A zoom lens includes: a first lens group having positive refractive power; a second lens group having negative refractive power; a third lens group having positive refractive power; a fourth lens group having positive refractive power; a fifth lens group having negative refractive power; and a sixth lens group having positive refractive power. The first to sixth lens groups are arranged in order from an object side. A total length of the zoom lens varies when a lens position state varies from a wide end state to a telephoto end state. A focusing operation is performed through allowing the fifth lens group to travel along an optical axis in accordance with variation in a subject distance from infinite to a closer distance.

The present disclosure relates to a zoom lens and to an imaging apparatus that includes a zoom lens. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a zoom lens that is preferable as an imaging lens system in a digital camera system having an interchangeable lens, and is suitable for shooting of moving image, and relates to an imaging apparatus that includes such a zoom lens.
Recently, a digital camera system having an interchangeable lens has been widely used. In particular, demand has been moved to a so-called mirrorless digital camera that is a digital camera system having an interchangeable lens that includes no quick return mirror in a main body of the camera. For such a camera system, an imaging lens system has been desired that is more compact and has high optical performance. Such a camera system has a function of shooting a moving image. In order to perform automatic focusing during the shooting of a moving image, it is necessary to reduce a weight of a focusing group and to reduce variation in shooting angle of view resulting from the movement of the focusing lens group.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-271362 proposes a zoom lens system that is configured of a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group having positive refractive power, that are arranged in order from an object side. In this zoom lens system, a focusing operation is performed through allowing the second lens group to travel along an optical axis. However, in this case, the zoom lens system only has five lens groups that have spacings that are allowed to vary at the time of a zooming operation. Therefore, a traveling amount of each group increases. Accordingly, it is difficult to reduce a size of the zoom lens system. Moreover, a focusing operation is performed through allowing the second lens group as a whole to travel along the optical axis. Therefore, the second lens group has a large weight. Therefore, a driving actuator is increased in size, and also a lens barrel is increased in size. Moreover, when the zoom lens system is driven to perform the focusing operation at the time of shooting a moving image, etc., an issue may also arise that an amount of variation in a range of an angle of view to be shot increases.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-39560 proposes a zoom lens group that is configured of a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having positive refractive power, a fifth lens group having negative refractive power, and a sixth lens group having positive refractive power, that are arranged in order from an object side. In this zoom lens system, a focusing operation is performed through allowing the second lens group to travel along an optical axis. However, since the focusing operation is performed through allowing the second lens group as a whole to travel along the optical axis, the second lens group has a large weight. Therefore, a driving actuator is increased in size, and also a lens barrel is increased in size. Moreover, when the zoom lens system is driven to perform the focusing operation at the time of shooting a moving image, etc., an issue may also arise that an amount of variation in a range of an angle of view to be shot increases. Moreover, since all of the six lens groups travel with different loci at the time of the zooming operation, a mechanism that allows the lens groups to travel is complicated, and therefore, the lens barrel is increased in size.


A canopy lighting device comprising a body having a light source and a base that magnetically couples to the body. The body and the base can be located on opposite sides of a fabric sheet to magnetically clamp the lighting device to the fabric sheet. The base may have an energy source, first electrical connection features coupled electrically to the energy source, and first magnetic connection features. The body may have a light source, second magnetic connection features for cooperating with the first magnetic connection features to clamp the body to the bases and second electrical connection features. The second electrical connection features cooperate with the first electrical connection features of the base when the body and the base are clamped together.

1. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to lights and more particularly to outdoor lights for use with canopies such as tents, awnings, umbrellas and the like. The invention also relates to solar powered lights.
2. Background Information
Outdoor events and functions are popular. At such outdoor events and functions it is common place to erect some kind of canopy to provide shade and/or shelter for guests or participants. The canopy may be an awning, tent or umbrella. Many such events are held in the afternoon and the evening and progress through until after the sun has set and so the need to provide lighting is common place.
A number of solutions to providing lighting under canopies are available. Lighting systems that secure to poles and structural members of the canopy system are common place and well-known. However such lighting systems have two problems identified by the current applicants. Firstly, many modern canopy systems have large unsupported areas of fabric which means that light must be located around the outside of such areas and must be bright in order to illuminate the whole area. If one wishes to have dim lighting at an event or function a few large bright light located along structural members of a canopy is not necessary suitable. Secondly, such lights are normally located below the canopy and so shaded from sunlight. Such an arrangement normally excludes the use of solar power lights that can charge up during sunlight hours for illumination after the sun has set.


Computers and networks are configured to operate according to alternative protocols for using software applications, depending on geographic location. In one approach each computer incorporates a GPS receiver using GPS satellite signals to generate the computer's current location. The location is compared with permitted use region information stored in the computer or network, e.g. based on a boundary defining a permitted use region. In another approach, E-911 compliant transceivers use signals from E-911 towers in the same manner. In a further approach, each computer incorporates a WiFi adaptor, RFID reader or RFID tag, and the territory is defined by the distance from a center point. In all cases, the computer either operates under a relatively open protocol relative to using a given software application, or operates under a relatively restricted protocol, depending on whether it is inside or outside of the permitted use region.

The present invention relates to devices and methods for restricting access to and use of computer programs, and more particularly to preventing or limiting the use of computer programs based on processor location.
As techniques for storing and transmitting digital information continue to improve, it becomes increasingly convenient to generate and transmit complex computer programs and other large collections of digital data. This has enabled computer program developers and vendors to engage in high volume marketing of computer software through distribution of data storage media such as magnetic and optical discs, and electronically via the internet by allowing customers to download programs to their own computers.
This convenience, however, has increased the risk of unauthorized usage and theft of computer programs and related data. A variety of schemes have been developed to discourage or prevent unauthorized use of computer software. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,651 (Hasebe et al.) discloses a software charging system capable of controlling access to software based on time and date, credit balance of a user, and a digitally stored key that must be matched by the prospective user. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,469 (Horstmann), publishers of electronically distributed software can select software protection measures from among several software-based and hardware-based options.
The selected options are written to a license file attached to the software. When a user attempts to run the software, a protector module reads the license file and executes a code for each software protection option selected.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,626 (Luciano, Jr.) is directed to remote gaming and lottery systems accessible using cellular phones. The phones are configured to provide location information, equipped either to use the E-911 location system or GPS data. The caller's location is used to determine his or her jurisdiction, and thus ensure that the gaming activity complies with the gambling laws of that jurisdiction.
While these systems and others like them may are suitable for their intended purposes, there are a variety of applications that are not well served by these systems. For example, licensing and distributorship agreements governing or involving computer programs frequently include territorial restrictions on the use or sale of the computer programs. It would be advantageous to incorporate into the software a "self governing" feature to prevent or limit usage consistent with the territorial restriction. On a smaller scale, where computer programs are developed or tailored to the needs of a specific facility, e.g. a college campus or particular building, there may be contractual and safety reasons for limiting use of the programs to the particular facility. On a smaller scale yet, it may be decided to limit the usage and operability of particular software to a "territory" defined by a particular computer, or to the vicinity of one or more permitted users, in which case the "territory" may be movable.


Systems and methods for improving a search process by providing a visual guided search experience is provided. A networked system determines a location of a user device. A user interface (UI) is presented illustrating a map at a first level view of an area based on the location. The networked system receives, via the UI, a first touch input indicating a zoom selection. In response, the UI shows a second level view of the area that includes a plurality of nodes each representing a point of interest in the area. The second level view is a lower level view than the first level view. The networked system then receives, via the UI, a second touch input selecting a node of the plurality of node. In response to the selecting of the node, navigation information for a selected point of interest corresponding to the selected node is presented.

Conventionally, searches, and in particular searches for a destination, are text-based. That is, a searcher typically types in an address or name of a location that the searcher is interested in. However, text-based search systems suffer from disadvantages such as in international markets where language barriers of users (e.g., foreign travelers) or literacy problems are prevalent that make text-based search systems ineffective or difficult to use.

