A connector assembly for printed circuit board terminal blocks and the like includes a housing having spaced side and end walls defining a chamber, and a first connector component mounted in the chamber adjacent an access opening contained in the housing walls. A second connector component external of the housing is displaceable between an engaged position in electrical engagement with the first connector component, and a disengaged position disengaged from the first component. A separating lever pivotally connected with the second connector component includes a cam arrangement that cooperates with the housing side walls to displace the second connector component from the engaged position toward the disengaged position relative to the first connector component. A locking arrangement may be provided for locking together the connector components in the electrically engaged condition.

1. Field of the Invention
A connector assembly for printed circuit board terminal blocks and the like includes a housing having spaced side and end walls defining a chamber, a first connector component mounted in the chamber adjacent an access opening contained in the housing walls, and second connector component displaceable externally of the housing between an engaged position adjacent and in electrical engagement with the first connector component, and a disengaged position electrically disengaged from the first component. Separating lever mean pivotally connected with the second connector component cooperate with the housing side walls to displace the second connector component from the engaged position toward the disengaged position relative to the first connector component. Locking means may be provided for locking together the connector components in the electrically engaged condition.
2. Description of Related Art
The present invention relates to a stackable terminal block housing for printed circuit boards and the like designed for mounting on a mounting rail and including at least one male or female multi-contact connector component having a plurality of transversely arranged contacts.
It is known that one or more male connector strips and/or female connector component may be arranged on a printed circuit board and can be plugged together with a corresponding female connector component and/or male connector component. In particular in the design of the electronic housing as a terminal block module adapted for mounting on a mounting rail, the installation conditions are usually very constricted. In this case it is often relatively tedious to separate male and female connector strips from one another after they have been joined together.
The present invention was developed to avoid this problem by using simple design means, use being made of separating means to effect simplified disengagement of a pair of electrically connected connector components.

Stackable electronic housing with male or female connector strips


A method is provided for passivating spent silicon contact mass by heating the spent silicon contact mass at a temperature in the range of from 200.degree. C. to 800.degree. C. in an oxygen containing atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a method for treating spent silicon contact mass generated during the production of organohalosilanes by the direct reaction of organic halide with silicon powder in the presence of a copper catalyst.
Prior to the present invention, the disposition of unused spent silicon contact mass, generated during the production of organohalosilane by the direct reaction between silicon powder and an organic halide, such as aryl chloride or an alkyl halide for example methyl chloride, created a serious management problem for organohalosilane manufacturers. Spent silicon contact mass, for example, upon removal from the reactor can be highly reactive in air and often ignites.
One method for passivating or stabilizing spent silicon contact mass which can have an average particle size in the range of about 1 micron to about 200 microns and at least 2% by weight of copper in the elemental or chemically combined state, is shown by Hosokawa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,122. Hosokawa combines the spent silicon powder with water, granulates the resulting mixture, and thereafter mixes and/or coats the resulting granules with an inert inorganic powder. Another passivating technique for spent silicon contact mass is shown by Marko et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,934, which employs a strong base at an elevated temperature to digest the hydrophobic siloxane rich coating on the spent silicon contact mass in order to dislodge the carbon coating which forms around the spent bed particles. An additional procedure for deactivating spent silicon contact mass is shown by Ritzer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,694, which involves pelletizing the spent silicon contact mass and the impregnation of the pellets with an organic binder in aqueous carrier to stabilize the spent silicon contact mass to make it safe for transportation and disposal.
Additional processes are provided for the recovery of Rochow Synthesis mixtures derived from sludge vessels, as shown by Offenlegungschrift DE 313 1732AI and U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,351 to Felder et al. Mixtures of silicon rich solids and liquid containing polysilanes are subjected to a heat treatment or hydrolysis. For purposes of the invention, sludge vessel synthesis mixtures having a large proportion of liquid polysilanes are to be distinguished from the previously discussed pyrophoric spent silicon contact masses wherein liquid direct process high-boiling materials are not present as a constituent.
There is shown in copending application Ser. No. 07/867,657, filed Apr. 13, 1992, a method for passivating spent silicon contact mass by heating the spent silicon contact mass at a temperature in the range of about 900.degree. C. to about 1400.degree. C. under an inert atmosphere.
Although various procedures are available in the prior art for deactivating pyrophoric spent silicon contact mass generated during the direct method for making organohalosilanes, salvaging of the silicon and metallic values, such as copper, from the contact mass after the deactivation treatment is often not feasible. Additional procedures are therefore constantly being investigated to provide for safe handling of the spent silicon contact mass as well as the salvaging of the metallic values from the contact mass in a convenient manner.

Process for stabilizing spent silicon contact mass


Apparatus and methods are described for correlating business relationships and issuing earnings estimates. According to the present invention, an earnings estimate can be generated for a company as it compares to a consensus estimate, or other rating aggregate, along with an indication of an investment banking relationship or other business relationship that the entity providing the estimate has had with the company. In addition to a consensus estimate that may be based upon current and previous analyst earnings estimates, operating actuals, expected reporting dates, footnotes and company-issued guidelines, indications of investment banking relationships and a consensus estimate is provided that excludes input from banks conducting business with the company. The present invention can also include suggested actions that can be taken based upon data relating to an investment banking relationship, an earnings estimate and/or a consensus earnings estimate that excludes input from banks with substantial business relationships with the company.

The present invention relates to a methods and systems for limiting risks associated with a rating supplied by an investment bank relating to a company's earning estimate and/or an investment recommendation ("Risks").
The capital markets in a country such as the United States may be the most sophisticated and regulated in the world. Research departments of financial institutions analyze and arrive at various estimations of corporate performance, typically for companies whose securities are publicly traded. This type of research, analysis and estimation are an important component to the efficient functioning of such markets. Research analysts develop and utilize specific models to arrive at quarterly earnings estimates for a given company or companies which they cover. Typically such earnings estimates are expressed in terms of earnings per share.
Consensus estimates have been developed which reflect an aggregated view of multiple analysts to arrive at a "consensus" number of range of numbers of expected earnings per share for a particular interval, such as a fiscal quarter. One well known provider of such consensus estimates is, for example, is Thomson "First Call®".
Recently, however, the integrity of research provided by financial institutions has been called into question where the financial institutions with research departments either have, or hope to, achieve banking relationships with companies covered by their research departments. Presently, regulatory, governmental, legislative and media investigators, class action attorneys and the public are questioning whether analyst reporting may have been unduly influenced by business or banking relationships.
The implications of these questions are beginning to play out in class action litigations, the opinions of commentators and proposed regulations. Arguments have been advanced that analysts provide earnings estimates and other subjective data for reasons that may be influenced by business relationships, such as investment banking activity, with the company. Presently there is no way to determine, based upon a consensus earnings estimate, which estimates have been provided from financial institutions with banking relationships from covered companies and which estimates have not.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system in which a consensus earnings estimate can be provided in such a way to identify and aggregate earnings per share estimates provided by financial institutions with existing or proposed banking or financial relationships with covered companies and those earning per share estimates provided by financial institutions or researchers who do not. Consensus estimates can then be provided in a meaningful manner devoid of any real or imagined influence arising from such relationships.

Independent research consensus earnings estimates and methods of determining such


