Disclosed is a UV blocking and slimming cosmetic composition containing laminaria water extract, octylmethoxycinnamate and oxybenzone.

The present invention relates to a cosmeceutical composition having both UV (ultraviolet) blocking and sliming effects. More specifically, the invention relates to the cosmetic composition having remarkably enhanced UV blocking and slimming effects without any harmful effects on the skin, containing laminaria water extract, octylmethoxycinnamate and oxybenzone.
Generally speaking, UV in the sunlight is classified into long-wavelength UV (UVA: 320-400 nm), medium-wavelength UV (UVB: 280-320 nm) and short-wavelength UV (UVC: 200-280 nm). Recently, the ozone layer becomes thinner and thinner due to the air pollution and in particular, has been severely disrupted in such an area as South Pole. Therefore, the human body has become to be exposed to more and more UV. Hitherto, UVC, extremely harmful to the human body, has been absorbed into the ozone layer and has reached the surface of the earth only at a negligible amount. Accordingly, UVA and UVB have been the main factors causing harmful effects on the skin. UVA has a tanning effect on the skin by formation of melanin and causes photo-toxicity, photo-allergy, etc. Medium-wavelength UV UVB, having a larger energy than UVA, causes sunburn (accompanying erythema or blister), skin cancer, pigmentation, denaturation of skin proteins, keratinization of skin cells, etc.
Therefore, a number of studies to develop cosmetics containing a UV blocking agent for the purpose of protecting the skin from harmful UV have been carried out. Hitherto, organic UV absorbents, such as octylmethoxycinnamate, butylmethoxydibenzoyl -methane, octyldimetyl PABA, cinnoxate, etc., have been used as UV absorbents. Inorganic pigments, such as titanium dioxide, ultrafine titanium dioxide particles, zinc oxide, ultrafine zinc oxide particles, talc, mica, kaolin, ferric oxide, etc., have been used as UV scattering agents. Organic UV absorbents have good absorption capability within a specific range of wavelength, but generally, have a narrower absorbable range of wavelength than inorganic UV scattering agents due to characteristics in the molecular structure. Therefore, it is required that organic UV absorbents having different ranges of the maximal absorption wavelength should be simultaneously used. In addition, because they are lipophilic and synthetic chemicals, they cause many kinds of harmful effects on the skin, particularly, allergies due to the light. For such reasons, organic UV absorbents are legally regulated as special materials and the quantity of use is regulated restricting the maximal content in cosmetics. Inorganic UV scattering agents have a UV blocking effect by scattering or reflecting UV. Accordingly, in case of using them solely, a sufficient UV blocking effect cannot be obtained due to the penetration of UV that has not been scattered or reflected. Moreover, in case of combining them in large quantities, cosmetics are likely to become coarse and the makeup looks unnatural. Particularly, ultrafine zinc oxide particles are good materials providing for the UV blocking effect and particularly, astringent and soothing, and wound healing effects on the skin irritated by the sunlight. However, in case of combining them with cosmetics at more than a specific amount, reaggregation occurs and leads to deteriorate the stability of cosmetics, for example, to disrupt emulsification. Therefore, their used amounts must be strictly regulated.
Generally, organic UV absorbents and inorganic UV scattering agents are simultaneously contained in UV blocking cosmetics to complement drawbacks from each other. However, because the content of each UV blocking agent is restricted, such a method cannot but have limit in solving the problems.
On the other hand, considerable kinds of cosmetics for slimming a particular part of the human body are currently commercialized. They contain natural substances derived from plants such as Boston ivy, caffeine, marronnier extracts, etc. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,359 discloses a slimming agent. In said patent, xcex2-adrenergic agonists, preferably, theophylline, isoproterenol, forskolin, epinephrine, etc. are described as active agents for slimming. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,433 discloses the use of methylxanthine, particularly, caffeine and derivatives thereof, for providing the slimming effect.
However, slimming agents having been hitherto commercialized are not substantially effective. This is because the agents have been recommended being used in combination with other slimming programs or slimming diets. Especially, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,359, it is uncertain whether the weight reducing effect is derived from the slimming program or diet, or from the slimming agent.
The present inventors performed extensive studies to develop a new cosmeceutical composition having UV blocking and slimming effects. As a result, the inventors discovered that such cosmetic composition having both UV blocking and slimming effects could be obtained by combining laminaria water extract, octylmethoxycinnamate and oxybenzone in an appropriate ratio, and completed the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cosmetic composition having both UV blocking and slimming effects.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for preparing said cosmetic composition.
The present invention relates to a UV blocking and slimming cosmetic composition comprising laminaria water extract, octylmethoxycinnamate and oxybenzone.
In the present invention, the laminaria water extract is obtained by extracting laminaria with water under warming. Examples of laminaria employable in the present invention include Laminaria spp., for example, L. japonica, L. ochotensis, L. religiosa, etc.
The present composition may further contain one or more cosmetically acceptable carriers, auxiliaries and additives. That is, the composition contains laminaria water extract, octylmethoxycinnamate and oxybenzone as essential ingredients and may be manufactured into a conventional cosmetic formulation such as creams, lotions, solutions and suspensions by further containing one or more ingredients conventionally used in the manufacture of cosmetics.
In a preferable embodiment, the present composition contains 30 to 80% by weight of laminaria water extract, 3 to 10% by weight of octylmethoxycinnamate, and 1 to 5% by weight of oxybenzone. It may further contain one or more auxiliaries, diluents, preservatives, viscosity adjusting agents, antifoaming agents, cream bases, etc. in the amount of 30 to 80% by weight. The examples thereof include cetanol, stearyl alcohol, mineral oil, propylene glycol, white vaseline, polyoxyl stearate, Span #60, Tween #80 (polysorbate), methyl paraben, propyl paraben, sodium pyrosulfite, glycerin, ethanol, purified water, silicone resin or flavors, etc.
This invention will be better understood from the following examples. However, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate the specific materials and results described are merely illustrative of, and are not intended to, nor should be intended to, limit the invention as described more fully in the claims which follows thereafter.

Bangebae Pine Villa #101, 12-11, Bangbae bon-dong


A method for testing a TMR element includes a step of measuring a plurality of resistances of the TMR element by applying a plurality of voltages with different voltage values each other to the TMR element, respectively, a step of calculating a ratio of change in resistance from the measured plurality of resistances of the TMR element, and a step of evaluating the TMR element using the calculated ratio of change in resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for testing a tunnel magnetoresistive effect (TMR) element such as a TMR read head element using the tunnel magnetoresistive effect or a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) cell, to a manufacturing method of a TMR element, and to a TMR element.
2. Description of the Related Art
An evaluation test of a thin-film magnetic head with a TMR read head element is in general performed for determining whether or not the thin-film magnetic head is a non-defective product, during or after manufacturing the magnetic head. This evaluation test includes a reliability test for confirming that a breakdown voltage of the TMR head element is sufficiently high to withstand an extended period of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,257 discloses a testing method for confirming a reliability of a TMR read head element without damaging or breaking the TMR read head element. In this testing method, a performance of the TMR read head element such as its electromagnetic conversion performance is measured by using a test current with a predetermined current value. The test current value is determined by measuring a resistance of the TMR read head element when a predetermined initial current is flowing there through, or determined by repeatedly measuring a modified current when a reference voltage is applied to the TMR read head element and by measuring a resistance of the TMR read head element when the finally measured modified current is flowing there through.
However, this testing method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,257 requires a performance test of the TMR read head element such as an electromagnetic conversion performance test of the TMR read head element, and thus requires a great deal of expense in manpower and in time for confirming a reliability.
In order to solve such disadvantages in the prior art testing method, the inventors of this application have proposed, in U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/130,258, filed on May 17, 2005 a testing method of a TMR element. In the proposed method, constant currents with different current values are fed through the TMR element, an output voltage of the TMR element is measured for each current, a resistance of the TMR element is calculated for each current, and then the ratio of change in the resistances dMRR(%) is calculated.
According to this testing method proposed, reliability of the TMR elements can be easily confirmed in a short period of time. However, because the ratio of change in the resistances dMRR(%) has extremely strong correlation to the resistance of the TMR element and also there are mixed influences of film area and film material, it is difficult to clearly judge whether the TMR element is good product or not with reliability.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for testing tunnel magnetoresistive effect element, manufacturing method of tunnel magnetoresistive effect element and tunnel magnetoresistive effect element


The conveyance of wafers in bays (equipment groups) of a clean room is performed by RGVs (Rail Guided Vehicles) that linearly travel at high speed on conveying rails laid on the floor of the clean room. A structure is adopted wherein a conveying area, over which the RGV travels, is separated from a human working area by a compartment (partition), and a human is not allowed to enter the conveying area upon operation of a line.

