An apparatus is provided to permit upgrading of a hospital room from a general care room to a critical care room and to facilitate transport of a critical care patient on a hospital bed.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method to facilitate upgrading of a standard, general care hospital room to a critical room. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for providing seamless critical care services to a patient in a hospital room and during transport of the patient within the hospital.
Recent trends have caused cost reducing pressures on hospitals. These cost pressures have driven traditional in-patient services to less expensive out-patient and home care settings. Therefore, hospitals tend to have smaller in-patient populations. Future in-patient populations are likely to be older and sicker patients with multiple complications. The population of intermediate care patients is also likely to increase while the med-surg hospital population is decreasing over time. Therefore, the in-patient hospital population has a higher level of acuity.
Hospitals will likely have fewer beds in the future. Reconstruction of hospital rooms for critical care services is very expensive. Typically, existing structures must be torn out and rebuilt with critical care capabilities.
It is known to provide a pivoting power column built within the room to provide life support services for critical care patients. These pivoting power columns, however, are not transportable and must be built within the particular hospital room. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,359; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,371; U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,255; U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,337; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,906.
Several problems face hospital administrators and planners. Facilities within inflexible architectural systems restrict the ability of institutions to upgrade services quickly and inexpensively. In addition, the process of transporting critical care patients creates adverse conditions and risks for staff and patients due to the inability to easily move and maintain power for the ventilator and/or IV pumps and transport monitor.
In order to adapt to changes for fewer but more acute patients, hospitals need the option for more responsive architectural systems and patient rooms that can be upgraded to critical care or downgraded to med-surg quickly and inexpensively. In order to accomplish these needs and to reduce the number of staff and time required to transport a critical care patient, hospitals need a mobile equipment system that can support and provide power, medical gases, and a communication interface to a ventilator, IV pumps and/or a patient monitor. The system must consume minimum space within a patient room, be able to fit substantially within the footprint of the patient bed during transport, and organize and manage lines connected to the patient.
The apparatus and method of the present invention provides both an architectural headwall and a portion of the headwall that is mobile to allow a hospital to create a "general care" patient room that can be upgraded quickly and efficiently to a critical care room "upon demand" without remodeling the room. The apparatus of the present invention includes a general care "flexible" headwall with services that can be upgraded or downgraded easily. In addition, a care cart is provided that supports critical care devices such as the ventilator, pumps, etc. at the bedside. The care cart can be coupled to the patient bed for manually transporting the patient. During the transport the mobile care cart provides uninterrupted power for critical care devices.
The apparatus and method of the present invention provides several transport benefits. The apparatus reduces the time for preparing for transport and reduces the time required for disconnecting and handling of equipment. In addition, fewer staff are required for transport. The battery supply maintains uninterrupted power during transport as well as uninterrupted oxygen and air supply for ventilator patients. In the room, the apparatus and method of the present invention provides the flexibility to reposition services around the bed. Therefore, the present invention provides improved patient head access. The mobile care cart can also nest with the headwall to provide a compact design.
The apparatus and method of the present invention provides an improved headwall design for supporting med-surg patients. The headwall design provides minimal services including oxygen, air, vacuum, nurse call, and electricals. When it is desired to upgrade a room to a critical care room, a mobile care cart module of the present invention is transported into the room. The mobile care cart provides a means for efficiently upgrading a patient room to provide critical care services while minimizing construction and down time. The mobile care cart includes provisions for suction, oxygen, air, electrical outlets, and a battery power supply. A power assist drive mechanism can be included on the care cart, if desired.
The system of the present invention therefore provides basic universal services on the headwall. The hospital room can be upgraded to critical care "on demand" or just-in-time.
The headwall of the present invention includes an improved concealment cover to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The concealment cover acts as a folding top surface. The foldable concealment cover can be folded within a raceway of the headwall to provide access to a track for hanging accessory items from the top of the raceway of the headwall.
The care cart provides a platform for mounting primary critical care equipment. A ventilator is mounted on a movable, power assisted and adjustable shelf so that the ventilator can be positioned in an elevated position when the mobile care cart is used in the hospital room. The care cart can also be provided with a fixed shelf or multiple fixed shelves, if desired. When it is desired to transport the critically ill patient within the hospital, the mobile care cart is disconnected from the headwall and connected to an end of the patient's hospital bed. An onboard power supply on the care cart supports the ventilator during transport. Manifolds are provided on the care cart for holding oxygen and air tanks which are connected to the ventilator during transport. Pivoting IV poles on the care cart can swing into a nested position adjacent the bed for transport. During transport, the equipment shelf is lowered to a position below the bed. The equipment shelf may be rotated so that the caregiver can view the equipment control panel during transport.
The care cart of the present invention is designed to provide seamless care for the patient. In other words, the caregiver does not have to rehandle or disconnect equipment that is connected to the patient to transport the patient.
The apparatus and method of the present invention may reduce the number of staff required to transport a critically ill patient. Typically, up to five people are required to transport the patient. With the apparatus and method of the present invention, two people can transport the patient.
While the critical care patient remains in the hospital room, the mobile care cart integrates with and is nested with the headwall. The care cart is connected to the main power supply of the room and the ventilator is connected to oxygen or air supplies in the headwall in a conventional manner.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided to permit upgrading of a hospital room from a general care room to a critical care room and to facilitate transport of a critical care patient on a hospital bed or stretcher. The apparatus includes a headwall mounted to a wall of the hospital room. The headwall includes electrical outlets, gas supply outlets, and a bed locator section. The apparatus also includes a mobile care cart including a base having a plurality of casters, fixed or motorized adjustable equipment shelf coupled to the base, equipment located on the equipment shelf, a gas manifold, a medical gas supply line for coupling the gas manifold to a gas outlet of the headwall when the care cart is in the hospital room, and means for coupling the manifold to a transportable gas supply mounted on the mobile care cart during transport. The apparatus further includes a battery coupled to the base, and a power cord configured to be plugged into the electrical outlet in the headwall for recharging the battery and for powering the critical care unit when the mobile care cart is in the hospital room. The battery provides an uninterrupted power supply to select critical equipment when the power cord is unplugged for transport.
The mobile care cart is configured to be moved into the hospital room and located adjacent the patient hospital bed and the bed locator section of the headwall to upgrade the hospital room to a critical care room. The care cart also includes a latching mechanism for coupling the care cart to the hospital bed to provide a secure, stable connection during transport.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart includes a base including a plurality of casters, a latching mechanism on the base that can be adjusted for various types of hospital beds and equipment, a movable support coupled to the base, a drive mechanism coupled to the base and to the support to move the movable support from an elevated position to a downwardly extended, transport position, and an equipment shelf rotatably coupled to the movable support. The equipment shelf is rotatable relative to the base to facilitate access to an item of equipment located on the equipment shelf.
In the illustrated embodiment, the equipment shelf is located under an end of the hospital bed when the base is coupled to the hospital bed and the movable support is in its transport position. The equipment shelf is slidably coupled to the movable support to permit lateral movement of the equipment shelf relative to the support and the base in a direction normal to an axis of rotation of the equipment shelf.
Also in the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus includes electrical outlets coupled to the base for powering the items of equipment, a battery coupled to the base, and a power cord configured to be plugged into the electrical outlet in the headwall for recharging the battery and for powering the item of equipment when the mobile care cart is in the hospital room. The battery provides an uninterrupted power supply to the item of equipment when the power cord is unplugged for transport.
The illustrated embodiment further includes an indicator coupled to said base for indicating the condition of the battery. The indicator includes a display panel on the mobile care cart and an alarm coupled to the cart for providing an audible signal indicative of the condition of the battery.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart includes a latch mechanism for coupling the cart to a hospital bed during transport of the bed. The care cart also includes an on-board battery and gas supply for supplying electrical and gas outlets, respectively, on the care cart for use by equipment during transport. The care cart is nestable against a headwall when in the hospital room. The care cart further includes means for coupling the electrical and gas supply outlets on the care cart to electrical and gas supplies separate from the care cart when the care cart is in a hospital room. The coupling means automatically switches to use of the on-board battery and gas supply to provide an uninterrupted gas and electrical supply during transport when the cart is disconnected from the electrical and gas supplies separate from the care cart for transport.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart apparatus includes a movable base, and a manifold assembly coupled to the base. The manifold assembly includes a manifold block having a gas inlet configured to be coupled to a gas tank located on the mobile care cart and a gas outlet. The apparatus also includes a cross over valve having a first input coupled to the gas outlet of the manifold, a second input configured to be coupled to a wall outlet gas supply by a gas supply hose, and an outlet. The outlet of the cross over valve is configured to be coupled to an item of equipment located on the care cart by a gas supply line. The cross over valve is configured to supply gas to the cross over valve outlet from the gas tank automatically when the wall outlet gas supply is disconnected from the gas supply hose and to supply gas to the crossover valve outlet from the wall outlet gas supply when the wall outlet gas supply is connected to the gas supply hose.
The illustrated manifold block includes first and second gas inlets coupled to the gas outlet. The first and second inlets are configured to be coupled to first and second gas tanks, respectively, for supplying gas to the outlet of the manifold from both of the first and second gas tanks. The illustrated manifold block also includes first and second recessed portions configured to receive a valve stem of the first and second gas tanks, respectively, and first and second latching brackets for securing the first and second gas tanks to the manifold block so that the manifold block protects the valve stems of the first and second gas tanks. The apparatus further includes first and second pressure gauges coupled to the first and second inlets to provide an indication of the pressure within the first and second tanks, respectively.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart apparatus is configured to be located adjacent a hospital bed during transport of the hospital bed. The mobile care cart apparatus includes a movable base, and a manifold assembly coupled to the base. The manifold assembly includes a manifold block having a gas inlet configured to be coupled to a gas tank located on the mobile care cart and a gas outlet configured to be coupled to an item of equipment located on the care cart by a gas supply line. The apparatus also includes a spring-loaded platform coupled to the base. The spring-loaded platform is configured to support a gas tank on the base to facilitate adjustment of the tank relative to the manifold.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart apparatus is configured to be located adjacent a hospital bed during transport of the hospital bed. The mobile care cart apparatus includes a movable base, and a manifold assembly coupled to the base. The manifold assembly includes a manifold block having a gas inlet configured to be coupled to a gas tank located on the mobile care cart and a gas outlet configured to be coupled to a first item of equipment located on the care cart by a gas supply line. The apparatus also includes an auxiliary gas flow control valve coupled to the outlet of the manifold for providing auxiliary gas flow to a second item of equipment on the care cart.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a mobile care cart apparatus is configured to be located adjacent a hospital bed during transport of the hospital bed. The mobile care cart apparatus includes a movable base, a power supply on the base, and a vacuum pump located on the base of the care cart and coupled to the power supply to provide suction on the care cart during transport.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a pressure regulator apparatus is provided for reducing pressure of a gas received from a gas outlet aperture formed in a planar surface and for delivering reduced pressure gas to a gas inlet aperture formed in the planar surface spaced apart from the gas outlet aperture by a first distance. The regulator apparatus includes a regulator body for reducing gas pressure. The body includes an end wall having a regulator inlet configured to be coupled to the gas outlet aperture, a first annular seal located a second distance from the regulator inlet, a second annular seal located a third distance from the regulator inlet, and a regulator outlet formed in the end wall between the first and second seals. The second distance is less than the first distance, and the third distance is greater than the first distance. The first and second seals are configured to engage the planar surface on opposite sides of the gas inlet aperture so that gas from the regulator outlet flows into the gas inlet aperture formed in the planar surface.
In the illustrated apparatus, the end wall is formed to include an annular groove surrounding the regulator inlet. The annular groove is spaced apart from the regulator inlet by the first distance so that the annular groove is aligned with the gas inlet aperture formed in the planar surface when the regulator inlet is coupled to the gas outlet aperture. The regulator outlet is formed in communication with the annular groove.
Also in the illustrated apparatus, the regulator inlet includes a threaded stem configured to be coupled to the gas outlet aperture. The first and second seals are O-ring seals located within first and second annular notches formed in the end wall of the regulator body.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