Visual search system for finding trip destination


A solenoid valve includes a coil, a yoke, a tubular stator housing, an armature, a valve element, a tubular valve body, and a supporting member. The valve element is displaceable with the armature for opening and closing a flow channel. The tubular valve body is provided inside the stator housing for slidably supporting the valve element. The supporting member is coupled with the stator housing. The valve body includes a flange portion that extends radially outwardly. The flange portion is provided between the stator housing and the supporting member along a longitudinal axis of the valve body. The yoke is coupled with the stator housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solenoid valve for controlling a flow amount of fluid.
2. Description of Related Art
The above type of a solenoid valve includes a valve portion and a solenoid portion. The valve portion includes a valve element that is slidably received in a tubular valve body, and a position of the valve element is controlled by a balance between an electromagnetic force and a spring force for opening and closing a flow channel. The solenoid portion drives the valve element by generating the electromagnetic force. The valve body of the valve portion is received in the solenoid portion, and a component of the solenoid portion is crimped such that the valve portion and the solenoid portion are integrated (see, for example, JP-A-2002-39420 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,166, JP-A-2003-106471 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,374).
However, in the above conventional solenoid valve, when the component of the solenoid portion is crimped, a load in a radial direction is applied to the valve body. As a result, a slide part of the valve body, which slide part slides with the valve element, may be deformed, and thereby the valve element may abnormally contact the slide part of the valve body disadvantageously. Also, the slide failure of the valve element may occur disadvantageously.
Alternatively, the valve body may be press fitted into the component of the solenoid portion to integrate the valve portion with the solenoid portion. However, in the above alternative case, the load in the radial direction is also applied to the valve body, and thereby the disadvantages similar to the above may occur.


A roller apparatus includes a rotating roller, a bushing frictionally supporting the rotating roller, a frame having a bushing hole into which a bushing is inserted and supporting the bushing, and a grounding member interposed between the bushing and the frame and grounding the bushing by press contacting with the bushing when the bushing is inserted into the bushing hole. Thus, the roller apparatus effectively grounds a bushing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a roller apparatus, and more particularly, to a roller apparatus to effectively ground a bushing thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a roller apparatus has a roller main body of a cylindrical shape. The roller mail body rotates around a centering line and feeds object media in a tangential direction of the roller main body by a frictional force between the object media and the roller main body.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional roller apparatus 101. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the roller apparatus 101 has a roller 110, a frame 130, a bushing 120 and a grounding member 140. The roller 110 is frictionally supported on the bushing 120, and the frame 130 has a bushing hole 132 through which the bushing 120 passes. The frame 130 has a reinforcement part 136 extended around the bushing 120 to an axial direction P of the roller 110 and a supporting rib 134 spaced from the reinforcement part 136 and extended to the axial direction of the roller 110. The bushing 120 is inserted into the bushing hole 132 to rotatably support the roller 110.
The grounding member 140 grounds the bushing 120 by contacting the bushing 120. The grounding member 140 is connected with a grounding terminal (not shown). As the roller 110 frictionally contacts the bushing 120, the roller 110 makes friction with the bushing 120 to create static electricity between the roller 110 and the bushing 120 as the roller 110 rotates. The grounding member 140 prevents damage or malfunction of the roller apparatus 101 due to static electricity by grounding the bushing 120.
The grounding member 140 is formed of an elastic material. A first side of the member 140 is interposed between the bushing 120 and the reinforcement part 136 of the frame 130, and a second side of the member 140 is positioned to be pressed by the supporting rib 134. As the second side of the grounding member 140 is pressed to the axial direction P by the supporting rib 134, the first side of the grounding member 140 is elastically deformed to contact the bushing 120.
However, because in the conventional roller apparatus 101, the grounding member 140 is pressed by the supporting rib 134 and contacts the bushing 120 by the elastic force, a contact area with respect to the bushing 120 is small, and a contact force lowers, which requires high precision molding. If the elastic force of the grounding member 140 lowers, the supporting rib 134, the frame 130 or the bushing 120 is deformed thermally because of temperature or fatigue, and then the bushing 120 and the reinforcement 136 are separated such that the grounding member 140 may not contact the bushing 120.
Also, as the grounding member 140 is pressed to the axial direction P by the supporting rib 134, the bushing 120 is displaced toward the axial direction P, and accordingly, a position of the roller 110 may change.


A compressor, which is mounted to a gas turbine and generates high temperature and high pressure compressed air and supplies the compressed air to a combustor, the compressor including: a plurality of main disks provided on an outer circumferential surface of a rotation shaft along a circumferential direction, and spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals such that a portion of the compressed air flows toward the rotation shaft; and a reinforcing disk mounted to each space defined by the plurality of main disks spaced apart from each other, the reinforcing disk having the rotation shaft in common with the main disks, and being provided with a passage formed in a direction from an outer circumferential surface thereof toward the rotation shaft.

The present disclosure relates generally to a compressor being mounted to a gas turbine and generating high temperature and high pressure compressed air to supply the compressed air to a combustor, and a gas turbine having the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a compressor that is structurally reinforced and is configured to improve internal extraction pressure drop reduction performance, and a gas turbine having the same.
Generally, a gas turbine engine is a kind of rotary internal combustion engine that rotates the turbine to obtain torque by the expansion of high temperature and high pressure combustion gas.
In other words, the air with increased pressure by dynamic pressure is pressurized again with a compressor and made into high temperature gas at 800 to 1200° C. in the combustion chamber, then the gas expands in the turbine up to a pressure ratio at which the required output of the compressor can be obtained, and it is ejected at a high speed through the jet nozzle at the remaining pressure to obtain the propulsion.
The gas turbine includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine.
The air flowing in from an air inlet is compressed by the compressor into high temperature and high pressure compressed air. The fuel is supplied to the compressed air by the combustor and the mixture is combusted.
The high temperature and high pressure combustion gas drives the turbine, and drives a generator connected to the turbine.
In the turbine, a plurality of stator blades and rotor blades are alternately arranged and formed in the compartment, and the output shaft to which the generator is connected is rotationally driven by driving the rotor blades by the combustion gas. Further, the combustion gas having driven the turbine is converted to a static pressure by the diffuser of the exhaust compartment and then released to the atmosphere.
A gas turbine has recently been required to have higher output and higher efficiency, and the temperature of combustion gas induced by stator and rotor blades tends to increase gradually. Therefore, in general, a cooling passage is formed inside the stator and the rotor blades, and a cooling medium such as air or steam flows in the cooling passage to cool these stator and rotor blades so as to secure heat resistance, and at the same time, the combustion gas temperature is increased and the output and efficiency of the gas turbine are increased by achieving high temperature of the combustion gas.
Thereby, the compressor disk of a gas turbine limits the surface roughness of the contact surface to a predetermined range, and the shaking tolerance of the contact surface is also limited to a predetermined range. In addition, the tolerance of the interference fit when assembling each disk is limited to a predetermined range.
Further, the compressor disk of gas turbine with a predetermined structure is manufactured to achieve various purposes mentioned above.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, a de-swirler type vortex reducer structure using a vane may be applied to the compressor disk of a gas turbine.
In this case, only the circumferential velocity component of the cooling air is reduced, and there is a limit to the reduction of the pressure drop.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a tube type vortex reducer structure may be applied to the compressor disk of a gas turbine. In this case, it is structurally vulnerable.

Compressor having reinforcing disk, and gas turbine having same

Doosan Heavy Industries Construction Co., Ltd


The invention is a method which deliberately applies exaggerated features (22,32) on the photo-image used to pattern the lead frame for etching. The resulting etched leads (20,25,29) will have a flat to concave shape at the end of the lead tips (23,26,30), which can be used to "self-center" wire bond paths, eliminating the slung wire tendency altogether, provided the wire path crosses the lead tip within the concave shape region.

Wire bonding processes, especially on Lead-Over-Chip (LOC) devices, are sensitive to the shape of the lead tip, leading to a significant frequency of "slung wires" which in turn can lead to yield loss and impaired reliability of the assembled IC's. In the case of LOC devices, the stitch bond to the lead tip is substantially above the plane of the chip/ball bond, resulting in a loop shape as the bond capillary approaches the second or stitch bond to the lead finger. When this loop touches the end of the lead, there is a strong tendency for the wire to be deflected laterally just prior to capillary touchdown, resulting in a slung wire. "Slung wire" is a term used to describe an IC assembly fault resulting from a lateral deflection of the interconnection wire from its intended path. Reduced clearance between adjacent wires are potential performance and reliability problems. If the lead tip is rounded, as is generally the case with chemically etched lead frames, the slung wire probability is greatly increased. Conventional methods of designing photomasks to produce etched lead frames cannot eliminate this rounding tendency, especially as lead pitch or center to center distances become smaller to accommodate higher density devices.
Production of lead frames by stamping, as opposed to chemical etching, results in lead tips that are cut square, reducing the tendency to have deflected or slung wires at assembly. This, however is cost justified only on stable high volume designs with adequate product life. Many new and high density products are not well suited to immediate conversion to stamping, so an etch solution is desirable.
Other conventional solutions involve very special and sometimes complex wire loop paths, which can imply more gold wire consumption and reduced productivity.