With multiproduct formation of semiconductor products and short-living of a cycle time, a semiconductor production line is required to further shorten the TAT (Turn Around Time) and shorten the process processing time. With the trend toward an increase in the diameter of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply called wafer), the weight per wafer is on the increase. Therefore, automatic processing of wafer conveyance by a machine becomes an essential requisite for a semiconductor production line that handles a wafer having a diameter of 300 mm.
In a semiconductor production line that accommodate a 300-mm wafer, the various manufacturing apparatus employed in the production are generally divided into equipment groups called bays, which in turn are disposed within a clean room in bay units. Therefore, a wafer automatic conveying system is also configured so as to be divided into elements (components), such as those related to bay-to-bay conveyance, those related to bay-in conveyance and stockers, correspondingly.
Of these components, a ceiling conveying method called an OHS (Over Head Shuttle) is generally used in the bay-to-bay conveyance. A conveying vehicle called a RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle) that automatically travels on a track, a conveying vehicle called an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) that automatically travels on a non-track path, or an OHT (Over-Head Hoist transport) corresponding to one ceiling conveying method, or the like is used in the bay-in conveyance.
The stockers are disposed in relay locations between the bay-to-bay conveyance elements and the bay-in conveyance elements, respectively. Each wafer accommodated in the wafer conveying means (wafer carrier) is temporarily held in its corresponding stocker, after which it is conveyed into the bay. As the 300-mm wafer conveying means (wafer carrier), there is one which is called a FOUP (FOUP: Front Opening Unified Pod) wherein a wafer cassette and a pod (box) are unified to make it possible to convey a plurality of sheets of wafers in a sealed state, or there is another one which is called an open cassette (Open Cassette: OC) wherein a wafer is exposed in the clean room.
Incidentally, the wafer conveying system for a semiconductor production line that accommodates a 300-mm wafer has been described in "Monthly Semiconductor World", Press Journal Inc., issued on Dec. 20, 1997, pp. 131–149.

Method of fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuit device


An improved atomization jet assembly for aromatherapy essential oil diffuser wells. It does not loose the cap during handling. It uses the capillary of liquids principal to draw essential oils between the exterior of the jet FIG. 12 and the inner cap profile FIG. 7. The flow of liquid is stopped by a capillary break 40. The Ventura principal is then used to create a low pressure area between the top of the jet ball 44 and the inside radius of the cap 65. An air/oil mixture blows out of the cap orifice 66 with the aid of an air pump. The net result is increased availability of air molecules attaching to oil molecules and making them airborne and breathable.

A rectangular essential oil diffuser well previously sold by Young Living Essential Oils Corporation, had some disadvantages and design problems. The jet cap would fall off during handling or cleaning. Customers would often loose the cap and have to order a replacement. The cap was a small object that became a great inconvenience to customers.
Two separate holes were drilled in the diffuser well body from opposite ends (94 and 98). The first hole 98 created an air passage through the center of a barb 99 and up through the center of the jet 95 (FIG. P7). A second hole 93 was drilled to connect oil well hole 91 to jet well hole 92 which allowed oil to pass from the oil well hole 91 to the jet well hole 92. An extra hole 93 required a second machining operation which increased manufacturing costs and had to be plugged and re-surfaced to hide plug 94 (FIG. 14). Plug 94 often showed up as "unattractive" after anodization due to color variation.
This design also spit and sputtered making undesirable noise. I found it was the distance between the air jet orifice 95 (FIG. P1) and the small hole in cap 97 (FIG. P1). This distance was created by a drill angle inside the cap 96 (FIG. P1) which often interrupted the venture action (Vacuum) because a portion of the air blew underneath the cap 96. This is largely what caused the sputtering and spiting of oils, operational inconsistencies and unpredictable output.
I found machining tolerances in manufacturing also effected performance of atomizing jet FIGS. P5 to P8. Too large of hole in the cap 97 affected the amount of low pressure created by venture action (Vacuum). Improper sizing of air jet orifice 95 would effect air flow and its ability to create venture action. Without proper air velocity delivered through air jet orifice 95 and incorrectly sized hole in cap 97 the assembly would spit and sputter large droplets of oil The gap, or distance between hole 95 and hole 97 becomes critical for breaking down (atomizing) oil particles efficiently,
Management and employees of Young Living Essential oils corporation knew for years that the rectangular essential oil diffuser well (FIGS. P1 to P14) needed some improvement, but did not have acceptable options until now.


A vehicle information system includes a “portrait” in-dash touchscreen display for simultaneously displaying both vehicle-specific and application-specific information as vertically-stacked “landscape” renderings, or for displaying a selected one of either the vehicle-specific or application information as a single “portrait” rendering. A further region of the touchscreen's active surface, preferably along its upper margin, is reserved as a fixed command bar to facilitate manual “touch” selection of the information to be displayed on the remainder of the touchscreen's active surface, while the system further dynamically responds to vehicle and operational parameters to select the information for display as appropriate, for example, based on vehicle operation conditions.

A known issue with today's police sedans is a shortage of interior room as additional application-specific gear such as expanded communications equipment, computers, radar, light and siren controller, Automated License Plate Recognition, infrared sensors, long guns, less-lethal armament, video cameras, and other systems are added to the vehicle. Aesthetics aside, this additional equipment can negatively impact officer performance as he or she is forced to interact with multiple systems including multiple displays and other interfaces, particularly as in-cabin crowding may cause one system interface to be at least partially obscured by another system. Still further, these systems can affect occupant safety in the event of a collision, simply because they project into the cabin to define additional hard surfaces with which an occupant might may contact, or by impacting vehicle safety systems such as vehicle airbag deployment.

Vehicle multi-mode vertical-split-screen display


A cable winding mechanism and method employ a cable reel having a hub portion having an axis of rotation and first, second and third sets of spokes extending radially outwardly from the hub portion, with the second spoke set located between the first and third spoke sets and defining therewith first and second winding gaps, respectively, for accommodating respective monospiral windings of a cable. A drive rotates the cable reel about the axis of rotation of the hub portion and a cable deflector guides cable into the first and second winding gaps during the winding of the cable on the reel. The second set of spokes is interrupted by a cross-over gap at which the cable can extend between the first and second winding gaps and the cable deflector is displaced, in timed relation to the rotation of the reel, so as to guide the cable alternately into the first and second winding gaps and through the cross-over gap. The diameter of the reel is thus substantially less than that of a single monospiral reel for the same cable length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable winding apparatus and method and is useful in particular, but not exclusively, for winding the power cables of electrically driven mobile cranes.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical power cable which is required to be wound on a reel on a mobile crane may have a diameter of 21/2 inches and a length of 3000 ft. If such a cable is wound on a monospiral reel, because of the above dimensions of the cable, the monospiral reel requires a diameter of 30 ft.
Such a large reel involves an undesirably high capital cost and is vulnerable to damage. Also, it is difficult to install and subjects the cable to undesirable high tensions and wear and, moreover, is heavy and presents a large wind exposure area. A further disadvantage of a cable reel of this size is that it has a high inertia and, consequently, can easily exert an unacceptably high tension on the cable.
The alternative of a level wind drum has the disadvantages that the cable is not ventilated at all sides and may therefore be derated; that the cable is unduly tension; and that a large floor area is required to accommodate the level wind reel.


