An indoor UHF antenna device for a digital television includes a flat structural design. The flat indoor UHF antenna device includes a circuit board having a wireless signal processing circuit and an antenna. A metal wire bent as a long rectangular antenna and having a gap forms the antenna. Two signal feeder points are defined at two locations having a same distance from two long sides of the long rectangular antenna respectively, and thereby the antenna includes a first antenna part having a gap and a second antenna part for impedance matching. The antenna is set horizontally on the circuit board with the signal feeder points welded on the circuit board. Thereby the antenna device of the present invention is enhanced to receive wireless signals of polarized waves transmitted by different transmitters.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to an indoor UHF antenna device for a digital television, and more particularly to a flat antenna device, which can be set conveniently without occupying too much space and is easy to be adjusted to different angles to receive wireless digital television signals of polarized waves from different directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 8, a conventional digital antenna 50 for receiving digital television signals is shown. The digital antenna 50 includes a base 51 and a rod body 53 supported by the base 51. The rod body 53 is a telescopic antenna. When using the digital antenna 50, the base 51 is connected with an earth terminal of a television cable (not shown in the diagram), and the rod body 53 is connected to a signal input terminal of the television cable.
According to FIG. 8, it is clear that the digital antenna receives wireless signals in a direction perpendicular to the level. However, a conventional digital television transmitter generally includes horizontal polarized waves and vertical polarized waves. If it is desired to receive all kinds of optimal wireless signals from different transmitters, the receiving angle of the antenna requires appropriate adjustment. Take the antenna structure of FIG. 8 for example; the antenna can receive clear signals of the vertical polarized waves. If it is desired to receive clear signals of the horizontal polarized waves, the whole antenna must be put horizontal. Nevertheless, this kind of antenna is quite bulky and lacks a design for easy adjustment of the reception angles. Thereby the conventional antenna is not suitable to be adjusted to appropriate angles for receiving the signals.
Referring to FIG. 9, a structure diagram of a UHF indoor antenna 60 is shown. The UHF indoor antenna 60 mainly includes a baseboard 61, a substantially triangular antenna 62 with two ends, and a coaxial cable 63. Both ends of the triangular antenna 62 inset into the baseboard 61, and also are connected with an earth terminal and signal terminal (not shown in the diagram) of the coaxial cable 63. Comparing the UHF antenna 60 with the above-mentioned rod antenna 50, the size of the UHF antenna 60 is smaller, which is more convenient to be placed indoors. However, the triangular antenna 62 has to be connected perpendicularly with the baseboard 61, so that the size of the UHF antenna 60 cannot be further reduced. Therefore, the conventional indoor antennas still require further improving.

Flat indoor UHF antenna device for a digital television


An exposing method which can effect the cleaning of an optical element so that throughput may not be substantially reduced when exposure using ultraviolet light is effected. The exposing method applies ultraviolet light emitted from a light source to an object to be exposed through a first isolated chamber including an optical surface, and a second isolated chamber including an optical surface to thereby expose the object to be exposed by the light. The method includes a first cleaning step of supplying a cleaning gas to the first isolated chamber to thereby clean the optical surface included in the first isolated chamber, and a second cleaning step of supplying a cleaning gas to the second isolated chamber to thereby clean the optical surface included in the second isolated chamber, wherein the start of the first cleaning step is later than the start of the second cleaning step.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a cleaning method, and particularly to a method of cleaning optical members such as a lens and a mirror used in an exposing apparatus for manufacturing a device such as a single crystal substrate for a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display. However, the use of the cleaning method of the present invention is not restricted to the exposing apparatus, but the cleaning method of the present invention can be widely applied to photolithography, projection inspection and optical apparatuses such as a motion picture projector and other projectors.
2. Related Background Art
When manufacturing a minute semiconductor element such as a semiconductor memory or a logic circuit by the use of photolithography technique, use has heretofore been made of a reduction projection exposing apparatus for projecting a circuit pattern depicted on a reticle (or a mask) onto a wafer or the like by a projection optical system to thereby transfer the circuit pattern.
The minimum dimension (resolution) which can be transferred by the reduction projection exposing apparatus is proportional to the wavelength of light used for exposure, and is inversely proportional to the numerical aperture (NA) of the projection optical system. Accordingly, the shorter the wavelength is made, the better the resolution. Therefore, with the requirement for the minuteness of semiconductor elements in recent years, the shorter wavelength of exposure light has been advanced, and an exposure light source has shifted from a super-high pressure mercury lamp (i-line (a wavelength of about 365 nm)) to a KrF excimer laser (a wavelength of about 248 nm) and an ArF excimer laser (a wavelength of about 193 nm), and further, it has been advanced to put an F2 laser (a wavelength of about 157 nm) into practical use.
Light of a wavelength of about 200 nm or shorter becomes very great in light absorption by substances (hereinafter referred to as the "light absorbing substances") such as oxygen molecules, water molecules and carbon dioxide molecules contained in an optical path atmosphere. Particularly, the ArF laser, the F2 laser, etc. are remarkable in the light absorption by the light absorbing substances, and the transmittance thereof is generally represented by the following mathematical expression 1.Transmittance=exp−(absorption coefficient)×density [ppm]×distance [cm] (atmospheric pressure/atm)  [Mathematical Expression 1]absorption coefficient oxygen: 190 water: 62 carbon dioxide: 9
Therefore, in an exposing apparatus using vacuum ultraviolet light, in order to prevent a reduction in an exposure amount to an object to be processed, an optical member disposed in an optical path is contained in a space purged (or made vacuum) by an inert gas. In an exposing apparatus using an F2 laser as a light source, in order to enable sufficient transmittance to be obtained, it becomes necessary to make the density of the light absorbing substances in an optical path equal to or less than about 1 ppm, and the purge time required for this is shown by the following mathematical expression 2, and a long time and a great deal of inert gas are required to make the light absorbing substances have desired density. So, in order to curtail the purge time and the inert gas required, it has been proposed to divide the space to be purged into isolated chambers, and effect the purge in each isolated chamber.Purge time=purge volume [1]/flow rate of inert gas [1/min]×360 min. to 480 min. or longer  [Mathematical Expression 2]
Also, n an exposing apparatus using a KrF excimer laser, photon energy becomes great and causes impurities and oxygen in an optical path to photochemically react to each other. If a product formed by the photochemical reaction adheres to an optical member, it clouds the optical element, thus resulting not only a further reduction in the exposure amount, but also the deterioration of imaging performance. The impurities include, for example, a halide such as a plasticizer contained in an electric wire coating substance in the optical path, and organic substances or the like contained in working oil, an adhesive agent, etc.
So, in the exposing apparatus, use is made of a non-metal member small in degassing property or a metal member of small surface roughness from which the working oil has been completely removed by ultrasonic cleaning or the like. However, it is not easy to completely remove the impurities, and since clouding occurs to the optical member even during the assembly of the apparatus or during exposure, the cleaning of the optical member after assembly is very important.
The use of plasma, a neutral detergent and organic and inorganic solvents has already been proposed as the cleaning method for the optical member, and in recent years, attention has been paid to light cleaning using ozone for higher cleaning ability. The light cleaning applies ultraviolet light to an optical member to thereby decompose a substance adhering to the optical member. The ultraviolet light produces active oxygen in oxygen gas and activates the substance adhering to the surface of the optical member. Ozone is produced from the active oxygen and oxygen molecules, and when the ozone receives ultraviolet light, they change into active oxygen in its excited state, and decompose and volatilize the substance adhering to the optical member. It is known that the light cleaning becomes low in effectiveness when oxygen molecules are absent.
That is, in the case of vacuum ultraviolet light, to effect exposure with a sufficient exposure amount, the elimination of oxygen molecules which are a light absorbing substance is necessary. On the other hand, in case of light cleaning, there occurs the contradiction that oxygen molecules are necessary. Particularly, in an exposing apparatus using an ArF laser or an F2 laser as a light source, when oxygen or ozone for light cleaning is supplied into an optical path, the laser beam is absorbed by such oxygen or ozone, and this may lead to a case where the laser beam does not reach an optical member at a succeeding stage and therefore light cleaning is not effected. Also, in order to eliminate the oxygen or ozone supplied during the light cleaning, it is necessary to effect the purge of inert gas, and this requires very much time, thus resulting in a remarkable reduction in throughput.

