The instant invention is a magnetic blanket for equine therapy. The blanket takes advantage of "unipolar" ceramic magnets and is useful for treating certain horse ailments and for enhanced warm-up and cool-down of the horse. The ceramic magnets are strategically positioned so as to provide an effective means for reducing pain and inflammation and stimulating soft tissue healing in horses.

In recent years numerous studies have demonstrated that permanent magnetic fields can have a profound effect on a number of biological processes. Most recently it has been recognized that magnetic field energy can modify many physiological processes ranging from cellular and membrane functioning to alterations in the mechanical properties of important tissues and organs. The use of permanent magnets and electromagnetic fields for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies have opened new avenues in both human and veterinary medicine.
Permanent magnets provide a practical non-invasive method for stimulation of cells and tissues. This stimulation results in an acceleration of the healing process which is believed to result from enhanced tissue repair and regeneration.
In equine therapy, magnetic and electromagnetic fields can be used for the treatment of various musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies which may occur in horses during their daily routines and participation in various competitions. The most effective applications of permanent magnets are related to bone unification, wound healing and the reduction of pain and inflammation.
Attempts have been made to provide magnetic or magnetizable coverings as a means of treating various ailments. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,925 issued to Smargiassi claims a horse blanket having rows of laterally positioned magnets each in the range of 500-120 gauss. The patent uses lateral rows of magnets that are sewn in, pocketed, or heat sealed within a pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,956 issued to Griffin discloses a reversible magnetic therapeutic device containing a plurality of magnets spaced apart across its length and width so as to provide a two-dimensional array with all the North poles and South poles on opposite sides. Magnetic flux concentrations in the range of about 200 to 6400 gauss per square inch are utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,711 to Latzke discloses a magnetic plaster which may be utilized for therapeutic purposes. The plaster consists of a flexible sheet which may be adhered to a patient which contains magnetizable particles of ferrite or chromium dioxide therein. Latzke discloses that while it is possible to form unipolar sheets wherein only a Northern or Southern pole faces the skin surface, the use of alternately arranged positive arid negative poles are preferred. Latzke utilizes a magnetized sheet having a flux density in the range of 50-2000 gauss.
The problem with the known prior art devices and related horse blankets is their use of bipolar magnets which contain both positive and negative magnetic polarity on the same side, thereby making them less effective. Additionally, the prior art horse blankets were made of materials which held moisture close to the horse's body resulting in chafing and increased drying time. Lastly, none of the prior art horse blankets recognized the need for determining strategic locations for the placement of concentrated bands of magnetic material such that the maximum therapeutic effect could be realized.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is a magnetic blanket for equine therapy capable of delivering a magnetic field to targeted tissues whereby stronger and deeper penetration is accomplished, to provide an improved magnetic blanket useful as an aid to warm-up preparation before riding to enhance blood circulation and oxygen delivery and after competition to prevent soreness and stiffness, and to provide an increased wicking of moisture away from the horse's body while simultaneously exhibiting a much faster drying rate than prior art blankets.


Overhead associated with packet communication is reduced by combining or eliminating one or more fields of a packet. In some implementations, a reduction in overhead associated with packets employing security (e.g., IEEE 802.11ah packets) can be achieved by reducing overhead associated with verification-related fields. For example, a packet can include a merged frame check sequence (FCS) and an integrity check value (ICV). In some implementations, an FCS is omitted from a packet.

Field
This application relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically, but not exclusively, to reducing communication overhead.
Introduction
Communication networks enable users to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Communication networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a wide area, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks may be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a local area network (LAN), or a personal area network (PAN). Communication networks also differ according to the switching technique and/or routing technique employed to interconnect the various network apparatuses and devices. For example, a communication network may use circuit switching, packet switching, or some combination of the two. Communication networks can differ according to the type of physical media employed for transmission. For example, a communication network may support wired communication, wireless communication, or both types of communication. Communication networks can also use different sets of communication protocols. Examples of such communication protocols include the Internet protocol (IP) suite, synchronous optical networking (SONET) protocols, and Ethernet protocols.
In general, wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in radio, microwave, infrared, optical, or other frequency bands. Consequently, wireless networks are better adapted to facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment as compared to fixed, wired networks. For example, wireless networks readily support network elements that are mobile and have dynamic connectivity needs. The use of wireless networks also may be preferred for scenarios where it is desirable to provide a network architecture having an ad hoc topology, rather than a fixed topology.
A wireless network may be deployed on a planned or ad hoc basis to provide various types of services (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to users. In some implementations, one or more access points are deployed to provide wireless connectivity for access terminals (e.g., stations (STAs)) that are operating within a geographical area served by a wireless network. In some implementations, peer devices may establish a wireless network for communication between these devices.
In some scenarios, it is desirable to reduce the overhead associated with wireless communication. For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ah standard is being developed to support sensor applications where the packet length is very short and aggressive power-save is desired. In sensor device applications, the overhead associated with a packet header (e.g., a media access control (MAC) header) may be significant compared to the size of the payload (e.g., which can be tens of bytes).
Various types of header compression have been proposed to reduce the size of packet overhead. A MAC-based packet employing security may include a MAC header, an initialization vector (IV) of eight bytes, an integrity check value (ICV) of eight bytes, and a frame check sequence (FCS) of four bytes. MAC protocol data unit (MPDU) header compression and security IV compression have been approved for IEEE 802.11-based (i.e., Wi-Fi) applications. In contrast, a proposal to reduce the size of the ICV has been rejected because some sensor use cases (e.g., a door lock sensor) may require the same level of security as other Wi-Fi use cases.

Reduced overhead for wireless communication


Approaches are presented for training and using scene graph generators for transfer learning. A scene graph generation technique can decompose a domain gap into individual types of discrepancies, such as may relate to appearance, label, and prediction discrepancies. These discrepancies can be reduced, at least in part, by aligning the corresponding latent and output distributions using one or more gradient reversal layers (GRLs). Label discrepancies can be addressed using self-pseudo-statistics collected from target data. Pseudo statistic-based self-learning and adversarial techniques can be used to manage these discrepancies without the need for costly supervision from a real-world dataset.

An increasing number of applications and services rely on techniques such as object recognition and computer vision. In order to provide accurate results, these techniques often involve the generation of scene graphs and the learning of visual relationships for objects represented in image or video content. Conventional scene graph generation techniques rely on the availability of expensive annotations or labels. Attempting to generate scene graphs without such annotations, such as by using unlabeled real data, is a daunting task. Generating synthetic data is a viable alternative and has emerged as a promising direction for scaling supervised learning since generated labels can be obtained from the data synthesis process. It is still challenging, however, for networks or models trained using synthetic data to perform reliably for complex tasks such as scene graph generation when evaluated on real data due, due to issues relating to a performance lag or domain gap.

Scene graph generation for unlabeled data


A receipt processing system includes at least one imaging device which generates an image of a paper receipt. At least one processor programmed to acquire the image of a paper receipt from the at least one imaging device, textualize the data from the acquired receipt image, define specific local partial models based on regular expressions and geometric proximity, extract information from the textualized data according to the local partial models, apply rules to the extracted information, and generate receipt data from the application of the rules.

The present exemplary embodiments relate to document information extraction and find particular application in connection with systems and methods which extract information from documents and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be understood, however, that it also finds application in other usage scenarios, and is not necessarily limited to the aforementioned exemplary embodiment.
Currently, there are numerous methods for capturing data from documents and transferring this information into a software application. For example, it is common practice for accountants to use a paper-based process of capturing receipt data and manually transferring the receipt data into their accounting software. The process involves collecting receipts over some period of time and taking a concentrated block of time to enter data from the receipts into the accounting software. This process, however, is very time consuming and requires a large amount of manual interaction to capture and transfer the document data.
To make this process more efficient, document processing systems are utilized to automatically capture and store the information from documents. In typical document processing systems, information is typically extracted from forms by consulting a model of a form which contains information about what information fields are to be found and where they are located on the document. In this approach, each "expression" of a particular document genre is treated as a separate form, and requires a separate model. Thus, in a workflow with a mixture of different forms, the first step in the document processing would be a classification step to select the correct model to use for a specific document. This would be followed by an extraction step which would use specific information about that form's layout to identify information zones and extract the information from each zone.
However, this approach does not work well for documents not arranged in a known format such as but not limited to receipts. Most receipts are not typical forms with specific areas which get filled in with specific pieces of information. They are better viewed as reports generated by computer programs which can change constantly, to add advertising, coupons, information about special offers, and other such printed material. In addition, there are many different "layouts" for receipts, which would make the task of identifying each "form" and building a model for it is quite expensive and would make the classification task difficult.
The present exemplary embodiment provides a new system and method which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.