A double-progressive spectacle lens in which the progressive action is distributed over the front and rear surfaces of the double-progressive spectacle lenses and described by the quotient QQ=Addvfl/AddGesamtwhere Addvfl represents the increase in the surface dioptric power along the principal line on the front surface between the distance area and the near area, and ADDGesamt represents the increase in the total dioptric power along the principal line between the distance area and the near area, and the fraction Q increases with growing distance area effect F:

The present invention relates to a double-progressive spectacle lens.
Single-progressive spectacle lenses and also double-progressive spectacle lenses are known from the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,713 (=DE 197 01 312) describes a spectacle lens having a spherical front side and multifocal rear side, and also a method for producing it. Published German patent application no. DE 33 31 757 A1 describes a progressive spectacle lens having a convex aspheric front surface and concave aspheric inside or rear surface.
However, it has been found in the case of spectacle lenses having progressive rear surfaces that in the stronger addition area the spherical front surfaces must be fashioned with more of a curve than the front surfaces in the distance area of lenses having progressive front surfaces. This is felt to be disadvantageous by the spectacle wearer both for optical and for cosmetic reasons. The reason for this resides in the geometry of the lenses: if, for example, a lens is designed with a distance area effect of +5 dpt, in the case of progressive front surfaces use is made, for example, of a front surface with a surface dioptric power of +7 dpt which rises in the near area to approximately +10 dpt if the lens is to have an addition of 3 dpt. The spherical rear surface then has a surface dioptric power of approximately −2 dpt, resulting in an effect of approximately +5 dpt in the distance area.
If, in the case of progressive rear surfaces, a spherical front surface is to be selected which is as flat as the distance area of the lens with a progressive front surface (that is to say 7 dpt), the rear surface would need to have a surface dioptric power of −2 dpt in the distance area. With progressive rear surfaces, the mean curvature needs to decrease from the distance area to the near area and not, however, to increase such as would happen with progressive front surfaces. Thus, the surface dioptric power must rise from −2 dpt by 3 dpt to +1 dpt, in order to effect an addition of 3 dpt. This form of surface configuration is termed reversal of curvature. The surface is no longer only concave, as is the case with conventional products, but has an S-shaped course in a vertical section.
However, rear surfaces with reversal of curvature exhibit specific wearing properties which can lead to problems for the spectacle wearer. One problem is the relative nearness of the rear surface to the eye when such lenses are countersunk in conventional mounts. Since the eyelashes then strike against the lens, this frequently leads to irritation. A further problem is the more frequently occurring reflections which have a disturbing effect and reduce the contrast during seeing.
In order to avoid these effects, it is possible to increase only the curvature of the front surface in the case of lenses with a progressive rear surface, but this entails lenses which are thicker and unattractive cosmetically. Again, this raises the intrinsic magnification of the lenses, the result of which is to intensify the so-called "cow-eye effect".

Abstract: ⅆ              Q                          (          F          )                            ⅆ      F        ⩾  0.


A polysulfone composition is provided having a total luminous light transmittance of 84% or greater when measured on 0.1 inch thick specimens using ASTM D-1003. The specimens also meet at least one of the following two conditions: 1) a yellowness index (YI) of less than about 5.0 as measured according to ASTM D-1925 on 0.1 inch thick specimens, or 2) a color factor (CF) of less than about 25, wherein CF is defined by the following equation:CF=270[(x+y)sample−(x+y)air]/t wherein x and y are chromaticity coordinates measured in transmittance mode and t is sample thickness in inches. Another polysulfone composition is provided comprising a polysulfone, an organic phosphorous-containing melt stabilizer, and at least one of the following additives: a blue to violet dye, and an organic optical brightener. The polysulfone composition of the present invention is used to form transparent molded articles such as ophthalmic lenses.

Sulfone polymers are high performance amorphous thermoplastic engineering resins that contain the characteristic diaryl sulfone linkage. Sulfone polymers are known for their high mechanical strength, thermal and oxidative resistance, resistance to hydrolysis, and to many acids, bases, and solvents.
Polysulfone is a well-known high temperature amorphous engineering thermoplastic resin. It exhibits a high glass transition temperature of about 185° C., high strength, stiffness and toughness over a temperature range from about −100 to 150° C. Being completely amorphous, the polymer also exhibits transparency, which adds to its utility in many end uses. Polysulfone was commercially introduced in 1965 by the Union Carbide Corporation. It has the chemical structure:

The polysulfone shown above, commonly abbreviated as PSU, is probably the most commercially important member of a broad family of aromatic backbone polymers known as polyarylethers. These polymers can be produced by a variety of methods. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,108,837 and 4,175,175 describe the preparation of polyarylethers and in particular polyarylethersulfones. Several one-step and two-step processes are described in these patents, which patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. In these processes, a double alkali metal salt of a dihydric phenol is reacted with a dihalobenzenoid compound in the presence of sulfone or sulfoxide solvents under substantially anhydrous conditions. In a two-step process, a dihydric phenol is first converted, in situ, in the presence of a sulfone or sulfoxide solvent to the alkali metal salt derivative by reaction with an alkali metal or an alkali metal compound. In the case of PSU manufacture, the starting monomers are bisphenol A and a 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone, typically 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulfone. The bisphenol A is first converted to the dialkali metal salt derivative by first reacting with a base like sodium hydroxide, NaOH, in a 1:2 stoichiometric molar ratio to produce the disodium salt of bisphenol A. This disodium salt of bisphenol A is then reacted with 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulfone in a second step to produce the polymer. Sodium chloride salt is produced as a byproduct of the polymerization.