A stand-alone inspection system operating reliably with high throughput. The system employs automated image analysis to distinguish between cleared items and suspicious items. Cleared items pass through the inspection system without stopping, but the system stops suspicious items at a predetermined location so that the alarmed items can be readily identified by an operator. The system also displays information on the items that allows an operator to confirm that the item in the predetermined location is an alarmed item. Rather than resolving the alarmed item with the system stopped, the operator records an indicia of the alarmed item and the alarmed item is removed for further inspection or other processing. The recorded indicia provides a tracking mechanism that ensures alarmed bags are resolved.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to security inspection systems and more specifically to stand-alone, high throughput inspection systems.
2. Related Art
Security inspection systems are widely used to inspect baggage, parcels or other items before those items are allowed into secured areas. For example, in the U.S., passenger baggage is inspected prior to loading the baggage onto aircraft. In this setting, inspection systems are frequently used to ensure that no baggage containing explosives is loaded onto the aircraft. In addition, security inspection systems may be used to detect other contraband objects, such as drugs, weapons or smuggled currency. Further, security inspection systems may be used in other locations within airports or in other settings where it is desired to create a secured area, such as at cargo terminals or at the perimeters of public spaces.
The challenges that must be met by systems for inspecting baggage to be loaded onto aircraft are representative of challenges that must be met by security inspection systems in many other settings. On the one hand, because of the risk of harm to people and property caused by allowing baggage containing explosives onto an aircraft, the inspection systems must reliably detect contraband. On the other hand, large amounts of baggage frequently must be inspected in short periods of time. Thus, security inspection systems must have a high throughput, which reduces the amount of time available to inspect each item.
To aid in reliably and rapidly inspecting baggage, high throughput baggage systems employ automated image analysis. An imaging unit acquires data on each item to be inspected. This data is correlated spatially to the item under inspection and therefore provides a multi-dimensional representation of the item that can be regarded as an image of the item. Frequently, the data depicts in three-dimensions the density of the item under inspection. Regardless of the form in which information about the item is represented, automated image analysis may be used to detect regions within the image, called "suspicious regions," having shape density or other characteristics consistent with explosives or other contraband objects. When a suspicious region is detected, an item is said to be "alarmed." Further processing is required to resolve an alarmed item, either by determining that the item contains no contraband or determining that the item needs to be processed as if it contains contraband.
In some airport settings, security inspection systems are built into the baggage handling system in what is called an in-line configuration. Items move on conveyors to and through the inspection system. Conveyors then move the items to locations selected based on automated analysis performed by the inspection system. The security inspection system interfaces with the baggage handling system controlling the conveyors so that when an item is alarmed, it is automatically diverted by the baggage handling system to a search station for further processing. Further processing at the search station may include human analysis of a visual representation of the image of the alarmed item and, if human analysis of the image is inconclusive, may include a physical search of the item.
In many airports, security inspection systems are not incorporated into the baggage handling system. Rather, they operate in a "stand-alone" configuration. Stand-alone inspection systems may operate in what is called "hold for decision" mode. In this mode, the system processes one bag at a time and if that bag alarms, may hold that bag in its position until a human operator has determined that the bag is "cleared" or is "alarmed" and must be diverted for a higher level inspection. Because bags move through the inspection system sequentially on a conveyor, holding a bag for a decision can stop processing of other bags.
To make a determination on an item, the system displays in visual form an image of the item. When the automated threat detection system identifies a suspicious region, the system automatically displays an alert for a human operator. As part of the alert, the image of the item under inspection is presented to the operator with an indication of regions depicting the suspicious object inside the item. The human operator can then study the image, allowing an operator to make a more sophisticated determination of whether the item may be cleared. If the operator clears an alarmed item, the item may be passed to the baggage loading area. Conversely, if the operator cannot clear the item, a baggage handler will move the item to a search station where the item will be further searched.
In "hold-for-decision" mode, the conveyor stops moving items under inspection when one item is deemed suspicious. By stopping motion of the conveyor, the risk that an item containing contraband will be inadvertently passed to the baggage loading area is greatly reduced.
Inspection systems that can be configured to operate in either hold-for-decision mode or in-line mode are known. One such system has three conveyor stages and two scanning stages. These two stages are a projection X-ray scanner and a CT scanner. The system uses the result from the first scanning stage, which is the projection x-ray stage, to select locations for the second stage, the CT stage, to collect data on "slices" through an item under inspection.
In stand-alone operation, an operator loads bags, one after another, onto a ramped input belt. The system advances the bag to the downstream end of the input belt and holds it there until it is cleared for induction into the projection scanner. As the bags move through the system, the projection scanning section may scan one bag while the CT section is collecting slices on an earlier bag. Because the projection scanner scans a bag faster than the CT scanner, when the projection scanner is done with its bag, it parks it at the end of the projection scanner belt awaiting clearance to inject it into the CT section.
Analysis of the CT slices occurs while the CT scanner is collecting slice data, so an analysis result is often available shortly after the last slice is collected. If, as a result of the analysis, the bag is cleared, the CT section can eject the bag onto an exit ramp. Once the bag in the CT stage is ejected, the bag in the projection section moves into the CT section.
Because bags in both the projection scanner stage and the CT scanner stage are often several feet from their next desired position, after the CT stage determines a screening result, a belt moves the bag at very high speed to maintain throughput. However, once the belt moves a bag in the projection scanner completely out of the projection scanner, the belt slows down to normal scanning speed and the bag on the input ramp moves into the projection scanner, creating the image as it moves through. At the same time, the next bag (already loaded onto the bottom of the input ramp) is moved into position at the top (downstream end) awaiting injection into the projection scanner.
Conversely, if the bag in the CT section is classified as a suspicious bag, that bag remains in the CT section while the operator reviews an image of the bag. As a result, both the CT and projection scanners remain idle until the operator reaches a decision.
Once the operator reaches a decision, regardless of whether the decision is to clear or alarm the bag, the system will eject the bag, using the process described above to advance the bag. If the operator clears the bag, it will be forwarded to its final destination. If the operator alarmed the bag, the operator will take possession of the bag or direct a colleague to do so, so that it can be searched.
One such commercially available system requires an operator to provide a barcode for each bag as bags are being loaded. The system will not inject a bag into the projection scanner until such a barcode is entered, but the rest of the system can continue to work while the input ramp waits on the barcode.
The entered barcode is then associated with the bag image. It is used to track the bag and in some cases is used to influence exactly how the automated system analyzes the bag, including by specifying that the detection algorithm use a more or less sensitive setting. The barcode is also used to recall a bag image on a search station if a bag requires manual searching or other review after the original operator review.
In stand-alone operation, such a system provides good tracking and little opportunity for mistaking an alarmed bag for a cleared one. Because only one bag appears on each scanning belt segment at a time, the display is associated with the next bag to exit the scanner and there is a distinct delay between the ejection of one bag and the next. The system operating in stand-alone mode also provides for good resistance to operator error in input barcodes because the system will hold a bag at the input point until a proper barcode is read. This approach, however, limits the total throughput because each bag is always far from where it needs to be next when the authorization to move is received. The system attempts to address this issue by running its belts at two very different speeds, requiring more expensive motors and controller hardware. Further, the system must be run with a distinct, independent input ramp, which adds costs that are not justified in all cases.
The same type of system may be used in an in-line application. In an in-line application, the system operates in a similar fashion. However, the bag is loaded by an external baggage handling system (BHS) that moves bags throughout the airport. The BHS provides an identifying number (ID) for each bag in place of a barcode (the number may in fact be the barcode of the bag, but does not need to be). The ID is provided as the bag passes a predetermined point in the scanner.
When the BHS delivers a bag to a search station, it can provide the number to the personnel taking possession of the bag via a dedicated number display. The search personnel can then use this number to pull up information about the bag on their search workstation. If the ID is the barcode, it is not necessary for the operator to enter a number because the operator can read the number on the barcode tag.
Another difference between in-line and stand-alone modes is that in in-line mode the bag is not stopped inside the machine if it alarms, but instead progresses along belts controlled by the exterior baggage handling system (BHS), which carries it to a diversion point. If the operator clears the bag before it reaches the diversion point, the bag continues onto the airplane. If the operator does not clear the bag by then (either alarms it or fails to clear it), the BHS diverts the bag to the search room for further processing.
In a networked in-line environment, multiple machines and operator stations are connected together such that one operator can review the images from several scanners or multiple operators can work on the bags from one machine, depending on the rate at which bags are provided for inspection.
In in-line installations, tracking and routing of the bags and correlation of the results to the bags is accomplished via the BHS. These functions are possible because there is no manual intervention in the movement of the bag until it reaches its exit (either at the "plane" or at the search room).
Another commercially available system includes one scanner segment and two radiation tunnel segments. Such a system can be configured to operate in in-line mode, as described above. In a stand-alone mode, operation is different.
Each system has its own conveyor belt. In the most common implementation, the tunnels have a ramped portion of their conveyor that extends from the tunnel and shares the same conveyor belt and motor. Bags can be laid onto the extension and carried into the system on the conveyor. For this system, multiple bags can exist on the input conveyor belt, with a spacing between bags as small as a few inches. As with the previously described system, bags are stopped at the downstream end of the input tunnel and only one bag is allowed to enter the scanner section at a time.
Once the bag is scanned, it moves to the output tunnel and holds there until the system makes an automated decision on whether to clear or alarm the bag. If the system automatically clears the bag, the bag proceeds through the exit tunnel to where it can be manually sent to its destination (such as a loading area for an airplane), and the next bag is injected into the scanner segment.
Conversely, if the system alarms on the bag, the bag continues to wait where it is until the operator renders a decision. If the operator clears the bag, the bag is released and it continues to its destination as above. If the operator alarms on the bag, the operator will take possession of the bag or direct a colleague to do so as it emerges from the exit tunnel, so that it can be searched.
If a barcode is needed for tracking the bag, an operator can input a barcode to be associated with a bag image. The system applies these barcodes in a FIFO manner as the bags are released into the scanner segment. The system does not force the operator to put in a barcode before it will take a bag. However, the input tunnel belt runs only if it has clearance to release a bag at the downstream end. If the belt were to stop to prevent a non-barcoded bag from entering the tunnel, the release of the downstream bag into the scanner could be fouled, making tracking difficult. Consequently, the system is more susceptible to operator error than the previously described system, because the operator could inadvertently insert a bag without a barcode, throwing off the FIFO assignment.
This problem can be avoided by using an input conveyor without the ramp extension and adding a separate input ramp. However, these components add cost and complexity to the product. As with the previously described system, this method provides good tracking and little opportunity for mistaking an alarmed bag for one that has been cleared for loading onto a airplane. However, it processes bags with low throughput. Whenever a bag is transiting the distance from the input tunnel to the scan plane, the system is idle. In standard operation, this idle time limits the throughput to less than half the rate observed on the same system in an "in-line" setting where bags are fed one after the other.
Systems for inspecting carry on baggage are also known. Conventional carry on inspection systems do not make an automated decision, and a decision to alarm or clear a bag is always made by an operator. In a conventional system, baggage is loaded (by the passenger) onto the scanner belt directly. The operator controls the belt motion manually. As images are collected, they are displayed on the screen for the operator to evaluate as they appear. If the operator has not made a decision by the time the next bag starts imaging, the operator will stop the belt and leave it stopped until the operator makes a decision. If the operator decides to clear the bag, he will restart the belt, and the bag will eventually come out to where the passenger can reclaim it. If the operator alarms on the bag, the operator will advance the belt to where the bag is accessible to operator personnel, but not the passenger. The operator or a colleague will then carry out further inspection of that bag based on information about what concerned the operator in the x-ray image.