Document information extraction using geometric models


A connector is disclosed for preventing electrostatic discharge during connection of a USB-type connector. The connector includes a grounding clip provided within a recess formed at least partially down into the surface of the second level of the base block. The grounding clip may have a proximal end affixed to a proximal end of a signal ground pin of the plurality of signal pins, though the grounding clip and signal ground pin may be coupled at other locations along their lengths. The connector including the grounding clip may be affixed to a semiconductor device. A portion of the grounding clip is provided at a height above the surface of the base block such that, when a shroud is slid around the connector, the shroud engages and remains in contact with the grounding clip. Accordingly, any electrostatic discharge built up in the shroud travels from the shroud, through the ESD grounding clip, to the signal ground pin where it is harmlessly dissipated.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of preventing electrostatic discharge during connection of a USB-type connector, and a USB-type connector formed thereby.
2. Description of the Related Art
The strong growth in demand for portable consumer electronics is driving the need for high-capacity storage devices. Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices, such as flash memory storage cards, are becoming widely used to meet the ever-growing demands on digital information storage and exchange. Their portability, versatility and rugged design, along with their high reliability and large storage capacity, have made such memory devices ideal for use in a wide variety of electronic devices, including for example digital cameras, digital music players, video game consoles, PDAs and cellular telephones.
Equally ubiquitous is the universal serial bus (USB) interface for transferring signals between devices such as those named above and other components such as for example desktop computers and the like. The USB interface is comprised of a male plug and female socket connectors. Plugs generally have one or more pins that are inserted into openings in the mating socket. While there are several types of USB connectors, the most commonly used is the type-A plug on which is a 4-pin connector, surrounded by a shield. A conventional type-A USB plug and socket are shown in cross-section in prior art FIGS. 1 through 3. The conventional USB plug 20 shown in FIG. 1 may for example be attached to an electronic device and includes a base 22 on which is formed a signal power pin 24, a pair of signal pins 26, 28 and a signal ground pin 30. The base and pins are covered by a shroud 32. The conventional USB socket 36 may be incorporated in a host device and includes a base 38 and four terminals 40 through 46 formed thereon. As seen in FIG. 3, the plug may be received within the socket with pins 24 through 30 mating with pins 40 through 46 to allow transfer of signals between the electronic and host devices.
In conventional USB connections, the shroud is electrically coupled to the signal ground pin through an established circuit path in the electronic device. In particular, once affixed around the base 22 and pins 26 through 30, the shroud may typically be soldered to a printed circuit board at a location coupled to the signal ground pin. One of the functions of the electrical coupling of the shroud to ground is to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) between the shroud and portions of the circuit of the electronic device. In particular, where the shroud and electronic circuit are at different electrical potentials (for example due to static electrical build-up in the shroud), an electrostatic charge may jump from the shroud onto the electronic circuit, where the electrostatic charge may damage semiconductor components in the circuit.
As indicated, where the shroud is grounded, electrostatic charge in the shroud may be discharged harmlessly through the grounded connection. However, it is currently known to provide USB connective semiconductor devices where a shroud is included, but is not soldered to the printed circuit board and has no ground connection. Such devices run the risk of damage due to ESD between the shroud and electronic circuit.

Electrical connector with ESD grounding clip


A dc electrical machine with a large number of phases. The machine includes a rotor and a stator assembly. The rotor has Np rotating field poles. The stator has Ns winding slots, where Ns/Np is a non-integer ratio. A stator winding includes a plurality of coils received in the winding slots and defines a plurality of stator phases. A power electronic switching assembly includes first and second dc load terminals that can be connected to external equipment and a plurality of switching modules. Each switching module includes power electronic devices and is connected to a respective stator coil. A first proportion of the switching modules are connected together in series between the first and second dc load terminals and a second proportion of the switching modules are connected together in series between the first and second dc load terminals to define two parallel dc circuits.

A dc rotating electrical machine typically includes a rotor surrounded by a wound stator. A rotor connected commutator with copper segments and stationary brushgear are used to control the commutation of current in the rotor winding based on the angular position of the rotor. Brush commutated dc electrical machines are known to be capable of high air gap shear stress but their practical torque density performance is limited by the brush commutation process. The stationary brushgear and rotating commutator converts the dc terminal voltage of the electrical machine into a polyphase ac voltage that rotates within the armature winding in a direction and at a speed that causes the armature magneto-motive force (mmf) to be substantially stationary and aligned in quadrature with the field poles. Thus, rotor mmf and stator field space harmonic spectra are substantially synchronised, thereby contributing to the mean shaft torque. It is this near ideal relationship between rotor and stator space harmonics that allows the majority of the air gap circumference of the brush commutated dc electrical machine to operate at a high air gap shear stress.
However, the brush commutation process for dc electrical machines is complicated and has certain limitations.
Armature coil voltage is used to cause armature current commutation. This means that the brush position must be set to allow sufficient time for current to be reduced to a low level by the time an outgoing commutator segment breaks contact with the trailing edge of the brush in order to avoid arcing (so-called 'under-commutation'), and also to avoid excessive time for current reduction and subsequent current reversal by the time an outgoing commutator segment breaks contact with the trailing edge of the brush in order to avoid arcing (so-called 'over-commutation'). Both under- and over-commutation arcing modes are typically destructive.
There is an overriding requirement that the voltage between commutator segments immediately after the outgoing commutator segment breaks contact with the trailing edge of the brush must be sufficiently low to avoid flashover. There is also an overriding requirement that the brush current density must be low in order to avoid excessive heating, power losses, and the risks of sustained arcing flashover.
In the most basic brush commutated dc electrical machine the timing of brush commutation is critical and is severely performance limiting because ideal brush angular position varies with both armature current and speed, i.e. there is no single ideal angular position for brushgear. It is therefore accepted that in such dc electrical machines some commutator arcing is inevitable. However, in large dc electrical machines the risks of arcing and flashover can be alleviated by the use of compoles (or interpoles) which serve to offset the field position in response to variation in armature current.
As a result, the rotating commutator and stationary brushgear tend to be large and complex. Moreover, the compoles occupy space within the electrical machine that could otherwise be used to increase the total air gap flux and torque density. This means that the torque density for a given peak air gap shear stress is relatively low. Brush commutated dc electrical machines are inherently low voltage machines, e.g. less than 1 kV.
Some of the problems of brush commutation can be overcome by the use of a load commutated inverter (LCI). In electrical machines that use a LCI the field is produced by the rotor winding which commonly incorporates brushless excitation. The armature winding is located in the stator and commonly uses three or six phases. A static frequency converter replaces the brush commutator. A basic naturally-commutated power converter operating at low switching frequency can be remotely located. Such electrical machines have increased torque density and high efficiency but are known to produce undesirable torque pulsations. They also cannot employ the near ideal relationship between rotor and stator space harmonics described above. Hence the mean air gap shear stress is typically less than that for a brush commutated dc electrical machine. However, one advantage of electrical machines that use an LCI is that it is possible to have a higher line voltage rating, e.g. up to 11 kV.
More sophisticated static frequency converters have been used to allow the torque pulsations of the LCI to be substantially eliminated but the converters are complex and are less efficient. As line voltage rating increases, such converters become increasingly complex and it is exceptional for them to be rated at greater than 6.6 kV.
Electronically commutated brushless dc electrical machines are known. GB 2117580 discloses a brushless dc electrical machine that employs an electronic switching circuit which uses armature coil voltage to cause natural commutation of thyristors. Other brushless dc electrical machines use auxiliary power circuits such as those disclosed in GB 2431528 to cause forced commutation by thyristor reverse recovery. These electronic commutators have been surpassed by the use of semiconductor power devices that are capable of being turned on and off by gate control, e.g. gate turn off thyristors (GTOs). Such electronic commutators are described in EP 1798847 to the present applicant. A possible shortcoming of electronically commutated electrical machines is that they are not inherently suited to high voltage dc operation since it is necessary to use series-connected semiconductor power devices and to insulate the main wall of the armature winding for high voltage ac stresses—note that the dominant voltage stress in the armature insulation is ac since each terminal in the armature winding is sequentially connected to positive and negative dc terminals.
EP 2403111 describes a wind turbine generator with a rotor and a stator. The stator has a plurality of stator coils, each coil being connected to a diode rectifier. A generator-utility grid interface is provided where the diode rectifiers are assigned to each phase of a utility grid.

GE ENERGY POWER CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY LTD.


An upright wet extractor includes a base assembly, a manipulative handle pivotally attached to the base assembly, and a motor driven agitator brush. A cleaning solution dispensing tank is removably attached to the handle assembly by a pivotable latch member. In a floor cleaning mode, cleaning solution is selectively supplied by gravity from an outlet of the dispensing tank to a floor cleaning spray nozzle through a supply tube which is controlled by a pinch valve. In an attachment hose cleaning mode, cleaning solution is selectively supplied by a motor driven pump from the dispensing tank to an attachment hose spray nozzle which is controlled by a trigger valve. A valve is provided in the outlet of said dispensing tank. The valve has a stem moveable between a closed position sealing the outlet and an open position providing fluid communication between the dispensing tank and the nozzle. A pin is mounted on the handle assembly and is adapted to open and close the valve by engaging the valve stem to move the stem to an open position when the dispensing tank is mounted on the handle assembly. A boot seal is preassembled with the pin and is mounted as a unit with the pin on the handle assembly to prevent leakage.