Exposing method, exposing apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing them


An apparatus for processing photosensitive materials, which comprises: a tank through which a processing solution is to be pumped; a rack having integral means to facilitate its insertion and removal from the tank, the rack and the tank are relatively dimensioned so that a small volume for holding processing solution and photosensitive material is formed between the rack and the tank; means for circulating the processing solution through the small volume; a first plurality of rollers for moving the photosensitive material into or out of the small volume; a second plurality of rollers connected to the rack; a third plurality of rollers connected to the tank, wherein the second and third plurality of rollers move the photosensitive material through the small volume; means for driving the second plurality of rollers; and means for preventing processing solution from flowing between the driving means and the second plurality of rollers to reduce the space that would otherwise be filled by the processing solution.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of photography, and particularly to a photosensitive material processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The processing of photographic film involves a series of steps such as developing, bleaching, fixing, washing, and drying. These steps lend themselves to mechanization by conveying a continuous web of film or cut sheets of film or photographic paper sequentially through a series of stations or tanks, each one containing a different processing liquid appropriate to the process step at that station.
There are various sizes of photographic film processing apparatus, i.e., large photofinishing apparatus and microlabs. A large photofinishing apparatus utilizes tanks that contain approximately 100 litres of each processing solution. A small photofinishing apparatus or microlab utilizes tanks that may contain less than 10 litres of processing solution.
The chemicals contained in the photographic solution: cost money to purchase; change in activity and leach out or season during the photographic process; and after the chemicals are used the chemicals must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. Thus, it is important in all sizes of photofinishing apparatus to reduce the volume of processing solution. The prior art suggests various types of replenishing systems that add or subtract specific chemicals to the photographic solution to maintain a consistency of photographic characteristics in the material developed. It is possible to maintain reasonable consistency of photographic characteristics only for a certain period of replenishment. After a photographic solution has been used a given number of times, the solution is discarded and a new photographic solution is added to the tank.
Activity degradation due to instability of the chemistry, or chemical contamination, after the components of the photographic solution are mixed together causes one to discard the photographic solution in smaller volume tanks more frequently than larger volume tanks. Some of the steps in the photographic process utilize photographic solutions that contain chemicals that are unstable, i.e., they have a short process life. Thus, photographic solutions in tanks that contain unstable chemicals are discarded more frequently than photographic solutions in tanks that contain stable chemicals.
The prior art realized that if the volume of the various tanks contained within various sizes of photographic processing apparatus were reduced the same amount of film or photographic paper may be processed, while reducing the volume of photographic solution that was used and subsequently discarded. One of the problems encountered by the prior art in using smaller volume tanks was that the space was limited so that there was not sufficient space available to allow the drives utilized in the prior art to move the film and/or paper.
One of the techniques utilized by the small volume processing tank prior art to reduce the volume of processing solution was to place the drive mechanisms including idlers, tensioners, and other drive components on the outside of the tank. A disadvantage of the above technique was that the drive mechanism had to pass through the walls of the tank, breaking the fluid retaining integrity of the tank. Thus, the drive mechanism required seals to prevent processing solution from leaking out of the tanks. The seals increased the cost of the drive mechanism, required additional maintenance and reduced the reliability of the drive mechanisms.
Another technique utilized by the small volume processing tank prior art was to place the drive mechanisms on the inside of the processing tank. The major disadvantage of the above technique was that the volume of processing solution was increased in order to fill the voids created by placing the drive mechanism on the inside of the tank.

Driving mechanism for a photographic processing apparatus


DC power for low power loads is provided for vehicles such as snowmobiles where the electrical system includes primarily AC power. DC voltage is provided for gauges and similar loads even though the peak value of the AC is below a desired level. Rectification and regulation of some energy from the alternator is used for supplying the DC power at a desired DC voltage that is above an alternator zero to peak value. A capacitor and a diode are connected in parallel from the alternator with rectifying circuit portions for supplying power to the DC load. A DC voltage monitor senses the DC voltage supplied to the DC load and prevents the DC voltage from rising above the desired voltage by controlling the first rectification, the second rectification, or both.

Snowmobiles and other small recreational vehicles such as four wheelers typically have an electrical system including an alternator, usually the permanent magnet type, attached to the engine, and thus operating it at varying speeds and frequency with engine rpm variations. This alternator is typically attached to a voltage regulator to control the AC voltage such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,955 the disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement of various headlamps and tail lamps shown as HL1 HL2 & TL which are connected generally without switches so that they're on at all times the vehicle engine is running. Various other loads represented by rL are controlled by switches such as S1.
As is typical in the industry today, the size of the alternator A is sufficient to produce rated voltage on the connected loads when the vehicle is moving, thus engine speed is above the point that would typically be clutch engagement. However, it is common in the industry at engine idle speed for the voltage produced by the alternator to be less than 50% of the rated voltage. Thus, the lamps are quite dim under idle conditions with the vehicle stationary. For both safety and marketing reasons, it is desirable to incorporate gauges, for some of these vehicles, to show vehicle speed and other parameters such as transmission status, fuel level, and four wheel drive engagement. These are a few examples of many possible functions of a multi function gauge. Typically gauges of this type are used on vehicles with a 12 volt DC electrical system to supply constant power to the gauge. Frequently these gauges contain microprocessor electronics that must be supplied power continually to function properly. While it is technically possible to redesign these gauges to work from a voltage lower than 12 volts DC, it is not economically normally feasible because of the very high quantities already in production for other applications such as automotive at nominal 12 volt DC. Thus, there is a need for modifying an electrical system, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 1 by way of example, for producing a 12 volt nominal DC output of sufficient current to operate a multifunction gauge.

Power system for producing low power DC voltage at a level above a peak value of an AC input to the system


The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for controlling the parking of a vehicle, a system having the same, and a method thereof. the apparatus for controlling parking of a vehicle includes a processor determining whether to generate a virtual object, depending on a length of a parking space and a current location of a vehicle, determining a parking target space in the parking space based on the virtual object upon generating the virtual object, generating a parking trajectory such that the vehicle is parked to the parking target space, to perform parking control based on the parking trajectory, when the parking space between a first object and a second object is scanned, and storage storing information generated by the processor.

With the development of automobile technology, since a system that assists the parking of a vehicle has been developed, the system solves the difficulty of parking due to the narrow parking space or the inexperienced driving of a driver.
Such the parking assist system recognizes a parking space based on information about the distance from the surrounding object by using an ultrasonic sensors, a radar, and a LiDAR and automatically controls the steering, vehicle speed, and shift without the driver's steering wheel manipulation such that the vehicle is securely parked in a recognized parking space.
On the other hand, a conventional parking assist system supports parking in a space before an object with respect to the object (the parked vehicle); even though the next parking spaces of the parked vehicle are empty, the conventional parking assist system may fail to perform the parking assistance in the next parking space of the parked vehicle being empty, but may perform the parking assistance in the previous parking space of the parked vehicle. Therefore, the spatial efficiency of parking assistance is low.

Apparatus for controlling parking of vehicle, system having the same, and method thereof


A fuel pump module has a fuel pump with an outlet located within a fuel reservoir, a fuel filter casing within which a fuel filter receives fuel from the fuel pump fuel outlet. A fuel discharge housing attaches to the fuel filter casing such that fuel passing from the filter and into the discharge casing then discharges from either a casing fuel outlet or a bleed orifice. The casing fuel outlet leads to the engine while the bleed orifice discharges fuel into a sump formed into the reservoir's bottom wall under the bleed orifice. The sump retains a quantity of fuel so that during low fuel levels within the reservoir, when the engine is off, the fuel filter maintains its prime condition from fuel in the sump to lessen the filter prime time during engine starting. Selective placement of fuel valves also decreases fuel system prime times.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Conventional vehicular fuel systems, such as those installed in automobiles, may employ a "return fuel system" whereby a fuel supply tube is utilized to supply fuel to an engine and a fuel return line is utilized to return, hence "return fuel system," unused fuel to a fuel tank. More modern fuel systems typically employ a "returnless fuel system" that may either be mechanically or electronically controlled. Regarding such returnless fuel systems, such as an electronic returnless fuel system ("ERFS"), only a fuel supply line from a fuel tank to an engine is utilized; therefore, no return fuel line from the engine to the fuel tank is necessary. As a result, in an ERFS only the exact volume of fuel required by an engine is delivered to the engine, regardless of the varying degree of the volume of fuel required.
While current electronic returnless fuel systems have generally proven to be satisfactory for their applications, each is associated with its share of limitations. One limitation of current ERFS is maintaining fuel pressure in as much of the fuel line as possible in order to accomplish engine starting and restarting as quickly as possible with no interruptions of fuel supply to the engine. Another limitation of current ERFS is maintaining the prime condition of the fuel line to prevent "depriming" of the fuel line. An adequate prime condition will permit an adequate fuel supply to reach the engine during engine starting. Another limitation of ERFS is keeping the fuel filter surrounding the fuel pump sufficiently saturated with fuel when the fuel pump module reservoir is experiencing a low fuel level or volume.
In still yet another limitation pertaining to pressure valves, valve placement may not be advantageous for ease of assembly or for best utilizing space within the fuel pump module reservoir. Additionally, placement of such pressure relief and/or check valves may not be optimally advantageous for maintaining adequate fuel volumes and pressures in the fuel line. Finally, modern ERFS do not provide a structure for capturing fuel from a bleed orifice to help maintain the prime condition of the fuel pump module filter, such as the filter surrounding the fuel pump.
What is needed then is a device that does not suffer from the above limitations. This, in turn, will provide a device that provides pressure relief valves in locations that permit ease of assembly and that permits fuel to be vented into the fuel tank or fuel pump module reservoir as design dictates. Furthermore, a device will be provided that permits fuel to be pumped into a module sump to provide cooling to the fuel pump and to be used as fuel to maintain a primed condition of the fuel filter.