Method of forming flat inner lead tips on lead frame


An internal core is separated along a horizontal plane delineated at the transition point between the tapered wall portion and the parallel wall portion of the core to divide the core into a tapered wall component part manufactured by a WEDM process to obtain the desired shape and configuration and a parallel wall component part manufactured by a right angle milling or WEDM with a right angle manufacturing process to obtain the desired shape and configuration. The tapered and parallel wall component parts are joined together to form the desired internal core.

It is known in injection molding to utilize an internal core in the mold tool to achieve the desired shape and configuration of a part made with the injection molding process. The manufacturing of the internal core is a highly complex and relatively expensive process. The core is typically designed as one piece with a large height to accommodate steps in the depth of the core profile to create the functional stops for moving tool elements in the injection mold tool. The functional stops and operation of moving tool elements with the core are used to create the desired undercuts and angles of the injection molded part and are well known and understood in the art. In order to achieve the desired profile of the one-piece internal core, a combination of manufacturing processes are used. Such used manufacturing processes are for example wire cutting such as wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) and electric discharge machining (EDM) which are well known and understood to those skilled in the art. The manufacture of the one piece internal core is accomplished with two production processes in a sequential fashion such as for example WEDM for tapered portions of the core and conventional milling or EDM at right angles to the main axis of the core for the relatively parallel portions of the internal core. The manufacture of large height internal cores is not satisfactory due to the complexity and expense associated with the multiple combination of manufacturing processes that are carried out on the core stock to achieve the desired internal core shape and configuration.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an internal core that overcomes the drawbacks and disadvantages associated with the manufacture of prior art internal cores.

Method for manufacturing an internal core for injection mold tool


Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for nylon (NY). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various NY surfaces.

Nylon is a polyamide fiber developed in the 1930's having a wide range of applications. There are several different versions of these "nylons", which include various polyamides made using mono- or diacid and mono- or diamine monomers. The numbers usually appended to the "nylon" or "PA" part refer to the number of carbons in the reactive monomer.
All grades of nylon possess toughness and resiliency and have high fatigue strength. Resistance to oils and hydrocarbon solvents is also good. Almost all formulations are also self-extinguishing and retain stable mechanical properties at temperatures from −75° F. to above 225° F. They are widely used for latches, cams, gears, and many other moving parts due to their excellent abrasion and impact resistance. Nylon is also available in a variety of cast forms and mobdylidenum disulphide filled grades (Nylatron® GS). Most commercially available nylon fibres are based upon PA66, PA6, or a copolymer based upon those two nylons. Nylon fibres are used in a number of textile applications, most often in (1) as s outerwear (2) high strength textiles such as parachutes and tyres, (3) industrial fabrics, and (4) other high-strength fabric applications. The largest application worldwide for nylon yarn (or fibers) is as the face yarn of carpeting.
The ubiquitous use of NY in industry makes it a prime material candidate for a variety of applications where the NY comprises some or all of a surface. One of the drawbacks to using NY as surface is that materials that bind to NY are specific and lack flexibility as binding agents. So for example where a new coating for NY is desired, a new search for a NY binding molecule with the desired property must be conducted. The resulting search is costly in both time and resources and not guaranteed to be successful. A system that is flexible and can be easily tailored for a variety of materials to be bound to NY is needed. The use of peptides as linkers or binders to NY offers some potential in this regard.
Peptides having a binding affinity to polymer and plastic surfaces are known. For example, Adey et al., (Gene 156:27-31 (1995)) describe peptides that bind to polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride surfaces. Additionally, peptides that bind to polyurethane (Murray et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0098524), polyethylene terephthalate (O'Brien et al., copending and commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0054752), and polystyrene, polyurethane, polycarbonate, and nylon (Grinstaff et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0185870) have been reported. However, the use of such peptides to target NY surfaces has not been described.
There remains a need therefore for a peptide based reagent that binds NY that offers flexibility in bring a wide variety of materials to the NY surface with minimum investment in redesign. Applicants have solved the stated problem by providing peptide reagents comprising NY binding peptides (NYBP). The NY binding peptides of the invention may be modified with other functional or binding peptides allowing for the delivery of benefit agents to the NY surface or for the use of the reagents to adhere NY containing surfaces.

Nylon binding peptides and methods of use


The present disclosure, pertaining to the field of computer Internet, discloses a browser kernel adaptation method and a browser therefor. The method includes: receiving, by a browser, a request for browsing a page from a user; acquiring, by the browser, information of the page from a server according to the request, and determining the type of the page according to the information of the page; and selecting, by the browser, a browser kernel according to the type of the page, and processing the request by using the selected browser kernel. The browser includes: a receiving module, a determining module, and a selecting module. The present disclosure implements an automatic adaptation function of the browser kernel during page browsing, and solves the problem that the browser kernel in the prior art cannot be automatically adapted.

During browsing web pages by using the browser on a mobile terminal, syntax of the web page is interpreted and the web page is rendered by the kernel of the browser. The browser kernel refers to a rendering engine employed by the browser, and the rendering engine determines displaying of web page content and format information of the page. Different browser kernels interpret the web page design syntax differently, and therefore, different rendering effects may be achieved for the same web page in the browsers with different kernels.
Currently, commonly used browser kernels include: the kernel provided by the developer of the browser, the kernel provided by the mobile terminal where the browser is installed, and the kernel of background transfer, which may also be considered as a cloud kernel. The browser of a current mobile terminal generally uses a default browser kernel to perform various operations, for example, the kernel provided by the developer of the default browser. In this case, the browser kernel is fixed, and cannot be automatically adapted during web page browsing by a user, thereby affecting user experience in using the browser.

Browser kernel adaptation method and browser therefor

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A wireless communication system includes a wearable device transmitting advertising packet data, a vehicle, and a smart apparatus. The vehicle receives the advertising packet data, connects with the wearable device if a user is present in the vehicle, and transmits set packet data to the smart apparatus. The smart apparatus receives the advertising packet data, connects with the wearable device if the user is not present in the vehicle, and receives the set packet data to disconnect the wearable device.

With development of technologies of a smartphone and Internet of Things (IoT), various wearable devices have been recently released. The wearable devices are connected with other wireless communication devices or Internet by using low-power wireless communication schemes.
The wearable devices using the low-power wireless communication schemes may be connected with other wireless communication devices by a user setting or a driver's setting (configuration) or may be synchronized with communication devices.

Wireless communication system, vehicle, smart apparatus, and controlling method thereof


The present invention provides a device for metered administration of an injectable product including a base section, a container, a drive unit including a driven member projecting into the container, and a metering device for setting the path length of displacement of the driven member in relation to the base section upon actuation of the drive unit, wherein the metering device includes a first and second metering structure.

