A diffractive optical element contains a multiplicity of binary blazed diffraction structures, which substantially extend mutually parallel in a longitudinal direction. Perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction, the diffraction structures have a width g which is greater than the effective wavelength of electromagnetic radiation for which the diffractive optical element is designed. The diffraction structures respectively comprise a series of individual substructures, which produce a blaze effect and have a maximum extent p in the longitudinal direction which is less than the effective wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation, at least on average over a diffraction structure. In a plan view, the individual substructures respectively have the shape of a closed geometrical surface, which has an extent parallel to the longitudinal direction that varies perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction. Perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction, the surface has a maximum extent which is greater than the effective wavelength.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a diffractive optical element having a multiplicity of binary blazed diffraction structures. The diffractive optical element is particularly intended for use in microlithographic projection exposure apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional blazed gratings have diffraction structures of triangular, in particular sawtoothed cross section which extend mutually parallel with a spacing equal to the grating constant g. One edge of the diffraction structures, the blaze edge, has an inclination with respect to the base surface of the grating such that the reflection or refraction law is satisfied for one diffraction order of the incident light, and the majority of the intensity of the diffracted light is therefore contained in the order favoured by the blaze edge. The traditional method of producing such blazed gratings consisted in scratching the diffraction structures in a master grating with the aid of diamonds and making corresponding copies of this master grating. This mechanical method is highly elaborate, on the one hand, and on the other hand it encounters limitations with very short wavelengths of the light for which the grating is intended to be used, since the structures to be produced are too small.
Efforts have therefore been made to employ the process technology used for the production of semiconductor components, in which a substrate is coated with photoresist, exposed, subsequently developed and etched, in order to produce the diffraction structures of blazed gratings. The approach firstly involved using successions of such process cycles to achieve diffraction structures which are supposed to approximate the blaze edge by a stepped edge. If four such steps are used, for example, then diffraction efficiencies of more than 80% can be achieved in the first order. With a further process cycle, eight stages are obtained by which a first-order diffraction efficiency of about 95% can be achieved. In general, 2n steps can be produced by using n process cycles. With increasing n, the stepped profile of the edge becomes closer and closer to the sawtooth profile of ideal blazed gratings in conventional, mechanically produced gratings, the diffraction efficiency of which is 100% in the first order according to scalar theory. The production of such a grating, however, is cost-intensive and error-prone because it is necessary to carry out the process cycle repeatedly.
Attempts have also been undertaken to simulate the blaze profile of the diffraction structures by using binary structures whose dimensions are smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation for which the grating was defined. These attempts are based on the fact that light is no longer diffracted at the small substructures, but can only be scattered. This leaves only the zeroth diffraction order which picks up the effect of the substructures merely in the form of a local effective refractive index in phase gratings, or merely in the form of a local shade of grey in amplitude gratings.
A first example of such a binary blazed grating is described in the article by Joseph N. Mait et al. "Diffractive lens fabricated with binary features less than 60 nm", Optics Letters, 15 Mar. 2000, pages 381 et seqq. The substructure used here is a multiplicity of lines, all of which extend parallel to the diffraction structure and whose spacing is less than the effective wavelength.
The article by Philippe Lalanne et al. "Design and fabrication of blazed binary diffractive elements with sampling periods smaller than the structural cut off", J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, May 1999, pages 1143 et seqq. describes blazed diffractive elements of the type mentioned in the introduction, in which the diffraction structures are resolved into individual substructures consisting of rectangular or square pillars. Different "fill factors" can be achieved by varying the pillar width for a predetermined pillar spacing, and this corresponds to a local variation of the effective refractive index. As an alternative, the pillars may also be arranged at different spacings with a constant width.
A common feature of all these attempts to produce binary blazed diffractive optical elements is that the substructures are minutely configured and have a very high aspect ratio (structure height to structure width). They are therefore technologically highly elaborate and expensive to produce, and cannot be made with sufficient accuracy.


An aspect of the present application provides a separator comprising a porous substrate, and a first coating layer disposed on at least one surface of the porous substrate and comprising an inorganic particle and a binder. The first coating layer comprises a first region and a second region, the first coating layer in the first region comprises a first thickness, and the first coating layer in the second region comprises a second thickness; the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, and the area in the second region is greater than the area in the first region. Another aspect of the present application provides a lithium ion battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode and the above separator. The purpose of the present application is to provide a separator having an increased thickness in a partial coating layer and a lithium ion battery comprising the above separator.

The separator of lithium ion battery on the market is mainly a polyolefin separator, that is, a single layered separator in which polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) or the like is used as the substrate, and a PP/PE/PP multilayered separator is also used. The melting temperature of the polyolefin is low (that of PE is about 130° C., that of PP is about 160° C.). In the abuse state (internal short circuit, external short circuit, hot box, overcharge, etc.), these separators of polyolefin are prone to heat shrinkage at high temperatures, which in turn causes extensive short circuits, exacerbates heat build-up, and causes thermal runaway to cause lithium-ion battery to be combusted and explosive. At present, the heat resistance of the separator is improved by coating the ceramic (inorganic layer) coating layer on the above polyolefin separator, and a cohesive polymer (organic layer) is applied to the separator, so that the internal short circuit of the lithium ion battery caused by the heat shrinkage of the separator and the misalignment between the electrodes can be prevented, and the safety performance of the lithium ion battery can be enhanced. At the same time, the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator can be binded together to increase the mechanical properties such as the rigidity of the lithium ion battery.
In the current, both the inorganic layer and the organic layer are uniformly coated on the entire surface of the polyolefin separator. Since the coating thickness is too uniform, the difference in the thickness of the coating layer between different parts of the lithium ion battery is neglected, and there is no special thickening in the danger zone (such as the corner of the lithium ion battery), thereby causing lack of local safety of lithium ion battery, ultimately reducing the overall safety of lithium ion battery.
To this end, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that can meet the different requirements for the thickness of the coating layer in different parts of the lithium ion battery.


A series of non-peptide derivatives that are antagonists of the fibrinogen IIb/IIIa receptor and thus are platelet aggregation compounds useful in the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by thrombus formation.

The present invention provides novel compounds, novel compositions, methods of their use and methods of their manufacture, such compounds being generally pharmacologically useful as anti-platelet aggregation agents in various vascular pathologies.
The aforementioned pharmacologic activities are useful in the treatment of mammals. More specifically, the compounds of the present invention act by blocking the platelet receptor site of the protein fibrinogen. Fibrinogen is a glycoprotein that circulates in the blood plasma, and whose platelet receptor site is glycoprotein IIb/IIIa. By blocking the action of fibrinogen at the receptor (glycoprotein IIb/IIIa), the compounds of the present invention interfere with platelet aggregation, which is a cause of many vascular pathologies. At the present time, there is a need in the area of vascular therapeutics for such a fibrinogen receptor blocking agent. By interfering with hemostasis, such therapy would decrease the morbidity and mortality of thrombotic disease.
Hemostasis is the spontaneous process of stopping bleeding from damaged blood vessels. Precapillary vessels contract immediately when cut. Within seconds, thrombocytes, or blood platelets, are bound to the exposed matrix of the injured vessel by a process called platelet adhesion. Platelets also stick to each other in a phenomenon known as platelet aggregation to form a platelet plug. This platelet plug can stop bleeding quickly, but it must be reinforced by the protein fibrin for long-term effectiveness, until the blood vessel tear can be permanently repaired by growth of fibroblasts, which are specialized tissue repair cells.
An intravascular thrombus (clot) results from a pathological disturbance of hemostasis. The thrombus can grow to sufficient size to block off arterial blood vessels. Thrombi can also form in areas of stasis or slow blood flow in veins. Venous thrombi can easily detach portions of themselves called emboli that travel through the circulatory system and can result in blockade of other vessels, such as pulmonary arteries. Thus, arterial thrombi cause serious disease by local blockade, whereas venous thrombi do so primarily by distant blockade, or embolization. These diseases include venous thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, arterial embolism, coronary and cerebral arterial thrombosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, cerebral embolism, kidney embolisms and pulmonary embolisms.
There is a need in the area of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular therapeutics for an agent which can be used in the prevention and treatment of thrombi, with minimal side effects, including unwanted prolongation of bleeding in other parts of the circulation while preventing or treating target thrombi. The compounds of the present invention meet this need in the art by providing therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of thrombi.
The compounds of the present invention show efficacy as antithrombotic agents by virtue of their ability to block fibrinogen from acting at its platelet receptor site, and thus prevent platelet aggregation.