Apparatus and method for upgrading a hospital room


A control device for a brake system of a rail vehicle, wherein the brake system includes a friction bracket device which is dependent on frictional engagement. The control device determines a braking effect applied during a braking process on the basis of a brake pressure or brake current and at least one further parameter. Also disclosed are a brake system having such a control device and a method for determining a braking effect.

In modern rail vehicles a large number of braking force sensors may be provided to detect braking forces or braking torques during a braking process. Knowledge of such braking forces or braking torques is very useful for controlling or regulating a braking process since, in particular, wheel locking states can be avoided and a frictional engagement between wheel and rail as large as possible can be effectively utilized for the braking process. However, such sensors are costly and require considerable maintenance work.
Disclosed embodiments make it possible to determine a braking effect, in particular a braking force and/or a braking torque, with as few braking force sensors or braking torque sensors as possible.

Determining a braking force for a rail vehicle

KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FUR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH


A panel pushing assembly (10) for a slide rail system having a first and second wall (12, 14) includes an elongated member (16) having a bottom end (18) and a top end (20), and a guide (40) disposed about the elongated member (16). The guide (40) guides slidable movement along the elongated member (16) and includes a collar (42) engaging the walls (12, 14) of the elongated member (16) and a catch (44) extending laterally from the collar (42) to engage the second wall (14), which is the stationary wall. The collar (42) includes a plurality of side-plates (46) and the catch (44) includes a hook portion (70) extending downwardly along the outside of the second wall (14) for preventing lateral movement of said elongated member (16) relative to the second wall (14). A retention finger (34) is disposed on the bottom end (18) of the elongated member (16) for preventing lateral movement of the bottom of the elongated member (16) and a head-plate (28) is disposed on the top end (20) of the elongated member (16) to receive a pushing force (F).

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a panel pushing assembly for pushing the first wall into the ground of a slide rail system having multiple walls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One known problem encountered while pushing a slide rail panel into the ground is damage to the wall due to exerting a force directly on the top of the wall. One solution is reinforcement of the top of the wall; however these modifications increase the cost of each slide rail panel. An example of such an assembly is U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,522 to Pertz.
The Pertz patent discloses a single-walled trenching assembly including a head-plate, releasably mounted along the length of the top of a slide rail panel. The top of the wall is a channel beam having side flanges. The head-plate is an inverted U-shaped channel member having a top surface no greater than that of the top of the wall wherein it sits. The head-plate releasably engages the top channel via a tight fit with rods that are welded to the inside walls of the flanges on the top channel of the wall.
There is a further problem specific to multi-wall slide rail systems. The force exerted on the walls is usually applied using the bucket of an excavator, excavating crane, or trencher. The inside wall or walls, namely a center wall and inside wall in a triple track slide rail system, are difficult to reach without having to move the excavator. Furthermore, the only way to exert a force to all of the walls is to use the teeth of the bucket to push the inside or center wall which causes more damage to the wall.
Although the prior art panel pushing assemblies serve the purpose of protecting the top of the wall while pushing the wall into the ground, there remains a need for a tool to push a slide rail panel that can be moved from one slide rail panel to another eliminating the need to reinforce each individual slide rail panel. Specifically there remains an opportunity for a panel pushing assembly which provides a heightened yet stable position for conveniently applying a downward force to the first wall of a multi-walled slide rail system while simultaneously protecting the top of the first wall.


A communication apparatus is provided that includes: a receiving unit that receives communication parameter for connecting to a first base station via a second base station; a connecting unit that connects to the first base station based on the received communication parameter; and an authentication unit that performs authenticated process with the first base station based on the received communication parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing device, a connection device, and a connection device designation method for designating the connection device for communication device to connect to.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a wireless communication system utilizing a wireless LAN defined by IEEE 802.11 is constructed with at least an access point (hereinafter referred to as "AP") that serves as a wireless base station, and a plurality of wireless LAN terminals. Wireless communications are conducted in an infrastructure mode. The term "infrastructure mode" refers to a communication method in which the AP mediates communications among the wireless LAN terminals, instead of having the wireless LAN terminals conduct direct communications with each other.
The wireless communication system may include a plurality of APs. In this case, in order for a wireless LAN terminal to conduct communications through a particular AP, the initial settings in the wireless LAN terminal must be set with an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) or another ID number that has been set in the particular AP to distinguish it.
For example, the identical ESSID may be used to form a single, closed network connecting an AP arranged in a specific area where meetings are held (e.g., a meeting room) and various wireless LAN terminals that meeting attendees respectively bring to the meeting. Exchanges of data necessary for conducting the meeting can be performed via the wireless LAN. A "closed network" means that the network cannot be accessed from wireless LAN terminals other than those used by the attendees in the meeting (PAN: Personal Area Network).
However, when using the ESSID to specify the particular AP to build a conferencing system as in the above-mentioned conventional wireless communication system, each attendee must reconfigure the wireless LAN terminal that he or she will bring to the meeting with the ESSID designated for the AP to be used at the next meeting. This was an extremely burdensome aspect of constructing the conferencing system.
Furthermore, when using such a conferencing system, there is a case where multiple APs are to be used in a single meeting and the wireless LAN terminals connecting to these APs need to be distributed evenly. In such a case, a different ESSID needs to be assigned in advance to each AP, and the ESSIDs assigned to the APs need to be distributed to the wireless LAN terminals of the meeting attendees evenly so as to prevent communications traffic from getting concentrated at a particular AP. Conventionally, it has not been possible to perform even distribution of the ESSIDs in an automated fashion.
Moreover, in a case where a connection was incorrectly made to an AP in a neighboring meeting room, for example, the user would have to change the access point and try to connect to a different network. Each time this action is taken, the user must change the SSID set in his or her terminal, or must pre-set the terminal with as many SSIDs as there are networks, which is burdensome.

Communication system, information processing device, connection device, and connection device designation method for designating connection device for communication device to connect to


The present invention is an apparatus and method for provisioning a compact power filter connection to a well-grounded connector in such a way as to include a capacitive and inductive circuit connection, extremely near the connector and filter, such that EMC compatibility is created in a space roughly 30% of traditional mechanisms and design approach to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in a “post-internal ferrite bead re-radiation noise-less” manner, in a sense that ability to have noise introduced back onto a post-ferrite bead line has been greatly reduced.