Fuel pump module for electronic returnless fuel system


A system for compressing and decompressing sequential records to store only those parts of a record which differ from the previous record. The system for compressing includes a bit map which indicates which parts of a record if any are the same as the preceding record. The system enables compression and decompression of records without the need to access additional blocks and perform additional disk I/Os to obtain the expanded version of a given compressed record.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing database records, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing the key and non-key columns of records of Key-Sequenced Files.
As databases have increased in size, the cost of the storage required to hold a database has become one of the major influences governing system cost. Hence, any technique which decreases storage requirements, without diluting data content, can significantly reduce system cost. Such cost savings can be used to add capacity to another system component, (e.g., increase the number of CPUs in a system), or can simply be used to reduce the costs of purchasing and maintaining data storage.
One way of reducing storage requirements is to compress stored data. For example, compression of 50% of a 1 terabyte database, would save 500 GB of disk storage. Thus, a compression of 4 gigabyte disks, would reduce storage purchases by 125 disks. Compression of a database immediately reduces costs because there are fewer disks to fail or manage, and results in simpler and less expensive system maintenance. Other benefits of compression include use of less CPU processing time in the Input/Output (I/O) subsystem, less data transferred between disk and host, and fewer disk operations.
Structured Query Language (SQL) based Database Management Systems, such as Tandem's NonStop SQL, typically support on-line transaction processing (OLTP) systems; however, SQL based systems, are increasingly used to implement and support Decision Support Systems (DSS) databases. OLTP databases generally support the day-to-day operations of a business. In contrast, DSS databases maintain historical information to analyze trends and patterns in a business. Due to the enormous quantity of information stored in a DSS database, DSS databases generally become significantly large. For example, a supermarket DSS database generally includes unique records for the sale of each individual item from every customer over a period of 18 months.
The number of records in large databases, particularly DSS databases, can often be counted in billions rather than millions and require multi-tera bytes of storage. A typical DSS transaction may involve reading and processing tens of millions of records. A dimensional modeling approach is used when designing such a database and this approach often leads to a database design with a few extremely large tables, referred to as "fact tables," and several smaller tables referred to as "dimensional tables." Such a design often involves de-normalizing, as opposed to normalizing, the data. As a result, DSS databases often contain a large amount of redundant data with consecutive records varying only slightly from each other.
The excessive CPU time requirements to compress and decompress data is a major limitation of prior compression methods. Prior compression methods use sequential access, such that decompression of the n-th record in a table would require decompression of all previous records. A major limitation of these methods is that compression and decompression of a database's n-th record is costly and time-consuming, therefore, prior compression methods are not applied to structured production databases. In particularly, such compression methods are unacceptable for the random access requirements of a large production database, such as a DSS database. Since the contents of a DSS database generally are altered by bulk deletions and insertions, it is costly to use the prior methods to compress and decompress such large database. It is costly, for example, when a DSS database system adds a day or week's worth of transactions while deleting the oldest day/week transactions from the system.
One approach to reduce the high cost and time requirements of compressing large databases is the conventional prior art compression technique of "prefix key compression" as used in Tandem's NonStop SQL/MP. Database Services Product Description of NonStop SQL/MP, (http://tandem.com/INFOCTR/PROD.sub.-- DES/NSSQLPD/NSSQLPD.HTM) (1995). Prefix key compression reduces the amount of disk space required to store keys of each record of a table by eliminating the leading characters duplicated from one key to the next. Each key contains a count of the leading bytes which it shares with the previous key.
However, current prefix key compression has limited benefits. For instance, the prefix key compression technique: (1) compresses only the key portion of a record, thus databases with a high redundancy of data in the non-key columns of a record do not benefit from prefix key compression; (2) eliminates only leading characters, hence common trailing or other groups of characters are not eliminated from the key; and, (3) requires the key to meet a number of restrictions. The key must: (a) begin with the first column in the table; (b) be contiguous; (c) be in ascending order; and, (d) belong to a restricted set of data types which exclude unsigned integers and large integers.
Although prior compression techniques have tried many different methods of compressing data, the failings and restrictions identified above, reveal that a solution to effectively compress the data of large databases, such as DSS databases, remains unmet. As a consequence, there is a need for an improved compression technique that is capable of compressing the key and non-key fields of a database and accessing the n-th record of a database without requiring decompression of all previous records.

Method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing sequential records in a computer system


A device is disclosed for draining flexible fluid containers, in particular blood bags which form part of an extracorporeal system in a single needle-type arrangement, having a movable plate (4b) and a fixed plate (4a) in which both plates are configured to confront a flexible fluid container. A force member (14), and a force transfer means (8, 18), are arranged in such a way that the force acting upon the movable plate (4b) increases as the container is drained.

The present invention is based on a device for draining flexible fluid containers, in particular blood bags in a single needle arrangement type extracorporeal system as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,743, and is particularly suited to draining blood bags which form a part of a single needle arrangement-type extracorporeal system.
The single needle technology has long been a standard component in the procedure used in the preservative treatment of blood. Central to this procedure is the withdrawal and reinfusion of the unpurified or purified blood through a single needle, i.e. at a single point of penetration. This procedure is gentle on the containers and is less painful to the patient.
An important requisite for efficient dialysis treatment using the single needle method is the rapid withdrawal and reinfusion of blood so as not to increase inordinately the overall length of treatment.
In dialysis treatment using the single needle method, an important time determining factor is seen in the reinfusion of the purified blood. Normally, the purified blood is collected in a flexible container, then drawn from that container, once the arterial portion of the circulatory system is shut off, and injected through the needle back into the patient's blood circulation. The fluid must flow from the container as rapidly and as evenly as possible.
As a further requisite for efficient dialysis treatment, the pressure throughout the dialysis system must be as consistent as possible. This enables the quantity of treated blood, for example, to be precisely determined, allowing the proper amounts of medication to be added and pump capacities to be adjusted accordingly.
Known devices utilized for this purpose may be ascertained, e.g., from the embodiments described below.
In the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,473 a device is claimed which is capable of controlling the pressure applied to a flexible fluid container. This involves, specifically, a plate to which pressure is applied by means of scissor jacks, and which then transfers this pressure throughout the entire withdrawal phase to the surface of the flexible fluid container. However, this type of pressure control fails to account for pressure variations within the flexible fluid container during fluid withdrawal; nowhere does the referenced patent make reference to the fact that the pressure is adjusted to variations in pressure and volume.
German patent publication DE 39 11 587 A1 discloses a device in which a bag is disposed between two pressure plates, one of which is movable and capable of being actuated. This device is disadvantageous in that it requires a complex pressure monitoring device to be mounted to the pressure plates, necessitating close and lengthy supervision.
The two aforementioned references show that it was heretofore impossible to prevent via simple means undesirable pressure variations that consistently occur as blood is withdrawn from a flexible container.
Thus, reinfusion of purified blood using the single needle technique often produces unequal pressures within the dialysis system which lead to treatment durations that are difficult to monitor. Moreover, the length of treatment increases inordinately because, as the remainder of blood drains from the flexible container, the amount of blood transported per unit time decreases continually due to a decrease in pressure.
The problems surrounding pressure drops are clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. The device as claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,743, for example, exhibits properties characteristic of a semi-weighted pressure plate. With this device the drop in pressure, relative to the initial flow pressure, reaches ca. 50% by the time the remainder of the blood is being drained from the flexible container, due to the fact that the unchanging force is dispersed over an increasingly larger surface area of the bag which abuts the pressure plates, and with that a drop in pressure (force/surface) results. Under these conditions significant pressure fluctuations within the dialysis system and prolongation of the period required for reinfusion of blood into the patient (decreasing flow rate is a function of decreasing pressure) are unavoidable.