The present invention relates to an improved upright wet extractor, and more specifically, to an upright extractor having an onboard attachment hose assembly.
This invention particularly relates to an improved technique for eliminating the possibility of leakage from a cleaning solution dispensing tank caused by the inadvertent omission of a sealing boot from a distribution reservoir assembly on the upright extractor.

Reservoir assembly for wet extractor system


An applicator mounted on a hand T-bar tool has a split tube removably supported on the bar of the tool and a coating material applying sleeve secured to the tube. The tube and sleeve have upwardly and inwardly inclined opposite ends with bottom lips for applying coating materials and liquids to a floor adjacent a side wall.

The largest and most used surface in most commercial and residential facilities is the floor. Hardwood floors are finished with oils and stains and are protected with coating materials, such as wax, varnish and epoxy. Ceramic and vinyl tile and concrete floors are protected with chemical and wear resistant materials that make the floors easy to refinish, maintain and repair. Hand tools, such as T-bars and wood blocks, are used to apply and spread the coating materials on the surfaces. The hand tools have applicator pads and brushes that are moved relative to the surface to apply and spread oils, stains, and coating materials to the surfaces. The peripheral edges of floors are adjacent lower edges of upright walls and panels. Baseboards and quarter round members are used on the upright walls to separate the floor from the upright walls. Hand tools with applicator pads and brushes must be carefully used to trim the peripheral edges of floors without applying stains, oils and coating materials to the upright walls or baseboards along the bottoms of the upright walls. Additional labor and supplies are needed to remove unwanted materials from the upright walls and baseboards.


A method for machining a pair of shoe pockets for piston in a swash plate type compressor is disclosed. In this method, the shoe pockets are respectively formed on the opposed walls of the slot in the piston of the compressor while conforming to a single imaginary sphere. The method comprises the step of moving a cutter provided with an arc-shaped cutter blade that has a rotation diameter less than the width of the slot. Thereafter, there is performed the step of relatively revolving the cutter with regard to the piston by allowing the central axis of a revolved part to move along a circular orbit within the slot while rotating the cutter, so as to cut the shoe pockets to conform to the single imaginary sphere. Finally, the step of retreating the cutter out of the slot when the cutter completes one round revolution and is returned to its initial position is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a method for machining a piston for a variable displacement swash plate type compressor, the pistons being fitted over the peripheral portion of a swash plate and reciprocated in the bores of a cylinder by the rotation of the swash plate owing to the rotation of a drive shaft. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for machining a pair of shoe pocket for a piston in a variable displacement swash plate type compressor, which is capable of cutting the shoe pocket, conforming to a single imaginary sphere, respectively on the opposed walls of a slot in the piston of the compressor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A compressor constituting one of the main elements of an air-conditioning apparatus for automobiles is an apparatus that selectively receives power from an engine by the intermittence action of an electromagnetic clutch, converts refrigerant gas supplied from an evaporator to a state of high temperature and high pressure by means of a compressing process, and discharges the refrigerant gas to the condenser.
A swash plate type compressor is operated in such a way that a swash plate mounted around a drive shaft while being inclined and shaped in the form of a disk is rotated together with the drive shaft and a plurality of pistons fitted over the peripheral portion thereof are linearly reciprocated in the bores of a cylinder by the rotation of the swash plate. In the process of the reciprocating movement of the pistons, refrigerant gas is sucked into the compressor, compressed in the cylinder bore, and discharged to a condenser.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a typical variable displacement swash plate type compressor that can variably compress refrigerant gas.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the variable displacement swash plate type compressor comprises front and rear housings 1 and 2, a cylinder block 3 having a plurality of circumferentially arranged bores 3a and being positioned between the front and rear housings 1 and 2, a drive shaft 4 rotatably mounted across the interiors of the front housing 1 and the cylinder block 3, a circular lug plate 5 fixed around the drive shaft 4 and rotated together with the drive shaft 4, a swash plate 6 mounted around the drive shaft 4 and connected to one side of the lug plate 5 by means of hinge structures 5a and 6a, a plurality of pistons 8 fitted over the peripheral portion of the swash plate 6 via a pair of shoes 7 and respectively reciprocated in the bores 3a of the cylinder 3 by the rotation of the peripheral portion of the swash plate 6 owing to the rotation of the drive shaft 4, and a suction reed valve 10 and a discharge reed valve 11 selectively opening and closing the inlet 9a and outlet 9b of a valve plate 9 by pressure variation in the cylinder bore 3a. The variable displacement swash plate type compressor further comprises a control valve 12 for controlling the stroke of pistons 8 by regulating the pressure of the crank chamber 1a of the front housing 1, and the suction chamber 2a and discharge chamber 2b of the rear housing 2.
The variable displacement swash plate type compressor constructed as described above compresses refrigerant gas supplied from an evaporator and discharges it to a condenser.
When the drive shaft 4 is rotated by means of the power of an engine, the lug plate 5 fixedly fitted around the drive shaft 4 is rotated together with the swash plate 6 and the pistons 8 fitted over the peripheral portion of the swash plate 6 are reciprocated at a distance proportional to the inclination angle of the swash plate 6. In the process of the reciprocation of the pistons 8, refrigerant gas supplied from an evaporator is sucked from the suction chamber 2a through the inlet 9a into the bores 3a while each piston 8 is moved rearward (in a right direction in FIG. 1), and the refrigerant gas sucked into the bores 3a is compressed by the compressing action of the piston 8 and discharged to the discharge chamber 2b through the outlet 9b at a high pressure and, thereafter, discharged to a condenser(not shown) while the piston 58 reaches the bottom dead point and moves forward.
In the above refrigerant gas compressing process, the swash plate 6 performs a rotating movement, whereas the piston 8 fitted over the peripheral portion of the swash plate 6 and reciprocated by the rotation of the swash plate 6 performs a repeated linear movement back and forth.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the shoes 7 are semispherical bodies, each of the shoes 7 having a plane and a semispherical surface. The shoes 7 are respectively situated in shoe pocket 83 and 84 that are respectively formed on both opposed walls 81 and 82 of the slot 80 of the piston 8. Therefore, the shoes 7 are situated between the piston 8 and the swash plate 6 and are respectively slid on the shoe pocket 83 and 84 by the variation of the inclination angle of the swash plate 6 while the swash plate 6 is rotated, so that the variation of the inclination angle of the swash plate 6 is accommodated by the sliding of the shoes 7 and, consequently, the wobbling force of the peripheral portion of the swash plate 6 can be transmitted to the piston without hindrance.
Meanwhile, the shoe pocket 83 and 84 on which the shoes 7 are situated and which are formed on the opposed walls 81 and 82 of the slot 80 of the piston 8 should have curved surfaces corresponding to the semispherical surfaces of the shoes 7. In order to allow the shoes 7 to perform a sliding rotation, the curvature centers of the shoe pocket 83 and 84 should coincide with each other and the curvature centers of the shoe pockets 83 and 84 should coincide respectively with the curvature centers of the shoes 7. This means that the two shoe pockets 83 and 84 preferably conform to a single imaginary sphere I.
The present invention is concerned with a method for precisely machining two shoe pockets 83 and 84 on both opposed walls 81 and 82 of the slot 80 of the piston 8 so that the shoe pockets 83 and 84 conform to the imaginary sphere I.
The knotty point in precisely machining the shoe pockets 83 and 84 is that the two shoe pockets 83 and 84 should conform to the single imaginary sphere I having a spherical center at the center of the slot of the piston 8, but a cutter 100 having a spherical cutter blade cannot be inserted into the slot so as to machine the shoe pockets 83 and 84 because the space between the opposed walls 81 and 82 of the slot of the piston 8 is narrow in comparison with the diameter of the imaginary sphere I.
In order to overcome the problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,081 issued on Apr. 25, 2000 discloses a method for machining a pair of shoe pockets in a compressor piston.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the US patent discloses a method for machining a pair of shoe pockets 83 and 84, which conforms to the imaginary sphere I, on the opposed walls 81 and 82 of the slot 80 of a compressor piston 8, wherein the slot 80 is narrower than the diameter of the imaginary sphere I. In the method for machining a pair of shoe pockets 83 and 84, there is provided an asymmetrical cutter blade 101 that is, at its widest point, narrower than the slot as measured in the direction of the longitudinal axis L1 of the piston 8, wherein the cutter blade 101 generates a sphere if rotated about a cutter axis. One of the cutter blade 101 and the piston 8 is moved with respect to the other such that the cutter blade 101 enters the slot without contacting either of the opposed walls 81 and 82, wherein the cutter blade 101 has a center point that coincides with the center of the generated sphere, and wherein the generated sphere is the same size as the imaginary sphere I. The piston 8 is rotated about a machining axis L2 to simultaneously machine the shoe pockets 83 and 84, wherein the machining axis L2 intersects the center point of the cutter blade 101. One of the cutter blade 101 and the piston 8 is moved with respect to the other to remove the cutter blade 101 from the slot 80 without contacting either of the opposed walls 81 and 82.
However, in said US patent method, since the shoe pockets 83 and 84 conforming to the single imaginary sphere I can be machined only if the curvature center of the cutter 100 coincides with the rotating center of the piston 8 and the moving distance of the cutter 100 in the slot 80 of the piston 8 is to be accurate, there is difficulty in managing the machining dimensions. That is, since the piston is to be rotated about axis L1 while the cutter 100 is to be moved linearly along the axis L2, the shoe pockets 83 and 84 are apt to be biased to one side or may not conform to the imaginary sphere I if the relative position of the piston 8 and the cutter 100 with regard to each other or the moving distance of the cutter 100 is slightly deviated from a specified value. Further, in this US patent invention, it is not easy to get rid of unfavorable vibration of the piston during its rotation due to its asymmetrical feature. More further, in this US patent, it is not easy to move precisely the cutter such that its center is located on the rotation axis of the piston. As a result, there is difficulty in machining the piston so as to prevent the compressor from being operated improperly.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for machining a pair of shoe pockets for piston in a swash plate type compressor, which is capable of cutting shoe pockets, which conform to a single imaginary sphere, on the opposed walls of a piston slot by rotating a cutter having an arc-shaped cutter blade and, simultaneously, revolving it around the axis of the piston slot within the piston slot, thereby improving the dimensional precision of machining.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a method for machining a pair of shoe pockets for piston in a swash plate type compressor so that the shoe pockets are respectively formed on the opposed walls of the slot in the piston of the compressor while conforming to a single imaginary sphere, comprising the steps of: moving a cutter provided with an arc-shaped cutter blade that has a rotation diameter less than the width of the slot; relatively revolving the cutter with regard to the piston by allowing the central axis of an actually revolved part to move along a circular orbit within the slot while rotating the cutter, so as to cut the shoe pockets to conform to the single imaginary sphere; and retreating the cutter out of the slot when the cutter completes one round revolution and is returned to its initial position.
In an embodiment, the relatively revolving of the cutter with regard to the piston may be performed by allowing the rotation axis of the cutter to move along the circular orbit within the slot while fixing the piston.
In another embodiment, the relatively revolving of the cutter with regard to the piston may be performed by allowing the piston to move along the circular orbit within the slot while fixing the rotation axis of the cutter.