In recent years, industrial and military computers have become increasingly prevalent in many industries. It is not uncommon today to see rows of high performance computers, or servers, arranged in racks or specialized computers in mining or sensitive deployed military application. These computers, as well as other electronic devices and their peripherals, increasingly need more and more power. With increased power, typically comes an increase in electrical noise, which has an undesirable impact on the operation of equipment within the area. These pieces of equipment are typically sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. The levels being discussed here are well below the conventional concerns typically dealt with by compliance to UL, FCC, TUV, CE and CSA EMC standards. The need for complying with the lower levels are entirely due to the application the computers are being used. While many of these industrial and military power supplies are often designed and manufactured to higher standards than typical power supplies for consumer electronics and computers, they still are occasionally insufficient to meet the even higher military and commercial aviation standards such as MIL-STD-461 and DO-160. MIL-STD-461 is a United States Military Standard that describes, among other things, how to test equipment for electromagnetic compatibility. DO-160, Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment, is a standard for environmental tests of avionics hardware published by RTCA, Incorporated. Both of these documents are used to help power supply designers create EMC compliant products.
It is also common for computer power supplies to meet the Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) specification for motherboards and associated power supplies.
However, the increasing power needs and the physical size and volume limitations of the industrial standard form factor has posed a formidable challenge for high power (greater than 300 Watts) 18-36 volt or higher power supplies which meet both the MIL-STD-461 and the DO-160, while still meeting the ATX industry specification, as one example. Solving this problem in a unique way has created a broader application of a method to create compact EMC compliant power sources for these industries. Minimizing the conducted and radiated susceptibility paths from the rear connector of the power source to the filter mechanism, typically a common mode or differential mode choke, can provide the greatest EMC benefit in a power supply front end filter system.
Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and systems for connecting the connector to the primary EMI filter in a system. This problem has prevented the industry from supplying a minimum of 300 watts at a minimum of 18 Volts, power from within an industry standard form factor, such as a 1U ATX, while simultaneously meeting the ATX specification and both the MIL-STD-461 and the DO-160 specifications, all done in a reliable and cost efficient manner.

System and method for creating high powered EMC compliant power supply for industrial and military applications


A variable-capacity intake system for a vehicle internal combustion engine, and of the type presenting at least one intake conduit for each cylinder of the engine; a capacity in which said intake conduit terminates and which is connected to air supply means; an additional capacity; and valve means for selectively connecting at least part of the additional capacity to the intake conduit.

The present invention relates to a variable-capacity intake system for an internal combustion engine, in particular a high-performance GT car engine.
As is known, it is possible to enhance the volumetric efficiency of an internal combustion engine using a system, which provides for varying intake conditions and optimizing engine filling by determining resonance conditions in the system at different engine speeds. Increasing the volumetric efficiency of the engine provides to a certain extent for increasing power output for a given engine speed, reducing fuel consumption by burning the fuel better, and hence reducing the amount of pollutant exhaust gas produced.
The state of the art is familiar with intake systems for internal combustion engines, especially those of high-performance, e.g. GT, cars, in which the air intake conduits comprise so-called "trumpet" elements designed to vary their length to diameter ratio and so vary the intake conditions of the engine. Such elements are substantially of two types: a first presents a telescopic end conduit portion defined by two coaxial elements sliding one inside the other and which, by varying their axial position in relation to each other, provide for varying the length to diameter ratio (the length increasing or decreasing, and the diameter remaining constant); and a second presents an inlet portion comprising a pair of semicylindrical lobes hinged to each other and laterally superimposed to define a continuous-section conduit portion variable in diameter according to the extent to which the two lobes are parted.
In the case of engines with no trumpet elements, use is made, for each cylinder, of two parallel intake conduits of appropriate length and diameter and end-connected by a manifold fitted inside with a throttle valve. By controlling the throttle valve, it is possible to use either one or both of the conduits, thus changing the "equivalent diameter" of the resulting intake conduit, and so achieve resonance conditions for a given number of different engine speeds.
The above systems present the drawback of being relatively bulky and expensive; and the first, featuring telescopic trumpet elements, is also relatively delicate in terms of mechanical control.

Variable-capacity intake system for a vehicle internal combustion engine


A labyrinth seal includes a seal case with an inner-diameter leg encircling a rotation axis, and an insert fixed in the seal case and encircling the rotation axis. The labyrinth seal also includes a slinger encircling the rotation axis and wrapping around the inner-diameter leg to cooperate with the seal case to form a first part of a labyrinth path. The slinger rotates relative to the seal case. The labyrinth seal also includes a rotor that encircles the rotation axis, cooperates with the insert to form a second part of the labyrinth path, and interlocks with the insert to limit axial movement of the rotor when the rotor rotates relative to the insert. The labyrinth seal may be combined with a bearing cone, a bearing cup, and a plurality of rollers to form a roller bearing assembly.

Both ball bearings and roller bearings operate with a lubricant within the bearing to reduce friction between the balls/rollers and the raceways on which the balls/rollers roll. To contain the lubricant within the bearing and to prevent water, dirt, and other contaminants from entering the bearing, the bearing is equipped with a seal.
The seal may be a contact seal that forms a physical barrier, typically an elastomer gasket, between the inside of the bearing and the external environment. This physical barrier, however, requires direct contact between parts moving relative to each other, such as direct contact between one part that does not rotate and another part that rotates because it is affixed to a rotating journal. Thus, a contact seal is associated with friction which causes wear and tear of the physical barrier, especially in the presence of particulate contaminants. Best performance is achieved when the contact seal forms a labyrinth between stationary and rotating parts. This labyrinth limits transport of material between the external environment and the physical barrier to a tortuous path that reduces or prevents entry of contaminants into the bearing, thereby protecting the physical barrier. However, the friction at the physical barrier reduces fuel efficiency, may generate excessive heat at high speeds, and often presents a maintenance problem.
In contrast, a noncontact seal has no direct physical contact between non-rotating and rotating parts. One type of noncontact seal is a noncontact labyrinth seal, which forms a labyrinth between stationary and rotating parts. The noncontact labyrinth seal is conceptually similar to a contact seal forming a labyrinth, as discussed above, except that the noncontact labyrinth seal lacks a physical barrier bridging across the labyrinth. The noncontact labyrinth seal limits transport of material between the interior of the bearing and the external environment to a tortuous path that reduces or prevents both loss of lubricant from the bearing and entry of contaminants into the bearing. Some noncontact labyrinth seals include a slinger that rotates with the journal. The slinger's rotation, especially when operating at high rotation speeds, further prevents both transport of lubricant out of the bearing and entry of contaminants into the bearing.

Labyrinth seal with interlocking rotor and seal case insert


Systems and methods for printing a plurality of images on an object include receiving a digital file having a plurality of images (removable and/or permanent) to be printed on an object. The method further includes, for each of the plurality of images: determining whether that image is a removable image or a permanent image, identifying, based on the determination, at least one layer to be used for printing that image in addition to a marking material layer, determining a composition of the marking material layer, and determining a composition of the at least one layer. The at least one layer may be a pre-coat layer applied under the marking material layer and/or a post-coat layer applied over the marking material layer. The marking material layer and the at least one layer are then printed on the object.

Reusable containers and bottles (made from for example, glass, plastic, or the like) typically include one or more labels adhered to their outer surface. Such containers and bottles are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes for holding many different types of materials such as detergents, chemicals, motor oil, beverages, including juices, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, etc. The labels may include colors, designs, logos, and information concerning the product or manufacturer and details as to the contents of the container.
While such containers and bottles are reusable, the bottles must be cleaned and the labels removed prior to refilling and relabeling the bottles often because the materials used to make the labels are not recyclable. As such, label requirements generally include high clarity visual aesthetics, abrasion resistance during processing and handling of beverage bottles, and resistance to any deleterious effects due to moisture during cold storage or a pasteurization process. However these requirements can be difficult to achieve and still require easy removability of the label from the bottle. When the labels are not easily separable from the containers, many containers are not recycled that otherwise would be, and recycling yields are reduced.
Container manufacturers have also recently started producing containers with digitally printed labels that are of a sufficient definition and quality to compete with and potentially replace prior conventional labeling techniques. As such, there is a desire for digitally printed plastic articles, such as containers, that have digital images that adhere to the article without quality issues throughout its useful life, but are readily removable by customers and/or using conventional recycling processes developed for removing conventional labels. It will also be advantageous to digitally print removable labels or images as well as permanent images on a container in a single step (i.e., in a single manufacturing line) so as to avoid handling and tracking of the container between various printing devices or manufacturing lines.
The current disclosure discloses a methods and systems for printing of permanent images and removable images (labels) on containers or other objects in a single manufacturing line.

Systems and methods for printing of removable and permanent images on an object


The present invention relates to compounds that activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), including the preparation of the compounds, compositions containing the compounds and the use of the compounds in the prevention or treatment of disorders such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.