Device for draining a flexible fluid container


A device for monitoring and/or indicating an oil level in an oil sump of a screw-type compressor, the oil level fluctuating in different operating states of the screw-type compressor. A device for monitoring and indicating the oil level in a screw-type compressor, the reliability thereof being improved over the prior art and erroneous measurements being excluded. The device is an optical unit which has no mechanically moving parts that can become damaged during the often rough use of the device.

Such a device is known from DE 41 18 896 A1. The device which is described in this document is embodied as a filling level meter which generates a signal which determines the level of the oil in the reservoir container, and passes on said signal, for example, to a computer.
It is generally known that such a known filling level meter has a float which is positioned in the oil sump in accordance with the level of the oil. In this context, the float interacts, via an activation rod, with a resistance coil for setting different resistance values. These resistance values are then suitably evaluated. A problem with such mechanically acting filling level meters is their reliability, which can be adversely affected by the often delicate design of such a filling level meter. It has been repeatedly found that such filling level meters stick, the activation rod is bent or even broken and/or has penetrated the float owing to a leakage of oil and accordingly is no longer moved to the oil level, at least not in a defined position. A float leak, deformation or structural change is promoted to a great degree in applications with a very large number of pressure pulsations and high operating temperatures and wetting with oils.

Oil level indicator for a screw-type compressor

KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FUR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH


Colored fine particulate resins can each be produced by bringing a colored resin, which comprises a thermally fusible resin and a colorant evenly distributed in the thermally fusible resin, into a molten state; forming the colored resin, which is in the molten state, into droplet-shaped fine particles in a non-dissolving medium which does not dissolve the colored resin; and then cooling and solidifying the droplet-shaped fine particles. The colored fine particulate resins are useful in image recording materials, printing materials and paints. Articles can be colored with the image recording materials, printing materials or paints.

a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing colored fine particulate resins, colored fine particulate resins, and a process for coloring articles by using the colored fine particulate resins. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with the provision of a process for economically producing colored fine particulate resins, especially colored fine particulate resins useful as colorants for image recording materials such as developers for electrophotography and ink-jet printing inks, printing inks, powder coatings and slurry paints by production steps rationalized for mass production.
b) Description of the Related Art
A dry developer for electrophotography, which may hereinafter be called simply "a developer", has conventionally be produced by so-called crush granulation, that is, by coarsely grinding a colored resin with a crusher or the like, finely grinding the coarsely-ground, colored resin with a mill such as a jet mill, and then removing coarse particles and dust with an air classifier. The colored resin can be obtained by metering, mixing and kneading a resin for the developer, a colorant and optional internal additives such as a charge control agent such that the colorant and optional internal additives are dissolved or dispersed in the resin.
It is proposed in JP 11-49864 A that in the above-described production process, production steps such as grinding of the resin, metering of the materials for each batch, and mixing in a tumbler or Henschel mixer can be improved by feeding the resin into an extruder, feeding the colorant and internal additives through automatic metering devices, and kneading the colorant and internal additives with the molten resin in the extruder.
The above-described crush granulation is, however, accompanied by a drawback in that production machines employed in the process, for example, a mill such as a jet mill and an air classifier are very expensive. On the other hand, developers have been finding increasing utility in various environments owing to popularization of office automation equipment. Keeping in step with this move, new requirements have arisen for developers, including use of a resin having a higher glass transition point as an anti-blocking measure and the like for improved storability; and changes of production conditions to meet the move toward developers of finer particle size, and more precise control of production conditions from the standpoint of a desire for image quality of higher definition.
This, however, has made it more difficult to produce a target product efficiently at low cost, because the need for feeding of the required components at controlled rates into a grinder and the need for providing the product with a smaller particle size and narrower particle size distribution have led to a reduction in productivity. Moreover, if these production conditions cannot be met by the existing equipment, an economical problem also arises in that a change to or introduction of new production machine or machines is needed. In addition, a developer produced by crush granulation is in the form of crushed particles of irregular shapes, and the distribution of surface charges is uneven. Compared with a spherical developer produced by suspension polymerization or the like, the production of a developer by crush granulation results in occurrence of residual dust in a greater amount, said residual dust being insufficient in performance as a developer, and is not economical.

Production process of colored fine particulate resins, colored fine particulate resins, and coloring process of articles

Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co., Ltd.


A liquor inventorying method for determining the amount of liquor dispensed during a shift in a restaurant or bar and therefore discouraging theft or overpouring of the liquor is disclosed. The method is implemented with the aid of a weigh scale and a computer program and includes the steps of separating all of the liquor bottles in the bar or restaurant into a plurality of categories based on similar characteristics between the liquor bottles such as liquor costs; determining an approximate average cost of liquor per unit weight in each category; weighing all of the bottles in a category in groups after a shift to determine how much liquor was dispensed from the category; determining the approximate cost of liquor dispensed from all of the liquor bottles within the category, and comparing the approximate total cost of liquor dispensed from the category to the amount of revenue received.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for inventorying liquor. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of quickly and accurately determining the amount of liquor dispensed from a plurality of liquor bottles in a bar or restaurant during a shift or other time period by first separating the liquor bottles into categories based on cost or other criteria, weighing the liquor bottles in groups to determine the amount of liquor dispensed from each category of liquor, and then comparing the amount of liquor dispensed to the amount of revenue received for the liquor to determine the amount of liquor that was stolen, overpoured, or otherwise improperly dispensed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many bars, restaurants, and other liquor-serving establishments lose great sums of money due to liquor theft and/or accidental or intentional overpouring by bartenders and other employees. To discourage theft and overpouring, the owners or managers of many establishments attempt to monitor their employees while they dispense liquor. Unfortunately, liquor theft and overpouring are difficult to detect on an on-going basis because of the speed at which bartenders pour liquor, especially when busy.
Another way to discourage liquor theft and overpouring is to inventory liquor both before and after each shift to determine the amount of liquor dispensed (or stolen) during a shift and to then compare the amount of dispensed (or stolen) liquor to the amount of revenue received for sales of the liquor. Unfortunately, inventorying liquor is also difficult and time-consuming. For example, one prior art method of inventorying liquor involves individually weighing each liquor bottle in the establishment before and after a shift, then multiplying the weight of the liquor dispensed from each bottle by the cost of the liquor per unit weight of the bottle to obtain the total cost of liquor dispensed or stolen from each bottle. After all the bottles are weighed, the total cost of liquor dispensed from all the bottles is added and compared to the total revenue received for liquor sales to determine how much of the liquor was improperly dispensed or stolen.
Unfortunately, because most bars and restaurants have many different types of liquor all having different costs, these types of prior art liquor weighing systems require that each liquor bottle be individually weighed at the end of every shift and then placed back in its proper location behind the bar, an extremely time-consuming and inconvenient procedure, especially for large establishments. Thus, many bar owners or managers that use these prior art methods are reluctant to consistently inventory liquor after each shift, and instead frequently skip several shifts between inventory sessions. However, if inventories are not taken regularly, the owner or manager cannot accurately pinpoint which bartender or other employee stole or overpoured liquor when the liquor is finally inventoried after several shifts.


A multilayer optical film body includes a first and second packet of microlayers. Each packet partially transmits and partially reflects light over an extended wavelength range, such as the visible region, for normally incident light polarized along a first principal axis of the film body. In combination, the first and second packets have an intermediate reflection and transmission (e.g. 5-95% internal transmission, on average) for the normally incident light, and similar intermediate reflection/transmission (e.g. 10-90% internal transmission, on average) for oblique light. The packets are laminated or otherwise connected so that light can pass through the packets sequentially. In at least a first test area of the film body, a high frequency spectral variability of the combination of packets is less than a high frequency spectral variability of the first packet by itself, and may also be less than a high frequency spectral variability of the second packet by itself.