The salt is filtered, then the polymer solution is either contacted with a non-solvent to precipitate the polymer or, alternatively, the polymer is recovered by evaporative removal of the solvent. In either case, the solvent removal is usually followed by forming of the polymer into pellets in an extruder, preferably a twin screw extruder.
Among the many desirable physical characteristics and attributes of PSU, this polymer is transparent in its natural state. The transparency of polysulfone is useful in combination with its high heat and other high performance attributes. Examples of uses where the transparency is useful include covers and lids for hot serving dishes and containers, lids for medical sterilization trays, research lab animal cages, dairy processing equipment, flow meters and sight glasses for chemical process equipment.
The transparency of PSU, coupled with the high refractive index of the material relative to other transparent thermoplastics (1.63 versus 1.59 for polycarbonate), make polysulfone a candidate for use in lens applications as it can allow the design of higher powered lenses for a given lens thickness and weight, or alternatively design thinner and lighter lenses relative to polycarbonate for a given power or diopter rating. The high refractive index allows lens makers to produce high-powered lenses with relatively low curvature (and hence lower mass) relative to what is possible with lower index materials such as glass, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and conventional thermosetting plastics used for this purpose. Because of this feature, polysulfone is therefore particularly attractive for use in ophthalmic lenses for spectacles used in prescription eyewear.
In the ophthalmic lens industry a material is considered 'high index' if its refractive index is 1.60 or higher. As such, polysulfone is poised to become the first thermoplastic resin in the high index category. However, polysulfone's entry into the ophthalmic lens industry, and indeed into most other optical applications, has been hampered by the yellowness that, until now, has been present in all commercially available polysulfone to date. Apart from being aesthetically undesirable, the yellow cast also limits the light transmittance that is critical for a high clarity lens for prescription eyewear. Water white or near water white clarity is a key requirement for any lens material, and, to date, the state of the art of polysulfone manufacture has not yet allowed the production of resin with the type of clarity that is needed. Polysulfone has been of interest to the ophthalmic lens industry for a long time as it offers a number of attractive features. In addition to providing a high refractive index polysulfone offers low cost thermoplastic lens fabrication methods (i.e. hybrid injection-compression molding). In addition to the reduced lens thickness and weight which are desirable to the consumer, the good impact resistance of polysulfone allows thin lenses to be viable.
For an ophthalmic lens material to be viable, it is generally accepted that it must meet the following three optical property requirements:                1. A low yellowness index, as commonly measured by ASTM method D-1925, is needed. Yellowness index is a thickness dependent property. Yellowness index values below 1.0 are generally desirable, but at minimum, the material must have a yellowness index of 2.0 or less at a thickness of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm). Yellowness indices below 2.0 are difficult to discern with the naked eye and may be considered of sufficient quality for optical lens uses in general and ophthalmic lenses in particular.        2. A high light transmittance as commonly measured by ASTM method D-1003 is also a key requirement. Light transmittance values greater than 85% are needed as a minimum. Light transmittance is also a thickness dependent property although generally to a lesser extent than yellowness index. It is commonly measured at a thickness of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm), so that if the transmittance requirements are met at 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) thickness, they will be automatically met at reduced thicknesses.        3. A low haze as measured by ASTM method D-1003 is also a requirement. Haze is the ratio of the diffuse light transmittance to the total light transmittance through a specimen expressed as a percent. It generally needs to be below 2.0% and preferably below 1.0% for 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) for a high clarity or optical quality material. Haze values below 2.0% are difficult to discern by the naked eye and thus are acceptable. Like yellowness index and light transmittance, haze is also dependent on specimen thickness, so it is important to compare haze between different materials only at comparable thicknesses and specimen surface characteristics.
Historically, Union Carbide, Amoco, and then Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC have measured and tracked the color of all sulfone polymers using the internal parameter of color factor (CF). The plastics industry as a whole, on the other hand, uses yellowness index (YI) to quantify color of film and moldings. It is instructive to look first at these two quantities and how they relate to each other.
Yellowness index and color factor are two different quantities from the standpoint of the definition of the parameter. However, for practical purposes, they do correlate very well.
By definition, yellowness index (YI) is calculated from the equation below based on ASTM method D-1925:YI=[100(1.28X−1.06Z)]/Y where in the equation above, X, Y and Z are the tristimulus transmittance components for red, green and blue lights, respectively, in the CIE system, based on illuminating the sample with a standard light source, such as illuminant C or illuminant D65 according to ASTM method D-1003.
Color Factor (CF), on the other hand, is defined as the following quantity:CF=270[(x+y)sample−(x+y)air]/t Where x and y are the chromaticity coordinates obtained by normalizing the X and Y tristimulus values. The chromaticity coordinates x and y are calculated by the following equations:x=X/(X+Y+Z)y=Y/(X+Y+Z)The variable t is the sample thickness in inches. So, unlike YI, CF is independent of thickness in the thickness range of typical molded components, which is one attractive aspect of the quantity. Color factor is independent of thickness up to about 1 inch thick. The 270 factor is an arbitrarily chosen factor intended primarily to bring the CF values into a convenient range to work with.
As mentioned above, yellowness index, light transmittance and haze are all thickness dependent properties so that thickness needs to be reported along with these measurements. Preferably multiple thicknesses should be measured to show the dependence of these properties on thickness over a practical range of thicknesses.
One of the key technical hurdles to achieving that goal is the elimination of yellowness from the resin, which is typically expressed as a color factor. A color factor target of <10 has been set for plastic molded parts to be considered of optical quality. This corresponds, in yellowness index terms (ASTM D-1925) to yellowness index of <1.9 for a 0.1 inch thick sample plaque. The lowest color factors achieved in molded articles of prior art commercially produced polysulfone have been in the 30-40 color factor range and more typically they have been in the 50-70 range. While PSU with solution batch color factors of under 25 has been produced based on improvements in PSU manufacture technology as described for, example, by Schwab et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,222, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, the ability to produce melt fabricated articles with color factors of less than 25 has not been demonstrated.
To achieve the single-digit color factors needed, technology improvements are necessary in either or both the synthesis-process side and in the stabilization of the pellets supplied to the customers for prevention of additional color generation during melt fabrication into injection molded articles.
While lab batches of polysulfone with color factors under 10 CF can be produced, it is difficult to maintain this low color factor even with the mildest melt processing treatment. This behavior is exemplified by the plot shown in FIG. 1. This plot shows the progression of color factor of two polysulfone batches. Samples of the polysulfone powder were heat aged in a melt indexer at 300° C. and various times to monitor the dependence of color factor on 300° C. exposure time. It can be seen from FIG. 1 that even after 2 minutes at 300° C., both polysulfone samples approximately double in color factor, and after 12 minutes the color factor has risen to roughly 3× the original value. This behavior is disconcerting, considering that 300° C. is at the lower limit of where polysulfone can realistically be melt fabricated by injection molding.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the correspondence between CF and YI for a number of UDEL® lots as measured on plaques 0.1 inch thick. As can be seen from this figure, the relationship between the two variables is essentially a straight line that passes through the origin. For a given color factor, the corresponding yellowness index on a 0.1 inch thickness specimen is closely approximated by multiplying CF by 0.19. The straight line relationship between CF and YI shows how the color factor measurement relates to the more widely used yellowness index parameter.
Yellowness in polysulfone has been believed to be primarily responsible for most of the absorbance over the visible spectrum. Thus, achieving the high transmittance characteristics exhibited by a colorless resin like polycarbonate had been largely equated with removal of yellowness. To assess this hypothesis, polysulfone with different color factors was correlated with the transmittance characteristics at various wavelengths. A family of curves illustrating transmittance dependence on color factor is shown in FIG. 3. At incident wavelengths above 540 nm, the transmittance is essentially independent of UDEL® color factor within the color factor range of interest (0 to 60). However, the dependence becomes progressively stronger at shorter and shorter wavelengths and is rather steep at wavelengths in the 400-420 nm range. Since recent experiments have produced polysulfone plaques with color factors in the low twenties, these new low color samples were used in combination with other data to allow extrapolation and prediction of transmittance behavior in the 0-10 target color factor range.
The production of <10 color factor UDEL® polysulfone in lab glassware is feasible, however, it has not previously been possible to maintain that low color factor through even the most mild melt processing. It was therefore concluded that a color stabilization package for polysulfone would be necessary if a viable ultra-low color polysulfone that can maintain its color during injection molding into finished optical elements is to be produced.
To develop an ultra-low color/optical quality polysulfone resin, a series of experiments was conducted to screen and optimize an appropriate additive package that would prevent or minimize color development during melt fabrication of the polymer. In studies conducted it was established that color factors under 10 could be achieved for polysulfone as made in the reactor. The color, however, rapidly rises to unacceptable levels when the recovered polymer is exposed to temperatures as low as 300° C. for times as short as 2 minutes. It became clear that a resin stabilization scheme was necessary and a key part of the solution to the polysulfone color problem.
From the extrapolations shown in FIG. 3, hypothetical spectral transmittance curves were generated for UDEL® polysulfone having 10 and 0 color factors to see how they contrast against the transmittance curve of general purpose polycarbonate resin (LEXAN® 104 available from General Electric). This spectral transmittance curve comparison is shown in FIG. 4.

Polysulfone compositions exhibiting very low color and high light transmittance properties and articles made therefrom


The present disclosure relates to an electric drill characterized by a set of grinding equipments accommodated in an extended rear compartment of a housing of the electric drill. The set of grinding equipments mainly consists of a grinding wheel, a side cover having a through hole and an arcuate slot separately formed at proper positions, a cam capable of up-and-down and back-and-forth motion at some predetermined angles, a jig holder having a member to sequentially pass through a through hole of the cam and the through hole on the side cover and thereby becomes firmly associated with the cam and the side cover, and a drill jig being securely positioned and retained within retaining holes of the jig holder. The set of grinding equipments, when not in use, is concealed in the rear compartment, and, when it is to be used to grind a drill bit, the side cover is opened outward to expose the jig holder and the drill jig, the drill bit to be ground is inserted into a chunk of the drill jig, then the electric drill is powered so that a rotating shaft of the electric drill drives the grinding wheel to turn and grind the drill bit. The set of grinding equipments only occupies small room while it can timely and conveniently grind a drill bit in use.