High throughput baggage inspection system

L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Inc.


A dental flosser unit for flossing teeth includes a filament of high tensile strength terminating in thickened portions at its opposite ends. In the same described embodiments, each thickened end portion includes a ferrule enclosing and crimped to the respective filament end, and a plastic body enclosing the ferrule and the respective filament end. The filament preferably includes a plurality of threads of high tensile strength coated with a low-friction material. In another described embodiment, a plastic material is injection-molded onto each end of the filament at a temperature greater than 280.degree. C. to melt the coating and to bond directly to the threads. A further embodiment is described in which the thickened end portion is constituted of a two-part bead having complementary socket and plug formations for firmly clamping the filament.

The present invention relates to dental flosser units, for cleaning the surfaces and spaces between teeth.
One type of known dental flosser unit includes a filament of high tensile strength terminating in thickened portions at its opposite ends. Various materials have been used for the filaments, including silk or plastic threads. The thickened end portions of the dental flosser unit enables the unit to be firmly held, under tension, between a pair of arms of a holder when applying the filament between the teeth to be cleaned. Considerable tensile force is thus applied to the thickened end portions, and one of the problems has been the inadequate anchoring of the thickened end portions to the filament.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a dental flosser unit in which the thickened end portions are firmly anchored to the filament under the high tensile strength applied to the end portions of the flosser unit when used for flossing teeth.

Dental flosser units and method of making same


Using a metal mold (8) having an insulating section provided with vapor release sections, pressure outside the metal mold (8) is reduced, and heating is performed while releasing vapor produced thereby through the vapor release sections. This can prevent insulation breakdown caused by condensation of large amounts of vapor produced by materials during molding and heating of starch-based biodegradable molded objects by means of resistance heating, dielectric heating, etc.

Examples of starch-based biodegradable molded objects include trays, cups, corner pads, etc. One method of manufacturing this kind of starch-based biodegradable molded object is the external heating method, in which the materials are placed into a mold previously heated to a predetermined temperature, and molding is performed using heat conductivity.
However, with methods of this kind, slow molding leads to low productivity, and unevenness in the temperature of the mold causes uneven baking, thus making it impossible to obtain a uniform consistency.
For this reason, in another method, alternating current is supplied to a metal mold, and internal heating is induced in the materials in the mold by electromagnetic wave heating, such as resistance heating or dielectric heating, thereby baking and molding the materials. In this case, the metal mold is divided into two mold halves, which are insulated from each other by an insulating material provided therebetween, and an alternating current electrode is connected to each mold half. Then alternating current is applied to the metal mold through these electrodes, and the materials in the mold are baked and molded by resistance heating or dielectric heating.
However, with the foregoing method using resistance heating or dielectric heating, during molding, liquid contained in the materials evaporates, producing a large amount of vapor, which condenses, causing insulation breakdown, and thus resistance heating or dielectric heating does not go well.

Method of manufacturing starch-based biodegradable molded objects


A population comparison system, method and a computer program product. A stored list of population members, e.g., hydrocarbon reservoirs, includes parameters for corresponding known characteristics and analogous members for each member. A new population member input receives new member descriptions including parameters for each respective new member. A parameter extraction system automatically extracts an estimated value for each missing key parameter, providing a supplemented description. An analogous member selector automatically selects a subset of listed population members as analogous members for each new population member responsive to the supplemented description. The analogous members serve as a basis for uncertainty characterization from the joint parameter distribution and univariate distributions for each parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to valuating hydrocarbon reservoirs and more particularly to automatically supplying missing parameters for a newly identified reservoir and an uncertainty associated with each supplied parameter, parameters that are necessary for accurately selecting analogous reservoirs and valuating each new hydrocarbon reservoir.
2. Background Description
The total amount of material that is ultimately recoverable from each new hydrocarbon reservoir (production potential) and the cost of recovering that material, or capture difficulty, determine the inherent value of the reservoir. Until the material is actually recovered, however, that inherent value can only be estimated from different reservoir properties. Many of these reservoir properties may be known, and many of them may be unknown. Previously, estimates were based on existing reservoirs that have similar properties limited to those known for the new reservoir. These existing reservoirs with similar properties are known as "analogous reservoirs." Typically, one or more experts identified and selected analogous reservoirs, based solely on experience and the known properties for the new reservoir. When enough is known about a new reservoir, however, what is known as a similarity function may be used to automate, or at least partially automate, selection.
Similarity functions have been used for comparing members of a collection of objects, or population, and selecting those objects that, although they not identical, are recognizably similar. So, in a typical state of the art approach to valuating reservoirs, an expert (or experts) first selected the analogous reservoirs.
Missing or unknown properties make selecting the closest analogous reservoirs guesswork at best, and further, make estimating the value error prone. A mis-valuation could lead to wasted resources, e.g., from passing on an undervalued reservoir to exploiting an overvalued reservoir. Missing parameters increase the likelihood of a mis-valuation.
Thus, there is a need for improved, more complete descriptions of new reservoirs used in valuating the new reservoirs; and, more particularly for supplementing incomplete descriptions of new reservoirs with fact based estimates of missing description parameters and providing an uncertainty associated with the estimates, such that the supplemented descriptions facilitate selecting existing hydrocarbon reservoirs as analogous, and valuating the new reservoirs with a known uncertainty as to the result.

Automatically selecting analogous members for new population members based on incomplete descriptions, including an uncertainty characterzing selection

International Business Machines Corporation


A latch tool features two elongate arms which extend down along either side of a control rod. Rotatable actuating rods are mounted on the arms. The upper ends of the actuating rods are provided with cranks which engage in slots formed in an actuating disc. As the disc is rotated, the cranks rotate the actuating rods and swing cam-like members, which are fixed to the rods, into position under an unlatching handle. In the preferred embodiments, the actuating disc is threaded onto the exterior of a rotatable input member, so that after the cam-like members are swung into position, the actuating disc threads its way up the input member in a manner which pulls the cam-like members upwardly and pulls the unlatching handle. In addition to the cam-like members which actuate the unlatching handle, lifting cam-like members may additionally be provided to fit in under a lifting handle of the control rod, and facilitate lifting of the control rod out of its position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to controls rods of a nuclear reactor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a control rod latch tool which facilitates the release and removal of the control rods when replacement is required.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective partially cut-away view of a boiling water reactor of the type to which the present invention is applicable. This BWR (boiling water reactor) includes, merely by way of example, a head 40 which is secured to the top of the reactor vessel 41, a vent and head spray 42, a steam dryer lifting lug 43, a steam drier assembly 44, a steam outlet 45, a steam separator assembly 46, a feedwater inlet 47, a core spray inlet 48, a feedwater sparger 49, a low pressure coolant injection inlet 50, a core spray line 51, a core sprayer sparger 52, a top guide 53, a jet pump assembly 54, a core shroud 55, fuel assemblies 56, a jet pump/recirculation water inlet 57, a core plate 58, control rods 59 (enclosed in elongate tubular guide thimbles), a recirculation water outlet 60, a vessel support skirt 61, a shield wall 62, control rod drive mechanisms 63, control rod drive hydraulic lines 64, and an in-core flux monitor 65.
In this type of BWR the control rods 59 have an essentially cruciform cross-section, and, in order to facilitate refueling (viz., replacement of the fuel assemblies), are disposed at the bottom of the reactor vessel in a manner wherein they can be selectively moved up between the fuel rod assemblies by the hydraulically operated locking piston type control rod drive mechanisms 63.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a control rod 59 which is used in this type of reactor. This illustrated arrangement includes a lifting handle 66, upper guide rollers 67, a sheath 68, a plurality of neutron absorbing rods 69 enclosed in the sheath to define four blades 70, a coupling release or unlatching handle 71, a velocity limiter 72, lower guide rollers 73, and a coupling socket 74.
Details of the construction of the lower portion of a fuel rod is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown, the coupling socket 74 houses a lock plug 75 and a lock plug return spring 76 which are arranged at the lower end of an actuating shaft 77. When coupled to a control rod drive, the coupling socket 74 is arranged to operatively engage with a spud 78, and an unlocking tube 79 which extend up from an index tube--drive 80, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.
In order to disconnect a control rod 59 of the above described nature from an associated control rod drive, it is necessary to raise the unlatching handle 71. This releases the coupling arrangement shown in FIG. 4 and allows the control rod 59 to be lifted by the lifting handle 66 located at the top of the rod, up and out of the reactor vessel 41.
As is well known, when a reactor of the illustrated type is opened for refueling or maintenance, the vessel 41 is flooded with water in order to suppress radioactive emissions. This, in combination with the fact that the control rods 59 are located deep in the reactor vessel 41, as will be appreciated from FIG. 1, renders access very difficult. Nevertheless, it is required to be able to periodically remove the control rods and/or the control rod drives from the reactor vessel.
FIGS. 5 to 10 show an existing latch tool which is used to lift the unlatching handle and release the control rod 59 from its respective control rod drive.
This tool basically comprises a stud 81 which extends upward from a frame 82 for connection to a crane line, a tube assembly 83, an actuator link air cylinder 84, a lifting hook air cylinder 85, and an actuator link 86 which is adapted to engage the unlatching handle 71. The actuator link 86 is operatively connected with the air cylinder 84 by way of an actuator rod 87. As shown, the actuator link 86 is supported near the bottom of a V-cross-section structural member 88.
Details of a lifting hook structure 89 and the manner in which it is pivotally mounted and connected with the lifting hook air cylinder 85 are illustrated in FIG. 6.
In order that the actuator link 86 be accurately located, the arrangement is provided with a short blade-shaped back guide member 90. Accordingly, when this tool 100 is put into use, the tool engages the unlatching handle of the control rod 59 from one side while the back guide 90 provides an aligning function on the other. The actuator link air cylinder 84 and the lifting hook cylinder 85 are supplied with air under pressure by way of air connectors 91.
However, with this existing type of arrangement it is necessary for the fuel support piece to be removed before suitable disposition and alignment of the tool can be achieved. This removal is quite time consuming. Accordingly, it has been proposed to remove the back guide 90, from the latch tool in order enable its use without the need to remove the fuel support piece. However, this measure has not met with success in that, without the back guide tool engagement is unreliable and results in problems with the engagement to the unlatching handle.
An alternate technique which has been proposed in order to save time and avoid the handling problems related with the removal of the fuel support piece, is such as to use a J-hook which is suspended from a cable, to unlatch the control rod 59.
However, this technique suffers from the drawbacks that, as the unlatching handle is submerged in approximately 60 feet of water, in order for the operator to be able to observe the hook and control the maneuvering of the same, it is necessary to utilize a TV camera and immerse it to essentially the same depth as the hook.
Correct positioning of both the hook and the camera is time consuming, requires at least two operators and requires a certain amount of experience and skill.