The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electric toothbrushes, and in particular to an electric toothbrush motor. The electric toothbrush motor comprises a mounting shell, an end cover, conductors, a rotor assembly and a stator assembly, wherein the rotor assembly and the stator assembly are fixedly arranged in an accommodating cavity of the mounting shell through the end cover. The first magnetic steel sheets are added to the rotor assembly, the second magnetic steel sheets are added to the stator assembly, each first magnetic steel sheet is placed at the middle part of an interval between the two second magnetic steel sheets, and by the above manner, the relative positions of the rotor assembly and the stator assembly are fixed, so that the response speed is increased, the vibration frequency is high, and the service life is prolonged.

In recent years, the electric toothbrush can completely clean dental plaque, reduces gingivitis and gingival bleeding, and more scientifically and effectively clean the teeth in comparison with the common toothbrushes so as to be loved by people. Its key component is a motor for the electric toothbrush, and the motor is powered to drive a toothbrush head to rotate or vibrate so as to decompose the toothpaste and rub and clean the teeth.
On the market, the common electric toothbrush sonic motor drives a rotor to rotate by utilizing the magnetic interaction principle and rotates again to the normal position under the action of a reset torsion spring. Furthermore, in the prior art, a magnetic field is generated mostly by two or a plurality of magnet materials or powered electromagnets, and the reset torsion spring sleeves a rotating shaft of the rotor and then is fixed by a screw or a clamping slot. However, in a motor utilizing such structure, elastic elements are easy to be out of operation, and the swinging angle of a motor shaft is small, so, after the electric toothbrush is used for a long time, its structure of the motor is loosened so that the service life of the motor is shortened, and the operating sound of the motor is not ideally controlled so that the using effects of the electric toothbrush are influenced.

Zhongke (Shenzhen) Innovation and Creative Technology Co., Ltd.


A mounting system for a vehicle with one or more cross members. The mounting system includes a mounting rail including a mounting platform and at least one mounting slot being formed in the mounting platform. The mounting system includes a panel bracket coupled to the mounting rail that is configured to receive at least one guard panel. The mounting system includes at least one clamping body removably coupled to the mounting platform of the mounting rail. The at least one clamping body is configured to engage a cross member and the mounting platform is configured to engage the cross member so as to clamp the cross member between the at least one clamping body and the mounting platform.

Trucks and other large vehicles tend to be elevated such that a relatively large amount of space exists between the ground and the vehicle body or the structure of a trailer or other object connected to or being towed by the vehicle. This large space can present a danger to pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles that may be forced under the truck's tires in the event of a collision. Systems are needed to reduce this danger associated with trucks and other large vehicles.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mounting system for truck underride protection


Systems and methods for managing a content encryption key and a seed to generate the content encryption key are provided. In one example, a method may include receiving a request for a content encryption key at a content encryption key service. The request includes a requesting entity fingerprint that corresponds to a requesting entity and a seed identifier that corresponds to a seed. The seed identifier is mapped to the seed and the requesting entity fingerprint mapped to a corresponding seed permission. If the seed permission entitles the requesting entity to receive the content encryption key, the key is derived using the seed and provided to the requesting entity.

Content delivery services typically provide encrypted digital content, such as videos, music, movies, video games, etc., to various receiving entities requesting such content. To encrypt such content, the content delivery service may utilize one or more cryptographic algorithms that utilize cryptographic keys, such as symmetric keys and asymmetric keys, to encrypt and decrypt the content. In some examples, the cryptographic keys may be derived by inputting a cryptographic seed into the cryptographic algorithm. In many environments, and particularly where the sensitivity and business value of the digital content is high, such cryptographic seeds may have a correspondingly high business value that warrants high levels of security to protect the seeds.
Managing the use, storage and overall security of multiple cryptographic seeds within an enterprise may present challenges. In some examples, a content delivery service may include various content-related workflows that utilize cryptographic seeds. Typically, such content delivery services physically duplicate the cryptographic seeds that are used to derive content encryption keys across the various workflows. Such physical duplication of the cryptographic seeds results in increasing the risk surface area that is exposed to potential security breaches and leaks of the seeds. Additionally, systems that secure two physical copies of the cryptographic seeds in two separate locations employ duplicate security measures for each location, thereby increasing system expenses and complexities.
In some examples an enterprise may have two or more content delivery services that each utilizes specific protection schemes for protecting cryptographic seeds and other sensitive content-related assets. In these examples, the multiple protection schemes may have varying levels of robustness that, when combined, reduce the overall level of system security.


A water treatment device includes an inner canister or cylinder that includes a seal and a filter assembly attached on one end. The water treatment device also includes an outer canister which is filled with unpurified water. The inner canister or cylinder is pressed into the outer canister to produce pressure on unpurified water that forces the unpurified water through the filter assembly. The inner canister or cylinder can be opened to reveal drinkable, or substantially purified water.

Water may contain many different kinds of contaminants including, for example, particulates, harmful chemicals, and microbiological organisms, such as bacteria, parasites, protozoa, and viruses. In a variety of circumstances, these contaminants must be removed before the water can be used. Any harmful contaminants must be removed from water before it is potable, i.e., fit for human consumption.
In many instances, there are deadly consequences associated with exposure to contaminated water. In many situations, such as an undeveloped country or a war zone, there are several factors that contribute to contaminated water, including: increasing population densities, increasingly scarce water resources, no water filter utilities, and often, no electricity (including batteries, which may be too expensive). Also, it is common for sources of drinking water to be in close proximity to human and animal waste, such that microbiological contamination is a major health concern. As a result of waterborne microbiological contamination, an estimated six million people die each year, half of which are children under 5 years of age.
In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced the "Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers". The protocol establishes minimum requirements regarding the performance of drinking water filter devices that are designed to reduce specific health related contaminants in public or private water supplies. The requirements are that the effluent from a water supply source exhibits 99.99% (or equivalently, 4 log) removal of viruses and 99.9999% (or equivalently, 6 log) removal of bacteria against a challenge. Under the EPA protocol, in the case of viruses, the influent concentration should be 1×107 viruses per liter, and in the case of bacteria, the influent concentration should be 1×108 bacteria per liter. Because of the prevalence of Escherichia coli (E. coli, bacterium) in water supplies, and the risks associated with its consumption, this microorganism is used as the bacterium in the majority of studies. Similarly, the MS-2 bacteriophage (or simply, MS-2 phage) is typically used as the representative microorganism for virus removal because its size and shape (i.e., about 26 nm and icosahedral) are similar to many viruses. Thus, a filter's ability to remove MS-2 bacteriophage demonstrates its ability to remove other viruses.
In undeveloped countries, disaster areas, and in war zones, the water sources may include seawater, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, ground water, indigenous wells, or sub-standard municipal water. Good water sources may go bad leaving inadequate sources of water or the sources of water may never have been good.
People in these situations may not be educated and may not have shelter, much less a home or place to store a device. Today's solutions seem to be rather large and complex to use. Most solutions purify 5-10 gallons of water and require the user to carry a large container as well as a heavy mechanism which is used to purify water. Individuals probably would not carry a filtration system with an attached 10 gallon water canister in such situations. As a result of not carrying the big solution, many times the individuals in effected areas will drink unpurified water when thirsty, thereby increasing the chances of sickness or even death from unpotable water.
In addition, many solutions require a power source. In a disaster situation or in a war zone, power may not be available. In addition, battery power can be used, however batteries often do not last for a long time and may discharge before the disaster is over or before a soldier or unit of soldiers leaves the area or can find power. Such solutions are heavier, since batteries are not light. This solution also requires a rescue worker, soldier, or unit of soldiers to carry additional batteries. Without batteries, these water purification devices are generally useless. This again leads to people drinking unpotable water is certain situations.

System and method for water purification and desalination


A generic interaction layer is an interface between a client device and APIs associated with accessible applications. The generic interaction layer allows the client to access each of the APIs in a generic and consistent way, without having to know the details of those APIs or the underlying data structure of the associated applications. The generic interaction layer prepares a data container in response to a request from a user interface of the client and divides the data container into portions corresponding to each of the applications.