AMPK is well established as a sensor and regulator of cellular energy homeostasis (Hardie, D. G. and Hawley, S. A. AMP-activated protein kinase: the energy charge hypothesis revisited. Bioessays 23: 1112 (2001), Kemp, B. E. et.al. AMP-activated protein kinase, super metabolic regulator. Biochem. Soc. Transactions 31:162 (2003)). Allosteric activation of this kinase due to rising AMP levels occurs in states of cellular energy depletion. The resulting serine/threonine phosphorylation of target enzymes leads to an adaptation of cellular metabolism to the low energy state. The net effect of AMPK activation induced changes is inhibition of ATP consuming processes and activation of ATP generating pathways, and therefore regeneration of ATP stores. Examples of AMPK substrates include acetyl-CoA-carboxylase (ACC) and HMG-CoA-reductase (Carling, D. et.al. A common bicyclic protein kinase cascade inactivates the regulatory enzymes of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. FEBS Letters 223:217 (1987)). Phosphorylation and therefore inhibition of ACC leads to a decrease in fatty acid synthesis (ATP-consuming) and at the same time to an increase in fatty acid oxidation (ATP-generating). Phosphorylation and resulting inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase leads to a decrease in cholesterol synthesis. Other substrates of AMPK include hormone sensitive lipase (Garton, A. J. et.al. Phosphorylation of bovine hormone-sensitive lipase by the AMP-activated protein kinase. A possible antilipolytic mechanism. Eur. J. Biochem. 179:249 (1989)), glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (Muoio, D. M. et.al. AMP-activated kinase reciprocally regulates triacylglycerol synthesis and fatty acid oxidation in liver and muscle: evidence that sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase is a novel target. Biochem. J. 338:783 (1999)), malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (Saha, A. K. et.al. Activation of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase in rat skeletal muscle by contraction and the AMP-activated protein kinase activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside. J. Biol. Chem. 275:24279 (2000)), and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (Leclerc, I. et.al. Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α involved in type-1 maturity-onset diabetes of the young is a novel target of AMP-activated protein kinase. Diabetes 50:1515 (2001)), some of which are potential drug targets for components of the metabolic syndrome. Additional processes that are believed to be regulated through AMPK activation, but for which the exact AMPK substrates have not been identified, include stimulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle and expressional regulation of key genes in fatty acid and glucose metabolism in liver (Hardie, D. G. and Hawley, S. A. AMP-activated protein kinase: the energy charge hypothesis revisited. Bioessays 23: 1112 (2001), Kemp, B. E. et.al. AMP-activated protein kinase, super metabolic regulator. Biochem. Soc. Transactions 31:162 (2003), Musi, N. and Goodyear, L. J. Targeting the AMP-activated protein kinase for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Current Drug Targets-Immune, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders 2:119 (2002)). For example, decreased expression of glucose-6-phosphatase (Lochhead, P. A. et.al. 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside mimics the effects of insulin on the expression of the 2 key gluconeogenic genes PEPCK and glucose-6-phosphatase. Diabetes 49:896 (2000)), a key enzyme in hepatic glucose production, and SREBP-1c (Zhou, G. et.al. Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in mechanism of metformin action. The J. of Clin. Invest. 108: 1167 (2001)), a key lipogenic transcription factor, has been found following AMPK stimulation.
More recently an involvement of AMPK in the regulation of not only cellular but also whole body energy metabolism has become apparent. It was shown that the adipocyte-derived hormone leptin leads to a stimulation of AMPK and therefore to an increase in fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle (Minokoshi, Y. et.al. Leptin stimulates fatty-acid oxidation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Nature 415: 339 (2002)). Adiponectin, another adipocyte derived hormone leading to improved carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, has been demonstrated to stimulate AMPK in liver and skeletal muscle (Yamauchi,T. et.al. Adiponectin stimulates glucose utilization and fatty acid oxidation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Nature Medicine 8: 1288 (2002), Tomas, E. et.al. Enhanced muscle fat oxidation and glucose transport by ACRP30 globular domain: Acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibition and AMP-activated protein kinase activation. PNAS 99: 16309(2002)). The activation of AMPK in these circumstances seems to be independent of increasing cellular AMP levels but rather due to phosphorylation by one or more yet to be identified upstream kinases.
Based on the knowledge of the above-mentioned consequences of AMPK activation, profound beneficial effects would be expected from in vivo activation of AMPK. In liver, decreased expression of gluconeogenic enzymes would reduce hepatic glucose output and improve overall glucose homeostasis, and both direct inhibition and/or reduced expression of key enzymes in lipid metabolism would lead to decreased fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis and increased fatty acid oxidation. Stimulation of AMPK in skeletal muscle would increase glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation with resulting improvement of glucose homeostasis and, due to a reduction in intra-myocyte triglyceride accumulation, to improved insulin action. Finally, the increase in energy expenditure should lead to a decrease in body weight. The combination of these effects in the metabolic syndrome would be expected to significantly reduce the risk for acquiring cardiovascular diseases.
Several studies in rodents support this hypothesis (Bergeron, R. et.al. Effect of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1(beta)-D-ribofuranoside infusion on in vivo glucose metabolism in lean and obese Zucker rats. Diabetes 50:1076 (2001), Song, S. M. et.al. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-darboxamide ribonucleoside treatment improves glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant diabeted (ob/ob) mice. Diabetologia 45:56 (2002), Halseth, A. E. et.al. Acute and chronic treatment of ob/ob and db/db mice with AICAR decreases blood glucose concentrations. Biochem. and Biophys. Res. Comm. 294:798 (2002), Buhl, E. S. et.al. Long-term AICAR administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in rats displaying feature of the insulin resistance syndrome. Diabetes 51: 2199 (2002)). Until recently most in vivo studies have relied on the AMPK activator AICAR, a cell permeable precursor of ZMP. ZMP acts as an intracellular AMP mimic, and, when accumulated to high enough levels, is able to stimulate AMPK activity (Corton, J. M. et.al. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside, a specific method for activating AMP-activated protein kinase in intact cells? Eur. J. Biochem. 229: 558 (1995)). However, ZMP also acts as an AMP mimic in the regulation of other enzymes, and is therefore not a specific AMPK activator (Musi, N. and Goodyear, L. J. Targeting the AMP-activated protein kinase for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Current Drug Targets-Immune, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders 2:119 (2002)). Several in vivo studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of both acute and chronic AICAR administration in rodent models of obesity and type 2 diabetes (Bergeron, R. et.al. Effect of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1(beta)-D-ribofuranoside infusion on in vivo glucose metabolism in lean and obese Zucker rats. Diabetes 50:1076 (2001), Song, S. M. et.al. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-darboxamide ribonucleoside treatment improves glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant diabeted (ob/ob) mice. Diabetologia 45:56 (2002), Halseth, A. E. et.al. Acute and chronic treatment of ob/ob and db/db mice with AICAR decreases blood glucose concentrations. Biochem. and Biophys. Res. Comm. 294:798 (2002), Buhl, E. S. et.al. Long-term AICAR administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in rats displaying feature of the insulin resistance syndrome. Diabetes 51: 2199 (2002)). For example, 7 week AICAR administration in the obese Zucker (fa/fa) rat leads to a reduction in plasma triglycerides and free fatty acids, an increase in HDL cholesterol, and a normalization of glucose metabolism as assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test (Minokoshi, Y. et.al. Leptin stimulates fatty-acid oxidation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Nature 415: 339 (2002)). In both ob/ob and db/db mice, 8 day AICAR administration reduces blood glucose by 35% (Halseth, A. E. et.al. Acute and chronic treatment of ob/ob and db/db mice with AICAR decreases blood glucose concentrations. Biochem. and Biophys. Res. Comm. 294:798 (2002)). In addition to AICAR, more recently it was found that the diabetes drug metformin can activate AMPK in vivo at high concentrations (Zhou, G. et.al. Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in mechanism of metformin action. The J. of Clin. Invest. 108: 1167 (2001), Musi, N. et.al. Metformin increases AMP-activated protein kinase activity in skeletal muscle of subjects with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 51: 2074 (2002)), although it has to be determined to what extent its antidiabetic action relies on this activation. As with leptin and adiponectin, the stimulatory effect of metformin is indirect via activation of an upstream kinase (Zhou, G. et.al. Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in mechanism of metformin action. The J. of Clin. Invest. 108: 1167 (2001)). In addition to pharmacologic intervention, several transgenic mouse models have been developed in the last years, and initial results are becoming available. Expression of dominant negative AMPK in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice has demonstrated that the AICAR effect on stimulation of glucose transport is dependent on AMPK activation (Mu, J. et.al. A role for AMP-activated protein kinase in contraction and hypoxia-regulated glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Molecular Cell 7: 1085 (2001)), and therefore likely not caused by non-specific ZMP effects. Similar studies in other tissues will help to further define the consequences of AMPK activation. It is expected that pharmacologic activation of AMPK will have benefits in the metabolic syndrome with improved glucose and lipid metabolism and a reduction in body weight. To qualify a patient as having metabolic syndrome, three out of the five following criteria must be met: elevated blood pressure above 130/85 mmHg, fasting blood glucose above 110 mg/dl, abdominal obesity above 40″ (men) or 35″ (women) waist circumference, and blood lipid changes as defined by an increase in triglycerides above 150 mg/dl or decreased HDL cholesterol below 40 mg/dl (men) or 50 mg/dl (women). Therefore, the combined effects that may be acheived through activation of AMPK in a patient who qualifies as having metabolic syndrome would raise the
Lowering of blood pressure has been reported to be a consequence of AMPK activation (Buhl, E. S. et.al. Long-term AICAR administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in rats displaying feature of the insulin resistance syndrome. Diabetes 51: 2199 (2002)), therefore activation of AMPK might have beneficial effects in hypertension. Through combination of some or all of the above-mentioned effects stimulation of AMPK is expected to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (e.g. MI, stroke). Increased fatty acid synthesis is a characteristic of many tumor cells, therefore decreased synthesis of fatty acids through activation of AMPK can be useful as a cancer therapy. Stimulation of AMPK has been shown to stimulate production of ketone bodies from astrocytes (Blazquez, C. et.al. The AMP-activated protein kinase is involved in the regulation of ketone body production by astrocytes. J. Neurochem. 73: 1674 (1999)), and might therefore be a strategy to treat ischemic events in the brain. Stimulation of AMPK has been shown to stimulate expression of uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) in skeletal muscle (Zhou, M. et.al. UCP-3 expression in skeletal muscle: effects of exercise, hypoxia, and AMP-activated protein kinase. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 279: E622 (2000)) and might therefore be a way to prevent damage from reactive oxygen species. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) has been shown to be activated through AMPK mediated phosphorylation (Chen, Z.-P., et.al. AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase. FEBS Letters 443: 285 (1999)), therefore AMPK activation can be used to improve local circulatory systems.