This invention involves a compound and hollow insulator and its manufacturing method thereof. The insulator includes a connector, an insulating tube and petticoat. The insulating tube is made by winding epoxy glass fiber. The petticoat is arranged outside the insulating tube. The connector is arranged at the two ends of the insulating tube. The petticoat becomes an integrated body through injecting silicon sulfide rubber at the high-temperature so that the electrical and mechanical property is better. Meanwhile, the ratio of the qualified products is improved.

Presently, power transmission and transformer equipment usually adopt porcelain hollow insulator. However, porcelain insulator is explosive with heavy weight and large volume. It is easy to be broken and requires regular cleaning up. This caused much inconvenience for installation and maintenance.
In order to overcome above insufficiencies of porcelain insulator, a compound and hollow insulator made of organic synthesis material appeared.
The current manufacturing technology mainly includes two: One is to use single petticoat mould for silicon sulfide rubber (RTV) at room temperature to cast petticoat body piece by piece on the special equipment; The other is to use liquid silicon rubber (LSR) and double-component injection pump to inject and form petticoat body at medium temperature (120° C). The shortcoming of these two technologies is that the resistance property for electric corrosion and aging of the product's external insulation are poor. Meanwhile, their technical and economical efficiency are also low.
The weather & aging resistance property and electric corrosion resistance property of high temperature silicon sulfide rubber are extremely good. However, since it is in solid state, high temperature and high pressure are needed for manufacturing. And the insulating tube of hollow insulator is hollow, which is extremely easy to be broken once bearing the pressure, especially under high temperature. Therefore, it has not been applied in manufacturing hollow insulator in HV power station.

Compound and hollow insulator and its manufacturing method thereof


A method for extracting compounds from plant material utilizing terpenes as a solvent is described. The invention includes the excitation of the plant material and terpene solvent with microwave, ultrasound, heat input, and physical agitation or combinations thereof. The invention particularly covers the process as it relates to the extraction of THC and CBD and their derivatives from cannabis and hemp for the use in products for medical and recreational use. The combinations of terpene saturant, plant material strain and process variables can be tuned in order to dial in the final resultant product for several variables including but not limited to terpene content, THC or CBD potency, ratios of THC or CBD and their derivatives, or flavor profile.

Extraction of chemical compounds from plants typically utilizes harsh chemicals which are expensive and can leave residual chemicals within the product for consumers. To remove the desired components from plant-based materials, the plant is often subjected to heat and pressure while submerged in a solvent such as Butane or Hexane. The solvent is then separated from the useable chemical by a secondary process which uses heat to evaporate the solvent.
Rather than using harsh chemicals to extract the useful plant compounds, for plants natively containing terpenes, a terpene can be used as the collection media. The plant-based material and terpene solvent, or "saturant", can be excited or agitated using ultrasound, microwave, heat, pressure, or a combination of these in order to achieve the desired extraction without the use of harsh chemicals. The process of terpene extraction leads to a clean, high purity extraction and, in the case of cannabinoids, is able to perform with near 100% efficiency with the appropriate combination of saturant and excitation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compound extraction from plant based material utilizing terepene saturant


A membrane supported biofilm reactor uses modules having fine, dense, non-porous hollow fibers made from Polymethyl pentene (PMP) formed into a fabric with the PMP as the weft. One or more sheets of the fabric are potted into a module to enable oxygen containing gas to be supplied to the lumens of the hollow fibers. Various reactors using such modules are described.

Currently, most wastewater treatment plants use an activated sludge process, based on biological oxidation of organic contaminants in a suspended growth medium. Oxygen is supplied from air using bubble type aerators. Efficiency of these systems is poor resulting in very high energy use. Tank size is large as chemical oxygen demand loadings are low because of low biomass concentration. The result is high capital and operating cost.
A second type of established biological oxidation process uses biofilms grown on a media. The wastewater is circulated to the top of the reactor and trickles down. Air is supplied at the bottom. The rate of oxygen transfer is limited by the biofilm surface area, and the operating cost is high because of wastewater pumping requirements. Other versions of this process are also available, but all of these result in high operating costs.
Recently, development work has been done on a membrane supported bioreactor concept. This process involves growing biofilm on the surface of a permeable membrane. Oxygen containing gas is supplied on one side of the membrane and the biofilm is grown on the other side, which is exposed to the substrate. Oxygen transferred through the membrane is absorbed by the biofilm as it is available in the form of very fine bubbles. This type of process has not become commercially viable.

Membrane supported bioreactor for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment


A truck bed extender which is universally mountable to a plurality of original equipment latching pins and latches for different configured or brand vehicles. Each sidewall is connectable to original equipment tailgate latches on a truck bed body. The mounting interface allows connection for a number of heights relative to truck bed for those original equipment pins. Adjustable simulated mounting pins along lower margins of each sidewall of the bed extender allow for compensation for different placement of original equipment latches on the folded down tailgate. One example is sliders that allow such adjustability. Optionally, stability members of plural configurations are automatically positioned in the gap between tailgate and truck bed body to cooperate with different existing structures on the tailgate of different vehicles to add further stability to the bed extender.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to truck bed extenders and, in particular, to a truck bed extender that can fit vehicles of different brands and configurations.
2. Problems in the Art
Truck bed extenders are commercially available from a variety of vendors. Their benefits are well known. They can increase cargo capacity for pickup-style vehicles.
The present inventor has patented several styles of truck bed extenders. They are described at U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,155,622; 6,513,850; and 6,746,066, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The foregoing patents illustrate truck bed extender features that have a variety of benefits. However, the inventor has identified room for improvement in this technical field.
The foregoing incorporated by reference patents include embodiments that attach to the vehicle using original equipment structure on the vehicle. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,066 attaches the front of the truck bed extender to original equipment tailgate latching pins on the pickup truck body. The lower back of the truck bed extender is attached to complementary original equipment latches for those latching pins on the truck tailgate. The truck bed extender is mounted when the tailgate is unlatched and lowered. This makes the original equipment latching pins at the rear sidewalls of the truck bed available as one set of anchoring or mounting points. It also makes the latches on the tailgate available as a second set of anchoring points. Not only does this utilize existing robust mounting locations on the pickup truck, it eliminates costs and complexity of adding aftermarket custom mounting structures to the vehicle, which is required by many other truck bed extenders. Many truck owners would prefer not to modify their vehicles in those ways.
The idea of using existing tailgate latching pins and latches presents an issue that has been identified by the inventor to be of significance. In most vehicles, the original equipment latching pins are in a fixed relationship to the truck body. Latches on the tailgate thus are positioned in geometric correlation. When the tailgate is pivoted around its pivot axis to the closed position, the latches on the tailgate must correspond with the latching pins on the truck body.
However, the fixed position of the tailgate latching pins is not identical across different vehicles. This is particularly true regarding different brand names or manufacturers. The latching pins on one brand might be several inches higher on opposite inside sidewalls of the truck body than on another brand. This makes the latches on the tailgate several inches farther out on the tailgate.
The state of the art accounts for the different fixed relationships between latching pins and latches between different pickup trucks by building a different bed extender configuration for each different latching pin/latch configuration. For example, General Motors pickup trucks would require a bed extender such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,066 with different latch pin/latch mount locations than one for Ford pickups. And Ram pickups would require a still further model bed extender. Still further models might require different bed extender mounts and thus require still further inventory. This adds cost and complexity to the manufacturing process. This requires an inventory of different bed extender models for different brand pickups, which can also increase cost to dealers and distributors.
Thus, the state of the art generally builds a different model bed extender for different configuration vehicles. A solution to this issue is nontrivial. Economy is a factor with truck bed extenders. These aftermarket products must be economically attractive and practical to consumers. Additionally, the complexity, material costs, flexibility and ease of use, and structural robustness are all competing factors that must be accounted for.