Multilayer optical films are known. Such films typically incorporate a large number of very thin layers of different light transmissive materials, the layers being referred to as microlayers because they are thin enough so that the reflection and transmission characteristics of the optical film are determined in large part by constructive and destructive interference of light reflected from the layer interfaces. Depending on the amount of birefringence (if any) exhibited by the individual microlayers, and the relative refractive index differences for adjacent microlayers, and also on other design characteristics, the multilayer optical films can be made to have reflection and transmission properties that may be characterized as a reflective polarizer in some cases, and as a mirror in other cases, for example.
Reflective polarizers composed of a plurality of microlayers whose in-plane refractive indices are selected to provide a substantial refractive index mismatch between adjacent microlayers along an in-plane block axis and a substantial refractive index match between adjacent microlayers along an in-plane pass axis, with a sufficient number of layers to ensure high reflectivity for normally incident light polarized along one principal direction, referred to as the block axis, while maintaining low reflectivity and high transmission for normally incident light polarized along an orthogonal principal direction, referred to as the pass axis, have been known for some time. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,610,729 (Rogers), 4,446,305 (Rogers et al.), and 5,486,949 (Schrenk et al.).
More recently, researchers from 3M Company have pointed out the significance of layer-to-layer refractive index characteristics of such films along the direction perpendicular to the film, i.e. the z-axis, and shown how these characteristics play an important role in the reflectivity and transmission of the films at oblique angles of incidence. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,774 (Jonza et al.). Jonza et al. teach, among other things, how a z-axis mismatch in refractive index between adjacent microlayers, more briefly termed the z-index mismatch or Δnz, can be tailored to allow the construction of multilayer stacks for which the Brewster angle—the angle at which reflectance of p-polarized light at an interface goes to zero—is very large or is nonexistent. This in turn allows for the construction of multilayer mirrors and polarizers whose interfacial reflectivity for p-polarized light decreases slowly with increasing angle of incidence, or is independent of angle of incidence, or increases with angle of incidence away from the normal direction. As a result, multilayer films having high reflectivity for both s- and p-polarized light for any incident direction in the case of mirrors, and for the selected direction in the case of polarizers, over a wide bandwidth, can be achieved.
Some multilayer optical films are designed for narrow band operation, i.e., over a narrow range of wavelengths, while others are designed for use over a broad wavelength range such as substantially the entire visible or photopic spectrum, or the visible or photopic wavelength range together with near infrared wavelengths, for example. Over the years, designers and manufacturers of the latter type of films, i.e., broadband multilayer optical films, have had to deal with the issue of color. The color issue often arises when the film is intended for use in a visual display system, e.g., where the film is a broadband reflective polarizer or a broadband mirror, and the display system is a liquid crystal display, luminaire, or backlight. In such systems, it is typically undesirable for the film to impart a significant colored (non-white) appearance to the display, whether at normal incidence or for obliquely incident light. The colored appearance occurs when the film has transmission or reflection characteristics that are not uniform over the visible portion of the spectrum. In the case of coextruded polymeric multilayer optical films, such non-uniformities are typically the result of imperfect control of the layer thickness profile of the film relative to a target profile. To avoid the color issue, polymeric multilayer optical films are often designed to provide along their principal axes either extremely low reflectivity and high transmission (e.g. for a pass axis of a reflective polarizer) or extremely high reflectivity and low transmission (e.g. for a block axis of a reflective polarizer, or for any in-plane axis of a reflective mirror film). Forcing the reflectivity to extremely low or extremely high values (and the transmission to extremely high or extremely low values, respectively) results in low-color broadband films, because the magnitude of spectral non-uniformities in reflection or transmission is smaller for a given variability in layer thickness profile when the nominal reflectivity is near 0 (0%) or 1 (100%), and the nominal transmission is near 1 or 0, respectively.
Recently, broadband polymeric multilayer optical films have been proposed that have intermediate amounts of reflectivity and transmission for light polarized parallel to at least one principal optic axis so that some significant amount of incident light is reflected, and another significant amount of the incident light (typically, the remainder of the incident light that is not reflected) is transmitted. Such films are referred to herein as partially reflecting multilayer optical films, or partially transmitting multilayer optical films. One approach to addressing color issues in such films is to provide them with only a single packet of microlayers with a carefully tailored layer thickness profile, and to manufacture them without the use of any layer multiplier devices, to provide maximum control of the layer thickness profile and a corresponding minimum spectral variability in transmission or reflection over the visible wavelength range. Reference is made, for example, to PCT publication WO 2009/0123928 (Derks et al.), "Low Layer Count Reflective Polarizer With Optimized Gain".

Partially reflecting multilayer optical films with reduced color


A method and apparatus for pre-biasing a sensing amplifier. A sense amp bias transistor connects a first latching transistor and a second latching transistor to ground while the sense amplifier is being precharged. The connection of the first latching transistor and the second latching transistor to ground through the sense amp bias transistor discharges any additional charge which may have built up on the inputs of the first latching transistor and the second latching transistor as a result of a Vbump condition. The sense amp bias transistor is enabled concurrently with the precharging of the sense amplifier. The sense amp bias transistor can be enabled by a controller, or alternatively, enablement is effectuated by inverting the signal which precharges the sense amplifier.

A sensing amplifier is often used to read Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) in computing devices. The outputs of the electronic circuits used in SRAMs are relatively weak, and therefore, are slow data line drivers. To provide greater data line driving capability and shorten state transition times of data lines, a sensing amplifier, whose operation is commonly known in the industry, is used to pre-charge the data lines to a known voltage, typically a supply voltage VDD which is 3.0 volts in modern circuits. Once the data lines are released from a pre-charged state, the SRAM data lines transition to the state currently stored in the particular SRAM memory location. The sensing amplifier senses the difference between a data line and its compliment data line as they transition to opposite states. Detection of the difference, by the sensing amplifier, is used to shorten the time required for the data lines to reach their final state.
As computing devices are increasingly powered by batteries, designers of such computing devices seek out technologies which are more energy efficient. In the case of sensing amplifiers, and semiconductors in general, "low leakage" semiconductors are often used. These semiconductors have a greater ability to hold a charge, and therefore, take a greater amount of time to passively discharge or "leak" a charge on a data line or a node into a substrate of the semiconductor. While the low leakage characteristic of the semiconductor reduces its power consumption, it creates an undesirable condition in the sensing amplifier when a sharp increase in the supply voltage VDD occurs.
A sharp increase in supply voltage VDD is conducted to inputs of a latching portion of the sensing amplifier. As the supply voltage VDD returns to nominal VDD voltage in a "leaky" semiconductor, the charge on the inputs of the latching portion of the sensing amplifier quickly leaks into the substrate and normal operation occurs. In low leakage semiconductors, however, the charge remains on the inputs for a longer period of time. The remaining charge sometimes causes a transistor, which connects the inputs of the latching portion to supply voltage VDD, to "turn-off" thereby isolating the inputs from the supply voltage VDD resulting in an undetermined voltage on the inputs to the latching portion of the sensing amplifier. The undetermined voltage on the inputs causes the sensing amplifier to operate in an unreliable manner.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to devise a method and apparatus for pre-biasing inputs to a latching portion of a sensing amplifier to a reliably known voltage. It would be further advantageous if such a method and apparatus performed reliably on "low leakage" semiconductors in the presence of a potentially varying supply voltage.