The present invention relates to an electric drill, and more particularly to an electric drill which has a rear compartment for accommodating a set of grinding means that occupies only small room and is ready for use at any time.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional electric drill 1, the front end of which securely holds and clamps a drill bit 11 for pressing and drilling a piece of work. Since the drill bit 11 always works under high speed and higher pressure, its head end, after long period of use, tends to have worn lip angle, lip clearance angle, and cutting edges. At this point, it is necessary to grind the drill bit 11 with a grinding means 13 having a grinding wheel 12. Most of the conventional grinding means 13 would require a support 14 or a simple working table. In a more complete grinding means 13, a jig 15 is provided to facilitate an grinding operator to actually control all working angles needed by a grind drill 11. It is therefore desirable to have the grinding means 13 provided at the site where electric drills 1 are required to drill holes, or, standard or ground drill bits 11 must be prepared in advance so that they are ready to substitute for those worn ones without delaying working progress. However, since a complete grinding means 13 is expensive in cost and is usually bulk in volume and not easy to move, it is usually provided only in larger working sites, such as plants. For working sites other than plants, ground drill bits in different sizes are carried based on the operator's experience and memory to meet incidental requirement lest the work under going should stop.
In view of the existing disadvantages and inconvenience that a worn drill bit can not be ground anywhere at any time due to the fact an electric drill and a grinding means 13 are separately provided, it is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an electric drill completed with a set of grinding equipments.

Electric drill completed with a set of grinding equipments


There is provided a molten carbonate fuel cell including (a) fuel electrodes, (b) air electrodes, and (c) electrolytic plates sandwiched between the fuel and air electrodes, and one of each of the fuel electrodes, the air electrodes and the electrolytic plates cooperating with one another to define a unit cell, the electrolytic plate being formed with a plurality of fine through-holes through which the fuel and air electrodes are in fluid communication with each other, both unreacted gas and gas produced by reaction at the fuel electrode flowing from the fuel electrode to the air electrode through the through-holes. The above mentioned molten carbonate fuel cell provides advantages of no reduction in cell performance which would otherwise be caused by Nernst loss, capability of fuel consumption with high efficiency, no necessity of carbon dioxide gas recycling system, responsibility to rapid fluctuation in load, making a structure of a generating set simpler, and reduction in fabrication costs.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a molten carbonate fuel cell which directly converts chemical energy of fuel into electric energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a molten carbonate fuel cell generally includes cells 4, and separators 5 sandwiching the cell 4 therebetween. The cell 4 includes an anode or a fuel electrode 2, a cathode or an air electrode 3, and a thin planar electrolytic plate 1 sandwiched between the fuel and air electrodes 2 and 3. A single cell 4 could provide a low voltage, specifically about 0.8 V. Hence, many cells 4 are piled with the separators 5 being sandwiched between the cells 4, to thereby generate a higher voltage.
Anode gas containing hydrogen is supplied to the fuel electrode 2, and cathode gas containing oxygen is supplied to the air electrode 3 through manifolds (not illustrated). Then, chemical reaction is made to occur at each of the cells 4 at high temperature, specifically at about 650.degree. C. to thereby generate electricity, which is taken out in a direction perpendicular to a plane of each of the cells (namely, a vertical direction in FIG. 1). Electrolyte (molten carbonate) contained in the electrolytic plate 1 is molten at the above mentioned temperature, and wetting between the molten electrolytic plate 1 and the separator 5 ensures gas sealing between the separators 5.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a generating set including the above mentioned fuel cell for generating electricity using natural gas as fuel. The illustrated generating set includes a molten carbonate fuel cell 6 (hereinafter, referred to simply as a fuel cell) including a plurality of the cells 4 piled one on another, a reformer 7 using natural gas as fuel, a gas blower 8a, and an air compressor 8b. Natural gas is reformed in a reforming tube in the reformer 7 into anode gas containing hydrogen, and the thus reformed anode gas is supplied to an anode of the fuel cell 6 for generating electricity. Exhaust gas exhausted out of an anode of the fuel cell 6 is burned in a combustion chamber of the reformer 7 to thereby reform natural gas contained in the reforming tube, and resulting exhaust gas is mixed with cathode gas containing oxygen. The gas blower 8a is called a carbon dioxide gas recycling blower, because it supplies carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) produced at an anode to the air electrode.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, anode gas (fuel gas or reformed gas) is supplied into a fuel electrode reaction chamber of the fuel cell 6, and make electrode reaction (anode reaction) at the fuel electrode 2. The resulting exhaust gas is burned, and then supplied into an air electrode reaction chamber together with air. In the air electrode 3, the exhaust gas mixed with air make electrode reaction (cathode reaction), and at the same time remove heat generated in the fuel cell 6. As a result, there is produced high temperature exhaust gas, from which energy is recovered. The above mentioned fuel electrode 2, electrolytic plate 1, and air electrode 3 keep in sufficient contact with one another for providing cell performances. The electrolytic plate 1 is porous so as to sufficiently retain electrolyte therein to thereby prevent occurrence of cross leakage.
FIG. 3 shows an example of gas composition at inlet and outlet ports of each of the cells 4 of the fuel cell 6. In a conventional fuel cell, anode gas is supplied into a fuel electrode reaction chamber through an inlet port (which is located at the left end in FIG. 3), and flows along the fuel electrode 2, while which hydrogen and carbon monoxide (CO) are consumed in anode reaction. Finally, unreacted gas together with reaction products such as CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O is exhausted through an outlet port (which is located at the right end in FIG. 3) of the reaction chamber. Thus, atmospheric fuel concentration at the fuel electrode 2 is decreased with fuel consumption between the inlet and outlet ports, and the thus decreased fuel concentration in turn reduces electro motive voltage. The reduction in electro motive voltage caused by reduction in a fuel concentration is called Nernst loss. A problem is that the greater a fuel utilization rate is, the greater Nernst loss is.
Since carbon dioxide gas is necessary for cathode reaction in the air electrode 3, anode exhaust gas is mixed with air supplied from the air compressor 8b, as mentioned earlier. However, since gas to be supplied to the air electrode is mixed with combustion exhaust gas, the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas is lower than required in the air electrode, which poses a problem of great Nernst loss, similarly to the fuel electrode.
That is, a conventional molten carbonate fuel cell has a problem that the reduction in cell performances caused by Nernst loss is unavoidable, and thus it is difficult to use fuel with a high utilization rate.
In addition, a generating set including conventional molten carbonate fuel cells therein needs a carbon dioxide gas recycling system for supplying carbon dioxide gas generated at a fuel electrode to an air electrode, as mentioned above. This is accompanied by a problem that load response speed is restricted during transition time in which electricity generation output varies. That is, though an amount of carbon dioxide gas generated at a fuel electrode due to electricity generation is equal to an amount of consumption of carbon dioxide gas at an air electrode, it is quite difficult to operate a generating set in accordance with load fluctuation, because of delay in carbon dioxide gas recycle which is caused by the tube capacity in transition.
In addition, since a generating set including conventional molten carbonate fuel cells therein needs a carbon dioxide gas recycling system therefor, there is a necessity of tubes and blowers, which in turn is accompanied by problems that a generating set cannot avoid having a more complicated structure and costs for fabrication of a generating set are consequently increased.

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.


Control procedure for a flow machine, wherein the flow machine comprises a turbine, which picks up power from a wind or water current, and a driveline, which transfers power from the turbine to an electric generator connected to an electricity grid of constant grid frequency. A power distribution transmission arranged on the input side of the driveline splits power to first and second power branches. A hydrodynamic convefler connects the first and second power branches on the output side of the driveline and the first power branch drives the electric generator with constant speed. The reaction member of the hydrodynamic converter is set to a constant position for a turbine speed below a chosen threshold and above the threshold the reaction member is controlled to maintain a medium speed of the turbine being a function of the momentum picked up by the turbine.