The invention relates to injection devices and, more particularly, to an injection device for providing for the metered administration of an injectable product.
EP 0 298 067 B1 discloses an injection pen comprising a dual chamber ampoule (or ampule). The pen comprises a base section, a container accommodated by said base section, a drive unit and a metering device. A product dose is dispensed from the container through a needle by advancing in forward direction a piston arranged in said container. The drive unit comprises a driven member projecting into the container, displacing the piston in forward direction upon actuation of the drive unit. The length of the stroke, by which the driven member is displaced in forward direction of the piston in relation to the base section upon actuation of the drive mechanism, is set by means of the metering device. The base section is an enclosure surrounding the container, the drive unit and the metering device. The device, and others generally similar to it, is used for injection or infusion of a generally liquid drug solution.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an injection device for metered administration of an injectable product, such as a liquid drug solution, in particular a medical or cosmetic drug solution such as insulin, wherein the device is configured as simply as possible and is as short in length as possible.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a device for metered administration of an injectable product including a base section, a container, a drive unit including a driven member projecting into the container, and a metering device for setting the path length of displacement of the driven member in relation to the base section upon actuation of the drive unit, wherein the metering device includes a first and second metering structure arranged in the container, the second being adjustable in relation to the first, and wherein metering is effected by interaction of the first and second metering structures.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a device comprising a base section, a container accommodated by said base section, a drive unit and a metering device. A product dose is dispensed from the container through a needle by advancing in forward direction at least one piston arranged in said container. The drive unit comprises a driven member projecting into the container, which displaces the piston in forward direction upon actuation of the drive unit. The length of the stroke, by which the driven member is displaced in forward or dispensing direction of the piston in relation to the base section upon actuation of the drive mechanism, is set by means of the metering device.
The base section is preferably an enclosure substantially, but not necessarily, surrounding the container, the drive unit and the metering device. The device is used for injection or infusion of a generally liquid drug solution, preferably a medical or cosmetic liquid. In particular and preferably, the invention refers to a portable device, a so-called injection pen.
According to the invention, at least a first metering means and at least a second metering means, the second one being adjustable in relation to the first, are provided in the container, and metering is effected by interaction of the first and second metering means within the container.
According to the invention, the space of the container located behind the piston, when looked at in forward direction, is used for accommodating the metering means of the metering device. The overall length may be shortened by providing a container that projects at least somewhat over the piston at the rear. This is particularly the case in multi-chamber ampoules in which several in-line chambers are separated from each other by pistons and are closed by a rear piston. Owing to the fact that generally the rear piston is pushed against the front piston(s) for mixing the chamber contents prior to the first injection, a free rear container space is compulsorily or customarily generated.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, i.e. in a device comprising said multi-chamber ampoule, the free container space is used for arranging the metering means of the metering device, preferably the complete metering device. In addition, a reduction in components is achieved if the mixing member known per se in such devices, mixing being accomplished according to the prior art by driving the rear piston forward for mixing the chamber contents, is simultaneously formed as a carrier of at least one metering means, thus becoming a component of the metering device.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first metering means""s provided at such a mixing member, and the second metering means is directly provided at the driven member. In this embodiment, metering is directly effected between the two components of the device moved in relation to each other for advancing the piston. The mixing member may be configured as a mixing rod and in this design would be surrounded by the driven member, designed as a driven sleeve. Preferably, however, the mixing member is designed as a mixing sleeve and/or a mixing tube, and surrounds the driven member, thus obtaining the structure of both the drive unit and the metering device.
The metering device is preferably arranged between two components of the metering device projecting into the container, similar to a coulisse guiding.
In one embodiment, the coulisse or link guide system is preferably formed by a recess within the area of an internal circumferential face of the sleeve component and an engaging cam. The recess comprises the first metering means, and the cam the second. In a preferred embodiment, the recess forms a guide channel for the cam.
The components of the metering device, at which the first metering means is formed, may be simply produced in that the recess may be generated by joining several cylindrical bodies, wherein at least one of these bodies is a hollow cylinder or bowl-shaped, respectively. Preferably both bodies are designed as sleeve bodies or bowl-shaped bodies.
A stepped recess is obtained by two cylindrical bodies comprising stepped front faces. Two bowl-shaped bodies may be inserted in-line in forward direction in a third sleeve body, thus forming the stepped recess between them.
Metering by means of an adjusting spindle, however, could also be provided. The spindle drive for metering would be formed by the component comprising the first metering means plus an additional adjusting sleeve, simultaneously acting as a straight guide for the driven member. Said metering mechanisms are known per se in injection pens, but prior to the present invention, they have not been located or arranged within a container of an injection pen.
In one embodiment of the invention, the component of the metering device, at which the first metering means is formed, preferably a mixing member, may be used simultaneously as a transfer member, transferring a forward movement of the driven member to the container. This dual function is applied in so-called auto-injection devices, in which the container is displaced into a frontal position in relation to the base section for inserting the hypodermic needle which is usually firmly attached to the container.
Other objects, features, embodiments and advantages of the device and method of the present invention will become more fully apparent and understood with reference to the following description and appended drawings and claims.

Device for metered administration of an injectable product


A light source arrangement for substantially enhaning the lighting intensity of the light beams emitted from the light source therefore includes a lens body and an illumination unit. The lens body has an illumination portion defining a light projecting surface and at least a diffraction portion defining a light diffraction surface inclinedly extended at a diffraction angle, wherein a diffraction density of the illumination portion is different from that of the diffraction portion. The illumination unit is covered by the lens body for radially generating light towards the illumination portion. When the light reaches the light diffraction surface of a diffraction portion at an angle larger than the diffraction angle, the light is substantially reflected at the light diffraction surface back towards the light projecting surface, such that the light from the illumination unit is converged to project at the light projecting surface of the lens body.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a lens, and more particularly to a projection lens which is capable of effectively converging, by virtue of a predetermined pattern of diffraction, diverging light beams emitted from a single light source, such as a LED, to form a high intensity, coherent and high quality light effect having an accurate projection angle.
2. Description of Related Arts
LED (Light Emitting Diode) has been widely utilized as an efficient and comparatively economical light source for providing illumination in different surrounding circumstances. For example, a plurality of LEDs may be electrically connected to form rope light, indication light source, Christmas light string, advertisement sign board, and etc. Different combinations of LEDs of differing colors may be arranged in a particular manner such that numerous light effects can be generated for differing applications.
Over the years, engineers have been actively resolving about the limitations of conventional LEDs in an attempt to maximize the applications thereof. For example, they have developed some kinds of light holders which can convert the point of light sources into a single line source. As a result, various practical applications which are traditionally performed by expensive and non-reliable light sources, such as advertisement signs and interior/exterior decoration lighting, have been gradually replaced by LEDs applications.
In some other cases, a reflective layer is coated on the light holder so that the illumination provided by the LEDs in that particular light holder would be of improved quality and intensity. It is expected that, given the fierce competition in commercial world, the chasing for more economical yet better quality illumination devices would not stop. However, such reflection coating surface merely can provide limited effect and generally has to position behind the LED. In fact, for lighting intensity enhancement, a projection lens in front of the light source is more preferable than a reflection surface behind the light source. Moreover, during the electrolytic coating process of the reflective surface, environmental pollutants, waste water and other poisonous materials are produced too.