In an enterprise, there are departments that need to be able to interact with two or more different software program applications to obtain the necessary data for typical operations. For example, in a call center, an operator services a customer query. To service the customer, a process (e.g., a user interface ("UI")) on the operator's client device might have to interface with several different software applications. For example, the client process may interact with one application (e.g., customer accounts) to inquire about stored information associated with that customer, for example the customer account number, business address, etc. The client process may interact with another application (e.g., orders) to inquire about an order placed by the customer. Finally, the client process may interact with yet another application (e.g., inventory) to inquire about the current inventory of items in the customer order.
In some existing systems, enabling the client device to access different applications requires that the client process (e.g., UI) have knowledge on how to interact with each of those three different applications. The UI must know about the application program interfaces ("APIs") that allow the UI to interact and retrieve data from each of the different applications. Depending on the application, the UI might also have to know about the data structure used in the particular application to retrieve the desired information or make changes within the currently stored data. The UI must accommodate any special requirements of each of the applications and if a new application is added, the UI must be updated to include the necessary commands for the new application.

Data container for interaction between a client process and software applications


A broadcasting system, receiving device, and method that allows the viewer to set conditions for the display of commercials (CMs) with broadcast programs. A broadcasting device transmits the programs and CMs via separate channels. A receiving device receives the separate channels and records the CM information. The receiving device combines the recorded CM information with the programs for display in accordance with customer requirements set by the viewer. The customer requirements are also sent back to the commercial broadcasting company to adjust the CMs transmitted to the viewer and the fees charged for viewing the programs.

At present the television station places programs and CMs (commercials) the fixed places of the television program to be telecast and the viewer just receives and watches the broadcast program in which programs and CMs are placed at the time of broadcasting. As the broadcasting pattern in which CMs are placed on the program, there exists the pattern of placing programs and CMs alternately in time division and the pattern to broadcast CMs and programs simultaneously by placing CMs over the programs as Telop (television opaque), and the programs and CMs are placed on the same channel and are telecast.
However, according to these broadcasting patterns, it has created a problem that the viewer's desire to view the CM broadcasting, such as the CM deletion request in exchange for the additional fee payment, the CM acceptance request on condition that the fee for paid broadcasting would be reduced, and the category selection request of CMs being telecast, would not be reflected at all.
Furthermore, in such broadcasting patterns, since the across-the-board CM broadcasting has been conducted without considering age, sex, occupation and hobby of the viewer, the efficiency of CM has not been satisfactory.

Information receiver and information receiving method


A fiber quality transducer includes an inlet mixing probe, a rotating valve sleeve, a camera and a sampling cell. Slurry from a pulp tube flow enters a mixing chamber in the inlet mixing probe. The amount of slurry entering the mixing chamber is controlled by the rotating valve sleeve. The sampling cell includes a first sampling lens and a second sampling lens retained in a sampling bore. The first and second sampling lens are spaced apart to form a sampling space to facilitate the flow of diluted slurry. The camera is retained behind the first sampling lens and a LED back light is retained behind the second sampling lens. The diluted slurry flows past the sampling space. The camera photographs the fibers in the diluted slurry flow. The images from the camera are sent to analyzing software, which determine the characteristics of the fibers in the diluted slurry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to analyzing the characteristics of fibers and more specifically to a fiber quality transducer, which measures the quality of fibers in a stream.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Today, a majority of the fiber analyzers available on the market are based on a batch mode sampling system. Typically, pulp is extracted from the production line by means of a piston plunger that extracts a small sample, which is forced into a analyzer unit by means of hydro pressure behind the sample in the sampling tube. Once in the analyzer, the sample is diluted in a sampling tank and a very dilute sample is pumped through a separate loop in front of a measuring device such as a digital camera.
Batch mode sampling requires many components, such as control valves, pumps, frequency drives, level controllers, flow controllers etc., and as a consequence the analyzer units require significant maintenance in order to operate properly. Thus, the cost of installing and operating the analyzer units is very high. A second disadvantage to batch measurements is the sampling frequency. The sampling frequency is typically a low 10-60 min between samples, which limits the use of the analyzer unit to the control of long term variations, namely on an hour basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,499 to Hughes, Jr. et al. discloses a method for determining the relative quantity of shives in a stream of fibrous particles. The Hughes, Jr. et al. patent includes the continuous sampling and measuring of a production flow line of paper pulp by means of a continuous flow, fiber induction device located within the production line to extract a diluted sample of fiber flow therein. The diluted sample is directed through a windowed conduit section for photodetection of particles therein. However, the Hughes, Jr. et al. patent does not disclose sampling and measuring fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,219 to Ayer discloses a fiber length analyzer for batch mode sampling of fibers. The Ayer patent includes a measuring cell in a fiber sample analysis system containing a housing member, which removably supports a transparent flow tube and an optical device, which projects a beam across the tube for detecting and measuring individual fibers in a dilute sample fluid which flows through tube at a constant velocity. The tube includes a gradually narrowing transition portion leading to a measurement portion situated at the optical device.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for a fiber quality transducer, which continuously measures the quality of fibers in a slurry stream in less than one minute for short or long term variations analysis; and greatly reduces the cost of installation and operation, because the reduced number of components allows quantities of particles, such as shives or ray cells to be more accurately accounted for over a longer period of time, due to the ability to analyze millions of particles instead of just thousands.


Gloss, differential gloss, and image relief of a printed image may be controlled by utilizing a combination of technologies in the appropriate manner. These technologies include the use of transparent toner overcoats, negative transparent toner masks, variable screen transparent toner screen masks, UV coaters, and post-press belt fusing. Unlike conventional systems, which may increase gloss at a cost of also increasing image relief, the present invention may produce an image having a controlled gloss, differential gloss, and image relief.

In high-speed, high-quality electrophotographic printing applications, it may be desirable to get high gloss on the pictorial areas of an image but not on the text areas (i.e., differential gloss). As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,783, issued to Ng, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference, this may be accomplished by selectively putting a transparent toner overcoat on the pictorial area. One example described in the Ng patent makes use of a lower viscosity toner so that there can be a higher gloss in the pictorial areas.
However, with high speed and high quality printing, there still can be disadvantages from the viewpoint of achieving higher gloss with heated roller fusing. For example, too much total toner coverage on the media may stress the fusing subsystem. Moreover, at the higher temperatures required to fuse a transparent toner overcoat along with the color toner lay-down, roller reliability as well as artifacts from the fuser roller oiler may become problematic. Additionally, there may also be problems relating to image relief differences between toner-covered areas versus adjacent areas without the transparent toner overcoat.
Other conventional systems to increase image gloss include an ultraviolet (UV) curable overcoat that may be applied over the total image or over, for example, only pictorial portions of the image. The UV curable overcoat may be applied by a conventional commercial printing coater or by ink jet printing, wherein a specific area may be coated selectively. However, with UV curable inks, even though image protection may be achieved over a wide variety of media, only certain types of coated media can benefit from the UV coating to lower differential gloss. In some cases, with uncoated matte media for example, differential glass can get worse with UV coating. Moreover, because most UV curable ink layers are a few microns thick, image relief may be quite visible on the dry electrophotographic prints.
As can be seen, there is a need for improved control of differential gloss on a wide variety of media substrates while minimizing image relief that may result from certain conventional differential gloss control methods.

Gloss and differential gloss control methodology


A membrane which can be used in membrane filtration processes and which has a reduced tendency to fouling is a polysulphone or a plyether sulphone and a polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide substituted diamine and can be made by a phase inversion process in the presence of pore modifying agents such as an alcohol, glycerol or glycol to give a membrane which has a pore size of 0.1xcexc to 1 micron and is hydrophilic.