Method and apparatus for pre-biasing inputs to a latching portion of a sensing amplifier


A network discovery method in a heterogeneous network environment. The network discovery method includes receiving neighbor information indicating neighbor PoAs from a MIIS entity at a mobile node that includes a plurality of communication interface sections capable of communicating with different networks; checking at least one neighbor PoA using the neighbor information at the mobile node; and activating a communication interface section corresponding to the checked neighbor PoA at the mobile node. Accordingly, the neighbor networks can be discovered under the heterogeneous network environment and unnecessary power consumption can be avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile node (MN) for discovering a network to which the MN is handed over in a heterogeneous network environment, and method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile node (MN) and a network discovery method for discovering a neighbor network using neighbor information relating to neighbor point of attachments (PoAs) and activating only a communication interface corresponding to the discovered network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prevalence of wireless Internet, the development of wireless communication technology, and the performance enhancement of portable computers lead to the increasing number of wireless Internet users. Under the wireless Internet environment, mobile nodes (MNs) are movable to other locations on occasion and thus change their point of attachment (PoA).
In case that a MN changes its location, communications in a current network environment need to be seamlessly maintained in a new network environment. In this regard, the idea of the handover is introduced. The handover is to hand communications over from an access node (AN) of the current network area to an AN of a next network area.
The MN may move into a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a cellular network, and so on. Generally, the WLAN environment conforms to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, the WMAN environment conforms to IEEE 802.16 standard, and the cellular network environment conforms to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard.
The MN needs to discover a neighbor PoA for the handover. To this end, the communication standard of the network environment informs the MN of information relating to a PoA corresponding to its network environment so that the MN can discover a proper access network.
However, the conventional method cannot be adopted universally to a heterogeneous network environment including the WLAN, the WMAN, and the cellular network.
The MN can be connected to networks by implementing various communication interfaces that support the IEEE 802.11 standard, the IEEE 802.16 standard, and the 3GPP standard. Accordingly, the MN discovers the entire neighbor networks using its communication interfaces prior to the handover. In detail, the MN broadcasts a network discovery message to its neighbors via the communications interfaces and then determines whether a response message is received. In other words, the handover requires that the MN maintain the entire communication interfaces in an active mode all the time, which causes high power consumption.
In the related art, the MN has to send a separate message to determine whether to change its IP network address in the handover ready process after the network discovery. As a result, the handover ready process takes a longer time and additional power consumption is needed.

Mobile node for discovering neighbor networks in heterogeneous network environment and network discovery method


Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a strapping device configured to carry out a strap-attachment check cycle. After attaching leading and trailing strap ends of a strap to one another to form a tensioned loop of strap around a load, the strapping device is configured to carry out the strap-attachment cycle to test the strength of the attachment between the leading and trailing strap ends and to provide feedback as to whether the strap attachment is satisfactory.

A strapping device forms a tensioned loop of steel or plastic strap (sometimes referred to as a "strap loop") around a load. Standalone strapping machines (which can be automatic or semiautomatic) and handheld strapping tools are two types of strapping devices. A typical automatic strapping machine is electrically powered and (generally) configured to: draw strap from a strap supply, feed the strap (leading strap end first) around the load, tension the strap, cut the strap from the strap supply to form a trailing strap end, and attach the leading and trailing strap ends to one another to form the strap loop around the load. A typical semiautomatic strapping machine is configured in a similar matter, except the operator draws strap from the strap supply and feeds it around the load. A typical strapping tool is electrically, pneumatically, or manually powered and (generally) configured to, after the operator has encircled the load with strap drawn (leading strap end first) from the strap supply: tension the strap, cut the strap from the strap supply to form a trailing strap end, and attach the leading and trailing strap ends to one another to form the strap loop around the load.
The manner of attaching the leading and trailing strap ends to one another depends on the type of strapping device and the type of strap. Certain known strapping devices configured for plastic strap (such as polyester or polypropylene strap) can include sealing assemblies with friction welders, heated blades, or ultrasonic welders configured to attach the leading and trailing strap ends to one another. Some strapping devices configured for steel strap include sealing assemblies with jaws that mechanically crimp a seal element around the leading and trailing strap ends to attach them to one another. Other strapping devices configured for steel strap include sealing assemblies with punches and dies configured to form a set of mechanically interlocking cuts in the leading and trailing strap ends to attach them to one another (referred to in the strapping industry as a "sealless" attachment). Still other strapping devices configured for steel strap include sealing assemblies with spot or inert-gas welders configured to weld the leading and trailing strap ends to one another.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Strapping device configured to carry out a strap-attachment check cycle


The application provides improved methods of genome editing. The genome editing systems described herein comprise a RNA-guided nuclease molecule and a Repair-Modulating Enzyme Molecule (RMEM).

CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) evolved in bacteria and archaea as an adaptive immune system to defend against viral attack. Upon exposure to a virus, short segments of viral DNA are integrated into the CRISPR locus. RNA is transcribed from a portion of the CRISPR locus that includes the viral sequence. That RNA, which contains sequence complimentary to the viral genome, mediates targeting of a Cas9 protein to the sequence in the viral genome. The Cas9 protein cleaves and thereby silences the viral target.
Recently, the CRISPR/Cas system has been adapted for genome editing in eukaryotic cells. The introduction of site-specific double strand breaks (DSBs) enables target nucleic acid alteration through endogenous DNA repair mechanisms, such as non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR). Despite widespread adoption for research use, there remains a need to improve the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome modification to enable its broader application.

Genome editing systems comprising repair-modulating enzyme molecules and methods of their use

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A wrap spring clutch assembly is disclosed which is designed for use with a rotary element which is subjected to repeated intermittent rotary motion. The clutch assembly includes a first circular hub fixedly attached to the element for rotation therewith, a wrap spring mounted on the first hub and adapted to grip or release the hub depending on the direction of movement of a free tang of the wrap spring. A second, split hub acting as a resilient shock absorber is mounted on the rotary element and underlies a portion of the wrap spring so as to deflect inwardly when the wrap spring grips the first hub thereby permitting a small amount of additional rotation of the rotary element to provide a controlled deceleration of the rotary element, thereby absorbing the shock force of virtual instantaneous deceleration of the rotary element which otherwise occurs and tends to break the wrap spring at the juncture of the spring coils and the tang which is attached to the rotary element.

This invention relates generally to the field of clutch assemblies for engaging and disengaging a source of driving power to a moveable element, and more particularly to that type of clutch assembly generally known as the wrap spring clutch. Clutch assemblies of one type or another have long been well known, since they constitute a very convenient and relatively simple mechanism for alternately connecting and disconnecting a movable element either from a source of driving power for moving the element, or from a fixed member for arresting already occurring movement of the element. Possibly the most common and well known form of clutch assembly is that in which a pair of friction members are caused to engage and disengage each other by an external force. One of the friction members is connected either to the source of driving power for moving the movable member, or to the fixed member for arresting movement of the movable member in the manner of a brake, depending on the function of the clutch, the other friction member being connected to the movable element. When the friction members are disengaged, the movable element is non-driven or non-arrested, as the case may be; when the friction members are engaged, the movable element is connected either to the source of power or the fixed member, as the case may be, for moving the movable element or for holding it stationary.
One common form of clutch assembly is the so called wrap spring clutch, which is utilized most frequently, if not exclusively, for controlling the rotary motion of an element mounted for rotation about a central axis, such as a shaft. In this environment, the clutch member which connects and disconnects a source of driving power from a driven element is simply a coil spring having a pair of outwardly projecting tabs or tangs, one on each end of the coil, for connecting the coil to either the source of power or the fixed member, as the case may be, and the driven element. The wrap spring clutch has considerable utility in that it can be used both for driving an element mounted for axial rotation or for stopping the rotary movement of an element already in motion.
There are several major advantages of the wrap spring clutch which render it highly suitable for the foregoing purpose. One is that it requires very little input motion from an external source to change the operating mode of the clutch from engaged to disengaged and vice versa. Another is that either change in operating mode occurs with very little motion of the clutch spring, thereby permitting the change to be virtually instantaneous. A still further advantage is that it exerts tremendous gripping force on the movable element when it is engaged therewith. The combined effect of these advantages is that the wrap spring clutch is very convenient and effective in situations where it is necessary or desirable to achieve extremely rapid acceleration or deceleration, as the case may be, of a movable element.
A problem that often develops in the use of wrap spring clutches, particularly in the situation where it is used to arrest the movement of a rotating element, is that the extremely rapid deceleration of the element generates a shock load in the wrap spring which places sufficient stress on the juncture of the fixed tang with the first coil of the wrap spring that the tang breaks off the coil due to fracture of the metal at the juncture. When this occurs, the spring, of course, is useless and must be replaced. This results in both unproductive down time of the equipment in which the wrap spring clutch is being utilized and the expense of the labor required to disassemble various parts to gain access to the wrap spring for replacement and to reassemble these parts. This was the major problem with the apparatus described in the above mentioned patent application.
Attempts to solve this problem by the use of heavier, stronger springs have not proved satisfactory since the resistance of the spring to movement in the unwinding direction to release the movable element for motion often exceeds the force that is available to move the tang on the movable end of the spring. This is particularly so in the case of the machine in which the wrap spring clutch of the present invention is utilized, since, as will be seen in detail below, the force for moving the spring in the unwinding direction is provided only by a spring loaded device which controls slack in a strip of paper tape.


A nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst and a fabricating method thereof are provided. The nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst has 65 to 95 atomic percent nickel; and 5 to 35 atomic percent of iron, wherein the nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst is spherical and has an average particle diameter of 180 to 300 nm. The nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst is present in a non-carrier form. The nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst can generate a hydrogenation reaction at a low temperature (about 130˜140° C.) and has a high conversion rate (compared to pure nickel catalyst).

There have been many studies on catalysts. For example, an article published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy in March 2009, entitled "method of preparing Ru-immobilized polymer-supported catalyst for hydrogen generation from NaBH4 solution" (Chen et al.). Or, an article published in the journal of hazardous materials in February 2006, titled "novel activated alumina-supported iron oxide-composite as a heterogeneous catalyst for photooxidative degradation of reactive black 5" (Hsueh et al.).
For technologies that convert carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide into alkanes, nickel metal is generally used as a catalyst. However, in the hydrogenation reaction using nickel metal as a catalyst, a conversion rate of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide is low, and it is often necessary to increase the conversion rate by increasing temperature. In addition, in the hydrogenation reaction of carbon monoxide, a selectivity of long-chain alkanes (such as ethane or propane) is not good, that is, methane is easily generated.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a hydrogenation catalyst and a fabricating method thereof to solve the problems existing in the conventional technology.

Nickel-iron alloy hydrogenation catalyst and fabricating method thereof


A display device includes a first substrate including pixel areas, a second substrate including a common electrode, the second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, in which the first substrate includes data lines disposed on a side of each pixel area, a first pixel electrode having a hexagonal shape disposed on the pixel areas, a shielding electrode overlapping the data line, the shielding electrode disposed on the same layer as the first pixel electrode, and a second pixel electrode disposed on the first pixel electrode, and a first distance between the shielding electrode and a first side of the first electrode disposed on a first pixel area of the pixel areas is greater than a second distance between a second side of the first electrode and the shielding electrode disposed on a second pixel area of the pixel areas.

Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device with improved display quality.
Discussion of the Background
In a liquid crystal display device, an anisotropic property of liquid crystals may limit a viewing angle of an image implemented and distort the image displayed by the liquid crystal display device. Patterns of a pixel electrode and a common electrode may prevent the image implemented from distortion.
When an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal, a fringe electric field may be generated in an edge area of a pattern electrode that may align liquid crystal molecules in a plurality of directions.
Various modified structures of the pixel electrode have been recently developed to solve the viewing angle problem. However, a modified structure of the pixel electrode for improving a viewing angle may limit a manufacturing process technique, and deteriorate transmissivity of the liquid crystal display device. The deterioration of the transmissivity may cause deterioration of display quality of the liquid crystal display device.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


Substantially optically clear molding compositions comprising polymerized cycloolefin monomers (e.g., norbornene-type polymers) which, subsequent to polymerization have been hydrogenated are provided. The polymers have a weight average molecular weight of from about 37-47.times.10.sup.3.

This invention relates to optical elements, such as optical recording media, e.g., optical discs, to methods for producing such discs and to molding compositions for producing them. Articles such as optical discs have generally been made from materials such as polycarbonates or polymethylmethacrylates. In recent times attempts have been made to produce such articles from ring-opened polymers. In order to obtain reasonable optical clarity, it was necessary to hydrogenate such polymers subsequent to polymerization. However, such polymers have not proved entirely suitable for use in optical applications. For example, molded products of such polymers do not exhibit an optimal spectrum of properties, such as good birefringence, melt-flow properties, and related properties which may render them not as suitable for use in optical applications as are already accepted polymers, e.g., the polycarbonate polymers discussed above.
Polymers obtained by the ring-opening polymerization of cycloolefins are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,247; 4,136,248; 4,136,249 and 4,178,424, all assigned to the B.F. Goodrich Company, describe such polymers and their preparation and each is incorporated herein by reference.
The ring-opening polymerization of cycloolefins produces -unsaturated polycycloolefins. Polycycloolefins obtained from polyclcloolefin monomers, i.e., monomers containing more than one ring structure, e.g., dicyclopentadiene, are of particular interest. Monomers such as dicyclopentadiene provide a 1,3-cyclopentene repeat structure in the polymer, which is obtained by a ring-opening polymerization and cannot be obtained by addition polymerization. These unsaturated polymers are known to be reactive (sulphur vulcanizable) and they are known to exhibit a profile of properties suitable for, e.g., automotive parts, such as decorative trim.
It is known that saturated hydrocarbon polymers, e.g., polypropylene and polyethylene, exhibit improved dielectric properties, hydrolytic stability, oxidative stability, and reduced water absorption when compared to polymers containing ester, amide, alcohol and other functional groups. The dielectric properties of such saturated polymers are desirable for electrical applications when used as insulators. The high oxidative stability of saturated hydrocarbon polymers renders them particularly desirable for applications in harsh environments, as does their hydrolytic stability. When unsaturated polymers are saturated, i.e., when It saturated polymers are prepared from unsaturated polymers, the saturated polymers exhibit a dramatic improvement in oxidative stability. However, often that improvement is attained at the expense of a significant reduction in the heat distortion temperature for the saturated derivatives of the unsaturated hydrocarbon polymers. This reduction in heat distortion temperature may often render the polymers thermally inadequate for end-use in electrical and electro-optical systems, despite an improvement in oxidative stability.
Generally, saturated derivatives of ring-opened polymerized cycloolefins exhibit lower glass transition temperatures, and thus lower heat distortion temperatures than their unsaturated precursors. Hydrogenated polymers of certain cycloolefins have been employed, either in blends, or in particular applications as homopolymers or copolymers. For example, Japanese Kokai Patent No. 60 [1985]-26024 discloses hydrogenated "cracked" homopolymers of tetracyclododecene and its copolymers with bicyclic norbornene. These polymers are disclosed as being useful for optical materials having good transparency, water-proofness (low water absorption), and heat resistance, which renders them suitable for compact discs, video discs, computer discs, etc.. However, if the teachings of this document are employed to produce polymers disclosed therein, a product exhibiting an inferior spectrum of properties results. For example, high glass transition temperatures needed for certain applications cannot be obtained with these copolymers without sacrificing other properties. Moreover, in addition to the fact that tetracyclododecene is a relatively expensive monomer to make, the materials of this patent do not exhibit optimized properties.
Japanese Kokoku Patent No. Sho. 58 [1983]-43412 discloses hydrogenated homopolymers of dicyclopentadiene wherein the dicyclopentadiene is first "cracked" and polymerized, followed by hydrogenation. The resultant polymers are disclosed as having improved solvent resistance. Methods for hydrogenating the dicyclopentadiene polymers are provided and methods for polymerization are shown in the examples.
Thus, although attempts have been made to prepare optical materials with saturated polynorbornene-type polymers, the art still lacks such materials which exhibit an optimum spectrum of properties. There has been a continuing need for improvement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,072 discloses nonhydrogenated polynorbornenes of general interest which may be of use in applications wherein a transparent polymer is desired.

Process for making a polymer for an optical substrate by hydrogenating a cycloolefin copolymer


The present invention is based on the recognition that some materials contain a magnetically susceptible or magnetic component. That is, they exhibit ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, diamagnetic or magnetic properties. According to the invention, it is possible to determine the presence of a magnetically susceptible or magnetic component in a sample of a material by obtaining a sample of the material, positioning the sample at a predetermined distance from a magnet and then measuring the magnetic force on the sample by the magnet. The force is measured using a force transducer. To obtain the magnetic force per unit gravitational force, the gravitational force on the sample is measured out of the presence of the magnet and the measured magnetic force is then divided by the gravitational force exerted on the sample. A sample thickness adjustment is necessary if comparing samples of different thicknesses.

The present invention is directed toward a method for determining the presence of a magnetically susceptible or magnetic substance in a sample of a material and, more particularly, toward a method for determining the presence of asbestos in a sample material.
Although previously widely used as in insulation and in various other building materials, it is now known that asbestos, particularly in dust form, can cause various serious diseases such as lung cancer. While asbestos is no longer used, older buildings may contain significant quantities of asbestos in various materials from which the building may have been constructed. This normally does not create a problem as long as the structure is not disturbed since it is primarily asbestos dust that is known to be carcinogenic.
The problem manifests itself primarily when a building is being renovated. And such renovations need not be major. For example, a building owner or contractor may be replacing or removing floor tiles.
When ceiling and/or floor tiles or the like are being removed, they frequently must be broken up into pieces which can create substantial dust. This is exacerbated by the fact that such renovations are normally done in a closed space whereby the dust would be breathed in by the workers.
While many older ceiling or floor tiles and other building materials contained asbestos, not all of them did. If the tiles or other building materials being ripped up do not contain asbestos, then the dust that may be produced can easily be controlled by the use of ventilation fans or the like. Under such circumstances, the dust simply becomes a nuisance. If, however, the building materials and, therefore, the dust contains asbestos, OSHA and other health laws require that the asbestos be removed utilizing very specific procedures. These include, inter alia, totally sealing the room or building being renovated and utilizing specified ventilation with appropriate filtering equipment. Such procedures can greatly add to the cost of a project.