Projection lens for light source arrangement


A semiconductor chip able to reduce wasteful power loss due to a margin of power supply voltage considering variation of characteristics. A voltage setting signal for setting the power supply voltage to be supplied to a target circuit is generated in a voltage controller in the semiconductor chip based on a delay time of a delay signal of a replica circuit with respect to a clock signal. The maximum value of power supply voltage set by the voltage setting signal is restricted to the maximum value of the power supply voltage determined based on variations in production of the semiconductor chip. Accordingly, even when the value of the power supply voltage set based on the delay signal exceeds the maximum value due to the margin set considering the variation of characteristics, the voltage setting of the voltage setting signal output to the external power supply is restricted to the maximum value, so wasteful power loss can be suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor chip having a monitor circuit for finding a critical path delay characteristic of a target circuit subjected by power supply voltage control, more particularly relates to technology for adaptively controlling a power supply voltage supplied to a target circuit LSI so as to reduce the power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in semiconductor circuits, it has been attempted to lower the power supply voltage so as to lower the power consumption. The reason is that an AC component of the consumed power of a semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI) is proportional to the square of the power supply voltage (V2), so lowering the power supply voltage would be the most effective for lowering the power consumption of an LSI.
From such a viewpoint, in recent years, the method of dynamically controlling the power supply voltage with respect to the operating frequency of the LSI, process variations, and temperature changes so as to adaptively supply the minimum voltage enabling LSI operation has been reported.
As an example of realization of such adaptive power supply voltage control, it is known to mount a replica circuit for imitating a delay corresponding to the critical path of a target circuit on the same chip as the target circuit subjected by the power supply voltage control (see for example Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-216338, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-295084, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-100967).
In those methods, the period of the clock signal supplied to the target circuit and the delay value of the replica circuit are compared and the power supply voltage is controlled so that the delay value of the replica circuit fits in an operation clock cycle.
Summarizing the disadvantages to be solved by the invention, usually, produced LSIs feature various variations in characteristics. For example, individual LSIs will differ in the relationship between the power supply voltage Vdd supplied to the LSIs and the maximum clock frequency fclk-max at which the operation of the LSIs is guaranteed.
FIG. 6 is a graph of examples of the relationship between the power supply voltage Vdd and the maximum clock frequency fclk-max. In FIG. 6, an abscissa indicates the power supply voltage Vdd, and an ordinate indicates the maximum clock frequency fclk-max.
A curve C1 shows the characteristic of a high speed LSI having the highest operating speed within the range of variation of characteristics. A curve C3 shows the characteristic of a low speed LSI having the lowest operation speed in this range of variation. A curve C2 shows the representative characteristic in this range of variation.
As shown in FIG. 6, in general, the maximum clock frequency fclk of a circuit tends to rise as the power supply voltage Vdd becomes higher. For this reason, when the same power supply voltage is given, an LSI having the characteristic of the curve C1 can be operated at a high speed at a clock frequency higher than LSIs having the characteristics of the curves C2 and C3.
When viewing this relationship for the same clock frequency, an LSI able to perform high speed operation becomes able to perform the operation at a power supply voltage lower than an LSI of a low speed. For example, in FIG. 6, in the case of a clock frequency f1, an LSI having the characteristic of the curve C3 requires a power supply voltage larger than the voltage V3 at the minimum, but LSIs having the characteristics of the curves C1 and C2 can operate at power supply voltages of as low as the voltages V1 and V2 smaller than that.
In general, since LSIs have such variations in characteristic, usually, in any sample, the operation of the LSI is guaranteed by supplying a power supply voltage the same as the voltage V3 or higher in a fixed manner.
As opposed to this, according to the above mentioned technique of controlling the power supply voltage in accordance with the delay characteristic of the target circuit as determined by the replica circuit, the power supply voltage of an LSI having a high speed characteristic can be suppressed lower than the power supply voltage of an LSI having a low speed characteristic. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced further in comparison with the method of supplying a fixed power supply voltage.
Along with the reduction in the design rule and the increase in wafer size in recent years, however, not only the variation between different semiconductor wafers and the variation in the same wafer, but also local variation of characteristics in the same chip have become conspicuous. Namely, even in the same chip, non-ignorable deviations occur in the characteristics of transistors formed at different positions due to minute fluctuations in the production conditions.
Such variation of characteristics in the same chip occurs also between the replica circuit and the target circuit. Therefore, when controlling the power supply voltage by using a replica circuit, it is necessary to consider the amount of such variation in characteristics.
FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a range of operation power supply voltage taking into account a local difference of characteristics between the target circuit and the replica circuit.
The range of power supply voltage in which normal operation is guaranteed in a target circuit covered by power supply voltage control becomes a range from the low limit voltage V1l to the high limit voltage V1h if considering only local variation of characteristics of the target circuit itself. Contrary to this, the range of power supply voltage when considering the local variation of characteristics of the replica circuit as well becomes a range from the low limit voltage Vrl to the high limit voltage Vrh, that is, is shifted to the high voltage side in comparison with the range from the low limit voltage V1l to the high limit voltage V1h. To prevent malfunctions in the target circuit due to shortage of the supplied voltage, it is necessary to set the low limit voltage Vrl to a voltage the same as the high limit voltage Vlh or higher.
FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the range of operating power supply voltage taking into consideration the local difference of characteristics between the target circuit covered by the power supply voltage control and the replica circuit for LSIs having characteristics of the curves C1 to C3 shown in FIG. 6.
The voltage V3 indicates a power supply voltage required for normally operation of the target circuit of the LSI having the lowest speed characteristic at the clock frequency f1. When using this circuit while fixing the clock signal at the frequency f1, by supplying even the power supply voltage of this voltage v3, normal operation of the target circuit is guaranteed. In the example of FIG. 8, in the LSIs from the middle speed to the high speed having the characteristics of the curves C1 and C2, even if taking into consideration the local difference of characteristics, the maximum value Vrh of the power supply voltage determined from the delay characteristic of the replica circuit will never exceed this voltage V3.
When the LSI has a relatively low speed characteristic, however, the maximum value Vrh of the power supply voltage determined from the delay characteristic of the replica circuit may become larger than the voltage V3. In such a case, in comparison with the method of supplying a fixed power supply voltage of the voltage V3, the disadvantage arises that the power consumption rather increases.
For example, in the case of the lowest speed LSI having the characteristic of the curve C3, an excess voltage (Vrh–Vrl) corresponding to the variation of characteristics of the replica circuit is added to the voltage V3, therefore a wasteful voltage loss due to this excess voltage is induced.


A method and apparatus for automating microscopic analysis of a plurality of data-encoded microscope slides. In embodiments, the data written to or read from the slides may comprise images, analysis protocols, analytic results and other pertinent data. Embodiments also encompass a magazine that contains a plurality of data encoded slides.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system for reading microscope slides in an automated fashion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional biomedical microscopy generally has entailed laborious preparation of samples from a patient onto microscope slides followed by the sequential evaluation of each slide by a microscopist to determine if the patient samples indicate a biomedical condition. The process of evaluating slides is not only costly, but expends valuable time delaying treatment of biomedical maladies that may be detected.
One means for improving the efficiency of microscopy is to automate the process of presenting the slides for analysis under the microscope. A possible approach to this automation is taught by Georges in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,248,498 and 4,367,915, both entitled Automatic Microscope Slide. The mechanism disclosed there includes the microscope slides removably housed in a storage magazine, and a first actuator mechanism which removes each slide, in succession, from the magazine. The slide thus removed is directly positioned for microscopic viewing by an XYZ stage. After viewing, the slide is automatically replaced to its original position in the slide magazine by a second actuator. The magazine is repositioned for access to the next slide, to be examined, and the process is repeated. The identification of the slide is determined solely by its location in the magazine. Any data associated with a given slide is separately recorded and associated with the slide only by means of reference to the slide's address location in the magazine. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,248,498 and 4,367,915 do not address means for uniquely identifying slides which are not placed in their assigned locations or insuring linkage of the slide with its separately recorded data. Further, the location of regions of interest on the slide are not directly addressable; position data is only determinable for the slide holder.


Disclosed is a method for supplying a program-aided information system with specific location information, in which the information system provides at least one selection of certain location-dependent information on the basis of a person-specific or object-specific location which is detectable by a sensor.

The present invention relates to a method for supplying a program-aided information system with specific positional information, in which the information system provides at least one selection of certain positional information on the basis of a person-specific or object-specific position which is detectable by a sensor.
Such type methods are based on program models for handling positional information in computer programs, which provide their users information based on where they are currently located or where they will be located in the future. In these computer programs, users receive exactly that information they actually require at the time and at the location where the respective need arises.
The dimension "location" therefore takes on an essential aspect by means of which supplying users with information is optimized in such type computer programs. This aspect plays a significant role in various ways. For instance, users' need for certain information is, for example, dependent on where the user him/herself is located. Certain information is only needed at certain locations. Furthermore, the information itself which can be potentially provided to a user may in some cases be related to a location, i.e. it is relevant only for certain locations or it possesses at a certain location greater information content for the users. Even communication media, which employ such computer programs to provide a user with the desired information are dependent on where the user is located.
Therefore, such type computer programs must be able to process positional information in connection with users' information needs, the information itself, the communication media and finally with the current and future locations of the users and of other relevant objects. For this purpose, sensor systems are needed that are able to locate persons and objects. The information supplied by these sensors must also be representable and processable.

Method for supplying a program-aided information system with specific positional information

Abstract: The present invention is distinguished by the combination of the following steps:                detection of positional data for a person-specific or object-specific location by a sensor,        transformation of said sensor-detected positional data into a location representing form, which is associated with a reference system, within which said positional data can be spatially attributed, as well as being associated with a hierarchical structure,        combination of said location representing forms in a location set and/or in form of positional vectors in which said positional data of at least two locations are linked in a prescribed order, and/or        formation of location relations and/or positional vector relations between the locations, persons or objects within so-called positioned location sets, and        application of operations for determining the matching of locations as a basis of generating or providing location-dependent person-specific or object-specific information.

Franuhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.


The invention provides an article of manufacture comprising a substantially non-immunogenic ligament or tendon heterografts for implantation into humans. The invention further provides a method for preparing an ligament heterograft by removing at least a portion of an ligament from a non-human animal to provide a heterograft; washing the heterograft in saline and alcohol; subjecting the heterograft to at least one treatment selected from the group consisting of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, immersion in alcohol, ozonation, freeze/thaw cycling, and optionally to chemical crosslinking. In accordance with the invention the heterograft has substantially the same mechanical properties as the native xenogeneic ligament.