The present invention relates to a membrane which can be used in membrane filtration processes including microfiltration ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis and which has a reduced tendency to fouling.
Membranes are used in separation techniques such as filtration, micro-filtration, reverse osmosis etc. and for the recovery of solids. The membranes can be made of polymeric material and a particular class of polymers are the polysulphones, including polyether sulphones.
Polysulphones have been widely used because of their chemical resistance and good physical properties. xe2x80x9cPolysulphonexe2x80x9d is used as a generic name for a type of high molecular weight polymer containing aromatic nuclei and sulphone groups in the main chain.
A typical sulphone is formed as the condensation product of bisphenol xe2x80x98Axe2x80x99 and dichloro-diphenyl-sulphone. Also widely used are polyether sulphones, polyphenyl sulphones and polyarylether sulphones. However polysulphones have a surface which is hydrophobic and, in use polysulphone membranes are subject to fouling, particularly when being used to filter liquids containing organic components such as proteinaceous material. This fouling results in the build up of a layer on the surface of the membrane which blocks the pores of the membrane and causes deterioration in its performance.
It is known to treat the surface of hydrophobic membranes to form a more hydrophilic surface and a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4.618,553. Another method of treating a membrane to make it more hydrophilic is disclosed in International PCT Application WO 90/14149.
However, previously disclosed methods of modifying hydrophobic membranes to produce a more hydrophilic surface can be relatively complex and costly and are limited in their effectiveness.
EP Patent 0407665A1 discloses a polyether sulphone membrane made from polyether sulphone and other polymeric components and a method of making such blends by dissolving the polymer components in n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethylacetamide and co-precipitating the polymer blend by a phase inversion process using water.
Patent Application WO 96/27429 discloses a membrane which comprises a blend of a polysulphone or polyether sulphone and an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer.
We have now devised polysulphone/polyether sulphone blended membranes with improved properties and a method of making such membranes.
According to the invention there is provided a membrane which comprises a blend of (a) a polysulphone or a polyether sulphone, and (b) a diamine substituted with moieties comprising polyethylene oxide groups, moieties comprising polypropylene oxide groups, or moieties comprising polyethylene oxide groups and polypropylene oxide groups, wherein the diamine has the formula
where R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different moieties of formula
where X, X1, Y and Y1 can be the same or different in each of R1, R2, R3 and R4.
Preferably the compound (I) has a weight average molecular weight of 400 to 100,000 and more preferably from 1.650 to 50.000 and X, Y, X1, Y1 are chosen accordingly.
The compounds of formula (I) can be made by sequential addition of propylene oxide and ethylene oxide to ethylene diamine. Compounds (I) are sold under the Registered Trade Mark xe2x80x9cTetronicsxe2x80x9d by BASF or as xe2x80x9cPoloxamersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cSuperonicsxe2x80x9d by ICI and are commercially available.
The preferred compounds (I) are those in which R1, R2, R3 and R4 are of formula (II) i.e. the terminal groups are polyoxyethylene.
The polysulphone can be any polysulphone which can be produced in the form of a film, membrane, hollow fibre or other configuration which is conventionally used and preferred polysulphones are standard polysulphones and polyether sulphones.
Polysulphones are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4.230.463. Polysulphones having aromatic hydrocarbyl-containing moieties generally have good thermal stability. Polysulphones and polyether sulphones suitable for making membranes have molecular weights in the range 20.000 to 80.000 and are sold under the trade names UDEL, P-1700 and P-3500 by Amoco. ASTREL 360 Plastic by the 3M Company and as Ultrasons such as Polysulphone Ultrason S and Polysulphone Ultrason E. by BASF.
The molar ratio of polysulphone to polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide substituted diamine in the dope is preferably from 25:1 to 1:40 and more preferably from 8:1 to 1:30.
The membranes of the present invention preferably have a structure such that the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer substituted diamine molecules are concentrated towards the surface of the membrane, so that the more hydrophilic copolymer molecules cause the surface of the material to be rendered more hydrophilic with little or no loss in the performance of the membrane.
One part of the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer molecule can have a greater affinity with the dissolved polysulphone polymer and one part (the more hydrophilic part) can have a greater affinity to the non solvent phase. By a variation of the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer substituted diamine the properties of the final composition can be varied.
The ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer chains preferably have a ratio of ethylene oxide to propylene oxide groups such that the copolymer is substantially water soluble whilst being compatible with the polysulphone in solvent solution.
The molar ratio of ethylene oxide to propylene oxide groups in the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer side chains is preferably from 1:10 to 10:1.
The blends can be prepared by dissolving both polymer components in a solvent and co-precipitating the blend by a phase inversion process. The solvent for the polymers should be one which is inert to the polymers and will dissolve both polymers for example n-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide and similar compounds.
The membranes of the present invention preferably have a pore size with a molecular weight cut off of greater than 500 and preferably the membranes of the present invention have a pore size with a molecular weight cut off of greater than 1.000 and with a pore size up to 1 micron (1xcexc).
We have surprisingly found that the addition of pore modifying agents to the solution of the polymers can produce membranes with an increased pore size. The pore modifying agents which can be used are non-solvents such as water, alcohols such as n-butanol, polyethylene glycols (PEG), glycerols, and polyvinylpyrrolidones (PVP).
The polyethylene glycol is preferably present in an amount up to 80% of the polymer solution, the PVP up to 50%, the butanol up to 20%, the glycerols up to 20% and the water up to 15%
It is very surprising that the addition of these compounds to the solution of the polymers does not render the solution unstable and causing an increase in the pore size. This is particularly true in the case of polymers such as PVP and PEG. It has also been found that the use of such additives can give rise to a membrane with a more open pore structure which is referred to as a tortuous pore structure.
The process which is used to precipitate the polymer blend from the solution is precipitation by the phase inversion process from the solution of the components (polymer blend solution) using a precipitation liquid.
Preferably the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer is enriched at the surface of the membrane linking in the phase inversion process, because of the migration of the water soluble component to the colloidal interface.
It is thought that the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer and polysulphone are co-precipitated from the solvent and, because of the more hydrophilic nature of the ethylene oxide chain the copolymer migrates to the solvent/precipitation liquid interface thus enriching the surface of the membrane formed. It is thought that the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer molecules align themselves with their hydrophilic component aligned towards the precipitation liquid and the non-hydrophilic part aligned towards the hydrophobic polysulphone polymer matrix enriching the surface of the membrane to make it more hydrophilic.
The incorporation of the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer substituted diamine within the polysulphone polymer matrix is indicated by the fact that the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer substituted diamine cannot be removed by repeated washing.
In EP 04076651A1 water is disclosed as the precipitation liquid, but we have surprisingly found that, if certain agents are added to the precipitation liquid membranes are produced with a larger pore size. The pore enlarging agents which can be used are low molecular weight alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, polyethylene glycols, glycerols, solvents such as NMP, DMF, dimethyl acetamide and the like.
The amount of these pore enlarging agents present in the precipitation liquid can be up to 100% (i.e. up to being the sole precipitation liquid) in the case of the alcohols and glycerols and up to 90% in the case of polyethylene glycols and up to 80% in the case of the solvents.
Optionally, after the formation of the composition comprising the polysulphone and ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer, the copolymer, or other polymeric additive may be cross-linked.
The cross-linking can be carried out using an appropriate cross-linking agent. Cross-linking agents which can be used are sodium hypochlorite, isocyanates dicarboxlic acid halides, chlorinated epoxides such as epichlorohydrin, cross-linking can also be achieved by UV radiation, for example by use of iso-butronitrile and subsequent reaction with a suitable divalent species. The degree of cross-linking can be controlled by the type and concentration of the cross-linking agent, the duration of the treatment and the temperature. The more severe the cross-linking treatment, the higher the molecular weight of the final cross-linked product. After cross-linking, the membrane is preferably washed to remove excess unreacted ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer. The cross linking virtually eliminates any possibility of the leaching of the copolymer.
The membranes of the invention can be of conventional type e.g. in the form of sheets, tubes, hollow fibres etc.
It is a feature of the membranes of the invention that the hydrophilicity of a polysulphone membrane can be permanently increased with little or no deleterious effect on its performance in filtration. This increased hydrophilicity will reduce the tendency of the membrane to foul.
A further feature of the membranes of the invention is that they have advantages when they are used in microfiltration or ultrafiltration. In microfiltration and ultrafiltration it is important that the membranes are wetted before use i.e. the pores which are filled with air become filled with liquid. With polysulphones this is difficult as they have a low hydrophilicity and in use can involve difficult pre-wetting of the polysulphone membrane with a liquid with a low surface tension e.g. alcohol and trying to ensure that the membrane is completely pre-wetted before it can be used in aqueous filtration. The membranes of the present invention, because of the more hydrophilic nature of the membrane, can be wetted with water and so can be used in ultrafiltration and microfiltration and, in particular microfiltration membranes are wetted instantaneously on contact with water, and after repeated drying.
Normally microfiltration membranes are supplied dry and wetted for use and it is a feature of the invention that it can produce micro-filtration membranes which can be dried and subjected to repeated drying without collapse of the structure.
The micro-filtration membranes of the present invention generally have a pore size of 0.1xcexc to 1 micron and are hydrophilic.
The process of the present invention can also produce membranes with a xe2x80x9ctortuousxe2x80x9d structure, this means that the membranes have a sponge like structure rather than a macrovoidal structure and which can enable greater filtration capacity to be obtained. In a tortuous structure there is an interconnecting of polymer strands which form a reticulated open cell matrix and so the membranes have a high void space.