The invention refers to a drive line which picks up power from a fluid flow power engine, such as a wind or water power machine, and transfers this to an electrical generator and which features a speed guide, a power impact reduction as well as a short-term energy storage facility.
Fluid flow engines which avail themselves of natural resources such as wind and water power, for the drive of an electrical generator make particular demands upon a drive line in terms of output transfer. It is typical that a heavily fluctuating output yield is available in the temporal flow process at the input shaft of the drive line. Additionally, there must be taken into account the particular problems involved in the characteristics and dynamics during the energy conversion of the kinetic energy of the fluid flow medium into the kinetic energy of the power intake, such as a wind power motor or a water power turbine. There thereby exists on the input shaft of a drive line for fluid flow power engines a system-inherent characteristic for the output conversion, which allocates a particular flow speed of the medium present (e.g. air and water) an optimal revolution speed/revolution momentum ratio according to the rapid-run count for the power intake, which, in its turn, is dependent upon the geometry and the design of the power input facility.
If it is the case that the drive line drives an electrical generator which feeds electrical energy into an electrical power supply grid, then it must be taken into account that the network frequency predominantly demonstrates a constant level. Fluctuations in the network frequency exist only to a very small extent since the dimension of this is drawn directly from the network itself.
The previously described requirements of a drive line are in particular in existence in the case of wind power plants. Here a variable power input is taken in by the wind power engine, in addition the wind power rotor has to feature a certain revolution speed which is dependent upon the wind speed in order to be able to extract optimal mechanical energy out of the air stream. In the following therefore there will be illustrated, using the example of a wind power plant, the problems involved in a speed-guided drive line with power impact reduction and short-term energy storage.
If, initially, the requirements made upon a drive line of a wind power plant are considered from the generator side, then an initial solution for the connection of an electrical generator onto the grid can be to design the entire drive line and thereby also the wind power rotor as fixed-speed. Such fixed-speed wind power plants can, when non-synchronous generators are being used, be connected in a simple form and manner to the voltage of an electrical power supply grid as electrical engines based upon the principles of conditional slip. Hereby the speed constancy will be conveyed to the drive line by the transmission on the wind rotor, so that the wind rotor does not travel at its optimum power output at varying wind speeds. It is a particular disadvantage of fixed-speed wind power plants that they, in particular when partially loaded, which is frequently the case with typical wind conditions, can only be operated with limited efficiency.
If a wind power plant in general, and in particular in the area of partial loading, is operated with variable speeds, then there arises the possibility of designing a drive line with either variable or constant output speed. Thereby, in both cases, the power output is also temporally changeable on account of the temporally varying momentum.
The first case leads to the use in wind power plant of frequency converters which motivate the generator with the required frequency or, respectively, provide compensations to the difference of the existing grid frequency and thereby make possible a variable-speed generator. This formulation however leads us away from the task herein illustrated and is particularly invested with difficulties, such as the complexity of the regulation and control circuits, the difficult to map parabolic characteristics of the wind rotor in the frequency converter, the stiffness of the defined generator characteristic curve by the frequency converter, of the low level of operational reliability in cases of high environmental burdens, a grid feed-in quality which can only be operated by extremely elaborate means such as e.g. low harmonic loading and the production of reactive volt-amperes.
The second case, namely to connect a variable rotor speed of the wind power plant with a constant generator speed without frequency converter, represents the topic here illustrated of a drive line for the transfer of a variable power with a variable input speed and constant output speed. The known solutions to this problem, in particular for wind power plant, deploy an overlay transmission which is used to split the mechanical power up into branches. In the case of variable-speed wind power plants there have become known two cases based upon this and which are used in order to keep the generator frequency at a constant level.
In the first system the input power is distributed via the overlay transmission between a large generator as well as a small servo-motor whereby it is generally the case that approximately 30% of the input power is relayed to the servo-motor. The generator is connected at fixed-speed to the grid or is fed via an auxiliary generator which is mechanically coupled to the generator. In order to stabilize the generator speed the servo-motor is either operated as a motor or as a generator with varying frequencies. In this kind of system the same problems exist as in the frequency-regulated generators.
In the second system, which works hydrostatically, instead of the electrical servo-motor hydraulic motors and pumps are used. Here also the problems arise of a difficult regulation characteristic, in particular of a laziness of response and relevant dead periods as well as pronounced non-linear features. Furthermore the hydraulic system components are disadvantageous on account of their elaborate design.
In addition to the previously described requirements for a drive line for fluid flow engines for connection to an electrical generator there arises in particular in connection with wind power plant the peculiarity that the tips of the rotor blades are not supposed to exceed a certain speed in order to reduce to a defined level the noise development which can be perceived to be disruptive. Depending upon the diameter of the wind power rotors, it is therefore necessary to limit their revolution speed to a certain maximum amount or, respectively, above a certain speed threshold, depending upon the wind-loading, to prescribe a speed sequence which, as near as possible, does not exceed a certain maximum level which however can vary, depending upon each location, for example whether an onshore or offshore location. In order to fulfill this stipulation a frequency converter on the generator can be used which imprints the required speed by means of its frequency on the generator and thereby limits the speed of the wind power rotor. This however requires the use of the solution explained above together with all of its disadvantages.
When using frequency converters the possibility arises that, where a substantially constantly sustained speed of the wind power motor via the variation of the torque relayed by the drive line, can also relay a variable power onto the generator, a power which is dependent upon the available kinetic energy of the airflow. It is however disadvantageous that, on account of the converter technology deployed, hitherto only a fixed speed guide along a prescribed nominal curve could be attained and thus it is in particular not possible to react to short-term fluctuations in wind flow. As a consequence, loading impacts resulting from gusts of wind cannot be compensated for by means of a short-term speed alteration and, as a consequence, have a direct effect on the generator and the mechanical structures. This is in particular to be regarded as being disadvantageous in respect of the loading accumulation and the operating period of the wind power plant connected thereto.

Drive line for fluid flow power engine with speed guidance, power impact reduction and short-term energy storage


An apparatus (10) is used with a vehicle seat (2) and a vehicle floor pan (4) for supporting the vehicle seat. A sensor lever (100) transmits the load of the vehicle occupant from the vehicle seat (2) to the vehicle floor pan (4). The sensor lever (100) has a first end portion (102), a second end portion (112), and a middle portion (122) interposed between the first end portion and the second end portion. The middle portion (122) of the sensor lever (100) is movable with the vehicle seat (2). The sensor lever (100) has a first sensor portion (107) disposed between the middle portion (122) and the first end portion (102). The sensor lever (100) has a second sensor portion (109) disposed between the middle portion (122) and the second end portion (112). The first and second sensor portions (107, 109) bend as the vehicle seat (2) moves vertically relative to the vehicle floor pan (4). A carrier structure (150) rigidly connects to the sensor lever (100) at the first end portion (102) and the second end portion (112) for connection to the vehicle seat (2). The first and second sensor portions (107,109) provide an output signal indicative of the amount of movement of the middle portion (122).

A conventional vehicle occupant load sensing apparatus includes a load sensor placed between a vehicle seat frame and a support mount for the seat. The sensor is directly within the vertical load path of the occupant's weight and responds to the vertical loads imparted to the seat by the occupant of the seat. In addition, the sensor may respond to torque loads between the seat and the support mount. Since the seat frame and the support mount must withstand large torque loads (i.e., tilting of the seat frame during crash conditions), typically the sensor also must be constructed to withstand large torque loads.
This construction lessens the sensitivity of the sensor in the vertical load path. Thus, the sensor may not produce a reliable vertical load output signal.
A load sensing apparatus may be constructed to within tight tolerances that would allow the load sensing apparatus to withstand torque loads, but also produce an accurate occupant load output signal related to upward and downward loads in the vertical load path.