The anterior cruciate ligament of the knee (hereinafter the ACL) functions to resist anterior displacement of the tibia from the femur at all flexion positions. The ACL also resists hyperextension and contributes to rotational stability of the fully extended knee during internal and external tibial rotation. The ACL may play a role in proprioception. Structurally, the ACL attaches to a depression in the front of the intercondyloid eminence of the tibia extending postero-superiorly to the medial wall of the lateral femoral condyle.
Partial or complete tears of the ACL are very common, comprising about 30,000 outpatient procedures in the U.S. each year. The preferred treatment of the torn ACL is ligament reconstruction, using a bone-ligament-bone autograft. Cruciate ligament reconstruction has the advantage of immediate stability and a potential for immediate vigorous rehabilitation. However, the disadvantages to ACL reconstruction are significant: for example, normal anatomy is disrupted when the patellar tendon or hamstring tendons are used for the reconstruction; placement of intraarticular hardware is required for ligament fixation; and anterior knee pain frequently occurs. Moreover, recent reviews of cruciate ligament reconstruction indicate an increased risk of degenerative arthritis with intraarticular ACL reconstruction in large groups of patients.
A second method of treating ACL injuries, referred to as "primary repair", involves suturing the torn structure back into place. Primary ACL repair has the potential advantages of a limited arthroscopic approach, minimal disruption of normal anatomy, and an out-patient procedure under a local anesthetic. The potential disadvantage of primary cruciate ligament repair is the perception that over the long term ACL repairs do not provide stability in a sufficient number of patients, and that subsequent reconstruction may be required at a later date. The success rate of anterior cruciate ligament repair has generally hovered in the 60% to 70% range.
Much of the structure and many of the properties of original tissues may be retained in transplants through use of xenogeneic or heterograft materials, that is, tissue from a different species than the graft recipient. For example, tendons or ligaments from cows or other animals are covered with a synthetic mesh and transplanted into a heterologous host in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,833. Flat tissues such as pig pericardia are also disclosed as being suitable for heterologous transplantation in U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,833. Bovine peritoneum fabricated into a biomaterial suitable for prosthetic heart valves, vascular grafts, burn and other wound dressings is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,593. Bovine, ovine, or porcine blood vessel heterografts are disclosed in WO 84/03036. However, none of these disclosures describe the use of a xenograft for ACL replacement.
Xenograft materials must be chemically treated to reduce immunogenicity prior to implantation into a recipient. For example, glutaraldehyde is used to cross-link or "tan" xenograft tissue in order to reduce its antigenicity, as described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,593. Other agents such as aliphatic and aromatic diamine compounds may provide additional crosslinking through the sidechain carboxyl groups of aspartic and glutamic acid residues of the collagen polypeptide. Glutaraldehyde and diamine tanning also increases the stability of the xenograft tissue.
Xenograft tissues may also be subjected to various physical treatments in preparation for implantation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,593 discloses subjecting xenograft tissue to mechanical strain by stretching to produce a thinner and stiffer biomaterial for grafting. Tissue for allograft transplantation is commonly cryopreserved to optimize cell viability during storage, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,741; U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,850; U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,313; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,660. U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,741 discloses that freezing tissues causes mechanical injuries to cells therein because of extracellular or intracellular ice crystal formation and osmotic dehydration.


On the graphical user interface of a numerical control, NC blocks are displayed in an overall functional display. An NC block is composed of a plurality of syntax elements, of which merely a subset is displayed in the overall functional display. In this context, one is able to configure which of the syntax elements is displayed. Only after one of the NC blocks is selected are all syntax elements of the selected NC block shown in a detailed display.

In present day machine tools, numerical controls are used to machine workpieces on the basis of an NC program. These NC programs are processed by the numerical control, which, for its part, controls the machine tool and initiates the necessary machining steps. These steps can include, for instance, choosing the tool, guiding the workpiece on a tool path, or switching on and off cooling agents. As machine tools become more and more efficient, NC programs are keeping pace with this development. For that reason, generating or editing an NC program constitutes an important step in the machining of workpieces using numerically controlled machine tools, and one that is requiring ever more outlay. Therefore, it is important to support the developer of such an NC program in the best way possible, so that he or she will be able to solve large and complex programming tasks efficiently and accurately.
To that end, European Published Patent Application No. 0 643 342 describes a method for generating and/or editing NC programs, which allows a structured representation of an NC program. For this, groups of syntax elements are combined into NC blocks and provided with comments. In a split screen display, an overall view of the NC program is then shown on the basis of the comments, and the complete NC program is also shown. The representation of the NC program itself, in which, after all, the NC program is entered or edited, is not further structured in the process, and the outlay required for generating or editing the program is increased by entering the comments. On the basis of the comments, an overview of the structure of the NC program may, in fact, be provided, but details are not made accessible.

Method and device for generating or editing NC programs


A laser-guided coordination hole tool for precisely drilling holes in large parts includes a positioning table, a bushing cavity for receiving drill bushings, a clamping device, and a laser target. A laser-guided coordination hole tool may include a software interlock to prevent drilling in an improper location on the part. A method of drilling coordination holes includes probing a part to determine its reference frame, rigidly affixing a laser-guided coordination hole tool to the part, probing a target on the laser-guided coordination hole tool to determine the reference frame for the laser-guided coordination hole tool, accurately positioning a drill bushing over the hole location, and drilling a hole. A system for drilling coordination holes includes a laser-guided coordination hole tool, a bushing, a tooling, a drill motor, a laser tracker, and a computer running a coordination-hole drilling program.

One activity which must be performed when building with large component parts, such as when building an aircraft or during shipbuilding, is drilling holes at various locations in these large parts. Such holes may be referred to as coordination holes because they are located at coordinate locations measured on the parts. The coordination holes are then used to affix a part to another part with corresponding coordinating holes such as by putting a fastener thru to hold multiple parts together. Each time the same part is replicated, coordination holes must be measured and drilled in the same locations, often requiring precise measurements and accuracy of drilling.
The present method of achieving the accuracy for drilling coordination holes in large parts involves using large numerically controlled machines on massive foundations in large, controlled environments. Massive foundations are required to achieve stiffness and accuracy for drilling. Large numerically controlled machines operate in five axes to properly locate and orient the holes to be formed in the parts. These machines are also expensive, difficult to set up, not easily moved, and hard to modify. In addition, the weight of a machine and the large work environment decrease the accuracy of drilling. In effect, the present method of drilling coordination holes in large parts is inflexible.
In addition, the present method of drilling coordination holes, using a large numerically controlled machine on a massive foundation, is not suited for drilling coordination holes in higher-level assemblies, such as wing boxes and assembled structures because in part due to the machine's inability to access smaller or internal recesses. Many types of large parts must be drilled to produce coordination holes. Configuring and adapting a large numerically controlled machine for many different parts is time consuming and labor intensive, making using a large numerically controlled machine on a massive foundation an impracticable solution for drilling coordination holes with many types of parts. A method, system, and apparatus to accurately drill holes, including coordination holes, in large parts while providing the flexibility of a portable drilling device are needed. In addition, a tracking laser system that combines inspection, manufacturing, and in-process measurement into one system with a drilling apparatus is needed.


An exhaust system baffle is provided comprising a tube and a plurality of radially extending flanges mounted in surrounding relation about the tube. Each flange includes a centrally positioned aperture and a slit that extends through the flange from the aperture to an outer edge of the flange. The tube extends through the apertures of the flanges. Each flange includes a first edge portion that bounds a first side of the slit. Each flange includes a second edge portion that bounds a second side of the slit opposite the first side of the slit. The opposed first and second edge portions of each flange are bent such that the opposed first and second edge portions are orientated to extend outwardly from the tube at angles that are each acute in opposed directions with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the tube.