Membrane which comprises a blend of a polysulphone or a polyether sulphone and polyethylene oxide/polypropylene oxide substituted ethylene diamine


A multilayer circuit board is provided with at least one signal layer, at least one feedback layer, and at least one dielectric layer positioned between the signal layer and the feedback layer. The signal layer is connected to at least one plated hole. The feedback layer has a contact pad, which is positioned adjacent to the plated hole, but is electrically isolated from the plated hole. The contact pad is connected to a measurement unit. The dielectric layer is positioned between the signal layer and the contact pad of the feedback layer. A portion of the plated hole forms a stub portion, which extends a distance away from the signal layer and typically extends a distance away from the contact pad of the feedback layer. To remove the stub portion, a hole is bored or routed into the multilayer circuit board until electrical feedback is received by the measurement unit upon contact of a portion of the boring device with the contact pad. Upon receipt of the electrical feedback by the measurement unit, the boring device is retracted from the hole, and the hole formed by the boring device is filled with an epoxy, or other filler material.

Multilayer circuit boards and/or wiring boards are well known in the art. The multilayer circuit boards are formed with a number of signal layers (conductive layers) which are arranged in a predetermined pattern. The signal layers are insulated from each other by dielectric layers. Thus, the multilayer circuit board is formed from interleaved (e.g., alternating) signal layers and dielectric layers.
Plated holes or "vias" are formed through the multilayer circuit board to connect one signal layer to another signal layer. The plated holes typically extend from one main side of the multilayer circuit board to an opposite side of the multilayer circuit board. In some instances, the plated holes or vias include a "stub portion" which extends away from the signal layer toward one of the sides of the multilayer circuit board. In some circumstances, it is desirable to remove the stub portion to enhance the signal to noise ratio in electronic systems that utilize high-speed signals. The smaller the stub portion the better the signal quality.
In the past, the stub portion of the plated holes is removed in a process referred to as "back drilling". In the back drilling process, the stub portion of the plated hole is removed by drilling the stub portion to a predetermined depth. However, in practice the thicknesses of the various layers in the multilayer circuit boards are not uniform, and the depths of the signal layers within the multilayer circuit boards vary, which often changes the amount of the stub portion which needs to be removed. Drilling too deeply will disconnect the signal layer from the plated hole, or leave an unreliable connection; not drilling deep enough decreases the signal to noise ratio.
The invention discussed herein uses a technique which overcomes the problems associated with the variance in thickness of the layers in the multilayer circuit board.


A lamp component has a support with a base surrounded by an interior wall defining a cavity with a central axis. A plurality of LEDs are supported on the interior wall and generally aimed to direct light towards the central axis. A center piece has a first reflective surface shaped and positioned to intercept light received from the LEDs and reflect such received light generally in a direction parallel to the axis.

In the past, most automotive light sources have involved the use of incandescent bulbs. While working well and being inexpensive, these bulbs have a relatively short life and, of course, the thin filament employed was always subject to breakage due to vibration.
Recently some of the uses, particularly the stoplight, have been replaced by LEDs. These solid-state light sources have incredible life times, in the area of 100,000 hours, and are not as subject to vibration failures. It would be an advance in the art if the use of LED illumination could be expanded to other areas of automotive lighting, particularly if the emission of the light could be adequately controlled for specific purposes.

Light emitting diode lamp with conically focused light guides


A new water squirting device for squirting water a distance therefrom. The inventive device includes an elongate tube has inner and outer surfaces, and opposite first and second ends. The inner surface of the tube defining a lumen of the tube. The first and second ends of the tube each have an opening into the lumen of the tube. A first end cap covers the first end of the tube and has a squirt hole therethrough. One of the ends of a plunger shaft is inserted through the second end of the tube and into the lumen of the tube. A plunger head is coupled to the one end of the plunger shaft. A second end cap covers the second end of the tube. The second end cap has a central hole therethrough through which the plunger shaft is slidably extended. A handle is coupled to the other end of the plunger shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water squirting devices and more particularly pertains to a new water squirting device for squirting water a distance therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of water squirting devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, water squirting devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art water squirting devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,517; U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,094; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 251,007; U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,238; U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,736; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,543.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new water squirting device. The inventive device includes an elongate tube has inner and outer surfaces, and opposite first and second ends. The inner surface of the tube defining a lumen of the tube. The first and second ends of the tube each have an opening into the lumen of the tube. A first end cap covers the first end of the tube and has a squirt hole therethrough. One of the ends of a plunger shaft is inserted through the second end of the tube and into the lumen of the tube. A plunger head is coupled to the one end of the plunger shaft. A second end cap covers the second end of the tube. The second end cap has a central hole therethrough through which the plunger shaft is slidably extended. A handle is coupled to the other end of the plunger shaft.
In these respects, the water squirting device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of squirting water a distance therefrom.


In an electromagnetic relay in which a contact mechanism 50 provided on a base 10 is driven by a card 60 which slides and moves in parallel to the axis of an electromagnet block 20 provided in the base 10 as the electromagnet block 20 is magnetized and demagnetized, the base 10 comprises a guide portion 17 for restricting the card 60 in its position. This prevents variations in the performance characteristics so that high productivity and long service life of contacts can be obtained.

An electromagnetic relay superior in insulating characteristic according to the prior art is shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 as an example.
In this electromagnetic relay, a cylindrical frame 1a with one side closed is formed integrally with a base 1 at a generally central portion of the base 1. Into a cavity 1b of the cylindrical frame 1a, an electromagnet block 2 to which a moving core 3 is assembled rockable via a hinge spring 4 is inserted sideways along the axial direction, while fixed contact terminals 5, 6 and a movable contact terminal 7 are inserted and fixed sideways. Then, a pair of elastic arms 8a, 8a provided at one end of a card 8 are engaged with engagement recesses 3a, 3a of the moving core 3, while a pair of projections 8b, 8b provided at the other end of the card 8 are engaged and assembled with engagement recesses 7d, 7d of an elastic contact member 7c forming the movable contact terminal 7. In this way, the card 8 is supported so as to be reciprocatingly movable in parallel to the axial direction of the electromagnet block 2. In addition, reference numeral 9 denotes a casing fittable to the base 1, and the contact terminals 5, 6 and the movable contact terminal 7 have fixed contacts 5b, 6b and a movable contact 7b, respectively, provided at high locations away from their terminal portions 5a, 6a and terminal portion 7a.
When the moving core 3 rocks by its being attracted to or separated from an iron core 2a of the electromagnet block 2 with the electromagnet block 2 energized or de-energized, the card 8 resultantly moves reciprocatingly so that the other end 8c thereof presses and releases the top end portion of the elastic contact member 7c. As a result, the movable contact 7b contacts and separates from the fixed contacts 5b, 6b, alternately, whereby the circuit is opened and closed.
However, the electromagnetic relay according to the prior art has the following three technical problems.
As a first technical problem, according to the prior art electromagnetic relay, the assembly of the card 8 to the movable contact terminal 7 involves a process of forcedly bending the elastic contact member 7c outward. This would cause the elastic contact member 7c to undergo some plastic deformation, which would often incur variations in performance characteristics.
Also, the aforementioned electromagnetic relay involves many assembling operations so that it takes time and labor for the card 8 to be assembled to the elastic contact member 7c, resulting in low productivity.
Further, in the aforementioned electromagnetic relay, not only the drive-use projection 8c presses the elastic contact member 7c, but also a pair of the projections 8b, 8b are engaged with the engagement recesses 7d, 7d of the elastic contact member 7c. Therefore, variations in the assembly precision would make it likely that the drive-use projection 8c makes skew contact with the elastic contact member 7c as the card 8 moves reciprocatingly. This leads to a problem that the movable contact 7b of the movable contact terminal 7 makes non-uniform contact with the fixed contacts 5b, 6b of the fixed contact terminals 5, 6 such that the fixed contacts 5b, 6b are accelerated to wear and shortened in service life.
In the light of the aforementioned first technical problem, a first object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic relay which is free from variations in performance characteristics, high in productivity, and long in contact service life.
As a second technical problem, according to the prior art electromagnetic relay, the electromagnet block 2 is inserted sideways along the axial direction into the cavity 1b of the frame 1a provided in the base 1, wherein ahead in the insertion direction, arranged are the fixed contacts 5b, 6b and the movable contact 7b partitioned by the frame 1a. Therefore, whereas the assembly precision of the electromagnet block 2 with respect to the base 1 directly affects the move extent of the card 8, there is a difficulty in assembling the electromagnet block 2 to the base 1 with high precision, such that variations in the performance characteristics often occur.
Also, the base 1 needs to be molded integrally with the frame 1a, and therefore has a complex configuration. This makes the molding process difficult as well as the manufacture of the mold also difficult.
Further, the electromagnet block 2 needs to be inserted into the base 1 sideways along the axial direction, a direction other than that in which the other components are assembled. As a result, the automatic assembling machines become complex to arrange in the assembly line, which leads to a problem that the automatization of assembly processes demands more tasks.
In the light of the aforementioned second technical problem, a second object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic relay which is free from variations in performance characteristics, and which allows easy accomplishment of required molding work, manufacture of molds, and automatization of assembly.
As a third technical problem, according to the prior art electromagnetic relay, since the fixed contacts 5b, 6b and the movable contact 7b are located at high positions away from the top surface of the base 1, the fixed contacts 5b, 6b and the movable contact 7b may result in large deflections even when the fixed contact terminals 5, 6 and the movable contact terminal 7 are slightly inclined by thermal deformation of the base 1 due to elevated outside temperature. Therefore, the performance characteristics tend to vary due to shifts of the fixed contacts 5b, 6b and the movable contact 7b relative to each other.
Further, since the elastic contact member 7c has only a short effective length, the elastic contact member 7c needs to be reduced in thickness in order to ensure a specified spring constant. Therefore, the elastic contact member 7c tends to deform during the process of caulking or other fixing work, which leads to a problem of troublesome assembly work.
In the light of the aforementioned third technical problem, a third object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic relay which will not vary in performance characteristics even with varying outside temperature, and which is easy to assemble.