Thienopyridones as AMPK activators for the treatment of diabetes and obesity


When an appliance communication portion of a home electric appliance receives a set operation data piece transmission request from a mobile terminal, the appliance communication portion transmits a stored set operation data piece. When the appliance communication portion receives the set operation data piece from the mobile terminal, the appliance communication portion sets an operation, defined by the received set operation data piece, as an operation of the home electric appliance to be executed. When a data piece processing portion of the mobile terminal receives a set operation data piece acquisition command from an input portion and receives the set operation data piece from the home electric appliance, the data piece processing portion causes a data piece storage portion to store the received set operation data piece. When the data piece processing portion receives an operation setting command from the input portion, the data piece processing portion causes a first terminal communication portion to transmit the set operation data piece.

Conventionally known is a home electric appliance in which a user can register frequently-used manipulations and from which the user can call up the registered manipulations to reutilize them when necessary.
For example, according to an electronic apparatus disclosed in PTL 1, manipulation contents are registered by alternately pushing down a registration key and manipulation key of a remote handling equipment. Then, by manipulating a title selection key, the registered manipulation is called up to be executed.

Communication method, program storage medium, mobile terminal, home electric appliance, and home electric appliance operation setting system

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A duplex printing system includes two printing stations, each having a print drum and a set of marking subsystems. In a sheet-printing mode, a media sheet is transported to the first printing station where the print drum is rotated to transport the sheet past the marking subsystems to print a first-side image. The sheet is then transported to the second printing station where the print drum is rotated to transport the sheet past the marking subsystems to print a second-side image. The sheet is then transported to an output sheet receptacle. In a web-printing mode the print drums are configured to rotate freely and a web of media is transported around the first drum where a first-side image is printed, and from there around the second drum where a second-side image is printed. A tensioning system is used to control the motion of the web of media.

Digital printing systems offer many advantages such as providing short run printing capability with variable content in a cost effective manner. Digital printing systems have been developed using a variety of different technologies including inkjet printing systems and electrophotographic printing systems.
Inkjet printing is a non-contact application of an ink to a receiver medium. Typically, one of two types of inkjet mechanisms are used and are categorized by technology as either "drop on demand" inkjet or "continuous inkjet." The first inkjet technology, drop-on-demand inkjet printing, provides ink drops that impact upon a recording surface using a pressurization actuator, for example, a thermal, piezoelectric, or electrostatic actuator. One commonly practiced drop-on-demand technology uses thermal actuation to eject ink drops from a nozzle. A heater, located at or near the nozzle, heats the ink sufficiently to boil, forming a vapor bubble that creates enough internal pressure to eject an ink drop. This form of inkjet is commonly termed "thermal inkjet."
The second inkjet technology, commonly referred to as continuous inkjet printing, uses a pressurized ink source to produce a continuous liquid jet stream of ink by forcing ink, under pressure, through a nozzle. The stream of ink is perturbed using a drop forming mechanism such that the liquid jet breaks up into drops of ink in a predictable manner. One continuous printing technology uses thermal stimulation of the liquid jet with a heater to form drops that eventually become print drops and non-print drops. Printing occurs by selectively deflecting drops so that print drops reach the receiver medium and non-print drops are caught by a collection mechanism. Various approaches for selectively deflecting drops have been developed including electrostatic deflection, air deflection, and thermal deflection.
Electrophotographic printing systems form an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor by uniformly charging the photoreceptor and then discharging selected areas of the uniform charge to yield an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to the desired image (i.e., a "latent image"). After the latent image is formed, charged toner particles are brought into the vicinity of the photoreceptor and are attracted to the latent image to develop the latent image into a toner image. After the latent image is developed into a toner image on the photoreceptor, a receiver medium is brought into juxtaposition with the toner image. A suitable electric field is applied to transfer the toner particles of the toner image to the receiver medium to form the desired print image on the receiver medium. The receiver medium is then subjected to heat or pressure to permanently fix (i.e., "fuse") the print image to the receiver. Plural print images (e.g., separation images of different colors) can be overlaid on the receiver before fusing to form a multi-color print image on the receiver.
Some digital printing systems are adapted to print on continuous webs of receiver media, while others are adapted to print on cut sheets of receiver media. In web printing systems, a continuous web of receiver media is moved from a source roll through and travels along a web transport path past printing system components which deposit marking material to form printed images. In cut sheet printing systems, individual sheets of receiver media are moved along a sheet transport path past printing system components which deposit marking material to form printed images.
Web printing systems and cut sheet printing systems each have different advantages which are useful for various printing applications. However, equipment cost and space allocation make it difficult for companies to support both media formats. There is a need for a printing system that can be used to print on both continuous webs of receiver media as well as cut sheets of receiver media.

Duplex printer for sheet and web printing


A golf club transport case includes a first tubular body having a closed end and open end. A second elongated tubular body includes a closed end and an open end adapted to mate with and overlap the open end of the first tubular body to define an enclosed tubular body. A keyway extends diametrically through the overlapped open ends of the first and second bodies of the enclosed tubular body. A pin extends through the keyway to secure the first body to the second body. The pin has a first end and a second end. The first end thereof is attached to the first body and the second end thereof is adapted to be removably secured to a lock to thereby prevent removal of the pin from the keyway.

Golfers who prefer to use their own personal clubs when playing courses remote from the golfer's residence face the problem of transporting their golf clubs from home to the remote golf course without loss or damage to their golf clubs. Various transport cases for golf clubs are widely used.
When used to ship golf clubs as baggage or freight, the case must be sufficiently secure to prevent theft of the equipment contained therein. U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,356 illustrates the use of a golf club transport case having a security pin to provide a tamper-proof closure which is locked in place to prevent unauthorized entry into or removal of the contents of the case. However, the security pin may become misplaced or lost, after removal, therefore the security feature of this case may not always be available.
A need is thus arisen for a golf club transport case where a security pin is utilized to lock the case and wherein loss of the security pin is prevented.

Golf club transport case with tethered security pin


A combination spirometer and PEP breathing exercise device is described. The device includes a spirometer with a volumetric air chamber having an atmospheric opening, an exhaust port, and an indicator of inhalation rate or volume; a breathing tube having a proximal end in communication with the exhaust port, a distal end with a mouthpiece, and a conduit between the proximal and distal ends; a one-way check valve adjacent the exhaust port allowing air to flow from the spirometer through the breathing tube to the mouthpiece, but preventing air from being exhausted through the spirometer; and a PEP valve in communication with the breathing conduit, whereby expiration of air from the mouthpiece into the breathing tube above a preset pressure causes the valve to oscillate.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handheld devices for use in lung therapy through controlled inhalation and exhalation, and in particular to therapeutic devices that combine the functions of an incentive spirometer with a PEP breathing exerciser.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Two handheld devices are commonly used in lung therapy exercises. The first of these devices, known as an incentive spirometer, is used in inhalation exercises to motivate the user in inhalation of a preset volume of air. The other type of the device, known as a PEP breathing exerciser or PEP breathing device, is used in exhalation exercises to help clear the lungs of mucus. Several different configurations of these devices are commercially available.
Generally, an incentive spirometer, sometimes referred to herein as a spirometer, is comprised of a chamber that is vented to the atmosphere and includes a ball or piston, and a breathing tube which has a proximal end in communication with the chamber and a distal end with a mouthpiece. In use, the patient inhales through the breathing tube to raise the ball or piston in the chamber. The chamber may be calibrated to indicate the amount of air being inhaled.
The spirometer may also include a second chamber or air source from which air is drawn into the breathing tube. This second chamber functions as a flowrate indicator. Its air circuit is also opened to the same inhalation gas stream with a smaller passageway for the stated purpose. By calibration, the rate of inhalation air critical to the opening of small airways at optimal conditions can be established.
PEP exercisers are used by patients to facilitate the removal of mucus in the lungs and strengthening the muscle tissues involved. A PEP exerciser is generally comprised of an exhalation tube that includes a resistor to airflow. The resistor may flutter or oscillate when air is expired, vibrating the airways to stimulate nerves and therefore promote coughing and loosening of mucus. The vibration may be created with a valve that is urged into a closed position with a spring or magnet, and temporarily opened by the force of exhalation.
Spirometers and PEP exercisers are sold as separate devices, although they are frequently used by the same patients. The need for separate devices for breathing exercises may add significantly to the cost of treatment. Keeping track of two devices is also inconvenient. Therefore, a separate breathing exercise device that functioned both as a spirometer and as a PEP exerciser would result in significant cost savings and convenience.

Combination spirometer and PEP breathing exerciser


A new and distinct cultivar of the species Actinidia deliciosa A. Chev. is described. The parentage of this new cultivar is unknown, but it is most likely an open pollinated ‘Haywood’ as it was grown from seed collected from fruit purchased in a grocery store. The new cultivar is distinguished by a lower chilling requirement and higher yields, smaller fruit with a greater length times diameter ratio, and the fruit has a lower pH and higher titratable acidity, % soluble solids, % dry matter, reducing and total sugars, total and reduced form of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin C antioxidant capacity and cellular capacity to reduce free radicals is higher, lower levels of β-carotene, higher chlorophyll levels (a and b), lower phenolic content and higher flavonoid content than the comparison cultivar ‘Hayward’ in Alabama.