Truck bed extender for variety of makes of vehicles


Injection molding apparatus including a first mold cavity having an inlet, a second mold cavity having an inlet, a source of a first material to be injected, a source of a second material to be injected, and a co-injection manifold including a nozzle housing including a first outlet adapted to communicate with the first mold cavity inlet, a second outlet adapted to communicate with the second mold cavity inlet, first and second spaced apart inlets respectively adapted to communicate with the first and second sources of material to be injected, a first passageway communicating between the first inlet and the first and second outlets, and a second passageway communicating between the second inlet and the first and second outlets.

The invention relates to injection molding apparatus, and more particularly to co-injection apparatus, i.e., apparatus for injecting two different materials, typically an inner core material and an outer skin material, into a single or multi-cavity mold cavity.
A co-injection manifold receives material, usually plastic, from two different injection units and combines the two materials into a single stream that flows into a mold or die. The co-injection manifold is thus located between the injection units and the mold. A typical co-injection manifold is fixed to the injection units.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,625 discloses a co-injection manifold mounted on an injection unit. Another injection unit communicates with the co-injection manifold via a tube. The manifold has a forwardly opening outlet, an annular port axially behind or upstream of the outlet, and a central port axially behind or upstream of the annular port. One injection unit communicates with the central port, and the other injection unit communicates with the annular port. A valve member is movable between a fully forward position blocking both of the ports, an intermediate position blocking only the central port, and a rearward position clear of both ports. In the fully forward position, no material flows through the outlet. In the intermediate position, only material from the annular port flows through the outlet. In the rearward position, both material from the annular port and material from the central port flow through the outlet.

Co-injection method apparatus for injection molding


A method for adding coloring information to a solid model of an actual object includes the steps of acquiring a solid model for forming a surface shape of the object from a set of multiple planes, and estimating coloring information at the plane, wherein the estimating step comprises the steps of regularly arranging multiple coloring points on the plane, and calculating coloring information of the coloring point as a constant in a predetermined function based on photo-image data photographed of the object illuminated by a light source and photography information of the photo-image data, and storing the calculated constants as a two-dimensional array corresponding to an arrangement of the coloring point.

The present invention relates to three-dimensional computer graphics generation techniques for generating model data necessary for computer graphics ("CG") indicative of an actual object for, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for adding coloring information to a solid model. Also, the present invention relates to image processing apparatuses and methods, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus and method that provide higher quality model data necessary for the CC indicative of an actual object.
Along with the recent progress of information technologies, computer-aided image processing is put into active practice, and in particular, image processing technology using the CG has high potential applications to various fields, thus attracting attentions. One conventional method for reproducing an actual object or target using the CO is, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-348213, a technique to paste actual object images taken by a camera onto various parts of the solid model. This technique prepares many multi-directionally photographed images for various CG's eye points, and selects and paste suitable images, thus generating the CG at the time of reproduction.
However, this method has a disadvantage in that it cannot illuminate the CG-reproduced object with illumination different than that has been used to take its image. As camera images originally include shades and highlights, the object that pastes camera images when provided with additional shades and highlights would become an unnatural image.
Accordingly, as disclosed in "Object Shape and Reflectance Modeling from Observation", pages 379–387 of SIGRAPH Computer Graphics Proceedings, Annual Conference Series of 1997, one method introduces a function model to handle changes in reflectance due to lighting and eye directions, and to express reflection model constants.
Even comparatively small amount coloring information content would enable natural shades and highlights to be reproduced with an arbitrary illumination condition and an arbitrary eye direction by storing as reflection model constants reflection property of coloring points arranged on a surface of a solid model, and substituting the constants for a reflection model function at a reproduction time. As represented by Phong's reflection model, many reflection models regards a light reflection as a linear sum of a diffuse reflection component and a specular reflection component, each of which is represented by multiple parameters. It is possible to estimate a reflection model parameter by using a set of images taken by changing lighting and eye directions.
Nevertheless, the above reflection model constant is estimated for each coloring point by using a group of images taken by changing lighting and eye directions. Thus, a reproduction of fine designs on the object surface requires reflection model constants to be calculated for coloring points sufficiently densely arranged on the model surface, and to be recorded with the coordinates of the coloring points. Disadvantageously, this would increase coloring information content and cause enormous calculations for estimate and reproduction.
In addition, the conventional methods cannot provide CG images with sufficient shades or highlights, or high quality CG images. For example, a specular reflection component has limited observing directions, and it was difficult to fully measure specular reflections on respective surface parts of the object having various normal directions. Thus, it has been disadvantageous that a specular reflection constant cannot be properly estimated for such parts whose specular reflections are not fully observed. As a result of utmost efforts to this problem, the present inventor has discovered that most of the actual objects often present, even when their base colors delicately change due to patterns and printing, similar materials and surface finishes within a permissible range. In other words, this range presents the same specular reflections, although exhibits different diffuse reflection depending on the base color. In addition, since quality sensation and glossy sensation are perceived in accordance with a state of highlight extent, a difference in specular reflections in a fine area is hard to be perceived.

Coloring information adding method and apparatus, and image processing method and apparatus


An application module associated with a telecommunication exchange serving a particular subscriber stores a directory number representing a called party subscriber and time data representing the time a call connection between the subscriber and the called party subscriber should be established. Thereafter, whenever the specified time represented by the time data occurs, the application module establishes a first call connection with the subscriber, informs the subscriber of the requested call connection, and in response to an affirmative confirmation, establishes a second call connection between the subscriber and the previously indicated called party subscriber. Such call connections can be effectuated in accordance with the subscriber's call setup option, e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunications system and, in particular, to an automatic call-setup subscriber feature within a telecommunications end office.
2. Description of Related Art
As stored program controlled (SPC) switching systems have evolved, a wide variety of useful subscriber features have been developed to extend the communication capabilities such systems provide. One example is call forwarding where a customer provides a forward-to directory number to the switching system and the switching system thereafter forwards all incoming calls for the customer to the provided directory number. Other examples includes call waiting, cancel call waiting, automatic callback, and account codes. However, even with the advancement of such SPC switching systems and provision of subscriber features, manual indications by telecommunications subscribers are, at some point, needed in order to effectuate a call connection with a particular called party subscriber.
Consequently, a subscriber who needs to make an outgoing call connection on a periodic basis is inconvenienced by the fact that he or she needs to remember such a schedule and to manually effectuate an outgoing call request. Such a schedule may reflect the subscriber's personal life, such as anniversaries or birthdays of relatives. The schedule may further reflect the subscriber's business life, such as a regular telephone conference schedule, regular customer follow-up calls, etc. Accordingly, the subscriber needs to remember each and every one of those events or appointments and to inconveniently and repetitively dial directory numbers associated with the desired called party subscriber.
There is a need then for a mechanism within a serving telecommunications network to automatically and conveniently originate a call connection towards a particular called party subscriber at a predetermined time.

Automatic call generator within a telecommunications system


Wireless device, computer readable medium, and methods for signaling a resource allocation in a high-efficiency (HE) signal field are disclosed. A HE wireless local area network (HEW) device may include circuitry configured to: generate a HE signal (HE-SIG) field comprising one or more resource allocations each comprising an identical allocation subfield, an allocation or no allocation subfield, if the identical allocation subfield indicates the resource allocation is not identical, an allocation size if the identical allocation subfield indicates the resource allocation is not identical, and a station identification (ID), if the allocation or no allocation subfield indicates there is an allocation. The circuitry is further configured to transmit the HE-SIG field to one or more HEW stations. The allocation size may be based on a number of basic allocation units. The resource allocations may be allocated from a left side of a bandwidth to a right side of a bandwidth.

One issue in WLANs is efficient use of the wireless medium. Users of the wireless medium often demand faster response times and greater bandwidth for their applications. Moreover, the wireless medium may be shared by more than one wireless device. Often a master station or device may allocate the resources of the wireless medium for other wireless devices. Additionally, the wireless medium may be shared by wireless devices that operate different wireless communication protocols.
Thus there are general needs for systems and methods for efficiently using the wireless medium, and in particularly, efficiently signaling the allocation of the wireless medium.