A card connector for electrically coupling a PC card to an electrical device is provided. The card connector comprises a header section having a plurality of terminal pins disposed within the header section. A first and second elongated arm section are integrally coupled with the header section. Each one of the arms extend from a first end to a second end thereby forming a slot which is adapted to receive the PC card and guide the PC card into electrical contact with the terminal pins. A guide housing is securely disposed over said first arm. A push-rod is slidably mounted within the guide housing and adapted to move from a first position to a second position. A post is disposed within the guide housing. A swing arm is pivotally mounted on the push-rod and is adapted to engage and disengage with the post as the push-rod moves from the first position to the second position. A first spring is in communication with said swing arm. A second spring is biasingly disposed of within the guide housing in communication with the first spring. A rod is slidably mounted within the guide housing in communication with the push-rod. A link is movably coupled with the header in movable communication with the rod. The link is adapted to engage the PC card. The push-rod protrudes away from the first arm at the first position and is relatively flush with the first arm at the second position.

It is well known in the art that a variety of card connectors are available for electrically and mechanically coupling a PC card with computer systems, such as workstations, personal computers, and laptop and notebook computers. These card connectors are typically internal units that occupy a slot, or bay, in the computer system. Many card connectors are equipped with an ejection mechanism having a push-rod in communication with a linkage system for ejecting the PC card from the card connector and computer systems.
Laptop and notebook computers have relatively small bays in which to mount internal card connectors and other peripheral devices, as compared to the much larger bays available in most workstation and personal computer housings. The relatively small size of peripheral bays found in laptop and notebook computers, can place significant constraints on the designer of internal card connectors for use in such computers. Techniques that address and overcome the problems associated with these size constraints are therefore important.
Card connectors of the type that accept a removable PC card, such as a memory card, I/O card, and an 1.8 inch HDD card, have become increasingly popular. In order to provide a card connector for use in laptop and notebook computers, the size constraints of the peripheral bays of such computers must be considered. In particular, for an internal card connector to fit in the majority of laptop and notebook peripheral bays, the card connector may have to conform to the Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association (PCMCIA) specifications. Specifically, the PCMCIA specifications suggest that a push-rod travel a maximum distance of 8mm along the card connector to eject the PC card from the card connector. The height of the card connector may also have to be in the range of 12 to 15 mm. These dimensions place many constraints on the design of such a card connector and ejection mechanism, and give rise to numerous design problems.
Several types of ejection mechanisms have been developed for card connectors. Several of these are "two-step" ejection mechanism as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,527, issued to Lin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,669, issued to Lin et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,197 issued to Ishida et al. Generally, two-step ejection mechanisms have a body and a push-rod in communication with a linkage system. The push-rod is adapted to remain flush or hidden within the computer system during normal circumstances. When the user wishes to eject the card, however, it is necessary to manipulate the push-rod to protrude from the computer housing in order to actuate the linkage system to eject the card from the card connector. These types of ejection mechanisms, however, have several drawbacks.
One of these drawbacks with these types of ejection mechanisms is that they contain a relatively large number of components that must be designed within relatively close tolerances so that the assembled components may operate together. It would, therefore, be desirable to reduce the number of components that comprise an ejection mechanism for a card connector.
Another drawback of these types of ejection mechanisms is that they are relatively bulky and large and take-up valuable space within a laptop or notebook computer. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide an ejection mechanism for a card connector that is reduced in size.


A chip antenna comprising a substrate comprising at least one material selected from a dielectric material and a magnetic material, at least one conductor formed at least one of in the interior of the substrate and on the surface of the substrate, at least one feeding terminal provided on the surface of the substrate and connected to an end of the conductor for applying a voltage to the conductor, and at least one capacitor-forming conductor provided at least one of in the interior of the substrate and on the surface of the substrate and connected to the other end of the conductor. An antenna device comprising an antenna main body and a mounting board for mounting the antenna main body is also disclosed. The antenna main body may have the same configuration as the above-described chip antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chip antennas and antenna devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a chip antenna and an antenna device used in mobile communication and mobile communication devices for local area networks (LAN).
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 12(a) is a plan view of a conventional chip antenna and FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along section line A--A of FIG. 12(b). This chip antenna 1 is of a microstrip type and is provided with a radiation electrode 3 as an antenna element on a main surface of a planar dielectric substrate 2 and a ground electrode 4 on the other main surface of the substrate 2. The dielectric substrate 2 is a planar rectangular member comprising a dielectric ceramic material such as aluminum or a polymeric compound. The radiation electrode 3 is smaller than the dielectric substrate 2, whereas the ground electrode 4 is formed on the entire main surface of the dielectric substrate 2. The ground electrode 4 is connected to an external conductor 6 of a coaxial cable 5 and the radiation electrode 3 is connected to a central conductor 7 at the feeding point 8.
The resonance frequency f and the bandwidth BW of the chip antenna 1 are determined by the following equations in response to the shape of the antenna: EQU f=Co/2.times.(e).sup.1/2 .times.l (1) EQU BW=(K.times.d.times.f)/.epsilon. (2)
wherein Co is the velocity of light, .epsilon. is the relative dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate 2, l is a vertical length of the radiation electrode 3 as the antenna element, K is a constant of proportionality, and d is the thickness of the dielectric substrate 2 shown in FIG. 12(b).
When the resonance frequency f is constant, use of a material having a large relative dielectric constant as the dielectric substrate 2 is capable of reducing the vertical length l of the radiation electrode 3, thus miniaturizing the chip antenna 1.
When the resonance frequency, however, is constant in the above-mentioned conventional antenna, a miniaturized antenna having a large relative dielectric constant has a narrow bandwidth and is not suitable for mobile communication devices which requires a broad bandwidth. Miniaturization of the antenna is therefore barely compatible with a broad bandwidth.


A leisure vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine as a power unit to drive the leisure vehicle, including a drive wheel, a slip sensor unit configured to detect a slip of the drive wheel, a throttle device mounted to the internal combustion engine, a throttle valve position changing device configured to change a position of a throttle valve of the throttle device, a throttle close operation sensor unit configured to detect that a rider has performed a throttle close operation to close a throttle of the throttle device, and a controller configured to control an operation of the throttle valve position changing device.

When a rider performs an operation to close a throttle of an engine while traveling in a leisure vehicle, for example, a motorcycle, in which a four-cycle engine is mounted as a power unit to drive the leisure vehicle, a negative drive force (braking torque) is generated in the engine to cause engine braking. As a result, the motorcycle decelerates.
The engine braking is able to assist a brake device to stop the motorcycle smoothly or to decelerate it at a suitable speed near a corner.
In these cases, to enable the engine braking to occur in a suitable condition, the rider selects a gear position for effecting the engine braking according to a travel speed, and operates a clutch lever slowly.
In order to enable the engine braking to occur optimally, it is required to effectively utilize an engine braking characteristic or the like of the motorcycle according to the travel speed. When a higher gear position is selected instead of an optimal gear position to effect the engine braking, desired deceleration or engine braking may be difficult to achieve, while when a lower gear position is selected, greater engine braking tends to occur.
In order to solve the above mentioned problem, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-159594 discloses a motorcycle capable of achieving suitable engine braking.