Method for machining shoe pocket for piston in variable displacement swash plate type compressor


A system for infiltrating, with active materials, a porous substrate to form electrodes, typically used for batteries, is described that features a vacuum device having a dynamic distribution assembly which allows for continuous and controlled deposition of electrochemical active materials onto a substrate, as the substrate moves therethrough, while preventing the active materials from leaving the vacuum chamber before infiltrating the substrate. The vacuum device includes a vacuum chamber, in fluid communication with a supply of active materials, and a vacuum pump, disposed within the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber includes an inlet and an outlet, positioned opposite to the inlet. The first and second opposed major surfaces and a plurality of voids extend therebetween. While disposed within the vacuum chamber, the vacuum pump creates a pressure differential between the first and second surfaces. In this fashion, a quantity of the active materials is drawn into the vacuum chamber, defining detached active material.

Electrodes for use in electrochemical cells, such as fuel cells or batteries, are well known in the art. Techniques employed for manufacturing these electrodes typically involve the use of solvents to suspend an electrochemically active materials to be coated onto a substrate. The mixture of solvent and active materials has the consistency of a paste or slurry and includes active materials and a binder, such as polyvinylidenedifluoride (PvdF). The paste, or slurry, electrode mixture may then be applied to an appropriate current collector after which the solvent is removed, forming electrode material. The electrode material may then be cut to appropriate sizes. Recently, the electrode forming techniques that require solvents have posed formidable problems in view of current environmental legislation. The solvents used in the aforementioned processes present safety hazards, requiring costly storage, handling and disposal procedures.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,991 to Lenfant et al. discloses an electrostatic projection technique of forming an electrode. The electrostatic projection involves, inter alia, imposing a charge on a support, imposing an opposite charge on the particles of powdered material which is to be applied to the support as a layer, and fluidizing the charged particles of powder above the oppositely charged support. The powder is attracted to, and coats on, the support. Thereafter, the support is subjected to curing processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,421 to Schultze et al. discloses a plurality of processes for forming electrodes, one of which includes distributing a hydrophobic polymer powder within the pores of a porous substrate. The substrate is disposed within a chamber and the polymer powder is whirled up, within the chamber, and thrown against one side of the substrate, while an intermittent vacuum is applied. In this fashion, the distribution of powder material, within the substrate, may be arranged as desired, dependent upon the application for the resulting electrode. The substrate is then subjected to compression and sintering treatment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,287,232 and 4,313,972, both to Goller et al., disclose a dry method for making an electrochemical cell electrode. The methods involve, inter alia, depositing a layer of dry carbon/hydrophobic polymer powder on the surface of a substrate by dispersing the powder in a cloud chamber over the substrate. The powder is pulled onto the substrate by a vacuum disposed thereunder. The electrode is subsequently compacted and sintered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,722 to Ilic et al. discloses a process and apparatus for forming electrodes without solvents that includes, inter alia, introducing a dry powder mixture of electrochemically active materials and a binder into a metal mesh, which serves as a current collector. The dry powder mixture is introduced into the metal mesh from opposing sides. To that end, two strips of the dry powder mixture are simultaneously rolled out from opposite sides of a gap, developed between a roller, while a lattice, or net-like, current collector enters therebetween. In this fashion, the current collector is coated on both sides with the dry powder mixture, filling the interstices of the metal mesh. A problem with the aforementioned electrode forming machine concerns the controlled deposition of the active materials.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and system for continuously impregnating active materials into a moving substrate while actively controlling the density distribution of the active materials disposed therein.

System and method for impregnating a moving porous substrate with active materials to produce battery electrodes


A coated media is printed with ink. The area of the media which is not covered with ink is cured by exposure to radiation, and the printed image is transferred to a final substrate. The media is coated with a radiation curable coating. Upon exposure to electron beam or ultraviolet radiation, the coating in the exposed, non-imaged, area cures, and becomes permanently bonded to the base sheet. The ink layer of the imaged area effectively blocks, absorbs and/or reflects the radiation and does not allow polymerization under the imaged area. The image is transferred to a final substrate by placing the image in contact with the final substrate, followed by the application of energy. The image is permanently bonded to the final substrate. No overprint, or non-imaged area, that is visible or which may be felt by touching, is transferred to the final substrate.