A modular terminal block for connection between an electrical distribution system and the processing circuitry of a protective relay. The terminal block includes multiple separable tiers, each which is provided with a set of terminal connections and signal contacts. The tiers are of different lengths such that each set of terminal connections are located at different distances from the protective relay to improve accessibility. The terminal block can be mounted in different orientations, and allow shorting between any two adjacent terminal connections.

Protective relays for electrical distribution systems provide numerous functions relating to protective control, including over-current and under-voltage protection, and are essential elements of any electrical distribution system. Protective relays include internal processing circuitry which monitors the portion of the electrical distribution system with which it is associated (e.g., a feeder line) and provide protection and control functions as necessary. Conventional protective relays include digital circuitry in which logic functions determine the operation of the relay, such that the relay will operate to provide protective control under certain specified, potentially hazardous conditions.
Protective relays must be operatively connected to the electrical distribution system to be monitored. Such connections between the internal circuitry of the protective relay and the electrical distribution system are conventionally established by terminal blocks. The terminal blocks, when the protective relay is associated with a current transformer, enable the relay to short-circuit the terminals of the transformer.
Conventional terminal blocks provide staggered connection terminals to improve user accessibility. However, due to the number of possible connection schemes between a protective relay and an electrical distribution system, staggered terminals may not provide adequate user accessibility.
Further, the connection terminals of conventional terminal blocks, even if staggered, are typically fixed in configuration. Terminal blocks providing flexible mounting arrangements would be desirable, though conventional terminal blocks do not adequately provide such a capability.
Further, conventional terminal blocks do not allow shorting capabilities to be configurable for multiple positions and in any location in the block.


An optical waveguide for transmitting a surface plasmon-polariton wave includes a metallic thin film formed to have a triangle-shaped cross-section; and a pair of first and second dielectric layers coupled to each other such that the opposing surfaces thereof come in contact with each other, with the metallic thin film interposed therebetween, the first and second dielectric layers having a different refractive index and a positive or negative dielectric constant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical waveguide for transmitting a surface plasmon-polariton wave. In the optical waveguide, a thin metallic film in which a surface plasmon-polariton wave is transmitted is formed to have a triangle-shaped cross-section, and a pair of dielectric layers interposing the metallic thin film are coupled to each other such that the opposing surfaces thereof come in contact with each other, the dielectric layers having a different refractive index. Such a structure allows a light-transmission distance to be enlarged.
2. Description of the Related Art
A surface plasmon is an oscillating wave which propagates along an interface between materials with dielectric constants having a reverse sign. In general, a surface plasmon exists at the interface between metal having the negative sign and a dielectric having the positive sign, and can be excited by electrons accelerated at high speed and light waves. An electromagnetic wave which is coupled to the surface plasmon so as to propagate is referred to as a surface plasmon-polarion (hereinafter, referred to as "SPP") wave.
Since the wave vector of the surface plasmon is larger than those of peripheral materials, the SPP wave is bound to a metal surface. Therefore, it can be considered that the interface between metal and a dielectric is a two-dimensional optical waveguide with a vertical binding condition.
In view of the optical waveguide, a SPP wave to be generated at the interface between a metallic thin film and a dielectric is effectively bound, while a propagation distance is as short as dozens of μm in a visible-ray region. However, when the thickness of the metallic thin film is limited to several nm to dozens of nm such that a SPP wave propagating at the interface is coupled to the metallic thin film, long-range transmission of light can be realized. This is referred to as a long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) mode. The field profile of the LR-SPP mode is widely distributed in the dielectric around the metallic thin film. Therefore, a propagation loss of light is small, and a coupling characteristic with optical fiber is excellent. Accordingly, the LR-SPP mode is applied to various optical-element fields.
In general, an SPP optical waveguide in which a metallic thin film is interposed is operated at the LR-SPP mode or an SR-SPP (short range surface plasmon-polariton) mode. In the LR-SPP mode, the metallic thin film is formed to have a thickness of less than dozens of nm such that light is propagated by a long distance. In the SR-SPP mode, light is propagated through a waveguide having a relatively small size.
When a metallic thin film having a finite cross-sectional area is used, a binding condition of SPP can be reduced into the three dimension, and an LR-SPP waveguide performing a similar action to a dielectric waveguide can be formed.
Therefore, the electric field of the LR-SPP is widely distributed in the dielectric around the metallic thin film such that the LR-SPP sensitively reacts to an optical change of the peripheral dielectric. Therefore, a long-distance transmission can be realized, and the LR-SPP is currently applied to an optical waveguide element which is used in optical modulators, switches, couplers, filters, and optical sensors.
The technical construction of the conventional optical waveguide for transmitting an SPP wave is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-114768. The structure thereof will be briefly examined, and the problems thereof will be described as follows.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conventional optical waveguide for transmitting an SPP wave. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical wave guide 10 includes a dielectric substrate 11 having a positive dielectric constant and a metallic strip structure 12 formed on the surface of the dielectric substrate 11, the metallic strip structure 12 having a negative dielectric constant. As the diameter of light is reduced through the strip structure 12, the optical waveguide has a transmission distance of several to dozens of μm.
In the optical waveguide 10, a V-shaped groove 11a is formed on the surface of the substrate 11 by an ion-milling or dry-etching process. A metallic material is filled in the V-shaped groove 11a by a sputtering method. Then, a wide-range strip is formed on the surface of the substrate 11 including the upper surface of the metallic material filled in the V-shaped groove 11 such that the strip structure 12 having a metal layer 12a and a strip 12b integrated therein is formed, the metal layer 12a having a triangle-shaped cross-section.
In this case, the metal layer 12a having a triangle-shaped cross-section may be formed so as to be exposed to the upper portion of the strip 12b.
In such a structure, an electric field is concentrated in the metallic layer 12a having a triangle-shaped surface. Therefore, as the diameter of light to be propagated along the strip 12b can be narrowed, the diameter of the light can be bound to less than 200 nm. Further, a transmission distance of about 10 μm, which is approximate to a transmission distance of surface plasmon-polariton wave in the metallic thin film, can be achieved.
In the conventional optical waveguide for transmitting an SPP wave, however, since an electric field is concentrated in the metal layer 12a having a triangle-shape cross-section, a transmission distance thereof is no more than dozens of μm at most, even though the diameter of light is limited to less than 200 nm. Therefore, there are difficulties in using the optical waveguide structure as a sensing element which is applied to optical modulators, switches, couplers, filters and optical sensors.

Optical waveguide for transmitting surface plasmon-polariton wave


A payment management system includes a synthetic barcode module, which may be part of a smart phone. The module comprises light management components and a controller. The light management components may include an optical receiver (e.g., camera or light sensor) and an optical emitter (e.g., display elements). A processor decodes drive data from files corresponding to barcodes. The decoded data is used to drive the controller which causes the emitter to emit light pulses that emulate light reflected from a series scanned barcode to communicate the payment barcode optically. The barcodes convey payment information to a point of sale.