Wireless device, method, and computer readable media for signaling a resource allocation in a high-efficiency signal field


A fan comprises a housing which receives electrical power via threaded attachment to a standard socket present in lighting fixtures. At an opposite end from the electrical connection, is a pivoting fan assembly which provides a selectively directed flow of air. An alternate embodiment of the invention provides an additional light bulb socket enabling coincidental illumination and air flow from the fan assembly.

The invention described herein pertains to an electric fan, and more specifically an electric fan which screws into a light socket. Many bathrooms have exhaust fans to help prevent steam from accumulating and fogging up a minor. However, exhaust fans are often insufficient, leaving a hot bathroom and foggy minor. Table fans take up valuable counter space and can be difficult to appropriately position for cooling a user and circulating air over a mirror. To solve these problems a small, effective fan which does not occupy counter space is needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,186,674 to Otto G. Hildebrand et al. discloses an adapter for converting an electric fan to be powered by a light socket. The disclosed invention is designed to sit in a vertical lamp stand and hold a stationary fan housing with rotating blades. The invention specifically describes a fan with a stationary housing being held in an upward facing direction. Additionally, this invention does not provide a separate on/off switch independent of attached power source.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,467 to Keene P. Dimick discloses a defogging device to be supported and powered by an electrical light socket. The device provides a stream of warm air over the surface of an adjacent mirror to assist in reducing fog. This device is not adjustable, preventing it from providing air flow to a person using the mirror. Additionally, this device only provides a stream of warm air which is incapable of cooling a person after a hot shower.
Yet another attempt at providing a fan powered by an electrical light socket is disclosed in design patent Des. 283,156 to Peirgiorgio Mandelli et al. This patent discloses a design for a fan having a non-adjustable base which screws into a light socket. The base of this fan is not adjustable, allowing it to only face directly away from a light socket. Additionally, there is no fan blade housing to assist in directing the air flow and preventing objects from contacting the fan blades.
Although the various devices observed may fulfill their individual, particular objectives, each device suffers from one (1) or more disadvantage or deficiency related to design or function. Whether taken singly, or in combination, none of the observed devices disclose the specific arrangement and construction of the instant invention.


Disclosed are a dry powder for inhalation formulation comprising salmeterol xinafoate, fluticasone propionate and tiotropium bromide, as pharmaceutically active ingredients, and a carrier, and an inhalation formulation comprising same and a method for preparing the same. The inventive dry powder inhalation formulation having good content uniformity and showing small changes in the aerodynamic size distribution in accordance with the flow rate changes can effectively deliver said pharmaceutically active ingredients to a target site upon administration, and thus can be useful in the prevention or treatment of respiratory diseases, particularly asthma and COPD.

Various medicaments have been used in the form of inhalation formulation for the treatment of respiratory diseases, e.g., asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A particular advantage of inhalation formulation is that only a small amount of a pharmaceutically active ingredient is required to achieve the desired therapeutic effect; however, there are drawbacks to the formulation that only a part of the pharmaceutically active ingredient administered will be delivered to a target site, or there is a great possibility that the pharmaceutically active ingredient will be delivered to sites where no treatment is required, thereby causing adverse side effects. Thus, continuous efforts are being made to maximize the therapeutic effect of the formulation so as to achieve reliable targeted delivery to the site where the therapeutic effect is desired and to prevent the delivery of the pharmaceutically active ingredient to the site where no treatment is required.
For effective administration of inhalation formulation, inhalers, which administer the drug by sucking in the air with the drug and delivering them into the air passage, have been widely used for treatment of respiratory diseases. The most common inhaler systems are metered dose inhalers (MDI), which had been used extensively since its approval in 1956, and once occupied 80% of the inhaler market. However, a rise of environmental concerns, e.g., depletion of ozone layer and global warming, has shifted research interests to focus on dry powder inhalers (DPI) in recent years. In current stage, researchers are concentrating their efforts to remedy the shortcomings of MDI formulations by employing DPI formulations. MDIs typically comprise pharmaceutically active ingredients and a solvent as a propellant in compressed state, which deteriorates its stability; and the spraying speed is fast, and thus it reaches laryngopharyngeal space too fast. DPIs, however, are easy to use; and only comprised of powder solid particles, and therefore are advantageous in terms of stability (see Martin J Telko and Anthony J Hickey, Dry Powder Inhaler Formulation, Respiratory Care, September 2005, Vol 50, No. 9).
Meanwhile, various drugs are being tested for the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases. For example, a selective beta-2 adrenoceptor agonist (beta-2 agonist) can induce bronchodilation, and can be used to relieve respiratory distress. Beta-2 agonists may be broadly divided into short-acting beta-2 agonists and long-acting beta-2 agonists. Short-acting beta-2 agonists, e.g., salbutamol, fenoterol, levalbuterol, terbutaline, etc., provide immediate relief, but their reaction time is rather short. In contrary, long-acting beta-2 agonists, e.g., formoterol, indacaterol, salmeterol, tulobuterol, etc., provide sustained bronchodilation, but patients are required to take them two or more times per day because the normal reaction time of these drugs is less than 12 hours.
Beta-2 agonists can alleviate bronchoconstriction in patients, but other drugs, e.g., steroids, are used to treat inflammation, which is another cause of asthma. Examples of steroids include inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) such as beclomethasone, budesonide, flunisolide, fluticasone propionate, mometasone furoate, triamcinolone, and the like.
Also, another type of drugs called an inhaled anticholinergic is well-known as a stable and effective bronchodilator which can be used for treatment of COPD. Anticholinergic agents can increase the level of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), prevent static or dynamic hyperinflation (overexpanded lung), and reduces exacerbations of COPD. There is a limited number of inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilators that are currently available, e.g., rapid-onset types such as ipratropium bromide, oxitropium bromide, etc., and long-acting types such as tiotropium bromide, etc.
Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) are suggesting an incremental treatment method based on the progression of the disease condition, which includes the use of a combination formulation of drugs having different or complementary action mechanisms. For instance, a long-acting beta-2 agonist is prescribed to patients with asthma or COPD having FEV1 level of less than 80%, and COPD patients with accompanying respiratory distress having FEV1 level of less than 50% or who are experiencing frequent acute exacerbations are prescribed with ICS in addition to beta-2 agonists.
A number of combinations of the aforementioned drugs are known already, and one typical example is an inhalation formulation comprising salmeterol xinafoate and fluticasone propionate (Seretide, GSK). Currently, Seretide is available in MDI (Evohaler) and DPI (Diskus) formulations. Seretide provides an effective bronchodilation induced by the long-acting beta-2 agonist salmeterol, as well as potent anti-inflammatory action caused by the ICS, fluticasone propionate. In case of Seretide Diskus formulation, which is provided in the form of DPI formulation, both beta-2 agonist and inhaled corticosteroid may be inhaled at once, but the formulation does not show sustained bronchodilation action, and thus patients are required to take the formulation two or more times per day. Another drawback of this formulation lies in that the amount of the excipient is too small to give a sensation in the lungs upon administration, and sometimes the dose is not properly delivered or is taken two or more times because it is impossible to observe administered formulation.
Also, a combination therapy comprising a rapid-onset anticholinergics ipratropium bromide and a long-acting beta-2 agonist salmeterol is disclosed in WO01/76601, and an additional combination therapy using anticholinergics, beta-2 agonist as well as steroid is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,298 and WO02/7672.
Nevertheless, said formulations do not relate to a triple combination formulation which can exert fast-acting bronchodilation induced by a beta-2 agonist, anti-inflammatory action by a corticosteroid, and sustained bronchodilation by an anticholinergic at once.
Recently, KR Patent Laid-Open Publication No 10-2009-0121338 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0063016 mentioned about a triple combination formulation of beta-2 agonist, corticosteroid, and anticholinergic. However, they neither consider any specific device, effective dose amount, manufacturing method thereof, packaging type, particle size of the carrier material, etc., nor provide assessment data thereof. Pressure drop values of inhalation formulations, especially in the form of dry powder inhalation formulations, vary when different types of devices are used, and the amount of active ingredient delivered to lungs may vary with packaging forms, e.g., blister packaging vs. capsule packaging. Properties and ratio of excipient (such as lactose, etc.), which is used as a carrier, can also cause a large difference in therapeutic effects. Moreover, even if drugs from the same drug group were used, undesirable results such as deterioration in uniformity and storage stability may occur depending on physicochemical properties of the respective drugs.
Although some drugs and a combination formulation thereof for the prevention or treatment of respiratory diseases are known, there are no specific compositions or preparation method thereof developed for a triple combination formulation which can administer a long-acting beta-2 agonist, an inhaled corticosteroid and an anticholinergic together at once. Thus, there has been a need to develop a composition of a composite formulation, which can stably and accurately administer said three groups of drug in a single dose, to improve patient compliance and enhance patients' convenience to carry the formulation.

Method for preparing dry powder for inhalation formulation comprising salmeterol xinafoate, fluticasone propionate and tiotropium bromide


A switch for switching large currents and large charges includes an anode separated from a cathode with a cylindrical trigger electrode located around the anode and the gap. The cathode is of a metal such as zinc, cadmium, tin or magnesium. During operation, a suitable potential applied to the trigger electrode causes a main discharge to occur between the anode and the cathode.

