as batting and a third layer of fabric, said layers tied or stitched in a quilting fashion. While prior art is suitable for general bed covering purposes or decorative purposes, none of the prior art easily and efficiently uses insulating features to provide superior warmth to the user while providing superior aesthetic appeal. The present invention provides a novel quilt composition, made from a plurality of layers, including at least one of fur or simulated fur--an ideal material of construction for the present invention.
Fur and simulated fur are naturally insulating based on their loft, or the amount of air able to be trapped between the lengths each hair. When combined with conventional fill, such as batting, and a third layer of fabric, the combination provides superior warmth and aesthetic appeal.
According to this invention, this combination provides a decorative outer fabric surface on one side thereof to be utilized as the upper surface when positioned on a bed thus providing aesthetic appeal, and a fur or synthetic fur outer surface on the other side thereof to be utilized as the under insulating surface when positioned on a bed. This positioning description is not intended to be limiting in that the improved quilt described herein is completely reversible based on the user's desires. By this construction, the use of the combination of numerous sheets, blankets and comforters in the cold winter months is obviated. Furthermore, there is provided a quilt in which the upper side thereof is possessed of a decorative woven, nonwoven or knit fabric which is desirable for the exposed surface of a bed covering and in which the underside is possessed of a fur or synthetic fur surface for superior warmth.
While prior art bedwear may allow a person to keep warm or decorate a room, it does not take the form of an object who's specific purpose is to both insulate the user while serving a primary decorative purpose. In addition, the prior art does not disclose the use of fur loft to enhance the air capture features and, therefore, increase insulating properties in bedwear. Current commercially available quilts are quite pleasing to the eye and frequently used in decorative ways. However, they are generally also used with a number of conventional blankets underneath in order to provide adequate warmth. The instant invention provides a quilt that is useful in two equally important aspects, warmth and aesthetics.