A point of sale (POS) terminal comprises hardware and software used for checkouts. Such systems are widely used in retail establishments, including, but not limited to grocery stores, restaurants and countless other places of business. Among the various types of equipment used by POS terminals is a barcode reader (or barcode scanner).
As is well known, a barcode reader optically senses a barcode image and produces electronic signals corresponding to the sensed image. One type of reader is a pen-type reader that consists of a light source and a photodiode that are placed next to each other in the tip of a pen or wand. The photodiode measures the intensity of the light from the light source that is reflected back by white spaces in the barcode. Processing circuitry generates a waveform corresponding to the widths of the bars and spaces in the barcode. The waveform is then decoded.
Another type of reader is a digital camera or CCD reader, which uses an array of light sensors to measure the intensity of emitted ambient light from the bar code immediately in front of it. A voltage pattern identical to the pattern in a bar code is generated in the reader by sequentially measuring the voltages across each sensor.
Neither a pen-type nor a CCD/camera-type reader is the most popular type of reader for POS terminals. Laser scanners predominate. In general, they work the same way as pen type readers except that they use a laser beam as the light source and typically employ either a reciprocating mirror or a rotating prism to scan the laser beam back and forth across the bar code. As with the pen type reader, a photodiode measures the intensity of the light reflected back from the bar code. In both pen readers and laser scanners, the light emitted by the reader is rapidly varied in brightness with a data pattern and the photodiode receive circuitry is designed to detect only signals with the same modulated pattern. Laser scanners operate quickly and reliably. With an arrangement of mirrors and lenses, a laser scanner station of a POS system effectively scans barcodes on merchandise so long as the barcode is passed through the scanning field, even though the barcode may not directly face the scanner and may never come to a complete rest in the scanning field. Pen and CCD scanners cannot do this.
While conventional laser scanners are superb at reliably scanning printed barcodes, for various reasons they cannot reliably scan barcodes displayed as images on electronic displays. Some CCD/camera type scanners are useful for scanning barcodes displayed as images on electronic displays; however, for various reasons, these types of scanners are not in widespread use. One reason may be that they require the barcode to be stationary immediately in front of the scanner. Such precise positioning requirements would cause the grocery checkout process to grind to a halt. Another reason is relatively high cost. Most retailers have little or no reason to abandon their fully functional laser scanners for more temperamental and costly CCD/camera type scanners.
In recent years, secure payment has become a concern. Stolen credit cards may be used for purchases. Clerks rarely verify a credit card user's identification, and when they do, they are not trained to determine if identification is authentic.
Concomitantly, in recent years, convenient payment mechanisms have emerged. Many individuals prefer a smart phone over wearing a wristwatch for telling time. Many of the same individuals prefer a smart phone over carrying a bulky wallet containing cash and credit cards that are vulnerable to theft. To meet this need, various innovators have devised wireless RF payment mechanisms. These mechanisms comprise an app on a smart phone that communicates payment information over a short distance, via RF communication, to a compatible receiver. While a user of such a mechanism may avoid carrying a wallet for payment, the mechanism is not without problems. Among the problems with these new wireless payment mechanisms is cost. Merchants must invest in new payment processing equipment and software for every checkout lane. Not only is this expensive, but it is fraught with risks—the risk of incompatibility with existing software and hardware, the risk of failure of the software or hardware due to bugs, the risk of inadequate consumer adoption to justify the expense, the risk of a superior alternative system prevailing in the marketplace, much in the way VHS tapes prevailed over Betamax in the 1980s. Additionally, communicating payment information wirelessly, even over a short range, risks unauthorized reception, notwithstanding any encryption.
What is needed is a secure payment mechanism that uses a smart phone and existing point of sale equipment.
The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.

Synthetic barcode payment system and method


A CV conversion circuit capable of measuring a plurality of capacitances with a simple circuit is provided. A time-division signal is applied to each capacitor, whereby a plurality of capacitances of the capacitors can be measured in series by a circuit with a small number of components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current-voltage (CV) conversion circuit for converting a plurality of capacitance values into respective voltages.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 shows a conventional CV conversion circuit (refer to FIG. 2 in JP 2001-124807A for example).
In this configuration a conventional CV conversion circuit includes an operational amplifier 1 having a grounded noninverting input terminal, a resistor 3 connected between an output terminal and an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1, and a capacitor 2, whose capacitance value to be detected, having one end connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1 and the other end connected to a signal voltage source 4. The signal voltage source 4 has a signal having certain voltage amplitude V and a certain angular frequency ω. The signal voltage Vs of the signal voltage source 4 is expressed by Eq. (1):Vs=V·sin(ωt)  (1)
Since the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 1 is virtually grounded in FIG. 7, an electric potential at the inverting input terminal is equal to a ground electric potential at the noninverting input terminal. Let the ground electric potential be 0 V, and denoting a capacitance value of the capacitor 2 as C, a current I flowing through the capacitor 2 is expressed by Eq. (2):I=jωC·V·sin(ωt)  (2)
A voltage having amplitude Vo expressed by Eq. (3) is thus generated at an output terminal 5 of the operational amplifier 1:Vo=−jωCR·V·sin(ωt)  (3)where R is a resistance value of the resistor 3.
As apparent from Eq. (3), the amplitude Vo of the output voltage of the operational amplifier 1 is proportional to the capacitance value C of the capacitor 2. Hence, the capacitance value C of the capacitor 2 can be measured by measuring the amplitude Vo of the output voltage.
FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are waveforms of voltage and current over time in respective portions of the CV conversion circuit. FIG. 8A shows a waveform of the signal voltage of the signal voltage source 4. A sine wave is given in this case. FIG. 8B shows a waveform of the current flowing through the capacitor 2 and the resistor 3, and FIG. 8C shows a voltage waveform appearing at the output terminal 5 of the operational amplifier 1.
When the capacitances of a plurality of capacitors are measured, the same number of the circuits, each shown in FIG. 7, as capacitors to be measured is needed, thereby allowing the plurality of plurality of capacitances to be measured.
The conventional CV conversion circuit involves a problem that the same number of CV conversion circuits as capacitors to be measured are required, and the scale of the circuit hence increases when the plurality of capacitances are measured.


The present invention relates to an antenna arrangement comprising a flexible film (1) having a radiating element (8) mounted to a first side of a dielectric carrier (3). The dielectric carrier (3) has a through hole (5) from the first side thereof to a second side, opposite the first side, thereof. The flexible film (1) is dielectric and comprises a cut linear pattern providing a flip (2) positioned over said through hole (5), wherein said flip (2) is flush with said flexible film (1).

Antennas for mobile or cellular phones, or other portable radio communication devices, are today often mounted within the chassis of the device it is used for. Since there today is a demand for mobile phones that are small sized there is a limited space for all desired components in a mobile phone, which puts design restrictions on the components in the mobile phone. Antennas are therefore sometimes mounted above other components mounted on a printed wiring board in the mobile phone.
When a component mounted under an antenna needs to be accessed, e.g. for repair or for measurement tests, the antenna needs to be dismounted. It is however not desirable to dismount an antenna, as the remounting of the antenna needs to be very precise or else the antenna characteristics may be changed in a negative way.

Antenna arrangement and a portable radio communication device for such an antenna arrangement


A timepiece includes: a base board; a rotary board rotatable relative to the base board; a gear rotatably supported by the rotary board; and an ornamental body connected to the gear.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to timepieces.
(ii) Related Art
There is known a timepiece in which an ornamental body is moved. Such a timepiece is provided with a drive mechanism for moving the ornamental body. Such a timepiece is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-249643.
In a case of manufacturing plural timepieces each having the ornamental body with a different movement, different drive mechanisms have to be designed and manufactured depending on the different movement. This might increase the manufacturing cost.


Techniques for cell reacquisition and reselection that increases time spent in low-power mode while effectively monitoring neighbor cells are disclosed. In one aspect, one or more windows around the expected location of the serving cell are searched in the period of time prior to the page indicator. In another aspect, intra-frequency neighbor cells are searched first to determine reselection candidates. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of increasing time spent in low-power mode, thereby reducing power consumption and increasing standby time.