An ignitron is a known device used for switching large currents in which a pool of liquid mercury acts as a cathode. An ignitor is used to establish an initial discharge between the mercury cathode and the ignitor. The initial discharge then enables the main arc between the anode and the mercury cathode to be struck and hence allow conduction through the switch.
The present invention arose from considering a switch arrangement capable of conducting large amounts of charge and high currents without requiring the use of mercury.

Switching arrangements wherein a cylindrical trigger electrode is arranged around a gap between an anode and cathode for establishing a discharge therebetween


An antenna module for use in a small communications device. The antenna module comprises a dielectric block disposed on a circuit board having a ground plane, an elongated planar strip element folded to fit on different surfaces of the dielectric block, and one or more parasitic element disposed adjacent to the antenna element. In particular, the antenna element is designed to produce resonance frequencies at GSM850 and E-GSM900 bands (the lower bands) and one resonance for the GSM1800/GSM1900/WCDMA2100 bands (the upper bands). The dielectric block can be made of soft or hard plastic.

The development of small antennas for mobile phones has recently received much attention due to size reduction of the handsets, requirements to keep the amount of radio-frequency (RF) power absorbed by a user below a certain level regardless of the handset size, and introduction of multi-mode phones. It would be advantageous, desirable and even necessary to provide internal multi-band antennas to be disposed inside a handset body, and these antennas should be capable of operating in multiple band systems such as GSM850 (824 MHz–894 MHz) E-GMS900 (880 MHz–960 MHz), GSM1800 (1710 MHz–1880 MHz), and PCS1900 (1850 MHz–1990 MHz). Shorted patch antennas, or planar inverted-F antennas (PIFAs), have been used to provide two or more resonance frequencies. For example, Liu et al. (Dual-frequency planar inverted-F antenna, IEEE Transaction on Antennas and Propagation, Vol.45, No.10, October 1997, pp. 1451–1458) discloses a dual-band PIFA; Pankinaho (U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,966) discloses a double-resonance antenna structure for several frequency ranges, which can be used as an internal antenna for a mobile phone; Isohatala et al. (EP 0997 970 A1) discloses a planar antenna having a relatively low specific absorption rate (SAR) value; Ollikainen et al. "Internal Dual-band Patch Antenna for Mobile Phones, Proceedings AP2000 Millennium Conference on Antennas and Propagation" presented at Davos, Switzerland, Apr. 9–14, 2000, discloses a PIFA having resonance frequencies at E-GSM900, GSM1800 and PCS1900 bands, wherein one of the shorted patches is folded to provide a capacitive load to the E-GSM900 shorted patch; and Song et al. (Triple-band planar inverted-F antenna, IEEE Antennas and Propagation International Symposium Digest, Vol.2, Orlando, Fla., Jul. 11–16, 1999, pp. 908–911) discloses a triple-band PIFA.
Currently, quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) engines are already available for mobile phones, but the antenna is still an issue because it is one of the largest parts in a mobile phone. In order to fit more antenna elements with acceptable performance in the available space, there is an ongoing effort to reduce their physical size. With the constraints in physical size, existing internal multi-band antennas do not cover all of the GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800 and GSM1900 bands.

Internal multi-band antenna with planar strip elements


The disclosure is directed to an unlicensed spectrum sharing method that is applicable to a user equipment and a base station, a user equipment using the same method, and a base station using the same method. In one of the exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is directed to an unlicensed spectrum sharing method applicable to a user equipment. The method would include receiving a configuration message over a first component carrier in a licensed spectrum to operate in an unlicensed spectrum, receiving a user message of the UE over a second component carrier in the unlicensed spectrum in response to receiving the configuration message, wherein the first component carrier and the second component carrier are aggregated carriers, and receiving a re-configuration message over the first component carrier in the licensed spectrum to operate in the unlicensed spectrum.

Conventionally, cellular systems operate in licensed spectrums in which a base station (BS) and one or more wireless devices may communicate through a wireless spectrum licensed to a wireless operator. Cellular network communication systems have been expanding their usage to unlicensed spectrum, which is also known as open spectrum or free spectrum. Some examples of the unlicensed spectrums are the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) Band, the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) band, other unlicensed or shared spectrums, and so forth. Different countries may normally have different unlicensed spectrums as the regulations in each country might be different from other countries. The potential uses of unlicensed spectrums of LTE have gathered attentions of telecommunication equipment vendors and operators. One of the reasons for the recent attentions is because of the limited availability of licensed spectrums. In order to provide high throughput service to more users, LTE may resort to utilizing unlicensed spectrums for communications.
One of the major challenges is to operate the cellular system in an environment of uncertainty. As communications are conducted within the domain of unlicensed or shared spectrums, there could be other communication devices that would also like to use unlicensed or shared spectrums. These communication devices may belong to the same or different radio access technologies. For example, wireless communication operations that are normally conducted within the spectrums reserved for Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication system may prefer to co-exist with Wi-Fi radios in the free spectrum that is normally used by Wi-Fi radios. However, within the unlicensed band, a LTE device might not be able to freely transmit or receive at any given time because of limitations related to spectrum sharing. This problem would not exist in a convention cellular LTE system in which the transmission and reception operations are normally scheduled and would not conflict with operations that occur in the free spectrum.
In order to cope with the uncertainty of transmitting and receiving opportunities in the unlicensed spectrum, a free spectrum sharing method could be devised such that wireless communication devices that normally use the license spectrum may utilize a free spectrum without conflicting with devices that normally use the unlicensed spectrum.
For general information related to licensed-assisted access to unlicensed spectrum, technical specification 3GPP TR 36.889 V0.3.1 dated February 2015 titled 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on Licensed-Assisted Access to Unlicensed Spectrum; (Release 13) contains definitions to concepts and teens and is hereby incorporated by reference. For further information related to licensed-assisted access or licensed-assisted carrier aggregation in unlicensed spectrum, 3GPP TSG RAN WG2 #89 R2-150234 titled Scenarios and Requirements for LAA may also contain related concepts and terms and is hereby incorporated by reference.

Unlicensed spectrum sharing method, base station using the same, and user equipment using the same


Power sources, such as batteries, for transportation vehicles can provide at least partial electric drive power. The power sources can include an activation layer arranged between collectors adapted for opposite charging. The activation layer can include fire suppression system disposed therein for releasing fire suppression agent in response to high and/or excessive temperature.

Transportation vehicles can include power storage and/or generation, for example, in the form of a chemical battery and/or fuel cell-generator combination which can provide electrical power for use. Electrical power to provide at least some drive propulsion to the transportation vehicle can have particularly powerful electrical power sources. However, such power storage devices can present risks of fire. Designing power sources with consideration for abatement of risks such as fire, can improve safety, reliability, and/or performance of the power source and ultimately the transportation vehicle.


Provided are methods of clinical treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (e.g., relapsed and/or refractory DLBCL eligible for autologous stem cell transplant) in human subjects using a bispecific antibody which binds to CD3 and CD20 in combination with standard of care regimen of R-DHAX/C (rituximab, dexamethasone, cytarabine, and oxaliplatin/carboplatin).

DLBCL is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and the standard first-line therapy is R-CHOP. The cure rate of this combination for the overall population of newly-diagnosed DLBCL is between 60% and 70% (Sehn et al., Blood 2007; 109:1867-61). Attempts to improve upon outcomes of first-line therapy, including intensification of dose and addition of other agents to intensify the regimen, have failed to provide sufficient evidence to alter standard of care.
Risk factors impacting rates of CR to first-line treatment, disease relapse, and OS are included in the International Prognostic Index (IPI) or Revised-IPI (R-IPI): age >60 years, ECOG>1 or KPS<60, LDH>ULN; extranodal disease >1 (2 or more), and disease Stage 3 or 4 (Project et al., N Engl J Med 1993; 329:987-994; Sehn et al., supra). While patients in the good risk group (1-2 IPI factors) have a 4-year PFS of 80% following standard first-line R-CHOP, the 45% of patients in the poor risk (high risk) group (3-5 IPI factors) only achieve a 4-year PFS and OS of 55% (Sehn et al., supra).
Approximately 35% of patients with DLBCL are either primary refractory to or relapse following standard frontline chemoimmunotherapy. In this group, the only option for long-term survival is salvage chemotherapy, such as rituximab combined with DHAX (dexamethasone, cytarabine and oxaliplatin) or DHAC (dexamethasone, cytarabine and carboplatin), followed by high-dose therapy (HDT) with ASCT (Tixier et al., Hematol Oncol 2017; 35:584-90). However, only half of patients with R/R DLBCL are eligible to receive HDT-ASCT, and among those who are transplant-eligible, some are insensitive to salvage therapy, precluding the ASCT procedure. Finally, a significant proportion of patients relapse following HDT-ASCT treatment, with approximately 45% progressing within 3 years (Gisselbrecht et al., J Clin Oncol 2010; 28:4184-90). Overall, less than 10% of patients with R/R DLBCL can expect cure with standard secondary therapies. For the patients who relapse after or are ineligible for HDTASCT, there are palliative treatment options, with the goal of achieving remission and prolonging survival. However, there is no consensus gold standard, and patients will normally be offered nonintensive (e.g., R-GemOx, BR) or other palliative intervention (sequential single agent chemotherapy, local radiation therapy for focal symptoms). The recently approved CAR-T cell therapies demonstrate a durable response in only a small subset of patients (Locke et al., Lancet Oncol 2019; 20:31-42; Schuster et al., N Engl J Med 2019; 380:45-56). However, access to this highly specialized intervention is limited.
Given the limited efficacy of and response of subjects to currently available treatments, particular those who have relapsed or are refractory to currently available treatments, novel and effective therapies are needed.