Method for determining the presence of a magnetically susceptible or magnetic material in a sample


An enhanced biodegradable grease composition that is environmentally friendly, as well as several processes for preparing the grease composition is described which comprises. (A) a base oil wherein the base oil is a natural oil or synthetic triglyceride of the formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are aliphatic groups that contain from about 7 to about 23 carbon atoms; PA1 (B) at least one performance additive comprising PA1 (C) a thickener wherein the thickener (C) is a reaction product of (C1) a metal based material and (C2) a carboxylic acid or its ester.. (1) an alkyl phenol, PA2 (2) a benzotriazole, or PA2 (3) an aromatic amine; and. The enhanced biodegradable lubricating grease may also contain (D) a viscosity modifier, (E) a pour point depressant, or mixtures of (D) and (E).

Grease manufacturers have attempted to prepare alkali and alkaline earth metal greases from enhanced vegetable oils with limited success. The high temperatures required degrade the vegetable oil thickener substitute and vegetable oil diluent. Further, high temperatures cause the antioxidants and viscosity modifiers to separate out.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,693 (Browning et al., Dec. 21, 1954) relates to improvements in the manufacture of lithium soap greases. More particularly, it relates to improvements in the manufacture of greases comprising lithium 12-hydroxy stearate or the lithium soap of hydrogenated castor oil and a lubricant base such as a mineral lubricating oil or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,824,066 (Musselman et al., Feb. 18, 1958) relates to a multi-purpose soda base lubricating grease. The preparation of the grease preferably involves the in situ formation of a fatty acid soap in a mineral oil. A typical preparation comprises weighing the solvent-extracted oil and a calculated amount of sodium hydroxide into a mixing vessel and then heating these materials to an elevated temperature, generally in excess of 150.degree. F., and a calculated amount of fatty acid is then weighted into the mixer. The mixer is again started and heating is continued at a temperature of approximately 300.degree. F. After heating at the elevated temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes, until saponification is complete, an additional quantity of solvent-extracted oil is added to the mixer and heating is continued until a total processing time of about 21/2 to 3 hours has elapsed. Heating is then discontinued and during the cooling of the crude grease mixture, an additional calculated quantity of solvent-extracted oil is added with the final oil addition being made at a temperature in the neighborhood of 225.degree. to 230.degree. F. Cooling is then continued until the grease is at a temperature suitable for packaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,538 (Pratt et al., Dec. 1, 1981) relates to oxyaluminum acylates containing more than about 75 mole percent of an aromatic carboxylic acid, but less than about 95 mole percent of aromatic acid which can be prepared, and, further, that such oxyaluminum acylates can be used to make aluminum complex grease of seemingly excellent quality. The greases made from such oxyaluminum acylates are produced without the use of water and without the production of water or alcohol as by-products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,967 (Alexander, Jul. 12, 1983) is directed to a process for continuously manufacturing a lubricating grease using a screw process unit. More particularly, the process of this reference comprises:
(a) introducing feed materials and lubricating oil into selected locations of a screw process unit which contains a series of adjacent, longitudinally connected barrel sections for performing different operative steps and houses a rotating screw device traversing the interior to the barrel sections and having separate elements along its length to perform desired operations; PA1 (b) mixing and conveying said feed materials along said process unit through the adjacent barrel sections by continuous operation of said rotating screw; PA1 (c) controlling the temperature of said material while it is being conveyed through said process unit by use of various heat exchange means which are located in or adjacent to each barrel to aid in carrying out the operative steps of dispersion, reaction, dehydration and/or homogenization; PA1 (d) venting water resulting from the dehydration of the feed mixture at selected barrel discharge points in said process unit; PA1 (e) introduction of additional oil and/or additives at downstream barrel sections following the dehydration step; PA1 (f) homogenization of said complete grease formulation by continued rotation of said screw device; and PA1 (g) removal of the finished lubricating grease from the end barrel section of said screw process unit. PA1 (A) a base oil wherein the base oil is a natural oil or synthetic triglyceride of the formula ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are aliphatic groups that contain from about 7 to about 23 carbon atoms; PA1 (B) at least one performance additive comprising PA1 (C) a thickener wherein the thickener (C) is a reaction product of (C1) a metal based material and (C2) a carboxylic acid or its ester, wherein the metal based material (C1) comprises a metal oxide, metal hydroxide, metal carbonate or metal bicarbonate, wherein the metal is an alkali or alkaline earth metal and wherein the carboxylic acid (C2) is of the formula R.sup.18 (COOR.sup.19).sub.n wherein R.sup.18 is an aliphatic group that contains from 4 to 29 carbon atoms, R.sup.19 is hydrogen or an aliphatic group that contain from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and n is an integer of from 1 to 4. PA1 (a) making a solution of (A) and (B) or (A), (B), (D) and/or (E) with (C1) and (C2), thereby providing a mixture; PA1 (b) heating said mixture to a temperature of from 82.degree. to about 105.degree. C. to form (C); PA1 (c) heating the mixture to a final temperature of about 145.degree. C. for an alkaline metal or to about 200.degree. C. for an alkali metal; and PA1 (d) cooling the mixture to form a grease. PA1 (a) making a solution of (A) and (B) or (A), (B), (D) and/or (E) with (C1) and (C2), thereby providing a first mixture; PA1 (b) heating said first mixture to a temperature of from 82.degree. to about 105.degree. C. to form (C) thereby providing a first heated mixture; PA1 (c) heating the first heated mixture to a final temperature of about 145.degree. C. for an alkaline metal or to about 200.degree. C. for an alkali metal; PA1 (d) adding at 110.degree.-145.degree. C. for an alkaline earth metal or 170.degree.-200.degree. C. for an alkali metal, subsequent portions of (A) or the solution of (A) and (B) or (A), (B), (D) and/or (E) to provide a second mixture; and PA1 (e) permitting this mixture to cool to form a grease. PA1 (1) an alkyl phenol, PA1 (2) a benzotriazole, and PA1 (3) an aromatic amine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,522 (Brown et al., May 26, 1992) concerns a lubricating composition having improved low temperature and high temperature properties. More specifically, a lubricating composition comprising (1) a lubricating oil, (2) a thickener, (3) a VI improver, and (4) a copolymer of ethylene with at least one compound selected from the group of vinyl acetate, alkyl acrylate, or alkyl methacrylate, has been found to have both excellent high temperature adhesiveness and low temperature slumpability. The ethylene copolymer used in this invention must have a Melt Index of at least about 40 g/10 min. and should contain from about 10 to about 40 wt. % vinyl acetate, alkyl acrylate, or alkyl methacrylate. Preferably, the Melt Index should be between about 40 and about 10,000, more preferably between about 40 and about 5,000, and most preferably between about 40 and about 2,500 g/10 mins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,840 (Drake et al., Oct. 13, 1992) provides an environmentally friendly grease composition. The base components of this lubricating composition include a white mineral oil in the amount of about 65 to about 85% by weight based on total weight of the composition, an extreme pressure additive comprising a solid friction modifier in an amount of about 1 to about 20 wt. %, a thickener and a minor amount of one or more oil dispersible additives in amounts sufficient to enhance the performance characteristics of the greases. Each of the extreme pressure additive, thickener, and the one or more oil dispersible additives is essentially free of heavy metals, particularly arsenic, antimony, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, vanadium and zinc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,321 (Todd, Oct. 26, 1993) relates to improved grease compositions substantially free of boron and boron-containing compounds, comprising a major amount of an oil-based simple metal soap thickened base grease and a minor amount of at least one phosphorus and sulfur containing composition sufficient to increase the dropping point of the base grease, as determined by ASTM procedure D-2265, by at least 30.degree. C.

Enhanced biodegradable vegetable oil grease