Exhaust systems for moving vehicles are well known. In general, exhaust systems provide a means for dampening or muffling the noise level associated with exhaust gases exiting a combustion engine. However, different types of vehicles have different requirements for dampening the exhaust sound. For example, the object of racing vehicles is to move at a high rate of speed and win races. Because exhaust systems may limit the horsepower of an engine, racing vehicles often employ exhaust systems which minimize any loss of horsepower. As a result, racing exhaust systems tend to be excessively loud. On the other hand, passenger automobiles are designed to have a relatively low noise level for the exhaust system and typically employ mufflers to significantly dampen exhaust sounds. Other types of vehicles, such as sports cars, are often configured to have an exhaust sound with a noise level that is between the average automobile and the professional racing car.
Sports car enthusiasts often like to emphasize or "show off" their exhaust systems. One method of emphasizing an exhaust system is to mount exhaust pipes in locations that are readily viewable. For example, many "muscle cars" have exhaust pipes mounted on each side of the vehicle. Such side-mounted pipes may include a chromed outer surface to further emphasize the appearance of the exhaust system. Another method of emphasizing an exhaust system is to enhance the audible characteristics of the exhaust system. Such enhancements to the sound of an exhaust system may include raising the noise or volume level of the exhaust. Other enhancements may include changing the tone or range of tones of the exhaust system. For example, exhaust systems for "muscle" cars have been modified to produce deep, low frequency sounds. A deep sounding exhaust system is often intended to project to the listener that the car has a large and powerful engine. In addition, some exhaust sounds have such distinct qualities that manufacturers, such as Harley Davidson, have applied for trademark protection for the exhaust sounds of their vehicles.
For sports cars, various configurations of side pipe exhaust systems are available. However, the diversity of sounds produced by such systems is limited. As car enthusiasts desire methods of distinguishing their cars from the majority of other cars, there exists a need for an exhaust system which provides a unique sound that is deep in tone and dampened to meet legal and/or race track noise limitations.
Car enthusiasts often race their cars as a hobby. However, unlike their professional counterparts, car enthusiasts often require their cars to be used for general transportation in addition to racing. Thus there further exists a need for an exhaust system which both dampens the exhaust sounds to levels that are acceptable for general transportation needs, but minimizes the degradation of the power of the vehicle engine caused by restrictions to the flow of gases in the exhaust system.
Many modifications to exhaust systems require the replacement of large portions of the existing exhaust system to achieve the desired look, sound and performance for the vehicle. Unfortunately, such modifications may require custom bending of exhaust pipe and welding. Such modifications are both labor intensive and expensive. Thus, there exists a need for a method of modifying the sound and performance characteristics of an exhaust system, which can be performed relatively easily and quickly without the need for welding.


A method and system for combining a prestored digital image with personalized text and/or graphics including a media for use therewith. The media is constructed so that the personalized text or graphics placed thereon can be automatically read therefrom using a digital scanner and computer.

It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,819 to combine at least two different digital images so as to form a single merged digital image. It is also known that text may be added to the merged digital image by means of key strokes input to the computer system, which is converted into bitmaps and merged with the composite image. It is also known that the text can come in a variety of different fonts and sizes. However, this is nothing more than typical fonts available in preprogrammed computer systems. There is no ability to provide customized text and/or graphics which has been personalized. For example, there is no easy or convenient way whereby handwritten text or personalized graphics can be added to a merged digital image.
During the merging of the image, an operator is often required to assure that an appropriate quality image is produced. It is extremely important in such systems in order to keep down the cost, that any time spent by the operator is minimized. Thus, it is not practical or economical to have an operator do complex digital editing for producing of the merged digital image. Thus, the addition of text and/or specialized graphics has been limited simply to keystroking of information into the computer, whereby the text is reproduced on the digital image by the computer. However, this restricts the amount of personalization in individual text and/or graphics that may be added to the composite image in a quick, easy and economical way. Additionally, there is no means for rendering of characters not present on the computer.
Applicants have invented an improved system and method whereby a high degree of personalization can be obtained by allowing the addition of personalized text and/or graphics to be quickly incorporated into the digital merged image. This is of particular importance in regions of the world, such as Japan and China, where the written language includes a large number of different characters, and wherein text/image rendering systems are often not equipped for handling large numbers of characters. The present invention allows inclusion of images and text, which previously has not been easily accomplished.

Method for adding personalized text and/or graphics to composite digital image products


A system which allows for a face plate to be locked to an electrical box. The system has a male connector which is rotatably coupled to the face plate. A female receptacle receives the male connector. A partial turn of the male connector will lock and unlock the face plate to the electrical box.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical accessories and, more specifically, to an improved system and method for securing a faceplate to an electrical box such as an outlet box or switch box and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All homes and businesses have electrical boxes like outlet boxes, switch boxes, cable outlet boxes, phone outlet boxes, and the like built into the walls throughout the structure. Generally, these boxes are covered with a faceplate. The faceplate is used to cover the box and to prevent individuals from touching the wiring held within the box. The face plate is generally connected to the box or to the device (i.e., electrical outlet, switch, etc.) positioned in the box. The face plate is generally connected to the box or to the device via one or more screws.
While the present system does work, there are several problems associated with it. First, in the construction of a new home or business, there will be multiple electrical boxes which are installed in the walls of the buildings. Each of these electrical boxes need to be covered by a face plate. This requires the electrician to screw in a face plate on each electrical box which is extremely time consuming. Second, many times when a face plate is removed, people will have a tendency to misplace the screw. Thus, one may not be able to reinstall the face plate since the screw is missing. Third, when installing a face plate, many people have a tendency to over tighten the screw to the face plate. When one over tightens the screw, it has a tendency to crack the face plate.
Therefore, a need existed to provide a new system for installing face plates to electrical boxes. The new system must allow for the quick installation and removal of the face plate on the electrical box. The new system must further prevent parts from being misplaced or lost. The new system must further prevent the over tightening of the face plate to the electrical box thereby preventing cracking of the face plate.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new system for installing face plates to electrical boxes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new system for installing face plates to electrical boxes that allows for the quick installation and removal of the face plate on the electrical box.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new system for installing face plates to electrical boxes that prevents parts from being misplaced or lost.
It is still another embodiment of the present invention to provide a new system for installing face plates to electrical boxes that prevents the over tightening of the face plate to the electrical box thereby preventing cracking of the face plate.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a system for locking a face plate to an electrical box is disclosed. The system uses a male connector rotatably coupled to the face plate. A female receptacle is used to receive the male connector. A partial turn of the male connector will lock and unlock the face plate to the electrical box.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a housing for storing electrical components is disclosed. The housing has an electrical box. A face plate is used to cover the electrical box. A locking mechanism is used for coupling the face plate to the electrical box wherein the locking mechanism uses a partial turn to lock and unlock the locking mechanism.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for securing a face plate to an electrical box is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing a male connector wherein the male connector comprises: a rod; barbed members coupled to the rod; a slotted head coupled to a first end of the rod; and a locking member coupled to a second end opposite of the first end of the rod; providing a female receptacle which receives the male connector; inserting the male connector through an opening in the face plate wherein the barbed members prevent the male connector from being removed from the opening but allowing the male connector to rotate in the opening; inserting the male connector coupled to the face plate in the female receptacle; and rotating the slotted head of the male connector.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Face plate locking system and method therefor


An electrophotographic photosensitive member capable of outputting an image in which a defect such as a ghost is suppressed even in a high-temperature-and-high-humidity environment, and in which a defect such as a change in density due to an abrupt change in light-area potential at an initial stage or a ghost due to long-term durable use is suppressed even in a low-humidity environment; and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each having the electrophotographic photosensitive member; are provided. The electrophotographic photosensitive member has a layer which comprises a compound having a specific structure between a support and a charge-generating layer.

An electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer using an organic photoconductive substance (an organic electrophotographic photosensitive member) can be produced more easily than an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer using an inorganic photoconductive substance (an inorganic electrophotographic photosensitive member). In addition, the organic electrophotographic photosensitive member has an advantage that it has a high degree of freedom of function design because of its diversity of material selection. Thus, the organic electrophotographic photosensitive member has been widely used in the market owing to recent rapid proliferation of laser beam printers.
An electrophotographic photosensitive member having a lamination type layer structure has gone mainstream as the photosensitive layer of the organic electrophotographic photosensitive member from the viewpoint of durability, the lamination type layer structure being obtained by laminating, from a support side, a charge-generating layer comprising a charge-generating substance and a charge-transporting layer comprising a charge-transporting substance in this order.
In many cases, a layer is arranged between the support and the charge-generating layer, which is intended for, for example, covering a defect on the surface of the support, improving adhesive property between the support and the photosensitive layer, preventing interference fringes, protecting the photosensitive layer from electrical breakdown, and preventing the injection of charge from the support into the photosensitive layer (see, for example, JP-A 58-095351 (Patent Document 1) and JP-A 02-082263 (Patent Document 2)). Hereinafter, a layer arranged between a support and a charge-generating layer is referred to as an "intermediate layer".
The intermediate layer has the merit described above and a demerit that charge is apt to accumulate. For this reason, when images are printed (output) continuously, a large change in potential occurs, so an output image may have a problem.
For example, when an electrophotographic photosensitive member having an intermediate layer is used for an electrophotographic apparatus currently adopted widely in printers which uses a dark-area potential portion as a non-development portion and a light-area potential portion as a development portion (a so-called reversal development type), the sensitivity of a site irradiated with light at the time of the preceding printing increases owing to a reduction in light-area potential or in residual potential. Therefore, when a totally white image is output at the time of the subsequent printing, a ghost phenomenon (positive ghost) may occur, in which the preceding print portion is embossed with a black color.
In contrast, when a totally black image is output at the time of the subsequent printing when the sensitivity of a site irradiated with light at the time of the preceding printing decreases owing to an increase in light-area potential, a ghost phenomenon (negative ghost) may occur, in which the preceding print portion is embossed with a white color.
Various methods of reducing a change in potential such as an increase in residual potential or a reduction in initial potential when continuous printing is performed by using an electrophotographic photosensitive member having the intermediate layer have heretofore been proposed (see, for example, JP-A 62-269966 (Patent Document 3), JP-A 58-095744 (Patent Document 4), JP-A 04-310964 (Patent Document 5), JP-A 07-175249 (Patent Document 6), JP-A 08-328284 (Patent Document 7), JP-A 09-015889 (Patent Document 8), and JP-A 09-258468 (Patent Document 9)).
However, there may be cases involving problems such as a reduction in initial sensitivity and a reduction in chargeability. Therefore, continuous printing using the electrophotographic photosensitive member having the intermediate is susceptible to additional improvement.
In addition, demands for an electrophotographic photosensitive member have become more and more severe owing to recent trends toward high image quality and colorization. That is, an electrophotographic photosensitive member has been demanded, which shows no changes in properties due to a change in environment where the electrophotographic photosensitive member is used, and which causes no deterioration of an output image such as a change in potential or a ghost even in durable use.
In particular, in a high-temperature-and-high-humidity environment, solutions to: a reduction in dark-area potential (charging potential) or in light-area potential resulting from a reduction in resistance; a change in light-area potential due to durable use; and the promotion of a positive ghost; have been demanded.
In addition, in a low-humidity environment, solutions to: an abrupt increase in light-area potential resulting from an increase in resistance at an initial stage (about a period from a first revolution to a 500th revolution); a change in density of an output image due to such abrupt increase; and the promotion of a ghost due to durable use have also been demanded.
A method of suppressing a ghost involving adding a ghost alleviating agent to the intermediate layer has been proposed as one method of solving the above problems (see, for example, JP-A 2003-295489 (Patent Document 10) and JP-A 2003-316049 (Patent Document 11)).
However, durable use in a high-temperature-and-high-humidity environment or a low-humidity environment is still susceptible to improvement.
Further, an electrophotographic photosensitive member which allows the use of laser whose oscillation wavelength is a short wavelength (380 to 450 nm), and is adapted to high resolution has also been demanded.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A 58-095351
[Patent Document 2] JP-A 02-082263
[Patent Document 3] JP-A 62-269966
[Patent Document 4] JP-A 58-095744
[Patent Document 5] JP-A 04-310964
[Patent Document 6] JP-A 07-175249
[Patent Document 7] JP-A 08-328284
[Patent Document 8] JP-A 09-015889
[Patent Document 9] JP-A 09-258468
[Patent Document 10] JP-A 2003-295489
[Patent Document 11] JP-A 2003-316049

Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge, and electrophotographic apparatus


The invention provides a method of treating or preventing polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in a mammal, comprising administering chlorogenic acid and inositol in an amount effective to treat or prevent PCOS in the mammal. In an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises administering L-cysteine to the mammal.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. Patients with PCOS may experience any one or more of infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, obesity, and ovarian cysts. Possible complications of PCOS may include any one or more of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, endometrial cancer, infertility, and breast cancer.
In spite of considerable research into methods of treating PCOS, there still exists a need for improved methods for treating PCOS.

Methods of treating polycystic ovarian syndrome using chlorogenic acid and inositol


Techniques for using a detector coupled to a controller area network (CAN) bus of a vehicle system to identify and generate alerts in response to wake-up attacks on the vehicle system. Techniques include an electronic control unit (ECU) sending a wake-up message across the CAN bus that is detected by the detector. The detector includes memory and a processor to identify the timestamp of the wake-up message when the vehicle ignition is off. The detector determines a total operational time for the ECU over an observation time period and generates a notification of a wake-up anomaly when the total operational time over the observation time period exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Modern vehicles include an internal network including more than one hundred Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that control features and functions of the vehicle including security, diagnostics, comfort, and infotainment. The ECUs communicate with each other and other vehicle computer systems over a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. The CAN bus handles all communications within a vehicle system and is highly impacted by desynchronized ECUs. Additionally, the CAN bus is one of the most widespread bus technologies in use and is a primary target for attacks. Wake-up attacks may cause ECUs to repeatedly wake and generate messages across the CAN bus without the vehicle system starting up, draining the battery of the vehicle system and causing the vehicle battery to be unable to start up or power the vehicle system.

Detecting abnormal CAN bus wake-up pattern


A transaction record is received including transaction data corresponding to at least one telephone call placed by a subscriber. The transaction data is processed by a plurality of rate plans, each rate plan generating a toll amount corresponding to the telephone calls of the transaction record. The toll amounts from each of the plurality of rate plans are compared to determine a lowest toll amount. An amount x is deducted from the lowest toll amount to form a final toll amount. A billing record is generated for the subscriber based on the final toll amount.

The present invention relates to telecommunication networks, and in particular, to systems and methods for generating a subscriber""s billing record.
The deregulation of the telecommunications industry has yielded an environment where subscribers are given the choice of many long distance carriers. With each carrier comes a different rate plan that governs the cost the subscriber will pay for calls of various kinds. In addition, many carriers have optional calling plans that generate further choices. The complexity of these plans makes it difficult for consumers to know if they are paying too much for their service.
Many prior art systems have addressed this concern by providing telecommunications systems that routes a particular call based upon an estimate of the carrier with the lowest cost. While providing some benefit, these systems are not readily available to all subscribers. Further the use of multiple carriers could provide a variation in the quality of the service that the subscriber receives.

Method and system for generating a billing record


The present invention provides a probe card holder including a plate-shaped frame formed with an opening approximately the same size as the probe card, a plurality of card bottom surface holding portions that are provided around a peripheral edge of the opening in the frame and that hold a bottom surface of the probe card while biasing the bottom surface, and a plurality of card top surface supporting portions that support the top surface of the probe card. Each card bottom surface holding portion includes an L-shaped member with a base portion and a bottom surface supporting portion, a knob that is linked to a tip end portion of the base portion and a biasing member that is disposed between the knob and the top surface of the frame and that biases the bottom surface supporting member upward toward the bottom surface of the frame.

The electrical properties of the plurality of integrated circuits formed on a semiconductor wafer are inspected using an inspection system before the integrated circuits are cut away from the semiconductor wafer. Such an inspection system uses a probe card that is wired with a plurality of probes that make electrical contact with the electrode terminals in each integrated circuit.
Usually, a worker will handle a probe card directly with their hands when mounting the probe card to the inspection system or removing the probe card from the inspection system. Because of this, the worker may accidentally touch and damage the probes on the probe card.
Patent Document 1 discloses a probe card transfer case that houses a probe card in order to make it easier to handle a probe card. The probe card transfer case disclosed in Patent Document 1 is formed of an upper case and a lower case. More specifically, a worker positions and places the probe card on the base of the lower case and, with the probe card placed on the lower case, covers the lower case with the upper case and fixes the two cases together. In other words, with the probe card transfer case disclosed in Patent Document 1, the probe card is fixed between the upper case and the lower case.