Bispecific antibody against CD3 and CD20 in combination therapy for treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma


A plug is formed by depositing a first material to partially fill an opening, leaving an unfilled portion with a lower aspect ratio than the original opening. A second material is then deposited to fill the remaining portion of the opening. The first material has good filling characteristics but has higher resistivity than the second material. The second material has low resistivity to give the plug low resistance.

This invention relates to flash memory arrays and in particular to the structures of flash memory arrays and methods of forming them.
There are many commercially successful nonvolatile memory products being used today, particularly in the form of small form factor cards, which use an array of flash EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) cells. Such cards may be interfaced with a host, for example, by removably inserting a card into a card slot in a host. Some of the commercially available cards are CompactFlash™ (CF) cards, MultiMedia cards (MMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Smart Media cards, personnel tags (P-Tag) and Memory Stick cards. Hosts include personal computers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), various data communication devices, digital cameras, cellular telephones, portable audio players, automobile sound systems, and similar types of equipment. In an alternative arrangement to the separate card and host described above, in some examples a memory system is permanently connected to a host providing an embedded memory that is dedicated to the host.
Two general memory cell array architectures have found commercial application, NOR and NAND. In a typical NOR array, memory cells are connected between adjacent bit line source and drain diffusions that extend in a column direction with control gates connected to word lines extending along rows of cells. A memory cell includes at least one storage element positioned over at least a portion of the cell channel region between the source and drain. A programmed level of charge on the storage elements thus controls an operating characteristic of the cells, which can then be read by applying appropriate voltages to the addressed memory cells. Examples of such cells, their uses in memory systems and methods of manufacturing them are given in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,070,032; 5,095,344; 5,313,421; 5,315,541; 5,343,063; 5,661,053 and 6,222,762. These patents, along with all other patents, patent applications and other publications referred to in this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
In a NAND array series strings of more than two memory cells, such as 16 or 32, are connected along with one or more select transistors between individual bit lines and a reference potential to form columns of cells. Word lines extend across cells within a large number of these columns. An individual cell within a column is read and verified during programming by causing the remaining cells in the string to be turned on hard so that the current flowing through a string is dependent upon the level of charge stored in the addressed cell. An example of a NAND architecture array and its operation as part of a memory system is found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,315; 5,774,397; 6,046,935 and 6,522,580. NAND memory devices have been found to be particularly suitable for mass storage applications such as those using removable memory cards.
The charge storage elements of current flash EEPROM arrays, as discussed in the foregoing referenced patents, are most commonly electrically conductive floating gates, typically formed from conductively doped polysilicon material. An alternate type of memory cell useful in flash EEPROM systems utilizes a non-conductive dielectric material in place of the conductive floating gate to store charge in a non-volatile manner. A triple layer dielectric formed of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and silicon oxide (ONO) is sandwiched between a conductive control gate and a surface of a semi-conductive substrate above the memory cell channel. The cell is programmed by injecting electrons from the cell channel into the nitride, where they are trapped and stored in a limited region, and erased by injecting hot holes into the nitride. Several specific cell structures and arrays employing dielectric storage elements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,007.
As in most integrated circuit applications, the pressure to shrink the silicon substrate area required to implement some integrated circuit function also exists with flash EEPROM systems. It is continually desired to increase the amount of digital data that can be stored in a given area of a silicon substrate, in order to increase the storage capacity of a given size memory card and other types of packages, or to both increase capacity and decrease size. One way to increase the storage density of data is to store more than one bit of data per memory cell. This is accomplished by dividing a window of a floating gate charge level voltage range into more than two states. The use of four such states allows each cell to store two bits of data, eight states stores three bits of data per cell, and so on. A multiple state flash EEPROM structure and operation is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,043,940 and 5,172,338, which patents are incorporated herein by this reference.
Increased data density can also be achieved by reducing the physical size of the memory cells and/or the overall array. Shrinking the size of integrated circuits is commonly performed for all types of circuits as processing techniques improve over time to permit implementing smaller feature sizes. But there are usually limits of how far a given circuit layout can be shrunk in this manner, since there is often at least one feature that is limited as to how much, it can be shrunk. When this happens, designers will turn to a new or different layout or architecture of the circuit being implemented in order to reduce the amount of silicon area required to perform its functions. The shrinking of the above-described flash EEPROM integrated circuit systems can reach such limits.
One way to form small cells is to use a self-aligned Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) technique. This uses STI structures to isolate adjacent strings of floating gate cells such as those of NAND type memory arrays. According to this technique, a gate dielectric (tunnel dielectric) layer and floating gate polysilicon layer are formed first. Next, STI structures are formed by etching the gate dielectric and floating gate polysilicon layers and the underlying substrate to form trenches. These trenches are then filled with a suitable material (such as oxide) to form STI structures. The portions of the gate dielectric and floating gate polysilicon layers between STI structures are defined by the STI structures and are therefore considered to be self-aligned to the STI structures. Typically, the STI structures have a width that is equal to the minimum feature size that can be produced with the processing technology used. STI structures are also generally spaced apart by the minimum feature size. Thus, the portions of the gate dielectric and floating gate polysilicon layers between STI regions may also have a width that is equal to the minimum feature size. The strips of floating gate polysilicon are further formed into individual floating gates in later steps. In some examples, floating gates may have dimensions less than the minimum feature size that can be produced using photolithographic patterning alone. Examples of scheme for forming such floating gates are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,755.
In NAND and other types of nonvolatile memories, the amount of field coupling between floating gates and the control gates passing over them (the coupling ratio) is carefully controlled. The amount of coupling determines how much of a voltage that is placed on the control gate is coupled to the underlying floating gates. The percentage coupling is determined by a number of factors including the amount of surface area of the floating gate that overlaps a surface of the control gate. It is often desired to maximize the percentage coupling between the floating and control gates by maximizing the amount of overlapping area. One approach to increasing coupling area is described by Yuan et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,063. The approach described in that patent is to make the floating gates thicker than usual to provide large vertical surfaces that may be coupled with the control gates.
Individual portions of a memory array, such as strings of a NAND array, are generally connected together using conductive lines that extend across the memory array. Some conductive lines may be connected to portions of the substrate so that electrical connections are made to those portions. Generally, such connections are made by forming an opening in a dielectric layer that overlies the substrate and forming a conductive plug by filling the opening with a conductive material such as a metal or doped polysilicon. As memories shrink, the lateral dimensions of such plugs generally shrink along with other memory features. However, the vertical dimensions of such plugs may not shrink in proportion. This may be because the thickness of floating gates remains high, or for other reasons.
The aspect ratio of an opening is the ratio of the height of the opening to a lateral dimension. FIG. 1 shows an opening 101 in a dielectric layer 103 on a substrate 105, opening 103 having a lateral dimension (width) of X1 and a height of Y1. The aspect ratio of opening 101 is Y1/X1. In general, as memories shrink, the aspect ratios of the openings used to form contacts to the underlying substrate increase because the vertical dimensions are not reduced in proportion to the lateral dimensions. In some newer devices the width of an opening used to form a contact may be 70 nanometers or less. The thickness of the dielectric layer may be 3000 Angstroms (300 nanometers) or more.
Increasing aspect ratios present certain problems in forming good quality contacts. Plugs are generally made by depositing a conductive material so that the material fills an opening. However, where openings have high aspect ratios, the deposited material may not fill an opening fully. In some cases, voids are formed in the conductive material deposited in an opening. FIG. 2 shows an example of an opening having an aspect ratio of Y2/X2 that has conductive material deposited in it to form a plug 210. However, within plug 210, a void 212 is formed because of the depth of the opening. Deposition near the top of the opening closes the opening before the lower part is completely filled so that void 212 is incorporated in plug 210. Such voids may cause device failure by increasing the electrical resistance of the plug, preventing current flow and causing heating. Some materials have good filling characteristics that allow good quality plugs to be formed even in openings having high aspect ratios. However, some of the materials that allow void-free plugs have relatively high resistivity so that the resistance of the plug is increased, which is undesirable. Certain formation techniques also have better filling characteristics than others.
Thus, there is a need for a method of forming a conductive plug in a manner that allows void-free plug formation even with high aspect ratio openings. There is also a need for a method of forming such a plug so that it has a low overall resistance. There is also a need for a method of forming such contacts in an efficient manner as part of memory array formation. There is also a need for void-free plugs with low resistance and for memory arrays having such void-free, low resistance plugs.