'Hayward' is the most commercialized female kiwi cultivar grown and marketed in the world. The 'Hayward' cultivar is produced commercially in California in the U.S. and in New Zealand, and is the kiwi fruit most often found in U.S. grocery stores. Attributes of the 'Hayward' cultivar that have led to its dominance of the kiwi market in the past are its distinctive green flesh, good flavor and long storage life. It is not known what male cultivar was used to pollinate the female flowers that produced the fruit and seed that resulted in the new cultivar. 'Matua' and 'Tomuri' are two male cultivars frequently used.
Both the 'Hayward' cultivar and the present invention are deciduous vines of Actinidia deliciosa A. Chev. The Actinidia deliciosa species originated in China and parts of Asia and is known as the Chinese gooseberry. Plant material of this species was taken to New Zealand where new cultivars such as 'Hayward' were developed. Due to the appearance of the fruit of the Chinese gooseberry, it was given the name kiwi fruit in New Zealand after the native kiwi bird.
Many plantings of the 'Hayward' cultivar were established in Alabama as well as the adjoining southeastern states. These plantings were established near the coast in most cases. The vines grew vigorously but were unfruitful. In Alabama, research plantings were established in different locations that varied from the coast to the center of the state. The location that the kiwi have been most productive is in the center of the state in Chilton County where the commercial peach industry is located. The 'Hayward' cultivar has not been productive there.
Research has shown that the 'Hayward' cultivar requires at least 900 hours of chilling for sufficient vegetative budbreak and flower development and that 1150 hours chilling is required for maximum flowering. From chilling requirement research, flower abortion decreased as chilling hours received increased for all cultivars.


In one aspect, a non-volatile NAND-flash semiconductor memory device is provided which is configured to execute at least one of a pre-program operation and a post-program operation before and after an erase operation, respectively. Each of the pre-program and post-program operations includes applying a program voltage to a subset of a plurality of word lines defining a word line block of the memory device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor memories, and more particularly, the present invention relates to non-volatile memory devices and to methods of erasing non-volatile memory devices.
A claim of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 is made to Korean patent application nos. 10-2006-0118537 and 10-2006-0118358, both filed Nov. 28, 2007, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of the cell string structure of a conventional NAND flash memory device is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first cell string 10 includes flash memory cells MC<0:31> gated to respective word lines WL<0:31>. The flash memory cells MC<0:31> are connected in series between a ground select transistor GST and a string select transistor SST. The ground select transistor GST is gated to a ground select line GSL, and the string select transistor SST is gated to a string select line SSL. Also, as shown, the first cell string 10 is connected between a bit line 1HB_BL and a common select line CSL.
A second cell string 20 is similarly configured and includes flash memory cells MC<0′:31′> gated to the respective word lines WL<0:31>. The flash memory cells MC<0′:31′> are connected in series between a ground select transistor GST′ and a string select transistor SST′. The ground select transistor GST′ is gated to the ground select line GSL, and the string select transistor SST′ is gated to the string select line SSL. The second cell string 20 is connected between a bit line PGM_BL and the common select line CSL.
Each flash memory cell MC may be single-bit memory element storing one-bit of data, or multi-bit memory element storing two or more bits of data. As is well-understood by those skilled in the art, data is stored in each cell by altering the threshold voltage of the cell. For example, each cell is programmed into one of two threshold distributions in the case of single-bit cells, and each cell is programmed into one of four threshold distributions in the case of two-bit cells.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing an example of the programming sequence utilized to program a multi-bit cell (MBC). In particular, the illustrated example is for programming of a two-bit flash memory cell. In the figure, the bell-curves denote threshold voltages distributions of different programmed states of the multi-bit flash memory cells, and VR1˜VR3 denote read word line voltages which are utilized in a read operation of the multi-bit flash memory cells.
Generally, in NAND-type flash memory systems, memory cells are placed in an "erased state" prior to programming. In FIG. 2, the erased state is the lowest threshold voltage distribution and is assigned the two-bit data value of "11". The three higher threshold voltage distributions of the figure correspond to "programmed states" and are sequentially assigned two-bit data values of "10", "00" and "01". A sequence of three programming operations are selectively executed in order to program a cell from the erased state "11" to any one of the programmed states "10", "00" or "01". That is, a least-significant-bit (LSB) program (Program 1) operation is performed on cells where the LSB of the two-bit data value is to be changed from "1" to "0". A first most-significant-bit (MSB) program (Program 2) operation is performed on cells where the LSB has been changed in Program 1 and where the MSB of the two-bit data value is to be changed from "1" to "0". A second MSB program (Program 3) is performed on cells where only the MSB is to be changed from "1" to "0".
Referring to the circuit diagram of FIGS. 3 and 4, the programming of the memory cell "B" (FIG. 4) illustrated therein will now be explained. As shown, the memory cell B (i.e., the program cell B) is coupled to word line WL28 and program bit line PGM_BL. The NAND string having the program bit line PGM_BL is referred to herein as a program string. FIG. 4 also illustrates a memory cell "A" connected to the word line WL28 and bit line IHB_BL. This memory cell is not to be programmed and is referred to as an inhibit cell A contained within an inhibit string.
Conventionally, programming operations are executed in sequence from word line WL0 to word line WL31. Referring to FIG. 3, after an initial set-up period (t1˜t3) in which the string select line SSL is brought to voltage (Vsel) between VCC and a threshold voltage Vth, a pass voltage Vpass (e.g., about 8V) is applied to each of the word lines WL<0:31>. Then, at time t3, the voltage of the word line WL28 rises to a program voltage Vpgm (e.g., about 18V). During this time, programming of the threshold voltage of memory cell B occurs. Then, at time t5, the voltage of the word line WL28 begins to drop, and at time t6, all the word line WL voltages are dropped to 0V.
Upon programming of the program cell B, a voltage of 0V is applied to the bulk thereof through the 0V applied to the bit line PGM_BL, and the program voltage Vpgm is applied to the word line WL28. In this state, F-N tunneling is induced in the program cell B, thus increasing the threshold voltage thereof as is well known in the art. In the meantime, F-N tunneling within the inhibit cell A does not occur due to self-boosting of the bulk thereof resulting from the application of the reference voltage VCC to the inhibit bit line 1HB_BL.
In the example of FIG. 4, the memory cells in the inhibit string are in the erased state ("11"). The resultant low threshold of the cells creates a high boosting efficiency, the preventing F-N tunneling in these cells. In contrast, FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which a memory cell D of a program string is to be programmed, and a memory cell C of an inhibit string is to be programmed inhibited. The memory cells connected to the word lines WL<0:27> of the inhibit string are in a programmed state "00". In this case, the boosting efficiency is low, and a charge sharing effect among the cells of the inhibit string can disadvantageously induce F-N tunneling in the cells. This is generally referred to as a "program disturbance" effect.
Program disturbance can be reduced by implementing a "local boosting scheme." Referring to FIG. 6 (where the D cell is to be programmed), the local boosting scheme is executed, for example, by applying a voltage Vlocal (e.g., ˜2V) to one or more word lines preceding the word line receiving the program voltage Vpgm. In the example of FIG. 6, the program voltage is applied to word line WL28, and the voltage Vlocal is applied to the two preceding word lines WL27 and WL26. The remaining word lines receive the voltage Vpass. Program disturbance is reduced by blocking the charge sharing to the adjacent memory cells MC<0:25> of the program inhibited E cell in the inhibit string. However, if the memory cells MC26 and MC27 are in erased states ("11"), local boosting may not sufficiently block the charge sharing path in the inhibit string.
Conventional techniques described above can suffer from over-erasure of memory cells. As shown in FIG. 7, the top figure (a) illustrates a normal distribution of threshold voltages where, as explained earlier, the state "11" is an erase state. The reference character "x1" in the figure denotes the threshold voltage of the program inhibited E cell of FIG. 6 in an erased state. After a program operation (of the F cell) utilizing local boosting, the threshold voltage of the E cell may fall below the normal distribution. This is illustrated by reference character "x2" in the lower diagram (b) of FIG. 7. As a result, subsequent programming of the E cell may result in errors. In an effort to obviate this problem, it is possible to execute pre-program (or post-program) operations in conjunction with each erase routine. However, such operations add significantly to the overall processing time.

Non-volatile memory device and erasing method thereof


Oxazole derivatives of the formula (I) ##STR1## wherein one of R and R.sub.1 is a methylsulfonylphenyl, an aminosulfonylphenyl or an alkylaminosulfonylphenyl, and the other is a cycloalkyl having 5 to 7 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by lower alkyl, a thienyl optionally substituted by lower alkyl or halogen atom or a furanyl optionally substituted by lower alkyl or halogen atom, and R.sub.2 is a lower alkyl, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The oxazole derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof have superior antipyretic action, analgesic action, anti-inflammatory action, and particularly, selective inhibitory action on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and are expected to be useful as an antipyretic agent, an analgesic agent and an anti-inflammatory agent with less side-effects such as disorders in the digestive tract.