A gun-drill comprises a cutting-head detachably secured to a shank, having a common longitudinal axis and comprising mating peripheral surfaces. A shank coupling portion comprises a forwardly tapering shank fixation surface is formed at a front end of the shank, and a cutting-head coupling portion comprising a forwardly tapering cutting-head fixation surface is formed at a rear end of the cutting-head. Both the shank and the cutting-head coupling portion extend over a peripheral coupling angle φ of more than 180°. The shank and the cutting-head are assembled by positioning the cutting-head leading face in front of the shank trailing face, slidably inserting the cutting-head coupling portion into the shank coupling portion laterally to the axis of rotation A and rotating the cutting-head relative to the shank in a direction opposed to the direction of rotation R so that the cutting-head coupling portion and the shank coupling portion interlock co-axially.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,816 discloses a multi-section drill, separable from its driving means, which uses a coupling mechanism of a mating undercut arrangement in the form of a helix on corresponding male and female ends of the sections to coaxially join the sections together, detachably securing a cutting-head (driven section) in a shank (driving section) of the drill. The driving section (shank) comprises a hollow cylindrical sleeve on a driving end thereof; an undercut in the sleeve in coaxial relationship therewith; two non-parallel edge surfaces on the undercut, one edge having a helix thereon, while the other surface is flat throughout its full length and perpendicular to the rotational axis of the tool; and a back taper on the helix. The driven section (cutting-head) comprises a generally cylindrical body, an undercut on the body forming a cylindrical section thereon; an enlarged coaxial flange on the cylindrical section; two non-parallel edge surfaces on the enlarged flange, one edge having a helix thereon, while the other surface is flat throughout its full length and perpendicular to the rotational axis of the tool; and a back taper on the helix. Cooperation of the flange on the cutting-head and the undercut in the shank forms a compound locking and driving means, as the flange is firmly engaged between the two non-parallel surfaces of the driving portion, while the cylindrical surface of the cutting-head is piloted in the hollow sleeve of the driving portion, so that the two flute surfaces on the driving portion and the cutting-head are mutually aligned.
In order to achieve positive lock together with accurate rotational positioning, the mating surfaces of '816 must be ground to exacting tolerances. However, even if these surfaces are initially precisely fitted, deformation during work may cause dimensional variations, and because there is no definite rotational stop to prohibit over rotation, the parts can rotate relative to each other, especially under working loads, thereby losing their rotational alignment, leading to over-tightening, difficulty in removing the tip, and disturbance to the flow of fluid and chips.
Additionally, since the cutting-head is inserted into the driving section, a clearance fit has to exist between the cylindrical surface of the cutting-head and the hollow sleeve of the driving section, thereby preventing precise axial alignment between the two parts.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,153,356 and Re. 26,452 disclose a multi-section gun-drill tool in which the tool may be extended by threading sections coaxially together; the threads are helical in form with a specified helix angle range for locking the male and female threads to each other as the means for coaxially aligning the tool sections. A front shoulder of the cutting-head cooperates with an abutment on the shank, with the tolerances between these two surfaces being exceedingly important, since they limit the turning of the cutting-head threads into the threaded counter-bore of the shank. However, lack of positive stopping and torque-transmitting means can cause the problems mentioned above, i.e., loss of rotational alignment, over-tightening, difficulty in removing the tip, and disturbance to the flow of fluid and chips. Additionally, since axial alignment of the cutting-head and the shank relies on the exacting tolerances between the shoulder of the cutting-head and the abutment on the shank, precise axial alignment between the two parts is difficult to achieve.
Another example of detachable tip gun-drill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,546 which shows an arrangement for extending the length of the tool by slip fitting a formed male section into a correspondingly sized and shaped female section. Positive torque-transmission and rotational alignment are achieved through a cross-pin which is inserted transversely to the axis of rotation of the gun-drill, into cross-bores passing through the tip and the shank. However, cutting-heads (or tips) made of exceptionally hard materials, such as ceramics or sintered hard metal composition, are difficult and expensive to cross-drill. Additionally, such pins complicate installation and replacement of the cutting-head in the shank.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,673 discloses a twist drill having a detachable cutting tip, the drill having fluid conduits extending through the tool body and the cutting tip. To connect the cutting portion to the tool body, the cutting portion and tool body are converged longitudinally so that the projections enter the front flutes. Then, the cutting portion is rotated relatively to the tool body, to align the front flutes with the rear flutes while causing the projections to enter the recesses and form therewith a bayonet, with a support surface of the cutting tip abutting a front surface of the tool body. However, the drill disclosed in '673 cannot provide sufficient axial and lateral support required by gun-drills, where the cutting tip must support and guide the shank, aligning it both axially and laterally, to assure drilling a straight bore. Furthermore, the connection method disclosed in '673 cannot be applied to cutting-tools having a single flute.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a single fluted gun-drill having a detachably secured cutting-head that significantly reduces or overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages, while facilitating quick and simple replacement of the cutting-head.


The Hybrid Applications Utilizing Distributed Models And Views Apparatuses, Methods And Systems (“HAP”) transform hybrid application user inputs using HAP components into web-view secured data populated application views. In some implementations, the disclosure provides a processor-implemented method of providing distributed model views utilizing a hybrid application environment.

Mobile devices provide near real-time access to sensitive data. Consumers may, for example, access their financial accounts remotely. Applications running on a mobile device are generally either compiled or interpreted and may be run natively or non-natively on the mobile device.
The leading number of each reference number within the drawings indicates the figure in which that reference number is introduced and/or detailed. As such, a detailed discussion of reference number 101 would be found and/or introduced in FIG. 1. Reference number 201 is introduced in FIG. 2, etc.

Hybrid applications utilizing distributed models and views apparatuses, methods and systems


A dual mode regulator provides power to a tower mounted low noise amplifier (LNA) and operates in either one of two modes. The dual mode regulator comprises a microcontroller that controls the amplifier and two regulators to operate in an Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG) mode when the microcontroller is detecting AISG protocol information or in a current window alarm (CWA) mode when the microcontroller is not receiving AISG protocol information. In the CWA mode the total current to the two regulators and associated circuitry is maintained at a constant amplitude. Further in the CWA mode, the microcontroller is able to generate an alarm signal and deactivate the amplifier when it detects improper operation by the amplifier. In the AISG mode, a single regulator is used and the other regulator is de-activated by the microcontroller.

Technical Field
Example embodiments generally relate to a regulator and a method for operating same and particularly, but not exclusively to a dual mode regulator for an amplifier.
Description of the Related Art
Amplifiers that are part of equipment used at base stations to amplify signals received by and/or transmitted to power equipment to remotely control the orientation of one or more antennas positioned at a tower of a base station. Many of these amplifiers are mounted at the top of a tower of a base station and are thus referred to as Tower Mounted Amplifiers (TMA). TMAs operate in accordance with a certain standard called the Current Window Alarm (CWA) mode. The CWA mode of operation, which is a legacy mode of operation, is still used in many base station towers. In the CWA mode, the regulators for the amplifiers used at the base station are required to operate for a range of input voltages provided by the base station equipment while providing a constant DC current (having a defined amplitude) to the amplifiers. Further, the regulators are to monitor the current used by the amplifiers and enter an alarm mode if such current becomes appreciably greater than the defined constant amplitude level. Moreover, while in the alarm mode, the regulators are required to sink an alarm current by changing the duty cycle of the PWM pulses applied to a current load to achieve a desired DC current amplitude. That is, the regulators are able to intentionally sink large currents being provided by the base station to generate this alarm signal. Linear regulators are used in these CWA systems because linear regulators are able to provide a constant current for a range of input voltages. However, these linear regulators achieve this feature by simply dissipating the additional current they need to meet the constant current requirement or the large current they need to generate the alarm signal through resistive loads. As such these CWA legacy systems are very inefficient as they waste relatively large amounts of energy to meet their operational requirements.
The switching regulator is widely used for its high energy efficient operation. These regulators operate in accordance with the Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG), which allows exchange of messages (formatted as per a certain recognized protocol) between the base station equipment and the TMAs that remotely control the electrical tilt of antennas mounted at the top of base station towers. AISG messages are exchanged in a virtually continuous fashion between tower mounted equipment and other base station equipment. In addition to the switching regulators being energy efficient (relative to the linear regulators), there is no requirement for generating an energy wasting alarm signal such as the alarm signal required by base stations still operating in accordance with the CWA mode. In the AISG base stations, a message informing of an alarm condition is simply used to inform the base station of the occurrence of an alarm.
Unfortunately, many communication systems still use antenna systems that still adhere to the CWA approach. However the need and desire for AISG type approach is clear.

Switching regulator power supply with constant current option