This invention is related to digital printing generally, and is more specifically related to a transfer printing process using an ink which is curable by ultraviolet radiation.
Transfer processes involve physically transferring an image from one substrate to another and can be achieved in several ways. One method is melt transfer printing where a design is first printed on paper using a waxy ink. Melt transfer printing has been used since the nineteenth century to transfer embroidery designs to fabric. A design is printed on paper using a waxy ink, then transferred with heat and pressure to a final substrate. The Star process, developed by Star Stampa Artistici di Milano, uses a paper that is coated with waxes and dispersing agents. The design is printed onto the coated paper by a gravure printing process using an oil and wax based ink. The print is then transferred to fabric by pressing the composite between heated calendar rollers at high pressure. The ink melts onto the final substrate carrying the coloring materials with it. Fabrics printed in such a method using direct dyes are then nip-padded with a salt solution and steamed. Vat dyes can also be used in the ink, but the fabric must be impregnated with sodium hydroxide and hydrous solution and steamed. The residual waxes from the transfer ink are removed during washing of the fabric.
Another method of transfer printing is film release transfer. Here the image is printed onto a paper substrate coated with a film of heat tackifiable resin. Upon application of heat and pressure to the backside of the image, the entire film containing the image is transferred to the final substrate. A process of thermal transfer wherein the ink physically bonds to the substrate is described in, for example, Hare, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,953. The resulting image, as transferred, is a surface bonded image with a raised, plastic-like feel to the touch. Thermal transfer paper can transfer an image to a final substrate, such as cotton, however, this method has several limitations. First, the entire sheet is transferred, not just the image. Second, such papers are heavily coated with polymeric material to bind the image onto the textile. This material makes the transfer area very stiff and has poor dimensional stability when stretched.
Another method of transfer employs the use of heat activated, or sublimation, dyes. One form of an appropriate transfer process using sublimation inks is described in Hale, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,023, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. In this situation, an image is printed onto an intermediate medium, such as paper, followed by application of heat and pressure to the backside of the intermediate medium while in contact with a final substrate. The dyes then vaporize and are preferentially absorbed by the final substrate. Sublimation dyes yield excellent results when a polyester substrate is used and are highly resistant to fading and abrasion caused by laundering. These dyes, however, have a limited affinity for substrates other than polyester, and give poor results on natural fibers such as cotton and wool.
A method of preparing an image-receiving sheet for sublimation transfer utilizing isocyanate groups is described in DeVries, U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,644. Here, a polyisocyanate is reacted with a polyol to form a polyurethane containing free or blocked isocyanate groups. A print paste containing this polymer along with a sublimation dye is coated onto a paper substrate via roller coating, brush coating, silk screening, or similar method. The image may then be heat transferred to a cotton substrate. The application of heat to the backside of the printed image activates the sublimation dye as well as the blocked isocyanate groups. The isocyanate groups become unblocked at the transfer temperature and available to react with hydroxyl groups on the cellulose fibers, therefore forming a chemical bond with the cellulose fiber.
One method of transferring only a portion of a printed image is described in Sideman, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,665. Here a sheet is first layered with a mixture of reactive and non-reactive sublimation dyes. Polyethyleneimines, which react with the reactive sublimation dyes, are then deposited on the dyes in a pattern via conventional printing techniques such as gravure or flexographic printing. The structure and the substrate to be printed are placed in contact with each other, and upon heating, only the dyes in the areas not printed with the polyethyleneimines and the non-reactive dyes under or mixed with the thus printed polyethyleneimines are sublimed to the final substrate. The reactive sublimation dyes are blocked from sublimating by reaction with the polyethyleneimines.
The use of photopolymerizable materials to form durable coatings is well known. Photochemically produced polymerization reactions have become increasingly important for rapid curing of thin films in such areas as the curing of paint and plastic coatings on paper, metal and wood, and in the drying of printing inks. The photopolymerizable coating is a coating that is deposited on a substrate, and subsequently cured to form a final coating that is firmly affixed to the substrate. The curing step is performed by exposure of the coating to some form of radiation. In a typical application, UV radiation is the method of curing. UV radiation is sufficiently energetic to initiate certain chemical reactions when a photoinitiator is present, but electromagnetic radiation more energetic may be used. In addition, exposure to electron beams may be used to initiate polymerization of a coating.
The process of photopolymerization involves first absorption of incident radiation by an absorbing molecule within the chemical system. The absorbing molecule may be a photosensitizer or a photoinitiator. A photosensitizer is not consumed in subsequent chemical reactions, but rather acts as a photocatalyst by transferring internal energy to another molecule, which then initiates the polymerization reaction. By transferring its internal energy, the photosensitizer is returned to its original state. A photoinitiator is consumed in the polymerization reaction. The photoinitiator is excited, ionized or fragmented by incident radiation, then initiates polymerization. xe2x80x9cPhotoinitiatorxe2x80x9d can, however, be used in general terms to mean any species which interacts with the incident radiation.
A coating may contain monomers and/or oligomers, along with the photoinitiators and other additives. After application to the substrate, the curing step involves polymerization of the coating to form the final cured coating on the substrate. UV curable coatings applied as a liquid are typically solutions of monomers. Coatings applied as solids are frequently partially polymerized prior to application to the substrate. The partially polymerized polymers are known as oligomers or prepolymers. The curing of the solid coating on the substrate then involves polymerization of the remaining functionality to form the final coating. Often a coating formulation will comprise a mixture of both monomers and oligomers.
There are two general classes of polymerization of primary concern, cationic and free radical systems. In cationic cure systems, positively charged species are the primary mechanism for curing the polymer. Epoxy resins are the most common chemical species used for this type of cure. In free radical systems, a free radical is the chemical species responsible for the curing reactions. Common resins of this type include acrylates, unsaturated polyesters, polyene/thiol systems, maleates and vinyl/acrylics, among others.
Pigments attenuate light by absorption and/or altering the direction of propagation through scattering and/or reflection. Thus, opaque pigments inherently reflect, absorb or otherwise interfere with the transmittance of ultraviolet light through a pigmented ink or coating, and, consequently, impede the penetration of the UV radiation into the lower layers of a pigmented film during curing. Opacity and color strength are, as a rule, desirable properties for inks and coatings. Full cure of UV curable inks and pigmented coatings is difficult because the pigments impede the penetration of radiation. A number of patents have been written to describe processes and formulations for improving the cure of these inks and pigmented coatings, for example, such as described by Muthiah, et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,640. Here dual thermal and UV curable ingredients are incorporated into an opaquely pigmented powder coating formulation in order to fully cure through the entire thickness of a film. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,556, Kohler, et. al. describe the problem of curing pigmented systems that absorb a large proportion of the active wavelength so that higher concentrations of photoinitiators and/or sensitizers must be used. In order to help overcome this, photoinitiators which combine two basic structural types were developed in order to absorb UV wavelengths in a wider xe2x80x9cabsorption windowxe2x80x9d.
The present invention relates to a method of transfer printing. A coated media is printed with ink, the area of the media which is not covered with ink is cured by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and the printed image is transferred to a final substrate.
The media is coated with a radiation curable, including electron beam or UV curable, coating. Upon exposure to electron beam or ultraviolet radiation, the coating in the exposed, non-imaged area cures, and becomes permanently bonded to the base sheet. The ink in the imaged area effectively blocks, absorbs and/or reflects the radiation, and does not allow polymerization under the imaged area. The image is then transferred to a final substrate by placing the image printed on the media in contact with the final substrate, followed by the application of energy, for example radiation, or heat and/or pressure. In this way, the image is permanently bonded to the final substrate, while no overprint, or non-imaged area, that may be visible and/or felt is transferred to the final substrate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a media containing a radiation curable coating. It is another object of the invention to provide a radiation curable coating that receives a printed image. It is a further object of the invention to provide an image formed from an ink containing reactive ingredients that crosslink during the transfer step to form a permanent image from the above said media onto the final substrate. It is a still further object of the invention to provide a process for curing the radiation curable coating in the non-printed areas of the media. It is an object of the invention to provide a media that accepts a printed image, is radiation curable in the non-imaged area, and the imaged area is transferable to a final substrate. It is an object of the invention to provide a method for transferring an image to a heat- and/or pressure-sensitive final substrate without damage to the substrate. It is a further object of the invention to provide an image on a final substrate that is further cured with radiation.


A method is provided to regulate a conveying stream composed of articles of the tobacco-processing industry between at least one tray discharger and connected to at least one feed device by a conveying element that conveys a mass flow of the articles. The feed device has at least one chamber designed to receive the articles, and each chamber has at least two feed units running independently of each other to feed the articles to subsequent apparatuses. Each feed unit has an individual feed rate (P1, P2, . . . Pn). The method includes monitoring a level within the feed device using monitoring elements; sending a signal to each of the at least one tray dischargers for regulating the speed of transport of the conveying element and the feed rate (in articles/min) as a function of a current level within the feed device, and adapting the speed of transport to a desired level. The speed of transport of each conveying element is additionally regulated as a function of the feed rate (Ptotal) formed from the sum of the individual feed rates (P1, P2, . . . Pn) of all feed units assigned to a respective chamber.