It has been conventionally known that arachidonic acid metabolites, prostaglandin E.sub.2 (PGE.sub.2), prostaglandin I.sub.2 (PGI.sub.2) and thromboxane B.sub.2 (TXB.sub.2) are deeply involved in inflammations. An important enzyme in this arachidonic acid metabolism is cyclooxygenase. Cyclooxygenase is a synthase which produces prostaglandin H.sub.2 (PGH.sub.2) from arachidonic acid via prostaglandin G.sub.2 (PGG.sub.2), and includes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).
With respect to COX-1, cDNA cloning was performed in 1988 and its primary structure and induction by various factors have been clarified [Yokoyama, C. et al.: Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 165:888-894 (1989); Smith, W. L. et al.: Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1083:1-17 (1991); DeWitt, D. L.: Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1083:121-134 (1991)]. On the other hand, the existence of an isozyme of COX-1, namely, COX-2, was suggested in 1989 [Holtzman, M. J. et al.: J. Biol. Chem., 267:21438-21445 (1992)], and cDNAs of COX-2 of chicken, mouse and human have been cloned since 1991 [Xie, W. et al.: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:2692-2696 (1991); Kujubu, D. A. et al.: J. Biol. Chem., 266:12866-12872 (1991); Hla, T. et al.: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:7384-7388 (1992)]. COX-2 is quickly induced by phorbol ester, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the like, and the relationship with inflammation and bronchial asthma has been inferred.
COX-1 systemically and constantly exists in almost all cells and is physiologically concerned with the generation of prostaglandin (PG) necessary for the functions of, for example, stomach and kidney. Therefore, when COX-1 is inhibited, the biosynthesis of PG by vasodilative PGE.sub.2 and PGI.sub.2, which protect gastric mucosa, is suppressed, and the protective action on the gastric mucosa becomes degraded, as a result of which ulcer is caused. With regard to a symptom associated with a decrease in renal blood flow, in general terms, the renal blood flow can be increased by promoting the production of vasodilative PGE.sub.2 in the body, thereby to appropriately maintain glomerular filtration rate. However, if the production of such vasodilative PG is suppressed due to the inhibition of COX-1, the renal blood flow becomes less, so that a side-effect such as the onset of ischemic acute renal insufficiency is sometimes caused.
On the other hand, COX-2 exists in particular sites such as monocytes, synovial cells, granulosa cells and intravenous endothelial cells, and is topically expressed when inflammation is caused. It is therefore considered that PG generated by COX-2 is deeply concerned with inflammation and tissue disorders.
Currently, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as aspirin, mefenamic acid, diclofenac, indomethacin, ibuprofen and naproxen have been widely used in clinical situations. Most of these NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory drugs which selectively inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX) and are associated with side-effects such as disorders in the digestive tract. Such side-effects are considered to be caused by the fact that they, though certainly selectively inhibit COX, inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2.
It is therefore expected that a selective inhibition of COX-2, which is specifically induced at the inflammatory sites, would enable provision of an anti-inflammatory agent free of side-effects such as disorders in the digestive tract (e.g., ulcer).
There have recently been presented various reports on anti-inflammatory drugs having selective COX-2 inhibitory activity, which aim at reducing side-effects such as disorders in the digestive tract.
For example, WO94/15932 discloses, as COX-2 inhibitors, 5-membered cyclic compounds having one hetero atom, such as thiophene, furan and pyrrole, which are specifically exemplified by 3-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiophene. However, these compounds are characterized by aryl or heteroaryl at the 3-position or 4-position of thiophene, and fail to suggest the compounds of the present invention.
Moreover, various reports deal with anti-inflammatory drugs having cyclooxygenase-inhibitory action, prostaglandin synthesis-inhibitory action or thromboxane A.sub.2 synthesis-inhibitory action.
For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 141261/1991 discloses pyrazole derivatives such as ethyl 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyrazole-3-carboxylate; Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 183767/1982 discloses thiazole derivatives such as 2-methylthio-5-phenyl-4-(3-pyridyl)-thiazole; and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 58981/1985 discloses thiazole derivatives such as 2-ethyl-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-(3-pyridyl)-1,3-thiazole. These publications mention that they are useful as anti-inflammatory drugs, whereas they do not disclose if they have selective inhibitory action on COX-2 to reduce side-effects, or any suggestion of it.
There are a number of reports on compounds such as those of the present invention which include oxazole derivatives or thiazole derivatives.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,930 discloses alkyl-aryloxazole such as 5-cyclohexyl-4-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)-.alpha.,.alpha.-bis(trifluoromethy l)oxazole-2-methanol. Yet, the compounds disclosed therein are effective for hypertension and their usefulness as anti-inflammatory drugs or any suggestion to that effect are not included.
Japanese Patent Application under PCT laid-open under Kohyo No. 500054/1984 discloses oxazole derivatives having heteroaryl at one of the 4-position and 5-position of oxazole ring, carbon ring aryl at the other position, and carboxy, ester or amidized carboxy via lower alkylene at the 2-position thereof, such as ethyl 2-[4-phenyl-5-(3-pyridyl)-oxazol-2-yl]-propionate; and Japanese Patent Application under PCT laid-open under Kohyo No. 500055/1984 discloses imidazole derivatives having heteroaryl and/or carbon ring aryl at the 4-position or 5-position of imidazole ring and having formyl or acetalized formyl via lower alkylene at the 2-position thereof, such as 2-[4-phenyl-5-(3-pyridyl)-imidazol-2-yl]-acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal. As is evident from the disclosure therein, however, these compounds are mainly characterized by the substituent via lower alkylene at the 2-position, so that they are not suggestive of the compound of the present invention. In addition, these compounds are effective as dermal antiphlogistic or mucosal antiphlogistic for inflammatory dermal diseases, but do not teach or even suggest that they have selective inhibitory action on COX-2.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 70446/1993 discloses N-thiazolylsulfonamide derivatives such as N-[5-cyclohexyl-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazol-2-yl]trifluoromethanesulfonamid e; and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 83372/1990 discloses cyclohexylimidazole derivatives such as 4-cyclohexyl-5-phenyl-2-t-butyl-imidazole. These publications do not disclose as to the substitution of the 4-position or 5-position of thiazole ring or imidazole ring with phenyl substituted by aminosulfonyl, lower alkylaminosulfonyl, lower alkylsulfonylamino or lower alkylsulfonyl.
WO94/27980 discloses oxazole compounds such as 2-phenyl-4-cyclohexyl-5-(4-methylsulfonylphenyl)oxazole as COX-2 inhibitors. However, the compounds described in this publication are, from the overall description in the specification, mainly characterized by 4-fluorophenyl and 4-methylsulfonylphenyl at the 4-position and 5-position of oxazole ring, and do not suggest the compounds having specific substituents in combination, as in the present invention. In addition, the superior selective inhibition of COX-2 of the present invention cannot be envisaged from the compound of this publication.


A multiplexer circuit in a memory organized into page-portions has a plurality of bit-select multiplexers configured to couple a plurality of page-portion global bitlines to a sense amplifier input. A plurality of column address lines organized into data bytes comprises each page-portion. A plurality of column multiplexers couple the data bytes to the page-portion global bitlines such that each of the address lines comprising the data byte is coupled to one of the page-portion global bitlines.

In FIG. 1, a prior art bit-select circuit comprises multiple address bytes organized into eight bits each. Semiconductor memory chips usually organize a memory array into rows and columns. Each row of memory array elements shares a connection commonly known as a wordline. Each column of memory array elements shares a connection commonly known as a bitline (B7, B6, . . . , B0). The specific intersection of a wordline and a bitline at a memory cell is used to provide a read and write capability for the cell. Typically, eight bitlines are organized as a byte, providing a conveniently sized grouping for handling data within the memory array.
Every bitline from the memory array is connected to peripheral logic outside the array by a passgate transistor. FIG. 1 includes eight pass-gate transistors (only three shown) contained within a bit-select multiplexer ("mux"). During a memory read operation, eight pass gates connecting eight bitlines of the same byte to the peripheral logic are enabled by a y-decoder output signal (e.g., decoder signal Y0 enables BYTE 0). When a subsequent eight bits of data are read, eight pass gates connecting eight bitlines of an adjacent byte are enabled by another y-decoder signal (i.e., decoder signal Y1 enables BYTE 1). The pass-gate transistors coupled to the decoder signals (Y0, Y1, Y127) are collectively known as the y-multiplexer or y-mux.
The bitline signals passed by the y-mux are connected in an organized fashion before being passed to a bit-select multiplexer. All B0 bits from bytes 0 . . . 127 are connected to a global bitline GBL0. Similarly, all B1 bits from bytes 0 . . . 127 are connected to a global bitline GBL1. Analogous connections are replicated with the remaining bitlines. The bit-select multiplexer selects one global bitline at a time during sensing, and couples the selected bitline to a sense amplifier SA.
However, the prior art bit-select multiplexer suffers from a deficiency as the memory size increases. Specifically, as the number of bytes in the memory page (also referred to as the memory page size) increases, the number of passgates connected to the global bitlines increases. This increases the electrical loading on the global bitlines, thus slowing down the sensing speed of the sense amplifier SA. Therefore, what is needed is a way to continually increase a number of bytes in a memory page while not increasing electrical loading on the bitlines, thereby maintaining the sensing speed of the sense amplifier.


A toothbrush with a pinch grip toothbrush handle facilitates a healthier brushing technique by encouraging the use of a pinch grip. A pinch grip handle with one or more finger grooves encourages the use of a pinch grip, thereby reducing the amount of pressure a user can apply during brushing at any brushing orientation. A finger groove may be contoured, consisting of concave surface areas and optionally convex surface areas. A handle may feature a pair of finger grooves that resemble a peanut or hour glass shape, which encourages the use of a pinch grip. Embodiments may take the form of a supplemental attachment to a toothbrush, or an integral part of a solid single-piece toothbrush.