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication such as voice and data. These systems may be based on code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), or some other modulation techniques. A CDMA system provides certain advantages over other types of systems, including increased system capacity.
A CDMA system may be designed to support one or more CDMA standards such as (1) the "TIA/EIA-95-B Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System" (the IS-95 standard), (2) the standard offered by a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP) and embodied in a set of documents including Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214 (the W-CDMA standard), (3) the standard offered by a consortium named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2) and embodied in a set of documents including "C.S0002-A Physical Layer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems," the "C.S0005-A Upper Layer (Layer 3) Signaling Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems," and the "C.S0024 cdma2000 High Rate Packet Data Air Interface Specification" (the cdma2000 standard), and (4) some other standards. Non-CDMA systems include the AMPS and GSM systems.
When a mobile station first acquires a system, one or more available base stations or cells are identified by the mobile station. Typically a single cell is selected as the serving cell. When the mobile station is not actively communicating for a voice call or data session, it is said to be in idle mode. The mobile station the serving cell to determine if an event, such as an incoming call, would require the mobile station to leave idle mode. As the communication channel between the serving cell and the mobile station changes, the mobile station must periodically test the channel to determine if that cell is still suitable. For example, the communication channel will change as the mobile station moves between cells within a system or between one or more neighboring systems. Occasionally a new serving cell will be selected, a process known as cell reselection, or idle mode handoff.
During idle mode, a mobile station may go into a low-power, or "sleep" state, to reduce power consumption. A mobile station may discontinue reception during sleep state to allow receive circuitry to be disabled. Periodically, the mobile station must come out of sleep state, or "wake up", reacquire the serving cell, and monitor signals therefrom to determine if an incoming call is being directed to the mobile station. For example, a page indicator may be directed to a mobile station, to indicate whether the mobile station should enter active communications, or whether the low-power state can be reentered. During this time, a cell reselection process may be performed to determine if cell reselection is necessary. It is desirable for the mobile station to go back to the sleep state as soon as possible if it is to remain in idle mode, in order to conserve power. If a cell reselection is necessary, the mobile station may remain awake longer, in order to process the reselection.
It is desirable for a mobile station to wake up no sooner than necessary to receive the page indicator. However, the time required to reacquire the serving cell, or identify a reselection candidate if the serving cell has become unavailable, will vary according to changes in the communication channel conditions. Power conservation, and the associated benefits of reduced battery requirements and increased standby times, can be increased by minimizing the portion of a sleep cycle spent in reacquisition and reselection procedures. Concurrently, however, other system considerations may require adequate assessments of channel conditions associated with various neighbor cells, as well as timely and accurate response to page indicators. There is therefore a need in the art for cell reacquisition and reselection that increases time spent in low-power mode while effectively monitoring neighbor cells.

Idle mode cell reacquisition and reselection


A method and circuit for driving LCD are provided. Because the conventional Vcom inversion drive method cannot be applied in a self-aligned process, the power consumption cannot be reduced when the size of the transistor decreases. The method and circuit provided uses two different AC signals to provide different reference voltages for the storage capacitor and the liquid crystal capacitor in a pixel respectively. Therefore, it can be applied to the self-aligned process to reduce the power consumption.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a method and a circuit for driving a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a Vcom inversion drive method and a circuit for driving a liquid crystal display.
2. Description of Related Art
There are several conventional drive methods for driving active liquid crystal displays (LCDs), such as a frame inversion method, a column inversion method, a row inversion method, and a dot inversion method. Anyone of the above methods can be chosen based on image quality, power consumption, and drive complexity. The frame inversion method is the simplest of the above methods, but provides a worst image quality compared to the other methods. Hence, the frame inversion method is rarely adopted. The dot inversion method can provide a best image quality, but requires a higher power and a complex driving circuitry. Hence, the column inversion method and the row inversion method are the most common methods adopted by users when the image quality is not critical.
FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit of a conventional pixel driving circuit for driving an active LCD. A scan signal VS 102 is sent to a gate of a transistor 110 to turn the transistor 110 on/off. A data signal VD 104 is sent to a source of the transistor 110. When the transistor 110 is on, the data signal 104 will go through the transistor 110 to obtain an internal voltage 112 (Vlc). The internal voltage 112 then is stored in a storage capacitor 130 (Cst) and a liquid crystal pixel having a capacitance (schematically represented as a liquid crystal capacitor 120 (Clc)). The liquid crystal (schematically represented as the liquid crystal capacitor 120) will be driven based on a voltage difference between the internal voltage 112 and the voltage (Vcom) of a DC signal 106. When the transistor 110 is off, the storage capacitor 130 will provide a required voltage level for driving the liquid crystal capacitor 120.
FIG. 2 shows a time sequences for signals illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, a DC signal (Vcom) 206 is a reference voltage. When a scan signal (VS) 202 is at a high voltage level, a data signal (VD) 204 enters into a pixel and charges the storage capacitor 130 and the liquid crystal capacitor 120. Hence, an internal voltage 212 can maintain a stable level to provide a voltage difference 210 for the liquid crystal capacitor 120.
The aforementioned inversion driving method causes higher power consumption because the inversion has to be made each time after the data signal enters the pixel, which requires higher voltage amplitude and higher inversion frequency.
FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit of a conventional pixel driving circuit for driving active LCD by using Vcom inversion (a.k.a. common toggle) drive method. A scan signal 302 is sent to a gate of a transistor 310 to turn the transistor 310 on/off. A data signal 304 is sent to a source of the transistor 310. When the transistor 310 is on, the data signal 304 will go through the transistor 310 to obtain an internal voltage 312. The internal voltage 312 then is stored in a storage capacitor 330 and a liquid crystal capacitor 320. One end of the storage capacitor 330 and one end of the liquid crystal capacitor 320 are coupled to a drain of the transistor 310, the other end (common electrode) of the storage capacitor 330 and the other end of the liquid crystal capacitor 320 are connected to an AC signal 306. The liquid crystal (i.e., having the liquid crystal capacitor 320) will be driven based on a voltage difference between the internal voltage 312 and the AC signal 306. When the transistor 310 is off, the storage capacitor 330 will provide the required voltage level for driving the liquid crystal capacitor 320.
FIG. 4 shows a time sequences for signals illustrated in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, an AC signal (Vcom) 406 is a reference voltage. When a scan signal (VS) 402 is at a high voltage level, a data signal (VD) 404 enters into a pixel and charges the storage capacitor 330 and the liquid crystal capacitor 320. Hence, an internal voltage 412 can maintain a stable level to provide a voltage difference 410 for the liquid crystal capacitor 320.
The Vcom inversion driving method can reduce the amplitude of the data signal 404. Hence, the required power consumption can reduce. However, because a common electrode of the storage capacitor 330 and that of the liquid crystal capacitor 320 are coupled to the same voltage level, if the storage capacitor 330 is an asymmetric capacitor with polarity, the Vcom inversion driving method cannot be used.
As the manufacturing process advances, the size of the thin film transistor (TFT) is getting smaller and smaller. Hence, the alignment precision is more critical. The traditional optical alignment would not be able to meet the precision requirement. Although the self-aligned manufacturing process can meet the precision requirement and improve the TFT performance, it also results in an asymmetric storage capacitor between the gate electrode and the polysilicon electrode. Hence, the conventional Vcom inversion drive method cannot be used to reduce the power consumption.

Method and circuit for driving liquid crystal display


In a screen printing apparatus including: an impression cylinder that receives a sheet from a transfer cylinder located upstream in the sheet transport direction through a sheet gripping device and transports the sheet held in the sheet gripping device; and a rotary screen cylinder that is in contact with the impression cylinder and performs screen printing for the sheet held by the impression cylinder, the transfer cylinder is located above the impression cylinder, and the rotary screen cylinder is located to the side of the impression cylinder so that ink, varnish, or the like accumulates in a squeegee portion including a squeegee shaft, a squeegee, and the like in the rotary screen cylinder.

One of conventional printing apparatuses for performing screen printing is disclosed in Patent Literature 1, for example.
According to Patent Literature 1, first, in the screen printing apparatus provided in combination with an offset printing apparatus, the rotary screen cylinder is located above an impression cylinder that holds and transports a sheet to be subjected to screen printing.
Next, the screen printing apparatus includes a rotary screen cylinder, a pair of eccentric bearings, driving means, and a controller. The rotary screen cylinder includes a cylindrical screen plate that is supported between a pair of holders with flanges interposed therebetween. The eccentric bearings support the pair of respective holders of the rotary screen cylinder such that the holders can rotate. The driving means includes a pair of motors and moves the pair of holders along a cylinder shaft direction through the pair of eccentric bearings. The controller drives and controls the driving means so that the pair of holders move close to or apart from each other along the cylinder shaft direction to support and release the screen printing plate. Moreover, the controller drives and controls the driving means so that the pair of holders synchronously move in the same direction along the cylinder shaft direction by the same amount to move the screen printing plate in the cylinder shaft direction.

Screen printing apparatus and combination printing press including the screen printing apparatus