The invention concerns a method for regulating a conveying stream composed of articles of the tobacco-processing industry between at least one tray discharger and at least one feed device connected to the or each tray discharger by a conveying element for conveying a mass flow consisting of articles, wherein the feed device has at least one chamber designed to receive the articles, and each chamber has at least two feed units running independently of each other for feeding the articles to subsequent apparatuses, wherein each feed unit has an individual feed rate (P1, P2, . . . Pn), with the steps of: monitoring the level within the feed device using monitoring elements, sending a signal to each tray discharger for regulating the speed of transport of the conveying element and hence the feed rate (in articles/min) dependent on the current level within the feed device, and adapting the speed of transport to the desired level. Furthermore the invention concerns an arrangement for transferring rod-shaped articles of the tobacco-processing industry to subsequent apparatuses, comprising at least one tray discharger, at least one feed device, wherein the feed device has at least one chamber designed to receive the articles and each chamber being assigned at least two feed units, each tray discharger and the feed device being connected to each other by a conveying element and each comprising a control system for regulating the conveying element.
Such methods and apparatuses are used in particular in the tobacco-processing industry. Here, preferably rod-shaped articles such as e.g. filter rods or the like are processed. In particular, these articles are frequently stocked or temporarily stored in containers, the so-called trays, or otherwise. The articles delivered to the feed device are then sent from the latter preferably pneumatically to subsequent apparatuses. For this purpose the feed device has at least two, but preferably more feed units, by means of which the articles are sent dependent on the individual feed rate. In order now to supply this feed device with articles, the articles are transferred from the trays or the like to the tray discharger, and from the tray discharger via the conveying element the mass flow composed of the articles is transported to the feed device. The mass flow flows in the region of an inlet into the magazine of the feed device. The monitoring elements, which are preferably arranged within the magazine, detect the current level within the magazine. With the aid of the information picked up by the monitoring elements, the speed of transport of the conveying element and hence the feed rate of articles are regulated.
In practice, this means that the signal exchange is usually effected via two signals by means of which only three different states for the conveying element can be shown, namely e.g. a) transport no articles, b) transport 100% articles and c) transport more than 100% articles. This method, however, has the drawback that only uneven supply of the magazine of the feed device with a varying level within the magazine can be achieved. In other words, the magazine of the feed device is supplied with articles cyclically only, wherein filling of the magazine depends exclusively on the level of the magazine. Switching the conveying element on and off alternately, accompanied by interruption of the stream of articles into the receiving device, leads to so-called stop-and-go operation. Document DE 33 33 859 A1 from the applicant's firm shows a storage arrangement and a corresponding method having the features of the preambles of independent claims 1 and 19. The arrangement shown there has a receiving chamber within the feed device, the level of which is monitored by sensing means. Depending on the information of the sensing means, the input conveyor for the delivery of articles is switched on or off. A comparable arrangement can be found in DE 36 11 707 A1, which also comes from the applicant's firm, wherein the storage container of the feed device has two chambers. An input conveying means leads into each chamber. The articles conducted into the chamber by the respective input conveying means are carried away via outlet shafts assigned to each chamber. From DE 35 38 660 C2 is known a signal transmission system in which delivery of the articles to a receiving device is regulated dependent on the level of the latter device. The feed amount is regulated by interrupting the conveying stream for an interval of time, in order then to be switched on again for an interval of time.

Method for regulating a conveying stream composed of articles of the tobacco-processing industry between a tray discharger and a feed device with multiple feed units


The invention provides materials and methods relating to G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) oligomers. Complexes of two or more GPCRs associated with G-proteins are provided. Also provided are fusion proteins comprising a GPCR and a G-protein, nucleic acids, expression vectors and host cells. Methods of producing the complexes and fusion proteins of the invention are also provided.

GPCRs are one of the largest gene families in the human genome and have been the most tractable set of targets for the development of clinically effective, small molecule, medicines. It is estimated that of the drugs used clinically in man some 40% target GPCRs. There is thus great interest in the details of the structure, regulation and activation mechanisms of GPCRs as well as the downstream signalling cascades they control. The class A or rhodopsin-like family of GPCRs is by far the largest containing more than 80% of the total GPCR family members. More than 800 genes encoding GPCRs have been identified in the human genome sequencing programme but only some 25 of these are currently the target for clinically effective medicines. There is thus great potential to expand this and to find useful medicines that target recently identified GPCRs (Lee et al., 2001).
In the recent past, the concept that GPCRs exist as dimers has moved rapidly from hypothesis to clearly accepted (see Bouvier, 2001, Milligan, 2001, George et al., 2002 for reviews). Although homodimers (i.e. a dimer containing two copies of one individual GPCR) have been the best studied, growing evidence suggests that heterodimerisation (ie. the dimer consists of one molecule of each of two different GPCRs) both occurs and can have both functional and pharmacological sequelae (Devi, 2001, George et al., 2002). However, important questions remain in relation to the selectivity of formation of such heterodimers and how to monitor the function of a heterodimer in isolation when co-expression of two different GPCRs must also result in the production of homodimeric pairs. Given that many GPCRs are co-expressed in a single cell then it is likely that the complement of GPCR dimers in a cell is complex.
Studies have been carried out on the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B receptor (GABABR) (Duthey et al., 2002). This is an unusual GPCR because it is the only one known to date that needs two subunits, GB1 and GB2, to function. The GB1 subunit contains the GABA binding site but is unable to activate G-protein alone. GB2 does not bind GABA but does have the ability to activate G-proteins. Duthey et al. looked at the role of each subunit within the GB1-GB2 heteromer in G-protein coupling. The study included introducing mutations into both GB1 and GB2, particularly within the third intracellular loop. They determined that mutation to GB2 prevents G-protein activation, whereas a similar mutation to GB1 did not affect receptor function. Although interesting for the GABAB receptor, this study unfortunately does not provide any information on GPCRs where the same protein is responsible for both ligand binding and G-protein activation.
Further studies looked at the co-expression of a first mutant receptor which was defective in hormone binding and a second mutant receptor which was defective in signal generation. It was reported that co-expression of the two mutants rescued hormone-activated cAMP production (Lee et al., J. Biol. Chem. Vol. 277, No. 18, 2002; Osuga et al., J. Biol. Chem. Vol.272, No. 40, 1997).
However, although it is acknowledged that GPCRs are extremely important as potential drug targets, there does not exist a satisfactory screening assay which allows reliable data to be gathered about the functional properties, e.g. ligand binding properties, of potentially naturally occurring GPCR oligomers, particularly GPCR hetero-oligomers.

Materials and methods relating to G-protein coupled receptor oligomers

The University Court of the University of Glasgow


Various systems, device and automated processes allow video streaming hosts or other server devices to submit their media access control (MAC) addresses to a backend address server operating on a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. Client devices attempting to subsequently contact the server device can contact the address to obtain the MAC address of the target server, thereby allowing the client device to locate and contact the server device using the obtained MAC address.

Network communication continues to affect almost every aspect of modern life. In the home environment, for example, it is now commonplace for home appliances, security systems, entertainment devices, lights, thermostats, locks and many other devices to inter-communicate with each other and/or with network services on the Internet. Such devices are also commonplace in offices, factories, restaurants and other locations. Moreover, many people now carry portable computing devices such as mobile phones, tablets, etc. as they carry on their data (including video and other media) at home, work, travel and other places.
Often, it can be a substantial challenge to establish communications between devices even within a home or office environment. To provide just one example, media storage devices can be connected to a network either directly or through a host device to provide interaction with one or more client devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, computers or the like). A user may wish to direct a media storage device to store or retain a particular television program, for example, for later viewing. Finding the media storage device on a network, however, can be a substantial challenge, especially when the client device has not connected to the media storage device previously.
It is therefore desirable to create devices, systems and processes to improve network location and communication between devices operating within a home or other environment. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.

Locating network servers using media access control (MAC) addresses


The present invention provides an image photographing system, which permits a user to easily photograph images and place, orders for printing. A digital still camera is rented to the user with a prepaid card affixed thereto, the prepaid card serving to write the number of times into the digital still camera, and an image saving area dedicated to the user is opened on an image server connected to the Internet. After the user photographs images with the digital still camera, image data for images, which the user selects, is saved in the image data saving area via a portable apparatus, and the saved images can also be browsed therewith. When the user places an order for printing one of the saved images, the corresponding image data is sent to a print finishing dealer, and a photographic print is created.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image photographing system, and more particularly to an image photographing and ordering method for allowing a user to photograph images and to order prints, and an image photographing device which can be used with the image photographing and ordering method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital still cameras, which have rapidly spread in recent years, are structured so that each includes an imaging device such as CCD, an optical image is photographed by the imaging device, and that an analog image signal obtained by the photographing is converted into digital image data, which is thereafter stored in an information storage medium such as Smart Media card. A user can obtain a photographic print of high image quality by sending a photo lab the image data obtained by the photographing and requesting that it create the photographic print. Also, the user can easily record the image expressed by the image data, easily on paper or the like by using a printer, which he/she possesses.
One way in which the digital still camera is especially superior to a conventional camera, wherein a silver halide photographic film is exposed to an image so as to record the image, is that the photographed image can be reproduced and displayed on a display unit then and there, thereby to check whether or not the photographing was successful. It is an unavoidable fact, however, that an expensive LCD must be adopted as the display component for displaying the image, when reduction in the size of the digital still camera is considered. It has accordingly been difficult to provide a digital still camera, which is as inexpensive as a lensed film unit employing the silver halide photographic film.
Incidentally, there are some digital still cameras, which have attained sharp curtailment in cost by omission of the LCD. Since such a digital still camera cannot immediately reproduce and display a photographed image, however, the advantage of the digital still camera is lost and thus such digital still cameras do not meet the needs of most users.
Also, when the digital still camera uses a 64 MB Smart Media card as a recording medium, for example, as many as 198 images can be saved in the recording medium (in a case where each of the images consists of 1280×960 pixels and has a data amount of 312 kB). Since the recording medium is expensive as compared with the silver halide photographic film, however, an initial cost for photographing images with the digital still camera is high.
Further, in the case where the user sends the image data obtained by the photographing to the photo lab and requests that it creates the photographic prints, a separate recording medium is required in order to photograph further images with the digital still camera while the photographic prints are being created at the photo lab. Also, the user requires a personal computer (PC) or a printer in order to record the photographed images on paper or the like.
As stated above, the digital still camera itself is expensive as are the recording media and peripheral equipment, which are required in order to use the digital still camera. These factors have been obstacles to the popularization of digital still cameras, and it has been difficult for digital still cameras to meet the demands of users, such as a desire to be able to readily obtain a digital still camera and request printing of favorites from among the photographed images, as in the case of lensed film units.