Dental plaque—the accumulation of bacteria and food debris—does not require aggressive brushing to be removed; it is easily brushed away with gentle strokes. Commonly an individual will approach plaque like frost on a car window: the gums and teeth are attacked while the plaque is forcefully scraped away. This dental assault leads to increased temperature sensitivity, tooth pits along the gum line, and a disrupted smile because of cosmetic recession of the gum; together these changes are referred to as noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs).
NCCLs were first observed in the 16th century shortly after the first toothbrushes. Five-hundred years later and now in the era of modern dentistry. NCCLs remain a common complaint of patients and a challenging foe for the dentist. Further, over the past century, the toothbrush has hardly changed; this can most easily be recognized with the lack of innovation for the handle of the toothbrush. A patient with a modern toothbrush continues to brush aggressively because they fail to address a critical cause of NCCLs, which is excessive force on the gums caused by the hand holding the toothbrush.
Currently, many users brush their teeth by applying a lot of pressure. This is due to the design and size of the toothbrush, as well as the desire to remove plaque from one's teeth. Contemporary toothbrushes accommodate a user's entire hand, and therefore encourage a power grip. For example, the surface area and length of contemporary toothbrush handles provide more than adequate space for an entire hand to grip the handle. Grasping the toothbrush with the entire hand increases the amount of force a user can exert on the toothbrush, which in turn leads to an increased pressure applied on the user's teeth and gums. As a result, the applied pressure may wear on the user's gums, causing NCCLs. Therefore, the gums may start to recede, and experience or undesirable symptoms.
Only two categories of contemporary toothbrush designs incorporate handles that do not naturally encourage a power grip, or a grip by the user's entire hand: travel toothbrushes and incarceration toothbrushes. Contemporary travel toothbrushes typically feature an upper half with a brush head, neck, and connection region, and a removable lower half that serves the two purposes. First, the lower half can be used as a cover sleeve for the upper half, encasing the brush head and neck during travel or storage. Second, the lower half may be used as a grip extension that connects to the connection region of the upper half. When connected, the surface area and length of the travel toothbrush provide more than adequate space for an entire hand to grip the handle, and therefore results in the deficiencies described above. Without the lower half, the upper half of the common travel toothbrush has insufficient surface area for a user to grasp and control the brush with enough force to effectively clean teeth.
Incarceration toothbrushes also have insufficient surface area for a user to grasp and control the brush with enough force to effectively clean teeth. These toothbrushes usually feature a handle that cannot be converted into a sharp weapon. For example, the handle may be a thin, circular area that provides enough surface area for grip by a user's index finger and thumb. As with the upper half of a travel toothbrush, the incarceration toothbrush is difficult to control and apply enough pressure to effectively clean teeth.
As can be seen, there is a need for a toothbrush that allows a user to limit and/or reduce the amount of potentially damaging pressure that is easily created when brushing with a power-grip, while enabling the body mechanics necessary for thorough brushing practices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A pet food storage and feeder device having a food storage container positioned above a base for containing water by legs extending between the food storage container and the base and a barrier wall positioned around the legs to create a water barrier between the base and the food storage container. Separate food and water bowls are attached to an exterior surface of the base.

The present invention relates to an improved pet food storage and feeder device, and more particularly to a pet food storage and dispensing device that will automatically feed a pet and protect the stored food from ant or other insect infestation. The pet food storage and feeder device prevents ant or other insect infestation by providing a water barrier between the ground and a food storage container.
Pet food storage and dispensing devices are widely used to feed pets and animals, especially when the pet owner is away from the pet for a period of time. The diet of pets and animals is important to their health. In order to control the diet, quantity and timeliness of feeding should be considered. Automatic pet food dispensing devices allow pets to be fed regularly and in controlled amounts. Difficulty for pet owners to regularly feed their pets occurs when the owner is not available to be home during feeding times, or when the pet keeper is away for an extended period of time which requires the pet to be with a sitter or at a kennel. In these situations, misfeeding can occur or the animal can be fed at different and multiple times by various members of the owners family.
To remedy these situations, previous pet food dispensers have been designed to store and automatically feed pets. Problems with prior food storage and feeder devices is that dry food can jam or crush in the storage device where the pet food enters a dispenser due to mechanical components or restricted areas of the dispenser. Another problem with prior pet food storage and feeder devices is that because they sit on the ground, they can be infested with ants or other pests gaining access to the food by climbing up and into the storage container. Consequently, a need exists to provide an improved pet food storage and feeder device which overcomes the problems of prior devices to accurately and automatically feed the pet and to protect the stored food from ant or other insect infestation.


A combination filter assembly and flexible, portable bottle having a bottom opening with a sealing cap attached thereto, to filter out substantially all INORGANICS, ORGANICS, RADIOLOGICAL CHEMICALS and MICROBIOLOGY held in water in the bottle. The filter assembly may be attached to an adapter sealed to the top of the flexible bottle. Water in the bottle passes through the filter assembly and out a top nozzle or valve when the flexible bottle is squeezed. The flexible bottle is filled with water through the bottom opening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water filtration, and more particularly, to an improved, portable water filtration bottle.
2. Description of Related Art
Water filtering means are widely known and used in numerous applications. It is important when comparing different kinds of filtration processes, and different kinds of products, that an understanding of the abilities and inabilities of each is obtained. The source of the water and particular "product need" are necessary to make sure that the correct filtration products are used in order to solve specific problems and to reduce specific contaminants and/or pollutants. With so many varying water problems and available filtration products throughout the world, an analysis or test of specific needs should be made before making a decision on what filtration product or products should be used to provide safe drinking water.
There are four (4) major types of water pollution, namely:
1) INORGANICS
Aesthetic--Taste, odor and clarity; PA1 Wet Chemistry--Chlorine, turbidity and total suspended solids; PA1 Heavy Metals--Aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, etc. PA1 Industrial--VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC), PA1 Trihalomethanes (THM), etc.; PA1 Agriculture--Organochlorine pesticides, PCB's, EBCP, and EDB. PA1 Radon 222. PA1 Coliform, Fecal Coliform, R. Terrigene, Cryptosporidium, Giardia L.
2) ORGANICS
3) RADIOLOGICAL CHEMICALS
4) MICROBIOLOGY
Each filtration and/or purification process and/or product has different abilities and inabilities of removing the contaminants mentioned above. These include: 1) Sediment filtration, which is primarily used to remove silt, sand and suspended items. Sediment filters come in many sizes, such as 20 micron, to remove particles that are 20 microns in size or larger. 2) Granulated activated carbon filtration (GAC), which are very effective at removing some chlorine, chloroform, trihalomethane, VOC, pesticides, herbicides and other organic chemicals. This type of filter is responsible for improving clarity, taste and odor, and the characteristics of the quality or type of GAC--dwell time, volume and flow rate have to be considered to create the best results for absorption of pollutants in water. The present invention uses a filter having Powder Activated Coconut Carbon (PAC), which is considered to be the very highest quality and smallest of the carbon medias. 3) Ultrafiltration, which is the design of very fine filters or ultrafiltration filters created for use in removing the contaminants listed above. These filters have the ability to remove pathogens that are larger than the pore size of the fine filter. Giardia, Cryptosporidium and other micro-organisms measuring 2-10 microns in size. Such filter assemblies are set forth in pending application Ser. No. 08/813,268, filed Dec. 23, 1996 for a PORTABLE FILTRATION SYSTEM AND METHOD, naming the same inventors as the current application. The disclosure of this application is incorporated herein, in its entirely, by this reference thereto. These known filters can remove up to 99.9% of the pollutants. Although such known water filter assemblies solve the above-mentioned filter needs, it has been found that the handling of the caps of such filters, when removing or replacing them on a bottle can contaminate the filter. Thus, there still exists the need in the art for an easy-to-use, substantially low-cost filter held in a flexible bottle that is not contaminated by handling, and efficiently filters and purifies water.
The combination filter and squeeze bottle of the present invention provides a product that has similar capabilities to known filter bottles to improve filtration and purification for more of the total pollution, by providing a water filter purification system, using media that is smaller than 5 micron in pore size, sealed in the interior of a bottle. The present invention has been specifically designed to be effective in all of the pollution areas identified above, namely, INORGANICS, ORGANICS, RADIOLOGICAL CHEMICALS AND MICROBIOLOGY. Available testing data shows the improved abilities of the present invention to remove high percentages of all of these contaminants or pollutants, without becoming contaminated by handling, which might occur with known systems.
Basically, the filter bottle combination of the present invention is permanently mounted and sealed in the top of a flexible, portable bottle. The flexible bottle includes an opening in the bottom of the bottle through which water may be added. A sealing cap is used to close the bottom opening. The filter assembly permanently secured in the bottle includes a PAC filter impregnated with sorbent media and a check valve assembly with a further filter mounted therein. When the cap closure at the bottom of the bottle is removed from the flexible bottle, the flexible bottle is filled with questionable water and the bottom cap replaced and tightened to seal the bottle. A nozzle outlet or valve is provided at a tip portion at the top of the bottle, after the sealed filter element. This valve may then be pulled upwardly or turned to open, and the flexible bottle squeezed to force water through the filter element, permanently sealed in the top of the bottle, whereby clean, filtered water will exit through the open nozzle or valve. The nozzle outlet or valve is then closed to seal the unit after use.

Seychelle Environmental Technology, Inc.