A structure and method are provided to improve stability of a multi-window dense wavelength division multiplexers and to provide polarization-independent multi-window dense wavelength division multiplexers. In one embodiment, the coupler region of a multi-window wavelength division multiplexer (MWDM) is hermetically sealed in a protective casing to prevent moisture from affecting the passband wavelength drifting in the coupler. In one embodiment, the coupler is elastically twisted at the fused fiber portion to reach polarization cancellation. In another embodiment, the coupling region of the coupler is exposed to UV-radiation for passband wavelength adjustment. In yet another embodiment, a passive thermal compensation technique is used to minimize the thermal effect on the passband wavelengths for dense WDM applications. In a further embodiment, the coupler is mounted on the substrate using soft adhesives in conjunction with rigid adhesives, to improve mechanical shock protection.

The present invention relates to fused-fiber wavelength division multiplexers (WDM) and, in particular, to a multi-window dense WDM structure.
With existing fiber optic networks, there is often the need to increase information transmission capacity. However, both physical and economic constraints can limit the feasibility of increasing transmission capacity. For example, installing additional fiber optic cable to support additional signal channels can be cost prohibitive, and electronic system components may impose physical limitations on the speed of information that can be transmitted. The use of wavelength division multiplexers (WDMs) provides a simple and economical way to increase the transmission capacity of fiber optic communication systems by allowing multiple wavelengths to be transmitted and received over a single optical fiber through signal wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing. In addition, WDMs can be used in fiber optic communication systems for other purposes, such as dispersion compensation, noise reduction, and gain flatting, i.e., maintaining a uniform gain within the usable bandwidth for erbium doped amplifiers.
WDMs can be manufactured using, for example, biconical tapered fusion (BTF) technology. Typically, two optical fibers are fused together along an interior portion to form a fused-fiber coupler, so that light of two wavelengths (i.e., 1310 nm and 1550 nm) entering the input terminals of the first and second fibers, respectively, are multiplexed onto a single fiber. The coupling ratios for the two channels (the signals at 1310 nm and 1550 nm) exhibit complementary sinusoidal behavior for amplitude as a function of frequency within the passband of the WDM, with each channel having one or more peaks (or windows) within the passband. Information carried by the two signals along the single fiber is then demultiplexed at the WDM outputs. Light at 1550 nm is particularly desirable because minimal absorption is exhibited by optical fibers around this wavelength. Commercially available fused-fiber WDMs typically also couple and decouple light at 1550 nm and 980 nm and at 1550 nm and 1480 nm.
The principles of WDM can be extended to further increase data transmission capability by coupling additional discrete wavelengths or channels onto a single fiber using devices known as dense WDMs (DWDMs). DWDM is a one-to-N device, as shown in FIG. 1. Fused-fiber DWDM 10 may couple N discrete communication channels xcex1 through xcexN onto a single optic fiber xcex. For example, 8, 16, or even 32 discrete communication channels may be coupled onto a single optic fiber. However, because the usable bandwidth of the light is limited, increasing the number of wavelengths necessarily results in smaller channel separation between the discrete wavelengths. In general, smaller channel spacing can be achieved by increasing the length of the fused portion of a fused-fiber DWDM. However, decreasing channel spacing presents different types of problems, such as increased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations.
A DWDM may comprise several or a plurality of multi-window WDMs (MWDMs). An MWDM is a one-to-two device, as shown in FIG. 2. Light with wavelength xcex enters MWDM 20 which decouples wavelength xcex into two groups, one consisting wavelengths xcex1 to xcexNxe2x88x921 and one group consisting wavelengths xcex2 to xcexN, where N is an even number.
MWDMs have two or more peaks of amplitude as a function of frequency (or operational windows) for each channel within a passband. MWDMs can also be made using BTF technology by putting two optical fibers in parallel, fusing the center portion together, and pulling the fibers until a desired multi-window transmission spectrum appears at a monitored fiber output terminal.
Fused-fiber couplers generally exhibit polarization-dependent loss (PDL). This PDL is induced by the difference of two polarization-dependent coupling coefficients in the tapered regions of the coupler, where two optical fibers are fused together and elongated for optical power coupling. The cross-sectional shape of the tapered section is elliptical or dumbbell-shaped which produces birefringence along the tapered section.
FIG. 3 illustrates spectral transmitted ratios for two polarizations, e.g., x-polarization and y-polarization. Curve 30, representing, e.g., x-polarization, is shifted from curve 31, representing, e.g., y-polarization, in terms of wavelength. The difference of transmitted power for the two modes at the same wavelength xcex1 is defined as the PDL between x-polarization curve 30 and y-polarization curve 31. Curve 30 is shifted from curve 31 because the two principle polarizations x and y have different polarization coefficients. Hence, a light propagating along the x-polarization sees a different geometrical structure than a light propagating along the y-polarization, thus, a difference in the coupling strength. PDL is undesirable because it limits the system performance, e.g., less passbands and larger signal fluctuation.
One way to reduce the polarization sensitivity of BTF MWDM is to use longer pull length to reach optimum phase match condition between the propagation mode of light. Such a long-tapered-fusing technology is discussed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,190, entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus and Method of Making a Fused Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexerxe2x80x9d, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. However, methods of quenching the polarization sensitivity generally lead to an increased temperature sensitivity. In addition, this method requires longer pull length, which reduces the diameter of the tapered section and increases the chance of breakage.
Another method, a paper by I. J. Wilkinson and C. J. Rowe entitled xe2x80x9cClose-Spaced Fused Fibre Wavelength Division Multiplexers with Very Low Polarisation Sensitivityxe2x80x9d (the Wilkinson paper), Electronics Letters, vol. 26, No. 6, pp. 382-384, Mar. 15, 1990, describes how the polarization sensitivity (birefringence) of a wavelength multiplexing fused fiber 2xc3x972 coupler can be substantially nulled-out by elasticity twisting the coupler after its fabrication. However, this paper fails to provide precise wavelength spacing control during the device fabrication, which is critical to a MWDM. The precise control of channel spacing is critical because of the cumulative effect of channel spacing offset across the operating window. For example, if the first wavelength in an operating window, having n wavelengths, is set at a desired value precisely, an inaccuracy of dxcex in channel spacing will accumulate across the entire operating window, resulting in a significant offset of (nxe2x88x921)xc3x97dxcex for the last wavelength in the operating window. In addition, this paper also fails to provide peak position control during the device fabrication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,555 (the ""555 patent) entitled xe2x80x9cPolarization Insensitive Wavelength Multiplexing 2xc3x972 Fibre Couplers,xe2x80x9d by Fielding et al., added an additional step of requiring continuous monitoring of the twisting process to enable termination of the manufacturing process at a particular moment, i.e., providing a relatively high level of precision in the spectral positioning of the minimum and maximum power transfer wavelengths for one of the principal planes of polarization of the coupler. However, the method described in the ""555 patent is complicated and time consuming because a polarized light source and a polarization controller are required. In addition, this method requires numerous torching steps during the polarization adjustment process, thereby increasing the insertion loss of the device. Furthermore, due to the use of a single-wavelength light source, the actual channel spacing and the polarization states across the entire desired wavelength range of the MWDM are not measurable. Therefore, this method is only suitable for fabricating WDMs, not MWDMs.
A problem associated with the long-tapered couplers is that when the fiber is pulled longer and longer and the passband spacing becomes narrower, moisture on the surface of the fibers causes the passband wavelength to drift. The light wave is generally confined to the core region of an optic fiber which has a round core region, before it is stretched. However, when two fibers are fused and stretched, the core region of the optic fibers at the fused region becomes smaller. The light passing through the optic fibers now spreads to the entire cladding region which is in direct contact with air, rather than being confined to the core region of the optic fibers. Moisture, including organic or inorganic vapor, on the surfaces of the optic fibers, causes the boundary condition to change, which in turn causes the wavelength peak to drift, making the system unreliable. The wavelength drift caused by moisture is especially critical in a DWDM because DWDM has very narrow channel spacings. Therefore, a small amount of drift in the wavelength can cause the system to be unstable and unreliable.
An additional problem associated with a fused coupler WDM with narrow channel spacing is sensitivity to temperature fluctuations. As temperature increases in the fused-fiber WDM, the refractive index of the fused-fiber portion increases due to the refractive index dependence on the temperature of the fused silica, which is approximately 6xc3x9710xe2x88x926/xc2x0 C. This causes a longer optical path inside the coupling region of the WDM. These temperature-induced shifts normally do not adversely affect conventional wide-band WDMs, which typically have channel spacings of 50 nm or more. However, with DWDMs, typically having channel spacings of 1 nm or less, such wavelength shifts can pose significant problems with transmission performance.
One way to produce a fused coupler is to use a fusion machine to heat and stretch the fibers. A conventional fusion machine comprises two identical chucks, both sitting on slides. The chucks hold the optical fibers to be coupled while a torch heats the fibers held between the chucks. The fibers are then stretched and fused together. The output optical power or spectrum is monitored during the stretching and fusing process. The stretching and fusing process is terminated when a predetermined output is obtained. The conventional fusion machine is incapable of twisting the fused fibers.
Accordingly, a structure and method are desired which provide a reliable polarization-independent environmentally stable optical fiber narrow band multi-window wavelength division multiplexer based on BTF coupler technology.
The present invention provides a multi-window dense wavelength division multiplexer (MWDM) which improves stability and performance in MWDMs by utilizing biconical tapered fusion (BTF) coupler technology, elastic twisting, a hermetic seal, passive temperature compensation for the couplers, coupler mounting scheme, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure of the coupling region of the coupler and a method of making such a MWDM.
In accordance with the present invention, a pair of optic fibers is twisted along the coupling region after the fusion process to obtain a polarization-independent MWDM. The number of turns depends on the length of the fused coupling region and the wavelengths of the incoming light. By utilizing elastic twisting, a wider modulation envelope and more passbands of approximately equal amplitude with precise passband spacing are obtained. In one embodiment, the coupler is hermetically sealed to eliminate the wavelength drifting caused by moisture, allowing a stable MWDM to be produced.
A fusion machine is provided to perform the elastic twisting. The fusion machine comprises a fiber twisting device which includes a latch that locks a first chuck in a stationary position. The first chuck, together with a second chuck holds the fibers in place. The first chuck and the second chuck are positioned on the same plane so that the fibers are held in a horizontal position. The fiber twisting device and the second chuck are on sliders so that the distance between the first and the second chucks may be adjusted. The latch is released and turned so that the first chuck can be turned by turning a thumbwheel, until a predetermined polarization curve is obtained, i.e., by observing the output of a spectrum analyzer.
In one embodiment, the coupler is mounted on a substrate with a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the thermal expansion coefficient of the coupler to adjust the tension of the coupler, thus counteracting the intrinsic thermal drift of the coupler. In another embodiment, the coupler is mounted on the substrate using soft adhesives in conjunction with rigid adhesives, to improve mechanical shock protection.
In one embodiment, the coupling region of the coupler is exposed with UV radiation to change the refraction index of the coupling region, hence changing the passband wavelength of the coupler.
This invention will be more fully understood in light of the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings.

Polarization-independent, environmentally stable optical fiber narrow band multi-window wavelength division multiplexer based on biconical tapered fusion coupler technology


The improved phenol derivatives having a phenolic structure as part of the molecular backbone are produced by reacting condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, either individually or in combination with unsaturated cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons, with phenols in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts and have softening points of no more than 150.degree. C., number average molecular weights of 250-800 and phenolic hydroxyl equivalents of 140-850 g/eq. These phenol derivatives are useful either as starting materials for the manufacture of heat-resistant thermosetting resins or as modifiers thereof. They can be produced by reacting the indicated components in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts, typically a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride, at temperature of 0-350.degree. C.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to phenol derivatives having a phenol structure as part of the molecular backbone which are suitable for use as raw materials for the manufacture of heat-resistant thermosetting resins. The invention also relates to a process for producing such phenol derivatives.
2. Prior Art
Phenolic resins, urea resins and epoxy resins are well known thermosetting resins and because of their high heat resistance, good mechanical and electrical characteristics as well as good bonding properties, they are extensively used in various applications including adhesives, paints, semiconductor sealants, molding materials and binders. As the scope of their application is growing today, those thermosetting resins are required to satisfy more rigorous requirements for performance characteristics, particularly in terms of heat resistance, as well as water resistance and tenacity.
The heat resistance of most organic polymer materials is dependent on their molecular structure and it is generally held that the presence of aromatic and heterocyclic structures in their molecular backbone is advantageous for enhanced heat resistance. For example, Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. Hei 6-18835 proposes the use of naphthalene compounds having a vinyl benzyl ether group to improve the heat resistance of polyimide resins. Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (kokai) No. Hei 6-93086 teaches that cured products of lesser weight loss by heating can be obtained by curing naphthalene and p-xylylene glycol in the presence of an acid catalyst.
These approaches share the common feature of being an attempt to provide enhanced heat resistance by introducing a comparatively large aromatic ring compound into the molecular backbone. However, no technologies have yet been established that can prepare the starting materials (naphthalene compounds and p-xylylene glycol) in an industrially advantageous manner and it is critical to establish economical methods of synthesis or develop alternatives for those compounds.
A problem that has recently been addressed in the use of semiconductor resins typified by ortho-cresol novolak epoxy resins is that they are so hygroscopic as to crack when dipped in a solder bath. To solve this problem, improvements in heat and water resistance are needed. Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (kokai) No. Sho 61-293219 proposed the epoxidization of phenolic resins modified with dicyclopentadiene, and Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (kokai) No. Hei 6-263839 proposed the epoxidization of dicyclopentadiene-modified naphtholic resins. However, neither products of epoxidization are satisfactory in terms of heat and water resistance and further improvements in these characteristics are desired.
Conventional thermosetting resins have the disadvantage of being "hard and brittle" on account of their molecular structure. With a view to eliminating this difficulty, attempts are being made to incorporate an aliphatic ring structure or to have a two-dimensional crosslinked structure introduced as part of the molecular backbone. However, it is difficult in the state of the art to introduce these structures and yet insure the desired heat resistance.
The present invention has been accomplished under these circumstances of the prior art of thermosetting resins and has as an object providing a starting material for the manufacture of thermosetting resins with improved heat resistance that have a reactive phenolic structure and a heat-resisting condensed polycyclic aromatic structure, as well as a process for producing said starting material in an industrially advantageous manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide a starting material for the manufacture of thermosetting resins having resistance to heat and water, as well as tenacity, or a modifier for imparting these desirable characteristics, and a process for producing said starting material or modifier in an industrially advantageous manner.
The present inventors made various studies on the reaction for copolymerizing condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols and found that in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts, condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons easily reacted with phenols to provide copolymerization products having a phenolic structure and that by controlling the properties of those polymerization products, one could produce phenol derivatives in an industrially advantageous manner that had a phenolic structure as part of the molecular backbone and that were provided with suitable properties for use as starting materials for the manufacture of heat-resistant thermosetting resins. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of these findings. The present inventors also found that when phenols were reacted with both condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and unsaturated cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons, one could produce phenol derivatives having suitable properties for use as either starting materials or modifiers that would provide thermosetting resins improved in terms of not only heat resistance but also water resistance and tenacity.

Phenol derivatives and process for their production


The present application discloses intervertebral implants and methods of using the implants. The implants may include inferior and superior surfaces, and a sidewall that together form the body of the implant. An inner chamber is formed between the surfaces and the sidewall. An opening extends through the body to access the inner chamber. A cover plate is sized to extend across the opening. The cover plate is adjustable between an open position to access the inner chamber, and a closed position to prevent the bone growth material from escaping from the inner chamber.

The present invention relates generally to vertebral implants, and more particularly to intervertebral implants with covers that extend over an interior space.
The spine is divided into four regions comprising the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacrococcygeal regions. The cervical region includes the top seven vertebral members identified as C1-C7. The thoracic region includes the next twelve vertebral members identified as T1-T12. The lumbar region includes five vertebral members L1-L5. The sacrococcygeal region includes nine fused vertebral members that form the sacrum and the coccyx. The vertebral members of the spine are aligned in a curved configuration that includes a cervical curve, thoracic curve, and lumbosacral curve. Intervertebral discs are positioned between the vertebral members and permit flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation.
Various conditions may lead to damage of the intervertebral discs and/or the vertebral members. The damage may result from a variety of causes including a specific event such as trauma, a degenerative condition, a tumor, or infection. Damage to the intervertebral discs and vertebral members can lead to pain, neurological deficit, and/or loss of motion.
Various procedures include replacing the entirety or a section of a vertebral member, the entirety or a section of an intervertebral disc, or both. One or more replacement implants may be inserted to replace the damaged vertebral members and/or discs. The implants may further include bone growth material to facilitate fusion of the implant to one or both adjacent vertebral members. The implant should provide for housing the bone growth material, and prevent inadvertent removal of the material from the implant.

Intervertebral implants with covered inner chamber and methods of use